2018 and 2019 were very difficult years for me! Between June 2018 and April 2019 I had four hospitalizations, two of which were back to back, and visited the Emergency Room about 7 times in total. The last experience in April 2019 was the worst! But I thank God that I made it out of the hospital each time.
I keep close track of everything - dietary, menstrual cycles, vitamins and medications I'm taking, how I'm feeling, etc. Through diligence and prayer (thank God!) I finally realized that I was getting quite sick around my menstrual cycle. Even when I wasn't hospitalized there were several times that I had to take time off of work and stay home sick and dealing with sickle cell pain when I was having my menstrual cycle. For some time I didn't have any cassava/yucca in my diet. I thought that I had gone into crisis one time because I had stopped eating cassava/yucca, and I was so annoyed, thinking to myself that if cassava is so strong that if I don't have it then I will go into crisis, then I should stop having it all together and just substitute it in my diet with other Thiocyanate rich foods - chickpeas, plantains, cabbage, broccoli, etc. What I did not realize was that I had gotten sick because of stopping the cassava and also because of having my menstrual cycle. Months later, I finally began to realize that I was feeling sick about the same time each month. I was tired of missing days of work and tired of feeling so poorly. So I decided once more to add cassava to my diet and to have it everyday or almost everyday. I have been doing much better since then! My health has become more stable since I started eating it daily. I also keep my diet rich in other foods filled with Thiocyanate, but I realize that cassava is highest in Thiocyanate and makes the best positive impact in my life. I also have to keep salt in my diet because all of the Thiocyanate rich foods are also foods that lower my blood pressure, which is already low. So I make sure to have enough salty foods - I prefer tuna fish made with mustard and corn chips as my favorite salty snack. The salt helps to keep my blood pressure at a level that I can manage. When it's too low I feel funny and I really crave salt.
Ladies, as you are caring for yourself with Sickle Cell, I caution you to pay special attention to how you feel around your menstrual cycle. It is good to pay close attention to all the little things to help you figure out how to manage your health - this goes for everyone, ladies as well as gentlemen. Also, we must always maintain a strictly healthy diet. That means little to no processed foods, eating whole fruits and whole vegetables more than anything else, and maintaining a diet that is high in nutrition. The more we nourish our bodies, the better we will feel and the better quality of life we will have.
I keep close track of everything - dietary, menstrual cycles, vitamins and medications I'm taking, how I'm feeling, etc. Through diligence and prayer (thank God!) I finally realized that I was getting quite sick around my menstrual cycle. Even when I wasn't hospitalized there were several times that I had to take time off of work and stay home sick and dealing with sickle cell pain when I was having my menstrual cycle. For some time I didn't have any cassava/yucca in my diet. I thought that I had gone into crisis one time because I had stopped eating cassava/yucca, and I was so annoyed, thinking to myself that if cassava is so strong that if I don't have it then I will go into crisis, then I should stop having it all together and just substitute it in my diet with other Thiocyanate rich foods - chickpeas, plantains, cabbage, broccoli, etc. What I did not realize was that I had gotten sick because of stopping the cassava and also because of having my menstrual cycle. Months later, I finally began to realize that I was feeling sick about the same time each month. I was tired of missing days of work and tired of feeling so poorly. So I decided once more to add cassava to my diet and to have it everyday or almost everyday. I have been doing much better since then! My health has become more stable since I started eating it daily. I also keep my diet rich in other foods filled with Thiocyanate, but I realize that cassava is highest in Thiocyanate and makes the best positive impact in my life. I also have to keep salt in my diet because all of the Thiocyanate rich foods are also foods that lower my blood pressure, which is already low. So I make sure to have enough salty foods - I prefer tuna fish made with mustard and corn chips as my favorite salty snack. The salt helps to keep my blood pressure at a level that I can manage. When it's too low I feel funny and I really crave salt.
Ladies, as you are caring for yourself with Sickle Cell, I caution you to pay special attention to how you feel around your menstrual cycle. It is good to pay close attention to all the little things to help you figure out how to manage your health - this goes for everyone, ladies as well as gentlemen. Also, we must always maintain a strictly healthy diet. That means little to no processed foods, eating whole fruits and whole vegetables more than anything else, and maintaining a diet that is high in nutrition. The more we nourish our bodies, the better we will feel and the better quality of life we will have.
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