Never give up advocating for yourself

 

Very strange unrelated symptoms began about 2 years ago.  Certain hand creams made my hands turn red and swell.  If I touched clothing that had fabric softener on them my hands would turn red and swell.  Clothes shopping was a night mare causing swollen red hands and even tightness in my chest.    Then I began noticing that the smell of red meat cooking in a pan made me fill ill.  I loved a good roasted prime rib yet the smell of it cooking was revolting and eating led to weird symptoms that showed up in a few hours.   It got so bad after 2 years that the last time I ate a hamburger my face swelled so much I had large watery bags under my eyes and above my eyes were all swollen.  I thought maybe I had rubbed my eyes and gotten poison Ivy or oak there.  My hands and body were swollen,  my joints ached.  My brain felt like it was in a fog, the fatigue was crippling.   I took natural antihistamines, iced my eyes and sucked it up and went to work and living life the best I could.   

I had brought this up to my family doctor 2 years prior but as usual met with "Oh Donna,  Alpha- Gal (allergy to red meat) is a very rare issue.......I will look to see if there is even a test for it."    So,  I mostly stopped eating red meat.  I found I could eat a certain hamburger once in a while.  But all the weird reactions to other foods and substances got worse and more frequent.  I live a pretty simple life and even with that I was suffering and had no idea the extent of where this Alpha - Gal is hidden in foods, and products.   

After the most recent swollen face and hives on top of the poison ivy, I requested again to be tested for Alpha Gal.  Now that it is more socially acceptable in the medical community and the  Journal of Cardiology just ran a big article on the implications of individuals with alpha gal syndrome on the heart.  I was able to get tested and as you can imagine I tested very strongly positive for beef and lamb and  mild for pork.  I still have to have further testing for venison, bison.......and other mammalian foods. 

Alpha - Gal is a sugar that is found in the saliva of Lodestar and Deer ticks in PA.   As soon as the tick bites you the saliva transmits alpha gal into you.  More tick bites of infected ticks and the stronger your reactions to red meat or anything made with or from red meat mammals or Red Algae known at Caragean. 

Yes you get it now, anaphalaxis from shampooing your hair?  using hand lotion,? IV catheters, binders in drugs, gelatin capsules, Jello and the list goes on.......

Not everyone get anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction that makes it hard to breath). I reacted by my face, eyes and body swelling, hives, fatigue, flushing (like a hot flash) felt like my brain was in a heavy fog, anxiety, joint pain and swelling, severe GI cramping and sometimes explosive diarrhea.

Here is a list of medications that are contraindicated if you have alpha-gal

https://inpharmd.com/inquiries/7b59a192d887a7bce18eb339b9cbc82289c04016bae4cfb8656cbb41a53ce033

The moral of the story is to  continue to advocate for yourself!!!!

I know it is not easy, especially when you do not feel well but you have to !!!

 

SILENT SUFFERING

 Today I watched on national TV a woman receive a new car for her heroic efforts during the terrible flooding in North Carolina storms.   You would have expected it to be a joyous moment but her face went white.  Of course she was happy, surprised, grateful.  BUT...... When they asked her about this moment she said "Thank you,  what I did seems so far in the past and I thought I had forgotten it all but in this moment the reality of the hardship, trauma, fear just came rushing back."

I can identify with her sudden reliving of past traumas that were buried because I/we had to survive.  We think we have forgotten but we never do.  Something as simple and should be a wonderful event of receiving a gift or award opens our flood gates of the past.  

We are the only ones that really understand the seriousness, the heaviness of what we went thru.  How deeply we were affected on a physical level, and emotional level. Certain events in our lives change us forever, even if we think we have "forgotten" them.  

For me what came rushing back was the seriousness of my physical condition(s) and I was going thru it alone and trying to maintain a positive attitude.  Trying to maintain composure because I was a doctor and had clients that I needed to show up for to help. But, underneath it all like the woman from NC, I was going thru much trauma myself.  

Maybe having to serve others helped us get thru.  Having a bigger cause than ourselves to focus on.

There is something larger than us.... from Andrew Loyd Weber's Starlight Express

 Sydnie Christmas sings her original version of Andrew Loyd Weber's song.

I hope you enjoy Sydnie's amazing and captivating voice.

Turning 60 years old is a significant milestone.

