A late blog.   I was having Bluetooth issues yesterday so couldn't upload my fave-so-far juice.  I will call it a beet concoction .  It was yummy.  This assortment, 1 beet, 2 oranges,1 green apple,  1 pear, 3 kale, 1 cuke and some lime made....

this yummo drink.   If they sold it in a bottle, I would buy it for sure!

This morning I tried another kale recipe and I have to say I'm sllooooowwwlly drinking the kale drinks.  Not digging the flavor.  So I have been making them fruity to compensate, which is not the best as I need my veggies.   Tonight I made a killer veggie juice!  Finally.   And here I have to admit there is a greefy leaf bunch in my fridge that I have no idea what it might be.   Anyways, I used 2 green peppers, one giant tomatoe (it was a big one!), 4-green onions, 3-celery stalks,3 basil leaves, a handful of fresh cilantro stalks, and then four of these leafy stalks that I don't know what the name might be.  lol.   Anyways, I did add some pepper and one shake of tobasco and OMG..  It was the bomb.   AND it was very filling!

I'm sure I'm not supposed to add the tobasco sauce but hey, if you had the day I did, you would have too!!!  It's not easy being the only person in a three-man job, I'm just saying.   Maybe I should have added vodka.   Now, there's an idea!

Second day of juicing nearly under my wing.  I did have to supplement with some fruit today.  One banana and I ate some pineapple with tonight's juice.  I LOVED my juice tonight.  One entire pineapple, some strange mexico mango, cucumber, and two pears.   Yummo.  

I'm not doing so well with the green juices.  I think it's not the ginger but the celery that is making the strange taste.   I love celery salt in my bloody marys but maybe not my green juices???

I need to find a dark drink container to bring my juices to work or store in fridge.   Everything with a lid is either white or see-thru.  WTH?   We need more than a Walmart in these woods!!!

Well, it wasn't a bust.  I'm drinking this lovely green stuff, however, I learned that while I like ginger, I don't like this much ginger!  And I could have put a little less lemon.

The machine is amazingly quiet.  And while I understand it's a "juicer", I was surprised by how dry the pulp was coming out of the shoot.   So, I took a picture of the pulp!

And then I took a picture of how messy this adventure made my tiny kitchen.   This will be my obstacle, deterring future juicing, so I have to formulate a plan.   Egads.

This is the pretty stuff that I am drinking as I type and before I leave for work, I'm going to create a berry juice to bring for lunch.  I hope this one tastes better.  Oh and see the empty glass?  Mark decided not to join me in my adventure.   Sad face.   I could dwell or I can be the independent woman that everybody thinks I am.  Boy do I have them fooled.  :)

Tomorrow I wake and juice.   I ate pizza tonight in anticipation.   Strange, the night before I begin the detox and I choose pizza.  Really I was too lazy to make the trek to the one and only Thai food restaurant as I would have surely indulged in Tom Ka Kai instead (or however that is said).   I did prep the veggies, clean and cut what I thought we will be needing.  I realized too late that I don't have a sealed drink container to bring it to work for lunch.   I guess a coffee mug isnt kosher but it will have to do for tomorrow.  How many nutrients can I lose between breakfast and lunch?   Mark is surely going to be a grump in the morning with all my kitchen shenanigans.  

I'm off to bed, toes curling and all.  Wish me luck in the morning.  

20 days past my "gold".   That is what I would call Tysabri because it cost more than gold and because it was a drug that made a difference.   Last night, I was standing in the kitchen and my foot started a familiar twinge.  I dreaded going to bed as I knew what would happen when my foot was off the ground.  Think toe curls of the opposite kind.  I took a baclofen, knowing it wouldn't help much and tried to go to sleep.  Luckily, it was a mild "squeezing" feeling most of the night but then I walk up with my thumb doing the same thing.   Sigh.   I miss my gold.  

Tonight I'm buying some veggies and fruits. Well, if I can get home from work and not crawl into a hole.  It's been nuts being the only banker this week.   But I have to keep my eye on my goal.    This is going to be fun.  I am going to have fun being a juicer.  Keep your fingers crossed!

