How to Sleep Naturally

Getting a good night sleep is essential for health. Having insomnia or trouble falling asleep can greatly decrease your quality of life. It’s estimated that 27% of adults struggle with insomnia and women tend to suffer greater numbers than men. Lack of a good night sleep can result in daytime sleepiness, reduced cognitive performance, and potentially dangerous inattentiveness.

I started struggling with insomnia as a teenager. I couldn’t fall asleep at night, but I could sleep like a rock during the day, if allowed. I was groggy all of the time and I would get in trouble for falling asleep in class. According to my doctor it was just part of being a teenager. I depended on other people to wake me in the morning because I would shut it off my alarm clock and not realize it. As I entered my 20’s I struggled to stay awake riding in the car for more than 10 minutes. My family and friends had to drive me around because I didn’t want to risk falling asleep at the wheel.

It would take me about 2-3 hours to fall asleep each night and on the weekends I would sleep 10-12 hours. I began to think maybe I had some disorder I inherited. My grandfather sleeps all day and mows the lawn with a flash light at night (his neighbors love him). Maybe my body doesn’t want to sleep at night – maybe I’m doomed to be forever groggy. I knew something was wrong with me, but according to my doctor, I was in good health.

My doctor offered sleeping pills or it was recommended I try Melatonin. I opted for Melatonin since it was the natural option. Melatonin is a hormone released by the pineal gland in response to the absence of light. Its release into the bloodstream triggers a chain of events that promote sleep. It’s used to retrain the sleep cycle with situations such as jet lag. The melatonin worked for a little while but eventually my body stopped responding to it.

As time went on, the sleeping problems got worse. In my early 30’s a new symptom started – Restless Leg Syndrome. The constant movement was now keeping my partner awake too. Then something really frightening happened, I was found sleep walking by hotel security while on vacation.

I had to make changes, I couldn’t take it anymore. I continued to research natural alternatives and tried a few detoxification kits but nothing seemed to work. Then I found Dr. Hyman’s books and detox box, I followed his recommendations for a few months and found myself sleeping through the night. I discovered the restless legs and excessive sleep were caused by my diet and my insomnia was caused by vitamin and mineral deficiencies. I always took vitamins, but I guess the quality or the dosages were not enough to correct my deficiency.

Magnesium is the relaxation mineral and it’s required for over 325 biochemical reactions in the body. It’s estimated that over 68% of the population is magnesium deficient. Some of us aren’t getting it in our diets and it’s forced out of our bodies from stress, excessive sweating, parasites, caffeine, phosphates, sugar, alcohol, smoking, diuretics, antibiotics, steroids, birth control, and several prescription and illegal drugs.

Even if you have a healthy diet and lifestyle, you need about 300 mg a day just to offset the loss of magnesium. Most people will benefit from 500-1000mg per day and some need more. I take it every day and I keep a bottle of 500 mg of magnesium in my nightstand. I found taking it right before bed time relaxes me and helps me to fall asleep in 20 minutes. After 20 years, my battle with insomnia is finally over. Sure occasionally I have a night when my mind is racing and I can’t seem to shut it off -but those nights are rare. Usually a 2^nd dose of magnesium will do the trick.

If you suffer from insomnia or have trouble falling asleep, I highly recommend magnesium. I’ve seen it work for a lot of people and it’s very inexpensive.

 Some other natural sleep aids to consider if magnesium doesn’t do the trick:

·         Vitamin A

·         Vitamin C

·         Vitamin D

·         Vitamin E

·         B-12 (methycobalin)

·         Niacin

·         Zinc

·         5-HTP

·         Melatonin

·         GABA

·         Valerian and Lemon Balm

Try taking a hot bath with 1 cup of Epsom salts and 10 drops of lavender oil. You’ll absorb the magnesium from the Epsom salts to relax your body and the lavender will help to relax your mind. If you don’t have a bath tub, plug the drain in the shower and add the Epsom salt and lavender. A nice hot shower with your feet soaking in Epsom will work well too.

