How is my experiment going?

It’s been just over a year since I fell off a truck and hit my head and in the resulting CAT scans and MRIs, discovered I have a small, benign brain tumor, a meningioma.  Someone wrote recently to ask how my experiment of natural healing is going.

I also have a uterine fibroid, and multiple meningiomas. Please tell me how the experiment went. I would really love to know.

So I’ll tell you.

Last year, I was 50 years old and I looked and felt it.  I had about 40% body fat and was at the high end of weight for my height.  I was tired all the time, didn’t sleep well, had no energy.  My lifestyle was so busy I no longer took time for my beautiful home and garden, which means, I started getting zero exercise.  And I had this little 6mm (pea-sized) brain tumor that nobody could say would be one of those that grew quickly or would never be a problem.

This year, I am 51 years old and I look 10 or 15 years younger.  Truly.  When I have good photos I’ll show you. 

I sleep much better and awaken refreshed, full of energy throughout the day.  My mood is much better, I have the same intense stresses that I’ve always had but I’m just calmer.  

I’ve lost a huge amount of body fat and have lost 15 pounds and expect to drop another five or ten before I stop.  I’ve lost four inches off my waist and five inches off my hips and am close to hitting a size eight.  My whole body composition has changed, it’s clear that my body is youthful and muscular, even throughout the core (midsection).  The five-months-pregnant-look pot gut is GONE and I have a lovely waist again!

This year, it’s all about me.  Oh, I still work long hours and do plenty of church and community service and look after my family members, but this year, I also make time and budget dollars for ME. 

I now have a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness and I work out 15 times a month.  Plus I train with a marathon running group twice a week.  Two months ago, when I started official marathon training, I couldn’t run half a block.  Yesterday, I ran-walked 10 miles and am doing my first half-marathon in three weeks!  

Oh, yes, the brain tumor.  Zero growth in the last year.  My doctor says that’s because I have one of the kinds that doesn’t grow at all, so he thinks nothing I did made any difference in terms of the tumor.  God bless ‘im!

I will say, I don’t care why it did or didn’t grow.   Because the result of discovering that I had that little guy kicked my preservation instinct into high gear.  I avoid xenoestrogens that are highly suspected to make tumors and cancers grow.  I eat VERY healthy.  I’ve cut out the sugars, and I supplement specifically to cleanse my liver and shrink or impede the growth of estrogen-related tumors and fibroids.  I remove toxins regularly with both a powdered bentonite clay bath and a mud-type bentonite clay mask for my face and injured muscles.  (Sodium bentonite clay is my new favorite technique, you really must try it — I did a foot soak in it after my long run yesterday and it not only removed the aches and strains but dang, it dissolved the corns and callouses!).

I DARE a brain tumor or a cancer or a fibroid to grow in this body. 

You want proof that what I’m doing is effective.  I had shoulder surgery three weeks ago.  I was told I’d be laid up two weeks, not driving for two weeks, and on pain pills at least that long.  Before surgery, the anesthetist told me I looked fantastic on paper.  My blood work is the work of a much younger woman.  My heart rate and blood pressure are those of an athlete.  I’m totally reversing the bone density loss and muscle loss that happens at my age.   

Within 18 hours of the surgery, I was up shopping and running errands and getting  a pedicure!  No laying around, and I was off all pain meds within 36 hours.  I worked out at the gym every day, granted, I took it easy and got plenty of recuperative rest, but here at the three week point I trained with my team for a 10 mile stretch. 

I have other health issues, really of much more concern than a brain tumor, and they are all but non-issues because of the natural health actions I’ve taken.  I have a stroke condition due to badly damaged carotid arteries.  We manage it with fish oil rather than medications and my doctor is very pleased with how that’s going.  I used to get dramatic throw-up-for-five-days migraines.  They are gone as long as I take MonaVie, an acai drink.  My blood pressure used to be sky-high even on meds.  Between the acai and the fish oil, I’m off the meds and my blood pressure is 108/68.  At age 51, that’s fantastic.

