tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84653443369952272292024-03-12T18:04:17.866-04:00My Crohn's LifeThere are 5 million people in 36 countries living with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis with no known cause or cure. I was diagnosed with Crohn's at the age of 47. This site shares how I've learned to live without medication, and is a resource for those who want to create awareness. TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-43689155728719907662021-12-28T16:48:00.003-05:002021-12-30T12:53:39.360-05:00Taking Things to an Extreme<p>I thought that now that I'm only working part time, that I would start to be more active here again. I had a flare up that started back in May of 2020, and I still don't have things under control. I have crappy insurance, or you really can't even call it insurance, it's Medi-share. And they don't cover a pre-existing condition so therefore nothing with my Crohn's is applicable. </p><p>My GI doc wants me to go on a biologic, yet, I'll have to get vaccines and such in order to be able to handle the reduced immune system, so I'm going a little radical in my attempt to get this under control over the next couple months. Bottomline, even though I have been managing sysmptoms, the ulcers in the colon are deep and chronic and if they don't heal, it will result in the removal of a portion of the colon so I have to get some healing going on. </p><p>So what I'm doing now is a fasting mimicking diet once a month for 5 days and sometimes more often. I have a recent post on ProLon: <a href="http://tammyscrohnslife.blogspot.com/2018/11/prolon-fmd.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE </a>. ProLon is a product sold by L-Nutra, which is a fasting mimicking diet (FMD). Dr. Valter Longo, the author of the Longevity Diet, is behind this product, and behind many studies on the product. They are right now in human trials for their product to be approved a Crohn's and UC treatment. The clinical trial on mice showed massive promise. </p><p>So although I'm not in their trial, I am following a FMD right now for the second time in 2 months, and then I will follow a mediteranian/longevity diet in between cycles. I plan on doing this every month. So I start on a Sunday, finish on Thursday and have a transition day on Friday. Then three Sunday's later I will do it again.</p><p>I'm doing this as well as taking Mesalamine. I've had loose stools for about four months now, which clearly is not good, and I can't afford a biologic until my new insurance kicks in, which by the way isn't that much better because our annual deductible is $8k, but Stelara's $23k per treatment, so without the insurance it isn't any where within reach. So I'm going with this insurance for a year so I can get the treatment I need. </p><p>However, I can't get into my GI doc until the end of February, so I'm doing the FMD a total of 4 times total prior to that appointment and with any luck, I will get things under control and not need the biologic. But if not, then I'm going to have to do what I've never wanted to do in order to get these ulcers under control. </p><p>We will see what happens. So Prolon is not cheap. It's $189 for five days of food. I'm a functional nutrition practitioner these days, which is a topic for another blog, so I get a professional discount, but bottomline, it's still not cheap. So I found a way to do the FMD easy. It's boring as shit, but it's cheap comparatively speaking. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihFHSG7PQjT09mpIY50s5fVEsCjRI2-5vwVZg9fY6EhKCJppaTUHuHRpzXXxZHD2RbmEbDpx6mhkAsukDuavijXTWciE1QfZ-FajfRTHdbyHSqljuaZuXjsj0tnkPsoFoxpmCrptY6-FFFBdC-5yZlt5fFkLYzMKY5wptKwH-4YJurxGQOJB7ptvJW=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihFHSG7PQjT09mpIY50s5fVEsCjRI2-5vwVZg9fY6EhKCJppaTUHuHRpzXXxZHD2RbmEbDpx6mhkAsukDuavijXTWciE1QfZ-FajfRTHdbyHSqljuaZuXjsj0tnkPsoFoxpmCrptY6-FFFBdC-5yZlt5fFkLYzMKY5wptKwH-4YJurxGQOJB7ptvJW=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So here's the deal. Each day you eat between 25 and 40% of your basal metabolic rate. Which equates to 3-5 calories per pound. So I'm 138 right now, so that means my total calories need to be between 414 and 690 daily. And the macro nutrients need to be whole foods, organic, non-gmo, and need to be 9-11% protein, 27-44% fat, and 47-62% carbs. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, 5.3 ounces of avocado, 8 ounces of kombucha, and 1 serving of Feel Great 365 superfood greens, equals one meal in the proper ratio. So if I have that for lunch and dinner a couple days, and then have the Prolon three days one cycle, I can spread the Prolon over 2 cycles. So that's what I'm doing right now. My goal is to find a couple other easy ways to accomplish what's necessary so I can have more variety. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The avocado approach equates to a higher fat ratio, but with avocados being a medium chain triglyceride, they are easy to digest, not to mention it is already in a pre-digested format, so it's very easy on the gut. And I simply love them. Not to mention, fat is more satisfying to hunger than carbs so leaning on the higher fatt of this ration is perfect. However, I only recommend getting the fat from fruits, vegetables and nuts. No animal fats allowed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0Charlotte, NC, USA35.2270869 -80.84312676.9168530638211578 -115.9993767 63.537320736178849 -45.6868767tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-31333350726775134392021-12-10T12:09:00.034-05:002021-12-10T12:09:09.902-05:00Prolon FMDThis blog was originally posted back in November 2018, but it warrants an update. L-Nutra, who makes the Prolon fasting mimicking diet (FMD) conducted a study on IBD and this product with phenominal results. Now the test was done on mice, not humans, but it prompted a human study which is being conducted right now. <div><br /></div><div>Additionally, I'm in the middle of a small flare. So I'm on day 5 of the 5 day plan, and I decided to look up on Pub Med any updates on fasting mimicking diets and this is what I found. This study has convinced me that I'm going to do the plan once a month for 4 consecutive months. Check out the study here: <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6528490/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6528490/</a>. <div><br /></div><div>It seems like extending the number of days on the plan would make sense to do to get quicker results, but this study indicates that the growth and replacement of damaged intestinal tissue occurs strongly during the re-feeding that follows after their one cycle FMD Prolon plan.</div><div><br /></div><div>Additionally, I would always do a 3 day water fast when I had any issues with bowel movements that lead me to believe I was heading into a flare up. This article explains how fasting with food, as in this FMD is actually better than a water fast for rejuvination.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, between the time I posted this in 2018, I returned to college and became a functional nutrition practitioner and Prolon is offered in my practice, usually at a reduced price. You can buy it <a href="https://gchiropractic.gethealthy.store/" target="_blank">here: https://gchiropractic.gethealthy.store/</a>. Search ProLon in that online store for all of the options.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now the information below, is all part of the original post back about two years ago.</div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><div><br /></div><div>Rich and I completed a fasting mimicking diet. It's much easier than the water fasting I have done in the past when my Crohn's was acting up. It's a little on the pricy side, but it is nothing compared to the cost of a stem cell injection and you get similar benefits.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZf8VQ36SixguhuaNfo-i2eV4l9L9izQgcXbYzogMmUzACfZIOtf5iIQWD5XvOcLnvLhyukN5o27PyIrh_QOZXzxnpGslLyiHwhPYY1mOyWs_sFJnwIrIeFZm3KDJCt6MDZEUAXsXrYhE/s1600/prolon-set-3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="805" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZf8VQ36SixguhuaNfo-i2eV4l9L9izQgcXbYzogMmUzACfZIOtf5iIQWD5XvOcLnvLhyukN5o27PyIrh_QOZXzxnpGslLyiHwhPYY1mOyWs_sFJnwIrIeFZm3KDJCt6MDZEUAXsXrYhE/s640/prolon-set-3.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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The food tastes probably better than what you might expect, but a little bland. However, it's excellent quality, vegan, gluten free and non-gmo. Regardless, I feel great and lost exactly 5 lbs in 5 days, and that wasn't my main objective.<br />
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To justify the price I consider the $3.50 ish I spend a day on vitamins and an approximate $35 per day I would have spent on food if it was already prepared, and I can easily justify $45 per day to have something super convenient, that takes no more than 4 minutes to prepare.<br />
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On the other side of things, if I were to buy everything and create it myself, that may take so much time and effort, that for the first few times, it's simply going to be easier to use their product. I do have some ideas how to do it without getting it from Prolon, but I don't think that I'll save that much. It will be more about getting variety.<br />
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Regardless, it was very painless. The only side effect I had was a headache on day 2 and my appetite was a challenge on day 3. By day 5 I could have extended it a couple additional days, but only extended it one day, mostly because I didn't have to food supply on hand to extend it further.<br />
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Check out their website to see the additional benefits if you're interested: <a href="https://prolonfmd.com/clinical-results/" target="_blank">prolonfmd.com</a>. <br />
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My goal is to replace all of my autoimmune t-cells with healthy cells and concur my Crohn's. I am super excited about the results that have occurred with a FMD and am focused on doing what I can do to continue to manage this disease without medication.</div></div></div>TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-32926247258517655792018-10-28T21:30:00.002-04:002018-10-28T21:32:18.513-04:00Photobiomodulation<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">I attended a portion of the NC Chiropractic Convention and attended a Low Level Light Therapy (LLLt) seminar that addressed many protocols. Dr. Christopher Carraway, a Chirpractic Neurologist that is brilliant as it relates to understanding the nervous system and how to use LLLT, also known as Photobiomodulation, for treating a myriad of issues. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">One Doctor attending asked if he had ever used the Laser (which is how the light is administered) for Crohn's. He had not, but I have. And it was amazing that about 10% of the attendees had someone close to them with Crohn's or ulcerative colitis. With that said, I thought it would be a good idea to share my Crohn's protocol. This protocol is specific to Multiradiance Medical's LLLT devices. But I suspect your practitioner would know the translation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">I want to mention that I am not a practitioner, although my husband is a Chiropractor, so this and anything on this site should be considered my story, versus medical advice. Feel free to take anything mentioned to your practitioner to see if it could help you, however:)</span></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">During
a Flareup</span></u><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Local
treatment: 1000-3000 Hz 3 minutes per location daily: Use the Laser Stim at the
same frequency to identify the abnormalities. Once an abnormality is
identified, use the Shower for 3 minutes at that location. And then begin to
find the next abnormality. Once found treat the new area with the Laser Stim
until the 3 minutes of the Shower is complete at the prior location and then
begin 3 minutes of Shower at the new location. Complete this process for 8 to
10 locations if necessary to treat all abnormalities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Systemic:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">5000 Hz lumbar spine with additional time at any areas
of subluxation. I have a bulging disc at L4/5 so I treat this area for
about a minute with an additional couple minutes scanning the lumbar area.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">50 Hz 45 seconds at multiple locations on each tibia as
well as the iliac daily. I am a big believer in cell autophagy as part of
the healing process when in remission, and am convinced that additional
stem cell generation will turnover deficient cells. For severe cases, I
would suggest coupling this with fasting, then the body also protects
healthy cells. I specifically recommend a fasting mimicking diet (check
out the Longevity Diet by Valter Longo) in conjunction with this treatment
to improve the amount of immune deficient t-cells that get replaced with
healthy t-cells. Adding treatment to stimulate stem cell production I
believe is essential to any immune deficiency disease. However, I haven’t
been in a flareup since implementing this treatment, so my belief is
theoretical, but well founded.</span></li>
</ul>
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<u><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Remission</span></u><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
objective in remission is to heal any ulcers and scar tissue. As soon as
c-reactive protein and sedimentation rates are back to normal I would begin
this treatment. Even though I’ve been in remission for a couple years, I do the
systemic treatment regularly. Lumbar spine area seldom, but the PHT and Stem
Cell stimulation very often.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Local
treatment: 5-50 Hz Laser Stim Dose where necessary<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Systemic:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">PHT 50 Hz – 5 minutes: Aorta artery above the superior
