This last winter here in New England was terrible. Having MDS as well as thyroid problems, I get cold easily. The tons of snow and blowing winds kept me a prisoner in my home for days at a time. I would even skip walking out to the mailbox for three or four days at a time, because I couldn't bear to go out in the cold. I got very depressed, and my beliefs in all I believe in seemed a moot point. Satan had me right where he wanted me; no joy, no looking forward to the future. Man, it was bad.
I suffered from edema, but nobody seemed too concerned about it. It got worse; to the point couldn't bend my knees to get in the car. I let this go on for almost 3 months!
BUT! One day I sort of woke up and came out of the whole mind-wrapped-in-a- cocoon scenario, got in to see the doctor, and within the week's stay I was in the hospital, my lfe got back on track. It helped that spring was starting to show itself too!
Because God had finally gotten my attention, I came home and began to study my bible more. I began to wonder about what I was eating, that may have caused my illness. And then of course, I figured it out with the vegan diet.
Before I continue, I want to explain that when I say the vegan diet, I mean just the diet. I am not a PETA member; I don't throw blood on perfectly nice looking fur coats, I don't berate people I know who eat meat. I am doing this for my body; I want to see what results I get from my experiments. If it turns out that I get better- and that's a word that could mean... better, as in I'm feeling better, all the way to, I'm, all better!( as in 'cured'!) I am looking to improve my health at the very least, and so far, it seems to be working. More about how in my next post. I will leave you with this, however...my dr. says he finds me 'fascinating'...( and that wasn't because he was flirting with me!)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Nutrition Makes a Stand...Finally
I had been perplexed as to how to handle my nutritional needs. Finally, it hit me...
Duh. The Bible.
I've been babbling all this time how I'm a Christian and a Bible believer, and how I believe the body has amazing recuperative powers, but I also know faith and trust in God help a great deal. I do my part to get better, and God does His part to get me there. After all, He is the Great Physician!
O.K., so how do I do my part in getting better? Not by begging for all those horrible chemicals & drugs which may or may not help me, but by a nutritional point of view.
When I began to study food & nutrition in the Bible, I found that God has a lot to say about how we eat and how we stay healthy. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, we see that God tells Adam and Eve what their meal plan was.
Genesis 1:29
Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food."
In the beginning It looks as if God created us to eat fruits and vegetables. Then when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, He added this:
Genesis 3:23
Thefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken.
That's when I kind of think God introduced grains to our diet.
Then finally, after the flood, God allowed meat into the diet.
Genesis 9:3
Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
I think diet and lack of good nutrition contributes to our health problems. God started us out with the perfect diet...but when He introduced those other foods, He also knew there would be illness that came with eating those foods. I have seen the evidence, in my own body as well as others'. I know that when I eat a simple diet ...back to the fruits and veggies...I feel good...and I noticed my blood test numbers go up.
Did you catch that? I keep a food diary and can predict when I'm going to have low blood count numbers. I'm keeping this all quiet right now from the staff at the care center, because they keep telling me the food you put in your body has no relation to your numbers.
More on this in my next post....cause and effect!
Duh. The Bible.
I've been babbling all this time how I'm a Christian and a Bible believer, and how I believe the body has amazing recuperative powers, but I also know faith and trust in God help a great deal. I do my part to get better, and God does His part to get me there. After all, He is the Great Physician!
O.K., so how do I do my part in getting better? Not by begging for all those horrible chemicals & drugs which may or may not help me, but by a nutritional point of view.
When I began to study food & nutrition in the Bible, I found that God has a lot to say about how we eat and how we stay healthy. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, we see that God tells Adam and Eve what their meal plan was.
Genesis 1:29
Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food."
In the beginning It looks as if God created us to eat fruits and vegetables. Then when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, He added this:
Genesis 3:23
Thefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken.
That's when I kind of think God introduced grains to our diet.
Then finally, after the flood, God allowed meat into the diet.
