Tuesday 13 May 2014

3-YEAR UPDATE

In case you noticed that I have not been posting here for quite some time, it's because I have been so tied down with a relatively new home business. Even though its a small business but I have been putting my heart and soul into it. And the best thing is that I am able to contribute to charity at the same time.

Keeping busy has really made me stopped thinking about my knees which is quite an achievement. I have done so many things this past year besides starting my home business such as volunteering to feed the homeless in the streets twice a week, taking part in my son's surprise marriage proposal in Krabi, Thailand, enjoying my holiday trips, cooking, planning and supervising my home renovation and standing for hours doing promotion at sales events. I can also exercise without any problem and sleep really well too. Now all these would not have been possible if I did not have my total knee replacement (TKR) three years ago.

I would be kidding you if I said I do not have any stiffness and tightness in my knees now. Of course, I still do but at a lesser extent and this is the price I paid for all the damage caused by osteoarthritis and for delaying TKR. But still, I consider it as a small price to pay in return for pain free knees. Inspite of my progress, I try not to take things for granted particularly since I now know what is the root cause of arthritis and all other diseases. If you are new to this site, I suggest you read those posts related to this topic.

As mentioned before, I have been following a low carb diet since last year and managed to lose some weight and saw my belly shrunk. I am also a strong advocate of drinking green smoothies, baking soda water and consuming more alkaline food. Ever since then, my immune system has improved drastically, gas problem gone, blood sugar normalised, less aches and pain and I sleep very well. But I must admit that ever since I started my home business, I have fallen off the wagon once in a while as my business involves food and also when I am busy preparing for events. Amazingly, I discovered that when I started consuming carbs and wheat again, almost immediately I felt all the negative reactions to my body such as indigestion, gas, dark stools, aches and pain, blood sugar and pressure increasing, belly bulge and constant hunger.  The weight would just start creeping back its scary but at the same time, it proves that carbs and wheat are so unhealthy for our body. Realistically, I know its not easy to give up these unhealthy food because they are so delicious and addictive. So even though I may deviate once in a while but I make it a point that for most part of the time, I stick to eating low carb meals for the sake of my overall health and to prevent osteoarthritis in other joints.

So for those of you still contemplating TKR, I am living proof that it's the best thing that I have ever done for myself. One of the joys of TKR is being able to do things for myself, with my family and contribute to charity. Next up, is my son's wedding in September this year which involves a lot of preparation and organisation but I am all game for it. What about my little business? Well, its a passion for me and as long as I can earn some money for myself and contribute to charity at the same time, I am one happy person.

While TKR surgeries have proven to be highly successful, in reality a lot of people are put off by it due to fear. So here, I would like to encourage you to let go of the fear in order for change to happen. Seek proper medical advice and listen to the right people particularly those who have gone through TKR. You can also join one of the many TKR support groups available not only to raise your concerns but learn about other people's experiences. So good luck to you!