mesenteric artery<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">1000 Hz – Lumbar Spine – Laser Stim Dose<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">50 Hz 45 seconds at multiple locations on each tibia as
well as the iliac</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
suggest any UC or Crohn’s sufferers to be take 500 IU and up to 1000 IU during
flareups, of vitamin D3 and 200 mcg K2 daily. D3 is a must have supplement as
well as EFAs for Crohn’s and UC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-17568296729794053512018-10-23T16:26:00.003-04:002018-10-23T16:35:18.336-04:00The Fasting Mimicking Diet<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">What if there was a way to remove the immune deficient t-cells in your body and replace them with healthy cells? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">I am super excited I have to admit. I went to my primary care physician for an epipen refill and we somehow go</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">t on the topic of stem cell transplants for autoimmune diseases. He suggested that I read the book the Longevity Diet by Dr. Valter Longo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Throughout the book Dr. Longo made many hopeful comments for IBD as it related to his Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD). I recently began doing some research on Google Scholar and found that he has applied for a patent to use the FMD that he refers to in his book has a diet to treat IBD. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">On May 11, 2017, he applied for a patent for the FMD as an immunoregulatory treatment for gastrointestinal autoimmune/inflammatory diseases and was issued a Patent Pending on November 16, 2017. Here are some of the results of this diet:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Reduced intestinal inflammation/colitis severity</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Increased corticosterone production, with broad anti-inflammatory effects</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Altered both innate and adaptive immune response and cytokines </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Prevented colon shortening</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Caused Colon regeneration</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Reduced innate immune response</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Reduced adaptive immune response</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Reduced autoimmune associated cytokines production</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Bottom line is that this diet put the body into an autophagy state, which is when the body eliminates defective cells and replaces them with healthy cells. This includes the immune dificient T-cells that are a major culpret contributing to Crohn's and colitis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Check out the diet section for more details. I am beginning my first cycle of the FMD on 11/11/18.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Sooooo excited. This is the first I've actually seen clinical evidence that there is a way to get rid of the immune deficient cells. I'm all in for giving this a try for the three cycles recommended. It may become a quarterly way of life...</span></div>
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<br />TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-61269295499992529772017-11-14T22:17:00.002-05:002017-11-14T22:23:15.953-05:00Why We Need SleepSleeping less than six or seven hours a night demolishes your immune system. According to Matthew Walker, PhD and author of <i>Why We Sleep.</i> I go back in time and think about when I was diagnosed with Crohn's and have to admit it was a time in my life that I was getting less than six hours sleep on a regular basis.<br />
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<br /></div>
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Is it possible that my lack of sleep for the months preceding my diagnosis was the cause of my Crohn's? If so, that really sucks!</div>
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He explains a study in which one group had seven to nine hours sleep each night for six days, and compared it to a group that were restricted to only four hours a sleep those days. The group that got ample sleep showed a powerful antibody response to a flu shot, reflecting a healthy immune system. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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The group that had four hours sleep produced less than 50% of the immune reaction of the well slept group. Similar responses occurred to vaccines tested. Worse yet, the sleep deprived group showed diminution in immune cells a year following this lack of sleep. Wow! </div>
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<br /></div>
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Dr. Walker explains in his book that according to Dr. Michael Irwin at the University of California, who has performed studies on sleep deprivation affects your cancer-fighting immune cells, just a single night of this type of sleep deprivation sweeps away 70% of the natural killer cells circulating in the immune system as compared to a full eight-hour.</div>
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<div>
I'm going to explain the best I can as to how and why a lack of sleep causes cancer, because what I'm reading seems that the same thing could cause Crohn's. There isn't anything in the book that studied Crohn's but the same logic could certainly apply.</div>
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<div>
The sympathetic nervous system is the "fight or flight" response we have when we are stressed. It's what increases our heart rate, why we sweat, breathe heavy, etc. It also will create inflammation as a way to deal with a physical threat. When we lack sleep, our sympathetic nervous activity will go into overdrive, and this inflammation response that is supposed to be temporary remains. </div>
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Cancer feed on inflammation. With Crohn's being an inflammatory disease, doesn't it make sense that this prolonged state of inflammation could cause other responses by the body? I'm hopeful this research will result in inflammatory bowel diseases and lack of sleep. </div>
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What I definitely have learned, is sleep is essential to a healthy body, brain, immune system, etc. and certainly part of a remission plan.</div>
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</div>
TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-9886045031042164602017-08-27T01:30:00.000-04:002017-08-27T01:30:21.928-04:00One Year of RemissionIt's been crazy that I have been in remission for a year. Here's been my recipe:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>I have eliminated gluten from my diet</li>
<li>Stay away from anything spicy</li>
<li>Only chicken and fish for non vegetarian protein</li>
<li>No Cow products</li>
<li>Get 7-8 hours rest daily</li>
<li>Get rid of the stress</li>
<li>Take Omega 7s, 3s, Protease and quality supplements</li>
<li>Goat colostrum daily</li>
<li>Probiotics and prebiotics</li>
<li>Kombucha (home brewed)</li>
<li>Exercise</li>
<li>Frequency therapy every two to three months</li>
</ol>
<div>
I'll be candid with you, I don't know if all of this is contributing to medication free remission, but I'm not willing to give anything up to find out. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Do you notice how much of my remission is diet related? Although most GI doctors won't admit that diet has anything to do with getting Crohn's, I'm convinced it does. If diet can control it, how can it not contribute to getting the disease?</div>
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<div>
I've been drinking a lot of ginger kombucha and even love adding juiced ginger to water and sparkling water, I was in remission well before this ginger kick. Nevertheless, ginger is supposed to be great for your digestive track and inflammation.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Another great thing...goat and sheep cheese I have no difficulty with at all. So I still eat cheese. Wooo Whooo!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hope you all are hanging in there. Stay cool.</div>
TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-1096949670808211962016-09-25T12:52:00.000-04:002017-08-27T01:18:59.039-04:00Possible EFA To Help Crohn's or ColitisOkay all, I have found something good to share with you. Most of us know that Essential Fatty Acids are good for managing inflammation. A rheumatologist I have seen in the past associated with inflammation in my ankle recommends 4000 ml of Omega 3 (fish oil) daily for his rheumatoid arthritis patients, so I began taking that as well, since Crohn's is another form of immune deficiency disease of inflammation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQ9LjnyvcuKfuGu7WQVfAK5iZFTfK9YrVRa05uUPv7PbRmVJWX2LS2Kp_ymj4ac0rPeD8HN58ZKVQEpSTWyPdc9SMdCbYVEyHkX3P13PxfkepRM8eqI6Ucdam4uYFKJjgz9PkACdJ3Gs/s1600/Sea-buckthorn1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="450" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQ9LjnyvcuKfuGu7WQVfAK5iZFTfK9YrVRa05uUPv7PbRmVJWX2LS2Kp_ymj4ac0rPeD8HN58ZKVQEpSTWyPdc9SMdCbYVEyHkX3P13PxfkepRM8eqI6Ucdam4uYFKJjgz9PkACdJ3Gs/s320/Sea-buckthorn1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are other types of Essential Fatty Acids and I accidentally found one that I think may be very beneficial to the digestive tract, because it is known to repair mucous membranes.<br />
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Mucous membranes line parts of the body that lead to the outside. Examples of mucous membranes are the lining of the digestive tract, the lining of the urogenital tract, and the lining of the respiratory tract.<br />
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There is a growing list of clinical studies showing multiple beneficial effects of Omega 7 on mucous membranes. In one clinical study involving 30 cases of peptic ulcer, the patients took about 5,000 mg of sea buckthorn oil (the most potent source of omega 7) daily for one month. The cure rate was 76.6% and a total effective rate of 96.7% was reported. That is very very promising.<br />
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Another study used the same oil as a treatment for 116 peptic ulcer patients. 71 Had duodenal ulcers and 45 had gastric ulcers. Once again, oral application of this fatty acid relieved pain and quickened the repair process of tissues and mucous membranes.<br />
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There are numerous studies on animals showing similar results for a range of gastrointestinal issues.<br />
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Although the sea buckhorn berry oil is the most potent source of this omega 7 essential fatty acid (palmetoleic acid), you can also find it in the following foods:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Macadamia nut oil - 17.3%</li>
<li>Cod liver oil - 7.1%</li>
<li>Salmon - 6.0%</li>
<li>Olive oil - 1.4%</li>
<li>Eggs - .3%</li>
<li>Soybean Oil - .08%</li>
</ul>
<div>
I have begun taking this EFA about a week ago. Some of the research I have hound has indicated that significant results may take up to 90 days. I have also found that getting the oil from the berry fruit, versus its seeds, have greater results.</div>
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I'll update you on my Crohn's progress as I continue this supplement. I'm taking 1800 mg daily, added to my 4000 mg of omega 3s. Right now I am not in remission, but I am controlling inflammation, so now is a good time to test this supplement.</div>
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By the way, other benefits seem to improve the skin, hair and nail moisture, and help with weight management. All good side affects indeed:)</div>
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<br />TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-40790248462517266152016-07-08T20:18:00.000-04:002016-07-08T20:18:07.848-04:00Getting in RemissionGosh Darn! So I've joined a new company and have struggled finding a way to eat properly and get ample rest while on the road. I'm certain this highly contributed to my current flare up: poor diet and stress.<br />
<br />
The wrong diet and/or stress will do it every time, unfortunately.<br />
<br />
So, unfortunately, I have been struggling with a flare up for four months. It has never taken me that long to get into remission and steroids for four months has had its toll on me. I have been extra strict on my diet, yet it is so difficult when I travel.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, I water fasted. Today, a juice fasted.<br />
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Normally, when I have a flare up, budesonide and mesalamine, along with the right diet, does the trick in 60 days. I don't eat any raw greens because they are hard to digest, or beans for the same ready. Ultimately, I have a raw fruits, but only those that are easy to digest, and steamed vegetables. Butter, cream, spices, or anything else that is an inflammatory to the colon, I refrain from. Well this hasn't worked:( Here I am at almost 4 months and I don't think I'm in remission.<br />
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Therefore, the last two days and the next nine, I'll be on a liquid diet.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Day 1: Water</li>
<li>Day 2: Juice and Kombucha</li>
<li>Day 3-5: Water</li>
<li>Day 6-11: Juice and Kombucha</li>
<li>Day 12-14: Green juice and sweet fruits</li>
<li>Day 15-17: Vegan, gluten free diet, with mostly raw foods and steamed vegetables</li>
<li>Day 18 and beyond: Vegan, glen free diet</li>
</ul>
<div>
So I have a doctor's appointment on the 22nd. The results of the tests I have at that time will determine my next steps which are dramatic. Below are my limited choices if the results come back that I'm not in remission:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Stay on juice for the next 60 days. Arrrhhggg. This would be awful, but maybe not as awful as the alternative.</li>
