Today was a tiring – and important – day.

I had my long awaited appointment with my Rheumy for him to review all of my information since the start of the CRPS. He did – and immediately confirmed the diagnosis. Though this was not unexpected – and is actually quite helpful as it will get me to a specialist more quickly – it still has just really driven everything home at once.

But I already knew I have CRPS.

I think I had just taken a bit of a break over the holidays in terms of medical research and studying and that sort of thing. And that’s okay. Sometimes it’s necessary even. But it’s time to get started with thinking about all of the things again.

So, tonight I’ve been doing some reading about nutrition to help relieve nerve pain. After holiday eating, I had already planned to resume my Paleo diet this week – as well as to continue working on my Paleo Nutritionist Certification (which I expect to finish before my birthday – more on that in a bit).

What I’ve learned to help my CRPS is that Paleo will help as it is completely free of artificial ingredients. In addition to a regular Paleo diet, a focus on Omega 3’s, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B-12 is encouraged for CRPS. That will also be super helpful for my immune system on the methotrexate and the Omegas will also help my RA. So here we go I say!

Where RA tends to follow a more predictable course, CRPS really sort of does what it wants to. It’s incredibly frightening. However, being afraid is not helping anything.

So I am going to do the things I know to do for it: diet, swimming, and rest.

I have my diet changes laid out.

My swim gear is ready for the heated pool at the gym later this week as swimming is highly recommended.

And, otherwise, I will be resting as I am just wiped from today and still getting over the plague.

I’ll do the things I know to do – and then give it to God. . .

Now, on to brighter things. . .

As I mentioned earlier, in a few weeks, I’ll be turning 40. 🙂

And I celebrate birthdays big now. And I am determined to make this year a fabulous one, sick or no.

So I am on a mission to finish my Paleo Nutritionist Certification before my birthday. I had gotten off track during the holidays – so now it will be my gift to me. 🙂

And, though I am always a word nerd, I had decided this will be a year of lots o’ reading (since I spend lots o’ time in bed – I also watch lots o’ documentaries and listen to lots o’ podcasts).

I made a list of books I’ll be reading this year. Some of them are recommends from friends or just ones I’ve been meaning to get to for awhile and some are nutrition and coaching books. And some – like Walden – are rereads. And a couple I’ve already read this week. Also, every year I read through a different version of the Bible and this year is the Chronological One Year. And, finally, there are several in my second library I plan to read that didn’t make their way onto the list. Oh well. They will get read too. 😉

Anyway, here is my listicle of my Fabulous Forty Reading Project:

1. Drink – Ann Dowsett
2. Men Explain Things To Me – Rebecca Solnit
3. Integral Recovery – John Dupuy
4. An Integral Guide to Recovery – Guy Du Pressis
5. The Biology of Desire – Marc Lewis
6. The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober – Catherine Gray
7. First, We Make The Beast Beautiful – Sarah Wilson
8. This Naked Mind – Annie Grace
9. Make Miracles in 40 Days – Melody Beattie
10. The Bright Hour – Nina Riggs
11. From Trauma To Dharma – Azita Nahai
12. When They Call You A Terrorist – Patrisse Khan
13. When Things Fall Apart – Pema Chodrin
14. Mad In America – Robert Whitaker
15. May Cause Miracles – Gabrielle Bernstein
16. The Realm of Hungry Ghosts – Gabor Mate
17. The Great Work Of Your Life – Stephen Cope
18. The Dark Side of the Light Chasers – Debbie Ford
19. Meditation as Medicine – Dharma Singh Kharsa
20. The Diet Cure – Julia Ross
21. The Talent Code – Daniel Coyle
22. Awaken Joy – James Barre
23. Becoming – Michelle Obama
24. Recovery – Russell Brand
25. Living Buddha, Living Christ – Thich Nhat Hanh
26. The Untethered Soul – Michael Singer
27. Reason For Hope – Jane Goodall
28. Tao Te Ching
29. Walden – Thoreau
30. Chronological NKJV One Year Bible
31. On Writing – Stephen King
32. Untame Yourself – Elizabeth DiAlto
33. Bird By Bird – Anne Lamott
34. The Beauty Myth – Naomi Wolf
35. Devotion – Dani Shapiro
36. The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz
37. Catching The Big Fish – David Lynch
38. Food Rules: An Eaters Manual – Michael Pollan
39. The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron
40. You Can Heal Your Life – Louise Hay
41. Finding Ultra – Rich Roll
42. The War Of Art – Steven Pressfield
43. The Wahls Protocol – Terri Wahls
44. Grain Brain – David Perlmutter
45. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga – Deepak Chopra
46. Be Here Now – Ram Dass
47. No More Dirty Looks – Siobhan O’Connor
48. The Gerson Therapy – Charlotte Gerson
49. A New Earth – Eckhart Tolle
50. The Omnivore’s Dilemma – Michael Pollan

With this project and my Paleo goodness, I’m sure I’ll be writing some about both. 🙂

For now, let me say that I just finished this:

And, if you don’t read another book this year, read this one. It’s that good.

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/great-work-of-your-life-a-guide-for-the-journey-to-your-true-calling_stephen-cope/567005/#isbn=0553386077&idiq=12751351

Now I’m off to do some studying and then get some sleeps with my adorable weenie dog. ❤

Be well, everybody.

Grace and Blessings.

#drinkwater