Robot Playground Virtual Dance Flash Mob

Here’s a fun post! Moses and I participated in a Virtual Dance Flash Mob in honour of International Dance Day 2013.

It was super fun as both Moses and I love to dance. My dear friend, Corie, was the corie-ographer extraordinaire.

It’ll likely be very difficult for you to find us unless you know exactly where we are in the video, but see if you can try. Hint: The first clip that we are in is ~21 seconds. I’m wearing a purple top and Moses is wearing a navy blue hoodie.

 

 

If you and your kid(s) want to learn this fun choreography, check out the instructional video below. Moses’s teacher has been teaching her Grade 1 class this choreography using the video during their activity breaks during the day!

In the clear

Dear friends,

I am happy to say that we are in the clear. Moses is officially abscess-free and has been so for a few days. Woo hoo!!!!

So basically it took SEVEN WEEKS for Moses to clear all of the abscesses which resulted (in my opinion) from three reflexology appointments.

And because I like to track these things, I need to tell you that a total of 10 abscesses developed in the last seven weeks, four of which were drained under local anesthesia. Ack!

• one on his groin (drained under local anesthesia);
• three on one armpit (drained under local anesthesia). This one was the worst one on Moses since it was incredibly painful;
• two on one armpit (drained under local anesthesia with a complication that resulted in one night in the hospital);
• two on his bottom that resolved on their own;
• one on the back of his neck (drained under local anesthesia); and
• one on his jawline (which miraculously disappeared within days of the one on the back of his neck being drained).

I’ve already shared some blessings that occurred during this same time:

• Moses becoming more confident in his body;
• His hand writing and reading improved; and
• His breathing improved temporarily, but during the last few weeks, he’s been wheezing again…  hmm…. What’s up with that?

One of the best developments is that we developed a GREAT relationship with a new surgeon who we absolutely love and we are so happy that his surgeon was on our side about NOT admitting Moses to the hospital for 10-14 days of IV antibiotics (Vancomycin), which just about most physicians would have done given the number of abscesses Moses developed. Thank God!!! I was happy that the surgeon was able to see how well Moses did emotionally and physically throughout these seven weeks.

Moses has been healing incredibly fast. For example, whereas last fall, it would take Moses 3-4 weeks to heal an abscess after it was drained, the last one healed within 12 hours of being drained. I feel that this is a really good sign of his underlying health. When his surgeon saw him 3 days after it was drained, he said with surprise, “He might have stuff going on with his immune system, but he heals incredibly fast“. It was during that same visit that they also determined that the abscess on his jaw (which the surgeon had already planned to drain by general anesthesia) had completely resolved itself. Whew!

My prayer and hope is that now that we will now have a good long break and rest. I’m not planning on re-starting anything that may potentially cause any abscesses. No more homeopathy. No more reflexology. We’ll continue with essential oils, some supplements, chiropractic, total body modification and cranialsacral therapy (more details about his treatment plan here). That’s about it. Our family needs a break and rest.

I write this post on the eve before Moses 7th birthday. I can’t help but think of my shamanic healer’s vision, when Moses’ soul told her that he would be done most of his medical difficulties by the time he is 7 years old. He showed her, holding up 7 fingers. Seven.

So be it, and it is so and so it is.

Please join me in my prayers.

A soul’s perspective

I read a brutiful* blog post this week, a guest blog post, written by Kate Leong at Momastery. Kate shares her story and her son, Gavin’s story.

My heart was burst wide open by this post. Tears ran down my face. My heart ached. And I was also inspired by true courage, strength and wisdom.

If you are looking for a story about perspective, inspiration, courage, strength and bruty, I’d encourage you to read their story.  (If you want to read more, Kate’s blog is here).

One thing that Kate shared that particularly resonated with me is the following…

What if you chose your life’s blueprint before you were born?  What if your soul sat with God before you arrived here on Earth and decided what your life should look like… what hardships you should endure… what lessons were the most important for you to learn… how your journey could help others on their journeys?  What if your life’s journey was actually mapped out - by you and God - for a higher purpose?

Just thinking about that changed the course of my life forever and gave me a new perspective when looking in the rear view mirror.  It took me from a place of “why do horrible things keep happening to me?!?!?”  (with a couple WTFs thrown in there) to a place of power.  If I chose to endure hard things in my lifetime – then I chose that for a higher purpose.

When I am going through difficult times, I often take that viewpoint and I find that it helps me. I feel that it’s true — that our souls have seen the potentials for what was to come. And, the souls that have chosen particularly difficult paths have done so for some reason — because it serves a higher purpose — a purpose that is difficult to understand at a human level, but makes sense at a soul level. I find and take comfort in that.

*As Glennon from Momastery likes to say — life is both beautiful and brutal — it’s brutiful.