I believe that what I’m doing is hugely effective.  I believe that the next time we check the size of this little tumor (because now you have to keep an eye on the guy the rest of your life), it will be entirely gone.  I do have a uterine fibroid that we can’t track progress on because I won’t let them measure it (I hate those invasive vaginal ultrasounds), but next time we do a pelvic exam, it will be gone, too.

My health is so visibly improved that people stop me to ask my advice when they have similar health problems.  I don’t pretend to be a doctor or nutritionist but tell them there is much that they can do.

I’ll be honest.  It’s not cheap to do what I’m doing.  I spend a small fortune on the supplements that have shown, in my body, to be exceptionally effective.  I can tell they work because when I get into a budget crunch and don’t take them for a month, my symptoms come back. 

I also spend a small fortune on personal training, body work, chiropractic and massage.

I just want you to know that you don’t have to be a victim to your brain tumor or other health issues.  You don’t have to just “watch and wait” or have your surgeries and adopt a passive, unhealthy lifestyle. 

By all means, do what the doctor says.  BUT, don’t expect to get well while holding onto your unhealthy lifestyle. 

Get rid of bad habits, including sugar.  Sugar feeds tumors and cancers, that is not disputed.  Reduce the meats that you eat and go organic wherever you can.  Avoid hormones in all their forms, including in milks and cheeses.  These are things that you can do that are HUGELY effective and will cost, in total, no more than what you currently spend.  (Cutting out sodas and desserts and snacks will pay for the slight increase for organic products).

Scan this blog on xenoestrogens and start cutting them out of your lifestyle.  Start with the things that you are most exposed to, like laundry, shampoos, soaps, and cosmetics.  I wash my clothes and sheets in white vinegar, it’s fabulous and doesn’t leave a smell.  I use paraben-free shampoos.  It’s tougher with the cosmetics and that WILL cost you more, but if you use the bentonite clay masks and good lotions, you will only need cosmetics for special occasions.  My skin looks great and the wrinkles are softened and gone. 

When you have the money, I’d start with the very simple supplements.  The B Vitamins, especially high doses of B12, are WONDERFUL.  Might cost you a whoppin’ $10 per month.  So worth it.  I use a multi-vitamin called Life Force that contains the Bs in these high doses.  It does so much for me I don’t ever want to be without.  There are online places, see the links on this blog, where you can get it at a discount because it’s expensive at the health stores.

Get 8 hours of sleep per night.  Buy a little eye-mask or ear plugs.  Get a natural sleep aid like “From Fatigued to Fantastic” that contains valerian and hops. 

Drink plenty of water.  You can’t believe how that helps with constipation, fatigue, and even arthritis!

If you have the means, add the more expensive supplements that I’ve listed in my links sections.  I’m a huge fan of MonaVie Active, that’s the one with vegetarian glucosamine in it.  I couldn’t begin to list what it has done for me.  When I’m in budget mode, I get the gel packs at a bulk rate from a friend.  When I can afford it, I buy it one or two or three cases at a time.  It totally gets the credit for my pain-free, speedy recovery from surgery.  (It and God, of course!)

My dear friends, if you are not feeling well, chances are there is much more you can do and your doctor may not be so into nutrition.  Do your homework, get a good nutritionist if you need one.  If you have bad brain tumors, seek a phone consult with Dr. Jeanne Wallace, the brain tumor nutritionist on the links on this blog.  She is VERY HIGHLY REGARDED by the medical community. 

I’m so thrilled for what is happening to me and will love to hear how it all goes for you.

Teresa
Meningioma and Me
http://meningioma.wordpress.com

Free Hugs

Just a little something to brighten your day.  Share it with a friend. 

The original Free Hugs, the most watched YouTube video, with over 28 million views

Free Hugs in Hollywood

Music is Somewhere Over the Rainbox, ukele version, from Hawaiian singer  Israel Kamakawiwo`ole.

From Meningioma and Me
http://meningioma.wordpress.com

Strengthening your body and shoulder after arthroscopy

It’s now one week since I had debriding of significant rotator cuff fraying and acromial decompression to remove a bone spur .  I’m recovering very well, in fact, I worked out at the gym three hours on Thursday and just got back in from a 2.4 mile walk-run with my Team in Training (Leukemia Society) marathon group.  Nobody can believe I’m recovering so quickly!

