I have waited to post again on this blog until I had good news to post. The last few days have been difficult as I thought my right knee was back to normal, but it has been very painful and slightly swollen. It was suggested by a friend that maybe I used it too much too soon, that just because the pain was gone did not mean it was strong enough to use normally. All I know is that it pops when I move just wrong on it (or sometimes when I am just walking normally), and it is sore enough that I am worried about going to work with it like this. Next week I will be working every day of the week. Monday and Tuesday will be nightmarish with one eight-hour day of housecleaning, followed by two housecleaning jobs on Tuesday. The rest of the week will be easier with one job a day - not counting the day I help to tidy up the church. I just hope my knee gets through it as I still have to get out and do as much yard work as possible since we need to have our yard nice and green for code enforcement. I cannot believe they can fine people for not having green yards, while the city is harassing people about using too much water.
The good news is my blood pressure is back to reading me at around 138/99 - this is a steady average reading over the last couple of days. Hopefully once I get the stress of the yard dealt with, my blood pressure will go lower.
More good news is that, when I weighed myself at the house I cleaned today, my weight had dropped 4 pounds from what it was three weeks ago when I used those scales. Considering I had dropped 1/2 when I weighed myself on the other scales last Friday, it would appear that I have dropped another 3 1/2 pounds during this week. I won't know for sure what my weight is until I get back to the other ( every other Friday) house and use those scales as they are the ones I have been using to get an accurate measure of how much I weight I put on or drop off.
My energy is basically about the same - fairly high most of the time. My appetite is pretty much the same too. Sometimes I want to eat more, but other times a couple of celery sticks and some cauliflower with a little bit of cottage cheese is all I want for breakfast or lunch. Last night I would have had a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter for dinner if my roommate hadn't made one of those skillet pasta meals and shared it with me. Just not feeling like eating a lot.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Day 57
I am now beginning to question whether DE helps with blood pressure in the long run. When I first started taking DE, I noticed a significant drop in my blood pressure. But the readings I have had over the last few days - ranging from 170/110 to 135/100 - make me wonder if the DE is really working.
To be fair, I have had a very stressful week dealing with a lot of personal issues. I realize that, even with prescription medicine, it is difficult to keep blood pressure down when dealing with this kind of stress. Only time will tell.
I am still having some problems with the left knee as well. Sometimes it feels great, but it only takes one misstep for it to pop in a very painful way and start hurting again. Still, I have not had to use the brace on it except when exercising.
Three things that have remained steady is the lower appetite, the weight loss, and the energy. I got on the scales today and found that I had lost 1/2 pound since using those scales two weeks ago. Even though I have only lost 1/2 pound, I am not discouraged. The weight is still going down, and I am getting some muscle back in my stomach, arms, and legs. My energy is down a bit today, but was high yesterday.
Overall, I am still feeling much better than I did before starting DE, and I have no plans to discontinue taking it.
To be fair, I have had a very stressful week dealing with a lot of personal issues. I realize that, even with prescription medicine, it is difficult to keep blood pressure down when dealing with this kind of stress. Only time will tell.
I am still having some problems with the left knee as well. Sometimes it feels great, but it only takes one misstep for it to pop in a very painful way and start hurting again. Still, I have not had to use the brace on it except when exercising.
Three things that have remained steady is the lower appetite, the weight loss, and the energy. I got on the scales today and found that I had lost 1/2 pound since using those scales two weeks ago. Even though I have only lost 1/2 pound, I am not discouraged. The weight is still going down, and I am getting some muscle back in my stomach, arms, and legs. My energy is down a bit today, but was high yesterday.
Overall, I am still feeling much better than I did before starting DE, and I have no plans to discontinue taking it.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Day 53
Last Friday, I had what I thought was going to be a serious setback. I was bringing several bags of groceries up to the house, carrying all of them in my left hand - which was not a good idea in the first place since my knee is still not as strong as it should be. Without thinking, I went up the steps - left foot first - without using the bricks at the side of the porch to lean on and help me up the steps. As I was bringing my right foot up, I heard and felt a sickening snap/pop in my left knee, followed by a shooting pain then weakness. I managed to get up the steps, but my knee was in a lot of pain at that point. Still, it was not as bad as I had feared it would be. The knee was weak, and it hurt to bend it or to get up from a seated position for the rest of Friday and most of Saturday. But by Saturday night I was able to go walking through the store with my roommate when he needed to buy some clothes, and Sunday I had very little problems when I went to church then to the grocery store afterward. The knee is a little painful at times today, but I was able to do some exercise without making things worse. The right knee is still feeling as if nothing had ever happened to it.
