Tag: Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome

When you find your voice again

Published on by Jesus is for the Wounded4 Comments

Perhaps it is a silent presence, a type of mindfulness that can speak as loud as a mountaintop yodel in a life-changing moment.  Or maybe you must shout it out, screeching through a resistant case of laryngitis just what is on your mind.  Then there are those measured words spoken through gritted teeth; oooooh, I hated when my mother uttered those when I was a child!  A crazy person makes sense only to his or herself when the disemboweled utterance emerges from the trouble soul within.  And the most agregious is the spine-tingling barbs of an angry person that can cut to the heart every time.  Sure wish I had more of the first one and less of the others in my history!

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger.  (Proverbs 15:1)

Yes indeed.

The seizure attacks came quickly this evening as soon as my face hit the head of the bed, elevated with folded blankets to promote sinus drainage and ease the chest compression of a recent infection.  My left arm was tucked along my left side with my head turned to the right as I lain partially face-down.  This position causes less neck and shoulder pain so it is often my go-to position when I sense the episode ramping up.  The head-banging and shoulder trauma are minimized but the wrenching of my neck is nasty.  Oh well, that’s what the chiropractor is for, right?  Sigh.

Eventually I screeched out some “help me Lord” utterances with what was left of my voice box today.  That came whilst straining to cry out to my Jesus with an acute illness on top of the mysterious seizure-like tics that plague me every morning, evening, and after exposure to noxious stimuli.  I can’t even cry right!  Then things got incredibly darker.  In defense of my sanity I won’t go into details here so let’s just say that frightful images passed through my mind.  Then in my mind’s eye I could see the images on my arms.  Just then I noticed that Steve was stooping over the side of the bed beside me in the dark.  Holy crap!  His sudden appearance in the dark scared me further.  My body writhed with seizures, now lying on my right side with Steve behind me.  My arms flailed in the air, my legs flapped together then apart, and the screeching sound of my hoarse voice screaming holy terror would exceed any scene I’ve viewed from a psycho thriller for sure.  But this was not a movie.  This was ME!

A few decades ago some really bad things happened to me when I was a kid.  I spent about 12 years as a young adult in many kinds of therapy, therapy groups, 12-step recovery groups (Al Anon Adult Children of Alcoholics), faith-based and 12-step weekend retreats, and reading tons of self-help books.  True healing came when I got saved and the person of Jesus Christ showed me his love, care for me, and plan for my life if I would follow His lead.  He was restoring the years the locusts had eaten (Joel 2:25) when I met my intended beloved and married Steve.  I felt happy and free at last.  Four years later I got very sick with viral hepatitis, Lyme disease, and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (related to mold).  I haven’t been able to work in two years largely due to the seizure attack episodes multiple times per day.  They are heartbreaking for both of us in addition to many other folks who have witnessed them too.

Over and over again I have searched for meaning, a purpose for this extended illness.  The incredible expenses of remediating our home for mold in early 2013 surely tested our marriage for sure.  We were living in a hotel while navigating a myriad of details and tough decisions as Steve travelled between work, home, and the hotel; his daughter chose to continue living in the house and help us out during the entire process.  Eventually our dog joined us in the hotel.  Eventually we completed the remediation, opted not to sell our house, and moved back home.  However, the seizure attacks never stopped!  By summer of 2013 they increased to up to 4 hours per day!  No medical professional or online research has found an answer yet.  Somehow Steve and I grew closer through it all as our hearts were breaking; the pain and suffering has been great.

Recently the Lord did show me a few tasks that needed to be completed in our marriage.  The love between Steve and I over these past 2 1/2 years has become strengthened, deepened because of this difficult journey.  We have now turned our residence into a “safe home” which restricts visitors or the conditions under which others may enter our home.  This helps prevent exposures for me that could cause a negative reaction (aka seizures!).  I love that my beloved is helping to protect me in this way so that I can get well.  I love that he has been faithful to the Lord and to me through this entire journey.  Others are watching us and I understand that we are doing some things right!  My own restoration and healing from the past may have provided a foundation for the important growth in me that has happened of late.  I am grateful to be able to recognize the good that is here along with the challenges.  There is always good along with the challenges if we look closely enough . . .

