ER and Surgery

Sunday I was home and I spoke to my husband about this pain I had had in my lower right side that hadn't gone away since Tuesday. He said that it was orobably nothing and I debated with myself whether or not to listen to him or to actually do something about the problem. I am not one to automatically rush myself to ER, but today was different.
My mother is a nurse so I called her to ask what her thoughts were regarding this odd pain. She asked me if I had any pain urinating to which I said no. At this point I had no issues with my bladder or abdomen. Well, about 10 minutes after I got off the phone, I went to the bathroom and lo and behold I started to feel a lot of pressure and pain in that very area. Jumping onto the internet, I researched kidney problems and read that if one experiences any back and abdominal pain that there could be internal inflammation or an infection which could be life threatening.
My husband was not home at the time so I called him to tell him that I wanted to go to the ER to have these pains looked at. He agreed. So off we went to the ER in town. When I got there they did extensive testing on my back and abdominal areas. Everything was coming back normal except for the fact that I had a kidney stone and my appendix was enlarged, though they weren't sure if it was made large or if there was something causing it to become large. They wanted to keep my overnight to monitor my body's reaction and make sure I did not end up with appendicitis.
I spent the night with an elderly lady of 92. She was quiet the first night, thank God, but I had the nurses coming in and out for blood pressure tests, temp tests, blood tests, etc. That  morning I was not able to eat or drink anything since they didn't want me to have anything in my stomach should I need emergency surgery. I knew that I most likely wouldn't, but they didn't want to take any chances. So here I was starving with nothing to do but wait, while no one was telling me anything about what was going on.
I got so upset with the situation that I called the nurse and complained. I invoked the patient advocate thanks to my father to get the ball rolling and to finally get some answers and a drink at the very least! Finally., the docs came to me and apologized for the delay, but said that they were not sure what was wrong with me and wanted to keep my free of anything that would delay a last minute operation. OK, but it was 36 hours and I hadn't had a thing to eat and was getting nauseous so even though they kept asking me how I was feeling, I had to tell them I was feeling sick, not because of my appendix, but  because I was so hungry. Anyhow., it was a mess and I did end up eating with my husband that night without the docs permission -hehe. No I didn't tell them either but it didn't matter since they were just being careful that my body would handle liquids first, but I couldn't convince them that I really was fine to eat, so I just ate a great big cheese burger and cheese fries :-) It was so nice.
I stayed another night as they wanted to monitor me yet another night and see how I was in the morning. They said I would likely be able to go home that next day if the pain was manageable. Well, the next morning, Tuesday, the pain was the same and they said that they would look at my white blood count to see if there was an infection forming. After hours of waiting, the tests showed I wasn't, but still the surgeon did not feel comfortable with me going home not knowing what was wrong so she advised having laproscopic surgery to see what was going on inside me and to take out my appendix just to be on the safe side.
Here I was all ready to pack my bags and go home, only to now to be told that I was needing surgery. This was not what I wanted to hear, but I thought it might be a good idea since an appendix is not something you need to keep to be healthy.
I texted my priest friends and family friends and asked for prayers. Thank God for friends who pray. They give me so much peace of mind just knowing they are asking God to watch over me, because it is not easy to do that for myself when I am so tired and worried and pretty out of it. I also had a recently ordained friend come by and give me the sacrament of the sick. He came in the nick of time, as they were getting the stretcher ready for me when I finished anointing my head and hands. It was something I really needed not knowing what was going to happen to me. This was the first time I would be getting  general anesthesia and had a hunch that I would not respond well to it.
Also, Tom had a nice surprise for me and came out with the kids and we all went to Schenley Park for the evening. I hadn't seen my darling since Sunday and it seemed like forever. They had a great time running around and playing on the swings and going about with the other kids in the park. It was so nice running with them. In fact, this was the park that my husband and I had one of our first dates at. We carved out names in a tree nearby. While we didn't get to go see it, it was very nostalgic and I had a wonderful time with them.
So Wed morning I went in for surgery and they put the mask over my face and I started counting from 100 backwards. I think I got to 98 and was out cold.
The next thing I remember I was back in the recovery room and everything was spinning. Apparently the anesthesia does like like me and I get bad reactions from it. The dizziness was hard, but I didn't get sick from it. After I went back to my room to rest, I took a couple sips of water and that set me off.. I started throwing up immediately and whatever I took in came up. To make matters worse, I did not have any of my usual nurses who I like, but got a new nurse who spoke Indian and I couldn't understand her. It was not ideal.
This morning, Thursday, I am doing ok. Sleep was broken, but that's the way it's been since I've been here so I'm sort of used it by now. I've been given clearance to be discharged today and that is GREAT! I can't wait to get out of here and be back in my own bed with my own clothes and darling children. My mother comes tomorrow to help me and to celebrate my birthday this Sunday.. She will stay through next Tuesday and then my dad will be here to help out. The doctors don't want me to lift or drive for two weeks, which is going to make life challenging, but there is nothing I can do about it. I told my husband, it's like having a baby without a baby all over again.
So that's the story of this past week. Never did I expect I'd be having surgery last Sunday. The gospel passage was about Christ walking on water and St. Peter coming out of the boat to be with Him. It was a mircale that he too was able to walk on water so long as he kept his eyes on Christ, but once they lost their site of Him, he started to sink. I think that's the message I've needed to keep in mind throughout this whole saga. I'll be able to get through this so long as I keep my focus on Him. Thank you Lord for all your love and help throughout all of this. I've seen some incredibly horrible things in here, and thank You for sparing me from those crosses which I do not have to carry..
Well, time to sign off. I'll hopefully be getting better from here on out- I'll be keeping up with my symptoms so that I can remember it all once I go for my followup in two weeks. 

