I Walked a Mile Last Night

I have always been active, exercising regularly, playing tennis, etc.  Since October of 2012 when I was so sick, I have not been able to exercise.  It has been very humbling, as I could tell that my body literally needed what energy it had to heal.  And...if I used too much energy, I would be set back.  That was even if I stayed up too late or was on my feet all day.  It's so hard to explain, even to my sweet husband, that I just don't have the energy.  I have never been one to not "do it all."  I think I have worked thru so much pain and nausea that I have great determination just to complete whatever it is I am doing.  Humira has changed all that.  It's not something you think about, but rebounding from exercise requires your immune system.  Your immune system is SO important to your daily health and energy.  It has been hard to explain to my husband that I literally cannot stand up a minute longer.  I have to balance my day according to my energy.  That really sucks when you aren't that old!

And, I am taking a drug that totally suppresses my immune system.  ARGH!  In addition to all the weird things that crop up in my body because my immune system isn't strong, I take a LONG time to recover after exercising.  I have been playing tennis on two teams just to get moving.  I play on one less competitive team and I do fine.  But, when I play on my competitive team, it can take up to four days for me to feel like I haven't run a marathon.  My joints ache, my muscles hurt, I am wiped out all day.  The kind of wiped out that feels good on day one.  But doesn't feel so good on days two, three and four!

I determined that I have got to start somewhere so I started with walking a mile last night.  It was just me and my music...my praise and worship music which always cheers me up.  I started strong thinking, "I can do three miles!"  By the time I looped our one mile circle and I was back at my house, my ankle was throbbing and my muscles were sore already.  I truly felt like I had run 5 miles.  It's crazy and humbling.  But I have to start somewhere.  I don't know if I will ever do better until I get to get off the Humira, but I am trying!

So, for me...one mile is a huge success :)

Thinking Out Loud

Candida Yeast is what I battle more than Crohns...and I DON'T have yeast infections. I have headaches, food intolerances, stomach pains, skin issues, brain fog, lethargy, joint pain, and so many more symptoms. It's reported that 85% of our population has it b.c we are such heavy users of antibiotics. Those are only a few of the side effects of antibiotics. Antibiotics certainly have a place for emergencies. They are a miracle! But next time you or a child has an ear infection or sinus infection, be prudent when using them. Thieves Oil will take care of strep and a sinus and ear infection. Melaleuca and Oregano Oil BOTH kill Candida. Save the big guns for a day when you might REALLY need them!  I wish I knew that 25 years ago...www.youngliving.org/pennysampler

Progessence

So....my skin has really been breaking out of late. I begrudgingly walked away from my "wonderful" skin care in December when I was convicted by all the harmful ingredients.  First I was sure it was detoxing, and I am sure that much of it was.  But that has gone on too long! 

After my sister raved about her use of Progessence for pre-menopausal symptoms, including hormonal cysts on her chin, I decided to try it myself.  I put a tiny dot on my neck each night.  After three nights, my face is clearing to almost totally cleared! So ready to be over my teenage years  That said...Progessence is safe for females 12yrs old to 100! Ah-mazing!

I Used to Cry...A LOT!

Oh brother!  Where do I begin?  I guess it really started when I went in for emergency surgery for the first time when I was 25 years-old. (14 years ago if you must know my age:)) Between finding out on a Friday I was having massive abdominal surgery to having surgery on Monday, friends, family friends, friends of friends and perfect strangers came out of the wood work. I received emails and phone calls from people I hadn't spoken to in years.  I remember sitting down and just bawling because I realized how many people cared...about me?  I was so overwhelmed with love I couldn't control my emotions.  I was in the middle of the worst time in my life {to date} feeling very vulnerable and never felt more loved.  It was really an overwhelming feeling and it happened all over again 18 months later with my second major abdominal surgery.

