Monthly Archives: June 2016

Acupuncture…No More Pain In My Brain

Acupuncture, Headaches/Migraines, Holistic Blogs, Holistic Medicine, Liver Damage, , , , ,

CWGAcupuncture

I have a growing anticipation just to jump to the end and give you all the results but I have to pace myself because you really need to know the ins and outs of the steps I changed along the way. So lets get to it.

While chatting during one of my Alternative Therapy appointments, my Holistic Doctors asked how I felt about trying acupuncture. I commented I had been toiling with thoughts of starting this therapy but I was a great big, cry, baby about needles. His and her calming nature just put me at ease about the whole therapy and they only said may be a few sentences, but feeling completely trusting in their motivation, within a moment I said yes, and an appointment was set up before I even left the office. Instead of being scared I became excited, and I truly cannot give the exact reason that changed my frame of thinking other then total trust in the persons suggesting it. I’m still a little amazed at the change that happened. When I say I had a fear of needles, I should say, I had a total terror, trembling, cold footed, chicken ass, dreaded, despairing fear of needles. Yeah that better describes it…lol

I thought when my family doctor finds out I finally said yes, I think he might even kick me in the pants for not listening to him in the first place. Not that I didn’t trust his idea, for heavens sake I trusted him soo much that I filled my body with whatever prescription he handed my way that was full of, what I felt, toxic chemicals, and took happily and willingly. I believe it was just the different feeling from western medicine to this calm, inducing, alternative, medicinal therapy. Like the difference from eating the hottest, bad boy weapon grade, burn a whole through your digestive track, flame throwing hot wings to a nice lukewarm bowl of chicken noodle soup…it was just different.

Continue reading Acupuncture…No More Pain In My Brain →

Decrease Medicine Increase Health

Gallbladder Attacks, Headaches/Migraines, Holistic Blogs, Holistic Medicine, Liver Damage, Pain Medications, , , , ,

CWGLivercleanse

Now that I was not a prisoner of gluten anymore, I was amazed at how long food would actually last in my digestive system before I was hungry again. The foods I now ate were high in fiber and made me feel fill fuller for longer. It reduced the amounts of time I’d want a snack or even something sweet because most times with wheat it is also paired with sugar. So with less sugar as well, pain and inflammation of how my insides used to feel, was now becoming less frequent. I could only wish I had been told this sooo much sooner, how much pain and damage could have been avoided. When I was a child/teenager/young adult, I could eat and eat and eat and nothing ever stuck to me, (no weight gain). My old neighbor used to say I had a hollow leg, but at times I would feel stomach sick and headachy until the meal I ate passed, which was usually fast. Only now do I know why…gluten intolerance. What a difference it is being gluten free, I now eat my meals and I don’t have that heaviness or pit in the bottom of my stomach but…now foods stick, one cookie is now like a box…what a catch 22. I’m still happy to be gluten free though.

I still had allergies but not as intense as just a few weeks prior. My nose used to be a constant faucet. I should have invested in Klennex or Puffs for some return on the dollars I had contributed over the past 3 decades. The nasal drip was becoming embarrassing with no way to control it. But all of a sudden I wasn’t leaving the house with a box of tissues in my pocket anymore. It was more of a habit that I would take a few just in case.

Within a few weeks I didn’t feel like I needed as much pain medication and made a visit to my doctor to see about decreasing the Codeine. Since the introduction of magnesium, kale, various vitamins, electrolytes, milk thistle and probiotics, I felt I could manage a decrease with no worries. Beginning this path of pain medication and being told it would only increase, I had happily decreased my meds from 800-600mg of codeine down to 200mg of codeine over the past year and a half… 40 mg of Propranolol (beta blocker to slow the heart) twice a day was cut in half to 20mg of Propranolol twice a day…no more antidepressants or triptans…and minimal usage of Atasol 30’s (perhaps an extra one or two throughout a month, only if needed).

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Super Hero Combo: Probiotics/Gluten Free

Headaches/Migraines, Holistic Blogs, Holistic Medicine, Liver Damage, Pain Medications, , , , ,

CWGGFProbiotics

I can now open up my own library due to all the self help books and health textbook style encyclopedias I now have researched. Books, books, books!!!! Turned into answers, answers, answers!