Remove all soda and caffeinated beverages from your diet. Most people think it’s the caffeine that prevents them from sleeping. The caffeine actually causes you to excrete all your magnesium and that will keep you from falling asleep long after the caffeine has worn off.

Only eat healthy whole foods. Processed or inflammation foods can keep you from having a good night sleep – especially too much sugar. Consider an allergen/inflammation elimination diet to see if certain foods may be interfering with a good night sleep. After all, sleep is much more delicious than the desert you ate before bed.

To read more about Magnesium, read this article here.

To purchase the brand of Magnesium I use and recommend, click here. I choose Life Extension products because they are a non-profit organization and they do extensive research into health, anti-aging and weight loss.

Tonsillectomy Summary - If I had to do it all over again

Tonsillectomy Summary

Well, I don't regret having the tonsillectomy. If I had to do it all over again, I would make some changes to my recovery plan. Proper nutrition and vitamins will help your body heal quicker. I think I did pretty good getting a variety of nutrients, but there is room for improvement. It's a shame that anything tangy stings the throat because high doses of Vitamin C helps your body recover and heal from surgery (twice as fast). I think if I had to do it again, I might try to drink a high dose of buffered vitamin C powder in water - mixed with some healing aloe juice. 


Foods, Beverages & Nutrition

It’s funny how everyone thinks you can eat an ice cream after having your tonsils removed. You don't want to consume dairy products, they cause mucous which can make it difficult to breathe when your throat is swollen. Dairy also coats the throat and it doesn’t feel very good on an open wound. The first few days after surgery, you should only consume clear liquids. Some doctors will say to stick with clear liquids the first 24 hours but I found it beneficial to continue on clear liquids during the entire recovery.

Aloe Vera Juice -  I would buy tons of aloe juice. I recommend Lakewood but if it’s not available, make sure you get one that’s not flavored. The flavored aloe juices are too tangy and they can hurt.  Lakewood Aloe juice feels like silk on your throat. Not only will it help you heal quicker but it will help soften the stool that’s hardened by the pain medication. (Constipation at that level is just as painful as the throat and ears). I didn’t like the taste of the Aloe juice at first but I got use to it because it felt so good. I diluted the aloe juice with coconut water and a bunch of Sonic crushed ice….it was perfect. Sometimes I diluted with prune juice– just a splash and the peach/apple juice.

Sorbet and certain applesauce is okay and I recommend eating them with the medication. I didn’t like the way the normal applesauce felt on my throat – the bits seem to stick to the back of my throat. I liked the organic baby food made with apples. It’s smoother than apple sauce and felt better on the throat. I crushed the Percoset up then added it to a small amount of apple baby food or sorbet. The Haagen-Dazs Mango flavored worked well too.  If you take the pain meds with food you’re less likely to throw up.

I was really sick of sweet things about day 3. I glad I had homemade healing vegetable broth. I didn’t think I would like drinking it, but it was a NICE change from all of the sweet stuff. Its best to make your own, but if you can't, remember to get organic and low sodium.  The sodium will burn. The homemade healing broth my best friend made for me was the best. A nice homemade bone broth would be great too. Or you could try Bonafide.

Healthy Food/Beverage Must Haves:

·         Crushed ice and water (crushed ice from Sonic is the best, they sell it by the bag)


·         Aloe Juice (not flavored, Lakewood is the best – about 4 bottles)

·         Coconut water (1/2 tall can per day, but only the kind without added sugar and preservatives - I like Real Coconut Water and Amy & Brian's Coconut Juice).

·         Peach or Apple juice (mix with Aloe if you don’t like the taste of Aloe). Avoid anything citrusy or tangy and anything artificial with preservatives and carbonation.

