When I first started this blog I intended to write about all the things I was learning. When I was first diagnosed with a "terminal" illness I assumed the doctors were telling me everything I needed to know. Like most of us, I had blind trust. After all, we have all heard of the Hippocratic Oath. As time went by I was astonished how much information "they" didn't share with me and how much I had to learn on my own. Very quickly it became overwhelming. Even for someone with above average intelligence it was mind boggling. Of course the chemo treatments didn't help the search any. I would read something and 10 minutes later couldn't remember what I read or where I read it. I would have a vague memory of the general content but I wanted facts. I wanted facts set in stone and there really weren't any. When I started chemo they sent me home with a huge packet of stuff to read. From the onset I was ill enough I couldn't sit and read much of anything. I glanced through the packets but at that point nothing really meant anything to me. I wrote in an earlier blog about the problem I had with vomiting. These papers advised that ice cream was a good thing and that I would be able to it hold down. The chemo caused so much mucous that I would vomit from the time I woke up until I went to sleep. At that point the ice cream was the only thing I could even get down. Nothing stayed down. I began to realize I was on my own when the doctors told me they had no idea why I was so sick. They gave me lots of pills to help with the vomiting but guess what....they wouldn't stay down either. I finally came to my senses and realized the ice cream was causing more mucous and was compounding the problem. I think the idea of the ice cream is really just to keep your weight up. It was probably the last thing I should be eating. Wake up Liz. I ended up eating nothing for weeks at a time.After chemo, when I was able to sit up again, for any length of time, I began my all day searches on the Internet and by reading books. For everything I read that said this is the answer there was something else that said this isn't proven. There are no case studies-no FDA approval-"no crap"! What made me think of all this today was I came across something yesterday that said hydro colon therapy has never been proven to be a benefit for anything. That was the first time I ever saw anything against this treatment. Well, that is as a treatment not as a "hobby". I was shocked. All I know is it definitely helps me.
I came to realize the doctor couldn't possibly provide you with all the information there is on any disease. There is too much out there and when it comes to cancer even the conventional treatments are trial and error and a huge guessing game. We are all guinea pigs in their labs. I can't count on one hand how many times I heard "We'll try this and see what happens".
So I ended up feeling that I couldn't write about the things I couldn't be an expert on. I can only write about me. So everyday I start a blog with the date. If I think of something that day that I feel compelled to say then I finish the blog. If nothing is really "on my mind" I don't write and I cancel what I started. Some days I wake up with something I really want to say and two hours later I can't remember what that exciting idea was. My blog has just become about me, my thoughts, my memories, my daily life. Not many people read it, which is okay, because really it is for me. Some family and friends will enjoy an occasional post and that makes me extremely happy.
We all have a terminal disease and it is called life. The closer we get to the end of it the more we realize how precious each day is. This is true of the healthy also. You don't have to be terminal to realize your days are numbered. Each day is precious so each day I write on this blog was a special day. Nothing earth shaking or life saving or world changing, just another special day for me. Each day I get up is another special day and each evening I thank God for giving me that special day.
Wishing for each of you, everyday, a "special day"!
Blessing, Liz
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The reason there aren't FDA approved studies on colon hydrotherapy is that there is no money in it. Big pharma funds the big studies and they have nothing to profit from in fighting to have a naturopathic remedy studied. Jen's seeing similar road blocks in the treatments and research for JM (Juvenile Dermatomyositis - www.CureJM.com). Papers that have been written must be concurred and there is no funding to do so.
ReplyDeleteMy point is, just because something is not FDA approved, doesn't mean that it doesn't work for a huge amount of people. Even if it were approved, it doesn't mean it would then work for you. We are dealing with the law of averages here and then must "experiment" accordingly. You can define life the same way. After all, we are ALL terminal (in our physical bodies).
Good riddens blind faith, hello free thinking momma!!!