Tara

2007-11-28T01:24:00.000-05:00

Dillan's Siblings - Are on Their Way into the World

2007-10-15T17:37:00.000-04:00

We recently found out we are pregnant again, and we're having identical twins. I'm due April 23rd and we are very excited. I didn't know twins ran in my family, but we knew twins ran in John's family. They are sharing the placenta, but have two different sacs, so they must share food. I already had a cerclage after my 12th week and I'm on medication to stop the contractions, as well as progesterone this time.

For whatever reason, these babies will not allow me to eat according to my EPC food plan. They are kicking my butt. Whatever items I'm supposed to each, I can't eat and whatever foods I'm not supposed to eat, it's full speed ahead. I'm hoping that since I'm in my second trimester now, things will calm down and I'll be able to adjust my eating.

So far, I think Dillan knows something is happening, but doesn't know exactly what it is yet. He keeps playing with my navel and pushing my stomach. I guess he's wondering why is my stomach so big - it actually looks like I'm 5 months already, but I'm not even 4 months yet.

Talk to you later.

Tara

Dillan Ari Clinkscale was Born August 14, 2006

2006-10-02T11:57:00.000-04:00

God is truly amazing. Dillan Ari Clinkscale was born August 14th at 8:50 am weighing 6 lbs 7 oz and 19 ". We are both doing well and I'm healing just fine from the C-section. I wanted to thank all of you for your prayers that we carry to full-term and have a healthy baby - God answered all of our prayers and I'm so grateful to Him for it.

On the day of the C-section I wasn't nervous, but anxious to see Dillan's face. After being prepped for surgery, I started feeling a little nervous, confined, heavy in the throat and tight in the chest. They said this was normal. I was waiting for John to come into the operating room, and when he did, I felt a little better. It didn't take that long to bring Dillan into the world, but I didn't get to see him immediately like they do on TV, they wiped him off first, weighed him, and made sure to take his footprints and fingerprints. At that point they handed him to John and he stayed with us until they finished removing the emergency cerglage that was put in at 5 months. We were able to take pictures in the OR. He was so adorable and handsome - I was totally amazed at the sight of my son. Dillan was born at 8:50 and it usually takes me a while to get back to normal after surgery. I was in the recovery room until after 3 pm, by then they decided to bring Dillan to me to hold him in my arms and he stayed with me and John until I got a room.

The day of the C-section, I initially needed help going to the bathroom, but afterwards, I didn't need any help at all - I was able to walk around by myself which was good for the healing process. Unfortunately I couldn't move my bowels, urinate or pass gas which would have been a sign that I can come home, so they gave me something for that and of course it didn't work - which is normal. By the next day, I was taking showers by myself and walking around the maternity ward to see Dillan in the nursery.

He was born with jaundice which I know is normal, but his levels were high and I was trying to breast feel him only, but the premilk wasn't enough, so I supplemented with soy milk and the levels came down. I used soy for a while, but now i'm strictly breast feeding, although he only likes to feed for 5/6 minutes, then I need to pump the rest and give it to him in a bottle. He was tested twice and his jaundice levels decreased and we were happy. He's now 8 lbs 15 1/4 oz and 20 1/4 inches long.

Now, about me - my body was so swollen from all the fluids they gave me while in the hospital. I felt and looked pretty good when I left the hospital, but soon afterwards, everything from right under my breast to my toes are 2 to 3 times larger - I feel like I'm carrying around a swimming pool and can't even swim. My doctor said the fluids are built up in my body and will eventually come out. I can barely walk at times because my legs, ankles, and feet are swollen. I'm hoping this will pass soon and I'll feel so much better. All in all, I had a pretty good experience and wouldn't change any of the events that led to Dillan's birth.

Now that it's been two weeks shy of two months that Dillan's been with us, I'm feeling much better. My weight is back to normal and I credit that to Ian Stoakes' EPC program. Before I got pregnant, I weighed 144 lbs and afterwards I weigh 149 lbs, and I only gained 24 lbs while pregnant - that's amazing.