·     Rooibos Tea   or Celestial Seasonings, Sleepytime herbal tea

·         Bone Broth

·         Homemade healing vegetable broth

·         Sprout Organic Baby Food (Roasted Apples & Blueberries)

·         Pacific, Butternut Squash soup

·         Haagen Daaz Mango or Raspberry Sorbet

·         Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

·         Eggs

·         Steamed Vegetables

·         Salmon

·         Rice 

Sleeping

The first 10 days I slept on the couch because I could prop myself up and keep my neck straight. The pain pills helped me sleep a lot the first week. The 2^nd week when I went back to work I was very tired and had to take naps on my lunch break. After 2 weeks  I stopped the pain meds and I was unable to sleep for almost a week with the exception of a few hours here and there…that was rough it's a symptom of withdrawal from the pain medication (Percocet).

Teeth

Some people are worried that brushing their teeth will hurt. I didn’t find this a problem at all. But I use clove and anise flavored toothpaste instead of mint. Then I also add essential oils to my tooth brush because it helps keep the plaque off. I thought that might sting but it didn’t.  Just be careful. As the throat starts to heal it will turn white which is plaque. I found that my teeth kept getting plaque on them so I brushed 3 times per day with my Deliverance oil.

Ear Pain

The ear pain sets in at about Day 3. My pain felt more like a massive headache instead of ear pain and the Percocet doesn’t help.

This is what did help: Millenia which is an essential oil blend from Butterfly Express. It says to put a drop or two around the ear. I dropped it in the ear (normally this would irritate the ear but it actually made it feel better). I'm glad I had some on hand.

Cover your ears. Any noise will bother you – everything gets really loud and it makes the ears hurt more. I wrapped my head in a scarf and covered my ears. It muffled the sound enough where I could tolerate it. I guess you could try ear muffs is you have them.

Painkillers

Your doctor may give you Lortab or Percocet. Some blogs I've read suggested liquid lortab but my doctor said it’s not strong enough and you should take the pills. You can always crush them and add them to a little bit of applesauce or sorbet.

The Percocets can be taken once every 4 hours or as needed. I woke up every 4 hours and took it but now I wished that I tried to wait longer – especially on the afternoon of day 4. About day 3 or 4 I noticed that my urine was clear but I didn’t think I was drinking enough water to do that. I also noticed some pain in the kidneys. By day 6 I had a very very painful bowel movement. Despite drinking the aloe and prune juices I still got very constipated. If I had to do it all over again I would ease off the percocet and try to go longer in between doses. Taking it every 4 hours made my body feel like it was shutting down by day 5-6, even urinating became difficult.

My original plan was to avoid all pain meds until I absolutely had to take them but I read that could make it worse and you could end up having to take more medication for a longer period of time. The pain medication itself seems to last about 3.5 hours but you can go longer as long as you don’t try to eat.

On day 6, after the very painful bowel movement I cut the doses back to every 5 hours and the next day every 6 hours and the next day every 7 hours. Then I took it every 8 hours for a few days. By day 13, I cut back to 2 per day. Day 14 & 15 I just took 1 before bed. Day 16 was a Saturday and the pain wasn't strong enough to take the medication. It hadn’t been the 2 previous days but I heard you want to slowly reduce the pain meds.  That night I could not fall asleep until 5AM. Sunday it felt like my body temperature was out of whack. I was really cold or too hot. I struggled to sleep that night constantly flipping the covers on and off. Monday morning, Day 17 I had body aches and chills – I just couldn’t get warm. I Googled percoset withdrawl and sure enough, it’s exactly what I was experiencing. Another symptom is excessive yawning and a running nose. I can’t even yawn because it hurts - I have to grit down every time my body wants to yawn. The yawning kicked in once I reduced the dosage down to one per day.

According to the web-sites I found, addiction starts at about 7 days. Some people claim addiction sets in as soon as you feel the dreamy euphoric feeling when it firsts kicks in. I have to admit, when you are in a lot of pain you really start to look forward to the dreamy euphoric feeling. I believe I experienced that on the first day.

If I had to do it all over again, I would go more than 4 hours in between doses.  Also – make sure your doctor prescribes the numbing lollipops. You suck on them for 30 seconds and it numbs your throat. It’s perfect for taking your medication and getting you between doses.