<li>Go on biologics. My gut feeling is I would choose Entivio. The problem with Entivio is that is reduces your immune system so it doesn't attach itself, and therefore opens up the possibility for major infections that could be deadly, such as TB. Another negative is that the body relies upon it and there's a 75% probability that I would have a flare up immediately upon trying to get off of it. Yet, based on my research, it's the most gentle. </li>
</ul>
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If I go on Entivio, it requires an IV infusion once every two months. How fun...</div>
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<div>
I've taken the week off of work next week and this is my daily plan in addition to the diet referred to above:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>intersegmental traction - to ensure I don't have nerve energy interference</li>
<li>low level light therapy - to reduce inflammation</li>
<li>meditation - to reduce stress</li>
<li>detox sauna - to assist will releasing toxins</li>
<li>inversion - to decompress the spine (nerve energy assistance again)</li>
<li>eight hours sleep - we only have so much nerve energy and rest is how to regenerate it</li>
<li>frequency therapy - to kill micro-organisms and secure healthy bacteria</li>
</ul>
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I also plan on having a massage and a few chiropractic adjustments. </div>
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Ultimately, if this doesn't make a material difference, I'm not sure it is in my power, while continuing to work, to do it without considering a biologic. I am very disappointed...</div>
</div>
TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-56542148481231727562016-01-02T09:31:00.000-05:002016-01-04T00:29:36.247-05:00Brewing Your Own KombuchaThis blog is simply the instructions to brew kombucha. I've helped a couple people with this, and due to the amount of extra scobys I have, I am likely going to help more. So below are the basics for brewing about a gallon of kombucha.<br>
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Here's a couple tips to ensure that your kombucha doesn't get contaminated.<br>
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<ol>
<li>Only handle the scoby with your bare hands or latex gloves. There is debate that metal touching the scoby can harm the health of the scoby. When handing your scoby with your bare hands, clean your hands well, but do not use anti-bacterial soap and residue on your hands can kill the bacteria of the scoby. I like to use a sugar scrub to clean my hands and I handle my scoby with my bare hands.</li>
<li>Keep your kombucha jar clean. Either sterilize it by cleaning it in your dishwasher with very hot water, put it in the oven at 225 degrees for 25 minutes, or clean it with vinegar, which is what I do.</li>
</ol>
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<u><b>First fermentation process</b></u><br>
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Minimum Ingredients<br>
<ul>
<li>1-2 cups starter tea and a scoby</li>
<li>4 green tea bags (enough to make 4 cups)</li>
<li>a gallon of filtered water</li>
<li>1 cup of sugar</li>
</ul>
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Other Supplies</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>1 gallon wide mouthed glass jar</li>
<li>cheesecloth large enough to cover the mouth of the jar (you can also use any tightly woven cloth)</li>
<li>rubber band</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil either in a pot or tea kettle. Once the water begins to boil remove it from heat and steep the 4 bags of green tea for 5 to 10 minutes.</div>
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Remove the tea bags and add the sugar to the tea. Stir the tea until the sugar is dissolved.</div>
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Add the sweet tea to the gallon jar. Fill the balance of the jar with filtered water so that it is about 2" below the rim of the mouth of the jar. </div>
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Once the temperature of the tea in the jar is 85 F or less, add the starter tea and scoby. If the water you added to the hot tea came out of the refrigerator, then the temperature will be fine to add the starter tea and scoby right a way.</div>
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Cover the jar with the cheesecloth and secure it around the lid with the rubber band, and store your kombucha in a warm place between the temperatures of 70 and 80F. The perfect temperature is somewhere around 75-77.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJxuGWdhcrZvbNhMwZ-258et_TtvVmwhJuAn5kqN-9j1yzaEeL0xhkpZ79w1XPSrdKLb8fvwPH5mKnzWeL8k4HPRhvM-We_4c_UD24qrEGib2n6n6vVk3-4vc7Bn1bPqm3Fs18z1zc8U/s1600/IMG_0067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJxuGWdhcrZvbNhMwZ-258et_TtvVmwhJuAn5kqN-9j1yzaEeL0xhkpZ79w1XPSrdKLb8fvwPH5mKnzWeL8k4HPRhvM-We_4c_UD24qrEGib2n6n6vVk3-4vc7Bn1bPqm3Fs18z1zc8U/s400/IMG_0067.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green tea and black tea kombucha</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In one to two weeks, depending upon your personal taste, you'll be ready to bottle your kombucha. You should test the taste of the kombucha no later than 7 days to assess whether it has lost its sweetness enough. If it is too sweet, taste it daily until the sweetness has subsided enough for your taste. You can taste it by taking a straw with your finger over one end, and putting it down the side of the scoby. Release your finger, place it over the end again, then take the straw out and taste the kombucha in the straw. </div>
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Once it is no longer so sweet and acceptable to your taste, you go onto the next step of the brewing process, which is bottling and what is often referred to as the second fermenting process.</div>
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<b><u><br></u></b>
<b><u>Second Fermentation Process</u></b></div>
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Remove your scoby and pace it in a bowl. Add one or two cups of the kombucha into the bowl for your next batch starter tea.</div>
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Strain your kombucha and funnel it into bottles, or jars. You can use almost anything that is clean and has a tight cap/lid. I prefer the bottles with swing tops. They create a tight barrier which helps with the fizziness.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ61huJ_uFko_vZ48t-AMy3mUfuG2QSkTh6bE48VSN10IlojYagrnHbQyDCHwtOLk3xNKbnZgvtJvriOJ7tHTF2RLI4eMPtv-GIPNyZa8itB7F8fdtnCswRFi0D-6ZUrnHPTfvQdMeQEU/s1600/IMG_0070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ61huJ_uFko_vZ48t-AMy3mUfuG2QSkTh6bE48VSN10IlojYagrnHbQyDCHwtOLk3xNKbnZgvtJvriOJ7tHTF2RLI4eMPtv-GIPNyZa8itB7F8fdtnCswRFi0D-6ZUrnHPTfvQdMeQEU/s320/IMG_0070.JPG" width="320"></a>Add fruit, ginger, or drink without flavoring. I really like a few slices of ginger and fruit. Whatever you add, you don't need more than 10% of the bottle for your flavoring. </div>
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Place your bottled kombucha on a shelf somewhere for 2 to 4 days, depending upon the level of fizziness you prefer. Again, if it is kept in a location that stays 70-80F, then you will have more fizziness than if it is colder. </div>
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Move your kombucha to the refrigerator and drink when you want. Once it's in the fridg, it stays good for some time. The length of time will depend upon the tightness of the seal of your bottles. </div>
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That pretty much does it. Enjoy your kombucha and the good health that comes along with it. </div>
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TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-3587146911559993262016-01-01T19:02:00.000-05:002016-01-04T00:30:02.053-05:00KombuchaIt's been forever since I've posted anything and wanted to get back into updating you all on the things I have learned that has kept me off of medication for over a year. My diagnostics still indicate that I have normal internal inflammation. So I guess I must be managing my Crohn's pretty well.<br>
<br>
My favorite thing that I've recently gotten into is brewing my own kombucha. I began drinking kombucha probably a year ago, but ended up drinking about 32 oz a day and decided it would be much more affordable if I brewed it myself. I am certain it is contributing to my good health.<br>
<br>
What is kombucha you ask? It's green tea that is fermented with a culture of the gut's native good bacteria and yeast. The result is a sparkling tea, that's a probiotic drink. Better yet, it tastes great. Go get some Synergy kombucha and give it a try. If you're new to kombucha, you may want to only drink about 4 oz the first day. See if your gut handles it well. And if so, go to 8 oz the next day and 16 oz the following day.<br>
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There really isn't a need to have 32 oz a day, but I like it so much, I want that much. Realistically, it's probably not helpful to drink much more than 8 oz. I've read somewhere that 4 oz a day is considered a therapeutic dose.<br>
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I'll share more about kombucha brewing in a future post. Whether you have Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, or just poor health, the benefits of kombucha may help. It is known to help with detoxification, inflammation, and arthritis pain. It aids digestion and gut health, which improves your immune system health. All of these benefits help with proper assimilation of nutrients, as well.<br>
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I'll have much more on kombucha in the future. If you're interested in brewing your own, I have scobys and starter tea if you're near Charlotte, NC.<br>
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TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-5406204149796352082014-10-10T17:49:00.003-04:002014-10-10T17:49:39.378-04:00Amazing Results Again!I'm absolutely floored at my test results from yesterday's blood work. Again, everything was normal. Well into the normal range.<br />
<br />
When I was in Florida last week through the weekend, I intentionally was bad. I drank margaritas, had Mexican food, and even drank vodka. Now, this is not my normal behavior, but I really wanted to yes the remote use of the Rife machine, so I was extra bad.<br />
<br />
Additionally, I knew that come Monday, I was starting my <a href="http://www.isabodychallenge.com/" target="_blank">Isa Body Challenge </a>and wanted to go out with a bang. I really was not expecting the results to be as good as they were. I'm ecstatic! Can this really mean that I might be able to go back to a normal life?<br />
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I hope so. But I must admit, that with everything I've learned, I don't intend to go back to the life I had before Crohn's. I ate like crap, and drank too much. I didn't exercise enough and really would have died early living like that. There is a happy medium between how I live today, and back then. I do intend to live healthy regardless.<br />
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Today is the last day of my medication. I had weaned down to only three pills over 2 days versus the 14 that I was taking at one point. But today, based upon the results (14 sed rate by the way), I am officially off medication again.<br />
<br />
I will go back in about 60 days to make sure that things are still going well, but cross your fingers and say a couple prays that my <a href="http://spooky2.com/" target="_blank">Spooky2</a> Rife machine with remote treatment really truly will allow me to like at least a semi-normal life. Thank you Lord.<br />
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Now on a sad note, I need your prayers for my mother more than any prayers you may have for me. She has microscopic colitis after being able to manage without it for over two years. She needs your prayers now more than I. I am going to treat her with the Rife machine as well. I hope it works as well for her as it has for me.<br />
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On another pretty cool note...I've been on the <a href="http://www.wholebodyinc.isagenix.com/?sc_lang=en-US" target="_blank">Isagenix 30-Day fat burning program</a> for five days and have lost 8 lbs. I only have no more than 20 total to lose, so I suspect at this rate, I will lose all I need within the 30 days. Yay.TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-37798840134323477592014-10-06T21:50:00.001-04:002014-10-14T17:11:45.169-04:00IsaBody Challenge I've started the <a href="http://isabodychallenge.com/index.html" target="_blank">IsaBody Challenge</a> today. I will be updating this blog entry with what I have done for the first week and each Monday I'll have a new entry as to the changes from one week to the next. My goal is to lose about 20 lbs. I actually am a little concerned with losing that much weight, but we will see.<br />
<br />
This morning my bio-electrical body composition assessment shows the following results. I'm embarrassed to tell my weight at this time since I've gained a little weight, but the other stats tell the story well:<br />
<br />
Body Fat: 31.7%<br />
Visceral Fat Rating: 6<br />
Body Water: 50%<br />
Basal Metabolic Rate: 1351<br />
Metabolic Age: 41<br />
Physique Rating: 5<br />
<br />
<u>Body Fat:</u> Although I'm normal, I want to be on the low side of normal.<br />
<br />
<u>Visceral Fat Rating</u>: This is the fat that is around your organs. 5 is actually a very good rating. I'm happy where I am currently.<br />
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<u>Body Water</u>: Normal is between 45 and 60% for a woman.<br />
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<u>Basal Metabolic Rate:</u> This is the amount of calories I need to live. As my weight lowers, this number will lower because it is easier to live with a lighter, leaner body.<br />
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<u>Metabolic Age</u>: Basically, although I'm 50, my body metabolizes as if I were 41. This is a good number, but I want to get to 30 :)<br />
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<u>Physique Rating</u>: I want to get to a better result. I'll explain this rating in a future post, but ultimately, a 5 is a standard rating. That's not where I want to be, although many would feel it is a good result.<br />