I thank all of you for your prayers and wishes during the past year. The encouragement really helped.

Tara

Due Date - August 14, 2006

2006-08-07T23:36:00.000-04:00

I'm finally at the end of my pregnancy with only seven more days to go. I'll be stopping the procardia on Friday, which means that I can go into labor at any time afterwards. Although this pregnancy has landed me in the bed for almost the entire duration, I've enjoyed my time with my baby to be. I've been journaling online and downloading my sonograms and pictures throughout my pregnancy, and it's been a miracle. This has been a wonderful journey into motherhood.

I washed all the baby's clothes and all other items needed for use, and I'm finally finished. We decided to use cloth diapers and I'm waiting for my supply so I can wash those and be prepared for use. My scheduled C-section will be on Monday, August 14th and we are so excited. I'm not sure what time I'm going in the hospital on Monday, but I hope it's early and I'll be somewhat alert so I can breast feed the baby after birth.

Finally - I'm in My Third Trimester

2006-06-24T19:31:00.000-04:00

God is truly amazing. He knew just what I needed - rest and relaxation during this pregnancy. I am finally in my third trimester and I'm doing wonderful. I have no more contractions, and the medicine I'm taking is still helping to control them. I will continue taking it until my 37th or 39th week. There is absolutely no spotting and I thank God for that. I'm in my 32nd week, and a couple of weeks ago when I went to the doctor they monitored the baby's heart rate and activity - they couldn't believe how active this baby is, which by the way is just what John wanted (an active baby). My doctors said, the activity level and heart rate is as if the baby was at 34 weeks.

It's been an exciting adventure setting up the registries for the baby shower to come in about another month. Celebrating a new family member to be is great. We just purchased the coming home outfit and it's so little and cute. Every challenge, every adventure, and every stage of this pregnancy has been a wonderful time for me and I'm glad God allowed me the opportunity to experience life inside of me.

Comrie and Blanchette are wonderful doctors who believe that God blessed us with a miracle. We believe that too. We are so encouraged at the many prayers we received from so many of our friends and family members, including people from the EPC program, and from England who don't even know us, but knows Ian Stoakes, the biologist we work with. We wanted to let you guys know what's happening, as well as thank you all for your prayers and support. I’m still on bed rest and I'm still praying everyday that God allows me to make it until my scheduled C-section on August 14th. Thanks again for your continued prayers.

Embracing Challenges and Fighting with Prayers

2006-04-30T23:32:00.000-04:00

Hey Guys,

God is truly amazing. He has been taking care of me, John, and the baby and I'm so grateful to Him for protecting my baby from all the dangers thus far. In spite of all the challenges, I'm enjoying every adventure of my pregnancy and cant wait until August to meet our baby. However, we still need your prayers daily.

Last Thursday I was rushed to labor and delivery because I was bleeding. Once my doctor examined me she realized that my cervix had dilated 1-2 centimeters and the sac and membranes were bulging out of the cervix, and I had an infection in my body. Because I'm just ending my 5th month I wouldn't feel any pain as contractions, but only a tightening or hardening of the stomach.

Comrie decided to admit me and give me antibiotics and another medicine to stop the contractions intravenously. A few hours later, she performed a cerclage, to prevent my baby from slipping out of my womb. She finally released me last night and I was happy to be going home. She says the surgery was successful and she was able to push things back into my body without a rupture, but we need to take it day by day, and pray that the baby stays put until I August or at least until my 28th weeks when it's safe to take the baby.

Our prayer is that God will allow me to carry until my 9th month and deliver a full-term baby. Unfortunately I'm on bed rest until August 14th (thank God the bathroom is in my bedroom). I will need to see her every week for an exam to make sure the baby is fine and I'm not having contractions.