In October of 2012, when I landed in the hospital in emergency, I had a family.  I had 3 children and a husband that were my responsibility.  I had a different feeling of panic.  I worried not only for my health, but for my family's daily needs and my family's need to have a Mother and a Wife to LIVE and to SURVIVE this mess.  So many people were in the equation now. My parents were 9 hours away and our "help" wasn't just down the road.  My entire family needed prayer.  Unbelievable friends just wrapped their arms around our family and organized meals {for those who were allowed to eat!}, they took my kids to play, they put me, once again, on prayers lists all over town in MANY towns.  They supported my parents, my in-laws, my husband and my kids and, of course, me!  I cried daily in humility.  But the feeling in my heart was so overwhelming, I could not put to words how grateful I was for these amazing people in my life (many I didn't even know 7 years ago).  They took on my job as mom to 3 boys (big job!) without asking, they crawled in bed with me and chit chatted when I was awake and able to talk.  It was so hard to fathom that so many people took time out of their busy schedule to care of me and my family.  It just seemed that with this sucky bit of health I have that I was always a burden to those around me.  I really...REALLY...hate that.  I am too tired, in too much pain, or too sick.  Unfortunately, that was too many times to count.

NOW....I have a new perspective.  New knowledge and new health!  I am, yet again, so humbled by the precious emails I have received lately as I have shared my healing.  People have emailed me from every stage of my life, many with health needs of their own.  Some that just want to be healthy naturally.  THIS is humbling.  And guess what?  It makes me cry!  I don't mind putting my health out there, let alone all the gory details.  I really don't.  For almost 15 years, I have been prayed for by people I didn't even know existed.  I knew that God would bring His glory out of this mess.  I just had to be patient.  Fifteen years, I was {sorta} patient and I am fully convinced my prayers are being answered.  It was not in my timing, but God's.  I am healing.  I am healing A LOT. Praise the Lord!  But in the process of my healing, I am able to share my story with so many people around me.  I so desperately and passionately want to help people.  I want to share what I have learned over the last 15 years.  I want to share mistakes, knowledge, ideas.  I want to share my change in diet, the ways I help myself out of pain, the ways I am preventing illness with me and my family.  I WANT TO HELP.  

I never want anyone to think they are bothering me or afraid to ask a gross question.  NOTHING grosses me out or embarrasses me.  I am doing this because I love it.  But I LOVE doing it because it is my opportunity to give back.  I want to return all the prayers and health and tips and knowledge one hundred fold.  I want everyone to know how grateful I am and want to do anything to use my "Intestine-mony" to prevent future problems for anyone who will listen:)

And now....I am crying.  I am just so grateful.

Amazing Book

I bought this book several months ago because someone told me it was good.  It sat on my bedside table for that long until I decided to pick it up and try it out.  After the first paragraph I was mesmerized!

There is definitely a faith element to the book, but what I love even more is the WHY to Essential Oils.  I love that I feel better and that I can keep my kids from getting sick, but I like objective measurements.  I want to know the HOW and the WHY and this book does an amazing job of putting it in terms the regular person can understand, like me :)

It talks about the oils used in Bible times, giving Biblical citations, but it also goes into the WHY and the reasons they were used way back then are the same as ours now.  However...they didn't have any science to necessarily prove it.  They just knew it based on results.  They used oils to prevent illness, for skin, to get rid of bugs.  Throughout the Bible people were "anointed" with oil, which simply means rubbed or massaged.

I took this on my road trip last week and had so many Ah-hah moments.  My family was about to put a sock in my mouth.  I will share a bunch of those things soon.  But, in the mean time, if you are interested in reading about Essential Oils and learning more about what they do, this is a fabulous book.  Healing Oils of the Bible by David Stewart PhD

Homemade Lotion

So excited! Just made my own lotion...and I know every ingredient that is in there  Just 4... One cup of coconut oil, 1 TBSP of almond oil and a few drops of Essential Oils. Now, my lotion has super skin benefits on top of being anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, removes brown spots, with an anti-histamine. Hippie confirmed. I LOVE this stuff!

Peppermint Oil and Ants

At the lake. Ants built home on outdoor ac unit affecting the a/c. I told BD to spray peppermint oil and water. He looked for ant bait. Called friends for ant bait to no avail. Reluctantly he sprayed peppermint oil and water on the ants. Within minutes came in dying laughing saying there were dead ants everywhere! I will make my old-school dad into an oil believer one way or another. So far, so good!