I did get dizzy a lot, sometimes just sitting up and sometimes just getting up to get ice or water. As soon as you feel dizzy, stop what you are doing and lay down. The feeling always passes, but usually I would nap before getting up again. I think the dizziness may have been from the Percocet. Or its possible that my body was depleted of B12 after the anesthesia. B12 deficiencies can cause dizziness. I would add a 5,000 mcg dose of chewable B12 - just in case.

Pain Levels

The first day or two the pain isn’t really that bad. Day 3 the pain gradually increases. I think the worst days were evening of Day 3, Day 4 and Day 11.

Weight loss

I guess the average weight loss is about 10 pounds. I have a couple of friends who lost 20 pounds. I did not lose any weight, but 10 years after the surgery I was diagnosed with Lipedema. A loose connective tissue disorder that creates fat that doesn't go away with diet or exercise. The strange thing is, before I had this surgery, Lipedema was only in the lower half of my body. The year of the surgery, the Lipedema spread into my upper body. I've always wondered if having the surgery did something that caused the disorder to spread.

I had to wait an entire month before I could do any exercise. I heard a few horror stories from people who ripped their throat in yoga, gymnastics and just trying to do their jobs. If that happens you end up losing a lot of blood and have to be rushed to the hospital. I didn't dare do any exercise for a month...plus I was still pretty tired. After 4 weeks passed I went to yoga but I took it easy the first week.

Time Off – I thought once I got back to work I would just have some throat pain to deal with. I had no idea how wiped out my body would be or that I would have to go through pain killer withdrawals. It took a full 3 weeks before my energy came back and I only took the pain meds for 2 weeks. I would not be able to take 3 weeks off of work ,but I wish I went back to work on 12 or 13 instead of day 11. When you do have to get up and move around, carry things, etc – just remember your body is still weak. Walking and carrying a bag of groceries didn’t seem like a big deal at the time (2 weeks after the surgery) but I fell – twice. After my throat stop hurting and I stopped the pain meds I felt guilty for not getting things done around the house. I wish I would’ve rested more – or at least not felt guilty when I was resting. I just didn’t expect to be that tired. Remember – you had surgery and you need to rest. REST!!!! Plan for 12-21 days off work depending on your job.

Other Must Haves:

·         Millenia  - essential oil to reduce swelling in ears.

·         Deliverance –essential oil to keep plaque off of teeth (one drop on tooth brush with toothpaste)

·         Humidifier

·         Popsicle Molds 

·         Cold packs /ice packs (for the first few days)

·         Scarf or ear muffs (to reduce ear pain)

·         Lots of comfy clothes and plenty of blankets and pillows.

Tonsillectomy Blogs:

Preparing for my Tonsillectomy

Day 1 - Tonsillectomy

Day 2 - Tonsillectomy

Day 3 - TonsillectomyDay 4 - Tonsillectomy

Days 5 & 6 - Tonsillectomy

Day 7 - Tonsillectomy

Days 8, 9, 10 - Tonsillectomy

Days 11-15  - Tonsillectomy

Tonsillectomy – Day 11-15, THE FIRST WEEK BACK TO WORK

Day 11

Today is my first day back to work. I need to be coherent today so I’ve decided to not take the Percocet unless I absolutely have to. It was really cold outside and I had to scrape the car this morning. The cold triggered some ear pain.

I arrived at work in a lot of pain and I decided to take the percocet. The pain in my ears and throat is increasing. I put my Millenia oil in my ears and took a few licks off the numbing lollipop. Wow..the pain is getting worse…the oil seem to be helping, but over all, I feel horrible.

Why did I come back today? Why did I fax in my doctors note stating I could return? Boy was I wrong. Its one thing to feel this pain and be knocked out by pain meds with my kitten to keep me company. But dealing with this at work is a whole different story. UGH! I want to go home :(

I will be sitting all day…but I really need to lay down. I finally make it to lunch time and set-up camp in the spare office. I took a nap on the floor and used my coat as a blanket and my other jacket as a pillow. The napped helped – a lot...but I could’ve slept a lot longer. My head is pretty fuzzy and I’m thankful I have a job where I can sit down. By the afternoon the ear pain settled.

