Off in the distance

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Time is right

This is a tough one for me and likely for everyone reading this at some level or another.  Let’s add a Biblical perspective:

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens  (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.  (Lamentations 3:25-26)

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  (Galatians 6:9)

And there is more from my own experience in life.  Waiting on the Lord in the past was where my faith in Him was strengthened.  I remember a time when the crisis was so severe that the Pastor and Elders in my church kept asking me how I was doing with the basics of life:  eating, drinking enough fluids and sleeping.  Yes, they were all a struggle.  By the grace of God and many good sojourners I got through that season of life with sweet victory.  And here I am again in another . . .

March 26th is the day that Steve and I hope everything will start to change for the better.  As written in the potato chip blog, we believe that a dental procedure will vastly reduce if not eliminate the hours of daily convulsive episodes.  Yesterday it was on and off for 24 hours!  You know it’s bad when you see stars and are gasping for air.  Despite nearly a hundred episodes, somehow I read a book while in lying in bed.  It served to protect my mind from dwelling on the wretchedness when I could focus.  I am hoping it preserves a few of the neuronal synapses in my brain from damage.  And focusing despite the pain does carry me through the daytime, the nighttime.  Talking to Jesus a lot is a given . . . .

Thirteen more days and this hell could be over.  In one month will be the 3-year anniversary of when the tics began while thinking I needed to treat a clinical diagnosis of Lyme disease with a fancy Rife machine.  The Beam Ray was a mistake for me.  It has taken 3 long years and many failed attempts at various treatments to figure out what is causing the tazoring of my central nervous system.  Lord willing with removal of the source of what could be “dental galvanism” in my head, I will begin to heal from so much.  And so in my weakness I rest at the throne of grace that delivers me each day unto the next.  Lord willing, I am going to get well.  Off in the distance is the hope of this new beginning for me and my beloved, Stevers.  We are hopeful that His goodness awaits.

Gentle Reader:  Just wait for the shining glory of His light through the words on this page as that day comes.  Are you ready for it?  Brace for impact!  It’s going to be a good day real soon!  Like the old Barbara Streisand song goes, “there ain’t no tellin’ what a satisfied woman can do!”  ;J

Staying true to our calling

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I love staying connected with other Christians around the world through the newsletters that come in the mail from various organizations.  The December 2014 issue of PGM News (of the Pacific Garden Mission, Chicago, Illinois, USA) provided much inspiration and perspective that I needed before heading into 2015.  Here is a story quoted by PGM President, Philip Kwiatkowski in his column entitled, Staying True to Our Calling.

On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a little life-saving station.  The building was primitive and there was just one boat, but the members of the life-saving station were committed and kept a constant watch over the sea.

lighthouse in storm

When a ship went down, they unselfishly went out day or night to save the lost.  Because so many lives were saved by that station, it became famous.  Consequently, many people wanted to be associated with the station to give their time, talent, and money to support its important work.  New boats were bought, new crews were recruited, a formal training session was offered.

As the membership in the life-saving station grew, some of the members became unhappy that the building was so primitive and that the equipment was so outdated.  They wanted a better place to welcome the survivors pulled from the sea.  So they replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged and newly decorated building.

Now the life-saving station became a popular gathering place for its members.  They met regularly, and when they did, it was apparent how they loved one another.  They greeted each other, hugged each other, and shared with one another the events that had been going on in their lives.  But fewer members were now interested in going to sea on life-saving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to do this for them.

About this time, a large ship was wrecked off the coast and the hired crews brought into the life-saving station boatloads of cold, wet, dirty, sick, and half-drowned people.  Some of them had black skin, and some had yellow skin.  Some could speak English well, and some could hardly speak it at all.  Some were first-class cabin passengers of the ship and some were the deck hands.  The beautiful meeting place became a place of chaos.  The plush carpets got dirty.  Some of the exquisite furniture got scratched.  So the property committee immediately had a shower built outside the house where the victim of shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting there was a rift in the membership.  Most of the members wanted to stop the club’s life-saving activities, for they were unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal fellowship of the members.  Other members insisted that life-saving was their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a life-saving station.  But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save the lives of all those various kinds of people who would be shipwrecked, they could begin their own life-saving station down the coast.  And do you know what?  That is what they did.

As the years passed, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old.  It evolved into a place to meet regularly for fellowship, for committee meetings, and for special training sessions about their mission but few went out to the drowning people.  The drowning people were no longer welcomed in that new life-saving station.  So another life-saving station was funded further down the coast.

