Horizons Magazine

More about Andrea

Hello and welcome to the November 2004 issue of Horizons Magazine. You may
notice a little laxity in this issue, hopefully not too much - and I know you'll forgive
any typos and lack of precision in the layout, but it's been a hectic month and the
final magazine was pieced together at the last minute.

A hectic month, you ask? After the slow and easy months of September and October with all the hurricanes, you mean? Hehehehehe The Universe has an epic sense of humor and loves to create change to challenge us - I'm glad we're a lot more resilient than we think we are.

Last month, I wrote that after Hurricane Frances, I was without power for 10 days and galpals Suzie Miller and Sally Trimble let me stay at their place until it was restored. Although it was under stressful conditions, we managed to keep our senses of humor and had lots of fun. I'd drive home each morning and feed my kitties, and pass the long lines at the gas stations. I'd stop by the store to pick something up, only to be reminded upon entering the stores, that the selection was limited to unrefrigerated and unessential items. Remember that? The shelves all bare and folks afraid to drive anywhere because they wanted to keep a full tank of gas in case they had to evacuate for the next one? I had zero damage from Hurricane Frances, I felt very blessed.

Well, the next one was on its way and, as Hurricane Jeanne approached, I decided to stay home and not evacuate. Since the temperature had dropped about 10 degrees, being without power for a few days didn't seem so bad as long as it wasn't swelteringly hot without the a/c. I again went into my role as Vision Keeper: watching the weather on tv with the sound muted, sending blessings to those in need, meditating and praying for safe passage through the storm for everyone involved. The storm was very loud as it passed over, and I felt safe and sound in my house with my kitties. They were not as freaked out as I thought they might be, but perhaps they were taking their cue from me, and since I didn't seem worried about it, they didn't either. I lost power about midnight but had kept the house so cold the day before that I was nice and snug and comfortable and didn't mind the power was out.

The next morning as my good neighbors Doug & Trish Cobb came to check on me, I noticed that I had a few trees down, the main one being a big oak in my backyard, which was down on the roof of my back porch. To make a long story short, I had some cleanup to do, helped by handsome, hunky guys with chainsaws, and I spent another week at Suzie and Sally's. I received power about a week or so later, and moved back into the homestead, and everything was life as usual...

The day I was to begin working on final layout of this November issue, I first drove to Cassadaga to drop off magazines for the month, and had a good visit with friends there. I was about a mile outside Cassadaga on the way home, when I ran over a nail and got a flat. I called AAA who told me it would be a 3 hour wait. It was a nice day, and I didn't have to be anywhere, so I didn't mind if I had to wait. I wasn't convinced, however, that I had to wait.

I called Mike FeDora at the Cassadaga Bookstore to ask who in the area I might call, and he volunteered to come down to change the tire for me. My knight in shining armor! As he was unlocking the spare, the AAA guy came and asked if we had it under control or if we needed him (this was like 30 minutes after the call to AAA) and I thought I'd give Mike a break from doing the heavy work, so the AAA guy pulled out the spare and noticed it was flat.

My hero Mike drove the tire to a gas station to put air in it, while the AAA guy jacked up the van and took the tire off for us. When Mike returned, all he had to do was put the tire on and lock it down.

I was so glad he helped me, but what a way for him to spend his Saturday lunch hour! He directed me into the next town to a Tire Kingdom and I had them repair the tire. I began chatting with other customers there and we were having quite the good time. There was a funny movie on the tv with Nathan Lane called Mousetrap. It was a riot, and a fun way to spend an afternoon.

That was about the last of the fun for the next week. The next day, I thought I'd come down with a flu and spent a not so fun night being sick and feeling icky. It continued into the next day and, as the next evening approached, I dreaded the idea of being so sick and alone all night again. And I'm someone who loves to be alone! So I called my buddy Trish and asked her what she thought I might have and what I might do about it. Between she and Doug and Suzie, phone calls happened and decisions were made and the next thing I knew, Trish and I were in the emergency room at Palm Bay Community Hospital. At one point I felt so weak I had to lie down, which I did on the floor of the emergency room *ick* that's how out of it I was!

To make a long story short, apparently I had a gallstone become lodged in a bile duct, and it inflamed my pancreas, and my pancreas was causing all the trouble. Ouch, talk about pain! Owee kazowie! What caused the gallstones? Hmmmm, maybe my heavy, fried, red meat, lumberjack diet? A lot of people have gallstones and don't even know it. Sure, gallstones can cause trouble like mine did, but usually only after eating a fatty meal. And there are a lot of ways to dissolve gallstones once you're out of crisis. You don't have to have surgery to remove the gall bladder, despite what the doctors tell you. Remember, if you're talking to a surgeon, he is only trained to know about surgical alternatives. Thankfully they didn't have anyone available to take my gall bladder out right then when I said ok, and after I was out of crisis, I was permitted to go home to await a surgical appointment.