Age and birthdays have never meant much to me.  However,  turning 60 has made me want to reflect on a few things.  Alot of life has happened in the past 60 years AND I have so much still to do with a ticking clock. 

I decided to look up why this particular birthday feels so significant and here are some comments and thoughts I found. 

For many, the age of 60 symbolizes the onset of a decade brimming with changes, newfound freedoms, and the exciting prospect of embarking on new adventures. In a society that often places a premium on youth and vitality, there is a quiet revolution unfolding among those in their sixties.

Sixty is not middle-aged. Not even close. Sixty is a reckoning with the truth of mortality, with change, with a new sense of myself as finite.

Sixty is time to let go of perfection. Time, also, to give up comparing, worrying, arguing over petty things, and taking slights personally.

The meaning of life at age 60 can vary greatly from person to person, often shaped by individual experiences, beliefs, and circumstances. However, several themes commonly emerge during this stage of life:

I'm turning 60, and—please don't take offense—I no longer have to be concerned about what anyone thinks of me! (You know, the old Am I doing it right? Am I saying it right? Am I being what or who I'm "supposed" to be?) I'm turning 60, and I've earned the right to be just as I am. I'm more secure in being myself than I've ever been.

“becoming a crone” (that is, a wise old woman) at the age of 60

I do know it is a time to be grateful.

I can now see how we affect others lives and don't even know it.  We do so in the kind words we say,  the smile we greet them with, a helping hand.  It is not necessarily what we do in our professional capacity with others but our essence of who we are that impacts them.    

Also. I know understand the statement "Do not compare your inside to someone else's outside". Another words,  just because someone looks like they have it all, seem to have it all together, know where they are going......  it might just be a good show.  They might be (and usually are) searching, nervous, insecure but have mastered their outsides to cover up their insides.   Don't be fooled and feel bad about yourself.  We are all in the same boat  - some boats are just well shined. 

When Life Gives You Lyme disease

This is a topic that hits very close to home with me.  I wanted to share her talk because she expresses well all the aspects we deal and live with on a daily basis when you have non-visible illnesses.  We are not only trying to get better but we are having to spend alot of energy overcoming society and the medical profession's opinions and judgements.  

ASHLEY BAKER

SINGER I SONGWRITER I LYME ACTVIST

Ashley Baker, or better known as her stage name AshtheArtist, is a Singer, Songwriter, Rapper, and Actress from Hagerstown, MD. Ash has performed at shows up and down the east coast and has opened for artists such as 2 Live Crew, Afroman, and Lyfe Jennings. In addition to her role in music, Ash is an advocate and pioneer for lyme disease research having been diagnosed herself May 2018. Ash has been featured in multiple documentaries, including recently released, "The Quiet Epidemic" and her biggest role yet in "I'm Not Crazy, I'm Sick" feature documentary released on Amazon Prime and AppleT May 2023, that has been recognized by Forbes, Variety, and more recently Today.com. Ash also has served at a 501C non profit called Project Lyme for 2 years and as of May 2024, was elected as Chair of the Emerging Leaders Board. She hopes to bring awareness to the disease through her music and speeches.

TED×

Hagerstown Women

TEDX Hagerstown Women Link

Dr. Judy Morgan DVM Podcast Speaking the truth about vaccines, pet food, flea and tick products

 This is a VERY informative interview with Dr. Morgan speaking the truths to help you make the right decisions regarding food, vaccines, flea and tick products for your beloved pets.   Remember, Dr. Morgan is a veterinarian.   

Dr. Morgan DVM Podcast Link

In Memory of Dr. Mona Lisa Schulz, MD., PhD., Medical Intuitive

 The world has lost an amazing woman June 29, 2024.  

Dr. Mona Lisa Schultz was one of the most influential teachers in my life.  She was the first person to help me acknowledge and cultivate my intuitive abilities.  She was not an easy teacher and if she saw potential in you she was direct, pulled no punches.   Her ability to use music lyrics and humor to teach the most complex lessons and concepts made her an amazing teacher able to reach/connect with all types of people.

I am grateful to have been her lifelong student.  

Here is a link to her latest Podcast a small demonstration of her brilliance. 

https://mindbodyspirit.fm/shows/healthy-living-intuitively-with-dr-mona-lisa/