History continued to repeat itself.  And if you visit that seacoast today, you will find a number of adequate meeting places with ample parking and plush carpeting.  Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown.

Wedel, T. (October, 1953).  Ecumenical Review.  Paraphrased in Heaven Bound Living.  Stanton, K. (1989), pp. 99-101

Gentle Reader, I ask you the same question that I have asked myself after reading this story:  what is your calling today?  JJ

(For more on this subject, check out this brief article by Pastor John Piper.)

 

It depends on . . .

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Don’t you just “love” when you ask what appears to you to be a focused question and the person to whom you are speaking starts his or her answer with, “It depends on . . .”  Yeah, I have heard that a lot lately as I discuss product specs for my new company, Two Step Solutions.  My husband is a brilliant mechanical engineer and a bit more focused than me, I guess.  There is so much to consider so it depends on this or that parameter, application, material, use, and so on.  Yet this reply can be a bit maddening too, ya know?  :}]

Enter here a somewhat unusual perspective on the somber topic of suffering.  I would have never wanted to hear a blanket answer as to how to handle my own private hell.  I understand that Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale gently take an “it depends on”  approach in their new book, Why Suffering.  They recognize that for Christians, suffering poses both intellectual and emotional challenges:  God loves and cares about all of our needs yet desires to meet us amidst the unique circumstances in which we find ourselves in as well.  Here are some further insights from Vince Vitale in the Fall 2014 Issue of RZIM:  Quarterly News, Views, and Insights.

But while pain can be a great obstacle (to belief in Christ), it is also one of the greatest reasons to turn to God.  The more seriously we take the problem of suffering — indeed, the more seriously we take the people who suffer — the more we will be led to trust the God who can do something about it.

The challenge, I find, is that what each person needs when suffering is very personal.  There is no one-size-fits-all . . .  Ultimately, what we need is the presence of a loved one.  And when we have the chance to be that loved one for another, our temporary presence can act as an invitation to a life with the One who is always present.  One of the greatest gifts of the Christian life is that you never need to wonder if a loved one is near; you never need to wonder if a loved one understands.  That Person is always with you even within you.

While suffering can be traced back to humanity’s fall into sin, Jesus is clear that we cannot assume from the fact that a person is suffering that it is their fault or that they are being punished.  A second distinctive of the Christian response to suffering is this:  God promises that one day He will wipe away every tear.  What an amazing claim, that God himself will wipe away our tears.

And perhaps most unique is that the Christian God chose to suffer with us.  Suffering’s greatest cruelty is its isolation.  The Christian never suffers alone.  (We point) emphatically to the Cross of Jesus Christ, to the Cross of the only God loving enough to suffer with us and for us.  (p. 7)

May these words encourage you or your loved ones who are suffering.  While the experience of suffering is unique to each of us, we are not alone in our time of need.  God takes our angst seriously, suffers with us, and will deliver us one day.  My prayer is that you will seek comfort in the person of Jesus Christ who loves you more than anyone, more than you can ever imagine.  His Scripture reassures us this fact in Psalm 139:17-18:

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

And that’s way more than my words can say.  Take care Gentle Reader and do let me know how I may pray for you, k?  JJ

Psalm 139 17 18

Only my potato chips remain crushed today

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Who knew that finely crushed, Unsalted Kettle Potato Chips would be like a salve to my wounded frame today?  In the spirit of my previous foodie post, I must say that finely crushed chips make my creamy beef stew-ish soup puree quite special.  Since there are potato chips in my belly, life will go on after all!

Yes, there is other good news after enduring 36-hours of hell, ending about an hour ago:  we believe we have identified the trifecta-root cause of much of my illness.  However, unlike a horserace where a bet on a trifecta identifies win, place, or show, we are not sure of the order of these little fillies:

  1. Two infected teeth with root canals
  2. Inflammation secondary to the infection and
  3. Dental galvanism from dissimilar metals in the crowns of the root-canaled teeth.

Now we recognize that while we certainly won’t know the exact cause until the teeth are extracted and I have treated the infection, if needed.  I am on a waiting list for a local surgeon after a trip to see a qualified biologic dentist out-of-state resulted in being passed on to someone else equally far from home.  My husband has led us to the decision to find someone else locally; I am on a waiting list to have my appointment moved up from April 2nd with the best local oral surgeon.  Those Gentle Readers who have followed me for awhile know that I have thought before that we found the “root cause” of everything.  The “it” still could be complicated by underlying Lyme disease, mold neurotoxins and the definite mercury toxicity fueling it all.  Yet one thing is now clear:  these teeth still have to come out!