That is one thing that really amazes me - before I started taking DE, if my did something stupid like I did on Friday (actually, I wouldn't even think of trying to carry groceries up the steps before I started taking DE), my knee would be in serious pain and I would need to stay off of it for several days, and brace it before going to work. As far as exercising three days later goes, the thought would never even enter my mind. It just seems that the knee gets over things like that so quickly now.
One of the things I have been asked is, where is the best place to buy DE? As I am trying to keep this blog completely unbiased, I will not recommend a specific store or seller. I bought mine at an online store as I could not find anywhere to buy it where I live. With shipping, 10 pounds of DE cost me $30 - just over $14 for the DE and just over $15 for shipping. I was checking eBay this afternoon and found I could have bought the same amount of DE for $25 with shipping from one of the sellers. With the amount of sellers and the varying amounts of DE that can be bought on eBay at very competitive prices, I will more than likely get my next bag of DE from one of the sellers on eBay. One thing I do not recommend is buying from a health food store as, from what I have seen, the prices are much higher at health food stores. Instead, look around for the best price, as there is little difference in the DE from a health food store that costs $7.99 for 1/4 pound and the DE bought elsewhere at 10 pounds for $15.
Another thing I am often asked is, "how much do you think I should buy?" The answer to that depends upon whether or not you will continue to use DE, and how you will use it. The next time I buy some (which depends solely upon my financial situation), I am hoping to be able to get a 50 pound bag, which can be purchased for as little as $45(with shipping) off of eBay. Now, while it seems almost impossible to use that much DE in a household where only one person takes it as a dietary supplement, I do go through it very quickly, and it would save me a lot of money to buy that much. The 10 pound bag I bought is nearly gone now. Of course I have given at least a pound or two away to others who have wanted to try it. But I have found that it works so well for so many different things that I would probably use a lot more of it if I had it.
That is one thing that really amazes me - before I started taking DE, if my did something stupid like I did on Friday (actually, I wouldn't even think of trying to carry groceries up the steps before I started taking DE), my knee would be in serious pain and I would need to stay off of it for several days, and brace it before going to work. As far as exercising three days later goes, the thought would never even enter my mind. It just seems that the knee gets over things like that so quickly now.
One of the things I have been asked is, where is the best place to buy DE? As I am trying to keep this blog completely unbiased, I will not recommend a specific store or seller. I bought mine at an online store as I could not find anywhere to buy it where I live. With shipping, 10 pounds of DE cost me $30 - just over $14 for the DE and just over $15 for shipping. I was checking eBay this afternoon and found I could have bought the same amount of DE for $25 with shipping from one of the sellers. With the amount of sellers and the varying amounts of DE that can be bought on eBay at very competitive prices, I will more than likely get my next bag of DE from one of the sellers on eBay. One thing I do not recommend is buying from a health food store as, from what I have seen, the prices are much higher at health food stores. Instead, look around for the best price, as there is little difference in the DE from a health food store that costs $7.99 for 1/4 pound and the DE bought elsewhere at 10 pounds for $15.
Another thing I am often asked is, "how much do you think I should buy?" The answer to that depends upon whether or not you will continue to use DE, and how you will use it. The next time I buy some (which depends solely upon my financial situation), I am hoping to be able to get a 50 pound bag, which can be purchased for as little as $45(with shipping) off of eBay. Now, while it seems almost impossible to use that much DE in a household where only one person takes it as a dietary supplement, I do go through it very quickly, and it would save me a lot of money to buy that much. The 10 pound bag I bought is nearly gone now. Of course I have given at least a pound or two away to others who have wanted to try it. But I have found that it works so well for so many different things that I would probably use a lot more of it if I had it.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Day 49
I was sick for two days with a bad headache and upset stomach. I was so grateful when the headache finally went away yesterday, and I felt like I could function again.
