Clean Eating and Easter Candy

It’s here……Fri-YAY!

Holy Moly, the week flew by! I had such a fun week with my third graders! Of course it ended with a bang—stomach bug for me (started with strep for Mr. Pennington). Teacher germs. Gross. I do have to say, though—while I’ve had some sick days for myself due to endo symptoms, I FINALLY think I’ve built up some immunity. It only took 6 years.

I think a big part of staying healthy this year, though, came from this amazing, healthy lifestyle change that Mr. Pennington brought into our home. I’ve told you all about his dorky documentary habits and his weight loss due to his diet. And I’ve had a LOT of people ask me exactly what this “diet” is that we are on. Mostly people who haven’t seen him in awhile lay eyes on him and are in total shock and think we are hiding some fantastic secret.

We really aren’t! But I will be happy to share what we are doing to maintain this lifestyle change that even our kiddos are benefiting from. HE should really be typing this, but admittedly, he doesn’t even know where to find a comma on the keyboard, much less how to make use of the punctuation mark, and he knows his teacher wife will have a fit if he has too many errors. So, you get me. Lucky you!

I really can’t go as in depth as he could. So here are the basics…

1.         Avoid buying food in boxes, steamable bags, and cans. They’re typically full of preservatives, artificial colors, flavors and SUGAR. We strive to only eat 50 grams of sugar a day. (If I’m being honest, I happily go over that if it’s natural sugar from fruits)

2.       Avoid dairy that isn’t NonGMO and organic. Non GMO is the key here (for anything, really…not just dairy). I haven’t had a glass of milk in probably 20 years. BUT, I love my coffee creamer. I’ve recently switched to lattes with almond milk and my belly is much happier. My kids, however, still can drink that vile dairy product so we buy them strictly Non GMO organic milk and they have happier bellies too. (My oldest son has colitis so a happy belly for him is a big deal)

3.       If you can’t pronounce the ingredients….put it back on the shelf. Period.

4.       Limit your red meat intake. My hubby was a steak and potatoes kind of guy. His blood pressure was super high and his cholesterol was looking a little rough. We cut out red meat altogether and it made a huge difference. We use ground turkey, chicken and all natural pork sausage here and there.

5.       Chill out on the pastas, breads, and other starchy carbs. If you have to eat them, do so in moderation and buy Non GMO multi-grain or whole grain foods. I’m a SUCKER for starch. This one has been hardest for me, but by not eliminating it altogether like some fad diets suggest, it’s much easier on me.

6.       Don’t be a dip. Or eat a ton of it. Ketchup, barbeque sauce, mayo…all these things are pretty unhealthy and full of sugar. We use avocado in place of mayo in our tuna or chicken salad, and use salsa in place of ketchup. And mustard is actually decently healthy. Thank the Lord, because Mr. P wouldn’t be alive without it.

These are just the main things we are doing. Do we slip up and eat junk? Heck yes. Last week I ate more Cinnabon “bon bites” than I care to admit. I paid for it big time, but my taste buds were happy. Allow yourself a cheat here and there. Just be reasonable about it. Two cheats a week is the way we started. Not cheat DAYS or even really cheat meals, but just 2 cheat items (hello latte!). And let's face it....it's almost Easter. I'll be devouring a cream filled egg very soon. Fo sho.

At first it’s tricky, trust me. But the more you do it, the better you feel, and the easier things get. Even our kids tend to choose our healthier choices at the store over all the junk that’s marketed straight to them.

If you have any questions, I’m here to help! I’m sure I’ll need to ask him the answer, but…I’m here. Just ask! J

XoXo

Jessica

Big News!

This is only the single most exciting news I’ve gotten in months and I waited a WHOLE week to share it! What’s wrong with me?!

Last Monday I got the call from the CEC and Dr. Sinervo’s office! I am officially scheduled for my April excision surgery with one of the top doctors! I’ve been asked if I’m nervous and the answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT! I’ve had so many unsuccessful abdominal surgeries performed by surgeons who weren’t skilled enough to “fix” me. No more band-aids for this girl’s endo pain! I already feel so highly optimistic simply from hearing all the success stories and from the amount of kindness and hospitality I’ve received from every single person at the CEC. They’ve been nothing short of amazing thus far!

