Managing Pain Out in the World.

Wasn't planning on a new post this soon. Was planning on solving some technical issues on this BLOG. Just too pooped to do it. This was actually a good test today for dealing with pain while out in public. So here is what I was up to.

Got my new glasses today. These progressives are hard to get used to. By the time I got fitted for them, then went to my Denturist I was in serious pain. Thank goodness for the somatic linking spin meditation✦ and a quantum touch technique I learned, works but kept having to repeat it every time the Denturist left the room to adjust the wax templates. There is a way to deal with pain that keeps coming back due to unhealed injury but it is too involved for the place and the time I had. I came close to pulling out my prescription card for cannabis on the way home to pick up a gram but, elected not to. Once I got home I could do a little more serious meditation and pressure points to deal with pain.

I am so exhausted. Dealing with the pain is bad enough, add to that the Myasthenia Gravis and now I am soooo tired. At least I got a decent amount of exercise today and finally have my new glasses, so hopefully the headaches will settle down. I should be starting to create some static pages discussing the different methodologies I'm employing to deal with my health issues day to day.

Regards, Fuzzee Dee

✦ This link connects to YouTube video showing the technique. Please watch at least to where the first 3 people are helped with pain before trying it yourself. Better to watch whole thing. Presenter is David Snyder who is my goto resource for pain management, learning social cues, how to tell when someone is lying, NLP and martial arts. This guy is amazing.

Progress - Getting Things Done

It has been a pretty eventful couple of weeks. I went to the optometrist and ordered new glasses. Should have done this 5 years ago.

Getting healthier by the day. Figured it was time I tried dentures again so I went in for my first fitting at the denturist. Not much fun picking the silicon remnants out of my facial hair. Since going so many years (about 8 yrs) my tongue has grown to fill the extra space after having all my remaining teeth removed. Not easy holding my tongue out of the way for 60 seconds. Should have my new teeth in a couple weeks or so. Still waiting on new glasses.

I've made lots of changes to this BLOG. You should now be able to see a Menu Bar at the top. I've added what I think are the best links related to my story and the subject of "Integrated Healing". Sorry this post is so short but adding menu bar and related link pages is taking up much of my time. Please bear with me, I'm learning as I go.

Regards, Fuzzee Dee

Why I Started This Healing Journey

I was in a very BAD place

I started on this path because I wanted to feel better. I had gotten to a very bad place. Before I became symptomatic for Myasthenia Gravis I had many other health issues. As my career in computers progressed, all the sitting aggravated by back issues which started a vicious cycle of gaining weight, making my back worse, making me move around less, which helped pack on more weight. You can see where this is going. Before I knew it I was 538 lbs (244 KG). At 6' 3" (192 cm) this gave me a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 67.5. Then the Myasthenia Gravis symptoms started surfacing and my life started a downward spiral with no end in sight.

Just some of my Scripts

At it's worst I was on huge doses of Hydromorphone Contin (Slow Release) and Dilaudid (Fast acting Hydromorphone) for my back, Lyrica for my Peripheral Neuropathy, Antidepressants, Immunosuppressants, Cannabis for pain as well as many other medications. I spent my days in a stupor, unable to function. I laid in bed or sat on the couch. I watched TV, read, slept, pooped and ate. I did not leave the apartment very much. At one point I went for over a year without leaving. I did not care about anything, I did not even shower for months at a time. Granted showering was physically very demanding, I had a shower chair and such but it made for a good excuse to just give up on life. I am still amazed my wife stayed with me. She is a very special person.

Western Medicine Had Failed Me

I finally realized if I was ever going to build a new life, I had to figure it out for myself. Western medicine was telling me there wasn't much they could do. First I had to figure out what steps to start with. The initial thing I needed to address was the pain meds. The 2nd was weight and 3rd my back and my neck.

In August of 2018 I started tapering down the amount of morphine I was using. I also got things rolling to renew my Cannabis prescription to help deal with pain and withdrawal as I weaned off of morphine. By September 12, 2019 I was off morphine forever! December 7, 2019 was my last day for cannabis of any kind. If I get back surgery I may have to use cannabis again for a short time but I hope not. As of Christmas Day 2019, I also came off of Lyrica. By this time I had also eliminated most other medications. At my worst I was on almost 20 prescription medications. Now I am on 2. More about that in subsequent posts.