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I'm following the Isagenix 30 Day Cleansing and Fat Burning System, but have altered the plan just a little. The plan has you cleanse on Tuesday and Wednesday the first two weeks of the program. I would like to get all 4 days of the cleansing complete prior to me getting my next blood work completed on Monday the 13th, so I'm cleansing the 6th and 7th, a Monday and Tuesday, and then again next Saturday and Sunday, the 11th and 12th.<br />
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The third week, I'll cleanse on Tuesday and Wednesday. Therefore, I will have 6 cleanse days instead of 4 on their program. If you're interested in seeing the details of the program you can check it out here: <a href="http://www.wholebodyinc.isagenix.com/en-US/products/categories/systems-and-paks/thirty-day" target="_blank"> Isagenix 30 Day Cleansing and Fat Burning Program</a><br />
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I am going to be following this program verbatim for the first 30 days, including the <a href="http://www.wholebodyinc.isagenix.com/en-US/products/categories/individual-items/isa-delight-plus" target="_blank">IsaDelights</a> and <a href="http://www.wholebodyinc.isagenix.com/en-US/products/categories/individual-items/ageless-essentials-product-b" target="_blank">Ageless Essentials with Product B IsaGenesis</a> supplements, then modifying it to the <a href="http://whole30.com/new/" target="_blank">Whole30</a> diet plan thereafter during the balance of this 16 week challenge. I intend to include 4-6 <a href="http://www.wholebodyinc.isagenix.com/en-US/products/categories/individual-items/cleanse-for-life" target="_blank">cleanse days</a> a month, continue to use their meal replacements as needed throughout the program, and their <a href="http://www.wholebodyinc.isagenix.com/en-US/products/categories/individual-items/ionix-supreme" target="_blank">Ionix Supreme</a> daily. I also plan on using their <a href="http://www.wholebodyinc.isagenix.com/en-US/products/categories/individual-items/product-b" target="_blank">Product B IsaGenesis</a> throughout the entire 16 weeks.<br />
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I am going to use their <a href="http://www.wholebodyinc.isagenix.com/en-US/products/categories/individual-items/natural-accelerator" target="_blank">Natural Accelerator</a> (for appetite control) depending upon how appetite challenged I become, and their <a href="http://www.wholebodyinc.isagenix.com/en-US/products/categories/individual-items/isa-delight-plus" target="_blank">IsaDelights</a> to curb my sweet cravings as well.<br />
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Additionally, I am beginning to use their <a href="http://www.wholebodyinc.isagenix.com/en-US/products/rejuvity" target="_blank">Rejuvity</a> skincare products for the 16 weeks to see if there is any improvement to my lines, or tightness to my skin.<br />
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Rich is completing the challenge as well, however, he is working on building muscle in the Energy and Performance Category. I'm going to be focusing on Weight loss and toning. We are both going to be focusing on the Healthy Aging category as well since we are both over 50 we think we qualify :)<br />
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What will be interesting is to see what happens with my Crohn's symptoms. I will be getting blood work done a week from now, and then again 6 weeks later. From there on out, I will be getting blood work done probably every 60 days to ensure my symptoms don't escalate.<br />
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Since adding the Rife treatments, my symptoms and blood work show that I'm in remission, so we will see how my Crohn's responds to these products. I intend to eat only plant based whole food during this challenge, as that is what my Crohn's prefers. Additionally, I will be weaning off the meds I am taking even further. I am now taking only 1 budesonide and 2 mesalamine pills daily. If my blood work next Monday comes back good, I will stop taking meds all together.<br />
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Below is my daily diary that will note what I eat and do each day. I'm using <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/" target="_blank">My Fitness Pal</a> to keep track of my calories eaten and exercised away. Wish me luck, and if you want to buy any products, please visit my page: <a href="http://www.wholebodyinc.isagenix.com/">www.wholebodyinc.isagenix.com</a><br />
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<b><u>Diary Week One</u>:</b><br />
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<u>October 6</u>: Today and tomorrow I am cleansing. However, since our photo shoot isn't until this evening I am not exercising the way I would normally because I want to start exercise after the photo shoot. I took my bio-electrical measurements this morning, but otherwise am adhering to the cleanse day protocol today. Every day I'm drinking at least 50% of my weight in oz of water.<br />
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Early morning: Deep cleanse serving and 1 Natural Accelerator<br />
Midmorning: Ionix Supreme, 2 Isa Delights, 2 Snacks, and AM Ageless Essentials with Product B.<br />
Late morning: 1 Deep cleanse serving.<br />
Early Afternoon: 2 Snacks, 1 Natural Accelerator<br />
Mid Afternoon: Deep cleanse serving.<br />
Early Evening: 2 Isa Delights, 2 Snacks<br />
Evening: 1 Deep cleanse serving, and PM Ageless Essentials with Product B.<br />
Bedtime: 2 IsaFlush<br />
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Our photo shoot was at 7:00 p.m. When I returned home, I spent 10 minutes on the vibration plate, about 15 minutes on my stepper, completed about 30 push ups (men's style) and hung on my inversion table for about 7 minutes.<br />
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The total calories for today was only 410. I missed an Ionix Supreme serving but otherwise followed the program perfectly. I must say that I didn't really feel hungry. That's a good sign. See you tomorrow :)<br />
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<u>October 7</u>: I've pretty much done the same thing today as yesterday. I've had a headache most of today, however, and candidly, I don't get headaches much. I don't really feel hungry so I'm not sure what it's being caused from. I had crazy dreams last night about snakes following me and trying to bite me. Yuck.<br />
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I'm hoping it is just the lack of sleep causing the headache. To be safe, I'm planning on reading all of the ingredients of everything I'm taking to see if there is some stimulant causing this. I have been pretty much stimulant free for a few years now. I'll keep you posted.<br />
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I spent about 30 minutes working out today. Mostly worked on my legs and flexibility. According to my bioelectrical body composition assessment on Monday, my legs have the greatest percentage of body fat on my body.<br />
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Balance of The Week: I followed the 30-Day Isagenix program and lost 9.8lbs :) I'll update you all when I'm at the 30 day mark.<br />
<br />TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-66231216743823285222014-09-21T01:34:00.003-04:002014-09-21T02:11:29.280-04:00Crazy Spooky Technology<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So...this is going to blow your mind. The concept is really out there...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you haven't read my prior blogs about my Rife Machine (Spooky2) please go back and do so before reading the rest of this blog entry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In March 2011, experienced Rife user and experimenter Johan Stegmann discovered something that changed the course of his life. If you don't know about the Rife machine I'm using, please look at my <a href="http://www.mycrohnslife.com/2014/08/rife-machine-for-crohns.html" target="_blank">prior blog about it</a>. Moving on...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A friend of Johann's had just bought a new Rife machine. Johann's friend made the astounding claim that the DNA contained in fingernails or hair could transmit energy frequencies directly to the owner of that DNA simply by placing the finger nail between the electrodes used with the machine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Johann was skeptical, so he and his friend tried it on Johann's daughter. It worked perfectly. Johann looked for an explanation and found that this phenomenon was actually sound science as described by Albert Einstein him self. He called it "spooky action at a distance." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Modern physics calls it "quantum entanglement." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Simply put, it means that if any part of a single system is removed from that system to a different location, any action performed on the part will also be instantaneously performed on the parent system, and vice versa.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your fingernail is part of a single system, which is You. So when frequency energy is transmitted to your nail, its effects will also be transmitted to you, and only you. This is because of the unique identifier present in every cell of your body.... you DNA.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So ultimately, this works because your DNA has two strands coiled around one another, and it acts as an antenna that's capable of transmitting and receiving information encoded on energy signals via nonlocal space. My Spooky machine sends audio frequency energy to the nail which is received by the DNA it contains, then relayed instantaneously via nonlocal space to the parent DNA - which is me in this case. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I now have a Spooky2 Remote and am at my boyfriends getting Rife treatments from the machine that is located in my home because I am using the Spooky2 Remote.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I decided I would invest in the "remote" feature so that I can give myself Rife treatments without having to hold electrodes. I had no idea when I order this device that I could use anywhere. I have the Spooky2 and Remote running on my laptop at home, and I am about 8 miles away, and it is giving me therapy as I speak. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You probably are saying, no way! I realize this sounds crazy, but I do believe it is true. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This lithe transmitter is so powerful! I am hopeful that this information is accurate or even close to accurate. I can be treating myself all of the time. I can even treat my mom and dad, or my son or brother if they need anything. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I need to find someone to test this on other than myself. Haha. </span>TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-18567049242445581492014-09-14T22:39:00.002-04:002014-09-14T22:40:03.945-04:00Great News ConfirmedI had my sedimentation rate re-checked and a week after my sed rate was at 17, it's now even lower at 9. Ultimately, I really do consider this a miracle. Normal is 0-20 and with a 9, I am clearly well into the normal range.<br />
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I have never had a normal reading, and for it to go from 65 to 9 in 2 weeks is unheard of. The voicemail from the nurse at Dr. Sigmon's office left the following message for me:<br />
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"Hi Ms. Lynch, this is Amanda calling from the medical center at Pineville. I was just calling to give you information about your sed rate. It was actually 9 as of yesterday. Not really sure what you're doing to make this go down and correct itself, but that's pretty normal there.<br />
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"I know that's pretty dramatic. So, I don't have an answer for you as to why that is. Tanya, I asked her about that as well and she agreed you must be doing something differently to have that kind of affect. So any way, that's good news. That means that was an actual result you got on your Primary Care Physician visit. So if you have any problems or any questions, just give us a call back..."<br />
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Awesome!!TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-38780612309973002082014-09-08T00:03:00.001-04:002014-09-08T00:17:09.462-04:00Unbelievable Good NewsAs you may recall, on July 15 I had a colonoscopy and the <a href="http://www.mycrohnslife.com/2014/07/colonoscopy-results.html" target="_blank">conversation between my gastroenterologist and my boyfriend</a> discusses how inflamed my colon was, "...it is really really inflamed in there.<br />
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I went back on meds and began <a href="http://www.mycrohnslife.com/2011/11/manyyears-ago-i-used-to-get-migraine.html" target="_blank">my healing diet</a> immediately. I had follow up blood work done on August 24 the sedimentation rate was 65. This is actually 1 point higher than the sed rate when I went in to see him in June because I was feeling symptoms and knew I needed meds again.</div>
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This was very disappointing, but miraculously, I had more blood work done when I went in for my annual on the 29th of August. I realize it was only 5 days later, but asked if they could check my sed rate since they were taking blood for all of the other normal indicators they look at during your physical.</div>
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My sedimentation rate on the 29th was 17. What??? </div>
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How can go from 65 to 17 in 5 days? The only things I have been doing differently is using my <a href="http://www.mycrohnslife.com/2014/08/rife-machine-for-crohns.html" target="_blank">Spooky2 Rife machine</a> and drinking a glass of red wine a few days a week. Is it possible for this type of improvement to occur in less than a week? Maybe the prior test was wrong, or maybe this test is wrong. </div>