Genesis 9:3
Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
I think diet and lack of good nutrition contributes to our health problems. God started us out with the perfect diet...but when He introduced those other foods, He also knew there would be illness that came with eating those foods. I have seen the evidence, in my own body as well as others'. I know that when I eat a simple diet ...back to the fruits and veggies...I feel good...and I noticed my blood test numbers go up.
Did you catch that? I keep a food diary and can predict when I'm going to have low blood count numbers. I'm keeping this all quiet right now from the staff at the care center, because they keep telling me the food you put in your body has no relation to your numbers.
More on this in my next post....cause and effect!
A Diagnosis and a Dilemma Develop
I guess you could say I'm a sort of 'modified Christian Scientist', although I am not a member of that church. I am a believer in Christ and the Bible, and the more I study, the more I see we can rely on God for all of our needs, including health.
The Bible never says to not go to a doctor or to seek medical help when needed. Why, I have all sorts of doctors for various conditions! However, I am learning to trust the Great Physcician more and more as I deal with the Myelodsplasia.
One thing I have always believed, is that our bodies want to be healthy. If we give them a chance and the right conditions, I also believe our bodies can repair themselves, for the most part. I'm not talking about a lost limb or something like that: we are not iguanas or lizards, after all! I am talking about illnesses and prevention of them.
Per my 'various conditions' mentoned above, I have begun a nutrition regimen at times. Made bad choices at times, too. One of the worst choices I made was a high protein diet. I wasn't insane enough to go Atkins...but I restricted carbs. I don't think it was so much restricting the carbs, as it was the overload to my body with all that protein and uric acid assaulting my body. That's when things began to happen. Bad things. Red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets...all of them started going down down down. And still I kept up with the silly protein 'bleep'.
Fast forward a year, and I was diagnosed with MDS after a bone marrow biopsy. After the original doctor ( this was even before the first Doctor I mentioned)) suggested a bone marrow stem cell transplant, ( like I would ever agree to that! There's no guarantees with that procedure, anyway ) I decided to think about what I could do to improve my health on my end. This is when I began questioning my high protein diet.
Questioning and changing are two different things. I tried going back to grains along with protein, but the grains bothered me. Or, was it the protein? I wrestled with this whole issue for more than a year...back and forth...and all the while, the numbers went down, down down...
Just recently, I began to study what God says about food & nutrition in the Bible...when all the while I should have started there! Please keep reading.
The Bible never says to not go to a doctor or to seek medical help when needed. Why, I have all sorts of doctors for various conditions! However, I am learning to trust the Great Physcician more and more as I deal with the Myelodsplasia.
One thing I have always believed, is that our bodies want to be healthy. If we give them a chance and the right conditions, I also believe our bodies can repair themselves, for the most part. I'm not talking about a lost limb or something like that: we are not iguanas or lizards, after all! I am talking about illnesses and prevention of them.
Per my 'various conditions' mentoned above, I have begun a nutrition regimen at times. Made bad choices at times, too. One of the worst choices I made was a high protein diet. I wasn't insane enough to go Atkins...but I restricted carbs. I don't think it was so much restricting the carbs, as it was the overload to my body with all that protein and uric acid assaulting my body. That's when things began to happen. Bad things. Red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets...all of them started going down down down. And still I kept up with the silly protein 'bleep'.
Fast forward a year, and I was diagnosed with MDS after a bone marrow biopsy. After the original doctor ( this was even before the first Doctor I mentioned)) suggested a bone marrow stem cell transplant, ( like I would ever agree to that! There's no guarantees with that procedure, anyway ) I decided to think about what I could do to improve my health on my end. This is when I began questioning my high protein diet.
Questioning and changing are two different things. I tried going back to grains along with protein, but the grains bothered me. Or, was it the protein? I wrestled with this whole issue for more than a year...back and forth...and all the while, the numbers went down, down down...