Plane tickets are bought for a 10 day trip to Atlanta for Mr. Pennington and I. We are staying a considerably long time because we are still unsure how invasive the operation will be. Everything will be done via LAPEX (laser), but depending on which parts of my body are impacted by the disease and to what extreme, I could be in the hospital anywhere from 23 hours to 4 days!

Today we put the final touch on our travel plans by securing a place to stay. This has been insanely stressful for me and absolutely mind consuming. I woke up in a panic (full blown, pass the wine so I can take my Xanax PANIC) this morning after dreaming about it all night long. Hotels are outrageous for 10 day stays, some places have terrible (like….dog poop on the bathroom floor of the hotel room terrible) ratings, some places are so far away from my doctor and the hospital, what if this happens, or what if that does? BLAH! I finally rented a studio apartment for the 10 days that’s within half hour of the airport, the CEC, and the hospital. The best part was that the fare for this was almost HALF of what we were being quoted for a “medical discount” at area hotels! I told my mom today that I think I’m moving to Atlanta. Everyone I’ve dealt with has been so flipping sweet! The property manager at this place secured me a first floor studio since stairs aren’t ideal post-op, and was more than happy to answer any questions I had as well as provide me with documentation I needed.

I am beyond giddy to make this trip! The only thing that’s a total bummer is being away from my third graders for several weeks. It’s been a 4 day weekend and I miss them! I guess it’s a good thing I’m only a mile from school and can visit often!

Now all I have to do is hurry up and wait. 7 weeks to go!

XoXo

Jessica

Think Dirty. Get Clean.

Sunday Funday…better than a Monday! Just a little nod to one of my favorite shows ever. Anyone else watch and LOVE You’re the Worst on FXX? You should.You're welcome for the song that's about to be stuck in your head. 

We spent our Sunday Funday outside as much as possible because HELLO, it’s 65 degrees in Ohio IN FEBRUARY! Sunny weather makes this crew happy!

We always spend our Sunday mornings meal planning, grocery shopping and trying out a new (or oldie but goody) brunch spot. Today we had the kiddos and decided to treat them to one of our favorites—816 Pint & Slice in Fort Wayne. The pizza is delicious and as big as your head! It’s also not on the diet, so we had gluten free grinders which were really yummy!  I highly recommend checking it out!

Back to the grocery shopping. My main goal today was to purchase the items we needed to get back to natural, non-toxic cleaning…for ourselves AND our home! Ironically, my best group text friends (doesn't everyone have that ONE group text that never ends?) and I were discussing cleaning products today and I was so geeky excited that they brought it up because I knew I was posting a blog on exactly that!

So many of the products we use every single day are so full of toxins and carcinogens. Shampoo, lotion, cleaners, laundry soap…you name it. Even items marked as “natural” are, well, not so much. The products that are the scariest to me are all of the items we use in the shower or in our kids’ baths. A time when the steam has our pores so open and susceptible and we are lathering up with yummy smelling everything! Those scented goodies we suds up with are full of things that are terrible for our bodies! They can cause inflammation in anyone (but especially those of us with inflammatory disease like endo), introduce carcinogens, and trigger many allergic reactions. These items also have a huge impact on reproductive organs, as well as a host of other issues!

Even when we think we are buying the best products because they’re marketed as “healthy”, “all natural”, “organic”…we often are still buying toxic stuff. How can you know which is good and which just LOOKS good? Well….there’s an app for that! Think Dirty is a totally free app that you can download to your iPhone or Android. It allows you to scan bar codes of all items from deodorant to window cleaner and everything in between. The app then gives you a rating of 0-10. Items with a score of 10 are the most dangerous and harmful. You might look like a total dork (or in our case, the 4 person family dork squad) walking through the store scanning items, but it’s very much worth knowing what you’re purchasing!