Don't know what to think anymore

Alright, so I've been on this super strict diet after having talked to Dr. Erickson whch has taken away most everything but meats, veggies, eggs, almond /coconut milk and green apples. I've been taking an adrenal chelation supplement as well as a candida super yeast defenders pill two, twice daily. He also advised I drink this oxygenated liquid with oil of oregano that that would help kick the fungus in my gut. Well, having followed this plan since last Monday and today I am contemplating going to the ER.

Last Tuesday I started to get this pain in my middle lower back on the right side of my spine. It hurt whenever I moved and wasn't going away so I called Dr. E and told him about it. He said it was a radiating pain from my adrenals and was a good sign. Well, the pain has only gotten worse and it's starting to really concern me since I fear it might be my kidneys. The pain is nowhere near where my adrenals are located and it is near my kidneys so with this super high protein diet and no fiber or natural nourishment I'm wondering if my body isn't starting to create more serious problems due to these strange regimens I've been following. My husband is so sick of all this and so am I. His frustration has been coming out toward me, which hasn't helped at all, but he is very skeptical of anything "natural" or alternative and so am I. Who in the world do I trust with all of this? I just don't know.

I have decided to not take anything today and give my body a break from everything it's been dealing with. My heart is so discouraged. I go back to Dr. E tomorrow and will tell him everything and ask him to do a thorough blood workup on me and also to check my kidneys.

Also, I ordered a saliva test to check out my adrenals glands and see what exactly is going on there. Tingling in my feet continues. Waiting to see if I'm pregnant this week as well.
   

So my instincts were right

OK it's been some time since I've been on here and I have a lot to tell. First, I took myself off of the PSerine as it was causing me to have really bad headaches and I couldn't function with it. After I weaned myself from it (well, cold turkey really) I found that the headaches lessened more than before, however they were not completely gone. So then I started taking myself off of everything and seeing what might be causing it through a process of elimination/reintroduction. I was only able to go so far with this when I had a friend tell me that if my thyroid was normal and it was getting more thyroid than it needed, that that might cause problems. It seemed there was something to what she was saying since Dr. P really didn't have a lot of proof to say that I needed 75mcg's of thyroid anyway. What I did was go back on everything- Vit. C, E, Omega-3, D3, multi, B complex, Calcium/Magnesium, and my usual anti-fungal medicine too- but without talking the thyroid. My goodness did things improve! THe headaches nearly vanished and I had no more problems save for the times when I was really stressed or tired, which is normal.
The other thing that happened was I started getting this pain going down my legs. It felt as though someone was tying a knot around my leg so the blood couldn't flow well. There was also this pinching feeling going down both legs and I have no idea what caused this. I called my NUCCA doc and he said to do some lower back pain exercises. I didn't actually do any and it went away on it's own, thankfully.
Also I should mention that on occasion I did eat some wheats and very few sugars like fruit and some cake at a birthday party. It was minor, but I felt I needed to live a little. But then I got a phone call from a friend who never calls me (she also has candida) and was telling me about this doctor that she found about an hour away who took insurance and who was able to help her with her candida. I couldn't believe it and was ready to make an appointment asap. I called then next day and did so and was there this morning to meet this aforementioned doctor.
In the last week or so I had been feeling lousy and very tired esp in the morning, which was not normal for me, but when I felt like I had no energy all day I knew something was up and wanted to talk to this guy about it. Also, I started getting dizzy again. Out of nowhere my head would just start getting off balance and I thought, "No, this is not going to happen again!" But anyway, about this doctor's visit, 
This Dr. E a very nice guy and took his time with me, trying to understand my history and the whole issue surrounding my health. He liked what I had been doing, though he felt that I was wise in opting to take myself off of the Phosphotidyl Serine and thryroid because, low and behold, my adrenals, from what he found, were not hyper active, but underactive. Thank you Dr. E! He actually tested my adrenals by taking my blood pressure while I was sitting and then as I stood up and found that my bp dropped 16 points when I stood up indicating some serious adrenal fatigue. The long and short of it is that he's seriously cutting out all sugars, dairy, wheat or flours of most any kind, beans, starches, etc and wants me to do this for about a year! Oh my goodness, I pray that I can. It's not going to be easy, esp with my husband, but I have to. What else can I do to kick this thing?
He advised that I purchase some of their self-concocted supplements for my adrenals, candida, and overall health. The other thing I am taking now is Oil of Oregano as that is supposed to kill fungus in one's system. At this point, I don't care what it tastes like, I'll take anything I need to.
It's been hard trying to think of things to eat and I need to go on-line to find recipes that are candida safe- god luck! No, there are some but they sound horrible. I think I'm going to have to make two meals a day, one for me and one for my hubby, I can't expect him to eat this way. It's healthy, but horrible. There are so few options and I don't want him to be miserable because he's eating this way. It's going to be a lot of work, but God knows this and I pray will help me get through the labor that this is going to demand of me.
On a side note, I am not sure if I'm pregnant.
Well, that's all the news for now, but I hope to keep this more current than I have been. It's just that I get so side-tracked and then get tired and forget all about this. But it doesn't exactly matter since no one ready it-lol. Oh well, it's kind of nice to know I have some privacy on the internet, so poo on you! ;-)