Unfortunately Sunday March 30th I started having more contractions and went back to labor and delivery. My doctor gave me more medicine to control the contractions and a steroid intramuscular to advance the baby's lungs, which I need to get my second shot tomorrow, she also gave me two bags of saline by IV to support the womb. I was happy they checked the baby and the heart rate is still beating at a great rate and the baby is still moving around which is good.

Thank you for all of you for your thoughts and prayers.

John & Tara

Five Months Pregnant - Looking and Feeling Wonderful

2006-04-18T23:52:00.000-04:00

I'm in my second trimester and loving it. Today, I'm 22 weeks pregnant and I feel good, although I've been sick since last Tuesday. I developed a sore throat, a cold, then the flu and it's kicking my hard, but in spite of being sick for the second time with the flu, I'm still enjoying my pregnancy. I've been going to the doctor's office every two weeks and usually can't wait to hear the baby's heart beat and know that all is well.

I just had my second level sonogram and saw the complete anatomy of the baby and it was great to get a chance to look into the eyes of my baby. The doctor said, I'm right on schedule and the baby is growing at a great pace. I enjoy knowing that I'm gaining weight and the baby is growing, and before you know it, I won't be able to see my feet. I've gained 13 lbs since the pregnancy and I think that's a good pace. With my last two pregnancies, I gained a lot of weight the first few weeks, so I'm pretty happy and credit my low gain weight to the EPC eating plan. The good news is, although I've only gained 13 lbs, my baby is healthy and I'm feeling rather wonderful.

Since I've been pregnant, I've been keeping a journal online at www.whattoexpect.com and it's so exciting. I'm able to log my milestones, my weight for the tracker, journal my thoughts, download pictures, and have a keepsake to show my baby one day. The site also e-mail me daily with a tip about the stage in my pregnancy and it's so cool. They give lots of advice about the pregnancy and offer wonder suggestions that I've found helpful. I must say, I'm really enjoying pregnancy and look forward to the next day's adventure.

I'm doing good with the EPC eating plan and watching what I eat, and making sure I take all my vitamins daily. I'm off bed rest and can get out of the house a little more. Now, I only see my doctor every three weeks instead of every two weeks. I haven't felt the baby kick just yet, but did feel air bubbles moving around and at night I can feel the baby move somewhat. I'm really looking forward to the baby giving me a few hard kicks all day long.

My blood pressure and sugar are good. I hadn't really had any major problems - no swollen feet or hands and I'm loving that. When I started the EPC eating plan, I lost so much weight that I was able to fit my original wedding band - prior to that my finger grew a complete size larger. Now, at 5 months pregnant, I can still fit my wedding band and the new band I purchased, I can't even wear it yet. I thought about sizing it, but don't want to make any drastic changes until after the pregnancy.

Thanks so much for the tip Branden. I really appreciate the encouragement from Terry and thanks to all who have been in my corner throughout this entire experience. A special thanks goes out to Ian Stoakes who is always there when I need him and to Andy who is just a jewel.

The End of My First Trimester and Feeling Good

2006-02-19T00:39:00.000-05:00

Thank you so much for the encouragement Tarra, but unfortunately, my hormones and my cravings won the fight, but not the war. I broke down and indulged myself with a nice juicy cheese and turkey sandwich, and although I was satisfied, I was aware of the implications. I'm trying to control my cravings by making only the things I like best and eating as much as I want.

I'm finally out of my first trimester and I'm excited. I still see my doctor every two weeks and she usually check to make sure the cervix is closed, measures the uterus, and checks for the heart beat. So far, things are great. I'm happy I gained 2 1/2 pounds which was great because for a while I kept losing weight.

During my first trimester, I've experienced cramping in my legs mostly at night because of the lack of milk (milk is on my bad list), so I increased my soy milk intake and started taking 1200 mg of calcium which helped resolve the problem. I noticed my nose started bleeding and the nasal stuffiness is out of control - I think I need a humidifier in my bedroom. My adversions were hard to deal with because each time I fixed something I liked, the next minute I didn't want it anymore and couldn't eat it. The spotting and bleeding during the first few weeks in the first trimester did eventually stop, and I was happy, especially since I didn't have to go to the emergency room anymore.