Finally I’m on my way home and dying to take another Percocet. I would compare today’s pain to what I was feeling on day 4. Wow, I felt pretty good Friday and now the pain is just as intense as a full week prior. Ugh…

 Day 11 Diet:

·         Cultured Coocnut Milk (creamy dairy free yogurt beverage)

·         Rice Protein Shake with borage oil and green superfoods

·         Beet Soup (liver cleansing)

·         Steamed veggies

·         Warm chocolate almond milk

·         Left over salmon avocado sushi with coconut aminos (it's a gluten free soy sauce replacement)

·         Coconut chocolate ice cream

Things I tried but was too painful:

·         Blueberry Herbal tea (too tangy)

·         Coconut date roll (soft but stuck to the roof of my mouth)

·         Buffered Vitamin C (it didn’t hurt yesterday)

Cultured Coconut Milk comes in three flavors: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry. It's not as thick as yogurt but tastes just like it. Actually coconut yogurt is very creamy I prefer it over dairy.

Day 12

I decided it may be better to set an alarm at 4AM and take my Percocet. That way I'll be sleeping when it hits me. Maybe that will make my day less painful. It will be wearing off about the time I’m driving to work.

7AM came too quickly….I must peel myself out of bed….ugh…today is not as bad as yesterday – that’s for sure.  When I arrived at work, it was struggling. I took another Percocet around 11AM. I was ready for another nap on my lunch break. This time I brought a small blanket I used it as a pillow and my coat as a blanket. Nap time...

Day 13

I took my Percocet at 3AM and getting out of bed was a little easier when 7AM came around. After I got to work I realized I’d forgotten my Percocet and panicked. I almost went back home to get it but I decided to wait it out. If the pain got really bad I could always go home if I had to. A co-worker gave me some ibuprofen and I made it through the day. I took a dose of percocet when I got home and since I made it through the day, I decided I could make it through the entire night.

Day 14

Yawn…grit….yawn…grit…..I’m sooo tired and I can’t stop yawning….but I can’t yawn….I have to grit my teeth to prevent a very painful yawn. I made it through the entire day without pain meds. That night I tried to sleep and had trouble. Around 1AM I gave in and took a Percocet and was able to fall asleep. Hmm....could that be sign of pain killer addiction?

Yep...sure enough....withdrawals from the percocet caused me to yawn all day and kept me from falling asleep.

Day 15

It’s been 2 weeks since the surgery and I’m sooo tired. The pain is minimal but not strong enough to take anything for it. I went to the grocery store this evening and was carrying 1 grocery bag and fell in the middle of the store. I didn’t slip or trip….it’s like my legs just gave out from underneath me. Embarrassing for sure but I got back up and pretended like it was no big deal. When I arrived home, it happened again, this time I dropped the food I’d just purchased all over the floor…and the glass platter it was all on. I guess I need more rest. You'd think after 2 weeks of doing nothing but laying around, you'd get back your strength and be normal....I feel anything but normal.

I feel like I can pretty much eat anything. I tried crackers and nuts today and it all went down ok. The only thing that bothered me was pineapple….it stung.

After falling twice today, I’m in pain all over. I took one last Percocet before bed– but it’s the last one I’m taking (I still have 1/3 of my bottle left).

Next: Tonsillectomy - If I Had To Do It All Over Again

Tonsillectomy - Day 8,9,10

Day 8

Today my goal is to ease off this medication a little more and try to be active and awake. I have to go back to work Monday so sleeping from 1-5pm isn’t going to work next week.

I feel pretty good today and I was awake the entire day – no nap. I did some things around the house and added some products to my web-site. I was able to take all of my vitamins today (except buffered c) and even added in a liver cleanser. Even though I’m eating more I think I will see some weight loss if I give my liver from assistance.  I’m also going to make sure I eat plenty of liver cleansing foods today.