Here’s a brief summary of these three new factors in my own words:

1.  When a person has a root canal procedure, a dead tooth is left behind.  The primary root canals consisting of nerve tissue and blood are scraped out and a rubber-like substance called gutta percha is stuffed into the remaining cavity.  While the opening is treated with an antiseptic, no one can ever know for sure if any secondary root canals were left un-cleaned and untreated.  Any remaining nerve and blood tissues dies and can provide food for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria.

Between the root canal channel and the outer enamel of the tooth is the dentin, consisting of 3 miles of dentil tubules.  These are too numerous to be completely sterilized before placement of the gutta percha.  Thus there is a possibility of infection seeping into the dentil tubules.  When a tooth is healthy, all of the dental tissues are washed with blood but this is no longer possible with the severing of the blood vessels during the root canal procedure.  However, if the infection grows, the bacteria can eventually seep from it’s hidden little factory in the tubules into the jaw bone and surrounding blood supply thus potentially affecting the mouth and rest of the body.  It is well-recognized that these bacteria can be exceedingly dangerous.

Lastly, during a root canal procedure the periodontal ligament is often left in place around the dead tooth, adding further risk for infection and necrosis from this dead tissue lying next to the gums or jaw bone.  Only in the dental industry is a once-living, now-dead tissue and a dead structure (the tooth) allowed to stay in the body; otherwise this tissue would be surgically removed as in the examples of damaged frostbitten fingers, gangrenous toes, severely burned skin, etc!

2.  As spoken by the nurse in my doctor’s office this past week, reddened tissue means inflammation and often indicates the presence of infection.  Pain in the upper left portion of my jaw has lasted over 13 years, increasing lately to the point of requiring periodic Ibuprofen and topical treatments such as (diluted) clove oil.  I now chew food only on the right side of my mouth, avoid hot and cold temperatures, and consume soft/pureed foods so as to minimize the chewing and pressure on my teeth that trigger convulsive episodes.  Geez!

3.  Though considered controversial by traditional dentists, it is easy to find hundreds of mainstream and holistic dentistry sites that have described the dental galvanism (aka “battery effect”) that can occur from the use of dissimilar metals in amalgam fillings, crowns, and dental appliances.  I had my amalgam fillings (generally consisting 50% of mercury) removed many years ago yet there remains a question if there is any remaining underneath one of my crowns.  The bigger issue is that three of the four crowns in my mouth consist of a combination of metals.  To establish if the presence of metals (in the presence of saliva) creates any currents between my teeth, yesterday my husband and I touched the probes of a voltmeter to the surface of the two teeth in question.  The voltage was TWICE that of my skin on my arm!  Steve questioned if this small amount of voltage would be of any clinical significance?  Note that microcurrent (significantly less than the voltage we measured on my teeth) is used in rehabilitation for the treatment of pain.  This means that the body must be affected by tiny currents.  Too bad the current in my teeth is not mitigating pain!    Conversely, I wonder if this battery-effect is over stimulating a part of my brain, triggering the convulsions instead?

Now to flesh out number 3 a little more, I refreshed myself on a little neuroanatomy.  The upper branch of the trigeminal nerve innervates the upper and lower jaw of the mouth.  The trigeminal nerve originates from a part of the brainstem called the “Pons” which sits on top of the spinal cord inside the back of the skull; three branches extend on each side of your head and across the face with the mandibular branch dividing over the top and bottom of the jaw.   During dental procedures, this is the nerve into which a dentist injects a numbing agent such as Novocain.  The motor division of the entire trigeminal nerve derives from the basal plate of the embryonic pons, and the sensory division originates in the cranial neural crest.

Fifth Cranial Nerve Distribution: Trigeminal Nerve (from Wikipedia 2.27.15)
Fifth Cranial Nerve Distribution: Trigeminal Nerve (from Wikipedia 2.27.15)

To hypothesize what electrical stimulation from 1) this battery-effect flowing 2) BACK TO the brain in the first two of these three areas could mean for a person, I took some liberties and looked up the symptoms of the person who has a stroke affecting these three areas.  (The cranial neural crest has more significance in embryonic development and stem cell research than the discussion here so I left it out.)  My findings are fascinating.  Please note that the exact symptoms will depend on which biological “electrical circuits” and junctions are affected since the structures are so small and interrelated; we cannot know for certain which structures will be affected.  Regardless, I have listed a few symptoms that I do experience from each of these respective areas during my own seizure attack or convulsive episodes.