While I had the headache, I checked my blood pressure regularly and found that it went up to 140/100. I think the headache probably caused the blood pressure to go up and not the other way around. I haven't taken my blood pressure yesterday or today because of the heatwave we have had. My blood pressure tends to be higher when I am not comfortable. Temperatures were up above 100 yesterday, and up to 104 today with a high humidity that renders our swamp cooler next to useless. Actually, the cooler does cool things down enough to make things almost bearable.
Luckily, the house we worked in today had the air conditioning going full blast. I had my iPod on and was doing a lot of dancing while working - to the point where I was working up quite a sweat. I was grateful for the opportunity to exercise at work because I could not exercise at home - not even while standing directly in front of the cooler. As I type this, it is still 87 degrees outside at 9:45pm.
So far, my energy is still very high even with the house being so warm. I found this out last night when the fleas launched another attack, and I had to fight back by vacuuming the entire living room, spraying the couches, and putting DE under the rugs. I started at around 6:30pm and finished at around 9:30. Unfortunately, the fleas are still going insane. My roommate is going to spray the entire yard with something to kill the fleas, which is something I was hoping we could avoid as it will kill everything else. But we have to do something. The cats and dog are miserable.
At work today, I spoke with the customer who I had recommended DE to. Unfortunately, after taking it for 3 weeks, the only thing she noticed was that she had more energy. I was hoping it would help her with her back pain the way it has helped me, but it didn't do much for her at all. Maybe she would need to take it for a longer period of time to notice anything, or maybe it just doesn't help with the problem she has.
I am still seeing some great results however. My left knee is almost back to normal! At times, I find myself going up and down the front steps without leaning on the bricks beside the steps! I am also having little to no pain during and after work. I have also noticed something totally unexpected recently. I have had bad toenail fungus on one of my toes, and nothing I did would get rid of it. The toenail was extremely thick - nearly half an inch in the middle, and it looked horrible. I try to use toenail clippers to get rid of the excess, but it all just grows back. I noticed yesterday that the toenail is getting much thinner, and at the base it appears healthy. I looked it up online and found that DE is supposed to get rid of fungus. This is a wonderful surprise as I was so self-conscious when wearing sandals. Now I am not so worried about people seeing that toe anymore.
While I had the headache, I checked my blood pressure regularly and found that it went up to 140/100. I think the headache probably caused the blood pressure to go up and not the other way around. I haven't taken my blood pressure yesterday or today because of the heatwave we have had. My blood pressure tends to be higher when I am not comfortable. Temperatures were up above 100 yesterday, and up to 104 today with a high humidity that renders our swamp cooler next to useless. Actually, the cooler does cool things down enough to make things almost bearable.
Luckily, the house we worked in today had the air conditioning going full blast. I had my iPod on and was doing a lot of dancing while working - to the point where I was working up quite a sweat. I was grateful for the opportunity to exercise at work because I could not exercise at home - not even while standing directly in front of the cooler. As I type this, it is still 87 degrees outside at 9:45pm.
So far, my energy is still very high even with the house being so warm. I found this out last night when the fleas launched another attack, and I had to fight back by vacuuming the entire living room, spraying the couches, and putting DE under the rugs. I started at around 6:30pm and finished at around 9:30. Unfortunately, the fleas are still going insane. My roommate is going to spray the entire yard with something to kill the fleas, which is something I was hoping we could avoid as it will kill everything else. But we have to do something. The cats and dog are miserable.
At work today, I spoke with the customer who I had recommended DE to. Unfortunately, after taking it for 3 weeks, the only thing she noticed was that she had more energy. I was hoping it would help her with her back pain the way it has helped me, but it didn't do much for her at all. Maybe she would need to take it for a longer period of time to notice anything, or maybe it just doesn't help with the problem she has.
