Winter Wonderland

We made that gingerbread house on our snow day this past monday. We had two snow/ice days off from school, and assembling it was an exciting way to get even more into the holiday spirit. Having a five year old means that every moment since dec. 1st has been about the holiday. We have gotten some suprisingly wintery weather this week. It has been super-crappy all week. Snow, ice, frigid temperatures. Usually when we get snow it melts in a day. Our three mile, hilly, unpaved road to the "big" paved road is coated with a thick layer of ice. So we spent two nights in town at my mother-in laws house where the roads are a tad bit more manageable. It has been hovering around 19 degrees at night for the last three nights, and in an area that is not flat, not salted, not widely sanded either, it has been a mixture of dread and annoyance trying to get around. But I do have my subaru, and I have been repeating a little mantra all week while driving in this winter wonderland touting the virtues of a really well built all wheel drive car!

I am ending the detox due to the fact that I am going to Napa tomorrow. I am spending some quality time with my sister and hey, it has been a while since I was able to go out to eat in SF. She knows all the go-to places and this weekend will be no exception to our normal routine. I do feel better, and have been able to stick to my routine. I have been almost depressed eating however. Between not being at home in my kitchen and eating salads from the coop salad bar, I have had little to offer my dear readers in the way of recipes, photos and cheers. Sorry I was not able to guide you better.

A couple of notes...

1. Superfoods is not very pleasant. It tastes as Becky lovingly says "like pond water". I mix it with water, hold my breath while drinking it, and chase it with a bit of apple or plain water. I wish it were not the case, but it is very very good for your body, so I just gulp it down.

2. I think mixing superfoods and whey is the way to go, but you may not. Again, I gulp it and just get it over with.

3. Your undenatured whey canister or packets might say 99% undenatured, and that is just perfect!

In other personal news, I went to a nurse practitioner last week about my hormones. My PMS is a topic of conversation around here due to its severity and impact on both my life and of those around me. It was the day before Thanksgiving, and I was feeling like I normally do right before my period; like I was going to explode. Anxious, depressed, scattered, low, bloated, puffy, dry, depleted. My sister handed my her bottle of progesterone cream and told me to try a pump. I did, and two hours later I felt amazing.
Now, I have had my hormones checked before, and my progesterone was low. Very low. I went on the cream for three months like my naturopath said, but somehow I have regressed since then, and am back to a ugly place. I absolutely do not recommend medicating yourself like I did. Don't go out and buy progesterone cream if you have PMS. It can really screw your system up. I put the cream on in a moment of desperation.
Two days after using the cream I made an appointment with a nurse practitioner who is new to the area. She specializes in hormones. I am getting saliva hormone tests, blood hormone tests, and urine neurotransmitter tests. Also basic blood tests, and a very very very through thyroid panel.
Because I expect to pay fully out of pocket for these tests (my deductible is too high and insurance companies are lame) I added it all up and these wonderful tests should be less than $300 for me to pay for. I will of course keep you posted on all my results and you can follow me along as I manage my steroid hormones and neurotransmitters. In case you are looking to do a bit of reading about it, I really recommend Mood Cure by Julia Ross and What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About PreMenopause by John Lee. I bet you could get both at your local library. Both books really shifted how I thought about brain chemistry and female hormones. And here is my bottom line. You have to search this kind of information out. Doctors who can REALLY care for women are hard to find. You have to demand it. You have to expect it. We are all responsible for calling modern medicine and its failures out. It is a passion and a hobby of mine in case you had not noticed. Everyone wants to feel better, even the doctor writing out your prescription. They have been misguided too. There is light at the end of the tunnel. I am living proof.

So, when I arrive back home on sunday, I will be starting on healthy, tasty holiday dishes. And, at my sisters house I will be blogging about something mildly entertaining. Stay tuned!