At the Root

My first piece of glitter

          A beautiful piece of glitter first made its appearance in my hair last October (when I turned the ripe old granny age of 39). When I finally noticed it, it was about one inch long and sticking straight up in the air Dennis the Menace style...very flattering. I've anticipated this arrival for a long time (my mom started getting gray hair in her mid-twenties), but now that my grays are coming out, my thoughts and ideas are being challenged. My mom has always been a great example of embracing her age; but with her full head of gray hair, she has also looked much older than her peers. Is looking old bad? No...unless I listen to everything I think others are saying...if I watch their eagerness to rid of themselves of unwanted grays. Is getting rid of my under eye circles with concealer any different? How do you age gracefully minus frump? I think this answer is different for every woman. My hubby has always been pro-gray and anti-dye. I've known this since we starting dating decades ago. I don't have a problem with being natural (but don't take away my concealer). It actually fits me. Even being counter-cultural, fits me. Not feeling beautiful when I'm officially "old", does not fit me (or any other woman that I'm aware of). I'd like our kids to be at peace with when they grow glitter from their head as well, but I don't want them to feel judged if they want dye like I want concealer.
          My hair's not the only root that's been changing. I now have some mineral trioxide deep down in one of my teeth. Just before  my birthday, I had a deep cavity filled for the second time, while being told that I'd probably need a root canal sooner than later. Since my tooth began giving me fits on the weekend when no endodontist is available, I decided to try essential oils. There were all kinds of testimonials about avoiding root canals, but that wasn’t my case.  The melaleuca and clove oil helped me from having a full blown face-swelling infection, but my infected root still died and irritated my other roots.  I did end up finding a biological dentist that does things a little differently than mainstream dentists.  He didn’t stare at me like I had two heads when I told him about the essential oils (or even when I admitted to trying oregano oil—which burned my mouth) or oil pulling.  If he had suggested  giving up my concealer for the sake of my teeth, I’m not sure I would.  Fortunately, he suggested I see a holistic M.D. to look at my calcium metabolism (since I’ve had a few cavities in the past couple of years).  My tooth has been fixed and the root is gone. Hopefully, seeing a holistic doctor while help me get to the root of my teeth issues.

                                As I age, I’m no longer satisfied at just looking at my issues.  I want to know why I have issues (one of my issues is depression).  I was allowed to preview a new book by Jill Savage about friendship (the name of the book is “Better Together”), and I’ve really enjoyed it.  I’ve read a lot of books on marriage and parenting in the past five years, but this is the first book that I can remember reading about friendship in as long as I can remember.  It has lots of helpful advice on what is normal in friendships and how to be a better friend, but the part I really liked was the challenges at the end of each chapter.  One challenge was to write a handwritten note to a friend.  My letter ended up arriving same day that my friend was preparing to attend a funeral for her loved one, and it really meant a lot to her.   I love it when God uses us to minister to others, especially when we have no idea how perfect the timing is.  The past few weeks when I’ve read this book, I’ve felt lighter and less burdened.  I can’t help by wonder if reaching out to other women isn’t a big way of combating my blues.  It kind of makes sense if one of the greatest commandments that Jesus leaves us with is to love others (see Matt. 22:39).  God only asks us to do what works out best for us in the end (even if it’s not easy).  It’s funny that showing love actually made me feel loved. I know it made my friend feel loved too. Sometimes I just need a different perspective to look at what’s underneath it all. That’s what I felt like this book provided for me.

 This past winter, we had some water issues in our basement.  We had a downpour of rain while my hubby Charles wasn’t at home, so I called him to find out when he could come home.  Mary was using the wet vacuum in the basement, while Half-Pint was managing the kiddos, and I was trying to figure out a way to prevent the water from entering in the basement in the first place. I called Charles to ask him if I could use a different wet vacuum outdoors.  Clearly, I wasn’t thinking about the risk of electrocution. Charles let me know the best way to prevent the water from coming in was to clean out the gutters that were overflowing.  Shortly after they were cleaned, the water stopped coming in the basement.  I admit that sometimes I'm short-sighted. I’m praying that God would show me what the root of my issues are.  In the meantime, I’m going to keep loving others and using my concealer while I let my glitter shine.