I am still seeing some great results however. My left knee is almost back to normal! At times, I find myself going up and down the front steps without leaning on the bricks beside the steps! I am also having little to no pain during and after work. I have also noticed something totally unexpected recently. I have had bad toenail fungus on one of my toes, and nothing I did would get rid of it. The toenail was extremely thick - nearly half an inch in the middle, and it looked horrible. I try to use toenail clippers to get rid of the excess, but it all just grows back. I noticed yesterday that the toenail is getting much thinner, and at the base it appears healthy. I looked it up online and found that DE is supposed to get rid of fungus. This is a wonderful surprise as I was so self-conscious when wearing sandals. Now I am not so worried about people seeing that toe anymore.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Day 44
The slow but steady weight loss continues - I am down two more pounds to 261. I have also noticed that a pair of shorts that used to fit fairly snugly are now comfortably loose - and this is right after washing them!
I have been continuing my exercise, though I sometimes do my dancing while doing dishes or while at work. Yesterday, I was wearing my iPod while cleaning the only house we had, and I managed to work up a sweat dancing while I cleaned. My energy level was so high that I found myself doing an extra good job all while practically bouncing off the walls to the music. My knees didn't seem to mind the workout at all, and held up fairly well as I did my grocery shopping after work.
Not only has my energy been very high over the last couple of days, my blood pressure averaged 140/94 yesterday with the lowest of the three readings being 136/91!
But I have saved the best news for last. Last night after dinner, I found myself feeling very restless and wanting to just get out and do something. My roommate reminded me that he had one of those glow-in-the-dark frisbees, and we decided to go outside and play frisbee. While I knew that I couldn't actually chase the frisbee, I felt that it wouldn't hurt to throw and catch. But I forgot one thing - I am left handed and throwing the frisbee means that I step forward with my left foot, putting pressure on my left knee. The knee held up quite well, and I was able to play for at least 20 minutes! I played frisbee for at least 20 minutes last night - something I was worried I would never be able to do again!
Afterwards, my left knee was sore and worn out, but it feels great today, and there is no sign that anything was ever wrong with the right knee.
I have been continuing my exercise, though I sometimes do my dancing while doing dishes or while at work. Yesterday, I was wearing my iPod while cleaning the only house we had, and I managed to work up a sweat dancing while I cleaned. My energy level was so high that I found myself doing an extra good job all while practically bouncing off the walls to the music. My knees didn't seem to mind the workout at all, and held up fairly well as I did my grocery shopping after work.
Not only has my energy been very high over the last couple of days, my blood pressure averaged 140/94 yesterday with the lowest of the three readings being 136/91!
But I have saved the best news for last. Last night after dinner, I found myself feeling very restless and wanting to just get out and do something. My roommate reminded me that he had one of those glow-in-the-dark frisbees, and we decided to go outside and play frisbee. While I knew that I couldn't actually chase the frisbee, I felt that it wouldn't hurt to throw and catch. But I forgot one thing - I am left handed and throwing the frisbee means that I step forward with my left foot, putting pressure on my left knee. The knee held up quite well, and I was able to play for at least 20 minutes! I played frisbee for at least 20 minutes last night - something I was worried I would never be able to do again!
Afterwards, my left knee was sore and worn out, but it feels great today, and there is no sign that anything was ever wrong with the right knee.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Day 41
A comment that was made to an earlier post asked for more information about me. I figured it might be a good idea to address the reasons why I didn't post much about myself in the first place.
I had considered writing something about myself in the 'about' section, but couldn't really figure out what to write. I am not really comfortable sharing too much personal info online, but I realized that sharing some personal info is necessary as people may want to know more about the person who is writing this blog.
I already posted much of this information in reply to the comment on the previous post, but I thought it would be a good idea to post it again here.
My name is Mary, and I am 43 years old. I live in California with a roommate, two cats, and a dog.
My reason for trying DE in the beginning was desperation. I spent 10 years addicted to methamphetamine after my father passed away, before quitting drugs just three months before my mom passed away 10 years ago. My health began to spiral downwards while I dealt with the grief, and I gained over 100 pounds. I didn't realize how bad things had gotten until a dentist refused to work on my teeth because my blood pressure was 204/125. After going to a doctor that I can only describe as somewhat less than "in touch with reality," and spending nearly two years on blood pressure medicine, I finally quit taking the medication and decided to search out a natural remedy to lower my blood pressure.
I learned about DE when somebody posted on a pet website about DE being a natural alternative to poisonous pesticides for killing fleas. When I went to the various websites in search of a source for DE, I read about how DE, when taken as a nutritional supplement, was supposed to be able to lower blood pressure, to help with weight loss, to heal sore joints, and many other wonderful things. I figured that, since I was buying it for the pets anyway, I might as well try it.