Now, to answer my group text besties…here are some of the things I’m using in my home that work GREAT, are all natural (toxin free for me and for the Earth), and totally affordable! These are DIY items that are tried and true in the Pennington casa!

Laundry Soap

This DIY laundry soap is easy, affordable and lasts forever. And works great at cleaning stinky little (and big) boy socks!

You’ll need

¼ cup pure castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner’s Orange and Hemp)

¼ cup washing soda

¼ cup baking soda

20 drops of your favorite essential oil (lavender or orange oil are my favorites!)

1 gallon of warm water

Simply mix your warm water and dry ingredients together well in a container. (The container I used was one of about 4 we bought for our wedding and figured we’d never use again. They work like a charm!) Add in your castile soap and oil. Stir well (or in my case, have Mr. Pennington shake up).

Voila! You’re done. Use 1/3 cup per load of laundry. This detergent WILL stay liquid and will need mixed again before using.

DIY Dryer (and EVERYTHING) sheets

You’ll need:

½ cup vinegar

8-10 drops  of your favorite essential oil

Fabric cut into squares (I absolutely love those small baby washrags!)

Pour vinegar into mason jar or airtight container. Add your oils. Roll the cloths and add to the jar. The cloths will soak up the liquid. Just toss a cloth into the dryer in place of a toxic store bought dryer sheet. I use 2 for big loads.

Disregard my photos. I'm ashamed to admit that I actually am capable of taking professional images. No time for that!

But wait, there’s more…

These suckers are SO amazing for cleaning glass as well! I actually made up a few jars and have them around the house for quick access. Wipe down your glass surfaces and mirrors with your “dryer sheet” and wipe clean with a dry cloth. For these I highly recommend using thieves oil from Young Living due to its anti-bacterial properties. Works better than any blue cleaner in a spray bottle…and it’s safe for your family!

I can’t wait to share my essential oil beauty regimen with you soon! As I’ve mentioned, my best friend is a Young Living consultant and she has hooked up me up with some seriously amazing “potions” for helping my hair grow out, getting rid of acne, and a salt scrub that’s to die for! But more on that another day. You have to get busy downloading that Get Dirty app and scanning everything in your house. It’s terrifying and I’m sorry in advance. But not really…it is worth it in the long run!

Enjoy your week! Hopefully you get to celebrate President’s Day at home making safe cleaners.

XoXo

Jessica

Saturday Night Documentary PARTAAAAY!

Happy Saturday!

What a crazy week! I’m so glad my favorite night of the week is here! We had a snow day from school on Thursday and I spent yesterday in the peds ER with my littlest guy who’s dealing with some sort of viral nastiness. I managed to get some groceries this morning, visit the chiropractor (where I ended up getting x rays and learning that my body is a whole jumble of messed up…more on that later), and came home to hang this cuteness in my master bath.

But evening is here, the kids are with their dad, and Mr. Pennington will be home soon. I love Saturday nights because it’s the one night we can stay up late (like….10pm), drink our wine (if my endo is willing to let my body tolerate alcohol) and snuggle in for a movie. Or in our case a documentary! Mr. Pennington went from a beer, pizza, wings, and steak kind of guy to a total clean eating health nut several months ago. He needed to get his blood pressure down and refused to do it with drugs. As a result, he’s lost 35 pounds and looks and feels great! I’m so super proud of him! Part of his continued motivation is watching documentaries on all the toxic junk in our food. I can’t lie…I’ve always been pretty healthy and these documentaries don’t really hold my attention, but nonetheless I indulge in them with him.

Last weekend I got to choose so we watched a documentary that’s near and dear to my heart: Vaxxed. I am an anti-vaxing mama. Partially because I have an immune deficient child who never built immunity after his 2 month vaccines (but did suffer all the side effects). Partially because I’ve seen the damage an MMR vaccine can do to a child through one of my good friend’s son. And have seen her bust her ass to bring her little boy back…it hasn’t been easy and is a day by day regiment of supplements, vitamins, clean eating, detoxing, environmental screenings, and an extremely watchful eye on EVERYTHING he’s exposed to. She seriously is my hero…and she thinks she’s just an ordinary mom! And finally, I’m just not comfortable with pumping my babies full of toxins. I could go on about this topic for hours, but will spare you. I, of course, respect every parent’s right to choose what they believe is best for their child. I do suggest watching this documentary though, no matter what your standpoint!