In case you are planning on a similar surgery, let me tell you what we are doing to rehab the shoulder and speed its healing.

First, while I very quickly got full range of motion back with passive-assisted exercises, the strength is going to take at least two months and it will only come up to 30% by that point.  My surgeon pointed out that with so much debriding of the various frayed tendons, they removed an entire layer of tendon.  ”You don’t have the tendons you were born with”.  So, it’s VERY IMPORTANT not to be too aggressive on lifting.  2 pounds, that’s the restriction at this point.  We don’t want to snap or tear what’s left.

So all we are doing for the first two weeks in terms of rehab are very passive motion exercises, no weights.  It’s bad enough that I open the car door and lift my laptop out of the bag with that weak arm! 

Second, my trainer is also a chiropractor and that turned out to be a huge advantage.  He was very aware of protecting me from impingement while giving me pre-surgery exercises to strengthen the biceps, triceps, pecs, shoulders, back… everything.  We even did the little stabilizing exercises with TheraBands.  If my shoulder “clicked” (that’s the tendon moving out of the way of the impingement), we didn’t do that exercise.  For six weeks, we worked to strengthen and stabilize my entire upper body so that I could recover quickly.  I presume that, going into surgery, it helped that I had good musculature, so maybe that takes a load off the weakened tendons post-surgery?

The tendons can grow back slowly BUT they need really good blood flow.  That’s already hard to do with tendons but as we get older, the blood flow to the tendons is even worse.    I’m wishing I’d gotten the impingement fixed much sooner.  I used to always wake up with numb hands and fingers on that side.  This has been going on for YEARS and I just blew it off! 

Anyway, you don’t really want to use exercise as the means to increase blood flow to a weakened tendon.  You need any of the following, all of which we’ll do at the chiropractic clinic but you can also do them at physical therapy:

• Infrared Laser Light Therapy - Can start within a few days of surgery, we started mine while I still had my stitches
• Deep tissue friction massage - The incisions need to be completely healed
• Graston Technique - The incisions need to be competely healed

All of these techniques break up adhesions and cause some level of inflammation.  The inflammation response is actually quite healing, it brings blood to the area along with all the white blood cells and other components that come to help heal, and it takes away dead cells.

After these techniques, you want to do ice 20 minutes on, 60 minutes off, in as many cycles as you can do (maybe three or four times).

The infrared technique is really intriguing.  I’ve looked into purchasing some handheld devices, they run $40-$100.  We used the big expensive machine at the chiropractic clinic on an injured knee and over five or six treatments, it was really apparent how well it helps with muscle and tissue healing.  Since I’m training for a marathon and will likely suffer even more muscle strains, I think I’m going to find a really good home therapeutic infrared laser to use on myself.

I really like the Graston Technique, as well.  I like it so much I was begging my chiropractor to get started on it but he’s holding me back until the incisions are a bit more sturdy.

And finally, I use two natural supplements that are anti-inflammatory and seem to have other natural infection-fighting and cell-strengthening properties, Fish Oil and an acai drink called MonaVie.  There is no question in my mind that the use of these two things, in particular, have helped me to bounce back so quickly.   I had been told I’d be on pain meds for two weeks, laying around.  I was on pain meds for 36 hours, Tylenol for two days, and nothing but my supplements ever since.  Do they help with pain and inflammation?  Apparently!

MonaVie is expensive but absolutely essential to me, I’ve used it for about 2 and a half years to control very bad throw-up-for-five-days migraines.  Coincidentally, it brought my blood pressure under control so that I am no longer on bp meds.

I use the two-ounce gel packs mainly because they keep me from drinking so much of it!  They’re only $54 a month (I get them from a friend who buys them in bulk, you pay much more if you only buy one case at a time).  But as a treat to myself and because I’ve heard so much about it helping with pain and swelling following surgery, I bought a case of the drink and I give myself permission to drink as much of it as I want in this post-surgery phase, 6-8 or even more ounces per day.  I went through the first bottle in only three days!

