Calm after the storm?

Oh my what a nightmare the last few weeks have been. Mostly as a result of my husband's hairbrained idea to go to grad school. :-p No, I really do think it's a great idea and I'm so blessed by his ambition, but I had forgotten how draining it is to apply to schools. Most of the last few weeks have consisted of countless late nights and intensive essay proof-reading sessions--not an easy feat when oftentimes my inability to concentrate makes reading period a difficult process. After the first week of deadlines (when 4 of the 6 schools we applied to were all due the same week) I literally didn't get out of bed for 2 whole days afterward except to get food and use the bathroom. Ugg. Thankfully, we managed to complete all our priority #1 schools by the deadlines--including Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Yale, UC Berkeley, and UVA--and now we just have to wait and hope to be contacted for interviews hopefully in the next month or two.

My job is also starting to pick up a bit, though the "busy season" won't really start until the beginning of Feb. But I did 2 whole tax returns yesterday during a 5 hour shift, which is pretty great for this time of year. I might actually make some money doing this after all.

Of course my biggest challenge right now is still trying to navigate through my new schedule of pills and meals and sleep and more pills. My insomnia is back and every day for the last 4-5 days I've been up until about 4-5am. Not at all helpful while trying to establish a routine. Also, after a meeting with the nutritionalist at my doctor's office a couple weeks ago, she started me on a low-glycemic diet, which basically cuts out almost all grains and sugars and adds a whole boatload of veggies compared to what I usually eat. This is partly to help in the fight against the Lyme (which produces toxins and fungi that feed and multiply off of sugars and starches in my body) and partly to help me start shaving off some of the weight this stupid illness has caused me to gain. After gaining more than 20 pounds in the last year, I can only hope it works. If anyone has any good recipe ideas for grain-free or veggie-heavy foods/meals I am on the lookout! I always felt I ate pretty healthy before (and actually the nutritionalist agreed!) but I never noticed how much I tend to pair everything with a bread-y base before. I've always eaten a pretty good balance of protein, healthy fats, fresh fruits, and some veggies, but I always put it on pasta, or a tortilla, or a sandwich. I'm a little disoriented trying to figure out what to eat when I can only have 1 grain item (i.e. slice of bread, tortilla, 1/2 c pasta, etc) each day!

I am so looking forward to the day when all this starts feeling a little more natural and a little less overwhelming. It's been so hard to gauge my body's reactions to the new meds because I feel completely exhausted and overwhelmed all the time, but I strongly suspect that has more to do with all the big lifestyle changes I am encountering all at once. I hope next week may bring a short and peaceful respite.