Just recently, I began to study what God says about food & nutrition in the Bible...when all the while I should have started there! Please keep reading.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Trouble with Doctors....
Since I have been diagnosed, I have changed doctors 3 times. One Doctor wanted to try me on Pro Crit, but when I had a reaction to it, (mild) He totally discredited my experience and really, sort of went on the 'attack', so to speak. I think he thought I was going to try to sue him or something.( trust me...I have had more interesting medical issues to sue over if I ever wanted to! ha ha ) It was a bizarre confrontation at any rate...and since he told a blatant lie at one point trying to make me see I was imagining the whole thing, I decided it was time to move on.
The next Dr. I tried really wasn't interested when he saw I wasn't interested in any fancy chemo-type drugs, as I told him up front I never would be. I have done my research...for my condition, anything I try chemo/improvement wise, will only possibly help my condition...and probably make my life miserable in the process. After the Procrit experience, no thanks. Sadly, Dr.s don't want to hear they aren't going to make money off you...
Which brings me to my final (so far) Doctor. I actually chose this Doctor because he was nearby. (Dana Farber Institute in Milford) I had been travelling over an hour to the other doctors, and finally decided I really didn't have the energy to go that far every week for blood tests. I live 15 minutes way from the facility. I think I made the right choice!
I have setttled into a routine of sorts, and the doctor I work with has somewhat accepted I don't want any chemo type drugs at any point in my illness, so we have settled on weekly blood transfusions and platelets. Of course, he loves to use scare tactics to try to get me in more often for more frequent transfusions, but I have confronted him about this, and he sort of said...welllll, we just want you to knowwww...
Thanks, you've told me, you've had your nurses tell me, you've had the social worker come in and try to find out why I didn't want serious medical care...I know. I know. But you know what? I am not afraid of what might happen to me. I know I am secure wih Christ...." For to me, to live is Christ, to die is gain" Philippians 1:21 I mean, come on...probably the worst thing you can tell someone is that they are in a potentially critical state, but, yeah... so? That's all ya got?
Don't get me wrong! I want to live! But. I want to live as healthy as I can in my potentially critical state, and that's why no strong crazy drugs will ever be involved. I think they have potential to do more harm than good. The end justifies the means? I don't think so, for me any way.
The next Dr. I tried really wasn't interested when he saw I wasn't interested in any fancy chemo-type drugs, as I told him up front I never would be. I have done my research...for my condition, anything I try chemo/improvement wise, will only possibly help my condition...and probably make my life miserable in the process. After the Procrit experience, no thanks. Sadly, Dr.s don't want to hear they aren't going to make money off you...
Which brings me to my final (so far) Doctor. I actually chose this Doctor because he was nearby. (Dana Farber Institute in Milford) I had been travelling over an hour to the other doctors, and finally decided I really didn't have the energy to go that far every week for blood tests. I live 15 minutes way from the facility. I think I made the right choice!
I have setttled into a routine of sorts, and the doctor I work with has somewhat accepted I don't want any chemo type drugs at any point in my illness, so we have settled on weekly blood transfusions and platelets. Of course, he loves to use scare tactics to try to get me in more often for more frequent transfusions, but I have confronted him about this, and he sort of said...welllll, we just want you to knowwww...
Thanks, you've told me, you've had your nurses tell me, you've had the social worker come in and try to find out why I didn't want serious medical care...I know. I know. But you know what? I am not afraid of what might happen to me. I know I am secure wih Christ...." For to me, to live is Christ, to die is gain" Philippians 1:21 I mean, come on...probably the worst thing you can tell someone is that they are in a potentially critical state, but, yeah... so? That's all ya got?
Don't get me wrong! I want to live! But. I want to live as healthy as I can in my potentially critical state, and that's why no strong crazy drugs will ever be involved. I think they have potential to do more harm than good. The end justifies the means? I don't think so, for me any way.
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