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In any regard, I have emailed Dr. Sigmon to ask his opinion. I find it hard to believe that either test is wrong because of how labs make sure to ask your name and date of birth, then they put labels with your information on the test tubes that contain the blood. </div>
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A sedimentation rate of 17 is normal. I am hopeful that this is an accurate test. If so, this means I'm in remission. How cool would that be? I'm sooooo happy to see this result, yet, a little concerned because it happened so quickly, and I've always been told that there is a lag time for your sed rate to respond after inflammation is gone.</div>
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So I think that based upon the way I feel, my inflammation was back to normal on the 24th, and it lagged in the sed rate results. I began using the <a href="http://www.mycrohnslife.com/2014/08/rife-machine-for-crohns.html" target="_blank">Spooky2</a> the 2nd week of August, and by the 29th, I have normal internal inflammation.<br />
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I also added a glass of red wine in the evenings about 5 days a week because the resveratrol in the skin of red grapes is known to reduce colon polyps, and resveratrol in red wine is in concentrated levels. I added that to my routine on August 25th. I find it hard to believe that the wine could have made an impact that quickly.<br />
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The only two other times I've had flare ups, I went on the same meds that I'm on now and it took months to get my sed rate down, and even then, I have never gotten it lower than 36 since I've been diagnosed with Crohn's almost 3 years ago. And now it changes in days???</div>
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This is quite amazing and gives me much hope that I might have found a tool that will help me manage my Crohn's without meds. I'm anxious to hear from Dr. Sigmon and for another test to make sure that this was correct.</div>
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Soooo excited!!</div>
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TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-78880635775137028002014-09-02T10:45:00.000-04:002014-09-02T23:48:20.454-04:00I Need Your Help. Is this just a Coincidence?I need your help with this one. As you might be aware, I acquired a Rife Machine (Spooky2 version) and have been using it to treat my Crohn's as well as my cold sores. I'll briefly explain how it works. It is often referred to as Frequency Therapy.<br />
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Everything is made up of energy, and no two types of molecules have the same electromagnetic oscillations, or energy signatures. By creating a frequency that resonates intensely (resonant frequency) with the molecules of a virus, bacteria or parasite, it would increase the molecule's oscillations until it distorted and disintegrated from structural stresses.<br />
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Dr. Royal Rife called this frequency "the mortal oscillatory rate" or "MOR", and it did no harm whatsoever to the surrounding tissues, since their energy signature was unique and different. This principle is illustrated when an opera singer can sing a high pitched noted and shatter a wine glass.<br />
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So with that said, it is very ironic that less than 2 months of using my Spooky2, a new franchise opportunity has become available to Chiropractors using resonant frequency technology. I'm 50 years old and have never heard of this until recently and it has been around since I was a child. Now, not only am I using resonant frequency technology to treat my Crohn's, but Rich is presented with a franchise opportunity to implement into his business using resonant frequency technology to help people lose weight.<br />
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How this weight loss program works is they use the resonant frequency technology to analyse the 400 million communications that occur per second in the body to assess the current internal health fingerprint, and with that knowledge can then assess what needs to change in order to bring the body into an optimal state of fat burning and health.<br />
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Now, if that is not coincidental enough, I have something kind of spooky to share with you that occurred this past Friday night. I use the word "spooky" because on Labor day, Rich and I were at some friends explaining what occurred Friday night, and the word chosen by our friend's mother to describe this event was "spooky."<br />
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So Friday night Rich and I were in Greenville, South Carolina visiting his brother and girlfriend. We were having a glass of wine discussing this new franchise opportunity with them. As I explained the Rife resonant frequency technology, and how it related to the new franchise opportunity, I used the example of how a high pitch note can shatter glass. No less than 2 minutes later, the wine glass I was holding shattered in my hand.<br />
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I am not joking with you. I wasn't holding the glass tight, nor was there a high pitched note or anything that occurred that we can use to explain why this glass shattered. It seemed that there must have been a weakness in the glass given to me and I held it just the right way for it to shatter. The glass I was given, and they way I was holding the glass, had to be exactly in alignment to shatter, as this was not the first time this glass had been used.<br />
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Now isn't that a little spooky?<br />
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In summary, we've had three strange coincidences associated with this technology:<br />
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<li>The new franchise uses the same technology that my Spooky2 uses, and I just have learned about this technology less than 3 months ago.</li>
<li>The glass shattered in my glass hand minutes after I used the glass shattering example to explain the resonant frequency technology.</li>
<li>Our friend's mother used the word "spooky" to describe the experience when she had no idea that my Rife machine model is the Spooky2.</li>
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Now, Rich and I have been discussing opening up a company called Whole Body Health and Wellness. The company's mission is to assist people in living a long, healthy, active life, and we would take a three fold approach to wellness: optimize nervous system function, mobility and movement, and body composition.</div>
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<u>Nervous System Function</u>: We have decided upon using a specific posture analysis tool and a sublimation station to assess nervous system function. Through a posture certification course we will learned how to provide an exercise and stretching to improve any nervous system interference in order to maximize nerve energy to the body.</div>
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<u>Mobility and Movemen</u>t: We are going to become certified as Functional Movement System consultants in October to assess any limiting factors associated with movement and mobility and to develop programs to improve these limiting factors.</div>
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<u>Body Composition:</u> We have been undecided as to what program(s) we are going to support to address over weight and body mass issues. We are attending a seminar in October for the new franchise opportunity using resonant frequency technology and have been contemplating purchasing the franchise rights to use this system for our body composition solution. </div>
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My gut feeling is that all of these coincidences is God's way of telling us we need to pursue this. We';re going to be smart about it, of course, but wouldn't you agree that these are too many coincidences?</div>
TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-38085330616973015752014-09-01T12:35:00.002-04:002014-09-01T12:35:32.208-04:00Recent Doctor's VisitFirst I want to apologize. I changed Internet service providers and my blog has been offline for a week now. Fortunately, everything is back and working. My email was down for a week as well. But as of Saturday, everything was back online.<div>
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Now regarding my doctor's visit on Tuesday, there were some mixed results. Here's the good news: I am no longer anemic. My hemoglobin was up to 11.5. This is an amazing improvement from 8.5 less than 2 months ago. Yay!</div>
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Now for the bad news: my sedimentation rate was still at 65. A normal sedimentation rate is 0-20 for a female. So the only hope is that when I had my sed rate taken 2 months ago when I was severely anemic, that the 65 rate was primarily due to my colon inflammation, and now, that the 65 rate is only about 45 from my colon and 20 from normal life. But to be certain there is improvement I am getting blood work repeated in 6 weeks.</div>
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I feel great, so I hope that there has been improvement in my colon, but as Dr. Sigmon says, clinical evidence of disease, and endoscopic evidence, doesn't correlate. Ultimately, I am planning on sticking to my whole food plant based diet of easily digested foods, using my rife machine to rid myself of bad colon bacteria and micro-organisms, and continuing to use my inversion table and get regular chiropractic adjustments to optimize my nerve energy. Hopefully this three fold approach will get improved results when I return back for tests in October.</div>
TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-9103056838658562852014-08-18T23:45:00.002-04:002014-08-18T23:59:19.252-04:00Spooky2 Rife Frequency for Crohn's <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spooky</span><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2</b></span></span></div>
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This won't make much sense at all unless you have Crohn's and own a Spooky2 machine for the Rife frequency therapy. Here's what I'm doing. I have a booster that I use only when I'm not using the Spike+Sync or Inverse+Sync Waveform on the 2nd output with a spike setting of 1 with 20 spikes. I will rotate between one of these settings or the use of the booster cable.<br />
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When using the booster cable, I use the Square Damped Waveform on both channels, with a randomized 4 Hz Gate. The 4Hz Gate will only be applied to the first output. </div>
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When using the Spike+Sync or Inverse+Sync Waveform settings, you have to use the 2nd cable attached to output 2 instead of the booster cable, and only attach the red alligator clips of each cable to the elecrodes.<br />
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I've set up two custom frequency sets with a 180 dwell:</div>
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Set 1: 75, 254, 388.6, 484, 543.6, 610, 644, 660, 688, 690, 709.2, 727.5, 777, 777.2, 790, 864, 986, 1087.2, 1554.5, 2174.3, 2688, 2838.5, 2900, 3109, 4348.6, 6217.9</div>
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Set 2: 14, 20, 60, 95, 100, 110, 333, 428, 440, 600, 625, 650, 680, 768, 776, 786, 787, 802, 810, 832, 880, 1550, 2000, 3000, 10000</div>
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The sets take 75-78 minutes to complete. If you don't have that much time, then change the Dwell Multiplier to .5 to cut the time in half, .33 to cut it to a third, etc.</div>
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Ideally you complete each set for the entire 75 minutes twice a week at least 3 days apart for 3 weeks. From everything I am reading, this is the recommendation for all frequency treatments for Crohn's and any other common diseases. Cancer seems to require some different things. </div>
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For general health, use the following set: 120, 660, 690, 712, 728, 740, 776, 800, 803, 880, 1840, 1998. </div>
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If you're doing this in addition to your Crohn's frequency sets, then you can delete 660, 690, 728, 776, and 880. This set should include all of the above settings, which means the set will take 36 minutes. If you create a set that eliminates the Crohn's frequency duplicates, the therapy session will only take 21 minutes. </div>
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I'm on my second week of this therapy. I have tested 757, 688 and 690, using the Pulse accessory and have found that the Spooky2 killed these three microorganisms. I haven't tested all of the frequencies as testing with the Pulse requires a very still, quite area, and it takes quite some time. Treatment doesn't require these conditions, so I have found it easier to go through the therapy than to test for what microorganisms I have that's affecting my Crohn's. </div>
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I do plan on testing all frequencies after the three weeks of therapy to ensure I am free of these harmful bacteria, parasites and viruses.</div>
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There are other microorganisms that can affect the colon negatively, so I will plan to treat for them following this three week of therapy.</div>
TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-44039679825011365792014-08-11T14:02:00.001-04:002014-08-11T14:09:53.071-04:00Rife Machine for Crohn's<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">You may recall learning from your high school science teacher how all matter is not solid. Matter is comprised of atoms, which consist of particles, protons and electrons that aren't solid either. The vibration frequency of these particles is what seems to be the only thing holding matter together.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">Albert Einstein said: "We, the people of this beautiful planet, are really beings made of energy, but we exist at the 3rd dimension because our atoms have a specific frequency which makes us able to exist in they very 3rd dimension."</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">Therefore, doesn't it make sense if you interrupt the vibration frequency that is holding a thing together, it could lead to its demise? Well that certainly makes sense to me. Just like how an opera singer can shatter a glass when singing a particular very high pitch note.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">The sound wave of this high pitch note is referred to has the Mortal Oscillatory Rate, or the MOR of the glass. Ultimately, everything that exists has a resonant frequency, and a MOR of it's own. For instance, the carcinoma cancer call has a MOR of 2128 Hz. When a cell is resonated at it's MOR, it is destroyed. Parasites, viruses, bacteria and other organisms all have their own MOR.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">A couple of weeks ago, Rich and I played a tennis match and one of the partners we played, Mary, told me about a Rife machine she has that she uses to treat her son's Lyme disease. Simply put, it is a machine that can transmit MORs to harmful organisms in the body, and therefore, kill these harmful organisms.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://spooky2.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://spooky2.com/generators/newModel/files/spooky2-5mpanel1k.jpg" height="214" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Dr. Royal Raymond Rife, back in the late 20's created a microscope that could magnify 60,000 times so that he could for the first time observe living viruses and from about 1928 until the mid 1960's, he developed a system of electro-medical treatment and therapy to provide frequency therapy, primarily with cancer patients, and had spectacular success.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">I purchased today's more affordable version of the Rife Machine, the <a href="http://spooky2.com/" target="_blank">Spooky2</a>, recently and have begun using it for my Crohn's disease. I have researched the use of this machine and other Rife machines and their use on Crohn's patients and have heard some claims of success. I've only had it for a few days now but experimented with it over the weekend. There are many things that can worsen Crohn's and therapy for all of them would take me about 6 hours a day, so I have decided not to treat for all of them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">I've found a holistic doctor that uses this machine for Crohn's and his recipe is online. I wrote them down, but went back to find the link to post here and cannot find it. Hopefully when I get back on the computer that is connected to my </span><a href="http://spooky2.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;" target="_blank">Spooky2 </a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">I can find the site in my history. Any ways... the frequencies he suggests are all included within the frequencies noted for Crohn's so I'm starting with his suggestions because it will only take me about an hour and a half a day, four times a week to implement his suggestions.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">You can complete the frequency therapy while watching television, but your hands are holding electrodes, so you cannot really do much while being treated.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">I completed a little test this weekend that was very cool. One of the frequencies, 690, kills a bacteria that can contribute to many illnesses, and due to a cool little accessory to the <a href="http://spooky2.com/" target="_blank">Spooky2 </a>called the Pulse, I can check to see if I have a particular bacteria, virus, or microbe within me. I confirmed that I had the 690 bacteria.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">So I treated myself two consecutive days for this bacteria, and at the end of this treatment I retested myself, and sure enough, the bacteria was killed and no longer present. Very very cool.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">Testing to see what harmful agents you have is very time consuming, however, and to narrow down the exact frequency to 2-4 decimal places takes even longer. So while I am checking for all of the harmful agents that once eliminated, can improve my Crohn's, I am also treating for the most common ones. I'm very excited to progress with this machine as part of my Crohn's management.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">Additionally, I have found twelve frequencies that can be used in about 80% of illnesses, or so it seems. I'm just estimating that it's 80% because I seem to find them all of the time. It probably isn't that high, but regardless, it's a lot. I'm focusing on those frequencies as well. This way I can improve my overall health and immune system so that my body can better handle my Crohn's.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">Wish me luck. I'll keep you updated.</span></span><br />
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TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-32782229911646628022014-08-07T14:47:00.000-04:002014-08-07T14:47:21.082-04:00Fear is the Greatest MotivatorWhen I had my colonoscopy on July 15, Rich spoke with Dr. Sigmon following the procedure. This is how the conversation went: <div>
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Dr. Sigmon: It is really really really inflamed in there.</div>
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Rich: It is?</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: Oh yeah. This is one of those things where it's almost hard not to take this personally. As the physician when we see inflammation like this, it's hard for me to explain it. But we want it to look better and to be good.</div>
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Rich: Right.</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: She had so many hopes I think before we did this that we were going to find nothing, or minimal inflammation. And I'm telling you, it was nasty looking, especially over in the sigmoid over here on the left side. It was so inflamed over there that I used a pediatric colonoscope and I wasn't sure I would get through that area it was so swollen and narrow. I just sort of held the scope there and waited for sort of the motility of the colon to sort of carry me through that area. And it was quite an anxious feeling because you don't want to cause a problem there but it was really really inflamed in there.</div>
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Ulcerated, ademidous, and mainly over in here there were some ulcers scattered about. The rectum looked normal. The ileim which is the terminal ileum of the small intestine looked normal. I did biopsies but it looked normal. But this is the type...I haven't send any meds yet but I think she needs to at least until we can get the biopsies back and can talk about options get back on her Asacol and she probably needs to be on a couple antibiotics because I'm worried about that inflammation in there. And that antibiotic one of them would be Flagl or Metrodnidazole and the other Zifaxin.</div>
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Rich: What's the purpose of the antibiotic?</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: Because there's so much inflammation in there and the biopsies and stuff that you just don't want the bacteria to get invaded into the wall of the colon. With that amount of inflammation she's a bit at risk for perforation. So I don't want that to happen obviously.</div>
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I think that what she's going to need medicine wise is the full course press and I mean is one of the biologic agents because it is so inflamed in there. We can't, ummm, we can only be so dogmatic about these things to patients. We can't dictate the therapy, we can make big time recommendations, but I'm just afraid if we don't check this or get this under control, it's going to be a bad thing. Inflammation can result in scarring because Crohn's is a full thickness disease, and if you get scars there. You can't fix scars except by surgery and if you get a stenotic area there.</div>
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Rich: What do you do about that?</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: About the stenosis?</div>
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Rich: Yeah, the stenosis?</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: You have to have surgery.</div>
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Rich: To remove that part?</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: Ummm humm.</div>
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Rich: There's no reducing it once it becomes too thickened?</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: No, but. Well no we could. It's inflamed right now, but I'm worried that over time if we don't do something about we're going to end up with a scar.</div>
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Rich: Inflammation would just be like temporary thickening as with scarring would be more permanent thickening.</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: Correct, correct.</div>
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Rich: Okay.</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: I've got one lady I have to do some procedures on next, but I think I'd like to talk to her for a little bit before she scoots out of here just to sort of give her my take on this.</div>
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Rich: So the two big questions is, one of them is, is she in remission, well obviously the answer is no.</div>
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Dr Sigmon: No</div>
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Rich: The other is, she's been trying to deal with this through the natural, you know...</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: And I respect that.</div>
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Rich: ...watching everything and quite frankly it has been keeping her symptoms pretty well, but then the worry is that even though your symptom free, you don't really know what's going on.</div>
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Dr. Signmon: Right, we talk about clinical remission, or clinical evidence of disease and endoscopic evidence of disease. And we know that endoscopic evidence of disease and clinical evidence of disease do not correlate one to one. Okay? So she might feel better, but her colon looks like, yuck.</div>
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Rich: Okay.</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: It's not a scientific word, but...</div>
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Rich: I understand. It gets the point across.</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: It makes me sick on my stomach I mean when I was in there I was like, oh my gosh! You know because I get all buoyed up too thinking, oh yeah, maybe this is going to look good, but realistically, I know man, I don't know how in the world it's going to look good because she hasn't been on any medicine to speak of off and on for a while and her sed rate was out the wazoo this last time, I mean it was way up there, index of inflammation. So I know something's going on, and I dodn't think she'd been on medicine long enough, or potent enough medicine long enough to get that inflammation under control. But man, we'll take it. If it's in remission, we'll all go celebrate together, but, that's why I mean I take it personally because when I see that and you're like...</div>
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Rich: So the sed rate is that a big indicator.</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: It's an indicator of inflammation. </div>
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Rich: Right</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: You can't just follow that solely.</div>
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Rich: Right</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: But, in this case it was spot on.</div>
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Silence</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: I know. Belive me I hate this. It's the one thing I hate bout this job.</div>
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Rich: Yeah, I understand.</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: We can't all come back and say it's great. We have to come tell the news. But we want to make it better</div>
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Rich: Right, right. So I now there are different levels of the medication. </div>
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Dr. Sigmon: Yeah.</div>
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Rich: You kind of start off at one and my understanding is that over time a period of time it loses its effectiveness</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: It's a pyramid. And it's called step up versus top down therapy. She needs to go from the top down. I mean it's that inflamed. </div>
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Rich: Okay.</div>
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Long pause...</div>
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Dr. Sigmon: That's my recommendation, so you know.</div>
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Rich: Okay.</div>
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Every time I get tempted to do something that will not be good for my colon, I will remember or play parts of this recording. By typing it out here for you to read, I hope it will help give me the will power to do what I need to do. </div>
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TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-83652178018599189752014-07-27T00:12:00.003-04:002014-07-27T00:12:48.036-04:00Biopsy ResultsDuring my colonoscopy there were several biopsies taken and the results are in. Thank you Lord!<div>