I guess I should say, MonaVie does not market themselves as any kind of medicinal product.  Neither do the fish oil companies.  They are merely “supplements” or food products.  But if you ask me, they are as effective for certain health issues as Cheerios and bran muffins are on reducing cholesterol.  I’m not advertsing them or providing links on this article so I can say what I want!

The improvement in energy and my shoulder was hugely obvious on day five, when I spent three hours at the gym, half of it with my trainer and half on the treadmills.  I wasn’t running, I was walking with some short bursts of running, but that’s amazing considering I’m recovering from surgery. 

I guess the real key to recovering quickly from any kind of surgery is to go into it prepared, to get the right kind of nutrition and rest, and then afterwards, to be very proactive on your therapy.  Keep it all within reason, be compliant with all the doctor’s orders, but don’t just lay around.  If you can do the laser light therapy, Graston, massage, and even supplements, all the better.

Note:  Since this is a brain tumor blog, I should state that that laser light therapy is NOT to be used on your head!

Off-topic but we need a laugh: MomSense and DadSense Videos

Too funny!  Anita Renfroe giving us a William Tell condensed version of what Mom’s say in a day, MomSense, and in response to Dad’s wanting their version, DadSense.

MomSense

DadSense

How to have a speedy recovery from shoulder surgery

It’s been four days since having arthroscopic surgery on my shoulder. I have been out of the house since 9 this morning, just got back, and it’s now 5 p.m. Among other things, I spent one hour at the gym with my personal trainer and one hour on the treadmill. As I’m typing this article, I confess, I AM hooked up to the “perpetual ice machine”… but no pain, no pain pills.

Everybody is asking, How in the world are you recovering so quickly from this surgery?

1.  An attitude and plan for getting better quickly

I’m training for a marathon so from the first visit with the surgeon, I made plans to get better with as little downtime as possible.  For the last six weeks, my trainer has been giving me specific exercises to strengthen the stabilizing muscles within my arm and to decrease the movement inside the shoulder.  It worked, there was no crepitus or excess movement when they examined me in the operating room. My arms, back, chest, and shoulders were in as good of shape as they could be, given the limitations of the shoulder impingement.

I also wanted to be as physically strong as possible, so naturally, I’ve been doing my run-walk training and taking good supplements.  My doctor noted a bit of anemia so I added iron the week before the surgery. 

The first night, I was druggy and rested, but dang, the next morning I had my friend take me to a salon so I could get a pedicure!  After an afternoon rest on the ice machine, I took a one-mile walk and found a different salon where I could get my hair shampooed and blown out. 

In other words, I had a plan for “rewarding” myself after surgery and I did it!

I didn’t push too hard but I didn’t lay around all day, a one-mile walk was just 20 minutes and kept me moving.  I’ve walked every day and really, by day two, I was off the pain meds and just taking Tylenol.  I’m not pushing so hard that I’m running but I did walk a full hour today.

I plan to do a sodium bentonite clay detox (Clay Essentials is the product) tonight, avoiding the shoulder area, just to see if it really does pull the anesthesia and stuff out of my system.  And I started drinking as much acai juice (Monavie) as I wanted this morning; I’ve heard very good things about how it helps inflammation and pain after surgeries.  I did the gel packs all weekend and finally got the juice version yesterday.  And finally, I started back on all my supplements ASAP.  The ones I think have helped the most are the fish oil, which has a natural anti-inflammatory effect, and the Life Force vitamins.  Oh, and the bioflavonoids with high dose Vitamin C. 

2. Spiritual component

I’ll probably blog about this in detail in a Sunday Sermon post, but I did go into this with a James 5:14 blessing of healing from the elders in my church.

James 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

3.  An incredible surgeon and medical team

Diagnosis:  Right shoulder subacromial impingement with rotator cuff tendinopathy.

Procedure:  Right shoulder arthroscopy with extensive debridement;  arthroscopic subacromial decompression (they removed a bone spur that was cutting into the rotator cuff).