I'll share the email I sent after I returned home from the hospital. Enjoy:

Friends, hi, I'm out of the hospital and back home again. When I saw the doctor first thing Monday morning, he said my pancreas inflammation was halted and my lipase, etc. levels were all back to normal and, since I had no pain for about 24 hours, I was out of crisis and I could come home until they could schedule me for surgery in another week or so. Once I got home and stopped taking the pain medication, I began to think more clearly and did some research and considered my options. Largely thanks to info and guidance from David Rindge (321-728-9700) and his acupuncture and laser therapy, I'm opting to not have my gall bladder out, and have embarked on a program to resolve the situation without surgery. Dr. Rindge did such a remarkable job healing the carpal tunnel damage in both wrists after my car accident that I have every confidence in him and his advice.

Research indicates that I can dissolve the gallstones naturally and, if I change my diet (always heavy in fats, i.e. butter and red meat daily) I've got a great chance of this never happening again. I've never really dieted, I know very little about nutrition and so it will be fun to learn about an entirely new topic. If I change to a low fat diet and begin to look at each meal as a building block for renewed cell structure, that sounds like a do-able project. It will be fun to learn new ways to cook, and see what new foods I've never tried. I've never been much of a cook.

Since I came home, I've been researching online and like Dr. Andrew Weil's website at http://www.drweil.com/ as it has lots of neat info about nutrition. I also have been reading and talking to people who did and didn't get the surgery, and who did and didn't change their diet, and who did and didn't have recurring attacks. I am liking my gall bladder more and more and feel confident that I can resolve this issue. My research tells me that no one who changed their diet had the problem continue.

I have had zero pain since leaving the hospital. I'm a little tired but then I've been eating so far only applesauce, bananas, some strawberries and grapes, and a little chicken breast meat. I figure most of the ickiness I feel is my body detoxing from 7 days of Demerol, Dilaudid and two Percocet every 4 hours *yikes* I feel the major apple juice flush I am doing is helping clear the toxins out as well.

I went to the grocery yesterday and got some good foods to have on hand, replacing the inappropriate foods in my pantry and fridge. Having the right foods at my fingertips makes for faster, easier meal choices. My key is to look at each bite right now as a building block for cell structure renewal, something new for me.

I'm taking some GB*6 Chinese herbal medicine, as well as Traumeel, a homeopathic product that relieves pain and bruising and speeds up healing after an accident, injury or surgery. It also reduces inflammation. I'm also taking 1,000 mg of Ester C 3+ times during the day, as well as Bach Flower's Rescue Remedy.

Rescue Remedy is a combination of essences that is used in emergency situations to stabilize trauma. This first aid formula of flowering herbs was originally combined through the studies of Dr. Edward Bach, a homeopathic practitioner who pioneered working with subtle flower energies. Rescue Remedy consists of five essences: Star of Bethlehem, Rock Rose , Impatiens, Cherry Plum and Clematis. I have friends thru the years who swear by this stuff.

Here are the properties: Star of Bethlehem is a restorative remedy for calming anyone who has experienced shock or trauma. Rock Rose is recommended in the event of life threatening emergency. It calms the individual when experiencing extreme panic, terror, or hysteria, restoring strength and courage. Impatiens addresses metal stresses and tensions. It calms feelings of impatience and irritability. It slows the tendency to move too quickly without care or forethought. It's calming, and allows one to deepen his/her life experience without experiencing burnout. Cherry Plum addresses emotions of desperation and loss of control. This remedy helps one re-connect when the tensions and pressures of life are overwhelming. It brings mental calmness and emotional encouragement, allowing stresses and fears to be overcome. Clematis brings about focused awareness. It retards floaty or dreamy escapes. It is a grounding essence that wakes up the individual to better evaluate the present situation.

The Rescue Remedy must be working, I don't feel freaked out by the fact that I have no health insurance and a $20,000+ hospital bill to pay *hehe*

I had both doctors call me today and tell me I really need to schedule myself soon for surgery. Of course they think that. They aren't trained to offer alternatives to surgery, they are trained to do surgery! I told them both thanks and that I would let them know and I appreciate their help.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers, please keep them up for me. For now, I'm doing great and surgery is not on the agenda.

So, that's been MY month, how was yours? Enjoy our offering this month. Hari Om.

December 2004

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January 2005

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