True story: There is no cure for what
I've got. All the doctors can do is “manage” my symptoms and
they're doing a piss poor job of it. To date, every med but one has
not only been ineffective, but has made me feel miles worse. It's
not their fault for several reasons, not the least of which is, there
are very few medicines I can tolerate. So, rather than torture myself
and bombard my already fragile body with foreign substances, I've
stopped going to the doctor on a regular basis to be poked, prodded
and experimented on. As a result, I am more at peace with this
illness than I have ever been.
Now, don't get me wrong. If there is a
dire situation, I know the way to the ER. And admittedly, the doctors
have saved my life on several occasions, using, of course, the only
drug that works and that I can tolerate short term. Problem is, I'm
told I can't take it long term without dire consequences. I don't
disagree with that.
Furthermore, I live in Colorado, folks.
Which means, I can seek an option that may be illegal in your state.
And that's great, except that I have tried CBD oil, both with and
without THC. I've also tried CBD tablets. Edibles get me high but
that's about it. I can't smoke as Lupus has already compromised my
lungs a few times and they are weak. In fact, no marijuana based
solution does anything at all to alleviate any of my many, many
symptoms. That is, barring the infused rubs, which are great for
localized pain.
So, I use the rubs. I use the rubs and
if the pain gets too bad, I take aspirin. And if the aspirin is not
strong enough to decrease the inflammation responsible for most of my
symptoms, I take advil. There may come a time when that's not enough
to keep me from screaming in pain. When that happens, like I said, I
know where the ER is.
I take all the nutritional supplements
that help with Lupus and Rheumatoid, plus, I avoid trigger foods. At
this point in my illness, I know what those are. I stay hydrated. My
diet is about 95% vegan, which studies have shown is the optimal
Lupus diet. I stay as active as is possible with body parts that have
been impacted by chronic illness. I'm not running marathons but I
don't spend the entire day eating bon-bons and watching soap operas
either. Heck, I don't even like soap operas and bon-bons are not
vegan.
I've also moved about an hour from the
hectic and toxic city. That has helped in numerous ways. Nothing like
a little fresh air and open space to help you function better! I could
go on. There are other “treatments” I self medicate with,
depending on my symptoms. None of them are illegal or harmful in any
way. One is fresh pressed organic ginger tea. There's no point in
listing them all. None of them are miracles. None will cure me
entirely, but neither will anything the doctors have to offer.
Anyway... Folks, here we are. It's
Thursday night and I just had an attack of acid re-flux. I can deal
with that because it's the first one I've had since ditching
prescription medications. Likely, that's because the meds are
responsible for the acid re-flux. Never did have it until I started
taking them. And none of the prescription meds my doctors prescribed
worked for that either. So, this evening, once I was rid of the
issue, so to speak, I took a precautionary antacid tablet and moved
to my recliner, where I can sleep sitting up.
Folks, I'm at peace with using common
sense solutions to self medicate, barring emergency, because they
work better than anything the doctors ever prescribed me or suggested
I do to alleviate my symptoms. I don't have to pay myself thousands
of dollars to tell myself the same thing over and over or be
experimented on, poked and prodded. And neither the doctors or I are
going to cure this crap. Either way, it will get me sooner rather
than later.
And so, I have opted for a peaceful
solution. One that doesn't involve me running back and forth to the
doctor to be bombarded with chemicals that make me feel worse than I
already do. My brand of self medication doesn't involve any of the
many poisons dished out by medical professionals. It involves living
a peaceful life in the country, making my own decisions about what
will and will not go into my body. It involves me being kind to
myself for the first time in years.
I'm at peace with self medication
because it works. And isn't that the point?
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