My surgeon only does shoulders and is an expert at arthroscopy.  He teaches and writes chapters of instruction in medical books and has people travel from miles around to learn the techniques from him.  I had to sign a release form that my surgery could be videotaped and/or that there could be observers (this was a standard release, don’t know if this actually happened).  My Primary Care Physician only refers me out to the very best in their field and this surgeon is, indeed, that. 

It’s not that you need money to seek out the best.  You just need the awareness that this can be done and it helps to have a PCP who doesn’t just want someone who’s “good” but someone who’s the “expert”.   Gads, after the surgery, they sent me home with three pages of snapshots and a video of the scraping and smoothing inside my shoulder and today they gave me the Operative Report.

Two different people with shoulder problems, seeing how I’ve been recovering, have asked me for his name so they can go see him.  The difference in what he was able to do for me is that obvious.

By the way, you can tell how expert the entire clinic is just by my office visit today.   In the 30 minutes I was in the office, I saw a technician, the Physician’s Assistant (who was at the surgery and closed the incisions), Dr. Hatzidakis, and had three X-rays taken, plus had my stitches removed and had a post-op exam.  No messing around and no amateurs.  No co-pay, it was part of the surgery followup.  He has an amazing team and I loved the way I was treated. 

Summary

It helped to have the love and support of my friends, whom I drove crazy because I wouldn’t let them do anything for me!  And my job was very accommodating, I’ve been off work for three days and can work from home for the next two.

Undoubtedly, readers of this blog will have some kind of surgery in the future.  I hope you will be able to plan for as speedy a bounce-back as your type of surgery can allow!

Over 60 and out of shape in Denver?

My neighbors are involved in a clinical trial at the University of Colorado related to age, muscle mass, bone density, and the use of ibuprofen.  They are VERY excited about it because it essentially gives them a gym membership and personal trainer for free! 

This is for healthy but not-currently-exercising men and women aged 60 to 75 here in the Denver area.  Please pass this along to people you know who might be wanting an exercise program but don’t have the money for a gym membership or don’t really know how to get started. 

By the way, if you live near a large university hospital, check to see if they have a similar program near you.  I am bouncing back astoundingly fast from a shoulder surgery and we’re all convinced it’s because of the nutrition and exercise program I’ve been on over this last year.  I would love to see everyone have these advantages!

You’ll want to read the details and fine print, but this is  basically a free, supervised weight training and exercise program, although the researchers certainly will be studying the affect of ibuprofen on muscle building.   They do all kinds of blood tests, stress tests, etc. so you basically get a free physical. 

In exchange, you commit to nine months of supervised or structured exercise, have access to their exercise facility, and receive, I believe, very modest compensation at the end of your nine months.

 

It sounds wonderful!  Hope someone will be able to take advantage of this program.

 

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00462722?recr=open&cond=aging&rank=33

 

 

It has the contact info for the University of Colorado and indicates that it is “currently recruiting participants”.  Please note their inclusion and exclusion criteria. 

 

Teresa Holladay

“50 is not too old to train for a marathon!”

http://SheCanRun.com
http://meningioma.wordpress.com

Sunday Sermon Series - His Strength is Sufficient

On the chance that what I have learned about facing the fears of trials and diseases might help someone else, I’m sharing some of my journal entries. 

Background:  In late 2003, I received a frightening diagnosis of fibromuscular dysplasia, FMD, a progressive disease affecting arteries.  I had been told, “This is what killed John Ritter.  When you hear of young athletes dropping dead in the middle of a game, this is usually what happened to them”.  That diagnosis has morphed into a “dissection” — scary but contained — but at the time, it was quite fearful.

October 20, 2003

It’s pretty strange when the radiologist giving you an angiogram recommends that you read a book on Miracles.  Like, what did they just find in those arteries?

So I bought the book.  It is a best seller but very strange, purporting to be a revelation from Jesus to an atheist.  I confess, I did not feel like it was a godly book.  In fact, just the opposite.  Why?  Because if I only have so many minutes per day to read and I use them to read THAT book, I will not be reading God’s word to His real messengers.  

The next time I was tempted to read THAT book, I opened up my scriptures, instead, and God spoke most directly to me: 

“My grace is sufficient for thee;  for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather Glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me… When I am weak, then am I strong.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9,10

So, the very, very first message from God in this illness is that His strength is sufficient.  He is the one I need to turn to when seeking comfort or counsel.