What frustrated me was the fact that I could not find any real information about how well DE worked as a nutritional supplement. All the info was on the websites that sell it. So after taking DE for a couple of weeks, and seeing what it was doing for me, I thought it would be good to write about my experiences so others could get unbiased information about DE. I don't sell DE, nor do I work for anybody who does sell it, so this makes me the perfect candidate to write about it.
Anyway, I hope I have answered any questions you might have had about me. And I hope my experiences with DE will give you the information you need to decide for yourselves whether or not to try it.
Speaking of my experiences, yesterday my left knee was put through a vicious workout - without wearing a brace or bandage on it - with a lot of walking in addition to a lot of lifting at the one housecleaning job I had. I had agreed to help clean out a laundry room, and bring in the shelves the lady had bought to use for storage. After moving some heavy cases of cola, canned goods, and other items which had been stacked on the floor, I had to clean the floor then help to bring in the huge baker's rack she was using for shelves. Then I got to lift all of the heavy stuff onto the shelves and finish cleaning the laundry room. It took over 2 hours just to finish the laundry room with all the moving and organizing, and my knees were feeling sore, but I was able to walk normally this morning and did not need a brace or a bandage on either knee even while working on this mornings job! My back did not hurt either. Even before I injured my knees, I would have been taking ibuprofen like candy after a job like that, but I feel great today!
I honestly think it is because of the DE that I am able to do that kind of work without the pain I would have felt in the past.
I have not had the chance to weigh myself again yet, but I put on a pair of shorts today that used to be tight on me, and found that they are fairly loose on me now. I will get a chance to weigh myself again on Friday, and I am hoping that I have lost at least another two or three pounds since last time I weighed myself with those scales.
Unfortunately, my blood pressure has not gone down any further. In fact, it averaged 140/100 yesterday. Today it averaged about 137/99. I am not happy with these numbers, though they are a lot lower than when I started taking DE. But I will not let myself panic. I am going to start my exercising again tomorrow (I haven't done any dancing for the last couple of days). I will get my blood pressure - and weight - back down to where they are supposed to be.
I had considered writing something about myself in the 'about' section, but couldn't really figure out what to write. I am not really comfortable sharing too much personal info online, but I realized that sharing some personal info is necessary as people may want to know more about the person who is writing this blog.
I already posted much of this information in reply to the comment on the previous post, but I thought it would be a good idea to post it again here.
My name is Mary, and I am 43 years old. I live in California with a roommate, two cats, and a dog.
My reason for trying DE in the beginning was desperation. I spent 10 years addicted to methamphetamine after my father passed away, before quitting drugs just three months before my mom passed away 10 years ago. My health began to spiral downwards while I dealt with the grief, and I gained over 100 pounds. I didn't realize how bad things had gotten until a dentist refused to work on my teeth because my blood pressure was 204/125. After going to a doctor that I can only describe as somewhat less than "in touch with reality," and spending nearly two years on blood pressure medicine, I finally quit taking the medication and decided to search out a natural remedy to lower my blood pressure.
I learned about DE when somebody posted on a pet website about DE being a natural alternative to poisonous pesticides for killing fleas. When I went to the various websites in search of a source for DE, I read about how DE, when taken as a nutritional supplement, was supposed to be able to lower blood pressure, to help with weight loss, to heal sore joints, and many other wonderful things. I figured that, since I was buying it for the pets anyway, I might as well try it.
What frustrated me was the fact that I could not find any real information about how well DE worked as a nutritional supplement. All the info was on the websites that sell it. So after taking DE for a couple of weeks, and seeing what it was doing for me, I thought it would be good to write about my experiences so others could get unbiased information about DE. I don't sell DE, nor do I work for anybody who does sell it, so this makes me the perfect candidate to write about it.
Anyway, I hope I have answered any questions you might have had about me. And I hope my experiences with DE will give you the information you need to decide for yourselves whether or not to try it.
