Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 22

Two and a half months later

Iwasn’t going to write a blog today. Still recovering from the Holidays. Then Ilooked back and realized that I never told you anything else about the few daysI spent at an AirBnb with my friend back in October. And here we are two and a half months later. 

 Thefirst day we bombed around Ladysmith, as I blogged about a while back.

 Oursecond day at the cabin it rained a lot, but we were still able to get out andexplore a bit.

 ChequamegonWaters Flowage. It was gloomy and foggy that morning, but I still used the creativesetting on my camera for this one. 

Nextwe drove to Gilman, explored this park, crossed all three bridges, walked pastthe Gilman Cheese Factory (the only place happening in this town), drovethrough the campground, and tried our best to figure out what was going on withthe garbage can.  

Thenthe gloom and mist turned to a torrential rain and we were done exploring forthe day. We still had a lot of fun.

Inflammation and the Diet to Subdue It.

            In my blog post this past Sunday, Imentioned I had started an anti-inflammatory diet. Two of you commented thatyou’d like to hear more about that, so I would like to oblige you.

           I will try to keep the backgroundinformation to a minimum, but I need to share where this idea came from. Well,that’s easy, the internet, of course.

           Also, when I told my massagetherapist about all of my problems, she agreed that inflammation could be thesource. She gave me the name of a naturopathic provider two of her otherclients had seen. 

           Enough background. And a quickdisclaimer – none of what I will tell you is medical advice. Even though thispractitioner gave me most of this material, you can find it all on the internetas well.

           Inflammation starts out as yourbody’s way of fighting infection, injury, illness, etc. It’s supposed to swoopin and help your body heal from these things. But sometimes, for whateverreason, once that inflammation is roaming around inside of you, once it hasdone its job, it hangs around like a creeper in a bar who has been trying topick up women.

           However, there are certain foodsthat inflammation loves and certain foods that are like throwing a fire onit. 

           So, first, here are the foods onwhich inflammation thrives: anything with gluten, like wheat, rye, barley;anything that has been processed, such as white sugars, refined carbs,lunchmeats, and most anything out of a box; dairy, including cheese, yogurt,butter; fried foods; almost any snack you reach for while watching an episodeof Stranger Things, like potato chips, cookies, cakes, etc.; most anything thefamily served over Christmas, you know, like the cheese and sausage tray oranything made with gravy.

           Okay, so inflammation likes prettymuch every food which gives us a reason to live. And I mention the showStranger Things because I feel like the Demogorgon is crawling around inside ofme, and every time I eat anything on the bad list, he gets all excited andgrows more limbs.    

           Sorry for the warped and overactiveimagination.

           So, what can I eat? From the listabove, you may realize that this diet is gluten-free, dairy-free, andsugar-free.

           So, load me up with oatmeal,spinach, kale, quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, chia seed, flax seed, almondmilk, almond yogurt, honey, maple syrup, olive oil, coconut oil, walnuts andmost other nuts except not peanuts, legumes, tomatoes, fruits especiallyberries, pineapple, and fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel.

            A few things like potatoes, eggs,and popcorn are kinda neutral, but you can’t put anything from the bad list onthem, such as butter or anything else which makes them palatable. (Remember theair poppers from the ‘80s? You can have that popcorn without the butter.)

            Oh, boy.

           I’ve been taking GlucosamineChondroitin with MSM for years but never really felt it was doing much. A fewmonths ago, I started a Joint Health and Mobility supplement which includesthose as well as Curcumin, Omega-3, Collagen precursors, Hyaluronic acid, andBioperine. I still haven’t noticed much difference on all of that.

           So, this naturopath started me on ahigher dose of Curcumin. She also has me on some anti-inflammatory drops, lowback pain drops, and a probiotic/prebiotic, which has all the good bacteriapeople talk about and then some.

           All of that is well and fine, albeitexpensive. Except for the apple cider vinegar she recommended I take. Thatstuff is the worst. Oh, my gosh, there are no words. But I mix it with somehoney and water, chase every sip with more water, and get it down.

           Lastly, every morning, I drink a cupof warm water with the juice from half a lemon in it. She recommended I drinklemon in my water all day, but I like my water plain. And, yes, of course, drink plenty of water. 

           Whether any of that is working ornot, I can’t tell. I have a few more good days than before, but there are stilltoo many bad days. Over the weekend, I had two full days where I needed to walkwith a cane, so those were bad days and were not acceptable to me at my age.When I’m pushing 80 and all of my hair is white, I’ll use that cane with pride,but not now.

           It’s been five weeks, so I thinkit’s reasonable to give it another week when I have another appointment withthe naturopath. Then I can either give her a piece of my mind or be over themoon happy that by then, my pain, stiffness, achiness, and shortness of breathwill magically be gone. 

            So there you have it.

 

Oh,and the picture is from when I was at Hell’s Gate in Kenya in 2017. That day, Ihiked for miles and climbed up and down treacherous terrain, something I couldnever do today. But that’s my goal, to go hiking and climbing again.