First of all, came all the gluten free information. The benefits it has shown in reducing headaches, migraines, brain fog, brain disorders, ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, mood disorders, digestive disorders, colon illnesses and more and more and more and more. Due to our current wheat being soo genetically modified the amount of people who are becoming intolerant to gluten is astounding. My first gluten free book I read was the “Wheat Belly” by William Davis MD. What a lifestyle changing book. I found out that the reason why my body was having such a hard time when I first gave it up was because of the addiction of the opioids that are a part of wheat. They are an addictive substance, which helps to calm your body ailments much like endorphins do. So we crave that substance by 3 pm when the affects of the sandwich we just ate for lunch has worn off. Our body treats it like a drug, and like a drug it is hard to come off of. You will go through a detox period but when you come out on the other end you will be amazed at how more energized you feel, the brain fog leaves and your body feels lighter and no more cravings or hunger pains. So I thought okay I get it, but, I was still afraid, yet there was something inside me saying come on girl this is what you need. But since my doctor did not seem convinced, it really made me question taking this step. So I thought okay, I’ll keep reading first then I’ll decide on the end of my research.

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HYDRATE! HYDRATE! HYDRATE!

Headaches/Migraines, Holistic Blogs, Holistic Medicine, Liver Damage, , , , , , , ,

CWGWater2CWGKale2

I found that most days I was really thirsty and started to recall that after a few times of being in the hospital that I would be given and IV drip to help rehydrate myself and how much better it made me feel for that day. I started putting 2 and 2 together and finally realized “Duhhh…Electrolytes!” So came my next side research project. The rehydration IV’s usually have a saline solution (salt), sugar and depending on the severity of dehydration, electrolytes. Water makes up 70% of our body fluid and amongst that solution is electrolytes consisting of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. The electrolytes in our system controls many bodily functions such as; memory, neurological functions, digestive functions, our five senses and transmission of those senses to the brain, our heartbeat patterns, body temperature, bladder and oh my gosh soo much more. It became clear to me that starting to drink an electrolyte solution could also help decrease my migraine patterns and hydrate my body. I made it a daily ritual to start drinking more water at least 4-6 glasses with diluted Gatorade or an Electrolyte solution I purchased from the pharmacy… everyday.

All of these little pieces to the puzzle helped and with each new implementation I could start doing things that I used to enjoy again. I was able to read more without becoming so nauseated, I could knit a little bit and even watch the news, (TV), without urging, even my memory got a bit better. I still would not leave the house without a note of what I had to do, but if I forgot it, I could remember a few items a lot easier then previously. I’ll mark that under a positive outcome.

Continue reading HYDRATE! HYDRATE! HYDRATE! →

Ohh, How Do I Know I’m Choosing Right???

Gallbladder Attacks, Headaches/Migraines, Holistic Blogs, Holistic Medicine, Liver Damage, Pain Medications, , , ,

CWGSoy:Flour

During the first few months of introducing the Magnesium Citrate, I wasn’t taking as much as what I needed initially, so therefore, symptoms from the Vestibular Migraines would still be quite strong at times; nausea, paralysis on my left side when the migraines were at their height and slurring when I would speak…”Suffering Succotash”…(my time as Sylvester the Cat).  Over time, those symptoms decreased incredibly as I increased the magnesium.

My family doctor also started me on Triptans; Frovatriptan then Zolmitriptan to take instead of the Atasol 30’s to stop any major migraine coming in between my doses of Codeine. The triptans were more of a rescue medicine. They did work for a short period but I found I didn’t need them as much after increasing my magnesium citrate.

Weeks had passed recovering from the major gallbladder/liver attack episode, and finding food that did not hurt me from the moment I started eating until it left my body became extremely hard to find. I asked about going Gluten Free again and was pretty much told if I wanted to I could try it but it would be better to just maintain the rationale of anything in moderation. Once again, “I do eat moderately and that is not working.” I found that after eating sandwiches, not only would the rock in my stomach get bigger, but my headaches would increase. Then I began to realize that anything made with white flour was contributing to both pains. I took it under my own pursuit to give up wheat/gluten for a few days and see how I would feel. At this time I didn’t know that this was something I would really need to stick to for a period of time and that I would be going through a detox to get rid of the wheat from my system.

Continue reading Ohh, How Do I Know I’m Choosing Right??? →

My First Line Of Defense

Headaches/Migraines, Holistic Blogs, Holistic Medicine, Liver Damage, Pain Medications, , ,

CWGmagpicCWGmagpic

When the doctor calls you go immediately. My report was back and there were cysts in the liver. A few were very large and concerned them. They wanted to start a 6-month regular CT scan to track their progress. Progress?? Well that meant to see if they grew any larger, turned to a mole or turned to cancer. But I was leaving with “good news” because the liver is the one organ in the body that can regenerate itself if given the chance so not to worry. Not to worry?? Yeah right. In the meantime I should reduce meats, especially reds, dairy, eat lots of veggies and fruits and reduce my alcohol intake or better yet don’t drink alcohol at all. UGH… for the last time I don’t drink!!