October 26, 2003

The doctor had told me, literally, to take a baby aspirin a day and call him if anything worse happened.  That didn’t seem good enough to me.  A neuroradiologist friend had told me that there will be very few people who have experience with this disease, to find a doctor who will be intense about it, not to just sit and wait for something worse to happen because “something worse” would likely be a fatal event. 

So I gotta tell you, THAT counsel is as overwhelming as anything else.  How in the world do I find another doctor?  A good one?  I asked my bishop for advice and a blessing.   My bishop said that his impression was that I was a fighter and that if I didn’t like the way this doctor wanted to handle it, to find another one.  Again, how to do it?

 So this is the blessing the bishop gave me: 

“You are an angel… You do much service, have much influence in the  ward… The Lord loves you… in the days and years ahead, you may feel that He doesn’t but He does, always remember that…

“This knowledge [of ailments] has come to you early so that you can fight it…

“Read your scriptures, the Lord will make it very clear what you should do… Research, the Lord will give you a perfect understanding… Allow people to serve you… Reach out to those you trust…

“Bless you that your mind will be at ease so you can rest at night, so that you body will rest…

“Others will be blessed through you…”

So I went home, a bit defiant, opened up a devotional by Henry Blackaby, and read this:

“Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

“We have all been taught that self-reliance is good and paiseworthy… yet if we are to be freed from the burden of our concerns, we must choose to cast them into the strong hands of our Father.”

I’m a real pill, a very difficult patient, because I don’t like to follow instructions and I don’t let people help me.  Here’s that message again, cast your problems into the strong hands of the Father.  That is SO HARD to do!

Then I read this from the Bible, and I knew that Heavenly Father was sort of sending me a message that He “gets it”, He knows exactly what I’ve been feeling:

“My heart is sore pained within me;  and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.  Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me”. 

(And I wrote in my scriptures that “overwhelmed” has been ME for the last few weeks).

There’s more… it was like I was having a whole conversation with God, on this very topic of illness and of feeling scared and overwhelmed, all by skipping from page to page within the scriptures.

“I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me.  Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud;  and he shall hear my voice.  He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me; for there were many with me.”  Psalms 55:16-18

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee:  he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved…”

“The most dramatic changes in your life will come from God’s initiative, not yours… The Lord may be initiating some new things in your life.  When He tells you what His plans are, trust Him and walk closely with HIm.  Don’t let the busyness of your present activity keep you from experiencing all that God has in store for you.  You will see HIm accomplish things through you life that you never dreamed were possible.  [Blackaby - To a Land I Will Show You]

November 2003

You aren’t going to believe this but God plopped the doctor right into my lap. 

I was asking friends about their doctors, called one or two of them to see how they would handle a case like mine where I wanted someone to manage my case and help me find a “second opinion” neurologist.  These doctors, as good as they might have been, were a bit like auto mechanics.  “Oh, we’ll have you in and out of here in 20 minutes, we’ll get you to the right doctor”.

That just didn’t feel right!

My old boss happened to overhear me complaining about how hard it was to find the right doctor.  He recommended HIS doctor.  This doctor is expensive, he warned me.  He doesn’t take insurance, you’ll have to file and do battle on your own and you’ll get less reimbursement.  But when you have a tough case, THIS is the guy you want on the job.  He doesn’t sign as a PPO because he doesn’t want insurance companies telling him what tests he can order or how many patients he has to see in an hour.

I liked that!

So I called his doctor.  He invited me in for a free “getting acquainted” visit.  You meet with him in a comfortable sitting room before you ever go to an exam room. 

I liked him right away, he’s a vegetarian like me!  He noticed that a bug had come in on the book I was carrying and he made a movement to brush it off my book.  Don’t kill it! I said.  And he said he didn’t plan to, he was just going to brush it out the window.  That’s how HE knew *I* was a vegetarian, I didn’t want to kill that bug!

Long story short, when he takes on cases it’s a two-hour physical and medical history with you, then he asks other doctors who would be the best to handle this particular problem, and he coordinates with that doctor.

