Fasting for a Cure: Reset

I am building up the motivation and courage to take on another juice fast in the very near future. I had a phone conversation with my doctor today and he explained a little bit about "bonking" which is what he suspects happened to me. Marathon runners and endurance athletes experience this when their body starts to run out of essentials to keep themselves going. Mainly carbs, protein and calories. It made me feel good to hear a doctor tell me I wasn't just going crazy. He agreed it was a mistake to do racquetball to keep my mind busy during the fast. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I was also quitting smoking. Now that I have officially been off the cigarettes for 17 days, I can look back and see how i was a little high strung because I was kicking my habit. That's right, 17 days, F*CK SMOKING. I'm done with that garbage.

I wanted to report on some interesting developments that have occurred since I stopped my detox. I had an issue a few months back with salivary gland stones. There was a kernal sized one blocking my salivary duct under my tongue that I had removed and then it took a good 6 weeks of antibiotics and steroids to get the swelling down. Almost immediately after I stopped juicing my submandibular gland started getting sore. Today, as I write this, I am in extreme pain and the swelling is visible by looking at me head-on and my neck is as hard as a rock. I also had a CT scan today that revealed a Kidney Bean sized stone in the gland. I go on the 23rd to see the ENT specialist and I will probably need to have surgery to remove the entire gland. I just thought it was interesting that my body responded to the diet change this way.

One positive development is that my psoriasis is not out of control like it is most winters. The improvements that occurred during the juice fast seem to have carried over even though I have been eating like total shit lately. I am also on pain meds for the gland which typically magnify the intensity of the itchiness by a billion but it honestly hasn't been that bad (I would normally not use pain meds because they are super addictive and they are really bad for my liver but i promise this pain is the worst feeling ever without them).

THE PLAN
I have reviewed my previous blog posts and the juices I was making and I have come up with a new plan to cure psoriasis. I am leaving for a family vacation in early march so I plan to start immediately when I return (providing my surgery schedule doesn't totally screw everything up).

Since I am totally confident that I can do another 5 days, no problem, by taking it easy and making nutrient rich juices, I plan to juice fast for 7-10 days. 7 is the goal, if I am feeling good, I am stretching it to 10. Not gonna pressure myself to go beyond that though.

I will then spend the next few weeks introducing vegan foods into my diet by groups and documenting their effects on my psoriasis plaques. In between each group introduction, I will be doing 24 hour water fasts to make sure everything moves out of my system before moving on. I will start with protein rich beans and grains and work my way up to meat and dairy. I have this hunch that added sugars and dairy have a lot to do with my psoriasis so I think, ultimately, I will have to convert to a strict vegan diet, at least during the winters when I am less active and the air gets dry.

For now, i need to get this damned stone out of my neck so I can get back on this horse and ride. Thanks everyone who read during my first adventure and thanks for all of your encouraging words and support, it really made a huge difference. I will keep you all updated on the gland stone issue. Until then, here is a picture of the CT Scan. the white dot, next to my jaw on the top right.