Back to the scene in the bedroom.  I asked Steve to move from where he was stooped behind me to the other side of the bed where he would be in front of me.  The uncontrollable hell that was ravaging my weakened frame was frightening enough not to have a sense that someone, even someone I dearly loved, was lingering over me from behind.  Steve knows all too well that if he touches me during an episode it can magnify the symptoms significantly.  I just couldn’t risk a casual brush of a hand; my distress was already unbearable.  Then the breakthrough began to happen.  Speaking up despite the hoarseness of my voice rose up some inner strength I had never sensed before.  I had to ride out the frightening images and thrashing about, my estimation of what weeping and gnashing of teeth might be like in a Biblical description of hell.  Tears came.  Silence followed.  I was able to ask for what I really needed when scared.

Soon my gracious and godly husband was gently sitting beside me.  I’m not sure if he was more horrified or moved to compassion!  We processed the scene.  His eyes held mind for a long time in the darkness before I was able to reach out and touch his arm.  Soon he was able to reach out with comforting touch for me as well.  Somehow we knew that my intolerance to intimate touch for the past 6 weeks was finally broken.  I was able to lie in the arms of my beloved once again.

My writing this story includes a great deal of literary and intellectual license.  I mean that I think I might know what is going on, the purpose and meaning in some of this suffering, but there is only one person who actually knows the truth:  my Heavenly Father.  I am glad that I found my voice in the darkness this evening.  I am glad that I survived a wretched scene without too much damage or lingering baggage.  I am grateful to have reconnected with Steve and that he could look beyond the ugliness to the beauty imbedded in this crazy journey together.  I trust that the Lord will go before us in the next scene and lead us in His way everlasting for His purpose and glory.  Lord willing it won’t be so bad next time.

Thank you, Jesus, for your redeeming grace.  You make all the difference in the world for me, tonight and always.  Thank you for your enduring mercy, giving me have the strength to do that to which you have called me (Philippians 4:13).  Be my voice in the darkness and in the light.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

 

The Nurse Who Wore Perfume

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Nurse Ratchet from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Nurse Ratchet from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

After about 4 hours breathing fresh oxygen being pumped with fluids, I revived after a most bizarre episode.  The Benedryl made things worse yet brought about 12 hours of slumber on and off into the next day.  Whew!  What an ordeal it was . . .

Such is life when battling biotoxin illness, multiple chemical sensitivity, mycotoxicosis, Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, or what-is-formerly-known-for-me-as Chronic Lyme Disease.  On Saturday I was counting the dollars and quarters from the neighborhood girls who bought friendship bracelets at our garage sale.  I noticed a familiar perfume scent on the money that reminded me of a houseguest not long ago.  Perhaps it was Flora by Gucci again?  Anyways, no sooner had I zip-locked everything into a sandwich baggie when I started to feel sickly.  Bizarre and violent seizures followed, ramping up and ramping down over the next hour.  Holy crap!

I knew I had overdone things somewhat working the garage sale and doing some yard work the day before.  But hey, we had some things to get rid of and were delighted to pass some items along for free.  The girls who bought the bracelets were adorable!  I couldn’t resist letting my initial Trinity Jewelry by Design originals go for 1/6 the original asking price just to see the smiles on their faces.  Of course the older sister next door would need and extra one for her sister who was away at a dance competition so 2-for-1 would be the best deal for her.  Same thing applied to her sister’s best friend who was in the midst of a little object lesson about not taking money from her mother’s purse to buy bracelets!  Lesson was learned and we had smiles all around.  I was so delighted to send them along and tell them the significance of the 3-bead design (for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!).  They looked down at their bracelets like they were hearing it for the first time.  That’s cool.  As they wear them each day I pray that the Lord brings more promptings of His love and gift of salvation through the Holy Trinity.

