BUMPS ALONG THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

Morning all,

Hope you are all well.

Today we talk about bumps in the road to recovery. Blips. Steps backwards. Unforeseen consequences or complications.

Best course of action - you just get OVER them and keep moving forward.

First off on my mind: Mom's in the hospital again. She has an infection in her surgery area. She needs to have her abdominal drain replaced/repositioned, as there must be a pocket of bile not being accessed by the drain, and she's developed low grade fever and an escalating white blood count. The dr at the Rehab sent her pronto to the ER and she was admitted last night.

Of course i have a healthy worry, but I am confident that after she gets a new drain, that things will progress again in the right direction and she'll be back at the Rehab.

She's gaining strength, she even stood herself up out of the chair the other day, so mostly everything is moving in the right direction.

Well, there're a few more issues. From 3 months with a catheter, her ability to hold her urine is not good. She goes about once an hour or once every two hours. She'll need to see a urologist. And Her voice is a constant worry. It's weak and hoarse.

Having heard her this mornng after not having eaten any dinner (and laying in the ER for nearly 10 hours), i'm almost positive her issue is REFLUX LARYNGITIS...and NOT complications from the tracheostomy. Just like ME. Like mother like daughter.

Her voice was CLEAR this morning. No food in the gut...no fermented food/acid to travel up the esophogus and larynx and swell the vocal cords.

On to moi.

My reflux laryngitis is like almost non-existent anymore. I suppose bananas don't cause much acid in the gut. Pretty awesome.

But now I'm confronting muscular tensions and misuses with my singing voice.... It's always somthin'!

I have a singing lesson today, so I continue to work on becoming more and more aware of how I misuse myself, and learn techniques to most effectively and easily use my voice.

The stress of singing wrong and learning to correct myself is...high. There's a great deal of trial and error and frustration, so it's not a painless process. But, nothing worthwhile comes without struggle, does it?

Another sore subject is hair. There seems to be more of it in the tub since starting 80-10-10. Those of you who are long term readers will remember my run-in with Dr. D concerning that subject last summer. Mr. "Buy a Wig" says on the subject today...

Dr D: Hair tends to grow in in the winter, and fall out in the summer. You certain you aren't giving the results credit where it isn't due?

MJ: Well, it's been summer all along and there's more hair in the tub now than there was just 2 weeks ago.

Dr D: Hair loss almost always accompanies weight loss too, btw.

I mean, is thicker hair always better?

MJ: Is thicker hair always better? Huh???? You gotta be kidding. Did you take a crazy pill this morning???? I have seriously thinning hair since high school. I'm 42 now. The front of my scalp is a big open area, so if it grew back in thicker from eating cooked over the last 9 months, or from Diatomaceous Earth, and the two times i've been on 80-10-10, it gets thinner... Last summer it got seriously and frighteningly thinner! I'm gonna notice. And for the record, as a woman, i'm going to NOT want to be bald, and am going to see thicker hair as BETTER, you know? or maybe you don't know...... ?????!!!!

Dr D: I know, but there is a limit, yes? I have a client that complains because her hair gets too thick on 811. This is the first you mention having thin hair, so how was I to know? Isn't there some sort of limit?

MJ: There is a difference between thin and very thin. i'd rather have more hair than less.

Dr D: I get lots of mail from people telling me their hair or nails got thicker on 811, and others saying thinner.

MJ: So it's not just me getting thinner eating bananas....great, how comforting.

Dr D: Point it, the body knows what it is doing. Have some confidence and gratitude that your body is choreographing your health for you.

Why not just notice, and be done with it. It's like you notice how much you breathe, but you don't attempt to control it, do you?

MJ: That's ridiculous. How about if my eyeball was hanging out of my eye, would i just sit back and notice it and not get alarmed? Or would i try to DO something to help it, to stop it? Anyway, it's a sore subject regarding bald with me and you. i know...just buy a wig. I'll be bald, but at least i'll be thin.

Dr D: Well, there is a difference between life-threatening issues and vanity issues, eh?

MJ: I suppose we'll see where this goes over the next 3 months. For now let's just drop it. It's obvious it's the diet. Or it's detox or whatever it is, but it happens to people who get gastric bypass or who lose weight quickly as well. Whatever it is, it ain't fun.

Dr D: OK, read the following with the love with which it is given. We both agree that people often get hair thinning when losing weight. Then, they blame the weight loss, or the diet, or something like that. Maybe being fat wasn't such a good idea? Maybe they should blame themselves? Because being thin doesn't cause hair loss, in and of itself, but for some people, getting thin can do so. Tell you what though, typically, the hair grows back in, especially when you get healthier along the way. On 811, most folks always mention that their hair grew back in, later. So, the freak out was for naught.

I'm glad you're reflux is so much better from 811. Do you ever post on my Vegsource forum?

MJ: I'm not aware of what Vegsource is. I'll have to look it up. Sure, I can post my singing voice and reflux laryngitis are MUCH improved. Shall i also post i'm going bald????!!!!!

Anyway, i'm done talking about it for tonight.

Dr D: Post whatever you like. It is a support forum I have run for 16 years.
http://www.vegsource.com/talk/raw/index.html

~ ~ ~ ~

Well, so there you have it, folks. I suppose I sometimes get a little testy, huh? No woman wants to be bald.

Enough said.

Oh.

I also have a mouse in the kitchen.

And a trap. Obviously in the wrong place. Because i've spotted him twice now.

CALGON, TAKE ME AWAY!

You know what?

Life ain't easy.

Sometimes you just have to say, "What the fuck."

And go eat a banana.


P.S. $15 tickets to the Vibrant Living Festival on Saturday, Aug 21st, 9am-10pm, available at www.VibrantLivingFestival.com with discount code: 'gratitude.' Come out and hear me sing at 10:30a.m.

xoxo michelle joy