I love my Chevy.  The best dog EVUH.   I woke a little after 5am to heavy legs and nerve pain.  As soon as I realized Mark was not in bed (he's an early riser), I gave the bed the familiar "thump" to signal Chevy.  Normally he lays on Mark's pillow, which is a sore spot with Mark and an entire new story.  However, this morning he laid on my legs.   He always knows when he needs to lay on my legs!!!   Weight stops nerve pain.  He doesn't lay directly on them as much as he cuddles tight against them.  It's the best warm fuzzy feeling in the entire world.  He does this every few months because he KNOWS.   I swear he knows my soul.  That darn cutie patootie scruff monster is the best therapy a dr. could order.  Here is a picture of him eating his McDonalds ice cream cone, which is really in a dish.  You should see how proudly he carries his ice cream from the car to the house.  He loves his McDonalds .49 cone.  lol. It could be a viral video.  

Work is going to be crazy this week.  We are short bankers.  Right now I'm the one and only of what should be three bankers and a customer service rep.   It's just moi.  Just call me Mindy Armstrong (if your an 80's child you will get that reference).   I usually like a challenge but I'm not very good at balancing my MS and overdoing things.   I don't want to set myself into a MS spin and be forced to take Gilenya.  I need to keep a watchful eye on myself.  Blah.   It shouldn't be so hard.  I mean we are supposed to watch out for ourselves, right?   I'm too distracted by a zillion other things to stop the presses and worry about myself.  Maybe I should tie a string around my ring finger?

Mark and I had a talk about Gilenya during our recent car ride to Marquette.  I can't make him understand how I feel about taking another drug and I'm sure I don't understand how my "not" taking the drug is making him nervous.  

On another note, for years and years (were talking since high school), I've had tingling in my upper thigh/hip area.  It's not painful so much as annoying.  Imagine 1000 red ants moving in the same circle.  It's like your hand falling asleep only the tingling is burning as it wakes up.   Seems like a symptom typical of MS.  Anyways, after many sleepless nights, Dr. Johnson (my neuro) finally said "I don't think this is MS." and referred me back to my primary, Dr. Ryan.   At Dr. Ryan's, he had me lay out and he pressed on the spot.  Of course, I  jumped off the table.   "MS doesn't make you jump off tables" is what he said.  I had a good laugh at this because he's never gotten a sudden shock down his spinal chord now has he?? So, he referred me to a PT for some stretching exercises as it seems my walking, weights or elliptical is aggravating the spot and making sleep so difficult.   See, it doesn't hurt during the day.  It only comes alive when I relax so sleeping had become difficult.   In comes another dilemma...lol...my life is one big dilemma...I'm such a drama queen....anyways, he gave me a cortisone shot in that spot.  Apparently right over the hip join there is a spot where all muscles connect and some type of sac protecting.   It becomes inflamed and irritated so cortisone helps.    And it did.  I had a hip shot 21 days ago and I've been sleeping so well.  Heaven.   Until last night.   It's starting again....grrrrrrrrr......

Three more days until juicing.  This will sound funny or prove how lazy I truly am.  But I can't wait until choices for meals have been limited.   I don't want to cook and I certainly don't want to make choices for dinner.  Meal choices spin me into an indecisive circle until eventually I talk myself out of cooking anything.  

I'm anxious to start my juicing, I keep looking at the box.  Yes, I removed it all, read the directions several times but still fought the itch and put it nicely back in the box.    I would like to think I'm procrastinating but to be honest and yes I need to be honest for all those interested in juicing.  Ahem. I'm too nervous to start juicing on a weekday so I'm going to start on a Friday so that I will be close to a bathroom on Saturday and Sunday.  Yeah.  The cold hard truth.   I'm more terrified of what I read regarding the first few days and bathroom trips then I am about drinking juice for two weeks.  Isn't that too funny?    And there is the paycheck issue, I get paid this week so I can stock up on several days of juicing.