The gifts of the week

The gifts of the week…

• On Monday, Moses returned back to school for his first full day of school in almost two weeks. That night, he surprised us by reading a book that he hadn’t read before, which was longer and more complicated than other books that he typically reads. Wow! Not only that, Moses’ teacher called us that night to also let us know that Moses’ also surprised her by reading a similarly complicated book at school too!
• Moses playing street hockey with some of his neighbourhood friends. It’s really not my imagination — something this month has really clicked for him physically — he really is more present and confident in his body.
• Today, he took his scooter out for the first time this year, and again, suddenly he has the coordination to ride and balance on his scooter.
• He has seemed happier in the last couple of days since the third abscess was drained.
• On our first night back at home after this week’s ordeal, when Moses was supposed to be sleeping, he left two notes for DH and me on our respective night tables. One said, “I love you Mom. From Moses”. The other said, “I love you Dad. From Moses”.

It feels like as these abscesses are being drained ,and poisons and toxins are being released from his system, he is energetically, emotionally, mentally and physically clearer and healthier. It’s showing up on all aspects of his being.

More good news…

• The site of the last drainage has healed sooooo quickly. Last year, it took abscesses that were surgically drained 3-4 weeks to heal and we had daily visits from the nurse for days on end. The last site was drained on Tuesday and now, three days later, the swelling is already down and the site doesn’t need to be packed with a wick anymore, and it will probably completely close and heal within the next couple of days.
• His left armpit, which a few days ago looked like it might be developing a secondary abscess, seems like it’s settling down.
• Today, the surgeon remarked that Moses’ abscesses have a way of walling itself off from the rest of his body (i.e., containing the infection). The surgeon explained that this doesn’t always happen, and is actually a huge blessing that had never occurred to me before. I really do like Moses’ surgeon. He has a way that completely puts the whole family at ease.

There are still two abscesses that are not yet resolved– one on the back of his neck and one on his jawline. He is scheduled for an ultrasound early next week, and the plan will be to hopefully drain both of them at the same time under general anesthesia due to the sensitivity of these areas.

Please continue to keep our family in your prayers.

Happy to be home

There is something that compels me to share this journey with you. The highs and lows. The ups and downs. It helps me to document Moses’ healing journey, unburden my heart during the difficult times and hopefully share some inspiration with you from time to time.

Yesterday, Moses had a third abscess this month drained under local anesthesia. This time his right armpit. The surgeon put in a drain that required one stitch so that it could continue to drain.

Unfortunately, there was a complication, and two hours after it was drained, we needed to bring him back to the ER because it was draining, not pus, but blood.

By the time we got to the ER, half of his sweatshirt was soaked through with blood, all the day down to his pants. And thankfully, the site that was bleeding didn’t cause him pain (or any fear).

Since he was bleeding, they needed to insert an IV since they were concerned that if he lost too much blood and needed a blood transfusion, they wanted to be prepared. Moses was very upset / terrified about this development since back in November, they had a very, very difficult time accessing his veins for IV insertion. Thankfully, the nurse was able to insert the IV on the first attempt. Thank God.

His surgeon soon arrived (since this was the evening and after hours, he had to return to the hospital), and assessed the situation. He essentially used strong compression to stop the bleeding and they taped the site in place. Thankfully, this procedure wasn’t painful, and it really helps that we all like and trust Moses’ surgeon.

Moses was admitted to the hospital so that he could be monitored overnight. The nurses were instructed to take Moses’ blood pressure every hour to make sure that all was well. We are at the hospital so often that we know many of the nurses both in the ER and on the surgery floor. In fact, one of his triage nurses was my sister-in-law’s cousin, and Moses’ first nurse on the floor was actually an old friend of my MIL’s. So nice to be surrounded by so many familiar faces. We now also know the chaplain who visited Moses and we gladly welcomed her prayers.

We were free to go today, after two painful dressing changes. The tape that they used bound strongly to his skin and was excruciating for them to remove. My poor boy’s sensitive skin.

We were thankful that Moses’ surgeon discharged Moses and didn’t insist on starting him on IV antibiotics.

The blessings

One positive development during these recent hospital experiences is that I’m really trying to make friends and make peace with the medical system, and as a result, our experiences with the medical system have been more positive.

During the days before this hospital visit, I had been trying to find balance for myself and had been doing a lot of nurturing things for me:

• a get together with some dear friends for a group energy healing;
• a walk by the ocean with some friends;
• Yin Yoga taught by one of my dearest friends; and
• received an amazing essential oil raindrop therapy from a dear friend.

Thankfully, I was feeling balanced, replenished and full before the hospital visit. It helped to carry me through this ordeal.

Since I carry 8 essential oils with me at all times in a small key chain holder, I always have my “oil friends” with me for support. I smelled Balance, Deep Blue and OnGuard quite frequently, and wore Balance on my terra-cotta pendant. I really felt that it made a difference to have their energetic support and nurturing reassurance in the hospital setting. Balance is good for grounding and comfort, Deep Blue is good for physical and emotional pain, and OnGuard is an antimicrobial and also provides energetic protection.  I put Balance , OnGuard, melaleuca (antimicrobial), lemon (antimicrobial), lavender (calming) and peppermint (supports respiratory system) on his Moses’ feet.