  • Damage to Basal Plate Symptoms:  Loss of movement, such as stiff, rigid or weak muscles; tremors or body shakes; aphasia (difficulty speaking); changes in eye movements; or changes in motivation or personality.
  • Damage to Embryonic Pons Symptoms:  Weakness of upper and lower extremity (arm and leg on same side as damage); dysregulation from inhalation to exhalation (difficulty breathing); sleep paralysis (inability to move when falling asleep or after waking up and altered dreams); difficulties with balance (ataxia); dizziness due to vertigo; or clumsiness of a hand or arm.  A person with a severe stroke may need help with self-care or feeding as a result.

Wow.  These all have happened in some combination with each “tazoring” as I call it.  Thankfully there are higher parts of my brain in the cerebral cortex that appear unaffected and thankfully the symptoms are not permanent so far!  I would not be able to write this blog if the damage was permanent.  But I know I cannot overthink all of this.  After the onset of acute upper back pain two days ago, I feared what the range of random electrical charges on my weakened frame could do to my heart.  Or was it a heart attack?  Well, no.  I had gone too far.  Pain comes from thrashing around and will be dealt with when I return to physical therapy and chiropractic care sometime after dental surgery.

Wasn’t this interesting?  There is much hope in putting all of this together.  Please join me in praying for the Lord’s will in all of this.  And if it is the Lord’s will, I would love to have these two crazy teeth outta here ASAP!  Time for these little ones to go!  I prefer to be toothless in Indiana with crushed potato chips on my soup of the day instead of this saga continuing.  Even if my hypothesis was wrong, I am grateful for the mental stimulation, the challenge of the hunt.  I trust that the Lord will use all of this for His glory.  Maybe this insight will help someone, somewhere, someday?

And you know and Lord willing, this year I AM GOING TO GET WELL!!!  Yeah baby.  Take care Gentle Readers.  JJ

 

 

LOD, GF, SF, LDF, MF Smoothies CAN Be Done!

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Muppet French ChefWhen faced with extreme dietary measures, the faint of heart may indeed faint.  And so did I initially!  Now I am 5 days into a necessary pureed low oxalate, gluten-free, sugar (sweetener)-free, largely dairy-free, mold free diet and still alive.  Cool beans.  But without the beans of course!

Such is life when faced with the reality of dental issues triggering convulsive episodes.  What’s an occupational therapist on an extended leave to do about that?  Well, adapt and carry on!  So carry over your best mega-blender (favoring the Vitamix) and get it screaming.  This is going to be LOUD.

Notes:  these recipes lack sugar, sweetener, and most seasonings that “normal” people would add to make these foods taste better.  Persons not on a low oxalate diet will probably use almond, rice, or boxed coconut milk in place of the coconut milk listed.  Add these to your own taste.  The liquids always go in first; frozen foods are last.  Flavors generally intensify, especially when “cooked” in the blender at high speeds.  That generally translates to limiting the number of veggies or fruits as things can taste really weird with too many ingredients.  Adding avocado or cucumber can be o.k. for fruit smoothies if you add a little more fruit.  If you can, “chew” the liquid as you consume it to stimulate salivation; saliva aids in digestion and chewing helps you to feel more satisfied.  Lastly, I have not had much luck freezing completed concoctions.  However, I have had great results freezing small portions of yogurt and coconut milk:  when allowed to thaw some first, it seems to thicken fruit smoothies nicely!

Smoothies

Start with 4 oz. grass-fed plain yogurt (vanilla coconut or almond yogurt) and 4 oz. unsweetened coconut milk (canned or Caila Farms) in the bottom of the blender.

Add 1/4 cup frozen strawberries or blueberries.

Pour in your favorite protein powder:  3/4 scoop Whey to Go Lactose-Free Protein Powder.

To make the smoothie more sustaining, add up to 1/2 avocado, 1 T. oil (avocado, grapeseed, or other organic oils.  No olive oil here!)  The avocado also makes it very creamy without altering the taste or color.

