by Lady of the Woods
I first began to realize that something was seriously wrong when I was in my early 30's. Fibromyalgia was in your head back then and unless you had a good chiropractor there was nothing to be done but see a mental health provider. I struggled with pain for decades, along with chronic fatigue, multiple chemical allergies, severe asthma, skin conditions...rashes, itching, etc. I suffered from recurrent fungal infections, psoriasis, irritable bowel syndrome, weight gain, mood swings, and pain. I had several root canals and nearly every tooth had an amalgam filling with mercury. There was always lots of pain.
I had been in the service in the 1970's and received double and triple immunizations causing my thyroid to atrophy. I had antibodies for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and also histoplasmosis which left scarring in my eyes and nodules on my lungs. I managed to raise my three sons and work part time, despite the ongoing fatigue and pain. I worked as an RN and therefore had night shifts and rotating shifts which complicated my deteriorating health. Still, no medical doctor could figure out what was wrong with me.
After living in the Ozarks for a few years we moved to Alaska for twelve years during which time I began to learn about alternative therapies. I tried homeopathy, acupuncture, regular massage, chiropractic, and even Ayurvedic medicine. The latter ended when the provider wanted to start herbal enemas which was beyond my desire to participate in. I had my limits. I also had divorced my alcoholic husband when he refused to quit smoking his three packs per day inside the house. Asthma progressed to COPD but at the time I did not know what was wrong. I just knew that the smoking made me sick. I was also diagnosed with hypothyroid during this time and began to take Synthroid.
I moved from Valdez, AK to Anchorage after the divorce. After working as a home health nurse, administering chemotherapy to cancer patients, I began to decline in health. I figured I was having reactions to the chemotherapy drugs so quit to go to work for the VA. The building owned by the VA had been built on a landfill and actually had a blue goo seeping up from the basement floors at one time. Sick building syndrome was likely the cause of my increased symptoms and constant illnesses. Smells began to affect me...carpet cleaners, air fresheners, perfumes. Many long time employees had unusual health conditions, including rare cancers. I finally had to make a decision about leaving.
I left everything behind, including my youngest son who had just graduated from high school and also the man who eventually become my husband. I sold my condo and moved to Memphis just two months before 9/11. My mom needed help and I had been gone for many years so felt obligated as the eldest to help her for a while. I moved into the home I grew up in and began to restore it as best I could. Mom's home had been a rental for many years and the latest in a long line of dead beats had left the home in shambles. I didn't know it at the time, but it soon became clear that it was used as a drug manufacturing site and should have been condemned. The bathtubs were corroded where meth or whatever had been made. The central air-conditioning ducts were filled with contaminated plaster dust that blew through the house causing me severe asthma to the point where I nearly died. Bill quit his job in Anchorage and joined me in my disastrous attempts to help restore my family home. Termites, dry rot, leaking roof and plumbing, black mold, and of course, drug residue all contributed to my failing health. Also the home was just a mile from the International Airport and the Fed Ex main hub. The air was filled with fuel vapors that I could actually taste. It was clear that something was causing me severe allergic reactions to the environment.
Finally my MD told me there was nothing else he could do for me as I was allergic to all the medications he tried to treat me with. They just made me sicker. He advised me to move out of the Memphis pollution and the contaminated house and get to an area of the country that was cleaner. And so my adventures in Oregon began just nine months after my move to Memphis.
I began working at a hospital in Eugene, OR as a float nurse. I lasted for over a year before transferring to home health where I worked for a few years. During this time I began experiencing a shawl patterned rash across my shoulders and back that itched terribly. I also began having reactions to the air beds used by bed-bound patients as well as vinyl products. I would turn bright red, begin sweating profusely and my blood pressure would sky rocket to the 180's/ 120's. I was fortunate enough to have other nurses witness my bizarre reactions to the beds which we finally figured out was related to the off-gassing of the preservatives and sulfates inside the mattresses. Even the beds in the hospitals had been affecting me though at the time I worked inside the hospital I just thought I was having hot-flashes or that the rooms were too hot. Later, it became clear that I would never work inside a hospital with air beds again and I was unable to perform wound care on home patients that were bed-bound in air beds.
I finally was referred to a naturopathic physician by my MD and also the VA provider that was treating me for hypertension, asthma, pain and thyroid. She began her treatment for hypertension as it was uncontrolled. I also began my own research of my symptoms at this time. I took control of my health at this point in my life as no one seemed able to figure out what was causing all of my seemingly unrelated symptoms. The allergies were especially problematic as I never knew when I would run into something that would cause the severe asthma attacks. Foods, diesel, fragrances...it didn't matter. I was sick all the time. I wanted to die.
