well, there is nothing like a health crises to wake a person up!

[andra]

Hi everybody....

I have primarily been a reader/lurker on this forum; something draws me here (and to other raw sites). I have Alissa's book (I am going to get the dvd--more about this in a minute) and attended the first class of Alissas, taught by somebody locally. I liked the food and was pleasantly surprised how elegant everything was.

Obviously something is bringing me to this site and I need to pay attention to that and to honor that and not just brush it aside.

Well, right now I am having a major health crises and I have a surgery scheduled for Jan 23rd. I dont want to bore everybody with the details (but if they are relevant I will give details). Anyway, I will be out of commission, in pain, and will have swallowing problems and/or pain and also maybe speaking issues. :( I have been told that I will be in the hospital for 1-2 days and then a minimum of one week rest and liquids only. Maybe longer, depending on healing. Fortunately this is most likely not life threatening and its origins are congenital. However, I think my SAD ways have aggravated the situation and I am not in denial about that. Surgery is necessary, unfortunately, as this will progress and at some point it will cause major problems.

So, I am thinking--ok, forced rest at home, possibly major pain, liquids. Now is the time to get serious and focus on the part II--the post surgery part. I think now is the time to try raw--it would have to be "soups" (I liked the broccoli soup from the class; I will have to find raw almonds :confused:) and/or smoothies. And maybe now is the time to order some dvd's because, well, I will be homebound and possibly couch or bed bound. Why not make the best of it and make it restorative.

I dont know if this is a good plan or not? I would appreciate guidance and suggestions i.e. any other raw dvd's that you recommend? Soup recipes that you like that are not overly complex (I have not mastered the coconut and so that could be an issue)?

The only green smoothie that I have liked was made of: pineapple, lemon/lime juice and zest, baby spinach, water. Is that adequate and/or considered a "green smoothie"?

I have a vitamix and also a food processor (bought the one the teacher recommended). I have some other raw books, too. I have a dvd player and internet access.

Finally, I am saddened that this is happening and I am also scared. But I am hoping to turn this into a beginning. I am sorry that is has come to this but this is where I am at.

Thanks for listening....

andra

[Aleesha Sattva]

sounds like a good time to do some juicing as well! you can juice in your blender and strain what you blend with a nut mylk bag... tossing out the fibre and drinking the super nutritious juice. this will definitely assist with healing.

remember... greens are healing - fruits are cleansing. so i would focus more on green juices (at least one a day) but if you are doing green smoothies (there's a thread with over 70 recipes on this forum) then fruit juices would be fine and super yummy!

i love strawberry/pineapple the best, but a nice tomato with cayenne, curry and kelp is lovely for a dinner. kinda like soup. you can even just blend up the tomatoes instead of juicing them and a thicker tomato soup type version. :)

i wish you the best with your healing and upcoming journey!

[andra]

I do not have a juicer :( I also dont have a strainer bag. Are these hard to find? And since my money is tight and time is semi tight (with regards to delivery) and I want to buy the dvd and raw olive oil....is it possible to use my vitamix and just make green soup? I think fiber will be necessary as I dont want to develop problems with constipation since my activity will be nill (I am a regular exerciser so this will be very hard to be still).

I am not trying to be difficult; I am just hoping that I can use what I have. There is a restaurant in the city where the hospital is and they have raw foods and raw soups--I may have hubby go there while I am inpatient and smuggle me stuff, as I am sure the hospital food will be horrible i.e. chicken broth, jello.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback and encouragement.

andra

[Aleesha Sattva]

you can get a paint strainer bag from home depot for $2 - that's what i use :)

oh adding juices won't make you constipated... especially if you are still have green smoothies. i do extended juice fasts and still have regular bowel movements through out without any assistance at all. ;)

i bet the raw restaurant will have some yummy juices and smoothies as well! mmmm

[andra]

THANK YOU for the tip on a paint strainer bag--I will go with hubby to get that ASAP.

andra

[Aleesha Sattva]

i always have two on hand. that way when one is drying... i have another if needed ;) and since they are sooooo inexpensive, i figure why not :)

[MelissaO]

No juicer, no worries. You have a Vitamix - blend things up in there and then strain. Some people on the forum have used a new pair of panty house as a strainer bag or an old pillow case (I would think one would not use fabric softner or launcry detergent to wash it - maybe some organic vegan soap like Dr. Bronners)

I wish you a speedy recovery. And good luck in your raw journey.

[freshlight]

dear Andra, read all the books you can get: Shelton's, Dr.Walker's, Doug Graham's...you might be able to work wonders by going raw or fasting. Your health is in your hands!

Take care, Eva

[andra]

Aleesha--thank you for the information about the differences between greens and fruits (in terms of their roles); that is very helpful to me!!:)

andra

[Barbie2]

Andra, After my heart surgery in November, I found it hard to eat, it seems to affect the appetite at first. I fell in love with a smoothie I still have many mornings, I use almond milk, a banana, and frozen strawberries, sometimes I use cocoa too. It's so good and it will cool your throat. Also I love almond milk with mango, pineapple and a banana. Just some ideas.

Barb

[andra]

Thank you barb for that suggestion!

Yesterday I bought Alissa's DVD at the large health food store that is across state lines from me. I will go there monthly to stock up on stuff. I started to watch it last night and was very impressed. I did not get very far so I am excited to watch more!

andra :)