HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY POPPA PRAUGHT!

Today we celebrate a truly remarkable man!

90 years ago today a true gem was born, Mr. Louis Praught. For those of you who haven't gotten the privilege of knowing my grandfather, let me just say that there are absolutely no words to describe the gentle soul he is. He is one of those people who light up a room and everyone in his presence. Beautiful on the inside and out and full of love, laughter and strength.  

He and my loving Grammie, Myrtle, got married on June 28th, 1944. Grammie sadly passed away suddenly on August 14th 2001. Talk about a saint... That woman was incredible! They proudly raised a big family of 10 boys and 1 girl in Richmond, PEI. Gerry, Jackie, Leo, Errol, Reggie, Claire, Brian (my Daddy), Mike, Kevin, Emmett, and Junior, who passed away at the early age of 4. What a houseful it must have been! Poor Claire was definitely outnumbered!!!

I will forever take pride in being a Praught. I feel so lucky and blessed having come from these loving roots. Poppa is such a rock to so many of us. So strong, so constant.

Happy birthday Poppa! You are deeply loved by so many. You will always be my hero!

CUTTING THE CARBS!

Most of us, at one point or another, have tried countless amounts of plans to shed a few pounds. For those of you that are blessed with a naturally lean body and can eat whatever and whenever you want without it affecting you - Frig you!!! Go eat your bread and potatoes and disregard this post;)

This past August I decided that enough was enough. I felt gross, my skin was out of control, and my clothes weren't feeling very "comfortable". Weight also plays a big factor in my Pseudotumor Cerebri symptoms which was incentive enough. I decided to try going low-carb. I had done it once before about 10 years ago with great success. Why not give it another shot.

I won't lie... The first week is absolute torture. At one point Adam and Bennett were eating crackers or something stupid like that and wanted to bite their hands off!!! I would just have to remove myself from situations like that. I think one day I even cried!!! After about a week (so long as you don't cheat) the sugar will finally be eliminated from your body and headaches and hunger will be gone. When this happens you will have so much energy you will feel like you could fly. If you are discipline and follow it correctly, by about 4 weeks in, you will be amazed! You will never be hungry, you will no longer crave carbs and sugar, your skin will look brand new, and the weight and inches will be coming off at a steady pace. By 5 months I had lost 40lbs. My original goal was 30lbs but since this way of eating has become more of a lifestyle for me, especially after feeling so good, it continued to come off. 

Please keep in mind that I don't claim to be an expert in a low-carb lifestyle, however the amount I have researched to this point, I swear I could write a book.

Things that I love about living low-carb:

• I have never eaten so healthy in my entire life! - It irritates me when I hear people say that it's bad for you. I eat vegetables or salads with almost every meal. In the past vegetables with meals were never a "priority". (Sure if you want to go crazy and eat a pound of bacon and a block of cheese for breakfast then yes, I wouldn't consider that healthy either but I don't do that.)
• You can eat as much as you want at any time! - I've tried counting points and controlling portions many times. It definitely works for some people but not so much for me. Talk about torture!
• You are never hungry! (Although it's important that you still eat your regular meals) - If you are, chances are it's because you ate carbs/sugar. Sugar makes you crave more sugar.
• Grocery shopping is so much easier! - You get to know all the foods you are allowed to eat and just pick from those.
• Eating out isn't an issue! -  You still have so many choices and can eat until you are full. I always get a salad (usually caesar minus the croutons) and some type of meat (i.e. wings, chicken, steak, etc.) or I get a stir fry minus the rice.

Since I'm not really looking to loose anymore weight, I now allow myself once or twice a week to eat whatever I want. I usually save it for the weekends. The key is to get back on track the next morning. There have been a couple of time that my 1 day would turn into 2 or 3 but it only makes it harder to get back on track. Looking back I know realise I was definitely what they consider a carbaholic. Many days, that is ALL I would eat!

The reason I decided to write this post is so that I have something to hold me accountable.

If you have any questions... I am happy to help!

DR. MARK BURKE = AMAZING!

Do you see your optometrist regularly?
In my opinion, Optometrists are very underrated. Health Insurance often covers less for the eyes than any other health areas. It just doesn't seem right.

I'm sure those of you who know Dr. Burke would agree that he is an amazing optometrist. He is extremely smart, thorough, professional and ever so kind. He's done so much for me in the last 9 months and I will be forever grateful...

For the past 5 years I have been struggling with constant dizziness, head pressure and headaches. To make a long story short, I visited the ER and doctors offices on a regular basis struggling with my symptoms and begging for answers. Yes FIVE years of being told it was caused by a number of different things; Vertigo, Inner Ear Infections, Miniere's Disease, Sinuses, Nerve/Muscle Problems, Anxiety,  and my favourite... Depression. It got to the point that the anxiety definitely hit me, but was only caused from me knowing something wasn't right and not getting any help. I even saw two different neurologist who both blew me off and told me I just had migraines. By the end of it, I had given up and just accepted that I would have to just live with my symptoms. That is until Dr. Burke saved me!!!

Last March (2011) my family and another family went to California for a vacation. We ended up getting robbed and lost EVERYTHING we had with us. Yes, passports and all. When we returned home I immediately went to see Dr. Burke since my glasses had been stolen and I thought I should recheck my prescription before getting new ones because I had been noticing my eyesight seemed to be getting worse. That evening Dr. Burke called me to inform me that he found that I had papilledema (swelling of the optic disk).  Of course, I had no clue what it was. He explained to me that it was cause by intercranial pressure. He said it could be from a Brain Tumor or something called Pseudotumor Cerebri which he had never seen before. He asked me a few more questions about my headaches and vision. He referred me to my Neurologist who I saw two days later and after a few more tests and a spinal tap, I finally got my diagnosis. I have Pseudotumor Cerebri.

Pseudotumor Cerebri literally means "false brain tumor" It is due to high pressure within the skull caused by the buildup or poor absorption of the spinal fluid. It is quite rare. I now take quite a bit of medication to keep the pressure down. I have regular visits with my neurologist and visit Dr. Burke's office every 6 - 8 weeks for some scans and Visual Field Testing. I definitely have my bad days but for the most part, I'm feeling great!!!

And listen to this... I've been in contact with a lady from here in Summerside who was recently diagnosed with the same thing. Her story is very similar to mine. She was told she had most of the things that they were telling me and brushing her of as well. In the end, guess who found it??? Her optometrist!

 Now I hope everyone see the importance of a good optometrist!

READY OR NOT, HERE I BLOG!

So here I go! I've entered the world of Blogging. I never thought there would come a day that I would have a desire to do this. I was never a straight "A" kind of student and creative writing... Yeah, no thanks! So before I go any further, if you are one of those people who cringe when you read grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes, this blog may not be for you. Although I consider myself a perfectionist... I have MANY imperfections!

My life to this point has been full of many blessings. I was brought up in a loving home with my tight family of four. My dad, mom, brother and me. In 2001 I had a beautiful baby boy, Bennett. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Blessed doesn't even seem like a strong enough word to describe my love for him. His father and I were very close friends for many years. I truly consider him my soul mate. When Bennett was born we were only 20 and as you can imagine, things weren't always butterflies and roses. With time, patience, and the loving support of both our families we somehow pulled through and realised we really were meant to be together. On December 31, 2008, Adam and I finally got married with our beautiful 8 year old son standing at the alter as the best man. It almost felt magical. It was certainly a day that most (including myself) would have never saw coming, but they good things come to those who wait. In the end, I truly believe Bennett was given to us, not only to enrich our lives, but also to bring Adam and I together.