         

Grin and Bear It

             My stomach wound into tight knots as we drove into the parking garage at the children's hospital for yet another visit to the pediatric rheumatologist. It may have been a week ago, but I remember vividly the feeling of defeat. This was the last place I wanted or expected to be. I kept telling myself that it was a blessing to have an expert to help us, but I was dreading what she would say. Just ten days after getting an all-clear from Lyme Disease,  Half-pint started complaining of pain in her knee again.  Within three days, both knees and ankles (plus one heel) were excruciatingly painful. I dialed up the rheumatologist's office and took the soonest appointment, which was a Thursday. The morning of our appointment, I read Psalm 42. Verse 6  starts by saying, "O my God, my life is cast down upon me [and I find the burden more than I can bear!]...I wrote "Lyme Disease relapse" in the margin along with the date. Just the thought of what was ahead was too much to bear. I felt let down to think that we were starting all over again with the disease. Yes, I know life could definitely be worse,  but at the time this felt too big for me. I had made the mistake of looking at information on-line about Lyme reoccurance and life-long struggles.
           The rest of Psalm 42:6 says,"...therefore will I [earnestly] remember You from the land of the Jordan [River] and the [summits of Mount] Hermon, from the little mountain Mizar." Basically that part of the verse is encouraging us to remember what God is capable of. I personalized this part of the verse by saying "... therefore will I [earnestly] remember You from the parking lot of the orthodontist and the kitchen in need of a crockpot, with the little mountain of uncooked beans." You probably don't know the story from the parking lot, so here it goes.
            Back in May my hubby and I talked to two "experts" in the orthodontic field. Both agreed that Mary suffered from severe overcrowding,  but their treatments were considerably different. The more experienced one felt that two permanent teeth needed to be pulled by an oral surgeon as well as having an "impacted" tooth bared to attach a gold chain to it (to drag it down). He also recommended an expander. From my orthodontic knowledge, an expander equals a LOT of pain. Did I mention that all my friends use the more experienced doctor (as well as my brother who lives in the area)? The other orthodontist said there was no need for an expander with the "self-ligating" braces (Damon braces) he used. We didn't need to pull any permanent teeth. He felt that if he made room for it, the other tooth would naturally drop without intervention. We looked at some very convincing before and after photos on Facebook. Is it any suprise that we liked the "less pain", "less intervention", "less cost" plan of the latter orthodontist......at the risk of following advice from the less experienced expert? I wondered if the other orthodontist was right though when he said the tooth would "never" descend on it's own. Her braces went on in June.  In October, our orthodontist told us that we shouldn't wait any longer. We should uncover that stubborn tooth with a laser at her next appointment (so we could pull it down into alignment).  My logical brain said, "He WAS wrong, but at least we don't have an oral surgeon bill." The panic on my daughter's white-as-a-sheet face told me that logic was unhelpful at this point. She was freaking out as only a twelve year old with a huge imagination can. At that point in the parking lot, we prayed and asked God to do what one orthodontist thought was impossible and what our current orthodontist was done waiting for (the dental assistant explained to us that they had waited for over six months for her son's stubborn tooth to drop with no success...which increased his treatment time). A few weeks later when Mary told me her tooth had emerged (and far lower on the gum-line than it was in May), I grabbed her hands and did a hoppy, ring-a-round-rosey dance for several minutes. This victory is what my mind went back to that morning that I knew we would be facing bad news.
          It built my faith. It gave me hope. It gave me the courage to declare that I trusted God to be capable in this problem as well. It gave peace in my heart even though my stomach refused to cooperate. I expected the worse for Half-pint,  but the rheumatologist surprised me. There was no swelling with her pain,  which meant no Lyme Disease. The fact that it was bilateral and in additional places was a result of the weather and a little thing called hyper mobility,  which can be treated with physical therapy not medication. Her heel pain was a normal symptom of growing. She was not diseased. She is just growing and extra flexible. 
          Still, we are having to manage her pain. It has to be consistent for three weeks before it can be diagnosed as "chronic pain". Aleve and Advil don't touch the pain, but we found some essential oils that do the trick (lemongrass,  wild orange,  lemon,  and frankinscense are her favorites). Within seconds,  she feels relief. Right now, we are just waiting for our next step...but we're grinning because we know we are not alone.
          