It’s Monday, I am breathing better today, and I feel reasonably stable.  The windows have remained closed as every-other neighbor seemed to be getting their lawns treated today with fertilizer and pre-emergent weed killers.  Ah the scents of Spring!  All fragrances don’t seem to bother me but I am not taking any chances one day after an imaginary trip to the ER.  Imaginary?  Oh sure, it’s all in my head you see.  They gave me a repeat psychiatric diagnosis probably leftover from the last time I was there over a year ago.  It didn’t matter that my biotoxin medical doctor from Michigan graciously called the hospital on my behalf with an update.  Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome just isn’t on their radar.  The ER Doc seemed to give the impression that he was understanding that the difficulty breathing, obvious seizure attacks, and intolerance to the cold hands of the admitting nurse were related to CIRS.  It has its own ICD-9 code don’t you know?  I guess they do not.  Out came the “non-epileptic seizures” and “feeling nervous” diagnoses.  I never said I was feeling nervous!  The third diagnosis was “tremors.”  Yeah, tremors that make your head bang aren’t really tremors are they?

Non-epileptic seizures have TWO causes:  1)  biological and 2) psychiatric.  Most medical professionals ignore the first cause.  If they were psychiatric they would happen only when I am under stress or have a need for secondary gain (like attention or control).  Sorry Doc.  These episodes happen unannounced, unprovoked, and at happy times.  They started with an exposure to a cyanobacteria when kayaking in a local reservoir with my beloved and some fun people.  I love my life with Steve and in general.  I am so blessed and grateful for so much even during this time of illness.  Armchair psychiatry without a work-up is wrong.  Test me.  I have nothing to hide.  So frustrating.

Shortly before the completion of the IV fluid and Benadryl treatment, a nurse came into the room to announce that the nursing shift had changed.  She checked the monitor and recorded my vitals before leaving the room in a puff of noxious and cheap perfume.  WHAAAAT?  Why do you think I am in the EMERGENCY ROOM NURSEEEE POO?  When she returned I gently but firmly asked her to leave and not return due to the same.  She said she had received “report” and knew why I was there.  HELLO?  ANYBODY HOME?  Two other nurses came in a bit later and before the IV pump alarm was set to go off (another sensory trigger).  I appreciated their timing and thanked them.  A bit roughly they disconnected the IV, removed the IV in my arm, and began to hurry us along.  Time to go!  I had to ask them to wait a moment as my body started seizing from the shock of the needle coming out of my arm.  Hey, it happens every time a needle goes in or out don’t you know? I really can’t make this stuff up don’t you know?  It simply isn’t worth it and would take too much energy anyways.  Just look at the outpatient records from the 21 IV magnesium treatments at that same hospital this past October and November.  Same reaction.

I felt numb on the way home.  My incredible husband made sure I was settled and quickly got outside to mow the lawn before dark.  I ate a light dinner as fast as I could to gain some strength before giving into the incredible fatigue.  Tic attacks woke me up several times as I slept for about a half of a day total.  The ordeal was over.  My third trip to the ER since becoming ill October 11, 2011 was over.

What do I do now, I wonder?  I mean there are binding agents that I can’t tolerate (chlolestyramine and Welchol) and one that I can (activated charcoal) tolerate but the latter doesn’t register on Dr. Richie Shoemaker’s biotoxin illness protocol.  During a wretched episode earlier last week the Lord gave me some insight that the activated charcoal might work better for me.   So a few grains of AC is all I am doing for treatment in addition to my own election for a mold-free, Candida, low oxalate diet.  Oh yes, and our home will become a safe-zone to reduce exposures.  Sadly there will be no more monthly home group.  I spent the last one in my bedroom with seizure attacks while the group worshipped, prayed, and fellowshipped in our living room.  Even the hint of fragrance amongst them was too much for me.  Sigh.  I  need the fellowship Lord!  And what about the friends and family who will be in town for my husband’s son’s wedding next month?  This is a heartache for both of us right now.  I love Steve’s adult children and his family.  I am grateful for them.  I guess I’ll be Skyped into the bridal shower . . .  And I doubt that I will be able to enjoy playing hostess to family that has not seen our home beautified since they were last here for our wedding 7 years ago.  It’s just so very risky.  Maybe it will be warm enough to visit on our lovely patio.  Hope so.