Even though I had lost about 100 lbs since being diagnosed in 2012, I had been stuck at around 440 lbs for several years. Then I went back up a few lbs and  hovered between 450 lbs & 460 lbs. In 2017 I dropped a little and hovered around 430 lbs until I began this quest to build a new life. In Jan 2019 I found a product that promised to boost my resting metabolism and help me lose weight. It worked! By the middle of Oct 2019 I finally broke through the 350 lb barrier. To be honest, I don't know if it was the pills, the dietary adjustments, the desire to rebuild my life or a combination of all of them. I suspect it was all of them together, more on that later. Having gotten below 400 lbs, surgery for my back could once again be an option. Next thing was to get some new teeth, new glasses and a new career. We'll get into that more in the future.

Research, Research, Research

I have been doing some research since I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, but mostly looked into western medicine. In spring 2019 this changed. As my memory and mental acuity began to recover (thanks to reducing Morphine) I recalled some events from my childhood when I was 12 years old. My Tae Kwan Do instructor noticed I was having issues and suggested to my Mom she take me to get tested for Myasthenia Gravis. He had a nephew with it (at least I think it was his nephew) and recognized the signs. My family doctor confirmed I had it and booked me to see a specialist in neurology. As that appointment was over 6 months away my Mom took it upon herself to research how she could help me in the meantime. She made some dietary changes and put me on 'Mega-dose' vitamin therapy. By the time we went to the specialist all signs of the Myasthenia Gravis were gone. Because doctors did not believe a lay person could have discovered a treatment, especially not one based on diet and vitamins, they dismissed the other doctors findings and looked no further. What I now know is that the vitamin therapy put me into full remission. Unfortunately this series of events from my childhood served to complicate my diagnosis.

When I remembered these events, I began researching in earnest to find the therapy she had put me on. While looking for that, I stumbled on to some other very important things. I was already using meditation and self hypnosis for pain, But while looking for more pain management options I stumbled across 'Quantum Touch', but while investigating more into Quantum Touch, I found out about the field of 'Energetics', which include Quantum Touch, Reiki, Chanting, Shiatsu (Chinese pressure point therapy), Mandala, Chakra's, Resonance, Sound therapy and others. I also rediscovered NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). This leads into the topic of "Integrated Healing", which in a nutshell is looking at the whole being; Body, mind and soul and combining treatments and approaches that heals everything together. It treats the whole being simultaneously for all issues using many different techniques from many disciplines. While learning about these techniques and practicing them, I began to find healing. In future posts I will begin to discuss some of the things that have been healing as a result of these efforts. Things western medicine and science say are impossible. I also encourage you to check out my YouTube Playlists to view many of the research videos I have found.

Regards, Fuzzee Dee

A short HISTORY

Here is a little back story

In 2012, after several years of doctors trying to diagnose the cause of my many health issues, they finally figured out my primary medical issue is an autoimmune disease called "Myasthenia Gravis". In the course of finding this out they discovered several other issues. Here is a short list.

• Myasthenia Gravis
• Spinal Stenosis
• GERD (Gastro Esophageal Re-flux Disease)
• Ruptured Disks
• Morbid Obesity (over 500 pounds at 6'3" BMI: 67.5)
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea
• Hypothyroidism 
• Peripheral Neuropathy (caused by Myasthenia Gravis)

Myasthenia Gravis 

This is an autoimmune disease that affects the communication between my brain and my muscles. Symptoms can include getting tired very easily, slurred speech, vision changes, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, burning in feet or hands. Sudden muscle fatigue and/or weakness.

Spinal Stenosis

This causes abnormal bone growth in the spine. This can result in bone spurs, that in severe cases can cause pressure on the spinal cord. It can also force misalignment of the vertebrae that no amount of chiropractic care can resolve. As a matter of fact most chiropractors will want to stop treating you.

GERD

In time, over production of stomach acid will damage the sphincter at the top of the stomach, allowing acid to rise up your esophagus. In severe cases this can cause you to lose all your teeth due to acid (both liquid and gas), eroding the enamel of the teeth allowing them to decay rapidly.