Back to “Saturday Night Doc’ Night”, tonight is one of my choosing as well! (It’s the simple things in life that make me happy, folks!) I just bought my digital copy of Endo What? and also ordered my Endo What? tee shirt. I came across this documentary this morning and was so excited! And a little disappointed that I didn’t even know it existed until today. After watching the trailer, I really started researching how I can put my story out there and other ways I can help spread awareness. I told my husband that he really needs a fat promotion at work so that I can quit teaching (yeah right) put my opinionated big mouth to good work advocating for women with this disease and to spread awareness about it! I’m really looking forward to my life as a crunchy, rally attending, hippie who fights this disease as hard as it has fought me all my adult life! For now, I’ve sent a lot of emails to volunteer at events and tell my story. I also signed up to be contacted to have an Endo What? screening somewhere close to me. Until I have some emails back…my big mouth is asking YOU to please check out the Endo What? website. Watch the documentary (you KNOW you’re dying to have your own wild Saturday Night Doc Night!), donate to the cause, check out the School Nurse Initiative…which is amazing! Check it out, guys! Help set the record straight that this disease is more than just “bad periods” or “normal pain”. Do it for me if you know me. Do if for one of the 1 in 10 women in your life who is affected by endo.

I’ll jump off my soapbox for a minute to get back to the chiropractic visit I mentioned. Hopefully someone might have some advice on this weird situation. Sooo, I have been having these fainting episodes lately. And have been weirdly dizzy. I had x-rays done today and my C2 and C3 (cervical vertebrae, in the neck) are twisted/rotated as a result of scoliosis (that I had corrected at age 13. Coincidentally that correction could be the cause of all my reproductive organ issues!).  There are holes in these vertebrae that allow your vertebral arteries, and obviously blood, to travel to your brain. With this rotation, when I raise my hands above my head, the artery gets pinched off which in turn limits blood flow….and life goes fuzzy while I ooze to the ground. I’m seeing the chiropractor weekly now, more if needed. If anyone else has dealt with this, what did you do? Yoga (with no child’s pose because that has made me dizzy for months and I didn’t know why), exercises, stretching….any advice is good and more that I have now! While this is a pretty big deal healthwise, my biggest concern is that when everyone is “throwin’ your hands way up in the air, waving ‘em around like you just don’t care”….I’ll be the jackass who appears to care because I can’t lift my hands up above my head. The struggle is real, my friends.

Mr. Penington has entered the casa which means doc night is about to commence. I think you better go download it right NOW also! Have a happy weekend!

XoXo

Jessica

Lead Grapes and Essential Oils

Holy flare up, Batman! I destroyed my body by having too many cups of coffee from my favorite shop, too many glasses of wine, and one junk meal over the weekend. I’m paying for this SO heavily! I took a personal day today because my husband had the day off, and I’m so glad I did because I felt pretty rough. I was trying to explain the pain to him the best I could….

Me: Sooo, imagine being all out of shape and randomly running a 5K, then doing 500 crunches AFTER working a 12 hour shift on your feet.

And for good measure, to describe the pelvic aspect of this pain, I told him I felt like a bowling ball was laying in my pelvis so maybe he could just imagine a lead grape trying to escape his man parts.

Him: total silence and insert that big eyed emoji

Anyways, this is actually supposed to be a happy news post! I was talking essential oils with my best friend last night. She is a Young Living consultant and makes amazing body butters, roller balls, lip balms, massage bars, salt scrubs and any other amazing product you can imagine. We were talking about making my 9 year old something for his anxiety when it hit me that there’s probably something for endo as well!

