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Setting the Baseline before I heal myself

Setting the Baseline before I heal myself

For my first 35 years I was generally healthy; I exercised and ate a strict vegetarian, often organic diet.

Age 36, I’m diagnosed with Stage 3B breast cancer. Scared for my life, I endure half a dozen surgeries, dose-dense and super aggressive chemo regimen, 45+ days of radiation, and medications prescribed for the rest of my life. But every moment of every day is filled with tremendous, torturous pain. I cannot leave the couch. I cannot cook. I cannot help my children with their homework. I am miserable.

After 5 years I quit the toxic and destructive  pharmaceutical route, and shift to a more con preventative diet: still vegetarian, now almost entirely organic, also making sure to get the most important cancer prevention foods every single day. I also remove all toxins and known carcinogens from my environment – like polyester and BPA plastics. I’ve stayed cancer-free, and better… started healing!

5 years to the week later, I am now jumping in even deeper. I am now fully vegan, fully organic, educating myself on mind-body techniques to bring even more healing to my body.

I feel like the best way to document this healing and transformation is to start with laying out the baseline – documenting all of the horrible side effects I have been experiencing.

Here’s the list of my side-effects, which I will continue to add to until it is complete. And then one by one, I plan to check them off the list as resolved. I am done with this sickness, it no longer serves me and I am ready to put it behind. 

My Positive Manifesto

My Positive Manifesto

My Positive Manifesto

Write out your priorities so you can refer back to them later.

Sometimes it is so hard to manage everything you need to take control of in your life. For me, I had to stop everything one day, sit down and write out my priorities. This way, I could share them with my family, so we are all understanding the same expectations.

I could also refer back to them, anytime I feel like my life is slipping out of whack, or if I am struggling to make a decision based on what is best for me. In times like these, I just check back in with my list, and make sure what I am choosing reflects my priorities. 

I also grew tired of hearing about how the perpetrators of hate crimes all had a manifesto where they spewed all their hate. I thought we need more POSITIVE manifestos. So, this is my positive manifesto:

  1. ME
    1. My Physical and Mental Health Includes activities such as sleeping, eating, resting, visiting doctors and integrated healing partners, exercising, getting outside for fresh air, meditating, stretching, yoga, physical and occupational therapy exercises, strength training, and any other associated activities deemed necessary by Me.
      1. healing and strengthening current physical or mental ailments, and
      2. preventing cancer and/or other future ailments.
    2. My Spiritual and Emotional Well Being
  2. MY FAMILY
    1. My Children
    2. My Husband
    3. My Extended Family
  3. MY COMPANY Despite it being a smaller part of my life, if I don’t help keep it sailing smoothly, it can and will become a problem in maintaining items 1 and 2 above.
  4. MY FRIENDS I am blessed to have friends like those I have now. Whenever possible, I will help them as they have helped me.
  5. MY HOME I spend almost every minute of my time here; it needs to be a place I am comfortable and happy in.
  6. TRAVEL I want to see the world and meet its people. I want my children to as well.
  7. THE WORLD I took an oath to make the world a better place. I do this by Being a Girl Scout Leader,  and by speaking out against hate and for social justice. Every – single – time.

Feel free to copy.paste and make your own. It feels good to have a clear understanding of your priorities and to have them available to reinforce to you that yes, you need to TAKE CARE OF YOU first.

 

REMEMBER, YOU CAN’T HELP ANYONE IF YOU AREN’T WELL YOURSELF.

Pure Organic CBD Oil

Pure Organic CBD Oil

CBD oil, ancient healer.

Some of you know I recently started taking CBD Oil and OMG I have had my mind blown with the results! I think just being on so many meds and having so many “treatments” – I didn’t want to add anything else to the mix. And I really didn’t have hope that it would work better than the (crazy expensive!) pharmaceuticals that I’ve already tried.

*drum roll!*

So I have now COMPLETELY ELIMINATED one of my pain med prescriptions, and am in the process of reducing and hopefully weaning off another. Mercy!!! I cannot believe it myself. I’m taking things one day at a time, like I do, but I cannot tell you how freaking phenomenal it feels to NOT feel like I’m walking on razor blades all day long. Seriously, I stare at my feet in amazement that they are not in fierce stabbing pain all day long. It has been 7 years I have been living with this nerve damage pain and peripheral neuropathy. 

I’m still struggling with the deep bone and joint pain, and the lymphedema, and all the other side effects from the cancer treatments… but I’m getting there! And being able to stand and walk more will only lead to the next steps of becoming more and more healthy. I finally feel like I am building UP my body and spirit instead of knocking it down and breaking it apart. YAY!!

This was new to me, and it’s all a little crazy since the products are unregulated… so I did my research and tried a few different companies and finally found CDBPure. I love that it’s organic, and processed in a way that retains more of the beneficial elements. It is independently tested and it’s 100% pure. 

So, I’ve been singing the praises of CBD oil and a few of you have asked me where you could get it, so I am linking below. This bottle is for one month, and it is a low dosage – only 3.3 mg per day. They also have 10mg/day and another one even higher if it works for you you can step it up.

You put a dropper full under your tongue each day. Putting it under your tongue makes it go straight into your bloodstream where it is utilized best. Swallowing it would put it through your digestive system and not get used as much as it can. I don’t know what else to say about it but I’m super happy to answer any questions if you have any just ask! 

Oh – if you don’t already know – this is from Hemp – the same plant as marijuana is from. But! They are 2 different components. Pot has THC in it, which is the psychoactive part that gets you high.

There is NO THC in this stuff, it’s the nerdy brother, CBD. Totally not psychoactive, totally legal, won’t show up as THC in drug tests (because it doesn’t HAVE THC, of course!) You can drive, handle machinery, and there’s ZERO negative or “sometimes fatal” side effects. If you want to know more about how it is made or how it works or what CBD is check out their site for info.

Seriously, if you have pain, or seizures, or stress, or “nerves” or anxiety, or fatigue – I highly recommend it! And if you do try it please comment below to let me know how it works for you!!

Eternally thankful for Ginger Kombucha 

Eternally thankful for Ginger Kombucha 

Sometimes I cannot believe the many resources I have available to me.  I was told Kombucha might end the hives I was experiencing daily, due to my chemo treatments years earlier. And, it worked! Thankful for that knowledge, thankful for the acupuncturist who told me to try it. Thankful for Kevita for crafting such refreshing and delicious and healthful kombucha. And thankful to myself and my husband for working hard and earning enough to pay for such a valuable treat.