Re: Day 3 - Serious Health Concerns Averted

Hi T2,

Yeah, I know I have some major health issues, but I wasn't expecting the reaction I got this morning. Thankfully the worst has passed and I'm feeling fine now. I've had a bit more coconut milk/cream this afternoon and it's gone down much better than the first lot. Sitting quite comfortably in fact - no digestive complaints other than a feeling of fullness.

To answer your questions:

I don't have a medical device for checking BP, but from experience I know that it gets quite low. 80/50 is not uncommon for me, and I can still function in this state. I think most people would probably be dizzy. Occasionally I get a postural drop, but it has to be quite low for this to happen. When I was dying from heart failure it was so low that the nurses couldn't inject me - they tried the crook of my arm and my wrists and left hideous bruises everywhere. I ended up with an arterial line in my leg. Not a great state to be in. And yet I could still walk into the hospital myself on that occasion. My HR was 180. That was seven years ago, and as far as several cardiology experts are concerned I've made a complete recovery - LVF is normal and ECG is perfect, echo is perfect, stress test is normal. I've always had low BP - even when I was a kid, so I'm pretty familiar with the way it feels when it drops too far. I've asked literally dozens of doctors about it and they all say low BP is nothing to worry about, but they don't have to live with it. I generally hate doctors.

So I'm not sure how low it got this morning, but it was low enough to black out. Probably the low HR more than anything, but could also be hypoglycaemia. Main thing is pressure FELT low. Dangerously low. Sorry I can't quantify that for you.

Fast preparation: about a week before fasting I started drinking cabbage juice, barley water, potato soup in addition to my normal diet, which I will address in your last question. Four days before this fast began I ate only cabbage juice, barley water and two bowls of potato soup each day. Oh and a couple of herbal teas - peppermint and chamomile. Then for two days no solids, just cabbage juice, barley water and herbal tea (no honey). I planned to just continue like that until switching to water only, but decided I was sick of cabbage juice (trying to heal my inflamed gut lining) and decided to have a carrot juice. Bad mistake. The starch, while initially satiating me, created a roaring cyclone in my stomach, and it was at that point that I HAD to eat. I ate one meal, and it had to be the thing I was craving most at that moment: satay chicken. I know this is not the best way to break a fast or cleanse, but I had no self control. The carrot juice really ruined it for me. It gave me a hit of Sugar and my whole body screamed for more. Actually, I had an oat bran bar, with nuts and stuff in it, not too sweet, but a lot of starch, about an hour before the satay as a transition. The meal itself was 4 chicken skewers covered in sweet satay sauce on a bed of white rice, a side salad and a glass of tender young coconut juice with flesh in. I took about five hours to eat it, as I got full quite quickly. Later that night I ate half of my boyfriend's cherry ripe and I passed out cold watching TV on the couch with him. It felt like the Sugar had drugged me. I slept solidly that night. Personally I suspect a serious error in glucose metabolism, but my blood glucose levels always test mid-range, even when fasting. I'm also taking magnesium and chromium to mitigate my Sugar addiction. I know sugar doesn't agree with me, but I'm a junkie and I can't give it up. The longest I ever went was a month. That's why I'm fasting.

General diet: I love food. All food. But mostly I eat healthy meals. Brown rice, raw or only lightly cooked veges, looooove my salads, lots of green leafy things, cucumber, avocado, tomatoes, etc. I eat almost all veges. All organic this past four months. Making my own alfalfa and legume sprouts from organic seeds, using pure water (can't digest legumes otherwise). Lots of seafood and fish, recently reintroduced lamb and organic beef, organic chicken, duck, quail, spatchcock, turkey (was a fishatarian for about 6 months). Rarely eat pork, but occasionally bacon as a special guilty treat. No other processed meats as a general rule. I only use small to moderate serves of whatever meat I am using. Fruits in small to moderate serves as well, and only on an empty stomach to avoid indigestion. Fresh home made vege juices. I drink pure or mineral or filtered water only. No tap water. Only the good fats - lots of coconut oil, moderate olive oil and small amounts of organic unsalted butter. Himalayan rock salt. Organic herbs and spices, mostly fresh. Organic herbal teas with raw unprocessed honey. Recently I've had green tea a couple times a week, and coffee is a once or twice a month treat that I've only reintroduced after a year caffeine free. Minimal alcohol and no more than two drinks at a time. Usually only once a month or less since going a year sober. Lots of fresh coconuts. Barely any grains and if I do it's usually brown rice, quinoa or spelt. No bread or pasta unless I have a particular craving for it. Most of my starch comes from potatoes, carrots and brown rice, and this is only a small portion of a meal. Mostly salads with only freshly squeezed lime and oil as dressing. Seeds and nuts. I'm mostly drug-free unless I have a painful period or my neck goes out. Otherwise only top-quality supps. So all in all pretty damn healthy, but that's without the junk!

So then there's the junk: Sweets, candy bars, chocolate, biscuits, puddings, pavlovas you name it. My biggest weakness is cheese. Oh how I love cheese. All types of gourmet cheese from Gouda to Gorgonzola. I don't drink dairy milk unless it's biodynamic from one particular provider that does it unhomogenized and doesn't taste like the chemical crap they pass off for milk everywhere else. So my main source of dairy is chocolate and cheese. Occasionally I have kefir yoghurt, but only if organic.

So that's my general diet. Mostly raw veg, some starch, small amounts of meat, good oils, some fruit and yo-yo junking.

I also incorporate moderate exercise into my daily routine unless I don't feel well (like today).

I feel so absolutely fine now I can't reiterate enough how much I love coconuts! I'm a bit of a nut myself I guess...









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