Sure enough, today I have a roller ball in my possession! My 7 year old calls these roller balls “potions”. My potion has geranium, clary sage, frankincense, and Cyprus oils. I kid you not—I put it on and felt a tiny bit of relief in minutes. Within half hour my pain was half what it had been! Like with any oil treatment, I needed to reapply after about 3 hours, but again, it worked quickly to lessen the pain!

I highly recommend checking out any of my bestie’s products! Check out her Ella Sophia shop on Etsy! You will NOT be disappointed!

Thanks, BFF, for enabling me to drink coffee and wine when I know better. That’s what friends are for, right?!

XoXo

My Life with Endo...

Hey guys! I hope you are comfy in your sweats with a big mug of coffee and all ready to learn about, what else? My corrupted reproductive system! As I mentioned in my initial post, I am an endometriosis sufferer. Reading so many inspirational blog posts about people, like me, who are living life to its fullest with this disease is what led me to start this blog up. (Well that and I swear I really want to be a super kick-ass teacher blogger one of these days! Baby steps.) It’s a big step for me to share this story with potentially the entire world, but it’s time. I hope a young girl out there stumbles upon this and thinks “wow! That’s me! I’m not insane like all of the 27 doctors I’ve been to claim I am”. 

In the beginning…

I started having periods around age 10. I was sooo lucky to start the day before leaving for a week long church camp. For being church camp, that was a hellacious aspect of it! Like most young girls, I was mostly irregular with my cycles until I was around 13. Around that time was when the pain started each month. All through high school I’d have horrible cramping and awful periods. Such is life…so they say. (“they” can kiss my butt, because this was NOT normal!) I was able to function, go to school, work, whatever with the help of ibuprofen, but it was pretty painful. I also was no stranger to ovarian cysts. I’d find myself in pain often and every time an ultrasound was performed there’d be a cyst or four.

After High school…

Somewhere around age 19 or 20 I started having REALLY bad periods. TMI, but clots and nonstop bleeding were only the beginning. The pain was unbelievable. I would spike a fever, get dizzy, throw up. All I could manage to do was lay in bed with a heating pad. At this point I started my stint of getting gynecological opinions. Most wrote me off or suggested birth control pills (which, by the way, make Jessica one CRAZY lady!). My mom had an OB Nurse practitioner at the time that she really loved. I gave her a try. This woman actually told my mother after my visit (hello where were the hippaa laws in 2003?!) that I was a “hysterically dramatic young lady who needed to get used to being a woman”. (making yet another mental note to write that bitch a letter to explain endometriosis) This was all I ever heard. No one took me for my word.

Moving ahead…

I began having severe right sided pains one day that took my breath away. I went to an old school doctor who diagnosed me with appendicitis (no x-rays, no CT scan…just his gut feeling). I went in for an emergency appendectomy. While my appendix was a tiny big inflamed, they found the bigger problem was a big ovarian cyst on my right ovary. They removed the cyst and appendix. That was the day I was diagnosed with endometriosis. Stage 4 endometriosis. One of the worst cases my amazing surgeon had EVER seen. She told my mom that what I felt every month was likely comparable to childbirth. (Hystericcally dramatic WHAT?!)

It’s Baby Time…

The surgeon who diagnosed me cleaned out as much as she could. I had my first baby boy when I was 25. When I was 26 I had another surgery to clean things up laparoscopically. I was told to go on birth control (crazy maker) for 3 months and then try like crazy for baby number 2. Well, once you learn more about my family you’ll know that baby number 2 is a very persistent and determined little fella! I got pregnant while taking that first month of birth control. I’m unbelievably blessed to have these little boys because so many women with endo can’t conceive. I remind myself how lucky I am every time I break up a “he’s breathing on me!” fight.

