My new challenge

Over the past week and a half, God has really been trying to get me to see some things in a new light. He has reached me through several different sources: a couple sermons, a conversation or two, a book I am reading, through a blog I read, and in prayer. In all these instances over this period, he seems to bring to attention the same thing; my sin, and whether I am living more in the Word or the world.

I have come to realize that I am allowing sin into my life by way of TV, movies, and books that I have been reading. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I have been reading trashy romance novels and watching lots of R or MA rated TV and movies. What I have been reading and watching lately though has language that I do not approve of, may have situations where people are having extramarital sex, or simply showing derogatory or hateful attitudes. I am not saying all these shows and books are bad, but they have content that I really don’t want to have in my life. I don’t want you to think I am condemning those who watch or read these things, because believe me, I love shows like Friends and Revenge, and I don’t want to miss out on the next New York Times Bestseller. I have decided though, that by allowing myself to be exposed to these things, I am becoming desensitized to the sin in them. After all, we all know that ‘Out of the heart, the mouth speaks.’ I am aiming to protect my precious heart from these sources of sin, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I hope my heart will become ever purer.

One of the blogs that I read fairly often is written by a gentleman who practiced a homosexual lifestyle for years before coming to Christ. After he was saved, he realized that he would continue to struggle with those feeling, but since God did not approve, he was going to do his very best to not act on them and grow closer to God in hopes that the feelings might fade over time. I obviously have no idea what it must be like to have homosexual feelings, but was quite intrigued by Matt’s story. After reading his blog post about that major turn of events in his life and what he has learned from it had left me in awe. I feel assured that with God on our side, we can overcome difficult sin struggles in our lives. I have included an excerpt from one of his latest blogs that I found inspiring for my current situation and what I am trying to overcome.

“The truth is, you are utterly hopeless to defeat the sin in your life… in and of yourself, as am I. There’s not any amount of self control or discipline that you can muster up from within yourself to crush this thing. The only thing, and I mean the only thing, that can change you is the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit…. specifically, the love of God being poured into your heart to such a degree that your desires actually start to change. And by change, I do not mean completely disappear… my same-sex feelings have not totally disappeared. But what I’m saying is that the love of Christ that’s poured into our hearts by the Spirit swallows up all of our other carnal desires, drowning them out and putting them at bay. They may still be present, but the love of Christ is the overwhelming presence inside of our hearts…. the love of Christ controls us, not our sinful natures.” Matt Moore

New information to me, that I want to pass on to you!

I am doing research today on mercury toxicity and removal. I am adding a link below to a blog that goes into a lot of detail, and explains symptoms, as well as discusses different studies. I would urge you to read this if you have time. It is really appalling to think that so many of us are walking around with toxic heavy metals in our body and don't know it. Even more concerning is the fact that so many people see numerous doctors with no relief, and have no idea that this could be a cause to their own health problems.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/mercury-how-to-get-this-l_b_469358.html

If you don't have the time right now to read the entire blog, please watch this video. It is only about 8 minutes long. After watching it, I am extremely excited about the fact I will be getting my amalgams (silver fillings) removed in less than a weeks time.
http://iaomt.org/videos/

I just finished reading the follow up post to the first blog post I linked. This one has interesting information about autism and the effects of mercury in children. It also lists some ways to eliminate mercury and other heavy metals from your body.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/autism-mercury-toxicity_b_497047.html

Could sushi and tuna, be part of my problem?

I just got home from Dr. Yu's office. I called about a question last week and was told my heavy metal test results were in, which I had originally been told it would take three weeks. Thankfully, they arrived early though, and we were able to move my appointment up to today.

The results say....... I have mercury, lead and antimony levels that are outside common levels. The way the test was performed: I had a urinalysis to determine my baseline levels of toxic metals, followed by an IV of DMPS chelating agent which attaches to the metals and aids in them being eliminated from my body. After the IV, I collected my urine for 90 minutes, and that sample was tested to show how much can be eliminated with help from the chelation.

On my baseline test, I only had an uncommonly high level of mercury. This level was quite significant we were told. My level was 6.1. Dr. Yu told Dan and I that out of all his patients, only about 5% of his complex cases test above a 3 baseline, and less than 3% are at a 5 or higher. Obviously, I showed a very high baseline level statistically.

On my post IV test, my mercury was at a 27, while I was also high in lead and antimony. Dr. Yu stressed the fact that no level of heavy metals is safe, and that we may not know where exactly the metals come from, but it is imperative we all try to avoid those metals when possible. Even though my mercury level was significantly higher in the second test, I felt a little better when Dr. Yu told me that some people are up near 150. Yikes!

The first step I am taking in eradicating my body of mercury is removing my amalgams (silver fillings). I am also beginning a homeopathic drop twice a day that I will take for six months to help aid in the removal of these metals. I will also begin receiving a chelation IV once a month for 6 months before retesting my levels at that time. I will be seeing Dr. Yu in 3 months to check our progress and see how much better I am doing.

I will begin the second round of parasite removal next Tuesday, and I finish my current homeopathic drops on the 24th of June, so I will then mostly be focusing on avoiding, and removing heavy metals.