Oh well.  We’ll figure out something.  We always do.  Better leave that one for a future blog.  More prayer is needed before then fer shur.  JJ

Time for a change

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From Family Practice Physician to Lyme Literate Medical Doctor, from Chiropractor to Obgyn, our medical doctor tries to do it all.  I have benefitted from his expertise yet I am still not well.  And when I saw the redness and exhaustion in his eyes during my appointment this evening I realized that he is not well either!

Everyone who sees this gifted physician knows his crazy schedule, his dedication to help everyone in his care, and his history of nearly dying a couple of years ago with his own debilitating illness.  We used to hear how his office conversion to the government mandated computer system was responsible for incredible stress and delays in appointment times.  For example, it was not unusual to call the office in the morning about an appointment scheduled for 10:00 a.m. and not be called in for my appointment until 4:00 p.m. or later.  Forget the ones scheduled after 3:30 p.m. as they were usually rescheduled.  For awhile about one-third of my appointments were re-scheduled, delaying receiving test results or reviewing the status of a particular medical condition for months.  Frustrating indeed.

Yet when there was an acute issue, the Doc was right on it.  When something new popped up I was sent to the hospital in another section of the medical park for labs or scans, held in the waiting room for results, and sometimes seen back in the office much later that night.  To be seen well into the evening was not an unusual occurrence.  My record was an appointment that started at 2:30 a.m.!  He had one more patient after me and had just received notice that one of his pregnant patients was going into labor.  He must have never gone home that night or morning!  Dedication had become insanity.  We talked about it during that visit.  He agreed.  I understand that some scheduling and office procedure changes were put in place for this new year.  As near as I can tell, the staff and Doc are ending their nights before midnight now.  Virtually the same story, different day.

I recently blogged about some important abnormal test results being misplaced for six months.  That has happened another time as well.  Tonight there was only enough time to go over about half of a detailed genetic cholesterol study.  He handed it to me and said, “here, you take this.”  Whaaat?  He thought the “high CBD hemp oil” that I reported was reducing the seizure attacks 40% was vitamins C, B, and D.  Er, no!  After correcting the computer’s voice recognition software two dozen times, I believe he understood what I was saying:  sitting there with my ventilation mask on to avoid seizure attacks from some mysterious exposure in the office.

Mysterious was the exposure until I asked one of the nurses about it.  I had asked before and a different nurse declined comment.  And yet tonight in her own fatigue, a long-time employee openly shared how their office has routine leaks in the ceiling throughout the summer.  The staff has complained about the musty smell and requested testing for mold spores.  Evidently the tests came back “negative.”  The nurses still battle sickness at work.  A friend of mine who is a patient there can detect the musty smell but I cannot.  I just get tic attacks sitting in the treatment room for 2 hours waiting for the Doc!  My worst episode lasted 2 1/2 hours NON-STOP began after midnight dominated by convulsions most of the time!  My husband came to pick me up around 4:00 a.m.!  I’m sure that exhaustion and stress were a factor being in the office so late that night but hey, I was sitting in a water damaged building to be seen by my doctor for mold illness!  Whaaaat?  Soon after that I started wearing a mask every visit!

I have learned so much from my brilliant Doctor.  He is a Christian man who really cares about his patients.  He has provided better care for me for six years here in this smaller Indiana town than I ever received in the large metropolitan area of Chicago.  When my health got significantly worse 2 1/2 years ago I hung in there with him, hopeful that we would find answers.  I was also unsuccessful finding another MD or clinic to address the intractable seizures, pain, etc.  Gratefully, the Lord has now led me to another clinic in Michigan with two physicians specializing in methylation issues and biotoxin (mold) illness, respectively.  After three phone consultations, extensive paperwork, and additional lab testing completed, my husband and I are preparing for my first in-person visit on March 24th.  We will stop at a lab near the clinic for additional blood work to better match Dr. Richie Shoemaker’s protocols for “Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome.”  My current MD and I have worked closely on Dr. Shoemaker’s protocol yet neither of us are officially trained; this led to using the wrong laboratories, incomplete test results when the samples were not processed correctly, and improper sequencing of the treatment plan.  Two very expensive medications from an out-of-state compounding pharmacy either did not work or made me much worse.  We tried!  The biotoxin illness Doc at the new clinic works closely with Dr. Shoemaker and is a Christian too.  I am encouraged.  Lyme disease is not the focus at the moment and that’s o.k.