I feel like my Father in Heaven was totally guiding this whole process and Dr. Sheldon is definitely the right doctor for what I have to deal with.

December 25, 2003 

“Begin today!  No matter how feeble the light, let it shine as best it may.  The world may need just that quality of light which you have.” — Henry C. Blinn

I gave out “Teresa Stories” for Christmas, little booklets with real-life stories that had happened to me.  It felt very self-centered and narcissistic to give such a gift but everyone tells me how much they like those stories.  [My aunt and uncle] sent a card that read:  We’d love to see you cause we love you cause you are so alive and filled with such goodwill.  We love your stories of life.  You are a joy.

One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.  John 9:25

Hast thou not seen how all thou needest hath been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
– Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Joachim Neander
1650-1680

December 26, 2003

You have feared man and have not relied on me for strength as you ought… Your mind has been on the things of the earth more than on the things of me, your Maker… You have not given heed unto my Spirit.  Doctrine and Covenants 30:1-2

True, but how kind!  First, the Lord gave me healing scriptures, then testimony, more healing and comfort, and now, gentle chastisement.  It’s true, I always have to remind myself that “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need” because I always think my needs will be met through money.  So here is my Father in Heaven, tenderly reminding me that I have not relied on His Strength.

January 20, 2004

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;  and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.  Many are  the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.  — Psalm 34:18, 19

When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  — Psalm 61:2

Had a very low weekend.  I was physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted.  We won difficult battles at work but after three weeks of [my boss being out for surgery], there isn’t much left of me.  I get terrible migraines where I throw up five days in a row and I’m the boss, I’ve had to just work through them.  I’m worried sick about this FMD diagnosis and the upcoming trip to see a specialist in San Francisco, and still have to carry the day while my boss is out.  I paid for [an out-of-work sibling's] mortgage one last time and it sent my own finances over the edge.    I have my own demons to deal with…

I should have spent Sunday trying to get some spiritual restoration.  Instead, I just “hid out” — TV, cleaning, ebay, sleep.

 — To be continued

Sunday Sermon on the Meningioma Blog Part 1

So, I’m sitting at home in front of my laptop recovering from arthroscopic surgery, hooked up to an ice machine that keeps cold water flowing through a bag wrapped around my shoulder, wondering what’s next. 

With zero growth of the meningioma over the last year, I’m wondering what I should do with this blog.  Let it go dormant?  Keep researching diet and nutrition for brain tumors?  Turn it into more of a women’s health issues journal? 

Let me set the scene for you…  I’m wearing the cutest little pink and green-striped capri pajama bottoms with a kitty-kat pj top, just in case someone stops by.   The beeper on the oven is going off letting me know that a yummy vegetarian lasagna made by a friend is now ready.  There are three cats curled up on the air mattress that I dragged into the front room… makes it easier to stay hooked up to the ice when visitors drop in.  There’s a wickedly delicious fruit basket arranged to look like flowers in my refrigerator, dropped off by some dear friends from church yesterday.

It’s expensive to pay all the co-pays on the medical, and now I need a new wardrobe to accommodate a bad shoulder.  Thanks heavens for half-price days at the thrift store!  Men’s tops, big enough to get a shoulder bandage through, were the easiest to find.  I had no idea there were so many pastel-colored, floral print men’s shirts out there, but they go great with my stripey pajama bottoms!

As I was sitting here taking it all in, wondering what to write about,  I received this comment on one of my posts.  I’ll be darned!  It provided the answer!!  So, yes, I think I’ll  continue with the blog… because it seems like it really DOES do some good for some folks.

Here’s what one of my lovely readers wrote:

No doubt in my mind why you have experienced these unusual ailments. You are here to quell the spirit of fear that tries to undermine the light of the Lord. Thank you.

That comment — and THANK YOU to Jackie, who took the time to write it – reminded me that I’ve  journalled through the many episodes of my life.  I wonder if those old journal entries might contain treasures that could light the way for someone else’s journey?  I could resurrect some of those old entries, couldn’t I?  THAT’s what I could write about, and along the way, continue to surface news on natural healing for what ails us.