The New Drug

Since my adrenal glands have been out of wack, I've been taking this supplement called Phosphatidyl Serine. It's some kind of drug that apparently helps people with Alzheimer's Disease as well as ADHD, but no studies have proven that's true. What studies have proven, thankfully, is that it does work to lower high cortisol levels and that's good for me :-) I started taking it two days ago and am using NOW's product. So far it has given me severe headaches and occasional gas, but that might also be due to the fact that I have not been eating anything but eggs, meat, cheese, veggies and fruit. Yes, I've cut nearly all carbs and sugars out of my diet. How long I need to do this I have no idea since my stupid nat doc, Dr. P, won't call me back and his secretary will only ask so many questions for me. It's absurd that he draws my blood, gets the results and then doesn't give me an explanation of what the results state! It's infuriating to no end, but I can't do anything about it.
I'm on my way to Indiana this weekend to see good friends and am hoping that spending some time out will help boost my morale and get my adrenals to calm down. Overall, I feel better than I did the last time I wrote on here. My fears have been assuaged since I started the PS  since I know I'm taking something that will help. Again, I have no idea how long I need to be on this stuff before it works, but in 8 weeks I'm supposed to see Dr. P, drop another $180  for him to draw my blood again get the results and then tell me nothing. It's a pain in the rear end, and I hate it, but that's what I have to face right now. I'm trying to accept things more and not be so stressed over things I can't change. It's a work in progress for sure, but hey, that's where it all begins with one step at a time.
Should also mention that I'm on 75 mcg's of thyroid and some other anti-fungal med called Ketoconazole. My lower back pain has been with me for days, however since I've started the strict diet, I have noticed it start to wain. Instead, I'm getting neck pain so back to Dr. Gobbie tomorrow! Nothing's ever easy with me I'll tell ya-lol.

Blood Results

I got a call from my doc's receptionist and she told me that I have elevated cortisol levels and need to get on more thyroid as well as something called Phosphatidylserine. This drug is suppose to help lower the cortisol to that it doesn't reek havoc on my immune system, raise my blood pressure, make me gain weight, essentially do a ton of crap to my body. I asked this lady if I should get off the Imunovir since that was what Dr. Pierotti thought did this me (thanks a lot!) and I have yet to hear back from him. In the meantime, I've been reading a lot of websites that talk about this issue and there are conflicting opinions about what you're suppose to eat with this condition. Some say stay away from all fatty meats and others say they're ok. I put off eating for as long as I could (bad idea) hoping to get a call from Dr. P yet my body was starting to get shaky so I ate some Tinkyada macaroni and meatballs. My body needs something for fuel and feel like this is fine for now.
You know, I am so pissed off that this Imunovir knocked my adrenals like this. I feel like this doctor is playing with my body, assuming that it won't do anything odd, and yet when it does, he just tells his secretary to call me with what I need to buy next to take care of that. That is not enough for me!! I'm so sick of being someone's guinea pig and want something that will help me, not hurt me!! Why God, why is this happening? I just want to cry and yet if I do, I feel like my adrenals are going to get worse. What the hell, if I'm going to die there is nothing that I can do to stop it, but dear God I am scared. I am tired of living like this and not spending the time I have with my children. I feel like I'm being robbed of my motherhood by these ailments and have no one to fix the problem.
On a side note, I spoke to my father today. It's always hard to talk to him. We are growing apart more and more as I get older. He never wants to talk about anything important, just a lot of BS. He was never a devout person and probably always thought I was a fanatic for being a fervent Catholic- I know he thought my mother was. But given the fact that my father is so superficial and can't stand to discuss anything of depth or  of a more serious matter with me, I feel like saying, "Dad, I really don't want to talk to you unless you are ready to talk about things that matter. I am fed up with hearing about the weather or Jeff and Amy or whatever mindless drivel you want to talk about just to fill the time. How about we actually get to the heart of what's been going on in my life and in my heart for years now? How about you hear the pain that I've been suffering not having a father to talk to or a father that I feel I can open my heart to and who will love me and encourage me? How about you hear the fact that I feel as though I'm dying and have so little time left with my children!"
Do I have issues, yes, but at least I'm trying to get them out. Maybe the problem with me is that I've been holding in so much for too long. I've gone to counselors but they did little to help me. What I need is a friend to talk to who can show me they care. That does more for me than any counselor could ever do, because they are only there to listen and then take my money. Why the hell should I do that anymore? I think the only way I would ever go to a doc is if I knew they were a congitive behavioral psychiatrist. And the good ones are hard to come by around here. I only want one who is Catholic since the story of my life would make no sense to anyone save a Catholic. If it is in God's plan for me to find such a support who will actually help me than I would be open to going, but that day has yet to come. For now, I have to make the best of this difficult situation and pray that I can stay afloat with God's grace. Please God, heal me!