Hmm… might all the medications = liver damage = vestibular migraines???

I felt my body deteriorating and not getting any answers. So being the thinker and reader I am, for the love of knowledge and my health… I started my own quest.

I first started to research “headaches/migraines/liver damage” and my first bit of tasty intrigue, was a book that came up on google search engines called “The Magnesium Miracle” written by Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D.. I then looked it up on iBooks and downloaded a sample. HOOKED!!! What??? Sure everything that was hurting me was in this book. There was information on Vit D, Vit B, the importance of minerals, especially magnesium, for those who suffer from brain illnesses and heart conditions. I could not read it fast enough and sometimes not at all until I took another Ginger Gravol and licked the ginger root a few times like a lollipop, but hey got me to the chapter all about Migraines and the lack of Magnesium contributing to them. I will be doing at least a few hundred blogs on Magnesium when I finish my Miracle Story because it was and still is the first contributing factor to my recovery.

Continue reading My First Line Of Defense →

The Eruption of Mount Gallbladder!!

Gallbladder Attacks, Headaches/Migraines, Holistic Blogs, Holistic Medicine, Liver Damage, Pain Medications, , ,

CWGwater

Let’s see, well, throughout all of this, eating food was getting harder and harder. Even though there was no intense pain like I used to have from the gallbladder there was always a soreness to the top of my stomach like something was protruding through my skin. There was even times you could see a little buldge like a tiny fist just sitting in between my ribs, and even though I didn’t have any spare tires it sure felt like a boulder was just bellow my diaphragm and when I would sit it became quite uncomfortable. I thought I was doing ok even though my diet was very restricted, the gallbladder attacks weren’t as routine as they were up to a year ago. What I did not realize was that the pain medication was masking the growing of “Mount GallBladder” that was soon about to erupt.

Continue reading The Eruption of Mount Gallbladder!! →

Vampire Mom

Headaches/Migraines, Holistic Blogs, Holistic Medicine, Pain Medications, , , , ,

CWGButterflyTulip

Wow, I am starting to be able to add pictures yippee!! I’m very proud of myself…lol.  So this picture may not really adhere to the post I am about to upload but it is very nice to look at and it was a butterfly myself and my daughter were watching one time at a park near our home.  It was a very calming moment where we just sat and relaxed and watched the flight of the butterfly.  I thought it might be nice to add to the beginning of the post…lets hope it works.

*****

The nauseated sickness took over my whole day. It would take 15 minutes or more to unload the dishwasher  I would have to sit down to settle my stomach and keep my head from pounding a couple of times before finishing. Then came the next mundane task of folding laundry… a basket of laundry became my enemy. Trying to fold clothing, towels, blankets might take a few tries before I could complete the task and never in one sitting. I had to find something to calm the carsick feeling. Then one day I saw an ad on TV for Natural Gravol with Ginger and Willow Bark. My prayers were answered. I would buy every box on the shelf if it worked, lol. So here was the introduction of Ginger/Willow Bark Gravol 1 – 3 times a day. I could breath again without wanting to urge.

Throughout the years of 35-40, I spent many visits with my doctor trying to find answers. Explaining that I knew taking pain medications can bring on headaches, but there was something more then that and can we please investigate more. So my first CT scan was scheduled. Luckily enough there were no tumors, but that didn’t mean I was out of the woods. Unfortunately with the history of accumulating headaches and sickness we deduced that the headaches were Vascular/Vestibular Migraines, causing immense pain and off balanced episodes and they would only grow worse with no cure. I would more then likely plateau at a certain level of pain medication and when I would feel like they were settling the migraines could increase and this would be my outcome until I wouldn’t be able to take the pain anymore. Well when I got home I cried more tears in one cry then any one person is allowed in their whole lifetime. I couldn’t understand, I was a good person, always helpful and kind, outgoing, always trying to see the positive side of every situation, loyal and hard working, why me??

Continue reading Vampire Mom →

My Visit To The Neurologist

Gallbladder Attacks, Headaches/Migraines, Holistic Blogs, Holistic Medicine, Liver Damage, Pain Medications, , ,

After many trips to the emergency room pleading for help, begging to get off the Over the Counter Medications, I was introduced to Atasol 30’s, as many as I needed any where up to 3-4 tablets…3-4 times a day. I pleaded there has to be something better then this… so I was scheduled to see a Neurologist. My family doctor was as helpful as he could be and sympathized with my headaches but the main course of action was pain medications, antidepressants to make more serotonin to help reduce the pain in my brain and a beta blocker to slow my heart rate down, this was scary to me. My doctor always did his best to calm my thoughts but I my own self thought there must be an alternative. I am thankful for the Western Medicine because without it I would have been in severe racks of pain but I knew in my heart there was a missing piece to the puzzle.

