bumps

(I apologize ahead of time for the TMI factor of today's entry!) What's a good adventure without a few bumps to overcome? Yesterday, on day 2 of the antibiotics (an "off" day), I woke up with some tummy troubles. It wasn't horrible or painful, and I had no other symptoms... but it did make it necessary to be close to a bathroom on and off throughout the day. Sigh. After several emails with my practitioner, Anne, we decided that I needed to come off of the antibiotics until we can figure this piece out. Some days, this roller coaster seems to have no end. At first, I was convinced that we were jumping the gun. I mean, high doses of antibiotics are surely going to affect things in there, especially for someone like me, who is extra sensitive to conventional medications because I hardly ever use them. And I wasn't cramping, and didn't have a fever or chills. I figured this was the beginning of a herx and felt ready to take it on. But my bowel movements were not quite "normal" for a few days BEFORE (not at all like yesterday's, but still, not ideal). I honestly hadn't thought anything of it... it just felt like my body was cleansing, due to the diet changes I'd been making and the fresh detox juice I'd been drinking. But this still concerned her, because things really need to be clear in order to proceed safely. It could be that I have some sort of stomach virus, or it could be that I'm reacting to one of the other recently added supplements.... but until we cut things out and add things back in, we won't know for sure, and we might be doing more harm than good. We are assuming at this point that the antibiotics were not the cause of my troubles, even thought they obviously worsened them... but of course, figuring this out requires some trial and error. Anne calls this "starting bumps." It doesn't mean anything but that we need to strengthen one more area before we begin again. And as most of you already know, patience is not my forte. I'm so sick of being sick. And I hate being in a place of reaching for a "normal" that isn't MY normal, but is just a few steps above where I'm at. Hhhhrumph. After eating mostly BRAT foods, my tummy troubles seemed better by yesterday evening, although I was up a couple of times over night, and again this morning. My honey made me toast and scrambled eggs and apple sauce for breakfast, and I'm laying low today. In the meantime, I will send Anne daily "poop reports", and we will take this day by day. And I will remind myself, over and over again, that this is progress.... it may feel like otherwise at times, but we are still moving forward, despite a few bumps.