An everyday miracle was that after the hospital, we stopped off at the toy store where we coincidentally bumped into one of our dear friends, who had a visit with us over lunch and then came over and played with Moses while DH and I napped. I napped for the entire afternoon. She was a God send.

Robin and Moses hanging out

We are very, very, very thankful to be home. Please pray for continued healing for Moses and for our whole family.

A happy end to a trying week

After Moses’ amazing recovery on Monday and Tuesday, I was feeling pretty optimistic about things.

But then he developed another abscess on the back of his neck (the right side). And, then he developed a very swollen lymph node (and/or abscess?) on his right jawline. Moses’ body is obviously fighting a huge infection. Ack!

What is going on???  I wondered if they were healing reactions to all of the healing codes that I’d been doing on Moses’ behalf. After he responded so quickly to the healing codes when we were in the ER on Monday, I started doing them more frequently and also asked my mom to  join in. Perhaps they were working too effectively and bringing more stuff to the surface to be healed (indeed, Alex Loyd does mention in his book, “The Healing Code”, that the healing code can lead to healing reactions in 10% of individuals).

As the week progressed, thankfully the pain in Moses’ left arm started to subside, but then he started to develop intense abdominal pain (which we now attributed to diarrhea that resulted from the Clindamycin that he has been on for 2 weeks – 20 mL 3 times a day — holy goodness, that’s a lot of antibiotic). My poor boy’s digestive system. He’s been in excruciating pain. We’ve had him on a constant dose of Advil for the past 2 weeks (something that we don’t like to do, but desperate times calls for desperate measures). I also tried diluted Deep Blue and DigestZen on his belly, which sometimes helped and sometimes didn’t. But what really seemed to help the pain was The Healing Code. Twice, in the middle of the night when he was awake with pain and I started the healing codes on him, he feel asleep part way through the healing code, minutes after being in excruciating pain. It happened again and again and again.

Given the increase in abscesses, I was really, really, really worried that Moses’ surgeon would suggest admitting Moses to the hospital since the Clindamycin obviously wasn’t helping the abscesses. I was also worried that the abscess on his right armpit was ready for drainage and then he would have both of his armpits healing at the same time.  Also, the community nurse thought that the surgeon would need to re-incise the left armpit because the incision was healing too fast and the abscess has still been producing a lot of pus. It just felt like too much.

But, I was pleasantly surprised when we brought him to see the surgeon today and happily, all of my worries were put to rest.

• The surgeon didn’t think that the left armpit needed re-incising — if the wound is ready to close — let it close;
• He is going to wait another week before treating the right armpit.
• If all three of the remaining abscesses are ready at the same time, he will drain all three of them under general anesthetic.
• Even though the last abscess was MRSA-positive (yikes), his surgeon is not recommending IV antibiotics because his left armpit is healing so well.
• We can stop the clindamycin (thank God) and restart him back on his normal prophylactic antibiotic (which is a much smaller dosage – 5 mL twice a day and it’s much more palatable, although my hope and intention is to eventually get Moses off this prophylactic antibiotic as well). Hopefully stopping the Clindamycin will give his gut a chance to heal — of course, we will be using probiotics as we always do.

I prayed that Moses would be able to stay at home (i.e., not be admitted to the hospital), and we are being given that opportunity. Hallelujah!

So this was our big miracle of the week — we have found a surgeon who is in alignment with us.

It gets better… This surgeon has offered to be Moses’ surgeon for all of his abscesses. He even gave us his office number so that we can be in touch with him if the need arises.

And it gets even better… Last week, when Moses’ left armpit was drained, this surgeon used a different anesthetic (Xylocaine) which actually numbed the pain of the incision (previous to this, all of the local treatments were painful to Moses because they weren’t using a strong enough anesthetic). It’s been such a tortuous process for us all up until this point.

So at the end of this trying and tiring week, I am feeling very, very, very, very thankful. Supported. I feel that there might be some light at the end of this tunnel.

On the good side of things, I do want to mention that Moses’ lungs have remained clear during these last couple of weeks. Maybe this is the gift coming out of all of this….

Please continue to pray that Moses’ abscesses all heal. We pray that the left one will completely resolve itself. We pray that the right one will burst on its own. We pray that the two new ones resorb on their own. We pray Moses’ gut may heal. And then we pray for a good long break from abscesses and healing reactions. We pray for ease and grace for our family (and for yours too).  And it is so, and so it is.

p.s., This is only relevant for those of you who deal with abscesses under the armpit…  We’ve discovered that a clavical brace is very effective at holding a warm compress under an armpit (or both).

The power of prayer

It has continued to be a very trying week for the family, but also a week full of surprises and miracles.

A snippet into our lives and the power of prayer can be witnessed from my email updates to some of my dear friends:

Monday afternoon

(The following was written shortly before bringing Moses to the ER — he was running a fever and complaining of pain all over, in particular abdominal pain. He was sobbing when we brought him to the hospital.  I was certain he was going  be admitted to the hospital. I was feeling pretty hopeless and felt that our family needed some prayers on our behalf).

