Aren't the season's of life great?!? The last few weeks will be memorable ones for us. Nothing totally tramatic happened, but enough for me to stop, take a step back, a deep breath and remember that life is good, God is good, and God is good all of the time.
I had written about my visit to the dermatologist...well, the mole was indeed classified as melanoma, and I will go back in this Tuesday for another excision. This time they will take a football shaped portion around the original mole on my back and send it off to make sure the doctor cut out all the cancer cells. I had this same thing happen 8 years ago...however, then it didn't effect me like it effected me this time. 4 children and 9 more years with my love and best friend, got me a bit emotional about the whole thing. There is always that little thought in the back of my mind, that "what if..." how on earth could my children grow up without their mother, then my mind goes to the whole...what if Justin remarried (although I already told him that is not allowed) anyway, if I let my mind stay on it long enough the devil totally takes hold of my thoughts and then I'm a complete mess. So, this past week I focused on the fact that they got it in the early stages (we think) and on the scale it was borderline on the melanoma side, and they didn't rush me in to take care of it. So, that is what we'll be up to this week. My sweet friends in our Homeschool Group are taking care of dinner for our family the whole week--now that is exciting! :)
(The following is really long but I'm using it as a journal of my experience...don't feel like you have to read it! :)
Speaking of food... have you seen all those adds on the side bars of the internet, facebook, etc.? Well, we gave in, ordered some, then I googled them--not good stuff I found out about these "colon cleanse" companies. So, I asked my friend (my go-to for health and workout info. friend) her thoughts on them. She shared with me what she does and gave me all the info. So, in the span of one night, Justin and I committed to doing The Master Cleanse. The Master Cleanse has been around for over 50 years. The health benefits of it are amazing. I could try to tell you it all, but if you googled it, it would give you a much better picture of all the great things it does for your body. So, we jumped in with both feet. The one huge difference in this and the pills I ordered was that I couldn't eat on this one (which is probably why it works!) So, with about 80 organic lemons and a gallon of Grade B Maple Syrup, we started this adventure.
Day one I felt good--downing the 32 ounces of saltwater was a bit uncomfortable, and the shots of the homemade lemonade concoction with ceyenne pepper made my toes curl--but it was doable. Unfortunately for Justin--his headaches set in pretty much instantly. He spent all of day 1 in a dark room laying down. I laughed at him, told him to buck up, it was his idea to start this immediately....By 7:00 he gave up and ordered a pizza. It was hard to say no to the pizza, but when you have a friend on the outside who is encouraging you and checking up on you --it makes it a bit better. So that was a Wed.
On Thursday, Jed wakes up with a 103 fever. I get an afternoon appt. and take him in for a strep test. Strep is negative but flu test is positive. Great. The very first year I don't get everybody flu shots. The Dr. immediately gives me a shot and says she can give the other 3 a shot at 25 dollars a piece or I can head over to a free clinic that night and get the kids shots for free. A car ride and $75 cheaper sounds good to me. By this time my head was starting to hurt. We go home to pick up Justin then head to McKinney for some free shots. On the way there my head is about to EXPLODE!!! I have NEVER in all my life felt a headache like that. I couldn't keep my eyes open, I couldn't see straight. I was so thankful that I was not driving. But let me tell you all those not so nice things I said to Justin about bucking up, I was feeling pretty guilty about. However, my husband is very merciful and was very sweet. (mostly) By the time we got to the school where the shot clinic was, I was totally and completely out of it. I found a cafeteria table and layed my head down. I looked like I was strung out on something (not that I would know this, but I looked like what they look like on tv). Justin was doing his best to convince me that I needed to eat and I agreed with him, we would get dinner on the way home. Right before we left I got an email from my friend encouraging me to keep at it, that the benefits would be so worth it. It was then that I decided I would not eat, I was going to do this---for 10 days. Oh yeah, on the car ride to McKinney Judson came down with a fever and the nurses wouldn't give him the shot because...he already had the flu...
Day 3 and 4 were so much better, but I still had a dull headache. By the weekend all the kids had come down with the fever and symptoms of the flu. Luckily, our pediatrician is awesome, and they just called in meds for all of them. I also had to skip church on Sunday to stay home with sick kids. This was a true blessing I feel because it was First Sunday and on the first Sunday of each month we have a potluck... (and I LOVE food)
The rest of the 10 days really flew by for some reason. My friend told me to keep a journal (which is what this is) about the experience. I really learned a lot about myself and my "relationship" with food. Bottom line, I LOVE food, I love to eat. I thought about it constantly...I ate bites here and there without even really knowing what I was doing. It has been a good time to reflect on what I am putting in my family's bodies, or more importantly, what I'm NOT putting in them that they need. I have had a ton of energy, my mind has been clearer, my hair isn't falling out in clumps anymore like it was, my skin looks healthier. My "system" is cleaned out and ready to start over so to say. So, we are starting over. My kitchen is stocked with fruit and veggies. We are going off the processed food and more natural organic, good for you foods. It will be great. I NEVER thought I could go 10 days without any food, although now it's been 12. Day 11 and 12 you get orange juice (I've never been and OJ fan, but let me tell you how good it is!)Tomorrow I will bring fruit into the mix, and possibly a salad. I really want to go slow and not jump back into eating just like I was before. Food still looks so good, but my mind isn't going crazy trying to get a taste of it like it was before. I am so glad I did this. I never would have thought I'd make it, but I did. I proved to myself I can achieve things I didn't think I could. The whole experience has effected me in a number of ways, I'm glad I did it! Oh yeah, I haven't measured, but I did drop 13 pounds as of this morning and I'm wearing jeans I couldn't wear a week ago, so that is an exciting bonus!
If you stayed with me and read this "Longest Entry EVER" Thanks! If you want to know more about the master cleanse just google it and you can find all you need to know. It is really for the health of your body, I highly recommend it!
Saving My Life This Winter
2 years ago