Dr. Insights and Priestly Intervention

I went to see my natural doc last week and gave him the complete update on what was going on. He said that he thought it was all due to the Imunovir and that I was experiencing a neurodetox. In addition, I mentioned that I was having chronic pains in my lower right side in my back which hurt whenever I sat or did most anything. This he thought was due to the Imunovir taxing my system, which as a result, may have shut down my adrenal glands. Not good since that can kill you! Another thing he suspects is that my candida is still in me so he wanted my to take a medication for that. I talked about the anxiety I'd been experiencing and how I thought it might be due to the thyroid to which he said it was very unlikely. (Ironically, my GP told me the complete opposite- who am I suppose to trust?) He ordered some blood work to check my adrenals, liver, thyroid, D-3, and candida.  I had it drown first thing last Thursday and am still waiting to get my results back. I filled the prescription for an anti-fungal and took it until Monday when it ran out while still continuing my usual daily vitamins.

I went away to Jersey for the weekend to see my family and took the two kids by myself. It was a hard trip, but I survived it. I was off the Imunovir all last week and the weekend and then started up on it on Monday. However, once I did, it hit me so hard that I was nearly incapacitated. I couldn't do anything without feeling limp. My sleep was disturbed by panic attacks and my heart was racing as though I was going to have a heart attack. I grabbed my image of the Blessed Virgin and prayed. I was so tired from not having slept since my kids woke up at ten to 6 almost every day and I wasn't getting to bed until 11. I decided to take myself off of the Imunovir since I had to function being out of town and needed my strength to take care of the kids and drive home again.


Two weeks ago I spoke to a dear friend of mine about everything I've been going through. She told me something very interesting and I thought it would be good to share it on here. After mentioning the long history of symptoms and tests I've had, and the little to no improvement, she explained that when all medical approaches seem helpless and without , we should call in the Church. She said a Catholic priest she knows spoke about the power of the demonic and it's influence over the body. Without knowing what else to say to help me, she suggested I talk to a priest about having myself blessed to ward off anything that might be oppressing me.

I immediately called a Benedictine priest in the family and explained what was going on with me this past year and the agony both physically and emotionally I've been suffering, and then asked if he thought it might be demonic. He was very sympathetic to me and offered to come out and give me extreme unction (aka the sacrament of the blessing of the sick) and pray for deliverance from any diabolic powers that might be hovering about me.

So last night he came and another priest friend came with him. I went to confession to the one priest and then my uncle gave me a lit blessed candle and then said these special prayers over me. He then blessed me with a relic of the True Cross of Christ, prayed for my deliverance and then anointed my head and hands with the sign of the cross. He then called up my husband and gave us both Holy Communion and we knelt together to receive a blessing with a first class relic of St. Maria Goretti, whose feast day we celebrated yesterday too! It was so beautiful and the whole time I felt this sense of peace and joy come into my heart. I looked over at my Holy Face icon and smiled. I remember praying to God as I was being blessed to take away all of the pains of my past, to heal my heart, to take all the wounds both physical and psychological away from me. I've never experienced that before in my life and felt so much comfort from it.

Now for the news you probably really want to know. How am I doing today? I woke up with no pains! My neck and back didn't hurt at all. I forgot to mention that much of the weekend I had this horrible pain in my back which I think was from my adrenals, but so far it's not there. I emailed this priest today to see what I should with the medication I've been on as I don't know if I should stay on it or not. I'm waiting to hear back from him so we'll see what he says. But anyhow, I wanted to relate this to those reading my blog because I whole heartedly believe that many of our pains could likely be due to preternatural issues. No, I'm not always looking for the devil in life, but when you have a health problem that comes out of nowhere and no seems to understand it or can give you much direction, I highly advise you consider the possibility of it coming from other sources.

Well, that's all the time I have for now, but I'll keep updating this to let you know if things stay strong or not. I hope to hear back from Dr. P about my blood results. By Friday is my guess.

Anxiety Issues

This is week 5 of being on this Imunovir pill, however, this is the week I am off it so things are chill for now. I sang for my friend's first mass on Sunday and was so nervous, but did fine which was great! It was nice singing again. My nerves were shot from stage fright, but again I survived it and am glad I pushed myself to do it.
Since I last posted I've pretty much been experiencing the same fatigue issues, and now, if I didn't mention if before, I get throbbing headaches nearly every day. It's doubtful that the Imunovir was causing them since I get them even when I'm not taking them so who knows why they're starting up so much. I made an appointment with Dr. Gobbie today to see if my neck is out of alignment. Yes, I only have 5 sessions left, but I need to go see him. My body needs it.
Aside from those symptoms, my body seems to be experiencing this feeling of anxiety. It's as though my body is often in the fight or flight mode, but for no given reason. My heart is racy and yet nothing is wrong.
I go to see the natural doc today and will give his report when I get back later, but for now. tata...

Fabulous Lecture RE: CFS.

So sick of being tired

I'm not sure if it's the Imunovir or me, but my body is suffering more fatigue than I've felt in a long time. I don't mean just sleepiness, I mean extreme exhaustion and a sense that I can't even get myself up from a chair. It hit me last night about 2 am even though I was supposed to be asleep, I woke up with this sense of nervousness and dread and then I went to go to the bathroom and felt as though I was carrying a ten pound bag of bricks. Just like when you get anesthesia and are about to go to sleep. I tossed all night long and couldn't sleep at all. My husband is out of town for two days on business and I am home alone with the kids, which is going OK but never ideal. I'm doing the least amount possible so that I don't get too stressed and then aggravate my symptoms.
Also, I've started looking more into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The nat doc diagnosed me as having it, but I honestly haven't researched it much until recently. The sad thing about it is that no one knows what causes it or how to treat it. Great, however, I'm going to start praying that God will show someone the cure. It's so incredibly common and yet we still don't know anything about it save for what it does to people? Goes to show you how little we know even in our developed age.
Another symptom that I want to note is that I keep getting these twitches in my muscles all around my body. It was and still is on occasion in my left temple and now I feel like I have a baby kicking me in my tummy. There was another one in my left pointer toe a couple days ago. Just very random and odd places to be getting muscle spasms and so often too.
There is a mass I'm singing for this weekend and am very excited to be doing the solo communion hymn. This is something I've been wanting to do for years now and can't wait to get back into it, Rehearsals tonight and perform on Sunday! Wish me luck!