We are having a rough week here — been to the ER just about every day for the past week and a half with Moses.
 
Was already there this morning for a consultation with the surgeon re: abscesses.  In the past week and a half, he’s had two abscesses drained. One has healed, another is healing and yet a third is unresolved.
 
Bringing Moses back to the hospital tonight. He’s running a fever and complaining of a sore belly. Typically this means pneumonia.  Hopefully, it doesn’t in this case.
 
Need some prayers for ease, grace and speedy healing.

Monday evening

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.

We are home now and I believe that the power of prayer helped.

I started doing the healing codes when I got to the hospital and within minutes, he calmed down and soon after that, his fever subsided. They took a lung x-ray and it’s not pneumonia. Yay!

They are going to do an ultrasound of his arm tomorrow to see if the infection is spreading.

More good news — the abscess that they drained is starting to slow down on its mucous production (this morning – 2 days after they drained it, it was still dripping pus like crazy ~ half a cup).

Not great news — he has yet another abscess that has started on the back of his neck.
Other not great news– if the infection cultures positive for MRSA, they will want to admit him to the hospital for IV antibiotics.  We want to avoid this, if at all possible.

Please continue to send prayers, healing energy, Reiki, good thoughts / intentions, etc. our way.

Tuesday morning

Moses had a great sleep last night — 11 hour sleep, and when he woke up, he told me, “I feel like a new person”.
 
He’s moving his left arm well and not complaining of pain and is fever free.
 
Thanks for the love and prayers.

Tuesday afternoon

Great news!! 

Ultrasound of arm looks good and overall,  the surgeon was happy with how things are going and how Moses is presenting.  If everything continues as it is going, the surgeon said that he will NOT treat with IV antibiotics even if the culture is MRSA.  Thank God!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers!!!!!

Big breath out….

It truly felt like a huge miracle for our family, but our story doesn’t end here. Read about the second half of our week here.

Forgiveness prayer

A friend sent me this simple forgiveness prayer today. I needed it because I’ve been feeling guilty about Moses’ latest abscesses.

It’s such a simple prayer that I thought I’d share….

I forgive myself for…….

I forgive others for…..

And let’s all forgive ourselves.

Thank you Divine Light, amen Divine Light.

Please continue to keep our family in your prayers. Moses is still healing…

Learning to ride his bike

Oh, yes. Because life is always in balance… With the difficult times come the joys…

Some of the gifts that have likely resulted from the reflexology / essential oils (in addition to his lungs healing), are that Moses’ fine and gross motor skills and physical confidence have improved dramatically in the last little while.

• When I took him swimming a couple of weeks ago, he wasn’t nervous about swimming in the deep end of the pool (with a life preserver on).
• Last week, DH said that Moses did the best job that he ever did ice skating. And this is without skating lessons.
• His skills at Tae Kwon Do have drastically improved.
• His penmenship has drastically improved AND he is learning how to spell and write on his own (without us needing to write the words out for him to copy).
• On Monday, he wrote in his journal for school: “I love me.”
• And this week, he officially learned to ride his bike. The picture below is hours after having the abscess removed.
• And today, we went to a dance class and learned our friend’s “Robot Playground” choreography. Check out the video here!

Riding his bike

This healing journey is certainly not easy, but it can be rewarding when I open my eyes to see the gifts.

God’s healing power

I woke up this morning to Moses coming into our room crying and inconsolable. In pain. Sad. It was early in the morning considering that he had to fast and our appointment wasn’t until 10 am.

He looked up and told me through his tears, “I asked God to use his healing power to burst my bump, and it’s still there”.

Oh.

My.

Heart.

My heart broke in pieces. For my boy’s pain. For his pure belief in God’s power, and also his potential disillusionment with God’s healing power.

And me unable to articulate that I really do believe that God’s healing power is real to my six year old, despite the fact that both of our prayers have (seemingly) gone unanswered.

So, I broke down and cried. I came down into my body to be fully with my boy, and sobbed real tears and joined in his pain.

And, somehow, through the grace of God, that shifted everything.

Moses stopped his crying and came over to me, to comfort me. To let me know that everything was going to be okay.

I believe that God is always with us, but in that moment, both of us felt God’s healing presence. We were fully present to God in that moment.

And in that moment, Moses stopped identifying with his pain.

We spent the next 2.5 hours before his appointment playing cars and trucks, and playing BeyBlades, and then when DH came home after his run, all three of us did spontaneous yoga poses, and Moses showed us how flexible he is, and he punched and he kicked and showed us how strong his body really is.

The hours flew by.

Moses practicing his high kicks, minutes before we left for the hospital. (And, yes, I recently celebrated a milestone birthday)

It was an every day miracle.

Reflections on Reflexology

I’m sad to report that we’ve had a rough week.

Moses had three reflexology appointments within 15 days (you can read the details about each appointment here). Who knew that something seemingly as benign as reflexology could result in such dramatic healing reactions???