         

Glutinous Gluttony (Gluten Tolerance Test)

          It's been two weeks!! Today, begins our return to all the deliciousness I have been missing...bread, cookies, and life-saving Cheerios (as in "I can't think of any other snack; so, here, have some Cheerios"). The results of our experiment were not conclusive enough to make us go gluten-free permanently, but sometimes it takes putting the gluten back in to know what difference it really makes. During pregnancy,  there is this lovely test called the "glucose tolerance test" where they have you abstain from food and consume large quantities of sugar in a beverage form to see if your body will properly handle the sugar by secreting insulin. I have a feeling today may look a little like that test. There's bound to be a little gluten binging after two weeks of abstinence.
          The first week had my hubby feeling wonderful,  and me feeling horrible (oh, the fatigue!). This past (second) week, my hubby had a couple of days of fatigue--which can be a symptom of allergies for him. On his second day of fatigue, I offered him some essential oils. (This had originally been something I planned on trying this spring after the great results with ear infections). A friend posted a regimen of ingesting two drops of lemon oil, two drops of lavendar oil, and two drops of peppermint oil in a gelatin capsule. I just emptied out a capsule of probiotic (and shared the powder with my son), instead of buying separate capsules. Daily probiotics are something we try to take as a family. My hubby said he felt a little like throwing up that night, and he kept burping "candy canes". After a couple of hours, he did feel less tired though. The next night he used what he usually uses for allergies (an over-the-counter drug), since I wasn't there to mix his concoction. The following night we used the same oils, except with one drop instead of two.  He said it seemed just as effective as the otc drug.  Ingesting essential oils is the most aggressive form of use for oils. You can also apply oils to your hands and cup your hand over your mouth to inhale it. Topically applying them (usually to your feet) is less aggressive. Using them in a vaporizer would be an even less agressive treatment. My hubby suffered no itching symptoms (even his ears itch when it's bad) until yesterday when he spent a large time outdoors burning around our dried-out pond.  He took the oils twice yesterday, and seemed to do well with it. In the past when his allergies acted up, he couldn't sleep well and woke up multiple times a night.
       Our son had been coughing very hard in the middle of the night to the point of gagging.  I had hoped that the gluten would help that too,  but after a week without success (he had been gagging/coughing for three weeks total), I had him seen at the doctor's office. His pediatrician recommended removing stuffed animals from his bedroom to see if he might be sensitive to dust mites. I took them all out on last Friday. Wednesday,  he slept through the night for the first time since before his pneumonia (that I can remember) which was back in December. He's slept through the night every night since then. I don't know if it was the stuffed animals, the gluten-free diet, or an illness going away. If he starts gagging again and waking up, I will be removing the gluten immediately. Mama needs her sleep more than bread.
            I felt a lot better this last week. I think being able to sleep all night helped a ton, but also the gluten-free chocolate was fabulous...and the fact that coffee is gluten-free too helped. The second week was also easier after trading in Kix for Cheerios, and indulging in some Chex for quick breakfast options. (I like that Chex has no high fructose corn syrup and artificial dyes/flavorings,  but why can't they use alpha tocopheral instead of BHT?). We also found that we love Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal. I was dismayed to find out that oatmeal is often cross-contaminated, so the Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal became our go-to. When will Quaker get on board and check their oats for the gluten allergic/intolerant like other companies? We also enjoyed eating out at a Jason's Deli this past week (their gluten-free chicken nuggets were terrific! ).
           I am glad we tried this, and I have definitely had my eyes opened to how much gluten we are consuming, as well as finding some new yummy recipes to break up the monotony of spaghetti and pizza staples. I think it helped to do it as family as well, although it was a little overwhelming to constantly be checking if this or that was gluten free. My kids need more practice on taking turns when making requests of me. The last chapter hasn't been written yet though. We may have to remove the gluten again after our day of gluttony.
          

Basil Toes?!