Word of the Year - Comfort

          Whenever I am anxious andworried, you comfort me and make me glad. (Psalm 94:19, Good News Translation)

On top of the back pain which migrated to pain allover my body for most of 2023, I started having chest pain in November. After aweek of it, I finally saw my primary care doctor, who ran all sorts of testsand set me up for a nuclear stress test. The night before that appointment, asI lay in bed with over-the-top anxiety, I randomly opened my Bible and read theabove verse.

I ran those words through my head like a mantra untilI fell asleep.

The test went well. I didn’t pass out walking on thetreadmill and my heart didn’t freak out to the point they had to send me to theER.

A few days later, my doctor called to say that mostof the stress test was normal – in his words, my plumbing was all good. But oneof the numbers was elevated, which he didn’t think meant anything bad, but inlight of my symptoms and family history, he thought I should see acardiologist. That appointment isn’t until January 24, but I am seeing theprimary care doc the week before that and having some labs repeated. I haven’thad any more chest pain, just shortness of breath with activity.

I also have been seeing a naturopathic provider, whostarted me on an anti-inflammatory diet. It makes sense to me – something isgoing on in my body and inflammation can cause most of my symptoms. So far, noone seems to know if that can cause my heart concerns, but hopefully thecardiologist can tell me. And hopefully, with this diet I’m on, theinflammation will be settled down by then so that she says, “What are you doinghere? Your heart is a rock star.”

In the meantime, all I can do is watch what I eat, takethe recommended supplements, and pray.

God is good. He will comfort me in all of my troubles.He will take away my anxiety and grant me comfort and joy. 

Zion

          O Zion, messenger of good news, shoutfrom the mountaintops! Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not beafraid. Tell the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming!”

          Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming inpower. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him ashe comes.

          He will feed his flock like ashepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. (Isaiah 40:9-11, NewLiving Translation)

Bornof a virgin, in a lowly stable, Jesus our Savior is born!

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earthpeace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14, New King James Version)

Yoke

      “Come to me, all of you who are tired fromcarrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and put it on you,and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will findrest. For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you islight.” (Matthew 11:28-30, Good News Translation) 

Asyou know, I’ve been going through the alphabet the month of December, leadingup to Christmas Eve. (And, yes, I skipped Q and X.)

I’vebeen keeping each post short, as it’s a challenge to write much every day. I've also kept my personal life out of my blog for a change. But today’s word warrants a little more.  

Ifyou know me, you probably recall that I’ve been dealing with pain since April1, first in just my low back, but over the months, it has spread everywherethroughout my body. It has become a heavy load for me. Add to that the manyother stressors in my life, and that yoke completely drags me down.

Everyday I’m reminded of the above verse, and I thank God for sending His Son to be ourSavior. Jesus bore our heaviest loads on the cross when He died for our sins. Ineed not carry all that weight on my yoke. I need to turn it over to Jesus.

It’staken eight months, but praise God, my pain has started to lift.  

Wonderful

For to us a child is born, a son is given;and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called WonderfulCounselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6, EnglishStandard Version)

Lookat the word Wonderful. Just a few synonyms for it would be Magnificent, Superb,Pleasing, Great, Perfect. And the word Mighty? Vast, Expansive, Tough, Robust, Strong.Everlasting? Eternal, Perpetual, Indestructible, Enduring.

Arethere even enough adjectives to describe Jesus and how Wonderful He is?

Yetthe letter “W” which I chose for today’s picture is anything but any of thosethings. But that’s how Jesus came into this world. 

Virgin

          In the sixth month the angel Gabrielwas sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed toa man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name wasMary. (Luke 1:26-27, English Standard Version)

Marywas pure and holy, a devote Jew, who followed all of God’s laws as best shecould. Can you imagine what went through her head when the angel told her whatwas going to happen to her? But God had chosen her for a reason, and instead ofworrying what others would think or wondering how this had happened, sherejoiced that God had selected her to be the mother of His Son. 

Unfailing Love

“Though the mountains be shaken and thehills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor mycovenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah54:10, New International Version)

Unfailinglove. Can any of us love someone the way God loves us? His love is faithful,kind, and constant. He has compassion on those who don't deserve it. No matterwhat we do, God will love us unconditionally. Why else would He have sent HisSon Jesus to save us?

How precious is your unfailing love, OGod! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. (Psalm 36:7, NewLiving Translation)

Teacher

        Thisman came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are ateacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God iswith him.” (John 3:2, New King James Version)

Jesuswas referred to by many titles – Son of God, Son of Man, Savior, Redeemer, Kingof Kings, Master, Prophet, and the list goes on.

Allof those are great, but sometimes I have a hard time picturing Jesus in thoseroles. Yes, of course, we can see Him on the cross and even dressed in white,arms out at His sides, being taken to heaven. But the picture of Jesus that Ilove the most is of Him sitting on the ground, surrounded by His disciplesteaching them through parables, teaching them what it meant for Him to be theirSavior and for them to be children of God.

Salvation

          “Behold, God is my salvation; I willtrust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, andhe has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2, English Standard Version)

Notonly is He our Salvation, He is our Strength and our Song.

Andwasn’t that the whole point of Jesus, the Son of God, being born as that tiny,innocent baby. So that when He had become a Man, He could save us all from oursins.