As I mentioned, a day after the first appointment, Moses developed a huge groin abscess. I felt strongly at the time that we should stop the reflexology appointment to give Moses’ body a break while he was still processing the abscess, and even cancelled the second appointment. But…. DH didn’t believe that the reflexology and abscess could be linked and thought that the reflexology would help support Moses’ body.

And, I wanted to believe that reflexology was a gentle treatment, so I kept the second appointment. The morning of the second appointment, it looked as though the abscess was starting to get smaller, but by the evening after the second appointment, it was bigger. Five days later,  DH brought Moses to the ER to get it drained. It took three adults to hold him down. Moses assures me that even though they use a local anesthetic, it is still a painful procedure. Not fun at all.

We really should have stopped there, but I optimistically hoped that would be the end of it (and didn’t stop to check in to my intuition), and so he had his third reflexology appointment the day after the abscess was drained. I was still feeling optimistic and was happy that Moses’ lungs were clearing so I felt that we were on to something…..

But by the next day, my poor boy had developed five abscesses under his armpit: two under his right and three under his left. And the ones under his left armpit were painful.

It’s been a heartbreakingly difficult week. Typically Moses’ pain threshold is high and the abscesses aren’t painful and he doesn’t complain — even when he’s had abscesses the size of golf balls under his armpits. These ones have been brutal and he’s been crying and in pain for a lot of the week. We brought him to the ER on Wednesday, but the abscesses weren’t ready to be drained (i.e., weren’t soft enough). We brought him back in on Thursday  (last night), and they were ready to be drained, but Moses was hysterical at the thoughts of having more of them drained (especially in a terribly sensitive spot and vulnerable spot).

The surgeon suggested that administering warm compresses for an hour at a time four times a day could help the abscesses to burst on their own. The surgeon seemed to prefer the idea to give it some more time, and Moses also preferred that option, so we went home. Once home, DH and I regretted this decision because Moses again complained of terrible pain and then we had to go through with administering the warm compresses (which truthfully, is a huge inconvenience). We all had a terrible sleep.

The plan is that if the abscesses don’t burst on their own, the surgeon is going to drain them tomorrow. We need to fast him for the morning, and then go through the ordeal. Not fun at all.

So… it feels like a HUGE lesson for me to LISTEN TO MY INTUITION. It’s been a not fun lesson to learn and, unfortunately, resulted in much suffering for Moses, missed school, missed work, and lots of stress, anxiety and crankiness at our house.

And the blessings?  I do feel that there are always blessings in every situation, even during trying times (often especially during trying times).

I hope that whatever his body has processed and brought to the surface will result in deep, long-lasting healing for Moses. Perhaps this stuff needed to come up to help his lungs to heal.

Nonetheless, we are going to take a long, long, long, long, long, long break from reflexology. And when / if we try it again, they will be shorter session and not as frequent. Another reflexologist suggested that she would only do a 20 minute session with a child, especially a sensitive child.

What about the essential oils?

Of course, I’m still continuing to use the essential oils, but Moses isn’t keen on me putting them directly on the abscesses (which I can understand), so I’ve been putting them on his feet instead. With something like an abscess and the fact that his body is likely fighting a difficult to treat infection such as MRSA, the best place for the oils would be on the abscess itself and with frequent application (e.g., every 2 hours), but given that Moses isn’t supportive of that idea, I’m just doing the best that I can.

This difficult week also has made me so APPRECIATIVE of the three months break that we experienced from January to March. Really, a miracle. I am very, very, very hopeful that once these abscesses have resolved themselves, we can go back to smooth sailing and enjoying life and each other. I’m thankful for the hope that I have, and do feel that the essential oils have given me a lot of reasons to feel hopeful.

As a friend said to me today,

Maybe his body is just saying ‘leave me to it – I know what I’m doing’ and mama’s awesome essential oils are all I need.

So be it, and it is so, and so it is.

Thanks for sending some healing thoughts and well wishes our way.

Updates

April 13, 2013 - God’s healing power

April 14, 2013 - Some gifts that have resulted from reflexology…

A natural alternative to asthma medication

As I mentioned last week, Moses’ lungs have been clearing. Yay!

But, Moses still needed extra help with his breathing twice this week (which is waaaay better than 6 times a day or more when it was at its worst). I’m excited to share that we discovered a natural alternative to his Ventolin puffer. We’ve been using RespirActin, which is a natural supplement that helps relieve breathing difficulties.  It contains purified water, rosemary, honey, witch  hazel, fenugreek seed, black seed, ginseng powder, damiana leaves, marshmallow, sage, juniper berries, chamomile flowers, clover, spearmint, cinnamon, thyme and potassium sorbate.

I’ve known about RespirActin for several years and have used it myself in the past, when I have experienced severe asthmatic symptoms (which, fortunately, isn’t very often — I can only remember two times needing it in the last 10 years). Due to Moses’ sensitivities, we hadn’t felt comfortable giving him this supplement since we didn’t know if he could tolerate all of the ingredients.