Speaking of my experiences, yesterday my left knee was put through a vicious workout - without wearing a brace or bandage on it - with a lot of walking in addition to a lot of lifting at the one housecleaning job I had. I had agreed to help clean out a laundry room, and bring in the shelves the lady had bought to use for storage. After moving some heavy cases of cola, canned goods, and other items which had been stacked on the floor, I had to clean the floor then help to bring in the huge baker's rack she was using for shelves. Then I got to lift all of the heavy stuff onto the shelves and finish cleaning the laundry room. It took over 2 hours just to finish the laundry room with all the moving and organizing, and my knees were feeling sore, but I was able to walk normally this morning and did not need a brace or a bandage on either knee even while working on this mornings job! My back did not hurt either. Even before I injured my knees, I would have been taking ibuprofen like candy after a job like that, but I feel great today!
I honestly think it is because of the DE that I am able to do that kind of work without the pain I would have felt in the past.
I have not had the chance to weigh myself again yet, but I put on a pair of shorts today that used to be tight on me, and found that they are fairly loose on me now. I will get a chance to weigh myself again on Friday, and I am hoping that I have lost at least another two or three pounds since last time I weighed myself with those scales.
Unfortunately, my blood pressure has not gone down any further. In fact, it averaged 140/100 yesterday. Today it averaged about 137/99. I am not happy with these numbers, though they are a lot lower than when I started taking DE. But I will not let myself panic. I am going to start my exercising again tomorrow (I haven't done any dancing for the last couple of days). I will get my blood pressure - and weight - back down to where they are supposed to be.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Day 37
As you may have noticed, I have gone from daily posting to posting every few days. For the most part, there simply isn't anything new to tell on a day to day basis.
My blood pressure has remained about the same, averaging around 137/97 for the last couple of days. I think it will take exercise and diet to bring it down further, though I am feeling so much better now that it has dropped to where it is. I haven't had any serious headaches except for those few days when it went back up.
Two days ago, I began exercising again. At this point, my exercise consist of putting on my iPod and dancing for as long as possible. I still have to be careful not to overwork my knees, so I keep my left knee braced, and my right knee bandaged as it is still not as strong as it used to be. So far I can only dance for about 15 minutes at a time, but my target is 45 minutes. By the time I reach that point, I will also be walking on the treadmill at least every other day. I should mention that today I went walking all over Home Depot and my knees barely complained! My left knee did give me a little bit of trouble at first, but is feeling great now, and I have not had it braced at all today.
I got on the scales at the house I cleaned on Thursday and found that I had lost two pounds since I had last been there two weeks ago. This scale weighs me differently than the other scale I use - it says I weigh 264, which means the other scale I weigh myself on - and the one I use when I record my weight - will probably weigh me at around 261. So far, my weight loss is slow, but steady. I am going to work hard to make sure my weight keeps going down.
The good thing is that the appetite is still low compared to what it used to be. When I went to lunch today, I was only able to finish 3/4 of the large burrito I ordered. I used to be able to finish the entire thing and then want desert!
My blood pressure has remained about the same, averaging around 137/97 for the last couple of days. I think it will take exercise and diet to bring it down further, though I am feeling so much better now that it has dropped to where it is. I haven't had any serious headaches except for those few days when it went back up.
Two days ago, I began exercising again. At this point, my exercise consist of putting on my iPod and dancing for as long as possible. I still have to be careful not to overwork my knees, so I keep my left knee braced, and my right knee bandaged as it is still not as strong as it used to be. So far I can only dance for about 15 minutes at a time, but my target is 45 minutes. By the time I reach that point, I will also be walking on the treadmill at least every other day. I should mention that today I went walking all over Home Depot and my knees barely complained! My left knee did give me a little bit of trouble at first, but is feeling great now, and I have not had it braced at all today.
I got on the scales at the house I cleaned on Thursday and found that I had lost two pounds since I had last been there two weeks ago. This scale weighs me differently than the other scale I use - it says I weigh 264, which means the other scale I weigh myself on - and the one I use when I record my weight - will probably weigh me at around 261. So far, my weight loss is slow, but steady. I am going to work hard to make sure my weight keeps going down.
The good thing is that the appetite is still low compared to what it used to be. When I went to lunch today, I was only able to finish 3/4 of the large burrito I ordered. I used to be able to finish the entire thing and then want desert!
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