my ten years of headaches are over

I've undergone some life changes recently and I wanted to share with you one of the biggest discoveries ever I've had in the past few months that's changed my life.  Over the past say five years since my life changing event in 2006, I really haven't been taking care of myself, my health, and my body.  I didn't sleep enough.  I binged worked.  My mood swings up and down.  I eat out all the time - I adore decadent delicious food.  I love parties, cocktails and wine.  ...  It was not even four months ago I was going out socializing four to five, sometimes six nights a week - which meant three, four, and sometimes 8 cocktails a night.  That many cocktails is usually followed by late night meals with friends...  Ai ya.  Yea, things caught up with me. 

It was about in March where it suddenly occurred to me that the way I was feeling was not normal, not good, not right...  I looked at myself and noticed some things that SCREAMED "Help!".  I was always complaining about feeling nauseous...  I had headaches all the time - and I mean ALL THE TIME.  I was a serious Advil addict - I would finish off bottles of Costco sized Advil in months.  Advil first thing in the morning, Advil during the day, Advil when I got home from work, Advil before bedtime to dull the pain.  My body hurt all the time.  My head was pounding.  I was numbing the constant pain with alcohol and Advil.  This wasn't right.  And I'd been ignoring all of my pain for years.  Years.  Suddenly it hit me, I needed to change my life.

Change my life.  Sounds so much easier than it is.  It's been hard, but the results, have just been jaw dropping.  More details later - the biggest jaw dropping change is this post.  For a decade since joining the white collared forces of working America, I had the luxury of having all the soda, milk and fizzing water cans at my fingertips when I went to work.  Microsoft, Google, KPMG, T-Mobile, etc... everywhere I went to work, the employees are taken care of (at least their thirst is).  I wanted to take advantage of this work perk so I began with a treat of orange soda, Fanta (my gateway soda can).  Too much sugar, so I eventually moved to Diet Cokes - crisp, cold, caffeine infused sugar free addicting energizing Diet Coke.  OMG.  It made my lunch go down so well.  It served as a great mid-day refresher.  Great with steaming bowls of ramen or a juicy burger.  I also self-imagined that it aided in helping me burn more calories (being caffeinated and all).  A great pick-me-up with a shot of vodka when out at the bars.  Great with a cherry or with a lemon.  ...  A decade of Diet Cokes.  Diet cokes.

Until two months ago, diet cokes were my thing.  Constant headaches and Advil were also my thing.  ...  When I decided I needed to make some changes, I sought the advice of a wellness doctor, named Mimi Jackson.  She asked me what I wanted to work on - and I said, I want the nausea, the addiction to Advil and my headaches to stop.  She says, headaches?  I say, yes, headaches.  She says, how long have you had them - I say, hmm at least 10 years or so since I started working.  She says, do you drink diet coke?  I go, OMG yes, quite often.  She says, stop drinking diet coke and anything with the fake sugars. 

I did.  I stopped drinking Diet Coke right away.  Cold turkey.  I was so desperate to have all of this madness and pain stop, I listened to her advice, no questions.  I have not had a headache or an Advil ever since.  Changed my life.  My kidneys are probably thanking me and doing cartwheels.  The headaches have stopped.  Who knew?  I started doing some reading on aspartame, asking questions, even spoke to my primary doctor today - there's really something wrong with Aspartame.  It's not okay.  Diet coke has it - among a bunch of other unsavory chemical substances probably best not to ingest.  ... I'm free of Diet Coke now.  Crazy thing is I had no idea that it was causing my health so much harm all this time.

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