Disgusting Medicine

I recently read an article in the local news regarding yet another strange disease with odd symptoms, Morgellons. From what I’ve read it has been around since at least 1647 and now has quite a few suffers, numbering in thousands. That would seem to be enough to verify there is something going on. However the CDC appears to disagree. They did a study which found there was no infection-according to currently available medical testing. They state this disease is all in the sufferer’s head.

I’ve had my own run-ins with this attitude within the medical field. I’ve had to diagnose myself after years of tests and different doctors and more symptoms and worsening symptoms. Got to the point where I couldn’t function day to day. Doing research over the internet I came across gluten allergy. Shocked to read all the symptoms it could cause that I had I decided to cut out all wheat for two weeks. Having no health insurance and no job meant I couldn’t take the test which isn’t always accurate anyway. After a last (few) favorite wheat heavy meals (pizza) I stopped eating wheat and discovered that more than half of what I ate was wheat based.

On the morning of the third wheat free day I woke up feeling very odd. Really wasn’t sure what I felt but it took until midday before I realized that I might be feeling normal. This was how I was supposed to feel but never had. I was well rested for once, didn’t even need a nap or two during the day, no diarrhea, no aches and pains, no heartburn, etc, etc. It took eight months for my intestines to heal and work “normally” during which time I noticed a multitude of problems quietly disappeared.

The low back pain surprised me the most. I would have never connected it to a food allergy. Unfortunately a doctor wouldn’t either. The two I saw about my back poked me there (OUCH!), scanned me, x-rayed me, shot electricity thru that area, told me to lose weight-didn’t help, told me to exercise-also didn’t help, tried to medicate me-oh hell no, and at least one inferred that since it appeared to be soft tissue pain that the state of my mind could affect and put stress on my muscles. Rrrrriiiiigggghhhhttttt, the good old “it’s all in my head” deal.

Every day new diseases are found. Every day new problems with what we eat, stuff we use and where we live are found. Twenty years ago I’m sure hundreds of people were told their AIDS, Lymes, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob was all in their heads. I guess the last one literally was. If the doctor couldn’t see it then it wasn’t real to their opinion. Medical science is so far behind in some ways that the next 50 years should be stunning in its discoveries. After all, 50 years ago we couldn’t solve crimes like we can today using forensics. Just imagine if we threw as much money into the medical sciences and preventative care as we’ve thrown into war. Where would we be in ten years? Healthier. If every child was tested for food allergies as a baby then maybe we could get a handle on the obesity epidemic. I was starving hungry all the time when I ate wheat. My body trying to tell me it couldn’t use what it was given. I responded by eating more, and more, and more. Weighed over 300 lbs by the time I stopped eating wheat and 45 lbs of that practically fell off in a few short months.

To all the doctors who actually pay attention and have an open mind, I salute you and hope you don’t get squished in the corporate processes that would rather treat symptoms with medication than find out what is truly wrong. It could be as simple as a food allergy.

Finally! Damn!!

I started this blog to challenge myself. Put myself out there which I’ve found has been very difficult for me. Obviously not doing so well so far. I promised myself I would do a blog a week about something and that is what I will continue to attempt to do. Sound positive enough yet? Not to me either.

Luckily there is so much on the internet that if you let it all out it would cover every inch of the world more than a few times. That being the case there are very few people who will even see any of my blogs. I lost it myself for a few months along with the password. Typical of my chaotic life. I’m working on that but it is like swimming up a waterfall of quicksand.

I’m not fond of the name. All the good ones I came up with were taken. So I apologize in advance to those who might trip over these words. Most of my stuff will be shallow, banal, and even cutesy if I’m in a good mood-that means the meds are working. Occasionally there will be a rant but I do tend to be non-confrontational and change my mind a lot. Don’t feel bad if you’ve already stopped reading. I’m just another person among billions of people who for some crazy reason feels a great need to write and must push myself to put my words out there for others to see.

More Smelly Lessons

Wowie, zowie, I found the source of the smell I’ve been ignoring for a week. Another lesson from the joys of living in a 27 foot tin box. Neglecting to open the grey water tank in time made it back up into the tub. Since I don’t waste propane on silly things like hot water this time of year I store stuff in the tub I would otherwise be tripping over. Double whoops. Unfortunately discovered at close to two am on my way to bed when I pulled out a pile of newspapers that had slid into the tub finding the last one-the Sunday funnies, wah, sopping wet.

