After being sick for so long, I finally have a name for my illness: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, otherwise known as P.O.T.S.

A cardiac condition that's stripped me of my health, weight (causing me to drop to anorexic weight), self confidence, friends, jobs and continuing my education.

My goals are simple: gain weight, be healthier, and get out more. Basically, get my life back!

I'm also hoping to spread some awareness on this little known condition, and to highlight the struggles of the underweight and people with "invisible illnesses."

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

*break*

i'm leaving for florida today, so i won't be updating. i'll try to remember what i ate, but it's unlikely so i probably won't go back and update when i get back. i'll try my best to eat what i can though

Monday, June 28, 2010

64

Breakfast: ensure plus (350c)
Lunch: gingerale, potatoe pancakes with sour cream, cheddar cheese, tiny amount of facon bits (~640c)
Dinner: half personal pizza with mushrooms, black an green olives, and mozzarella cheese (~450c)
Snack: slice nutella bread (~400c)

Total:

63

Brunch: ensure plus (350c)
Snack: gingerale, rice cakes (~200c) 2 slices cheese (+240c) = 440c
Dinner: half hamburger, small amount of pasta (~450c)
Snack: piece of nutella bread (400c)

Total: 1640

Saturday, June 26, 2010

62

Brunch: ensure plus and chocolate donut (350c+~300c= 650c)
Snack: gingerale, rice cakes (~200c)
Dinner: hashbrown casserole- condensed milk (instead of eggs, which i love but can't have :( ) hashbrown potatoes, cheddar cheese,onion and ham (260+90+100+ 160= 610c)
Snack: half sweetart roll, salted almonds, fruit baby food (80+100+80=260)

Total: 1710

now i'm entering into the hard part. i'm nervous about flying to florida, and that usually translates to me not eating because a.) being nervous makes me sick, and b.) i'm worried that something i eat will make me sick on the plane

Friday, June 25, 2010

61

Breakfast: Ensure plus, slice of nutella bread (~700c)
Lunch: kfc popcorn chicken, "margarita" drink (~400c)
Snack: hershey bar (210c)
Dinner: pepperjack and salami sandwich, ginger ale (~600c)
Snack: slice nutella bread (~300c)

Total: 2210

Thursday, June 24, 2010

60

Breakfast: Ensure plus, slice of nutella bread (~700c)
Lunch: pasta, olives, salad dressing with gingerale with rice cakes (~590c)
Snack: hershey bar (210c)
Dinner: hamburger, fries, dr. pepper (~700c thank you mcdonalds)
Snack: port wine cheese and crackers with gingerale (135+89+180=404c)

Total:2604- stomach felt better today, can you tell? lol

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

59

Breakfast: Ensure plus, (350c)
Snack: i don't remember. i know there was something in there but i have no idea what
Dinner: hamburger, cheese, roll, gingerale (over the course of the night)- (858c)
Snack: 2 slices nutella bread (~700c)

Total: 1908

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

58

Breakfast: Ensure plus, brownie (500c)
Snack: chips, hershey bar (at different points in the day) (~400c)
Dinner: salmon and rice with ginger ale (617c)

Total: 1517. getting worse. although given the first day of the best time for a girl, i'm reasonably please i could eat at all- normally i can't.

Monday, June 21, 2010

57

Breakfast: Ensure plus (350c)
Lunch: pasta, olives, salami with gingerale (~500c)
Snack: brownie (150c)
Dinner: hamburger and some fries from mcdonalds plus sparkling water (~700c)

Total: 1700. kind of been falling of the wagon lately. i'll have to do better. i was so exhausted today that i ended up taking a nap from about 4-9 then got up and had dinner, and then went back to bed

Sunday, June 20, 2010

day 56

Breakfast: brownies and milk (`500c lol) this is the first time i've had milk since i started getting really sick about 6 months ago. the doctors weren't sure if i was developing a lactose-intolerance because i was feeling sick after having milk, so i cut it out all together. i really used to love it though (like...seriously, two gallons a week for just me in my house) so *cross fingers* here's hoping.
Lunch: hamburger, pepperjack cheese, roll, pasta, olives, salami with gingerale (~700c)
Snack: sweetarts, rice cakes (~200c)
Snack: ensure plus (350c)

Total: 1750

55

Breakfast: brownies (bad!) (~400c)
Snack: gatorade, rice cakes (tons of salt) (~300c)
Dinner: hamburgers stuffed with pepperjack cheese....super crazy delicious. plus gingerale (~650c)


Total: 1350. not a good day, i've had a pain in my side for three days now- my mom's concerned my appendix is 'inflamed' so we'll see what happens. im not sure if it's that or a side effect of the pill.

Friday, June 18, 2010

54

Brunch: pancakes, sour cream, strawberries with gatorade (~600c)
Dinner: chiavetta's chicken, roll, gingerale, brownie (850c)
Snack: hershey bar, potato chips (350c)

Total: 1800

53

Breakfast: ensure plus (350c)
Snack: potato chips, gatorade (~350c)
Dinner: filet mignon 6 oz, large baked potato with butter, sour cream, cheese and facon, ginger ale (~1100c)
Snack: brownie (~150c)

Total: 1950. a very filling 1950 though

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

52

Breakfast: ensure plus (350c)
Snack: hawaiian delight (120c)
Lunch: potato pancakes, sour cream, facon, cheese, ginger ale (~650c)
Snack: half chocolate donut, potato chips (~400c)
Dinner: beef kabob with onions, and grilled potatoes. plus gingerale (~750c because of the amount of butter on the potatoes)
Snack: ensure plus (350c)

Total: 2620

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

51

early breakfast: ensure plus (350c)
snack: few potato chips (~180c)
dinner: 3/4 personal pizza. olive oil, mozzarella cheese, green olives with ginger ale (~700c)
snack: half cream puff (~350c), ensure plus (350)

total: 1930


had a tilt-table test today. what a horrifying experience.

