The Nutritional Plan report

As most of you know, Trevor and I diligently follow the Esselystyn Plant-Based, No-Added-Oils Nutritional Plan for about the last year (but who's counting?). It has been good in some respects. Trevor has lost 35 pounds, lots of numbers on the lipid reports, and amount of medication. I think it helped me stabilize with some of my symptoms. As one chronically fatigue patient said, "My lows are not so low." However my lipids are still crazy.

Trevor commented as we enjoyed a plant-based meal, even with mushrooms, "Would you have  thought I would stay on this diet for over a year and plan to continue it for life?" My answer "NO"! The longest I remember Trevor being on a different eating plan is nine months and none of them made a lifetime change. Not only are we enjoying the foods, we see the benefits regularly and are hopeful that they will have a lifetime of changes preventing many of the chronic, life-style-induced illnesses that plague our society and break our hearts.

The only issue is I am relearning recipes and cooking methods. This requires time and energy that are already in depleted supply but I look forward to the time when it is all second-nature. Oh, one other difficulty is people's response of can we get together for a meal but "what will you eat?" Hey, let's get together and not worry about the food! :)

Dr. Esselstyn's book and plan

http://www.heartattackproof.com/

Healing Lyme by Stephen Buhner

I am following the protocol in Healing Lyme by Stephen Buhner. I do not really know if I have Lyme Disease but my symptoms are similar to Lyme's and I was bit by a tick about 6 weeks before the onset of those symptoms.

Healing Lyme

This is an herbal protocol of a mixture of different herbs. I was pleased with the understanding of bacteriology in the book, the studies that have been done with these herbs, the author does not sell the herbs (conflict of interest), and Mr Buhner presents the reasons behind his herbal selection.

I started on this about 4 months after I discontinued the Marshall Protocol. My physician-recommended nutritional plan was not enough. I knew I was not getting better. Thankfully I was not getting worse.

As typical, I have to add the herbs very gradually. It took me about 3 months to work up to one-third of the lowest minimal dosage on the herbs--and then I had to back-off because of increased lightheadedness. This is not atypical but it can be frustrating.

I miss a support system for this protocol. My doctor is encouraging me to do what I think I need to do and he even took a copy of the book. The web support system is kind of disjointed and the master herbalist who authored this book is no longer practicing.

One recent victory is that I was able to hike to a beautiful waterfall in New Hampshire. It is great to have little bright moments. Trevor and I both agree that I could not have accomplished that 4 months ago.

Four Years and Counting

A dear friend and I decided to share scripture first when we spoke over the miles yesterday. This sharing then seeped into the rest of our conversation. She shared some experiences in her first dealings with chronic pain and I realized that my illness has now reached its fourth year. We both said that on the onset of our symptoms we had no inklint that we would be dealing with them so many years later; hers twice as long as mine. God grace has enriched this friendship through those similar experiences.

Some measure of peace and comfort entered our realizations as we spoke of 2 Corinthians 12:9-10,

My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.

Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with ____________________________ (fill in the affliction/difficulty) 

for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Oh, God's economy is so different than mine: Weakness = Strength?

It is hard to wrap my lightheaded, fuzzy brain around let alone my stubborn, limp heart, but it is true. He is true.

Wonder how He is counting the length of my illness? Does God's economy look more like Colossians 1:9-12? Oh, I hope that it does because then my chronic fatigue would be God's tool to achieve those things that I long for but ever seem out of my grasp:

knowledge of His will, God-worthy walking, 

pleasing Him, bearing fruit, increasing knowledge of God, 

strengthened with all power, steadfastness, 

joyously giving thanks to the Father. 

I think I will leave the counting up to the Father.

The Impact of Little Words

Once our remodeling was done, almost four years ago, I added this verse to our entry room wall. It is visible from the street and the front patio. It is also the first wall you encounter when you step through the door. Needless to say, its purpose was to constantly remind me and others where our trust must be. 


However, as with other familiar sites, it became less noticeable over time. Well, that is until the Lord saw fit to have me glance up from watering the patio plants and the only word I saw was "all". 


Such a little word but it exposed exactly what God was doing in my heart. He had uncovered an area that I did not want Him to touch. I wanted to hold onto it and hide it from Him (ha, ha!). 

I was caught! "all" means "all". I knew it; He knew it. He knew only a portion of my heart (however large) was not enough--for Him or me. 

My first response was chiding myself for putting that verse right there. Silly me--if I had NOT put that verse up on the wall, He would have found another way to expose my hiding place. God is like that. He is trustworthy . . . yes, even with all of my heart. 