TFP makes me proud to be Catholic

God forgive them!Check out this Pro-marriage video.You know the saying actions speak louder than words, well this video is proof of it. For all the talk of Catholics being hate-filled, it's not hard to see who the real hate-filled folks are in this video. God save the USA from these horrible people.

Temple Twitches

Before going to bed last night, I noticed a very annoying twitch in my left temple. It actually seems to be above my ear, but radiates into the temple and makes my jaw twitch as well. It's still going on and have no idea what to do about it. I've had muscle spasms in my eye lid and in various parts of my body, but never here before.
Also, notices that I am getting little tiny blisters on my hands every morning again. They are red, slightly itchy and then go away in a day with little white dried skin scabs.
I really feel sick today though, almost like I am going to have an anxiety attack. My heart feels jittery and I am sensing that my adrenaline is pumping for some reason. It's like that fight or flight feeling I get when I want to get something done quickly. I tried calling an infectious disease doctor nearby to make an appointment, but they told me I need to have a referral to get one and I don't.
I took three Imunovirs this morning and am wondering if that is what's causing all these symptoms. It just that I want to feel better and I feel worse. What's happening to me?!

Father's Day Weekend Review

I had friends from back home over this weekend which was nice, but stressful too. We had five children under three in the house and it was a lot of work. I love having people over, but I just wish I had the stamina to deal with the stress that comes with it. Things were going well, save for the chronic headaches I had every day. I was off of Imunovoir for the past two days and yet I still got the headache. Ugh! Last night we went to bed around midnight, since we sat up talking with out friends, and then I got up twice in the night to go to the bathroom. And while I think the amount of sleep I got would have been enough sleep for me, I woke up today very tired and was dragging all day. And like I said before, besides being very tired, I got a splitting headache that lasted for hours. I tried to rest this afternoon, but it didn't give me any more energy :-(
With my chiro being limited, my neck pains are slowly coming back and I wonder if that's why I have the headaches.
I also noticed brown spots on my shin, leg and arm today. It might be caused by the Nattokinase or some other supplement, but I'm only guessing. The dizziness is also still with me and I am reconsidering having the tilt table test done. Being that the ENG showed that I have no inner ear conditions, it doesn't make sense that I would have dizziness so often at age 30. I read today that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is linked with it, and I have been told by my natural MD that I have that, but what's causing that is still unknown.
At this point I am frustrated and just want to know who I can go to that can give me an answer. My mother tells me that I should see an infectious disease doctor, so that might just be my next stop. There is a huge wart that's been on the sole of my foot for 10 years and I want to have that removed asap, but I don't think that's associated with the other symptoms I've had in the last 10 months.
Stress levels were up this past week.

More symptoms

I have been on the Imunovir since Monday, again taking it two times a day. This week I found that more issues began to come up. For one, I've now started getting headaches everyday around 4pm. It can only be assumed that it's from the Imunovir since that's one of their possible side effects, but on top of that, I still am extremely weary and feel like napping every afternoon, which I never used to do before.
Also, there are now little itchy blisters on my hands every morning and they last throughout half the day and then go away. They are somewhat bothersome, but mostly just when I wake up. My hands also have begun swelling, though that might be due to my needing more water or to heat or some other factor.
My personal life has been ok.
We had our house exorcised by a Benedictine priest in the family since we've had odd events occur more recently and we felt that it would be good to clean our any unwanted guests. It's a little freaky, but that's why we have holy priests at our disposal right?
My son has been fussy and has this weird rash on his face. It surrounds his mouth and nose and is even starting to go up near his eyes. I have purchased oil of oregano since I read that might help heal it. I'm hoping it does since I don't like experimenting with medical ointments that might just make things worse.
Well, he is screaming for me to come give him his paci so I need to be going for tonight. Goodnight all and hope your lives are well.

