I’ve taken a break from my probiotic and herbal supplements in preparation for my uBiome and Genova GI effects tests. So the beginning of this week meant adding some new things in, and attempting to adjust my activity level as a result. After a weekend visiting friends and this week seeing some family, I see that I upped my activity level too much too soon. Time to take a few steps back, catch up on health-related work, and rest. I’ve found that in the past few days, due to errand-running, socializing, helping out with things, etc. that I’ve been too tired to do some mild exercise and keep up with my health-tracking. Back to square one, then: back to the routine as I ride out this wave of fatigue (and perhaps a mild herx).
Some changes of note:
- Addition of new probiotic: Miyarisan (as reviewed in this blog post). Worth a try if you have GI issues- it’s significantly cheaper than most probiotics, and it’s also shelf-stable.
- Added haritaki, an herb that seems to help with my GI symptoms. This herb does kill e.coli bacteria, so after 7-10 days of haritaki, I’ll stop and add some Mutaflor.
- Increased metformin to 1500mg. I seem to do well on this dose- anything less and I have early AM waking due to high blood sugar. Even with metformin, I still had a post-dinner blood sugar of 139 last evening (likely due to a giant scoop of sugary peanut butter- an error on my part).
- Finished 10 days of Headspace. An excellent way to start each morning. I’ll put a longer post up with my experience, but suffice it to say that I will make meditation and mindfulness a regular part of each morning
- I’ve solidified a morning route that I (mostly) stick to. Again, this warrants a longer post. Having a routine when I wake up allows me to put part of my day on autopilot, saving my precious brainpower for more taxing decisions.
What I’ve been reading:
- I just finished David Brooks’s excellent book The Road to Character. I’ve flagged hundreds of passages in the book and I can’t stop thinking about it. This will likely become my default gift for the next few years.
What I’ve been listening to:
- Lots of podcasts, including the usual suspects (Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me) as well as some new ones (Mystery Show, James Altucher, The Great Debates)
- Spotify put out a great Throwback Thursday playlist with tons of 80s music that I love. I figure CFS means it’s time to listen to all the music I never heard as a kid.
What I’ve been watching:
- The Bachelor, because I have no shame.
chronic fatigue sanity 