I am SO glad that God has made it possible for Dan and I to be in St. Louis, seeking this unconventional, yet very hopeful route. I had essentially given up hope that I could become truly well one day, but I am starting to see that as a very real possibility. I want to ask you to continue to pray for healing, and for guidance throughout this process. God is so good, and has taught me so much recently. I am glad for technology so that I can share this journey with you all. My hope is that my story will be of some assistance to someone some day. I know that I would never be able to endure all this without Jesus by my side. He is my comfort and my encouragement, and I want everyone to be able to say the same thing!

A rollar coaster week.

This has been one crazy week, with lots of ups and downs.

Last weekend I was actually feeling okay and super happy about it because it was the first weekend Dan was here with me, and I would have been very bummed if I did not feel well. We had already planned a trip to the fabulous Fox theatre, to see Riverdance and to go out to dinner on Sunday. Since we were apart for both our birthdays, this was our combined birthday date. So, I definitely wanted to feel as well as possible for that!

Friday night, we had a few friends over to hang out and talk after dinner. Saturday, Dan and I went to Laumeier Sculpture Park, and then on a hike in powder valley conservation area, came home for a nap, then out to dinner and early to bed for me! Sunday, we went to a church that has just relocated to an old converted school that had been abandoned for 30 years. We then were able to rest for a bit before heading over to a friend’s house to visit for a while before out big birthday date. I survived it all! J This was the most activity I had participated in since our honeymoon cruise in mid-January.  I would certainly call that progress from where I have been for the last 5 months!

Then, Monday came and I paid for all that activity. I stayed in bed most of the day with a super sensitive and powerful migraine. By evening, I at least had a little more energy and was able to join the family for dinner. Tuesday morning I woke up not feeling great, but better than I had been most of Monday. I had an appointment to have (DMPS) heavy metal testing that morning, and things went fine with that, but I did notice, as I was warned on the consent form, a side effect of extreme exhaustion overcoming me during and immediately after the IV. I was also informed that as a side effect I could experience a variety of mercury poison symptoms. Little did I know how true that could be.

Tuesday evening, I did not feel very well, and had noticed an increase in my migraine pain level, and therefore went to bed pretty quickly after supper. When Wednesday rolled around, I got up and felt a little better, I was able to get my medical claim forms prepared and ready to mail to insurance, and then sat down with a book to get a little reading in, and within a couple pages, I was miserable. My migraine pain had sky rocketed, and I went to bed with as much darkness as possible. Dan made a protein shake for me for lunch and I also had a protein bar, only to realize shortly after, how sick I was.

I have to tell you that was an extremely miserable day, but it also had some joys! I am so grateful that I have not only been able to maintain my faith throughout this long journey, but that it has been strengthened in so many ways. One of the cool things about the misery of Wednesday was that since I was not able to sleep as much as I wanted, I spent a lot of time in prayer. In answer to some of my prayers, I was blessed to be reminded of different song lyrics and bible verses that encouraged me and lifted my spirits. I was reassured of the fact that Jesus remains by my side through this all, and that He is in control, and will not allow me to bear any more than I can handle.

Thursday morning, I awoke still feeling poorly, and had my breakfast, followed by a short nap. When I woke up from my nap, I was in worse shape and decided to call the doctor. I spoke with the same nurse who had administered the DMPS test, and she asked me to come in for a vitamin and mineral IV. She said that Dr. Yu will often recommend that as a way to kind of counter act the side effects from DMPS. Dan, being the angel that he is, rushed me right down for the treatment, and we were ecstatic to find that it helped significantly! I am back to being pretty close to where I was this past weekend, and expect to improve further from here.

The big blessing in all of this is that even though we will not get my test results for a few more weeks, it seems like mercury poisoning could be at least a part of my issue. The main source could likely be the two silver fillings I have. If the test shows that I do have a significant amount of mercury in my system, I would expect that the next big step we will take will be to change out those fillings to ceramic. I will also be starting the second round of parasite medications in a few weeks.

I thank you all for your continued prayers and support on this journey. God certainly has been polishing away at me through it all, and I pray that I can continue to be a light of God for others in my every day life.

Dr. Yu appointment #2

Yesterday, I saw Dr. Yu for the second time. We were all anxiously awaiting this appointment, knowing we would be getting test results, and hopefully get to some of my underlying issues. At the first appointment when we did the meridian testing (think a type of electrical acupuncture that measures all of your body systems) I was out of normal range on 17 of 40 measurements. Dr. Yu, then put several bottles on some type of calibration device which represented the homeopathic drops, and parasite medications I have been taking, and he performed the test again.  That time only two were out of range, and therefore that is what he expected to measure at this appointment. He was glad to see that upon testing at this appointment, all 40 points were within normal range. We like progress! I have had an increase in my energy levels thankfully while being here and on this regimen, but have not had significant headache relief, which definitely leads us to believe that there is more to the problem than what we are already treating.

We were given my test results with lots of good literature on the results for both the IgG food antibody assessment and the Hair mineral analysis.