Add whatever seeds, wheat germ, or nuts you can tolerate:  1 T. raw pumpkin seeds, 1 t. wheat germ.  If you have a yucky-tasting supplement you are taking, throw it in too!

Blend until smooth which is usually 1-2 minutes.  Note that you may need to turn the blender on and off, tamp down the frozen fruit to keep it in contact with the blade, or add larger strawberries one-at-a-time to protect your unit.  To make it thinner, add more liquid or blend it longer.  As with all of these recipes, use a spoon (or your fingers) to get all of the smoothie out of the blades, nooks, and crannies at the bottom of the Vitamix.  This stuff is gold and none should go to waste!

Soups from Leftovers

Place 4 oz beef (bone?) broth, about 1 1/2 cups of beef stew (or similar leftovers such as casserole), and about a cup of a single vegetable (if none are in the beef stew/casserole) in the blender.  Last night I added about 3/4 cup of frozen peas.  Yes, the smoothie was green but when hungry, you will close your eyes and get over that quickly!

Add at least 1/2 t. sea salt and don’t be surprised if you need more to make it taste better.  Soups are generally pretty salty foods.

To make the soup more sustaining, add 1 T. ghee/organic butter or oil (avocado, grapeseed, or other organic oils.  Olive oil is o.k. here if you like and are not LOD or MF.)

Blend for about 7 minutes or until the mixture is pulverized beyond recognition, heated, and steaming when you open the lid.  Thicken if needed with 1T. potato or corn starch.  Add starch in small batches after the mixture gets warm as it will thicken quickly!

This recipe might need less blending time if all of the vegetables are pre-cooked.  Taste with a spoon and adjust seasonings.  Give it a “cream of ____” name and enjoy in a mug or with a spoon in a bowl.  Or begin again with broth, salt, leftover potatoes (or other vegetable), a few roasted leeks or onions and about 2 T. plain yogurt for a yummy potato soup!  People pay big bucks for this type of delicacy at fancy restaurants you know!

Soups from Raw or Frozen Ingredients

Place 4-8 ounces of meat (or veggie, bone?) broth and half as much unsweetened coconut milk into the blender.  Add at least 1/2 t. sea salt and don’t be surprised if you need more to make it taste better.  Soups are generally pretty salty foods.

Add 4 oz. of cooked meat:  Low Sodium Boar’s Head turkey breast has no preservatives or spices; small chicken breast or larger thigh, 5 0z. can of cooked chicken breast, trimmed & cubed pork chop, etc.

Top with about a cup of 1-2 types of vegetables that taste good together and are not both green in color!  Frozen veggies in smaller pieces are easier on your blender, of course.  Mixed vegetables usually don’t taste very well IMO as there are just too many flavors!

To make the soup more sustaining, add 1 T. ghee/organic butter or oil (avocado, grapeseed, or other organic oils.  Olive oil is o.k. here if you like and are not LOD or MF.)

Note that you may have turn the Vitamix on and off, tamp down the ingredients, or add the frozen ingredients slowly to protect your blender.  Blend for about 7 minutes total or until the mixture is pulverized beyond recognition, heated, and steaming when you open the lid.  Thicken if needed with 1T. potato or corn starch.  Add starch in small batches after the mixture gets warm as it will thicken quickly!  If it tastes bad, add more salt (or seasonings if you can, especially onion and garlic).  Follow with labeling it a gourmet name as noted above.

Breakfast!

I generally eat either dinner leftovers or a meaty dish for breakfast so I have limited ideas for what might taste o.k. for the rest of the world!  In general, gluten-free instant oatmeal is softer than slow-cooked and can be made heartier with 1 t. of ghee/butter, mashed fruit, 1 scoop of Whey to Go, and powdered nuts/seeds/wheat germ.  I have pulverized very crispy bacon to a powder and added it for a fabulous and blood-sugar sustaining oatmeal in the middle of the night!  Remember to add the whey or protein powder LAST and after cooking; it cooks to an almost scary, crunchy brown texture in when microwaved!  (White rice) grits would probably also work well with ghee/organic butter.

*************

Well there you have it:  my survival plan until I can get some teeth pulled.  This will also be my menu right after the dental

procedure as well.  Thank the Lord and my Intended Beloved for the gracious gift of a Vitamix years ago!  Steve spoiled me one Christmas with a reconditioned unit and we have used it most days of the week since then.  See how the Lord is sooooooooo good to me?

Time for some more soup . . .  :JJ