My husband came with me the day I was to see the Neurologist. We had such high hopes. May be the Neurologist could give us a better therapy. I specifically said “I am NOT here for more medication, I am here to find a better way to deal with my migraines,” and if he knew of anything new that could help me and get me off this slope of pain medication I was sliding down I would be grateful. I gave him my whole history and told him every time I asked for another way, something natural, I was told to take another prescription. Which was always getting heavier and helping with the pain but never helping completely. I was adamant that I did not want any more medication. In all my years I never felt like an addict until I left his office.

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Goodbye Advil … Hello Tylenol 8’s

Gallbladder Attacks, Headaches/Migraines, Holistic Blogs, Holistic Medicine, Liver Damage, Pain Medications, , , , ,

Before I continue on, I just wanted to say even though I had a lot of misery throughout the pregnancy, and that was just a a small glimpse of the events, I did love carrying her, cuddling my belly as she grew, nurturing her and talking away and reading to her as she developed.  My favourite story to read was “Oh the Places You’ll Go” By Dr. Seuss and funny enough when she was a toddler she loved Dr. Seuss, but hey who doesn’t.  The love of a child that you are nurturing is unlike any other happiness I’ve ever felt and if I was able to, I’d do it all over again, even knowing what I would be up against. I felt like I had to fit this in here I didn’t want the story to end on a sour note, I did love having her as a part of me, it is an experience I will always cherish.

So now my baby girl  was born and the “pregnancy induced” gallbladder attacks took up a new lease and decided to stick around.  I was on allergy medicine, pain medicine and doing my best to take vitamins that I thought would help. Good ol’ Centrum, but even they hurt to digest, and it wasn’t the fault of the Centrum tablet they are a great supplement, but the pain meds were brutalizing my digestive organs. I was told its best to take less of something stronger then more of something of lesser strength, and so I was introduced to Tylenol 8’s. They consist of 325 mg of Acetaminophen, 15mg of Caffeine and 8 mg of Codeine. I was told they would be better for me because the caffeine will help the Acetaminophen, Tylenol, to react faster in my body and I won’t have to take so many because the codeine was stronger and would be a more reliant and faster reducing pain reliever, and so it was.

*******

I’ve just had to take a bit of a break here because rehashing this part knowing where it led has made me shed a few silent tears. But, it gets better, just not yet for a while.

*******

So…the gallbladder was deteriorating and I’m now being sent for MRI’s for my head and ultrasounds for my gallbladder. (A bit later I will let you know why ultrasounds for gallbladder attacks are useless). My husband was getting more worried cause his once outgoing wife is starting to become frail. Once again, I was told it has to be what I’m eating and to stop drinking, but this time I fought back…”I don’t drink and I am as healthy of an eater as I can be!!”..eating my veggies, fruits, cereals and meats. I couldn’t eat out even if I had wanted too. Then I was advised if I’m not a “drinker” (not my words), then I should start a low fat diet and that will help the situation. Everything low fat. Low fat bread, cheese, milk, meats, any package that says low fat is what will help me.   Wow, did things get progressively worse after this.

It was bad enough being sick at home but now it was too serious to stay home during the attacks, and the emergency room became my home away from home. Now I would be given Demerol and Gravol for the pain, which gave me 2 days worth of numb feelings before the pain returned to my stomach and head.  When I say stomach, that was the consensus at that time.  That the pain was from the lining of my stomach being hurt from the over production of acid and the gallbladder being so irritated from foods, that I had to try to isolate.  So the only recourse was to start taking Advil… 3 times a day for 2 weeks… to help the irritated gallbladder and stop eating anything that made me hurt.  If I was nauseated, I was to take Gravol when needed. WHAT???!! Oh boy, alright I guess. Tylenol 8’s with Advil and Gravol in the mix, who was I to question?

It became a blessing to have an hour feeling numb because everything else hurt.

                                    H……U……R…..T…….HURT!

The look in my husbands eyes as I would take the cocktail of 2-3 Tylenol 8’s, Advil and Gravol, had me feeling pretty depressed, and this was not even at the top of the hill before it all fell apart…and before the pain really started.