So it’s time for a change.  I still have appointments on the books with my primary care physician as someone will need to monitor ongoing health issues not covered by the new clinic.  He has asked for copies of all of the testing and reports so I am happy to oblige.  With the Lord’s help I will continue tweaking the dose of high CBD hemp oil in hopes of reducing even further the seizure attacks and noxious symptoms that follow.  The Lord is guiding me step-by-step, including through the spiritual leadership of my beloved Steve.  I am so glad I heeded hubby’s advice and did not start seeing every expert who sounded good on the internet!  When moments are better for me, we celebrate and don’t think about the bad times.  We both see examples of how the Lord has used this season in our lives for His glory.  We are closer than ever, more in love than ever before and for that I am grateful.  I am closer to Christ than ever before as well knowing that He heard my truly desperate cries for help the night before I first started the CBD oil.  I was ready to die and it was not to be.  I was spared from further anguish and suffering, turning a corner to better things at last.

If you are suffering this day, this night:  do not give up!  There’s a blogger praying for you Gentle Reader.  More importantly the God Who created the universe knows your name, sees you, knows your pain, and gave his life so that one day your heartache would end.  Please draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.  He will never leave you or forsake you.  Everything will be worked together for good someday if you but call upon the Lord and let Him into your heart.  These statements are based upon His Word and promises that are true today and always.  The Great Physician will see you through, always my dear one.  Take care,  JJ

CBD Hemp Oil and Seizures

Published on by Jesus is for the Wounded9 Comments

Personal Update:  I continue to experience a 40% overall improvement in seizure activity and related noxious symptoms just 16 days after starting high CBD hemp oil (HCBDHO).  After 2 1/2 years of serious complications to Lyme, mold, Candida and biotoxin illness:  I am amazed!

Here’s the research that I found that led me to discovering this LEGAL alternative to medical marijuana (more on that in a moment):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7413719

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7028792

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22696383

After seeing that there was authentic clinical research supporting the use of “cannabis” for epilepsy, even though I was diagnosed with non-epileptic seizures, I wondered how I might obtain it.  Purchasing medical marijuana when it’s not legal in your State is a complicated process and risky.  Some persons have obtained State I.D.’s in the state where MM is legal, set up post office boxes and even used the addresses of friends or family who live in the MM state.  I did not feel comfortable with this, even though I was suffering tremendously on a daily basis.

The story of Charlotte changed everything.  Charlotte was 5 years old when her parents became heartbroken over the hundreds of daily seizures their precious daughter had as part of Dravet’s syndrome.  Her father researched alternatives to the myriad of medications that were not working and found CBD medical marijuana.  Finding some to try was difficult even in Colorado where MM is legal since CBD is generally in concentrations too low to make a difference.  CBD can reduce the “high” and confound the benefits of THC found in MM; it was long ago cultivated out of most strains.  The parents found the Stanley brothers who had high CBD hemp, were willing to grow it for Charlotte, and were willing to sell it to them with the proper orders from two pediatricians as required in Colorado.   Charlotte’s seizures stopped for days after the first dose!  She is now gaining in all developmental milestones and reclaiming her young life much to the delight of her parents.  Other parents around the world are flocking to Colorado to get on the waiting list for Charlotte’s Web:  the high CBD cannabis.

I believe it is the Lord who allowed me to ask the question of whether or not CBD (cannabidiol, a type of cannibinoid) is available in other types of cannabis.  While medical marijuana and hemp are the same genus of cannabis but the species containing mostly THC is generally cannabis sativa and the species containing mostly CBD is generally cannabis indica.  From here I will call CBD/cannabis indica:  hemp.  Industrial Hemp is another term for non-psychoactive cannabis.