Fortunately I had finally pulled the grey water handle that day so instead of a tub of brackish water I found several ruined wet things and black gunk ring showing the level of water around the tub and coating the bottom. Ick. I think I got lucky with my fairly new shop vac. It was closest to the drain from which the nasty came but the vac is meant for water collection and thus has a plastic bottom. Since I managed to put it in there upright, not always the case with me, the motor seems dry and undamaged. Wish I could say the same about a few other things but while filling the garbage I will also be getting rid of more stuff and making more room.

Bleah. Really hope this is the last disgusting lesson this place has to teach me. Not as bad as the toilet backing up and over onto carpet and everywhere but still not something I want to discover on my way to bed at two in the morning. Ah the joys of the permanent camping experience. At least the smell is gone.

Shitty Times

As I sit here on my ass day after day cruising the job boards and wondering how the hell I’m going to pay for food, propane and rent I’m disgusted by the political wrangling and the medias extollations that things are improving. Bullshit. I know more people out of work than employed right now. Didn’t used to be the case. Now I’m in the majority. This is ridiculous. Can’t even laugh as more and more cuts are made to everything while politicians tell us to spend spend spend. What!? What are we spending here? No job equals no money. Nothing to spend! Basic needs aren’t being met and we’re supposed to rush out and buy the new 3-D tv. Does it come with a box because that I can use. Of course the flat screens make for really small places to live. Since I’m selling or dumping everything I own I don’t need a very big place. In fact right now it measures 27 feet which is perfectly fine except for still being beyond my current means.

I’m aware politicians are more sales than smarts. Otherwise they wouldn’t be where they are. But to remain so incredibly clueless seems criminal. Some cases have been-Bell. I’m not talking about walking thru the slums in your 3 piece and polished shoes. Being aware of what most people are now suffering from would be a start. The paper tells me things must be improving because the number of people on unemployment has dropped. No, stupid! That means that people no longer get unemployment because we’ve hit our limit of what was allowed. The extra time given was nice during which I adjusted my life way down but nothing has changed since I started on unemployment. Seems worse actually. Companies are still laying off hundreds to thousands, companies are still going under, every job has a huge number of applicants, prices of food and gas are rising, and I’m still sitting here wondering what the hell I’m going to do as my phone doesn’t ring and the only email I get is spam.

Positive Talking

Met with a few friends today and they gave me a couple wonderful compliments that made me feel so good. Buoyed me up for the rest of the day. Made me think about what little things we can do for people around us. Doesn’t cost anything, doesn’t take much but a few words to give someone a lift. I’ve noticed that it doesn’t matter what you think of someone in your head, you can love them, think them smart or pretty or special in some special way but they can’t read your mind and don’t know what you’re thinking. Most people are so stuck in their own heads that the reality of life truly escapes them. They don’t know how others think of them and most of us tend to think others view us negatively.

I’d always thought a favorite relative knew that I viewed them as smart and cool and special to me but when I actually told them that they were shocked. Happily shocked. I started telling friends and family and the occasional store clerk positive things that came to my head which cost me nothing. Took a little practice to pry it out but I’m getting good at it. Just telling someone that they had a good idea, or looked nice today, or you like their viewpoint. Easy to do but not typical in this day and age.

I grew up with people who could only give negativity. That was probably all they received all their lives. That was and continues to be all they know how to do. Now I can see it and know where it is coming from and feel sorry for them. Oddly enough I have a hard time offering anything positive to them. Not exactly well received either. We’re working on it. Life is always a work in progress. Pity it is so darned short.

Waffles

Like Donkey in the Shrek movies I love waffles. Since being diagnosed with a gluten allergy I haven't been able to eat many waffles. I used to make them at least one weekend day every week. Then I would spend the rest of the day feeling sleepy and gross. Recently I have been given a couple different kinds of wheat free waffle mix. The first one from Trader Joes was good but thin. The batter was so thin it tended to run over the sides of the waffle maker and all over the counter with just a small amount. The waffles themselves tasted good but were also thin which did make them crunchy yummy but just not quite right.
I tried the other mix I was given today and I'm in love. It is made by Bisquick with a great big Gluten Free on the box. I followed instructions using whole milk. Worried about the taste of the batter tho the thickness of it was very promising. Cooked it up and used my favorite margarine and syrup, bliss. It was so perfect I wanted to cry. Thick and crunchy and delicious and just like the ones I used to eat. I'm in love. Many many kudos to a company who is serving a niche market that gets more and more mainstream every day.