I Can Haz Diet Fail

Last weekend, my husband celebrated a milestone birthday and we also celebrated 10 years of bliss (read: not killing each other!) together. There was cake--yummy, ooey, gooey chocolatey cake--which kick-started me on a downward spiral involving all sorts of deliciously wonderful foods excluded in the (barbaric!) Lyme disease diet.

Gluten, dairy, and sugar--so tasty, but so bad for people like me who have Lyme disease. My stomach is a mess, my joints are a mess, my skin is a mess--my body is screaming its unhappiness with my dietary choices. Yet, I just can't stop!!

You may be wondering why anyone would torture themselves with such a restrictive diet. At first, I wanted nothing to do with it, because I felt like I'd given up enough in my life to Lyme disease, but eventually I got desperate enough to give it a go and I noticed a huge improvement.

I, Alyson, the girl who once had a creation named after me at the local ice cream store, am extremely lactose intolerant (I was told that on of a scale of 1 to 10, I am a 10, the worst, on severity). And then there's gluten--gluten increases inflammation, and when I eat foods that contain it, my fingers swell up, my joints hurt (worse than normal), and wearing my wedding ring is a very bad idea. I've written a few times about my sugar addiction. (Hello, my name is Alyson and I've been a sugar addict for over a thousand years!)

Trying to stick to this diet is extremely important for my recovery. It is one of the few things that I actually have control over in regards to this crazy disease. It is one of the best ways that I can thank my body for all it does for me. But, did I mention that I can't stop?! Did I mention that I prefer to thank my body with special treats like Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough Ice Cream (in those oh-so-cute little containers that make my petite self feel like a giant!)?

Tuesday, I start back up on antibiotics, so this crazy sugar binge/diet fail that I've been on has to stop. However, with an impending visit to my house from the Easter Bunny (for my kids, not me--I swear!), there's a slight problem: Cadbury Eggs, chocolate bunnies, candy, candy, and more candy! Remember when I said my diet was one of the few things that I actually have control over regarding Lyme disease? Well, I lied! I really like candy and pizza and cheese and bread and....