Industrial hemp is grown outside of the USA and imported for hemp fiber products, oil with elevated essential fatty acids, and more.  When cultivated for high CBD, hemp oil has more physical effects and can be sedative as it acts upon the endocannibinoid system of our cell walls.  There’s a lot of technical stuff here so I’ll save that for another post.  THE TAKE HOME MESSAGE is that you do not have to use MM to get the benefits of high CBD hemp oil:  HCBDHO can be extracted from hemp plants as a nutritional product and that product is LEGAL in all 50 of the United States of America!

Industrial Hemp is grown outside of the USA for fiber, cleaning up soil contamination, fuel, clothing, paper, oil high in essential fatty acids, and CBD oil.
Industrial Hemp is grown outside of the USA for fiber, cleaning up soil contamination, fuel, clothing, paper, oil high in essential fatty acids, and CBD oil.

From here I set out to figure out how a person takes HCBDHO, how is it dispensed, who sells the best products for me, and what companies are reputable.   I did not want a product from a start-up company with an inferior product laced with flavorings, fillers, and sweeteners.  I needed a concentration that would be effective and cost-effective as pure oils can be pricey.  I wanted a company who could answer my questions and had sound business practices to indicate that it would still be there for me next month and next year when I got well.  I believe I have found that product and that company.  (For more information and information on how to obtain a discount, contact me via the Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/seizurefreezone)

Today I just wanted to share that for persons with seizures and seizure-like episodes, there will be hope for many in the use of high CBD hemp oil.  It’s been here all along, running under the radar of controversial medical marijuana.  Who knew?  Now you do too!  Please share this information with others who might be interested!

P.S.  Relief for persons with seizures is just the beginning.  Just Google any of the key words written here “and” a medical condition or symptom (for example CBD and fibromyalgia). You just might be delighted with what you find!

P.P.S. Watch an informative video by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a former White House Fellow under the Clinton Administration at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4GUkzTnFG0   Remember to watch for the mentioning of CBD, THC, or ratios of the two together.   Of course, preparations with THC will require purchase in a State where MM is legal!  :J

Sometimes you just know

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13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.  (John 16)

Jesus spoke these words as he was instructing the disciples about the Holy Spirit they would receive at Pentecost.  These words came hours before He was to be arrested, tried and convicted of crimes He did not commit.  He would be tortured, beaten and crucified in fulfillment of the scriptures that were written hundreds of years before He was born.  All of this happened so we could be saved from the consequences of our sin and live forever with Him in heaven.  For those who believe in Him, He dwells in their hearts, comforted and counseled by the Holy Spirit.  Call it supernatural intuition if you like.  Sometimes you just know something to be true, the right way to go.  For followers of Jesus Christ, walking in the Spirit of truth is a smidgen of heaven on earth:  one’s heart can be at peace at last.

I experienced this today.  A phone consultation with a second physician within a week brought hope.  I felt like my heart was at home in her care.  I was moved to tears when Dr. B. confided in me her faith in the Lord, shared how she had reviewed my records at length in preparation for our appointment, and led me through a plan that incorporated everything that has transpired in the past 2 years.  She has experienced biotoxin illness herself and has worked with the leading authority in the United States on this topic.  Her gentleness calmed my fears.  She listened.  Hey guys:  I am going to get well!

This next phase in my “Hope Beyond Lyme” journey will likely take another year.  The treatment steps will include baby steps such as 1/4 tablets of medication, micro nutrition, retesting at better labs, and plenty of out-of-pocket expenses.  At this point I am trusting the Lord to provide, to guide.  My husband has been a great spiritual leader during this time of illness and I know he will lead us in these next steps as well.  I am so glad I followed his advice not to fly across the country for medical consultations!  We could not have afforded it anyways.  And now the Lord has provided help from a clinic just a 2 1/2 hour car ride away.  Pure Michigan.  I’m going home to my home State for healing!

O.K. I don’t know if everything will be rosy but hey, I have hope again.  Gentle Reader, isn’t that just swell?  :J