Ruptured Disks

The soft disks between each vertebrae in the spine can deteriorate over time or as the result of a compression injury. This can cause the disk to rupture, spilling out the gel that fills the disk. Without this protection, the spine can no longer properly absorb shock load. As the bones grind together permanent damage can occur. Many times, the only solution is surgery to either replace the bad disk or to fuse the affected vertebrae together.

Morbid Obesity 

This is when you carry so much fat that it is very unhealthy, it can substantially shorten your life and cause all kinds of other health issues. A BMI of 40 or more is the threshold for Morbid Obesity.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

This is when a pad of tissue blocks the airway when sleeping or completely relaxed. This can stop you from breathing and may cause you to wake up. You may not even realize you have woken up. In severe cases it can disturb your sleep hundreds of times a night. It can cause you to jolt fully awake, choking and gasping for breath. Most times a CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) machine can treat this effectively. When severe enough, surgery to remove excess tissue or even bone may be needed. A sleep study is required to properly diagnose and treat this issue.

Hypothyroidism 

This is when your thyroid no longer produces enough of the correct hormones your body needs to utilize food correctly and metabolize nutrition. This can affect many aspects of your health. The first most common symptom is tiredness. The symptoms can be treat with simple medication. If the underlying cause can't be determined and treated, medication can often be ineffective.

Peripheral Neuropathy 

This is a result of damage to the nerves in the hands or feet. It can cause severe burning sensations while at the same time blocking normal feeling. In severe cases complete numbness results except for the burning sensation. The damage is permanent and there are few effective treatments for the pain (at least according to western medicine).

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By the time I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis in 2012 I was a complete mess. I weighed 538 lbs (244.5 Kg) at my heaviest. I could no longer swallow solid foods. My speech was so slurred only my wife could understand what I said. Liquid multivitamin and 'Boost' was all I could swallow to survive on. I guess one good side effect was I started dropping weight. I could no longer walk more than a few feet, breathing was very difficult. I had such severe pain in my back I was on high doses of morphine and had lost much of my mental acuity. I had significantly reduced short term memory. I could watch a movie and 2 days later watch it again with out the tiniest sense of familiarity.

When the specialist diagnosed me, he sent me straight to the ER. A CT scan showed an existing and fractured Thymus. Normally we all lose our Thymus after puberty when our immune system is fully established. The Thymus becomes atrophied and is absorbed back into our bodies. My acetylcholine levels were all out of whack, my immune system was attacking my own body. I will discuss treatments I've received in subsequent postings.

My GERD resulted in severe heartburn and caused my teeth to begin melting away from the acid. Eventually I had to have the remnants of my teeth surgically removed. Walking was made even more difficult by the numbness in my feet from the neuropathy. From the onset of early symptoms it took over 3 years for complete diagnosis. This was caused by many factors. Several doctors told me to just lose weight and all would be well. It wasn't until I confronted my GP and asked "Does obesity explain slurred speech and numb feet?", that he started to take me more seriously. My GP then finally  ordered an MRI to test for MS. When I could not fit in a standard MRI machine Alberta Health spent almost 2 years arguing over what department was going to pay for sending me to a large format MRI. It wasn't until completing an MRI with a negative result for MS and a colleague of my wife from her work (Speech Pathology) suggesting I needed a specialist, that they sent me to a neurologist in Edmonton.

That neurologist sent me to a specialist in autoimmune disease who then diagnosed me with Myasthenia Gravis. Before this diagnoses they were telling me it was MS, after the MRI was negative for MS, they were thinking ALS. To be fair, I had told the doctors that I had been diagnosed by my pediatrician at 13 with Myasthenia Gravis and referred me to a specialist. In the 6 months before that appointment my mom researched and put me on mega-dose vitamin therapy. By the time I went to the specialist all signs of Myasthenia Gravis had disappeared. Because western medicine does not believe Myasthenia Gravis can be cured by vitamins and diet they dismissed the childhood diagnosis and did not look for Myasthenia Gravis.

This becomes important later as a trigger to start looking for non traditional treatments for Myasthenia Gravis. This is how I stumbled upon the Integrated Healing stuff this blog will be focused on.  In subsequent posts I will discuss my treatment so far and many of the factors driving me to find a cure for all my health issues.

Regards, Fuzzee Dee (David Reid)