ENT Update

I went to have an ENG test last week to see if the vertigo I've had since late February was due to any inner ear disorders. Well, I got my results back and they are normal (maybe I said that in a previous post?). Anyway, they want to do a tilt table test and I read about what it involves and I am totally against it! They basically give you these drugs to induce a panic attack so that your heart will race, they strap you to a table and then lift you up and down to see how you respond. Sometimes people reported that their heart stopped during this test. No way in the heck am I going to do that to myself. Where that leaves me though is in a state of ignorance as to what IS causing this dizziness. My natuiral MD of course tells me it's the candida, but no one anywhere discusses that correlation.  For now I will wait and see how I do without taking anything for it. The episodes are brief and mostly happen at night when I lie down or arise from bed. Things are spinning inside my head when I lay to the left side, but when I turn the right it sometimes gets better. Bottom line, I don't think it's so serious that I need to have the tilt table test, which I've also read is for people who experience fainting spells frequently.
Sleep has been touch and go since my son has been getting up at night screaming in fear. I rush in to get him and he won't stop crying unless I hold him or take him into bed with me. And when I do that, I don't get much sleep at all since he's rolling and kicking me. I love my little guy, but he is not making me happy with this sleep thing he's going through. On top of that, my husband and I have been staying up really late to watch movies so we don't get to sleep until 12 am and then the kids wake up at 6:30. No more late nights for us! well , not for tonight anyway. My little girl just came over to me with her dress soaking wet so I need to take it off and go get her something dry to wear, but all in all, I'm doing ok.
No Imunovir this week and I am feeling good. It starts next Monday again. I will be trying to avoid going to any more doctors since my insurance isn't as good as it was last year and the bills are starting to pile high :-( Time to just trust in God. Oh yes, and one more thing, on;y going to chiro once a month now since my insurance allows for only 5 more visits. Alright now I really need to run, little boy is screaming for  me!

Chronic Fatigue set sin

I've been off on the Diflucan for about three days now and I am so feeling the effects of it. My body feels as though it's been carrying an extra 20 lbs around with it. I feel worse than I have in awhile actually. The fatigue doesn't go away with any amount of sleep and I wake as exhausted as I fell asleep. I am calling Dr. P today and finding out what is going on. I read online today that Diflucan is not supposed to be used for long periods of time as it can cause liver dysfunction- great! That's all I need, right? I've been trying to keep the house running but it's like running upstream. I feel as though nothing is getting done and I have this force holding me back from doing anything. Please God nothing serious is going on but I worry because I don't think this is normal.
This week I am off of the Imunovir and will start up again next week. God give me strength I am so tired....

Reflections on pain

This is day three of the first week that I've been taking the triple dose of Imunovir three times a day and so far I actually feel fine. No chest pains even :-) My mood has been more relaxed despite the lack of change in my life and that is noteworthy. Issues with my hubby still arise, but at least I am not so overly anxious about them. I did get to mass one day this week and found that that really comforted my spirit and helped me deal with a very difficult temptation I've been struggling against. We're talking real temptation, not the, "I so want that piece of chocolate and can no longer resist," kind of stuff. The battles I face are the ones which are mortally threatening to my salvation and the desire to give up the fight is so appealing, especially when I am so overwhelmed with other issues in my life- like my health. Yet, in some ways, I think that God is using this mysterious malady of mine to strengthen me against these enemies of my soul, i.e. the world, the flesh and the devil. While I totally abhor the pain and the consternation these symptoms have caused in my marriage, in some way I believe that they're helping make me strong. Not necessarily strong physically, but rather it is humbling me to recognize my complete inability to be good without God and to show me that He will not leave me in my darkest hour and in Him I am made strong.  The sunny weather does help make for a chipper spirit too, but that's just a side note.
My daughter got out of her crib today after I put her in there for being naughty. I am downstairs and I hear this noise of a handle being turned. Rushing up the stairs I look to her door to discover she is standing there with this adorable look of guilt on her face- yes, it sounds like an oxymoron, but that's how she looked. I put her back into bed and of course she screamed, but oh well. So now I need to find a toddler bed. What does this have to do with maladies? Absolutely nothing, but being no one really reads this anyway, I thought I might add some non-relative personal  information just to make it interesting.
If you're a woman and you'd like to know of a good movie to watch, "The Amati Girls" is one I'd recommend. It's a great story about four sisters and the varying types of unhappiness they suffer in their marriages/lives. I rented it from the library since Netflix doesn't carry it, but for the love of me I cannot find the shell for the video and have to return it soon. St. Anthony, help me find where my little ones put it!

That's all for today, another good day and back issues are good- thanks  Dr. G.

A pain in the royal back

Agh! My back is killing me. I went to my dear chiro last Thursday and he found that my C2 was rotated so he thought to adjust my neck to put it back into place. Well, after he did it, it was a bit sore, but he told me that it would be so I just ignored it. It's been bothering me more than usual since then and last night I was up between 2 and 4:30 tossing and turning due to the pain that this adjustment has caused. The pain is at the crook of my neck and radiates into the shoulders and down my spine. Honestly, this is the worst my back has felt in a long time. I know these chiros mean well, and I like this guy a lot, but I worry about the harm they can do too. As I was surfing the internet about how to treat severe neck pain, I came across this site that quoted story after story of people who have died of brain strokes after having their necks adjusted. My heart started to race and yes I got upset thinking the worst (I am a classic melancholic after all) but in the end if I die it's all in God's hands so I need to just trust Him. Well anyway, I go back to the chiro tomorrow and pray he can help me fix this. You want to believe your doctor is there to make you feel better, but sometimes they screw things up, accidentally mind you, but it still affects you in many ways. While they can go home and sleep soundly, you on the other hand can't and have no way of getting in touch with them to explain your situation given it's the weekend and a three day one at that since it's Memorial Day. Why do these things almost always come up when you can't get to your doctors? Grrr...
Chest pain getting better though :-)

Sleepy Me

No Imunnovir, but really really sleepy even though the sun is shining gloriously. Slept in thanks to my husband taking care of the kids this morning, but it didn't make me feel rested. Ironic how that is isn't it? Many spiritual lessons to be learned in that. The more we get the more we want and the more we get the less satisfied we are. Oh this fallen nature of ours, how I can't one day have it tamed.
Wild dreams about James Derbin from American Idol turning into a vampire and trying to attack me because I told him that he didn't have to be satanic and evil to do great things. Very vivid and strange, but it was nice to actually remember a dream since I feel like I haven't had any in quite sometime. Oh I make myself laugh :-) Ciao!

