Health Update -- Good News!

I thought I'd give everyone an update on my tummy issues.

As you read earlier, or maybe you didn't, I went to see a Naturopathic doctor in Irvine.  He told me to stop my Prilosec (my GI doctor had me on 4 capsules a day, 2 in the morning and 2 in the pm) and my Bentyl (which helps with my abdominal cramping).  He sent me home with 3 new supplements to take instead, just once before bed.

They are working wonderfully!  I never thought about taking supplements instead of prescribed meds, but you know what?  I feel like perhaps God made all of these natural remedies for us to use in these types of cases.  Why not use them and put natural things in my body instead of these man made, processed drugs?  I figure the older I get, the more my body is going to feel used.  I like to think that if I use more natural products, perhaps they'll help my body stay in a better stay and age slower?  Who knows, but I like my thought process!

In addition to fantastic natural tummy meds, I also started taking Nettle.  I went into Mother's Market one day because I was sick of spending money on Allegra and not being able to breathe.  I asked the helpful lady what is good for allergies and she immediately came back with Nettle.  Apparently, it is good for more than just allergies!  Who knew?  I bought the $7 bottle and within 10-20 minutes of taking my first capsule, I could breathe perfectly!  I was sneezing less, my nose was less inflamed, it was incredible!

As far as food allergy results, I finally got those returned to me.  The highest levels kind of floored me!  They include cranberries, whey (which makes sense, since milk products make me so sick), coffee and crab!  Weird.  But even though those were the highest levels, the were still low/within range.  This doesn't mean I don't have an intolerance though.  We know for sure I have an intolerance to milk, that's for sure!

The next step is my Adrenal testing.  The doctor is thinking that perhaps my Adrenal Glands are working too hard (possibly due to stress) and producing too much Cortisone.  This causes a number of side effects, including exhaustion.  So, I will do this test tomorrow and see what the results say.

Tomorrow I go in for a much needed deep tissue massage and then I get my hair done.  We'll see how stressed I am after that! :)  I was told several times by multiple massage therapists that I need to get a mssage at least once a week.  How often do I go?  Well, maybe once every 6 months?  I need to change that...

A Day In L.A.

(The Vanity Fair after party for the Oscars across the street from Saddle Ranch.  Who knew?)

You know, thinking about where I live, you'd think I'd be in L.A. WAY more than I am.  I used to go pretty often in my late teens an early 20's.  There is so much to see and do, I'm not really sure what stops me from going more.

(Random picture of a guy falling off a building.)

Oh, that's right.  I live in Southern California where a simple 35 minute drive turns into 2 hours and 47 minutes.  Got it.

(So crazy to see this band with a billboard and hear them on the radio!  Good for them, sad for me.  Now I have to pay more to go to their shows.)

Well, I am here to tell you that I did venture past my Orange Curtain with my friend Jenn for a day of fun in L.A.  The goal was to see some stars' houses, eat at Saddle Ranch Chop House, and grab some delicious gluten free treats from Babycakes NYC.

What an interesting day it turned out to be, haha!

We start the day in the late morning and decided it be best to go to Shannen Doherty's house.  It wasn't until on our way there we realized it was not only Oscar weekend, but the day OF the Oscars.  Sweet.  Traffic was surprisingly better than expected, so, yay!

As we came upon Ms. Doherty's address, there was nothing but a wall.  We drove up and down the street several times before we decided that she's very private, and that is why we didn't actually see her house.  And how fun that she lives in the 90210!

Our next stop was Courteny Cox's house.  Well, we never found it but we DID find the Wonderland Murders house.  Yikes.  Jenn had to fill me in on what actually took place on this street.  I had no idea, yet here were were, on Wonderland.  It's always a crazy feeling you're in the presence of this type of place.  Where people were actually brutally murdered.  It's just an odd feeling because it's so hard to believe it happened in real life and not just on television...  Weird.

(Saddle Ranch Chop House, Sunset.)

By now, I know this is awful after what we just talked about, we were starving.  We decided it was time to hit up Saddle Ranch Chop House for lunch.  What a great place!  Jenn told me about this place as we were watching Bret Michaels' "Rock of Love".  The food there is delicious!  It was very entertaining watching people ride the mechanical bull in the middle of the room.  The staff was awesome and very friendly.  Seems like they really enjoy their jobs!  I ordered The Hollywood Burger and it was DELICIOUS!!!  I have been craving it recently and even tried making it myself...  Not even close, haha!  I must go back soon.

(The menu.)

(The Hollywood Burger.  YUM!!!)

(This guy was a putz and acting like an idiot and so they let him ride the bull to make him happy.  To the tune of Enrique Iglesias' "I Can Be Your Hero".  HAHA!)

(And then he got smacked in the behind by the bull on the way down.)

After Saddle Ranch, it was time for something sweet, so we were on our way to Babycakes NYC!  I probably spent $30 on pastries and even bought a mug.  What do I need a mug for?  Well, hot chocolate, I guess!  Haha!  My favorite is the blueberry donut and the brownie cupcake with mint frosting.  YUM!  This is another place i'd like to frequent more often.

(Babycakes NYC.)

Our last stop was Donnie Wahlberg's house.  Yes, you read that right: Donnie Wahlberg, not his hot younger brother, Marky Mark, but Donnie from NKOTB.  Now I was never a NKOTB fan and neither was Jenn.  At least not until she saw them in concert a couple of years ago, haha!  We parked on the street and decided to get out of the car since we'd been sitting all day.  Nice place, from what we saw!  And someone was watching TV in the back room, too!  Creepers, haha!

(Jenn, the creeper.)

And so it was time to go home.  We were both exhausted but decided we'd like to do this again sometime.  I'm hoping for sooner rather than later, mostly for the food reason...  YUM!