This is where I hang my head in shame to say for many years my stove sat as nothing more than installation art in my kitchen. What did I do all those years? I did what most do, I purchased sodium packs that I could easily pop into a microwave oven for another form of fast food. Sodium packs?  Yes, because sodium is a nice preservative and many of the ready-made meals found in your freezer section are full of sodium; some more than others.

I was a busy person and could not be bothered with cooking or the time needed to prepare a decent meal. Instead, it was easier for me to plan my shopping list with meals for work and quick meals at home. If I did not feel like popping one of those sodium packs in the microwave, I ate out. It was not until I was placed on a renal diet with a sodium restriction of 1,000 mg a day that I noticed the amount of sodium in those sodium packs. I discovered some of my favorite meals contained anywhere from 700 to 800 mg of sodium and the little breakfast sandwiches were just as bad.

Eating out was out too. To keep to my sodium in check, I had to research sodium and calories in meals I typically ate at both fast food establishments and restaurants. I was horrified at what I found. In some cases I discovered one meal was well over the 1,000 mgs of sodium. Shocking!!!

Prednisone is notorious for water retention and sodium, equally so. I did have choices, I could continue eating a high-sodium diet and say “to hell with it” or I could return to preparing meals at home that were low in sodium. It took some time but finally — after some close calls with my health — I began following the low sodium diet and fired up my stove.

It has taken some time for me to stay on the wagon. I will not say I no longer eat out, I do. I also plan my days accordingly. If I know I am going to eat out somewhere, I plan the day and count sodium, carbs, etc. When I get to the restaurant, if I am dangerously close to the limits I have set for myself, I will order a salad with dressing on the side or I will hit the salad bar.

I also love cheeseburgers and pizzas. If I am going to indulge in a burger with fries I will eat raw veggies, salads, and fruits the rest of the day. Unfortunately, after doing a reduction diet, I found my body is not fond of red meat which means I now eat veggie or turkey burgers. I also make my own pizzas now and I puree my tomatoes for the sauce which means I no longer have to worry about high sodium ingredients and sauces in carry-out or store bought pizzas.

Yes, preparing meals for myself does take a lot of time but it pays off in my not feeling bloated, the experience of extreme fluid retention, pleurisy, feeling toxic, overwhelming fatigue caused by rapid heart beats, and God only knows what else. Often, I will prepare meals in bulk for the entire week. When I am done, I place the meals in little containers making it easy for me to pick them, pack them and take them off to work.

The bottom line for me is this: Preparing meals at home has been beneficial to my health. I have had less health dramas than I did prior to my diagnosis. I have only been hospitalized once and was dangerously close to being hospitalized again but I learned myself some discipline and I believe this has kept me out of Hotel Huntington or any other hospital for that matter.

With lupus, particularly if an organ is involved, it is important to practice discipline as it relates to the foods you choose to eat. I never liked salt pork so it was never added to my collards but, as hard as it may be for some, you must eliminate salt pork or suffer the consequences. The same is true for any ingredient you typically added to any dish. The salt in my kitchen has been there for years, I rarely use it. Rarely.

What I have learned through this experience is processed foods — high in sodium — ain’t the best for you and the reliance on drugs because I am being irresponsible ain’t good either. I am no longer taking statins (Lipitor or Crestor) for cholesterol and I am no longer taking blood pressure meds. I am now down to 10mg of Prednisone daily and IV Cytoxan once a month. I have gone from a handful of pills to one and a few recommended supplements/vitamins.

It was not easy because rebellion is my middle name. I wanted to eat what I wanted when I wanted but I only got sicker as a result. I drink plenty of water too. There was a time when I probably drank about a liter of water a week.

Again, the bottom line is a good diet, prepare your meals, exercise, drink plenty of water, take your meds as prescribed — supplements if needed — and manage stress. All of these will not guarantee against a flair but it could minimize the severity.

Now, as for the agony of the feet, I have learned cooking in the kitchen is a workout all by itself. Stretching to pull pots, lifting bags of rice, sugar or flour, stepping quickly to the sink or stove — it’s a workout and afterward, the feet, the feet, the feet. Thankfully, it is not defeat and for that, I am grateful.