Day 5

I called my natural md yesterday to tell him about the chest pains I've been having and of course his response to me was that it's all part of the detox process. Something I guess I need to accept is that I am not like anyone else so my body might react differently than other peoples when it comes to it's reaction to ridding my system of impurities. There are apparently no known side affects attributed to Imuovir, however, I clearly have one. The info the script comes with said to call to report symptoms so I may do that because chest pressure is not nothing. In fact, my Doc told me that other people he's worked with have also had this reaction so I think it's time that the manufacturers knew this sinister people who felt this pain knew it was normal. You just don't know what to think when these pains come on. At first, you want to ignore it and say it'll just go away, but then when it doesn't and wonder what's going on things start to get stressful because you hate to bother people with more of your problems.
Oh well. At the moment I'm resting in bed as me little ones sleep soundly. The weather here us miserable today so it might be affecting my stamina, which I have none of at the moment.my head hurts a little as well. I ate some earlier, but might be needing more fluids. My husband and I were up late watching "Get Low" and didn't go down till 11pm which was nirvana good idea. It was a good movie but I could have stopped half way and finished it tomorrow. Well worth the watch though- interesting story about a man who plans a living funeral party. It's loosely based on factual events from the 1800's, but worth a go. For a movie of today, it was rather nice. 
Anywho, I don't take any Imunovir over the weekend so that'll be nice. Two less pills to imbibe, hooray :-) Now off to do chores.
A Happy Memorial Day weekend and God bless my grandfather Nick's soul. Died May 31st 2000. May he rest in eternal peace...

Day 3 Summary

For today, so far so good. I took a Zantac yesterday to treat the chest pain after I researched chest pain causes and realized that maybe I've been suffering from acid reflux and thankfully it seems to have taken care of the problem :-) Thank God for meds!
When I was pregnant with my two little darlings, I got hit with the worst case of heartburn ever! I felt like I was having a heart attack and no I'm not exaggerating. The pain was like a knife being thrust into my chest and there was nothing I could do to alleviate it. For those pregnant women out there who know what I'm talking about, my heart goes out to you. What a horrible thing to experience. You really think you're chest is going to compress on you and you'll die. In fact, you think that that might be a nice remedy since it's agonizingly painful. One thing that did work to take off the edge was apple cider vinegar. Yes, there are those sites out there that claim this to be miracle solution for everything and while I can't speak for that, it did help me with the continual acid reflux from pregnancy. Try it if you wish, it can't hurt you. If you are going to get acv, make sure and get it raw and organic. I get mine from Bragg's at Vitacost.com and have gotten a lot of uses out of it. It's also suppose to help balance your ph levels. As I am writing this the pain is slowly starting to return so I think I'll go take a shot of it. Btw, make sure and dilute it if you do take some. When I was prego and had no idea how to take it (my midwife only told me to take a tablespoon of it) I thought it was fine to drink it straight up, however, to my dismay, it only made things worse and I wound up burned the lining of my esophogus-lol. Such an idiot. It was a good learning experience if nothing else, but  learn from me and don't do that!
My mood today has been great. I  ran a few errands this afternoon, which I rarely get to do given my children's ages, and was able to really relax and enjoy being alone. No rushing, just browsing. On top of that, I've been asked to sing at a seminarian friend's first mass and am so thrilled about that! I haven't sung since before I had my children and this is simply what I feel I was born to do. When my children went down for a nap, I went down into the basement and started doing my vocal exercises that I use to do back in the day. Lip drills and scales galore! How I miss singing and how my soul rejoices when it does. It's been a lovely day, the sun is finally shining and it feels like summer. Thank you God- I feel alive! 

The NUCCA Report

I wanted to take a few minutes to discuss something wonderful that I discovered through reading an on-line medical thread on webmd. It's called the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (aka NUCCA). It's a specialized kind of chiropractic treatment that works on the upper neck area of the spine. They believe that upper region of the spinal cord is essential for total body alignment (and I do too). The idea behind it is that if you correct the stem of the spine, then all other misaligned vertebrae will fall into place- much like reversing a stack of fallen dominoes. 
This is how it works. When you go in for your initial session, they will perform a number of x-rays of your neck to determine how they best need to treat you. In my case, the C1 (top most vertebra) was tilted to the top right side of my head, closer to my right ear than is normal. What my doc did was lay me on my side and then measure where exactly he needed to adjust me. After that, he ever so gently pushed the vertebra back into place with his hands by touching my neck starting from his palm and then working his way to his finger tips. He repeated this a few times. Once that was done, he placed me on a scale to measure my hips and shoulder to see whether they balanced-btw, this is how they know whether you're in or out of alignment at follow-up visits. It's that simple!
The doctor I've found through this site is the best doctor I have ever worked with. He takes his time with me, explains everything he's doing and doesn't disregard the pains I've been experiencing as all in my head. He's one of the first doctor's I feel I can trust and in fact, it was he who directed me to the natural MD I've referenced a few times already. While not all NUCCA docs are the same, I can only say that this one is a winner. Oh, yes, David Gobbie is his name in case you were wondering.
The bottom line is that since I've started these treatments my symptoms have been reduced to a third of what they once were. My persistent headaches are gone and the pain in my neck that I'd get every morning has pretty much resolved itself. No I am not 100% pain free, but this has done more than any other traditional chiropractic correction has before. Take it for what it's worth, it just my personal experience.

