Food Test FAIL, Time Traveler’s Wife Preview Screening, Running

Food Test FAIL
So I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I’d heard about a blood test you can have that tests about 100 different foods to see what you have an intolerance to you, ie, causes inflammation or other reactions. I emailed my doctor to tell him I heard about this test and how do I go about getting it.

My doctor responded saying he doesn’t think I have any allergies.

I replied and said that I know I don’t have allergies, but this is a test for about 100 food sensitivities and I would like to know if I have any so I could avoid foods that might be making me feel even worse than I already do.

He said OK and referred me to an immunologist on his floor.

When I called to make the appointment, they advised me not to wear perfume or anything scented on the day of the appointment. I forgot and wore perfume and scented deodorant, so I had to leave work even earlier than I planned (after much stress) to go home and shower before my afternoon appointment. I had to miss an entire half day of work.

When I arrived at the doctor I had to wait an hour until she saw me. When I finally got to see her, I explained my situation. And.

She told me she does not DO this test. It’s not even considered a real medical test. I stressed out, showered, missed work only to find out it was all for nothing??!

The real question here is why did my own doctor not TELL me this?

Answer: Same reason he always tells me the wrong information whenever I ask him a question. It is because he doesn’t bother to actually FIND OUT the answer. He just makes one up on the spot.

I was mad at myself for not looking into it further myself, but now that I am thinking about it, why should I? He is my doctor. I asked him a medical question. Why should I always have to be the one to chase around the right answer? It is like this time his office insisted they did not receive a fax of one of my test reports. They put ME in charge of tracking down the report from the radiology place and bringing it to them — the doctor who ORDERED the test.

This has happened at least twice before with this doctor (the one who doesn’t care). I asked him a question about what I can and can’t do during an important week-long test. Instead of speaking to another doctor who would know the answer and get back to me with it — or even instead of simply telling me he doesn’t know, which would have been acceptable — he made up an answer. I believed it (why wouldn’t I? he is my doctor!) and it turned out to be wrong.

And the test was essentially ruined.

I called my doctor crying when I found out but he didn’t care.

And now, again, instead of picking up the phone, typing a quick email or even walking down the hall to ask the immunologist if she does this test, he made up an answer for me. He sent me to her because it was easier than taking 5 minutes to find out himself.

The immunologist turned out to be a wonderful doctor who sat with me and talked. She gave me names of two people I should see. One is another allergist (who does not take insurance) who does more in depthtesting and can even help people eat foods they used to not be able to eat. The other is a nutritionist she thinks might be good for me  since I didn’t learn what I needed to know  from my last one. I haven’t looked into them yet, I need to find what I did with that paper. She also advised me against having the surgery, which is a decision I came to on my own — and the rheumotologist I saw last week advised the same thing.

Despite how nice she was, I left this doctor crying. I was just so frustrated. I wasted an afternoon. I wasted money.

So then I turned back to the blog. I got a comment from Ashley, who told me she used Better Health USA for her food sensitivity testing and it changed her life. Their website was comprehensive and thorough, so I contacted that company — knowing full well insurance would likely not cover it — only to find out they are not yet licensed in New York.

While I know I do not have allergies, and I know that the sensitivity test may or may not be accurate, I wanted to do it just because I was curious. Maybe it will help, maybe it won’t. I’d like to find out for myself. I’m extra curious to see what it will say about dairy. For now, I will wait, as Better Health USA said they hope to be in NY by the end of the year. And maybe I will suck it up and visit the doctor the immunologist wants me to see.

Who knows? What I do know, for sure, is that I am done with the doctor who can’t be bothered to spend 5 minutes to find the correct answers to my questions. Who can’t just tell me he doesn’t know an answer, who instead makes up the answer he likes not caring that I will act on that answer and further disrupt my life. I will not be seeing him anymore.

I did get to speak to the new doctor I recently saw, the woman I liked a lot. She is just so helpful and informative! She is the one who is taking action to see what we can do next. I told her I do not want the surgery, but I am open to other less drastic options and I can’t keep going on the way I am now. She will be calling another doctor I have seen to discuss my situation, my test results and my possible options. Next week she will call me to discuss. She also told me that there are new medicines coming down the pike. That is key.

She does work in the same office as the one who doesn’t care and makes up wrong answers . . . hopefully that won’t cause a problem.

Time Traveler’s Wife Movie Preview Screening
In happier news, I am VERY excited for tonight. My best friend and I are going to see The Time Traveler’s Wife! It is my favorite book of all time. I read it twice, more recently so I would remember it better for the movie. I know movies can never live up to the standard set by the book, but I am hopeful that this will be a nice tribute — just as The Kite Runner was.