Baby number 2 did not, however, have an uneventful birth. He tried escaping around 28 weeks. I ended up on bedrest (with a toddler at home!) and had him at around 35 weeks. When he was born, my uterus was so weak from endometriosis that it ruptured. I’m talking split like a banana. You’re welcome for the visual. My midwife called in doctors and surgeons and I was swept off to the OR. The only thing they could do was a hysterectomy because I had lost over half the blood in my body and they were losing me. I woke up 8 hours later in ICU and had yet to hold my precious baby boy. I was actually relieved to know they’d done the hyster and asked why on earth they left my problematic ovaries! Of course, hey had to because there was too much trauma already. Fun fact for ya…I still had a MONTHLY PERIOD after my hysterectomy. And still do.

Soccer Ball Belly….

The year I graduated college and was hired for my first teaching job, I felt like I was just getting fatter by the second. I looked 4 months pregnant and didn’t know why. Lo and behold…another ovarian cyst. This sucker was the size of a soccer ball! They took the right ovary in emergency surgery and again…cleaned up a lot of endo. They told me that there was so much scar tissue and adhesion that they couldn’t get it all. My left ovary was “glued” to my pelvic wall, hip, bowel, bladder, and who knows what else..

Doctors, and Nurses, and Kinesiologists…OH MY!

My last surgery was in 2011. Since then my pain has worsened, my stomach/GI tract has developed an assortment of awful symptoms, I have monthly bleeding (that sometimes lasts weeks), migraine headaches, vertigo, diarrhea, vomiting…you name it! I’ve been to every doctor in the area. I’ve been to Cleveland Clinic (which was a wasted trip, but it’s ok because I LOVE CLE!). The only small bit of relief I got from any of it was visiting a chiropractor who specialized in kinesiology on a regular basis. That lady was an angel sent straight from heaven…then she retired!

Almost 2 months ago I woke up feeling the worst pain I’ve ever felt. EVER. Childbirth included (and you just read how great of an experience THAT was for me). I called into school and couldn’t even do sub plans. My dad took my kids to school and my mom rushed me to the ER (thank GOD for parents who live close by). I spent my entire morning in the ER and they found nothing. As suspected. It was endometriosis flaring up. *side note-I was drinking 3-5 coffees a day the week prior. Coffee and endo don’t mix.

When I got home that day I spent HOURS searching the internet. I’d searched before a million times and never found anything new. But this time…I decided to visit the website for the Center for Endometriosis Care. I’d been to the site before, but for whatever reason didn’t’ think it was for me. My best friend told me that one of her friends had surgery there and felt it was the best move she ever made.

I decided that I had to do something. Life like this is unbearable for me, my husband, my kids….hell, even the dogs suffer when mama is in pain! I filled out all 27 pages of paperwork, wrote a personal narrative of life with this disease, rounded up all my records and paid 7 bucks to send one big ol’ envelope to Atlanta! I heard from them when they received my files, and again a few days later when the surgeon called me. He was so kind and personable. He answered all my questions before I could even ask them! Right now I am in the process of getting insurance approval and then scheduling my excision. I’m really hoping to go in April over my school’s extended Easter break.

I’m hopeful that this surgery will be what it takes to get my life back on track! Don’t get me wrong…I am one lucky lady in every other aspect of life. But endo really puts a damper on a lot of things and I will be so thankful to see it go away once and for all!!

If you’ve read all of this….you need to go refill that coffee, I’m sure! But don’t drink 5 cups if you’re an endo sufferer. It won’t end well….trust me.

Xoxo

Welcome!

Here goes nothing! Let's just put one thing out there--I SUCK at blogging! Or more accurately…remembering to blog. I love to write, I love to share, I love feedback....why is this so difficult for me to stick with? I don't know, but this time I'm sticking with it! I'm planning a trip to Atlanta soon to the CEC for endometriosis excision surgery and have learned SO much from reading other patients' blogs. That's what got me thinking, "Damn it, Jessica...you have a lot of knowledge and experience to share too. Start that blog!" So, here I am...killin' it. 

If I'm being honest...I really am procrastinating on grading papers like nobody's business and justified it by creating this little "launch" post. BUT....

Stay tuned for my first endo post coming soon. Putting my story out there is a pretty big step, I must say. But if I can help someone just a little--it'll be worth throwing all my vulnerabilities onto the internet!