I am not sickly, mind you.  I am in terrific shape, now well-documented by my surgeon and anesthesiologist, who think, on paper, that I’m only 29!!   I’m actually training for a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia Society. 

On this Sunday, for those readers who might be inclined to seek a little “tender mercy” from God, I think I’ll share a few of the scriptures and journal entries that lifted my load a bit.

I’ll share these under the Sunday Sermon series so that those who are inclined to seek out articles of a more spiritual nature can easily find them.

Taking care of dissected carotid arteries during surgery

One last note about my shoulder surgery…  I have a condition that, on paper, is “carotid artery narrowing of uncertain origin”.  In real life, doctors have speculated about whether or not it’s “fibromuscular dysplasia” or “dissected arteries”.  Since we have watched it for years and it hasn’t shown up in other arteries, they lean towards a dissection.

Scary word, right?  “Dissection”.  It’s about how the blood vessel layers split and become weaker with little parts bubbling out like a hernia bubbles out through abdominal muscles.  Our theory is that it happened as a result of a rear-end collision nine years ago, because right after that car accident (I walked away with virtually no injuries), I started periodically losing the vision in my right eye for a few minutes at a time.

It’s not a condition that we follow, any more.  Apparently, it’s not going to kill me!  Although there are certain things the neurologist warned me never to do, like paint a ceiling, ride fast jerky amusement park rides, get certain types of chiropractic neck manipulations.

It was so interesting how the anesthesiologist took note of this.  He had a lot of questions about it, including can I tell if I throw off clots when I move my head a certain way (yes).  So he had me show him the movements, presumably so he would not move my head that way. 

It actually made me go into surgery with a lot less fear because the anesthesiologist was so alert to the potential for problems.

Back on supplements to recover from surgery

I had to go off of all supplements for two weeks prior to my shoulder surgery yesterday.  Since I take them for specific therapeutic reasons, it made me more than a little nervous to go without!

I had to stop taking the Nattokinase since it has an effect on blood clot formation and I won’t start that one up again for a few weeks, once we’re past all the painful shoulder rehab.  I don’t want to risk either unstoppable bleeding or blood clot formation.  But as you know, Nattokinase is recommended to help dissolve fibrin tissues in uterine fibroids and I want to see if it will dissolve a meningioma.

I stopped taking fish oil at nine days out.  They gave me permission to start taking it again one day after surgery.  I was so glad!!  I have an active stroke disorder where a damaged artery throws clots up into my eye and I lose the vision in my eye.  It’s kind of like the canary in the mines, it helps us keep the finger on the pulse of what’s going on with my stroke condition.  But isn’t it interesting that surgeons know it’s effect on coagulation and have you stop taking it.  It’s apparently quite a reputable blood thinner!

MonaVie, I stopped taking two weeks out.  They didn’t expressly forbid it but I do take it as a “supplement” so to be on the safe side, I stopped taking it.   Now, we know that MonaVie enabled me to get off of all blood pressure pills and migraine medication two years ago.  So I was worried about this one.   Of course, I developed a whoppin’ migraine two days before surgery because something about MonaVie actually PREVENTS my migraines.  So I was pretty miserable for a while.  I brought a baggie full of MonaVie gel packs to the surgicenter and started taking them as soon as they let me have something to eat.  I normally do the gel packs because they’re so convenient to take when I’m running, but Monday I’m going to order a case of the juice product.  It’s my treat to myself!   But over the last 2 and a half years that I’ve taken it, I’ve heard so many stories about recovery after surgery that I just want to take as much as I can.  I’m training for a marathon and I need to be back in the saddle pretty quickly! 

The MonaVie and the fish oil have anti-inflammatory effects which I am most anxious to see in this poor torn-up shoulder!

I went off of my multi-vitamin and bioflavonoids, again, just because they contain so many herbs and I didn’t want to risk bleeding or rapid heartbeat or anything.  Took them in the car on the way home. 

I don’t know if it’s the pain meds or the resumption of supplements but I am feeling pretty good and suspect that this will be a very rapid recovery.