Now that I'm in my second trimester, I've started experiencing headaches and some pain in the lower abdominal area, which I understand, it's growing ligaments. My nose still bleeds at times, and the nasal stuffiness is still a problem. I'm starting to forget things, and the clumsiness is a problem. I feel like everything I put my hands on either breakes or falls. So far, the only things that's growing is my stomach which is actually great. I'm looking forward to seeing my stomach get larger and larger and larger. I'm actually eating more too, so I should really gain a few much needed pounds this trimester.

We decided not to have an amnio because of the risk of miscarriage and infection. Also, I have several friends who had it done and the doctor gave them bad news, which ruined the rest of their pregnancy and once the baby was born, things were great - no problems. I also thought about the blood test and 2nd level sonogram that they can also do in place of an amnio, but I'm not sure about the accuracy of that test too - I have several friends who also took that test, only to find out the results were wrong and their children turned out fine. I'm not sure how a big mistake can be made, but I guess I don't have much faith in those tests. I have an appointment with my GYN doctor this Friday and will further discuss my reservations with her and make a final decision about all tests.

I'm somewhat off of bed rest and am going to school 4 hours per week and attending church 2 hours per week and it feels good to get out of the house after staying inside for weeks. The rest of the time, I'm home with my feet up relaxing. It's also great to take my mind off the pregnancy and concentrate on English literature for a change.

God is so amazing and I'm so grateful that He's been keeping me and my baby safe.

MY HORMONES ARE RAGING AND CAUSING ME DRAMA

2006-01-20T20:20:00.000-05:00

I just completed my 9th week of pregnancy - wow! I'm looking forward to the end of my 10th week of good news when I see my doctor next Friday. I've had many ups and downs lately. I've been bleeding on and off, but the baby is still kicking. I heart the heart beat several times and saw the fetus. Each time I either spotted or bleed, my doctor wants me in her office or at the emergency room. Of course they usually run blood test to detect my HCG levels, take a sonogram to see the fetus and hear the heart beat, and an internal examination to make sure the cervix is still closed. Each time, I've had good news - the baby is fine and I'm relieved. I'll be on bed rest throughout my 1st trimester. My progesterone has been between 46 and 30 and my HCG have increased from 700 to 97,000.

So far, I lost 24 lbs and I hadn't started gaining weight yet. My honey lost 21 pounds, and he's not on his cholesterol medicine anymore. It's incredible how much healthier we are now. We're so excited to have met Ian Stoakes and decided to take control over our health, although it is difficult sometimes - and after having two miscarriages in the past - it's amazing. My doctor is so blown away at my health and she see's that it's because of the EPC program and my eating plan. Hats off to Ian Stoakes.

I've been feeling a little uneasy lately. I don't have an appetite anymore, and can't stand eating more than a few forks of food. I don't desire anything that I'm supposed to have. I only desire things that are on my off list. I really have the desire to cheat and am fighting with the urge daily. I know what I should do, but that's not what I want to do. Help.

Also, the last two times I had a miscarriage I was 8 weeks and 6 weeks. Both times I didn't know anything was wrong until I saw my doctor. If my stomach wasn't a little round, and I didn't have proof of hearing the heart beat and seeing the fetus, and my hormones weren't raging, I wouldn't know I was pregnant. I guess it's just that I don't feel anything inside my stomach moving around, and I know it's much too early for that. I guess I get a little worried at times about having another miscarriage. I thought about renting a doppler, but I need my doctor's permission (Stork says the FDA requires it), so I might need to speak to my doctor next week.

All in all, I'm very happy, and I've been keeping a journal, milestones, and pictures of the sonogram on www.whattoexpect.com and it's been great.