Day 8 Diet

·         1 egg on top of roasted sweet potato mash

·         Coconut water and aloe juice diluted in water

·         Alexa’s detox broth.

·         Steamed kale, zucchini and onions with olive oil and turmeric.

·         Leftover marinated salmon

·         Canned beets

·         Brown rice protein shake with Green Superfoods and borage oil

·         Detox friendly pumpkin coconut cream pie

·         I tried to eat some coconut ice cream – mango passion fruit but it was way too tangy. Instead I had some mango sorbet.

Day 9

I’m wiped today, I pushed it a little too hard yesterday. I did a little more work on my web-site and a few things around the house.. The pain has increased but I will only take the doses once every 8 hours. I don’t seem to get dizzy and I’m having 1 BM each day. Reducing the dosage has really helped my body overall. A dose of pain killers every 4 hours (as prescribed) is way too much. Sure it’s takes the pain away but I felt like my insides were shutting down.

I stayed awake until 2pmish before I needed a nap and slept a few hours.  We’re meeting Alexa and Damian for sushi tonight. It’s my first time out in over a week except for my surgery and doctor appointment. It’s feels nice to get dressed up and go out.

By the time we arrived at the restaurant it had been 4 hours since my last percoset dose. I need to find soft foods that are low in sodium, no tangy fruits, nothing crunchy and nothing spicy. I ordered a Sunset roll without lemon slices and fresh spring rolls. The peanut sauce served with the spring rolls burns. I thought the low sodium soy sauce would burn but it was safe. I can’t open my mouth very wide without pain so I’m forced to eat my sushi pieces in two bites. I did try some edamame without salt and that worked too.

Day 9

·         Coconut water and aloe juice diluted in water

·         Brown rice protein shake with Green Superfoods and borage oil

·         Detox friendly Pumpkin coconut cream pie and coconut whip cream.

·         Vanilla coconut yogurt

·         Sunset roll without lemon slice

·         Fresh salad spring rolls

·         Edamame

·         Jasmine tea

·         Ice cream

Day 10

I didn’t sleep well last night, it must have been the icecream right before bed. I’m really wiped out today. I think I pushed it a little too hard the last 2 days. I’ll be working all week and I really need to rest today. I tried taking my buffered vitamin c powder in water. It didn’t burn so I can add that back in every day.

Overall my pain level is pretty high today. About the 6^th hour after my dose it starts to feel like a red hot poker in my throat. I feel like I could probably eat regular foods today as long as it’s within the hour of taking the percoset. But I’m going to stick to soft foods to avoid causing any damage while my throat is healing.

I have seen some weight loss the last few days. I think adding in my vitamins, the liver cleanser and reducing the percoset dosage has allowed my body to function properly so I can lose some weight.

Day 10 Diet

·         Coconut water and aloe juice

·         Vanilla coconut yogurt

·         Costco Veggie burger – plain, no bread

·         Left over sushi – Sunset roll with coconut aminos

·         Ice cream

Next: Days 11,12,13,14,15 - Tonsillectomy, The First Week Back to Work

Tonsillectomy - Day 7

Day 7

Today I had to get up at 9AM to go to my ENT follow-up appointment. Normally it’s scheduled 3 weeks after the surgery but I need a return to work letter from my doctor so I can return on Monday. I’m hoping I’ll be ready by Monday which will be day 11.

It was rough getting up this morning and I knew I wouldn’t be able to drive because I was dizzy from my 7AM percoset. I asked the doctor why I was only feeling pain on one side. The doctor said it’s called “asymmetrical pain”. It can happen after surgery when one side hurts more than the other. It doesn’t mean the other side is not hurting, it just means the side I feel hurts more. The scabs are still on and he said they should fall off slowly, a little bit at a time. It’s possible that the same pain I’m experiencing today, may still be just as strong 3 weeks from now. Hopefully I can function at work Monday because I can’t take 3 weeks off of work unpaid.

