Fasting, Back Pain, and the Elusive Sleep

I had the bright idea to start a fast during Lent.  The idea had been mulling around in my head for awhile and I had pretty much picked the upcoming weekend as our starting point.  It was just going to be a one day fast on ginger and myers lemon tea.  This mixture is good inflammation and making one's blood more alkaline, plus I have a myers lemon tree in my yard.  After the initial first day, the plan was to move on to miso soup and then fruits and vegetables and green smoothies for a week and then add some gluten free grains back in after that.  H had agreed, not wholeheartedly, but never-the-less agreed, to do the fast and diet change along with me.  Besides the fast, this diet is more or less just a stricter version of how we already eat, minus the  treats, cream and sugar in our coffee and tea, alcohol, and various slips and slides.  We have been mostly vegetarian for years (eating a little fish and eggs here and there), mostly organic and GMO free.  Pretty health conscious without being fanatical.  We love good food.  We also like diary products but don't overdo on them too much.  I love raw, organic, cream, butter, and cheese.  We've been doing mostly gluten free for awhile  but we let that go while we were in Italy.  We also take like supplements like D3, ubiqiunol, zyflamed, probiotics,  and yada fucking yada.  But H has been dealing with some health issues and I thought we should really get serious and try to turn this around, and I wanted this for myself as well.  So a little fasting and diet switch-a-roo to get on track healthwise.  

Wednesday of last week, H came home from work not feeling well.  On Thursday he came home from work early, sick with a cold--congestion, sore throat and body aches.  On Friday he stayed home from work.  It was a slow morning on Friday and by the early afternoon neither one of us had eaten or drank anything but the ginger lemon tea I had just made up, in preparation for our fast day.  I thought, hey, H is sick, we might as well start our fast today.  H reluctantly agreed, he was too sick to argue.  By Friday night and many cups of ginger lemon tea later, we both felt like shit and went to bed.  It was at this time that I recalled the stupidity of fasting along with detoxing from coffee.  That it doesn't work well for me is an understatement.  I was able to sleep for awhile but soon I was up with a throbbing headache, intense backache and the dry heaves.  The dry heaves were gone by morning but the back ache and headache remained.  We continued drinking our tea...H was still really sick. My whole body ached and my back was killing me but I dragged myself outside and walked to the farmers market.  I actually felt much better outside.  It was a beautiful, warm, day with a slight breeze.  I stocked up on some fruits and vegetables and then went home and lazed around with a back ache for the rest of the day.  In the evening I made miso soup for dinner and took a short walk in the park with a friend.  By Saturday night I was crying in pain.  The back pain just wouldn't let up and I was hurting so bad I couldn't sit down--only pace around the house exhausted.  I didn't want to take the old Vicodin I had but by midnight I was so worn out  and frantic from the pain I took a pill and a hot bath and was able to sleep for 4 hours.  I woke up in excruciating pain and took another pill which allowed me to fall back asleep for another 2 hours.  After that,  I spend the day nauseous from the Vicodin along with the back pain.

I took another long hot bath late Sunday morning and got out feeling fairly decent.  A friend called me to walk and since my back felt best when walking, it sounded like a good idea but by the time I arrived at the park to meet him, my back was throbbing in pain and I was nauseous again.  The fresh air, walking and talking helped. I was pretty sick but glad to be distracted.  I was actually able to sit on the grass for awhile and visit.  I felt pretty okay for a little bit.

Home again, I spent the rest of the afternoon in and out the bath and then made soup for dinner.  Then in and out of the bath some more, alternating with walking around the house crying because I was so tired and miserable.  Then I had the thought that my colon wasn't dealing well with the toxic release from the fast and so maybe an enema would help.  It did!  I emerged pain free from the bathroom.  I was so relieved.  Within half an hour the back pain had returned with a vengeance.  I took an Alleve and  didn't sleep a wink, actually didn't go to bed all night but moved back and forth between the bathtub and couch alternating the heating pad with ice, and my yoga ball.

Monday morning H got up to go to work and I made us green smoothies.  I made myself a massage appointment and then spent the rest of my time in and out of the bathtub until it was time for my massage in the afternoon.  It helped a little.  Maybe a lot but I still hurt.  Bad.  H came home early, still not recovered from his cold.  I made us cauliflower, sauteed mustard greens with onions, and sauerkraut for dinner along with applesauce and soaked almonds for dessert.  I was hungry.  But my fucking back was still hurting.  I took another Alleve early in the evening and then an Advil before H went to bed.  I spend another night in and out of the bathtub, on the couch with the heating pad or ice and my yoga ball.  I was able to doze off a couple of times during the night and got about an hour of sleep.

Today my back is even better.  I tried another enema, I assume they help some.  Only one long hot soak in the bathtub this morning.  I stayed pretty busy all day, not over extending myself but I'm most comfortable (i.e. not hurting like hell) when I'm walking.  Right now I'm sitting on the couch with the heating pad and my back is screaming.  But I'm so tired.  I had quite a bit of energy today and I made us a nice dinner of butternut squash, grilled artichokes, sliced tomato and avocado.  But I'm done in.  It's back to the bath I guess.  I'm using Espsom salt to help pull toxins out of my body.  I get another massage tomorrow.  God I hope I can sleep tonight.