I know I’ve been spending a lot of time looking backward around here. Meanwhile, life at the Baker house has very much kept moving.
Things never really seem to slow down. Kids have their activities, I had a honey-do list waiting for Jeff, I started—and failed at—making a sourdough starter, and life has thrown in a few surprises along the way. Like having to repair the AC in my car and the house in the same week.
Turns out I’m not a very pleasant person if it’s too hot up in here.
I’ve also been trying to slow down, whatever that means, and just enjoy having my family together again. I’ve said before that I never expected there to be some magic treatment that would suddenly reverse the last almost 14 years, but I have been trying to pay close attention to any changes in Jeff.
We know it can take several months to really see what kind of progress he’s made, so for now we’re being patient. So far, the biggest thing I’ve noticed is a positive change in his overall demeanor. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but he seems a little calmer and less easily agitated.
Although, after a month away from all the chaos at home, I might seem calmer too. All in favor of sending Ali to Florida by herself for a month, say “aye.”
No? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Either way, I’m looking at it as a small step in the right direction.
Since we’re still waiting to see what the bigger picture looks like, we’ve been focusing on the things we can control at home. One of the biggest so far has been how we’re eating.
Because the internet is a wild place, here comes the disclaimer: I’m not a dietitian, and I’m not telling anyone else what they should eat. Some of what we’re doing has been suggested or recommended to Jeff along the way, and some of it has come from research we’ve done on our own.
Ultimately, we’re trying to support the things that matter for brain health and recovery—blood flow, oxygen delivery, and keeping inflammation as low as we reasonably can. That’s a big part of why I’ve been focusing on a more anti-inflammatory way of eating.
Chronic inflammation can affect circulation and may also play a role in how the body handles stress, so my hope is that by reducing some of that inflammation and making sure we’re getting the nutrients we need, we’re giving Jeff’s brain the best environment we can while we wait for the follow-up scans.
We already ate pretty well, so this hasn’t meant completely turning our kitchen upside down. I’m mostly trying to be more intentional about what we eat.
Sounds simple enough, except there are five people living here.
I’m not cooking separate dinners for us and the kids. Oof. Mean mom. I’m also not trying to restrict everything they eat. We still have plenty of normal kid snacks in the house, along with better options, and of course I’m hoping at least some of their choices involve something green.
One thing I’m still on the fence about is significantly reducing—or giving up—caffeine. The problem is that I love my two cups of coffee every morning, and lately I’ve added an afternoon tea to the mix. I also find it extremely difficult to pass up what the kids apparently call a “refrigerator cigarette.”
A Diet Coke.
I suppose Jeff’s equivalent would be a Dr Pepper. If I give up caffeine entirely, I’m not even sure I’d like myself anymore, so we’re going to tread very carefully here.
For now, I’m mostly focusing on changes that feel realistic and sustainable for our family while still researching new ideas and recipes to try. Thankfully, there are plenty of resources out there. Unfortunately, there are also five people here with opinions about what I make.
Nothing humbles you quite like trying a brand-new dinner you feel really good about and watching your entire family hate it.
I do love trying new recipes, though—even when they fail. I’m looking at you, sourdough. Maybe I’ll start sharing some of the ones we really love around here, along with a few of the disasters.
Food is only one piece of what we’re working on at home, but it’s probably the one that requires the most effort on my end because cooking is definitely my department.
Jeff has tried.
We don’t need to go there again.
There are a few other things we’re focusing on too, and I’ll get to those. For now, I’m just trying to make changes that make sense for our family and give Jeff every opportunity we can to keep moving in the right direction.
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