After the drive home I felt a little nauseous from the ride home. I cooked an egg and topped it my sweet mashed potatoes.  My Percocet was wearing off but I wanted to go 7 hours in between doses. At about the 6^th hour I started getting a headache. Then I napped for 3 hours…..I won’t be able to do that when I return to work. Sure I still need to rest this week but need to be coherent for 11 straight hours on Monday and every day next week. I can’t go from sleeping all the time to 11 hours of working (8 hours of work, 1 hour lunch, 30 minutes getting ready for work and 1 ½ hours total drive time).

When I woke from my nap it had been 9 hours since my last Percocet. For dinner I decided to try some real food. I made a marinated salmon, carrot ginger soup and steamed kale and onions. The carrot ginger soup was good but I could feel the tangy ginger on my throat. I ate ½ a cup before it became to painful. I thought the marinated salmon would be too spicy, but I couldn’t feel it. (maybe the ginger already did the damage?). The difficult part about eating that food was not swallowing it. As you chew some food gets caught between the cheek and gums. Normally you use your tongue to dislodge that food so you can continue chewing or swallow it. Yikes!! Can’t use the tongue like that…WAY too painful. I have to take a sip of water and swish it to dislodge the food.

Another shock of throat pain happened when I accidently dropped a lid on the floor. No big deal, the lid was plastic but it slipped and my body tensed up when I dropped it. YIKES! OUCH! That’s painful.

As week 1 ends, I’m experiencing the following problems:

·         I can talk, but softly.

·         The throat pain is greatly minimized with the Percocet for about 3 hours. The 4^th hour the pain gradually increases. The pain has not been as intense as other has described…at least not yet….

·         I’m eating soft foods but I prefer the clear liquids. If I eat anything, I have to drink a bunch of water and swish it around to rise all the food particles out of my mouth and throat.

·         I am now taking all of my vitamins and supplements except for buffered vitamin c and I’m no longer crushing up the Percocet.

·         I’m still pretty wiped out and I get dizzy at times. If I push it too hard around the house I start to get a headache or get dizzy and have to lay down. Sometimes even sitting up and typing is too much.

Day 7 Diet

·         1 egg on top of roasted sweet potato mash.

·         Coconut water and aloe juice diluted in water.

·         Alexa’s healing broth (warm).

·         Carrot & Ginger Soup, Pacific brand (the ginger was to tangy for my throat).

·         Steamed kale and onions with turmeric and olive oil.

·         Morrey’s marinated Wild Alaskan Salmon from Costco.

·         Detox friendly Pumpkin Coconut Cream Pie and coconut whip cream.

·         Coconut yogurt, vanilla flavored mixed with Green Superfoods.

Next: Days 8,9,10 - Tonsillectomy

Tonsillectomy - Day 5 & 6

Day 5

Today I felt really dizzy. When I get dizzy I have to lay down - sItting up still makes me dizzy. I have to stop what ever I'm doing and laydown. If I don't I worry that I may throw-up which would be very painful.

I have not had a BM since the morning of day 2 which could be contributing to the way I feel. I prefer to have one after every meal when I’m on my detox diet – or at least twice per day. I really haven’t had much to eat but even a nursing baby has BMs.  I’ve tried to avoid being constipated from the pain medication by drinking the aloe juice with prune juice. But I think taking the pain meds every 4 hours as prescribed is a little too much. Now that I’m at day 5, I’m hoping the worst is over. Today I’m changing the dosage to every 5 hours. Maybe this will reduce my dizziness and allow me to have a BM.

After sleeping the day I away, I woke up feeling some movement. Yes, it’s time…….I don’t know how long I was up there, but it seemed like an hour…..a very very painful hour.

The extra hour in between doses makes my throat very painful but I think it’s what allowed me to have a BM. Tomorrow I will try 6 hours between doses.

Another thing I’ve noticed today – the pain has all been on the left side. I can’t feel any pain on the right side. Is the right side healing quicker? Or is the pain delayed on the right and the worst is yet to come?