I know things have really changed because DH came home from the Natural Health Shop with this supplement (typically DH is the one who is reluctant to try something new). And Moses often doesn’t like the taste of many supplements, but happily, he liked the taste of this one, plus he told us it was more effective than his Ventolin puffer.

We’re sooooooo happy to have a natural alternative to use at home. We’ll get one for his dayhome as well.  I’ll have to find out if his school would be open to using it rather than his Ventolin puffer (I kind of doubt they will be since they only administer prescription medication, but I’ll find out…)

During his reflexology appointment this week, Kim detected some “fullness” in his lung points as well as his adrenal gland on his left foot, so I think he’s still clearing things through his lungs.

Preventing Autism: What the Parents Say

“We asked 1,287 parents of children with autism, if asked how to reduce the rising rates of AUTISM, what would you say? This is their advice….”

Wise, wise words…

http://www.recoveringkids.com
http://www.regardingcaroline.com

Lungs are healing

Well, one of my prayers is being answered.

Moses’ lungs are clearing up. He hasn’t needed his Ventolin puffer regularly for a few weeks now (March 2 was the last day that I have in my notebook of Moses needing his puffer regularly, and interestingly, March 2 was the day that I changed his essential oil routine).

What helped?

• Was it the healing codes that I did for his lungs?
• Was it the essential oils (which includes several doTERRA oils, but also the NAN Rejuvenate oil, which I was told was developed to help someone with lung cancer)?
• Is it because his body is now expressing at the level of the skin (e.g., the swollen abscess that developed last week)?
• Is it because of the reflexology?
• Or is it all of the above?

It’s likely a combination of all of the above. In any case, I’m feeling very optimistic, and very, very pleased.

It does seem like Moses body needs to express inflammation / agitation somewhere in his body.  It’s always better from a healing perspective for things to be showing up at the level of the skin (i.e., the abscess) rather than internally, so I’m happy for this shift.

The abscess is still healing and seems to be going down in size (although still is sizeable). We are being optimistic that his body will be able to handle it on its own. I’ve been treating it 3-4 times a day with oregano oil, melaleuca, OnGuard blend and lemon essential oils (diluted with a carrier oil), and then the same oils on his feet (undiluted). I’m trusting it will resolve without medical intervention.

The small swollen lymph node under his right armpit is very, very small now (pea size).

We decided to keep the reflexology appointment today. I wrote detailed notes about the appointment here, but of particular note is that Kim didn’t detect irregularities in his lungs or left eye this time, and she spent a lot of time on his lymph system and also opening his lymph ducts at his collarbone and groin. His adrenal system seemed blocked, so she worked to clear that. I’m really fascinated by reflexology as a method of healing.

I woke up this morning with a message to start Moses back on his homeopathic constitutional remedy (Sulphur), so I started both of us back on our constitutional droppers today.

Thank you for your prayers and, as always, I’ll keep you posted on how things continue to unfold.

March 31, 2013 — The abscess is definitely going down in size!!!!!!!! A happy Easter, indeed.

Feeling empowered and rolling with the punches

Moses had an appointment with a specialist who does immunology / infectious disease consultations. I really like this specialist and felt open enough today to share with her about the essential oils that we’ve been using. (I generally don’t share with the doctors what we’ve been doing to treat Moses since I found very early on that for the most part, they weren’t interested and I could tell that they thought I was a bit nuts. Some outright told me that they didn’t condone what we were doing (e.g., homeopathy, IgG testing) because it could be harmful).

Ironically, Moses has been abscess-free for two months, but wouldn’t you know it, on the day that we have an appointment with a physician, he had developed a pretty big swollen lymph node / abscess (~2 cm x 3 cm) on his left groin (which I think was a healing reaction to his reflexology appointment on Saturday, as it developed within a day of the treatment). Even with the swollen lymph node on his groin (in addition to a small small, but still swollen lymph node on his right armpit), she thinks that he doing really well (i.e., otherwise asymptomatic). His lungs are clear. No thrush (which she was impressed with, since this used to be a constant concern).

She didn’t have much new to offer us, except for an antibiotic prescription for the swollen lymph node / abscess, which she truthfully told us she wasn’t sure if it would help, and would likely cause diarrhea. I loved her honesty and candidness. Needless to say, we won’t be filling this prescription.

The best part was at the end of the appointment, she said that we should continue to do whatever we were doing because it did seem like it was helping.

I left the appointment feeling really good about things. The doctors once thought we were crazy because we were under-medicating our very sick child. And, now our once very sick child is getting healthier and healthier and healthier. I’m feeling really good about the options that we have, and how empowered I feel with the essential oils.

For example, today I felt like I was feeling flu-ish, so I made an essential oil flu bomb (5 drops each of melaleuca, oregano, lemon and OnGuard [an antimicrobial blend] in a gelatin capsule). It felt so emotionally satisfying to be mixing up my own natural medicine and I love all of the smells of the essential oils as I mix it up. Essential oils are powerful physical and emotional healers.