For more information about NUCCA or to find a doc near go here.

The Supplements

So I feel it behooves me to supply the myriad of pills I take daily for those who might be interested. First, I started taking a Kirkland Sign Multi Vitamin which covers the basics. After that, (and mind you I've researched every company before purchasing their products so the supplement quality is above average) I take  the following:
*Diflucan-1 200mg pill a day for killing killing the yeast overgrowth in my system. Prescribed for 30 days and am half way done.
*Liothyronine (thyroid)- 1 37.5 mcg daily for improved thyroid function.
*Source Naturals Pregnenolone - 1  25mg at bedtime for memory, concentration and libido-I know it's ridiculous.
*Accuflora Probiotic Acidophilus- 2 a day for digestive support. This has done wonders for me. My body rash significantly improved after being on this for a month.
*NOW D3 5000 IU's- I was low in D3 so this was to boost my system. FYI, this is actually a hormone, so my natural MD tells me.
*NSI Activin Grape Seed Extract- 1 200mg cap daily for increase blood circulation and oxygination
*Solaray B-Complex- 1 100mg daily for energy.
*Unique E- for brain and heart function
*Carlson Super Omega 3 Fish Oil- 1 1000mg daily for overall healthiness and getting my omegas
*NOW Nattokinase- 2 100mg per day for improved circulation and oxygenation of my blood
*Country Life Calcium-Magnesium Complex- 1 1000mg daily for bone strength
*NSI Buffered C Complex- for immune system support (I have taken myself off of this since I've begun the Imunovir since the lab report states that one should not take any C except for usual daily consumption).

That's everything right now. I did not take all of these until more recently after I spoke to my natural MD about a month ago, and he suggested I take a few things that I had not been taking previously. Those would include the Natto, D3, and Pregn. I have noticed that the supplements have helped make me feel better. I am not so tired and the joint pains in my neck, shoulders and back have nearly disappeared. The abdominal pains have also gone away and my head doesn't feel so foggy anymore. My memory has improved, whereas before I struggled to remember words that used to come so quickly to me.

The chest pains persist yet again today. I've taken only one Imunovir so far. The research I've found has shown that the stuff has no side effects save higher uric acid in your urine. I need to read up more on what the means because I don't know.

Emotionally I am more stable being my husband and I are not fighting right now. We talked about things this morning, but I know our problems are not over. We keep peace for a period and then all hck breaks loose again and I just want to scream, or cry anyway. What's happened to men? Where have all the gentlemen gone?

The Beginning of Imunovir

OK, so I have just begun my first dose of this super expensive, Ireland-imported drug called Imunovir, purchased via script in Canada (no, it is not available on-line so don't buy it if you see it out there!) for the purpose of treating my candida and underlying viral infection, which no one seems to know what it is or for that matter, how I contracted it. I am told by my natural MD that I am "moldy". My system is full of yeast which has resulted in my entire body having bizarre and ever changing symptoms. I will go into the history of my health issues in the next post, but for now I will simply document the fact that I am using this acidic pill to help boost my immune system and fight whatever is attacking me.

So far, I have taken two pills and will continue that Monday through Friday of this week, take off the weekend, and then start up next week taking three pills, three times a day for that week. Thus far, I have noticed some chest discomfort, mainly under my breasts. It is slightly throbbing and comes on when I move about or turn my chest. There is subtle nausea as well, though that might be due to the fact that I have eaten very little today.

I have been very busy today trying to clean up the house after having dealt with a very stressful weekend preparing for my daughter's 2nd birthday party, while also having my husband out of town in FL. So perhaps the chest discomfort is due to stress. I don't know. I went to a cardiologist this past Friday because I am having tingling in my hands and feet and have more recently noticed a kind of tightness in my right lower leg and foot. My cardiologist did an ENT and everything looked fine. He told me that whatever is wrong with me, it is not heart related, which is a major relief! However, no one can tell me why I am getting these tingly sensations, save my natural MD who says it's due to my candida. I am suspicious that he is going to tell me that for everything so I need to get second opinions just to be sure there isn't more that he's missing. For today that is all I have to say. If there is more I will add it later, but I don't expect there will be.

(This is the more later segment)
So one major heartache in being sick with an unknown illness (though most likely an autoimmune dysfunction) is that you don't get a lot of people who believe you, especially those closest to you. My husband is not the most supportive of people. He and I had a fight this evening right before I was to go to my NUCCA chiropractor (fabulous stuff btw- if you have one nearby go to one, they do wonders for your back and neck!). Anyway, he thinks that I do nothing, but spend his money and go to doctors and that it's all enough already. He doesn't think this chiropractor is helping me, when he is! My back problems and persistent headaches are much less than they ever were, but he tells me I should just grin and bare it. Needless to say, I got very upset with him, had to cancel my appointment last minute and then went grocery shopping to stay away from him once the kids went to bed. My chest still hurts and I have no one to talk to. Unbelievable!


Alright, well it's getting late and I need to give some time to God before I sleep so here's wishing you all a very peaceful and blessed night. I'll let you know how tomorrow goes, hopefully better than today.