An Early Christmas Present - December 21, 2005

2005-12-22T00:38:00.000-05:00

God is truly amazing. I am so excited. We received an early Christmas present this year. We're pregnant and my due date is August 21, 2006. I had my first prenatal appointment, and it was great. My progesterone level is 46, which is very high. My past two pregnancies, my progesterone level was only 11 on my first prenatal visits, so the EPC test is working like a charm. My pregnancy hormones are in the 700s range which is also great. All in all, my doctor was very pleased and excited to see that I am doing so well physically, and that my blood test results were off the chart. When I started the program I was a size 16 and I can't believe I'm a size 8 now, which will allow me to grow a little since I'm pregnant. I've come a long way from 168 lbs to 146 lbs - outrageous. John is doing quite well also. When he started the program he was 210 lbs and now he's 189 lbs and still coming down. This is the smallest and the healthiest he's been since 1991 when we first started dating. I'm on top of the world and want to shout out from the roof tops and tell everyone how great the EPC program is. Hats off to Ian Stoakes, the creator of the EPC system. This is truly A New Dawn.

Tara

Finally We're Ready to Take the Next Step - December 7, 2005

2005-12-07T20:38:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since my last post. Things have been pretty busy these last few weeks. I'm finishing my master's degree and working as a day-to-day substitute teacher and although I've had more energy since I started the EPC eating plan, I find myself exhausted at times, which means I need to take some time to rest and realize that I might not make every deadline. Thanksgiving Day was different. I really didn't know if I would be able to have a real diner or not, but we did.

I made stuffing out of rice crackers, onions, turkey drippings and it came out okay. I made the turkey in the rotisserie, so I couldn't stuff it, which is probably why the stuffing didn't taste that good. I made macaroni and cheese with rice noodles, soy milk, and egg whites and it was good. We also had our usual broccoli with cheese and kidney beans. It seems like we eat more beans now than we ever did. I made apple pie without the crust and John didn't like that and only tried it once. I rather enjoyed it and imagined it to be sweet potatoes or cranberry sauce whenever I had some. All in all it turned out okay, but I really wanted to try something different for Christmas dinner.

My dental work is finally done and we are ready to take the next step this month. I've ovulated successfully for the past two months and both months I've reached my LH surge, so it's time to stop testing the water and jump into the pool. Hopefully next month I'll have some good news. The weight is still coming off, although it's at a much slower pace now. I'm down to 149 lbs and John is 190 lbs. I don't know how much smaller I'll get since I'm now trying to get pregnant and when it happens, whatever weight I'll drop to will be it for now.

My focus will be on eating for two and maintaining good health. I don't usually eat much, but since we've been on this eating plan, we both eat so much more than we ever did before, but it seems that when I'm pregnant, it's difficult for me to eat at all, much less three times per day - I guess I'll see what will happen then.

I feel like it's been a while since I've exercised and want to get back into it, but I can't seem to get in the bed at a decent time, so I can feel energized in the morning enough to exercise, but I'm going to try a little harder next week. I used to exercise every other day, but since we started the program I seemed to have slowed down to once in a while.

We actually have an anniversary coming up this Sunday - 6 years and still loving it. We're thinking about going out to dinner, but where would we go. The only place I know is a restaurant named Cold Waters in the City. At least we can have crab legs, baked potato, and salad, but John is not feeling that. He'd much rather eat at home. Anyway, back to school work. Hopefully I'll have good news the next time I blog.

Tara

Great Progress and More Healthy Solutions - October 21, 2005

2005-10-21T11:06:00.000-04:00

I've been keeping my progress on paper about what we're eating and our measurements, and I'm happy to see progress. I now weigh 157 lbs and John weighs 197 lbs, and I didn't think I'd see those numbers or my my size 12 pants for a while, but I'll be looking for my 9/10 pants soon.