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Fortunately, my colon has no dysplasia, pre-cancerous or cancerous cells inspire of the bad inflammation and ulcers. I had not mentioned to anyone about the biopsies because I didn't want anyone to worry. I worried enough for all of us.</div>
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So, I guess the colonoscopy was a good thing as it showed me that I need to make changes and it did so before it was too late.</div>
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I am blessed in many ways...</div>
TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-29741213800503082132014-07-18T18:58:00.003-04:002014-07-18T21:46:14.743-04:00Colonoscopy Results<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Unfortunately, the results were not good, and imagine what it would have been like if I didn't complete my water/juice fast the 8 days prior.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My colon is very inflamed and there are several ulcers. There was a part of the colon that was so inflamed that Dr. Sigmon wasn't sure the endoscopy scope would fit through. After the colonoscopy, Dr. Sigmon came to speak with me and was recommending that I get biologic treatment. This is the level of medication I have spent the last three years trying to avoid. </span><br />
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Because they suppress the immune system, all biologics carry an increased risk of infections, which in rare cases can be serious. Biologics are a type of drug called a TNF inhibitor. In rare cases, some people taking TNF inhibitors have developed certain cancers such as lymphoma.</span><br />
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Most infections that occur with biologic use are far less serious, such as colds, upper respiratory tract infections, and urinary tract infections are common. Other common side effects are as follows:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">headaches</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">flu-like symptoms</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">nausea</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">rashes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">pain at the site of injection</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">infusion reactions</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ultimately, I'm so disappointed. I actually began feeling good, which likely means that many times in the past three years since my diagnosis, when I was feeling good, my colon was not healthy. So all of the times I might have cheated and began to loosen my strict diet, all of the times I felt I must have healed my ulcers and all of the times I knew that I was in remission, I probably was not.</span><br />
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So what does this mean? It likely means that my colon has been inflamed for three years. It probably means that if I continue doing what I've done for the last three years for the rest of my life, I will likely develop such a diseased colon that it would result in a colostomy or colon cancer. Neither of course is the result I have been striving for.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What are my choices: get on meds the rest of my life, which will include biologics, because steroid treatment cannot be the long term solution, or find another holistic way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Another holistic way will probably mean that I have to stick to the diet suggested by my holistic gastroenterologist. This basically means cutting out anything that really tastes good and eliminating all alcohol. No pasta, no cheese, no sweets, no chocolate. Only fruits and vegetables, along with only a couple grains, and nuts only when in remission. No sodas, or anything to drink other than juice and water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ultimately, this really changes ones life. Imagine asking an alcoholic to meet you for a drink at a bar. Well that will be how it will feel to go out to dinner with friends. There is seldom anything on the menu that will comply with Dr. Azar's recommended diet. The easiest way for an alcoholic to stay sober is to not frequent places that will present temptation. In the first few years of their sobriety, an alcoholic clearly avoids going to bars for any reason.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Maybe by year five, they have the will power to meet a bunch of friends at a bar, but realistically, by then, they don't have a bunch of friends that go to bars.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So, as I think about things, the best way for me to stick to what I must do to stay healthy, is to avoid going to places where food and drinks that I want are the main center of attraction. Think about most of your socializing events. Most often it is centered around food and alcohol. Candidly, I simply don't have the will power to attend these events without participating. So I'll avoid them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What does that mean to my friendships? What does that mean for my relationships? What does this mean to my hopes of traveling to some countries and places I've never seen?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As you can probably tell, I'm very upset and disappointed. I realize I have to do what I have to do, but doing it will mean many changes, and these changes will definitely effect my relationships.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Imagine not wanting to go to your boyfriend's place because of the food he has there may tempt you? Friends invite you over for dinner and drinks and you have to bring a bowl of cantaloupe to eat and pass on the dinner. Isn't that fun?? No, it isn't. So I might as well not go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What about my thought of returning to Paris next summer? Well how am I going to do that if there isn't any restaurants where I can eat? Good luck traveling anywhere for that matter unless I bring my Vitamix and juicer and go to the local grocery store for all my meals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is what I see happening in the near future, and it saddens me to think what will become of some of some of my relationships, and some of my hopes and dreams...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I guess I have to start working on new dreams.</span>TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-8242338234367624612014-07-15T22:24:00.001-04:002014-07-15T22:25:55.294-04:00The Days Preparing for my ColonoscopyI made an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor on Monday. Dr. Suri after reading my history and looking at the medication I was on, immediately knew what was causing the problem. Evidently, one of the medications I was taking for Crohn's, budesonide, creates a lot of acid. And the acid can escalade up the GI tract to the throat. This acid burned my throat and the burning of the throat caused the inflammation.<br />
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What I did the days after being diagnosed with laryngitis and pharyngitis, only made the situation worse. I really stopped eating and drinking much because it hurt to swallow. So my healing diet, or my juice diet, is filled with alkaline forming foods, and if I were to have continued with this, I\ would likely have helped to neutralize the acid.<br />
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Ahhhh!!!!<br />
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So, from now on, when I take budesonide, I have to take another medication to help offset the acid side effect. Gosh darn. Another med, when all I want is to get off of them.<br />
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In any regard, at least I found the cause of the problem and then therefore could do something to manage it. I was put on a heavy duty antacid and soon my voice became normal. Dr. Suri warned me that the acid burn in the throat would take weeks to heal, however, so it was important to keep additional acid from getting to my throat, which meant that I have to stick to alkaline forming foods or stay on the antacid for about 6 weeks.<br />
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Now all of this happened very close to the time in which I would be preparing for a colonoscopy, which I had today. But before I get to the results of the colonoscopy, I do want to share with you what I decided to do to prepare for it.<br />
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I took a few days off work and spent it on what I call a healthy retreat. I get out of Charlotte, and away from all my responsibilities. My objective there is to relax and to fast. This gives my GI tract a rest and allows my nerve energy to focus on healing versus my work and home responsibilities.<br />
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I have done this once before, and it did wonders for my gut. It is not just to get away from responsibilities, but it also to be in a place, with no food or temptations. The first three days, I water fast, then the next several days, I juice fast. The last time I did this was over 2 years ago and it is the time in which I transitioned off all medication.<br />
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That was my plan for this health retreat as well. Last Wednesday, the 9th, I left Charlotte and went to Myrtle Beach. I started my water fast Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m. after having a morning juice. The balance of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I would only drink water. Friday through today, I would have no solid foods. This gives my colon a well needed rest, but it also means that my colon will not likely get worse because I am giving it nothing to react to.<br />
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Therefore, beginning Tuesday, I also stopped taking all medication. Below is how I managed my fast:<br />
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Tues-Thurs: Only water with zero dissolved solids. Meaning pure water.<br />
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Friday: Only melon juice. After having nothing in my GI tract, I wanted to introduce only the easiest to digest juice.<br />
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Saturday: Alkaline forming fruit juice only, not including any citrus or acid fruits. I clearly don't want acid affecting my throat so alkaline forming fruits were a must. Additionally, any citrus or acid fruits such as oranges and pineapple, aggravate the GI tract even if they are alkaline forming. So those fruits are not allowed.<br />
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Sunday: I added vegetable juice. Again I stayed with alkaline forming vegetables. Vegetable juice is a little tougher to digest, so this was added only after my GI tract was introduced to the easy to digest fruit juice. Any veggies with oxalic acid is to be avoided because it irritates the GI tract.<br />
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Monday and Tuesday: Only clear liquid fruit juice because I was preparing for the Tuesday afternoon colonoscopy. I had to buy juice, versus juicing this myself because the cloudy color associated with freshly juiced fruit, versus juice from concentrate. So I got some apple and white grape juice in addition to some vegetable broth.<br />
<br />
Other than what I drank on Monday and Tuesday morning, I cold press juiced organic fruits and vegetables only.<br />
<br />
So, after all of this, you'd think that I did everything possible to prepare for the best colonoscopy ever, wouldn't you? Well, it's about my bed time, so I will post the results of the colonoscopy tomorrow, or Thursday at the latest. And finally, I will then be caught up on my progress.<br />
<br />
Stay tuned again...TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-83867973065934462822014-07-12T20:27:00.000-04:002014-07-12T20:27:58.515-04:00Emergency Room VisitIt has been a long time since I've posted anything, but mostly because I have been feeling sick for a long time now. Crohn's symptoms started in April. I debated on naming this blog entry, "Sick and Tired of Feeling Sick and Tired,"<br />
<br />
So in April, after experiencing some Crohn's symptoms I went to my strict <a href="http://www.mycrohnslife.com/2011/11/manyyears-ago-i-used-to-get-migraine.html" target="_blank">healing diet</a>. Things didn't seem to get better and my fatigue grew worse. I tried a <a href="http://www.mycrohnslife.com/2012/05/my-water-fast-and-juice-healing-retreat.html" target="_blank">juice diet</a> and my fatigue seemed to get even worse. Therefore, I found myself visiting my gastoenterologist to get back on meds. My first visit was May 9.<br />
<br />
They put me back on the same meds that worked the last time I had a flare up over two years ago: budesonide and mesalamine. Budesonide is a steroid and mesalamine is an anti-inflammatory. Both act primarily in the gut. As in the past, they began to work in just a couple of days.<br />
<br />
I did something I probably shouldn't have done, but used the time on the meds as a time to eat some of my favorite foods: lasagna, nachos with lots of cheese including queso, shrimp and ice-cream. But after eating these foods, I returned to my <a href="http://www.mycrohnslife.com/2011/11/manyyears-ago-i-used-to-get-migraine.html" target="_blank">healing diet</a> so that I can get back off of the meds as quickly as possible.<br />
<br />
Early June I was having soreness in my throat, and began to lose my voice. I visited my primary care physician, Dr. Teague, and she diagnosed me with laryngitis and pharyngitis. I seem to always gets sick with something when I'm on these meds, so I wasn't surprised that here I was again with some other illness. Dr. Teague prescribed me h<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ycodan, which was a cough syrup with </span><span style="font-family: Cambria;">codeine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">June 17 I returned to my primary care physicians and saw the PA because I couldn't get in to see the doctor. At this, not only do I have no voice, but my throat hurts so much that I stopped drinking and eating much because it was hard to swallow, I was fatigued and getting fevers put to 102 degrees, almost every day. The PA indicated that it was possible that I had an infection and s</span><span style="text-indent: -22.5pt;">he prescribed hydorcodone-acetaminophen</span><span style="text-indent: -22.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -22.5pt;">for pain and azithromycin 6-Pak for the