I’m praying that Moses’ latest flare up will resolve on its own, without medical intervention. I’m basically  treating it with the same oils that are in the essential oil flu bomb (but diluted with fractionated coconut oil), and using the same oils on his feet, undiluted, along with some other oils. Please pray with me. We may take a break from reflexology until this starts to resolve since we don’t want to overtax Moses’ system.

Reflexology

Moses will be receiving ten reflexology treatments from a massage therapist who needs to practice on a child as part of her reflexology training. How amazing is that?!

He had the first session today. I wasn’t sure how he would do — I didn’t think he’d sit for a full one hour session, so Kim planned a 30 minute treatment. He did just fine (it helped that I brought snacks and his DS to keep him occupied), so next week, she’ll plan for a 45 minute session. Interestingly, she was able to detect irregularities on his left foot (corresponding to the left side of his body) related to his eye, his lungs and his adrenal glands, which make sense since his left eye is still healing from the eye shield ulcer and the left side of his lungs generally present the most problems. She used a drop of peppermint essential oil to support his lungs in the apricot carrier oil.

I’m sure that these treatments will support his body, organs, lymph and immune system, and I’ll continue to share weekly updates on this post so that I can track what she finds and how his body responds to the treatment.

March 24, 2013 – The day after his reflexology appt, Moses developed a swollen lymph node on his left groin — a healing reaction that resulted from the reflexology appt? I did a quick search about healing reactions and reflexology and it does seem like they go hand in hand. I’m treating it with melaleuca and a diluted mixture of melaleuca, oregano, On Guard and lemon essential oils.

March 30, 2013 (2nd appt) – I was on the fence about keeping this appointment because I wondered if it would make the swollen lymph node worse (the lymph node is still present, although seemed smaller to me today). My husband wanted to keep the appointment because he thought it would help, so we kept it. Kim did a full 45 minute session, so this time was able to get to all of his systems (last time, she didn’t get to his digestive system, skeletal system or nervous system). This time, she also concentrated on his lymph system and also opened his lymph system near his collarbones. She used OnGuard essential oil to support his immune system and help fight infection in his body.

Moses did well for the first 40 minutes of the session, but was getting impatient towards the end of the session. She said that this time, his left eye point seemed okay and his lungs seemed okay (and interestingly enough, his lungs have been clear all week). Yay! She found that he was dehydrated this week, so we need to focus our attention on keeping him hydrated. She also found that his adrenal glands on both sides weren’t clear this time, with his left side being particularly gritty. She showed me how to do some of the main points that are pertinent to him, including the lymph system and his lungs, so I will see if I can remember to work on some of these points when I am applying the oils to his feet.

I’m really fascinated by this whole process and modality of healing. I’m feeling very, very optimistic, especially given that his lungs have been clear!!!

April 6, 2013 (3rd appt) – Well, the abscess was drained yesterday by a doctor. Today, Moses was very ansy during a lot of the session. Kim said that his right foot was clear. Yay. His left foot showed some “fullness” in his lungs and his adrenals. Over this last week, Moses lungs have continued to be clear for the most part, although he needed his Ventolin puffer a couple of times. We are also starting to give him RespirActin rather than his Ventolin puffer, which seems to be an effective (and natural alternative). We will continue with reflexology, but if any new abscesses appear, we may reconsider…

April 7, 2013 (day after 3rd appt) – Well, a day after Moses` third appointment, he developed two swollen lymph nodes under both armpits (he had a very small one under the right armpit previously). Ack! We`re definitely going to take a good long break from reflexology. Need to give Moses` body a chance to process this, and then give his body a break from clearing…

April 12, 2013 – Read about my reflections about the last week here.

Healthy and strong

I have more good news to share. We saw our  naturopath this week. I love seeing our naturopath because she can see the long-view with Moses. We generally only see her every 6 months to a year, so she can see the big picture.

She reminded us how far Moses has come. How healthy and strong he looks. How his body isn’t showing signs of being stressed with allergies, as it once did. How his skin looks so healthy. We’ve been seeing this naturopath since Moses was three years old, and she reminded us how his skin once looked. Inflamed. Infected and weeping in places. Raw. Sore-looking.   And it covered much of his body – his scalp, his neck, his ears, parts of his face, his entire back, groin, arms and legs. (As an aside, when Moses was two years old, we saw a cranialsacral therapist who tried to bring attention to the part of his body that wasn’t covered in rashes. She told me, “Look at how clear his feet are”. God love her. Reminds me of our angel at A&W).

I explained our current protocol (which is generally using essential oils and probiotics — we’ve really simplified things), and she was happy with what we’re doing. I wanted her thoughts on us taking a break from homeopathy. I’m still concerned with some things — he had gone through a period of time when he was still needing his ventolin puffer quite regularly (but now that I reflect on it, in the last couple of weeks, Moses hasn’t really been needing his ventolin puffer very regularly at all), he’s been having night terrors again from time to time, and something else had recently popped up (which is a whole other story, which I’ll fill you in on soon).