I noticed my hormones are changing because I don't sweat as much or have as much ordor under my arms anymore, although I need to change deodorants again, since the one I'm using is not working. My cycles are shorter and a lot less painful. I sleep better at night now and my energy level has increased.

I am a little concered with our blood pressure. I've never cooked with salt before, but not with the limited choice of seasonings, I'm salt even more. I really think I need to find an alternative because I don't know if we're in the danger zone. I think we'll have to go to the medical doctor just to check that out to make another problem is not being created. We are now taking about 1 1/2 teaspoons per day of vitamin C (9/75 grams daily) and zinc, as well as a multi for John and my prenatal along with magnesium for me. Soon we'll be taking 2 teaspoons per day of vitamin C (13 grams daily).

Although, things have been going pretty good these days, I've been having some problems with my dental work. I had 2 root canals in January of 2004 and afterwards they put a post on #19 and a cap on #19 and #18. About a few weeks later I kept feeling like something was wrong and went back to the dentist, but they said nothing was wrong, and it was because I was pregnant (October 2004 and March 2005). Well, earlier this year around May I think, I changed my dentist and asked him new X-rays, and tell me what's going on with my mouth. He told me that the root canals were not completed and I needed to have them retreated.

It took a while for my insurance company to find a dentist who would retreat my canals, and when they did, he would only retreat one at a time. So, September 9th he started on #18 and 2 weeks later he finished with no problem. Now, when he started with #19 on Oct. 7th, I started having major pain that I couldn't bear. I went back to see him October 14th and he completed his work, but I was still having pain. I called New York University Dental Hospital and spoke to a dentist who said that my gums were probably inflamed and I might have had an infection. He told me to continue taking the antibiotics and wait several more days to see what happens and if I'm still feeling this pain, then the tooth will probably need pulling because the root canal can't save it.

Today, I'm not having as much pain as before, but it's still painful. I took my last antibiotic pill today and will see how this weekend goes. The dentist who retreated the root canal suggested that I wait about 4 weeks to see the progress of the dental work before I have them repair the crown to make sure the root canals took. Of course this is holding up my progress of conceiving. I wanted to try this month, and see how things go, but with all this dental work, this is putting a cramp in my style. If I have to wait 4 weeks, then they won't start working on my crowns until the end of November and I can't try to conceive until the end of December. Anyway such is life.

Now that we're working on our eating habits and cleaning out all the preservatives and artificial flavorings, as well as all process foods, snack foods, and deserts, I think we need to contine that process to other areas of our lives. So, I started looking for replacements of several products that we use in our home such as cleaning products, washing products, body care, dental products and was hoping to find products that truly use natural products, but work just as good for a comparative price and to my surprise, I found it - I located a company called Melaleuca and researched their products and decided to try them out and see if they stand the test.

I never realized that so many of the products we use in our homes can cause major illnesses in our bodies. I always knew the warning signs on the bottles, but never thought through the process that I could be causing my family harm just by washing clothes or cleaning the house, or other things that we generally do on a normal day. Now that we're planning on having children, I really want to start converting some of our store bought products into products that won't cause so many medical conditions.

Stay tuned for more good news .....

Tara

Progress update - October 7, 2005

2005-10-07T19:28:00.000-04:00

It's been about thirty days on EPC eating plan and we feel great for the most part, but about two weeks ago I started getting headaches and one day I woke up and my lips were swollen. I really didn't know what was causing those problems, but I did increase my vitamin C intake and it hadn't happened again. I take about 3.25 grams per day and John takes 6.5 grams daily plus about 50 mg of zinc.

I thought it would be really hard to stay away from the foods that cause inflammation, but I'm finding it easier and easier, especially since I know most of the items we used to eat have a lot of artificial flavoring and preservatives included in them. We read all labels now. Our food choices are much healthier, although we tend to eat more than before, especially fruits and vegetables.