Monday, June 14, 2010

50

brunch: almond pastry (~700c)
snack: half pizza with olives, olive oil, mozzarella, and mushrooms with ginger ale (~650c)
dinner: potato pancakes, sour cream, facon, cheese (~450c)potatoe chips (100c)
snack: half cream puff (~350c)
late snack: ensure plus (350c)

total: 2600

ate a ton today. and am really feeling it. tomorrow i can't eat though before my test at 1:30 so tomorrow will be a low day.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

49

breakfast: ensure plus (350) plus kit kate (180c). candy for breakfast is kind of gross, but they keep telling me- calories, calories, calories
snack: potato chips and glass ginger ale (~320c)
dinner: homemade pizza with olive oil, mozzarella, green olives, mushrooms, ginger ale (~650c)
snack: hershey bar (180c)
late snack: ensure plus (350c)

total: 2030

Saturday, June 12, 2010

48

breakfast: 2 slices rye toast with margarine, and half almond pastry (550c)
snack: chocolate and almond bar (210c)
dinner: grilled garlic lime chicken, roasted potatoes, asparagus, part of a spinach muffin, gingerale (~560c)
snack: half almond pastry (~300c)

total: 1620

Thursday, June 10, 2010

47 ish

it's been an off week or so, but i'm going to keep going with this. it pushes me to try harder to eat, even though it's not working. new meds are affecting my stomach so when i'm hungry, i try to eat...but when i'm not i just can't. it makes me so queasy that i actually dream at night about vomiting.


breakfast: 2 slices rye toast, margarine, hawaiian delight baby food (166+ 200+ 120=486c)
snack: gingerale (~120c) pepper jack cheese slice (80c), apple sauce (80c) = 280c
dinner: large baked potato, facon bits, cheddar cheese, sour cream, margarine, salt (772c) plus large glass dr. pepper (180c)= 952c
snack: ensure plus (350c)

total: 2068

Sunday, June 6, 2010

crossroads

i'm debating discontinuing this. i'm not gaining any weight, so the hope that i could share my success is fading. right now the plan is to just stop looking at the scale (i try not to do it that often anyways) and just eat and try my best. i have a relatively good diet (most days) so that's all i can really ask for. hopefully once some of the stress goes away, the rest will fall into place. i just don't know if continuing to do this has any point

Saturday, June 5, 2010

day 46

Brunch: Ensure Plus plus bagel and cream cheese (500c)
Lunch/dinner: anderson's roast beef, french fries, dr. pepper (~650c)
Extra: hersheys with almond bar (210c)

Total Calorie Count
: 1360. for a long time, i've been wondering if i'm growing to be lactose intolerant. after i had my bagel and cream cheese my stomach was upset most of the day. it wasn't until later that i was able to eat anything at all

Awesome Thing of the Day: mario kart- zack and i haven't played video games together in a long time- maybe not ever! lol

Friday, June 4, 2010

day 45

Brunch: Ensure Plus (350c)
Lunch: steak kabob with buffalo wing pretzels, almond bar and ginger ale (~550c)
Extra: white cheddar popcorn (100c)
Dinner: hamburger,bun, pepperjack cheese....sparkling water with lime (~450c)
Extra: ensure plus (350c)

Total Calorie Count: 1800. respectable for now.

Awesome Thing of the Day: really awesome thunderstorms

day 44

Brunch: Ensure Plus (350c)
Lunch: rotisserie chicken sandwich plus hersheys with almond bar and gingerale (510c)
Dinner: steak kabobs with peppers, onions and grilled potatoes with butter. chocolate star wars cookies for dessert ( ~500c)
Extra: strawberries with sour cream and brown sugar (~300c)

Total Calorie Count: 1660. low, but i've had a stomach ache for the last 4 days. i wanted to make sure i could eat my dinner.

Awesome Thing of the Day: i guess that it's my birthday? not really awesome to me- i'm not a 'birthday's person. but, zack and i went to the nature trail so it was nice.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

day 43

Breakfast: slice of nutella bread, ensure plus (300+350= 650)
Lunch: dr. pepper with rotisserie chicken (420c)
Dinner: mini pizzas with green olives, pizza sauce, english muffins and cheese. dr pepper (~500c)
Extra: ensure plus (350c)

Total Calorie Count: 1920

Awesome Thing of the Day: been a long day, but on the plus side- even though i didn't feel that great, i went out and ran some errands with zack. i even ran into one of my old friends/exes/teachers lol which was nice, he's a good guy and i haven't seen him in a couple years

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

day 42

Breakfast: hershey with almond bar- bad but i'm getting desperate. plus applesauce baby food (330c)
Lunch: anderson's roast beef, curly fries and a dr. pepper (~450c)
Snack: hershey's with almond bar (210c)
Dinner: potatoe pancakes with cheese, sour cream and bacon plus dr pepper(640c)
Extra: ensure plus (350c)

Total Calorie Count: 1980

Awesome Thing of the Day: watching frasier all day with zack

day 41

i ate stuff.