She reminded us that we have worked so hard over the last few years healing him (really his whole life – almost 7 years), and Moses has gone through a lot during that time. She liked what we were doing — taking a break from homeopathy so that we can see how his body can do on its own. She thought some of the “flare ups” may be Moses’ body pushing stuff out on its own. And regarding his lungs, she thought that with time as his body strengthens, his lungs will strengthen too. She sees Moses’ body just getting stronger and stronger, with fewer and fewer flare ups, and with the flare ups becoming less and less of an issue. Interestingly, her vision is very similar to the message that our shamanic healer recently shared. A vision that mirrors my own feelings and inner truth.

She did have a couple of suggestions:

• She suggested that we start him back on Vitamin B12 (she thought it would help the corner of his lips, which are still cracked), so we’ll make more of an effort to bring that back into our routine. We got out of the routine when Genestra changed the formulation of their Multi-B complex, which Moses didn’t like the taste of. He didn’t even like the taste of their Bio-Vitamin B12 plus Folic Acid chewable tablets, which taste like a chalky candy (I think they taste good), but we’ll be more consistent with it since it’s important.
• She asked if we were still making sure that he was getting sources of dietary omega 3s, like flax seed oil and hemp seeds (which he is), but it’s so good for the reminder.
• She suggested the following lung tonic: Pulmogen by Genestra (which truthfully, we likely won’t doing since it’s very, very challenging to get supplements into Moses, especially ones that have a strong taste). But it’s good to know that we have some options to explore in the future.

After the session, she sent me an email that said, “It is so good to see Moses so strong and healthy.”

Again, it’s more and more confirmation that we are on the right path. More confirmation that my boy is healing. He’s really really healing. He is healthy and strong. Healthy and strong. Healthy and strong. A dream come true.

“One of my healthy students”

During a recent meeting with Moses’ grade 1 teacher, she told us that she considers Moses to be one of her “healthy students”.  It’s been a difficult year healthwise for the grade 1s in Moses’ class this year. Many coming down with pneumonia (a third of the class!). Strep throat. Flus. Stomach bugs. Several hospitalizations. For several weeks at a time during the winter, she often had 1/3 of the class home sick. I think it’s time to revisit this post.

And guess whose body has been strong enough to fight off infection? That’s right. Moses’s body has been strong enough to fight infection. The boy with a diagnosed primary immuno-deficiency has a strong immune system.

I feel that it’s a strong, strong, strong sign that Moses is definitely healing, and we are definitely on the right course. I have no doubt that the 2.5 years of Heilkunst homeopathy played a big role in his healing. And I feel that the essential oils are currently helping to bring his body ease, strength  and comfort.

In addition to physical health, he’s also been doing well emotionally, mentally, socially, academically, and behaviourally. We are very, very pleased. He’s still not that keen on being in school, but he’s adjusted very well. Has a few good friends. It’s no longer a struggle to get him to school. He no longer tells me that he hates school in the morning. I feel that the oils are helping to bring his body ease and comfort. Balance.

I typically walk him all the way to the school door (and sometimes, I walk him into the school), but a couple of weeks ago, he left me at the entrance to the parking lot of the school. He ran to the school door, met a friend at the door and they walked in together. I was an emotionally full / heart-full mama in that moment. My boy is growing up. My healthy and strong boy is growing up.

Learn about Essential Oils in your own Home

Do you want to know more about how essential oils can improve your health?

Do you want to be a healer in your home?

Consider using the ancient medicine of essential oils to heal and soothe.

The basis of your physical and mental health is to give your body the support it needs.

See current list of webinars and how to register for them here.

Topics include:

• Healthy Gut, Healthy You
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• Healthy Babies, Happy Kids
• Emotional Healing with Essential Oils
• Cooking with essential oils
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A soul’s contract

We had a soul contract, an upper world contract. We were both teachers when we made this contract, but he has often been my teacher in past lives.  I have been told this time and time again.  Just as he is my teacher in the present.

In this lifetime, he agreed to have a terrible condition that would be difficult to treat. That was to be his soul’s journey. To overcome it.

And it would be my soul’s journey to help him overcome it.

As they say, the most difficult times in our lives hold the greatest rewards.

It was to be our destiny. The highest destiny for our lives.

It is my greatest destiny in this lifetime to be Moses’ mom. To lead him through this difficult time. So that I could rediscover “my own true medicine”. Vibrationally. Spiritually. Including the healing power of plant medicine.

I have learned to listen. To trust.

To listen. To trust.

And, we are making it through.

One of my healers informed me today that Moses’ soul told her that he would be done most of his medical difficulties by the time he is 7 years old. He showed her, holding up 7 fingers. Seven.

And, he will be 7 years old in May of this year.  Hallelujah.

I can feel it. I know it be to true.

And it is so, and so it is.

Our story is not unique. On a soul level, your child has chosen you.

My dear friends, listen to that deep and wisest voice within, and you will find healing for your child. You will.

I am learning that there are many paths to healing. Just as there are many paths to God.

You and your child together will find the way back to health.