I decided to make my detox friendly Pumpkin Coconut Cream Pie. I was going to add some honey since I’m not detoxing but honestly – sweet stuff just does not sound very good. I can’t eat the date-walnut and flaked coconut crust either, so it will be pretty plain. But it’s healthy nutrients that are easy to eat.

Day 5 Diet

·         Aloe Juice and Coconut water, no ice

·         Alexa’s healing broth (warm)

·         Good Belly Berry Pro-biotic with borage oil, green machine juice (mixed the crushed percoset)

·         Butternut squash soup, Pacific brand

·         Roasted sweet potatoes (yams) and sweet onion drizzled with olive oil, blended in a food processor with fresh cilantro.

·         My detox friendly Pumpkin Coconut Cream Pie with coconut whip cream

Day 6

My kidden has been keeping me company while Simon is working. He can tell I’m not feeling well. The night before my surgery, he must have sensed my nervousness too, he was extra snuggly and loving.

I did sleep most of the day and its impossible to watch a movie or read a book because I fall asleep within 15 minutes and I’m out for a few hours.

Today’s goal – take the Percocet every 6 hours. I had a small BM today and my head seems to be a little clearer but I still feel absent minded at times.

Day 6 Diet

·         Coconut water diluted with ice. (Out of Aloe)

·         Alexa’s healing broth (warm)

·         Good Belly Berry Pro-biotic with borage oil, green machine juice (mixed the crushed percoset)

·         Butternut squash soup, Pacific brand

·         Roasted sweet potatoes (yams) and sweet onion drizzled with olive oil, blended in a food processor with fresh cilantro.

·         Detox friendly Pumpkin Coconut Cream Pie and coconut whip cream.

·         Coconut yogurt, vanilla flavored mixed with Green Superfood

Next: Day 7 - Tonsillectomy

Tonsillectomy - Day 4

I woke up with a massive headache – I feel about the same as I did last night. Crushed ice with aloe juice and coconut water still feels the best. My head really hurts when I am sitting, standing or walking……..back to bed. The Percocet doesn’t help the headache at all….but it does knock me out so I can sleep.

After napping well into the day, I woke up feeling much better. The headache is gone but my throat still hurts. It's very difficult to talk unless it's within 30 minutes of taking ther percocet. I still seem to be handling the percoset OK. I haven't thrown up and I don't feel totally out of it. But I do require several naps a day - it's still a bit of a roller coaster.

Is the worst part over? Or is the worst yet to come? I believe the Millennia oil worked on my ears.  My ears started aching with my headache last night but it stopped soon after I put the Millennia oil in. My ears are still sensitive to sound. I remember reading a blog post from someone recommending earmuffs after a tonsillectomy. She said it’s because air made her ears hurt. It’s not the air, it’s noise and sound. I wrapped a scarf over my ears and it really helped.

Alexa makes the best healing broth – she made me a bottle and brought me her favorite Aloe juice and some beautiful flowers. Thanks Alexa! The broth is so much better than store bought broth, it has tons flavor (heavy on the sweet potato…just the way I like it).  For the first time since the surgery, warm liquid felt good. Tonight I had some mashed sweet potato and butternut squash soup. The sweet potato seemed to stick to the back of the throat. I didn’t like the way that felt. The butternut squash soup was perfect.

Day 4 Diet

·         Aloe Juice and Coconut water over crushed ice

·         Spinach, pea and pear (baby food) it wasn’t very good…the broccoli apple yesterday was much better.

·         Alexa’s Healing Broth

·         Good Belly Berry Pro-biotic with borage oil, green machine juice (mixed the crushed percoset)

·         Butternut squash soup, Pacific brand

·         Roasted sweet potatoes (yams) and sweet onion drizzled with olive oil, blended in a food processor with fresh cilantro.

·         Mango Sorbet (Simon’s treat)

I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. I really hope the worst is over.  I haven’t had any weight loss which is really disappointing….it’s amazing you can starve yourself on a liquid diet, eating less than 600 healthy calories and not lose any weight…..stupid thyroid.

Beautiful flowers from Symee and Alexa:

Next: Day 5 & 6 - Tonsillectomy