Thanks to the internet, I was able to track my symptoms for possible causes. I made a list of every one of my symptoms and the order in which they began to appear. I also got my medical records from the military as well so I could search for possible causes. It was then i discovered that my immunizations had been given twice...I actually had three smallpox vaccinations in just over three years as well as double tetanus and others. This was a likely cause of the immune system attack on my thyroid. I actually received a disability from the VA for thyroid. Next, I had allergy testing due to the effects of the airbeds. I was not allergic to latex or any foods or other substances according to the doctor. When everything came back negative I mentioned to the allergist about my reactions to wine, beer and alcoholic drinks. Then a part of the puzzle began to take shape. I was allergic to sulfates and other preservatives. That explained the beds and a lot of the dietary reactions I had. But still, there was something missing.
I continued my on-line research and when reading about lupus, I suddenly became aware that i had all the symptoms of drug-induced lupus. I was taking the medications long term that were on the list of potential culprits. Actually the blood pressure medication Atenolol, long term lithium for pain control and mood swings, and a particular antibiotic and steroids for a respiratory infection was the final straw that sent me into a full blown Lupus reaction. The shawl pattern rash along with the butterfly rash on my face were a couple of give aways. I was taken off all the offending drugs and behold! A miracle! The itching and rashes began to clear and my blood pressure lowered. But the asthma and fibro/chronic fatigue continued. So my research continued.
It finally came down to being tested for heavy metals. I had been studying the effects of chemtrails on the environment so asked my naturopath if I could be tested. Note that I had to ask her...she had not considered it as yet. After the 24 hour urine showed I had critically high levels of lead and mercury, with lower levels of strontium, aluminum, and arsenic, we began the scavenger hunt. Where was all this metal coming from? Eventually, I was led to my mouth and the amalgam fillings and root canals. I found Dr. Huggins, bio dentist, on line and received his information about mercury poisoning. I went to a bio-dentist closest to Eugene and ended up spending the next couple of years driving to Newport on the coast for treatment. I ended up with a total mouth reconstruction as my fillings were pouring mercury vapor into my mouth and into my lungs with every bite of food, every grind of my teeth. So at the ripe old age of 57 and weighing 350 pounds, with pain and asthma, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, unstable blood pressure, and low thyroid, I began my quest for better health. I went on the diet prescribed by Dr. Huggins. He tested my dna and came up with my ancestral diet along with a chelation diet for me to learn to live with. It is a strange thing to be told to eat up to a stick of organic butter each day. I cannot drink milk but can drink organic heavy whipping cream mixed with water. I was told to eat two eggs daily along with high protein that includes rare beef, buffalo, lamb, but absolutely no pork. Everything has to be organic. No orange or grapefruit. No alcohol, caffeine or tea or coffee or chocolate (okay, I cheat a bit here). No soy. No soy lecithin. No sugar (yeah, right). Absolutely NO FISH or seafood at all. I tested this, believe me. I love fish. But after the mercury was removed, every time I cheated on the fish I would get an ulcer wherever the mercury had been removed. Needless to say, it was worth it occasionally, but not often. I mean, how can one go to the coast for treatment and not eat some seafood? Well, I learned. And now, barely any asthma symptoms unless I get into the chemtrails or a known allergen like the detergent aisle at the grocery store or diesel or perfumes. I have shed about 110 pounds so far. I am stronger and don't have to take daily naps. I rarely get respiratory infections which used to be chronic. I no longer want to die.
The best advice I can give, the most important thing I have learned, is that we all are responsible for our own health. We need to be prudent with taking anything a doctor orders if it is manufactured by big pharm. We need to reevaluate the immunizations that are being forced upon our children. I have given hundreds of flu shots to people in my past life as a nurse and, if I could only do it again, I would refuse. I would not give them to my children, my patients or anyone in the community. I certainly wouldn't take one myself. I would listen to the symptoms that my body is sharing with me and do the research myself. I would present my findings to my physicians and insist that they listen to me when I explain what I think is going on. If they do not listen, I would find a practitioner who will.
It took me so many years to finally become strong enough, emotionally and physically, to stand up for myself and understand that this is MY BODY. MINE!!! For as long as I live, no one will take away my free agency to do what needs to be done to become healthy. Everyone should take control of their bodies...their health. No one cares as much as you do about your body. No one.