infection.</span><br />
<span style="text-indent: -22.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: -22.5pt;">On June 21, I woke up and could hardly breathe. My throat was so inflamed that air was not passing properly. Every day from the 17th to the 21st, my air passage seemed to get smaller and smaller, but this Saturday morning I was scared. I layer around all morning in hopes that it might get better.</span><br />
<span style="text-indent: -22.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: -22.5pt;">My boyfriend, Rich, was at a seminar, and I didn't want to bother him and I was supposed to meet my friends Maria and Todd to help them look for a home. But I texted Maria and </span>cancelled, as I was giving it a little bit more time before I took myself to urgent care. Unfortunately, things seemed to get worse. I was weasing so bad that I knew I wasn't getting enough air. Maria convinced me that she should drive me to urgent care, and in hindsight I am very happy she did.<br />
<br />
I'm not used to having anyone help me with anything. I've been so self sufficient for so long that it feels like I am burdening others when I rely upon them, so I just simply don't ask for help and I handle things on my own. In this case, it was evident that I needed help.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Off we went to the urgent care. The quickly got me to see a doctor due to the difficulty breathing I was having, and the doctor immediately gave me a couple shots: a steroid to reduce the inflammation, and an antibiotic to take immediate action if there was a bacteria infections. He suspected that I might have epiglottitis. <span style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;">Epiglottitis is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when the epiglottis, a small cartilage "lid" that covers your windpipe, swells, blocking the flow of air into your lungs.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;">Many things can cause the epiglottis to swell, including burns from hot liquids, injury to the throat, and various infections. Ultimately, this is a serious condition.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;">The doctor at urgent care insisted on me going to the emergency room to further investigate the cause. He wanted me to take an ambulance, but Maria was there so I preferred to go with her.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;">I arrive at the emergency room, and already the meds that urgent care had given me were beginning to work. I was breathing much better, but still was concerned what would happen when the steroid wore off. I definitely didn't want the swelling to return. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;">The doctor order blood work and a CT scan of my throat. The blood work came back showing I was severely anemic with hemoglobin at 8.6. gm/dL. Normal for me is 11.7. I have never been this anemic, even when I was a walking zombie with severe active Crohn's. The doctor indicated that hemoglobin this low, after having normal levels during my May 9 doctors appointment, is usually due to bleeding. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;">She even insisted on checking my stool for blood because she wasn't believe it could be just from my diet, or lack of eating since my throat began to hurt, or my Crohn's since I appear to be in remission. But no blood was there. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">The CT scan showed a clear passageway, which I suspected would be the case because I was breathing fine by the time of the CT scan. So, ultimately, the emergency room doctor didn't diagnose the cause, but did find that I was anemic. She put me on prednisone to keep my throat from swelling again, and iron supplements to improve my hemoglobin, and suggested that I go to an ear, nose and throat specialist to help determine the cause of swelling.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #111111;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">On Monday, that is what I </span></span></span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">did. Stay tuned...</span></span><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465344336995227229.post-43873328007719532902014-05-27T13:59:00.001-04:002014-05-27T13:59:57.098-04:00Upcoming Colonoscopy, My Liver and My Dog...This might be a lengthy blog and half of which may not appear to relate to Crohn's, but does. Let's start by explaining a situation that began when I was first getting diagnosed with Crohn's, which was about 3 years ago. When my doc was trying to figure out what was wrong with me, I had a sonogram done of my organs and there were two spots on my liver, which likely had nothing to do with my Crohn's diagnosis, but gave them some concern.<br />
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The radiologist at the time suggested a CT scan to confirm what these spots might be. Well... I'm not one to expose my self of unnecessary radiation especially when at the time I was severely ill and these spots were believed to have nothing to do with my illness.<br />
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So I asked for alternatives. An MRI was also an option. Ultimately, there might be risk with me getting an MRI because I have metal in my body due to a leg break years ago, and no one could tell me whether or not an MRI would be risky. So I passed on the MRI and focused on my current illness, which I shortly thereafter found out was Crohn's.<br />
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Two weeks ago Friday is when I had a doctor's appointment due to my current flare up. At that time, I asked if we could do a follow up sonogram to check on these liver spots. They agreed it made sense to see if there had been any change or not.<br />
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This past Friday I had a follow up appointment and the results of the recent sonogram are in and there has been no change. Therefore, they are concluding that they are hemangiomas. Hemangiomas are a benign tumors of blood vessels that usually occur within the first weeks of life and are fully developed within twelve months. So that was great news! Yay.<br />
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Another discussion point of my follow up appointment was associated with having a colonoscopy. I recall three years ago after my diagnosis when I inquired about the frequency of colonoscopies, that Dr. Sigmon recommended having them every five years. So I was surprised and confused when he then suggested that I have one now, only 3 years later.<br />
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Evidently, he believes it would be wise to ensure that the way I have been managing the disease isn't causing long term repercussions. The five year colonoscopy recommendation was based upon someone staying in remission on meds, and with continued medical treatment and observation. He's concerned that it's possible that although I have been managing symptoms, that chronic inflammation could be causing repercussions. And since we haven't had regular tests associated with inflammation, it might be wise to see what has happened in the past three years to my colon.<br />
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If things look great, then it is the news I need to continue on my holistic path. If things have gotten worse, than I will likely begin changing my course a little. Meaning, I may decide to stick to my healing diet for life, or give up some other things in my post healing diet. It also will mean that I'll get blood work done at least once every 3 months to monitor my inflammation. So I agreed to do the colonoscopy in order for me to know what to do in the future to reduce my risk of colon cancer and to keep my colon as good as it can be.<br />
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I decided until that time, I would go back on my "Healing Diet." I want my colon to be in the best state possible for this colonoscopy. Therefore, no cheating, no drinking, no grains. Only alkaline forming fruits and veggies. Veggies have to be juiced or steamed. I started this on Friday immediately after agreeing to the colonoscopy. I have until mid-July to get the healthiest colon possible :)<br />
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Now... what does my dog have to do with my Crohn's. Well, see the poster below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAvM7yIcw9CXGbhF4uHU0m6IN1PyGtnXvKbjbsGL6POBjCifc30VjqRtE1AAv1tHg_g0dRyMFPJD2FX_eGh-FRFXhhkSFbwmIRjypqX6qpKXEeCW9pPROrCXy8IV_XJxSQjJCxdtbByQ/s1600/LOST+DOG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAvM7yIcw9CXGbhF4uHU0m6IN1PyGtnXvKbjbsGL6POBjCifc30VjqRtE1AAv1tHg_g0dRyMFPJD2FX_eGh-FRFXhhkSFbwmIRjypqX6qpKXEeCW9pPROrCXy8IV_XJxSQjJCxdtbByQ/s1600/LOST+DOG.jpg" height="640" width="505" /></a></div>
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Rich and I went to his brothers home in Greenville on Sunday and didn't return until about midnight. Zadie, was gone. Zadie can fit through the pickets of the fence that was originally designed to confine her. One day a couple months ago, she got so excited to see me driving up to the garage, she just walked right through the pickets to greet me.<br />
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I bought some bird netting and attached it to the bottom of the fence at the gate, but I didn't do so for the entire fenced yard. She likes being home and I didn't think that she would just leave, so I decided I would test the netting at the gate. Well, after some successful tests, I decided I didn't need the netting around the entire perimeter of the fence.<br />
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To arrive home Sunday night and her nowhere in sight was devastating. I fell apart blaming myself and fearful that she was hit by a car or something bad happened. Rich and I spent about two hours searching for her in the neighborhood and those surrounding. I hated to do this, but new that if I couldn't find her dead in or by any street, then maybe there was a chance of her still being alive.<br />
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A little over a year ago, I lost my little 14 year old dog Rusty, and blame myself for his death. I believe he died of a heart attack, but I knowingly left him with a friend during a time where there was a lot of chaos. My gut told me that I should take Rusty with me, instead of leaving him there at the time. So I can't help but feel guilty about his death.<br />
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Now, my new little baby girl is gone and my gut feeling before we left for Greenville Sunday morning was to take her with us. She had never been left home for that long. Between what my gut was telling me that morning, and the fact I hadn't secured the entire fenced yard with bird netting, I again know that it was my fault why she was gone.<br />
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We drove every street calling her name. Checked the community pool, and walked the conservation area boardwalk. Pointing the flashlight everywhere as we called her name, and there was no Zadie. I cannot tell you how bad I was feeling. The stress of the guilt that this little baby girl might be dead somewhere because of me.<br />
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I made the poster above. Printed 20 copies on a thick photo paper I had in preparation of posting them throughout the neighborhood the next day. I had business cards that Rich made notes on about Zadie so we could also hand them out throughout the community.<br />
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Before going to sleep around 2:30 a.m., I opened both gates to the back yard and put one of her toys at the front porch in hopes that if she was still alive, she would return home. Inside the home, I had a gate at the stairs so that when we were in Greenville, she wouldn't hang out upstairs. But I removed that praying that she was alive, and when she returned home she would come upstairs and find me.<br />
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About 3 a.m. I still hadn't fallen a sleep. I had a headache so terrible, and I couldn't stop crying, I thought I was dreaming when I heard some pitter patter coming from down stairs. The next thing I know, I was certain I heard her little feed in the room. I immediately jumped out of bed and thank God. She was there.<br />
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She was a little dirty and panting as if she was very stressed or very tired from running.<br />
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On Monday, Rich and I proceeded to attach the balance of the bird netting on the fence so that we can ensure this doesn't happen again.<br />
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I still wonder where she was and why she didn't hear us calling her over and over. Where could she have been that she couldn't hear us? I'm so proud of her to have found her way home and am grateful of the outcome.<br />
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Now, what does this have to do with Crohn's? The stress of the situation, added to a lack of sleep between Saturday and Sunday nights, set me back a little. It was very evident based upon the frequency and consistency of my bowel movements that I had gotten worse. Yet, I was on my healing diet since Friday, so why was my Crohn's the balance of Sunday night as well as through Monday worse? The only thing I can think of is the amount of nerve energy used by the stress.<br />
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It didn't help that I couldn't sleep Saturday night due to muscle aches and pains that are unfortunately a common side effect I have since my Crohn's diagnosis.<br />
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My lesson learned: stress management has soooo much to do with your health.<br />
<br />TamGallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02603441421126657989noreply@blogger.com0