So what recipe to start with?  No surprise, I'm starting green.  I'm starting with the basic green recipe that FSND discuses in the documentary.   FSND is my acronym for Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and watch out for that FSND cuz I'm too lazy to type.   If you haven't seen the movie.  Please do.  Right away.  Anyways, the basic green recipe:
6 Kale Leaves
1 Cucumber
4 Celery Stalks
2 Green Apples
1/2 Lemon
1 piece of ginger


I think I'm going to love the ginger.  I love ginger.   I used to hunt down the ginger flavored Altoids.  Ok, that was a rambling.  I will often get sidetracked.   Anyways, I think I will probably substitute some pears and cilantro.  Dunno.   I don't know what I will like.   If we were speaking about fruit, it would be a easy  because I love fruit and could endlessly concoct.  I love veggies too but they are usually better with lots of butter and pepper, no?     Right now I look at these "green" recipes and wonder if adding tobasco is a no-no.  When all else fails, add tobasco.  That's my cure-all.   Maybe I can add tumeric?   I was just reading something tonight that spoke about the anti-inflammatory properties of tumeric. I knew there was a reason I loved Indian cooking.  


One thing I need to consider is the amount of fruits or veggies I eat that are considered immune boosters. I'm still confuddled on this issue in regards to MS.  MS is essentially an overactive immune system and so immune boosters don't compute.  Perhaps I think too much.  In other words, I need to read some more of Dr. Wahl.  So far, she makes the most sense.....

It's here!  It's here!   Can you see me skipping like a lil kid?   Should I be scared that a juicer is making me feel as excited as Santa used to make me feel?  I mean, is grinding up kale and carrotts supposed to create this kind of excitement?  I think I've lost my marbles!

I guess this means I have to sort out which recipes I want to start with.....but first I must read the directions.  Yes, the big bad directions are usually the part I skip but I think it might be necessary for this contraption.

Mornings with MS are the worst.   I often joke that I'm having a "kissing the closet" kinda day but it's really not a joke.  It means that I woke, stood from the bed and walked, well bumped, the closet several times while passing.  It's loud so it's a good thing Mark is usually out of bed.   I seem to have a gravitational pull to my left in the morning and my closet doors are the victim.   You might wonder why I don't move my bed, well, those same closet doors (and wall) being so close to my bed are supportive for when walking is difficult.

I'm not sure what it is about sleeping that awakens the monster.   Just know this....when you have to pee really really bad and your legs have jello syndrome...it's not a pretty site.   Imma just saying.

I'm 10 days off my Tysabri (meaning I was due for a Tysabri treatment ten days ago).  The bladder issues are returning.  Although, I have had a lot of sugar and soda this week so I'm not so quick to blame it on my lack of Tysabri.   However, the 80lbs of concrete in my ankles is concerning.

HaHa..  The last sentence above is really an accurate description but now you know why my Dr. thinks I'm a certified goofball.

That darn UPS tracking link is NOT giving me an ETA on the juicer.  I guess it doesn't matter as I have not done a lick of preparation in the kitchen for the bugger.   I need to do some grocery shopping once it arrives but at this point I'm planning on starting my cleanse next weekend.   I heard that the first few days are rather rough so I thought I would make sure to start on a weekend.  Any start date tips???  I want to juice for two weeks and then slowly incorporate raw foods. No, I'm not going all veggie.  I'm going to be allowed wild or grass fed meat.  I might even start looking for a used dehydrator to make some jerky.   I think Mark might even like having jerky around the house.   Oh, poor Mark.  I'm sure he wishes I would ixsnay this eating healthy idea.

Day One is not day one of my new nutritional adventure.  It's sorta the opposite.  I've been pigging out in preparation. Day one is simply  day one of my blog.   My only pertinent news is UPS stating my juicer should arrive in 2 days.   En route to me is an Omega Vertical VRT330 HD Masticating Juicer.  Yeah, that's a mouthful.   Let's say it three time fast.   Although, I have to wonder why masticating seems to have a sexual connotation???  It's kinda of creepy how my mind works.   Seriously, I'm still figuring out the centrifugal/masticating thingy.   Seriously.


I have been spending a lot of time on Dr. Terry Wahl's website and watching her TED video,  Minding Your Mitochondria.  Interesting stuff.  Take a peak.   BTW, I'm a total TED addict.  If you don't know TED then your missing out!!!   I love me my TED!