Homeland

My sister is moving back to Oregon. I am thrilled for her but I am also jealous. My husband says you can take the girl out of Oregon but never Oregon out of the girl. My ears perk up whenever Oregon is in the news, I tend to favor products produced in Oregon, there is an immediate connection with anyone who spent any length of time in that general area and I informed our landscaper that I was not interested in Kentucky versions of "evergreens"--I grew up in the Pacific Northwest!

Not everyone shares this phenomenon of loving their home region, but my parents did. My mother claimed that nothing cleaned as well as the German soap; nothing healed as well as the German ointment; and nothing tasted as good as the German chocolate (that last point may have been correct, though Oregon berries are in close competition).

My siblings and I still chuckle over the trips to the foreign place of  my father's homeland. As soon as we crossed the defining border of Snake River and a sign welcomed us to Idaho, my dad would start in: The air was fresher, the sky bluer, the ground greener (this is strictly a matter of the definition of green), the roads better, the people kinder, and we usually then heard him break into "Home, Home on the Range".

As much as I love Oregon, God reminded me that even this beautiful state was not my home. My true home is in heaven with Him. He is my Creator. All that I am comes from Him. In Him I move and have my being. He is Home and He is preparing a home for me. His homeland is my true origin and destination. The products from there are sweeter and better able to do what they are supposed to do. The environment is purer and more vibrant. The immediate connections I have with believers on earth (including my friends in S. California) are because of our mutual homeland. Every good and perfect gift is from the Father above and it is all sweeter because it comes from my true homeland.

How is my health?

The answer to the question, "How is my health?" is a tricky one. I cannot figure out what triggers extreme fatigue or inner shakiness or brain fog or numbness, nor what really relieves them. I cannot anticipate when the episodes come let alone when they will be bad. If I have to I push through them. If I can, I try to rest through the worst times.

I also have bright moments! This is when my brain is less cloudy, body has energy, and my spirit is lifted. I also do not know what triggers these episodes, when they will come, or how long they will last. I try to record them and remember to give thanks for them.

When I was on the Marshall Protocol (MP) with a certain antibiotic, I would experience this about once a week and these bright moments would last up to four hours. Yahoo! Since going off the Marshall Protocol, these were the first to go and most of my days were just numb. It has been hard to see those bright moments leave but I doubt I will go back to the MP for all the other reasons I listed last November--and because I am enjoying being back outside.

I am now on an herbal protocol which I will share more about in another post.

But, if you ask how my health is, it is all very relative--and I am not sure what rating to use: the Old Normal or the New Normal? Besides, if you wait a few moments to ask, it may go from "doing okay" to  "really poorly" to " a bright moment."

Something I miss

When you have children in your home and choose to have them around a lot (24/7 for homeschool moms and those with young children), there is always a time to share about Who God is and what He has done. There is constant speaking into their lives and hearing their precious thoughts about God and His Word. There are the times of correction: To hold our children accountable for their actions according to God's standard.

I miss this-- but did not realize how much or why I missed it until I was speaking with a mom in this very situation.

It may be very selfish, but I miss it because it spoke so loudly into my life. When I talked with my children about God; when we memorized scripture together; related a school lesson to one of Jesus' parables; sang a favorite song together; corrected with the authority of God's Word--God spoke to me. These very conversations were transforming me. I needed to hear the truth so much throughout the day, God gave me little ones to speak the Truth to.

With an almost empty house, I can talk aloud but it just is not the same as instructing, correcting, and encouraging someone and discovering that you are in greater need of the instruction, correction and encouragement.

So, a consideration for moms--next time you converse about God and His Truth with your children listen for how God speaking to you.

For the rest of us, how do we get this same sort of constant input? I bet God has some answers.

Transition to a New Job for Trevor

As most of you know we moved to Kentucky because Trevor was offered a job at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Thus, began one of the most intense transitions of our lives.

Almost four years later, God provided another opportunity. This one is less upheaval because we are staying in the same city but there are changes anyway.

Two days into the new position, Trevor texted me that he likes it. Yeah!

Since his position is with the federal government, we have to get used to some different structure--like taking off all those federal holidays :) but less flexibility in the overall schedule. We have friends who have worked years for the government and say it has been a good experience.

Okay, I must admit that I really thought we would be done with transitions after being here for more than 3 years.  But that is my perspective.

I am resting in knowing God brought us to Louisville and continues to have us at this place for His purposes.