IgG allergies have a delayed reaction, and can cause issues that are not even noticed sometimes because they seem so subtle. There are 88 foods that were tested. Each food has a rating of reaction: 0 for no reaction, VL for very low, 1+ for low, and 2+ for moderate, and 3+ for high. I had no high foods, and only 2 moderate (lamb and lettuce)  which I will avoid for at least 6 months.

The foods I have a low reaction to, which I am allowed to eat as much I want of 1 day a week are: Apple, corn, pinto bean, asparagus, cottage cheese, sesame, buckwheat, cow’s milk, wheat, cheddar cheese, and pecan

The foods I have a very low reaction to, and can eat as much as I want every 4 days are: alfalfa, casein, coffee, garlic, lactaibumin, oat, peanut, rice, string bean , yeast, apricot, celery, corn gluten, gluten, lentil, orange, plum, rye, sunflower seed, yogurt, avocado, chocolate, crab, goat’s milk, lima bean, oyster, pork, sole, tuna, beef, clam, egg white, kidney bean, mushroom, pea, potato-white, soy, and walnut.

Finally, the non-restricted foods are: almond, broccoli, chicken, egg yolk, lemon, papaya, potato-sweet, sardine, tomato, banana, cabbage, cod, grape, lobster, peach, raspberry, shrimp, trout, beet, cane sugar, cranberry, grapefruit, olive, pear, red snapper, spinach, turkey, blueberry, carrot, cucumber, green pepper, onion, pineapple, salmon, strawberry, and zucchini.

I think I will be able to handle the restrictions pretty well; it will just take some planning ahead. The way I look at it, if there is a chance this will make me feel better, I am all for it!

Results of my hair mineral analysis showed:

I am a slow oxidizer (My body metabolizes food at a rate slower than required for the production of optimal energy levels to adequately perform basic body functions)

I have diminished cellular adrenal glandular activity

A cellular thyroid effect that is outside of optimal range

 A significantly impaired sugar and carbohydrate tolerance

Significantly decreased cell permeability

As far as actual numbers go, my calcium and magnesium levels were off the charts, my iron, manganese, zinc, chromium, selenium and phosphorus levels were all below normal. He did not seem to be alarmed with these, and said that it should even out with the supplement program I am on. The five toxic metals that were tested for were all present, which ideally none would be present, but they were not alarmingly high.

Dr. Yu seems to believe that with the supplement program I am beginning(11 different ones in addition to finishing my homeopathic drops), as well as following my food allergy guidelines, I should be seeing significant improvement very soon.

I have an appointment next Tuesday to do a test for toxic metals. We will then return about a month from now to get those results, and to discuss whether or not we need to have my amalgrams (silver fillings) removed. I am hoping that by that time, we are seeing a huge difference in my pain level from doing the new supplement program, along with obeying the food allergy recommendations!

The Mission of the Church

I just finished listening to a sermon by one of my favorite pastors-Matt Chandler. I feel like I cannot even begin to summarize this message without it loosing it's effectiveness. The sermon prior to this one is a great lead in as well. I ask you to listen, and try to apply the message in your daily life. I sure am!  It has definitely made me think, and realize that so often in my daily life, I become selfish without even noticing. The Mission of the Church

It has been a while since I last posted, so I will do my best to update everyone.

A week ago this past Saturday, my brother-in-law Brian arrived back home after being on a gap year program and out of the country for the last 4 months. It has been really great talking to him about the many experiences he had on that journey, and what all he has learned. He definitely has a new perspective on things that we so often disregard as Americans. I know that God has deeply moved in his life over the last year, and I look forward to seeing how he chooses to change the world.

Last Thursday, my sweet sister-in-law and her husband came into town for a busy weekend. We had my mother-in-law's birthday party on Friday night. I attended my first ever lacrosse game on Saturday, and then on Sunday, after my in-laws joined their new church, we had a brunch here at the house.

Health wise, I held up pretty well. I was able to stay active with a smile on my face through it all, but sadly, by Sunday afternoon I was wiped out! I rested all afternoon and got to bed early hoping to avoid a major crash. Unfortunately, I awoke yesterday with a horrible increase in migraine pain, that has yet to cease.

I am sure the busy weekend could have a lot to do with this, but it just frustrates me all the more to think that my body just cannot handle even a normal daily pace yet. I honestly thought that by now I would be a lot closer to a normal function. All I know to do is continue praying, and diligently taking my parasite concoction and detox elixir. Hopefully by my appointment next week, I will have more improvement, and get to receive instructions for the next step in healing. I got a letter in the mail today that they have one of my tests back, so I am eagerly awaiting those results.

Today I will ask you to please pray for my strength and that I can trust that we are moving along at the exact pace God wants us to. I am not as patient of a person I thought I was. I have been expecting wellness at any moment since I have been here, and I'm not waiting very well.

My prayer today comes from Psalm 25. In verse 1 David says: To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; 2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.  Later in the chapter he says:15 My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare. I know that God is the ruler of all, and that through my trust in him, and following his path, I will become well, and I will be able to accomplish all that he designed me to do!