The movie comes out on Friday and I am extra excited to be seeing it before everyone else! I am going to a special screening with the movie’s director — and after the movie, there will be a discussion with him! I just want to get through today because I am SO EXCITED!

I’m looking forward to letting you all know how it was — I promise I won’t leave any spoilers!

Running
Some running news. As you know, during my staycation I ran twice! In three days! Both amazing runs. I wore my knee sleeves which I really think worked wonders. The PT had told me it wouldn’t make a difference, but only when wearing them did I feel no knee pain at all after. I ran Monday and Wednesday of last week with no problem, a first for me!

I loved my runs so much that on Saturday morning, I did it again! I wanted to run as soon as I woke up but I was STARVING and wanted to eat.  So I had some breakfast (a couple of small Nature’s Path gluten free pancakes), figuring I wouldn’t run. But after I ate, I really wanted to run. I didn’t want to do anything else. I did wait at least 30 minutes.  I called it a learning experience and off I went!

Yes, I did get a cramp. Almost right away, in my lower left side. I rubbed it as I ran and often my thoughts would wander and I would momentarily forget about it. A little more than halfway through the run, the cramp faded! I was able to run faster at this point. I started doing some sprints, nothing major, but I had never done that before. I figure that if I am running in a race, I should at least try not to come in last place!

I ran my usual route but I finished 2 whole minutes earlier! And this was despite the cramp that slowed me down too! The run lasted 34 minutes and I burned 340 calories.

That was Saturday. This morning, I decided to go for another run. I know. I am overdoing it. But now I actually do love it and understand why everyone else does too, even though I can’t go more than my about 3.2 – 3.3 miles.

I went on an empty stomach. But. I got a really bad cramp. Different from the last one, this one was on my right side, more on the side and slightly higher up, although not at my ribcage like my common cramps. This one persisted throughout the run and did not want to go away. It slowed me down greatly and I couldn’t do any sprints at all. I skipped the very last leg of my route, which is running on the pier. I finished this run in 33 minutes — just 1 minute less than my longer run a few days before. I burned 280 calories and my HR did not get higher than 185. I just couldn’t push myself today.

Towards the end of the run, I felt a tightness in my hip and a pain in my bad ankle (I sprained my left ankle in 4th grade). My body was not happy with today’s run and is telling me to REST! So I will rest.

I’ll take a few days off running and determine how I feel this weekend.

When I bought my HRM in January, I chose the Polar F7 and I am very happy with it. Now, though, I am regretting now getting a model that tracks distance. I am dying to know exactly how far I ran (MapMyRun doesn’t work well for paths/parks/piers which is my route). I had no idea back in January that I would ever run outside or care to know the distance! But now I would love to know so I can set goals and challenge myself, and maybe even sign up for a longer race next year.

But since I just spent good money on my HRM, it is silly to buy another. Polar does have a trade up option which will get me 20-30% off another model, but it is still too much money considering I just spent money on my current model.

When I bought my sneakers at a running store, they told me about Nike + iPod, which I had heard about. But the first thing they told me in the store was about how it would tell me how many calories I burned. I waved him off, since I have a HRM which is more accurate. But I didn’t consider the distance aspect. And I bought Asics (which I LOVE). And now I wish I had gotten Nikes because a $30 Nike + iPod sounds like such a great deal! (For those of you unfamiliar, it is a little sensor that goes in the Nike shoe and tracks your stats when you run onto your iPod, and then your computer.) I don’t want or need new running sneakers though. Mine are fairly new and very comfortable. Sigh.

Maybe next year! Unless you have any suggestions? Please let me know!

**Edited to add:

Thanks to a wonderful reader, I now know you don’t need Nike shoes to use the sensor! I ordered this pouch on Amazon which will hold the sensor. While it may not be as accurate as the Nike shoe, I don’t need exactness — just a general idea of distance. And my HRM will track my calories anyway. This  got great reviews. Thanks Megan!

Misc
Simba laughed — in different tones and sounds — for two hours straight. A combination of hyena laugh, low laugh, high laugh, kackle laugh (grating), laughs that sound like a repetition of the letter e,  and many others. WHAT IS SO FUNNY?!

Oh, and a girl in a store asked me how I “got my hair like this”. Which I guess is better than “What did you do to your hair?!”

Let us all say goodbye to my pink and purple bicycle. When we were getting my grown up bike, my only requirement in my head was that it be pink and purple. Random to want two colors, and likely impossible to find. That is, of course, until we went to Toys R Us and there, on the bike rack high up thing, was my pink and purple bike!

My mom is moving and will have no place for it and I was very sad to say goodbye. Behind it is my brother’s bike. 🙁