So far, I've dropped from 167 lbs to 159 and John has dropped from 210 lbs to 203. We started weighing ourselves and taking our measurements biweekly, jotting down the food items we consume daily, and taking blood test to monitor our cholesterol. John's bad cholesterol is 174 so we increased his vitamin C and once he's taking his full dosage, it should drop. Mine is 76.4, which is good.

I've also purchased The Healing factor Vitamin C Against Disease by Irwin Stone, Dr. Linus Pauling, and DR. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi and It's interesting how many medical conditions can be improved by implementing a vitamin C regimen in your daily diet. It's a pretty good book if you ever get a chance to read it. Stay tuned for more good news ...

Tara

Progress Update - September 19, 2005

2005-09-20T14:45:00.000-04:00

Thank you all for keeping abreast of my progress and for the positive feedback you’ve given me, it really helps to push through the struggles that comes with sticking to a new eating plan. It’s been two weeks and we’re getting settled in our new eating plan. When I started the plan I weighed 167.5 and now I weigh 162.5. My husband weighed 210 and now he weighs 206. I can see how you might loose weight on this plan because most of the stuff that we’re used to eating is a thing of the past.

Before we started the new eating plan, I gave my husband a dinner party. Afterwards, I asked the guest to take the entire food home with them, and the only things that were left were the peach cobbler and a big slice of German chocolate cake for my sister. Two days later the desserts were still here and I was struggling. I wanted so much to just taste a little of each and then be done, but I know it wouldn’t stop there. So, I looked out the window and saw one of my neighbors walking down the street and I begged her to come in and take the temptation out of my house because we’re trying to maintain an eating plan. She was very happy to do it, and I realized that I can’t have even a small amount of bad food items in our house because it’s too much of an enticement for me – I really have no control if it’s in my house and I’m alone.

My bad food items are candida, sesame see, cow’s milk, coconut, corn sugar beet, spinach, rye, carrot, coffee, goat’s milk, vanilla, baker’s yeast, sugar cane, salmon, wheat, sweet bell pepper, banana, lentil, herring, prawn, peppermint, cocoa, oysters, sardines, cherry, gluten, brewer’s yeast, green tea, barley, mussels, butter, lemon sole, pork, honey, herbes de province, and oats.

My husband’s bad food items are lentil, prawn, monkfish, tune, banana, gluten, peppermint, honey, lamb, orange, scallops, sweet bell pepper, barley, coffee, green tea, sugar beet, lemon, vanilla, oysters, sesame seed, oats, olive, herbes de province, goat’s milk, seabass, mussels, sugar cane, rye, carrot, baker’s yeast, egg yolk, halibut, lettuce, candida, wheat, beef, brewer’s yeast.

I try to fix items that we can both eat, but that doesn’t always work out because the choices of meat, fish, and poultry would be limited if we only ate the foods that are alike for both of us; therefore when I make beef for me, I make salmon for my husband and when I make lettuce for me, he has spinach, and so on.

For breakfast, I usually make cheese eggs for me, cheese whites for John, red or white potatoes and onions, rice cake with apple butter, and blend some fruit with rice or soy milk for a beverage. For lunch, John usually has spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, sardines, or anything leftover from last night’s dinner. I usually have, rice cakes, fruit, and leftover dinner. For dinner I usually make me a steak, pot roast, beef ribs and for John I usually make salmon, duck, pork, or pork ribs, or for the both of us I make chicken, turkey, mackerel, cod, trout, or crab legs, with baked potato, scalloped potatoes, or rice, and kidney beans, salad, broccoli, cauliflower, or any other vegetable we can have. For snacks we usually have fruit, nuts, rice or cakes. We sometimes have black tea with rice syrup. There are so many items on our good list that we like and we never thought we would, for example, rice cakes, rice syrup, rice and soy milk with fresh fruits, wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar with walnut or sunflower oil for salad dressing, and so many different nuts.