           As a child, I always thought my parents were a little nutty when it came to medical issues. They always preferred natural cures over seeking a doctor's advice. Time and perspective can change a lot. Now, I'm a parent with five kids to make medical decisions for; and I've repented over and over for the labels I put on my parents. Turns out I'm a little nutty just like them. I wouldn't say I never seek medical advice. I do, but sometimes doctors don't have the answers I need.
          Half-pint was my first child to be diagnosed with "colic" at 12 weeks of age after being treated for an ear infection and acid reflux.  Her ears cleared up over night; and after several weeks, the reflux medication still did nothing to help the agony she was in. She screamed on into the wee hours of the morning.  Nothing seemed to help. She slept during the day...a LOT. I already had Mary who went to bed every night at 7pm and woke up at 7:03am on the dot. I was exhausted from staying up late with Half-pint and getting up with a fully-charged Mary. I did research, and read books on getting your baby to sleep better. I started eliminating milk from my evening meals, and it helped a little. I read that Iron in multivitamins can make some babies cranky, so I took that out. Half-pint started going to bed at 9 or 10pm, but she was still up every two hours after that. After five months of this, I didn't feel like a human being anymore...much less a good mama. Then, a friend made a suggestion that saved my sanity.  She asked, "Would you consider a chiropractor?" I had seen a chiropractor as a child but taking an infant seemed extreme. However,  I was desperate.  Long story short, a week later Half-pint was sleeping 8 hour stretches at night. A month later, she was going as long as 12 hours without waking me up. We did make the decision to take her to a chiropractor trained specifically for adjusting children, after having some reservations about our initial chiropractor. We have been very happy with the results. When child #3, 4, and 5 were born, they were also adjusted a few months after birth...as soon as they started showing signs of distress (and keeping me up at night for more than a week).
        A little nutty? Maybe, but it works. I still take my kids for well child visits to our pediatrician; and if I suspect strep throat, they still get swabbed. This past December,  we saw our pediatrician a lot. Mr. Blue Eyes, our 11 month old had his first ear infection and ended up with pneumonia after that. I learned several nurse's names at the practice by heart. Two weeks ago, Mr. Blue Eyes started showing signs of something bothering him. Maybe his ears were bothering him, maybe it was a headache from a tumble,  maybe it was more teeth coming in. I really dreaded it being his ears because I knew they'd put him on more antibiotics. After his second round of antibiotics in December (the first for an ear infection and the second for pneumonia), he had horrible diarrhea.  It was so bad that during the middle of the night he went through seven diapers in two hours. His skin was so raw that he screamed when I changed him. It was AWFUL! I'm not a fan of Desitin (the first non-active ingredient is BHA--a preservative and known carcinogen), but I was desperate for him to have some relief. Even that seemed to be no match for this evil skin-destroying condition.  My "nutty" mom was visiting and suggested using Sovereign Silver on a cotton ball as the final pat on his tushie before the diaper ointment. Crazy as it sounds silver has natural healing properties; and after the second application, he stopped screaming. I ditched the Desitin and slathered on my usual favorite ointment after the colloidal silver: Rosebud (or "Rosebutt" as Gracie calls it). Two days later he was no longer raw, despite having four days left on antibiotics.
           Needless to say, I really, really did not want to go on another round of antibiotics. (We do probiotics in between rounds of antibiotics to help replenish the good bacteria.) After a few days, I really suspected his ears more. I took him to our chiropractor for an adjustment, and she casually asked if we had any basil oil. Ok. This next part is going to seem strange, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  I ended up buying some essential basil oil. My chiropractor assured me that she'd used it before both on herself and her kids for ear problems with great success. She said within a couple of hours she felt much better...and even a full blown infection would disappear after two days of using the oil. Here's what I was to do: put three drops of oil on cotton balls, stick it in his ear, and leave it there for 15 min. She recommended doing this three or four times a day. How do you keep something in an 11 month old's ears for 15 minutes? Well, you put on your baby proof winter hat over the cotton balls to hold them in place and create "the hat 'o basil". The smell is really strong-- obnoxious even! Everyone complained about it. Oddly enough, that night (a few hours later) he was jabbering away...normal baby stuff...
except that he hadn't jabbered like that in at least a week. That night he finally slept too. By the next morning,  Half-pint had seen enough to volunteer to try it too. Her ears had been popping a lot and she was having a hard time hearing because of extra fluid.   She felt a lot better. Her ears popped a lot, and then stopped. She said she could hear better as well. At this point, I wasn't feeling so "nutty" anymore. After a couple days, I stopped using it for him. No signs of infection. Interesting. My chiropractor said the basil essential oil was also good for any infection.  If her family felt sick, she said she'd just rub a couple drops on the feet at night; and in the morning, they'd be right as rain. A couple days later, Carrie said she didn't feel good. We put drops in Shea butter to dilute it a little (it's really concentrated and can cause skin irritation,  although the chiropractor said the feet usually aren't too sensitive) and smeared it all over her feet. We joked that the baby had "basil ears" for two days, so now we joked that Carrie had "basil toes". She felt better too. This past weekend,  when the baby started getting a warm forehead and cold hands and feet (nooo!!), we gave him basil toes as well. One nap and a  few hours later, he seemed back to normal.
           I wouldn't tell you all this, if it didn't work so well. I know it sounds crazy. One vial of oil costs less than one co-pay for a doctor's visit. So far we've only used maybe a tenth of a bottle. I might be a little "nutty", but this just makes scents.

What have you found that helps you and your family to stay healthy?