I just ordered Beyond C and zinc so we can start taking it daily and I’m I n the process of ordering John’s multivitamin and my prenatal vitamins and I can’t wait to see how we’ll react to taking the vitamin C daily. I’ve been researching the equivalent of 2 grams of vitamin C is to a teaspoon and have come up with different answers from online: 1 teaspoon = 4 grams, and 2.107 teaspoon = 10 grams, so if you have the correct answer of the equivalence please let me know. I’m hoping John’s bad cholesterol will start to decrease immediately after taking the zinc and vitamin C. Stay tuned for more good news …

Tara

A New Dawn - A New Way of Thinking

2005-09-15T01:04:00.000-04:00

I recently had two miscarriages as a result of PCOS. I used clomid both times, but only used progesterone the last time, but it didn't help. My husband and I really didn't want to try to conceive a third time with the same drugs, and possibly get the same results. As I searched online to find solutions and alternatives to our tragedy, I found A New Dawn. After placing the order for the books and speaking to Ian Stoakes, the author, I decided that it was time for A New Dawn in my life too. I was very excited to find out that there were other solutions to my medical problems, and the decision to get better was in my hands alone - and not the medical profession. I just couldn't believe that it was as easy as eliminating the stimulus that was causing the inflammation in my body, and all my medical problems would be a thing of the past. After realizing what the stimulus was, I realized that I hit the jack pot.

I also suffered from chronic and severe uticaria and angioedema since April of 2000, and the culprit was always the preservatives and dyes in different food and household products that we used on a daily basis. One disease would cause my skin to swell up like the cartoon character, the Incredible Hulk, and the other would create a pattern of wheels all over my body. The doctors never gave me a test to see what particular food items were causing the problems, we just attempted a process of elimination, but it didn't really work. I was used to taking 28 pills daily and eventually, for the most part, the skin diseases came to a halt. I still suffer from them at times, and I've realized that my suffering was due to my diet, but I really didn't have a means to figure out what particular ingredients were causing the problem. After speaking to Ian, I realized that taking the EPC test would help my husband and I to finally have a healthy baby, but it would also help with my skin issues. I'm excited to finally realize that I don't have to be sick and deal with the pain.

My husband and I took the test on August 16th, and received our results on August 27th. Some of the food items on our results took me for surprise, and others I pretty much knew were off limits, but the test confirmed my suspicions about the food products that I've been avoiding for years. I will miss eating salmon, rye, spinach, pork, milk, sugar, and wheat; however, I've decided to embrace my new eating plan, and enjoy my choices to the fullest, just as I try to live life to the fullest. My husband is more of a go with the flow type of guy, and the items he can't eat are not really a big deal. He's able to adjust to this new eating plan so so much better than I have. Before we got the results back, he said, "it really didn't matter what he could or couldn't eat as long as we can have a baby, and his high cholesterol is decreased," and I was encouraged by his attitude.

After a couple of days of receiving our results, we cleaned out the cabinets and the refrigerator of any off limit food items, and gave them to our family members or friends. Then, we went shopping, and realized that our shopping list is so much shorter, and we spent less money since we didn't buy marinades, dressings, syrups, sauces, and other items that's loaded with artificial flavoring and preservatives. We now realize that it's much healthier eating fresh fruits and vegetables, rice cakes, nuts, and cheese. I've embraced making our own fruit juice, and using fruit as desserts, just as Ian have suggested. I'm trying to get used to cooking 3 times per day and making our own juice (I'm used to ordering out whenever I didn't feel like cooking, but that's a thing of the past now). I thought it would be much harder than it really is, but I'm realizing the vast benefits of choosing to eat healthier every day.

After a few days of being on the new eating plan, I noticed a difference in how my body felt. My legs, arms, hands, feet, and fingers are not swollen, and I'm sure that's because I'm not eating the same old things that used to cause inflammation in my body. I'm actually enjoying my new eating plan. I'm glad we found Ian Stoakes, he made it possible to get some relief for my many health problems.

Tara