Alternative Therapies

Okay, let's talk Alternative therapies. I had a list HERE on recommended alternative herbal remedies for sickle cell. Well almost a year has passed by since then, and I've been told and have remembered a few more.

• Carao fruit: One of my Brazilian readers mentioned this. Apparently, she has been giving carao to her daughter who is 3, and her H&H goes up a couple of points even if she's in the middle of a crises. It's a tropical origin (South American countries), so if you aren't close to the Equator you might not have access to it. Here is a site with a picture of what carao looks like (apparently it smells weird). I haven't taken it, but I wouldn't mind hearing another testimonial from someone that has.
• Cellfood: I used to take this in Nigeria, it was shipped to me from the US. You put a few drops of this liquid into an 8. oz glass of water/juice and sip on it all day long. "CELLFOOD is a proprietary ionic fomula containing dissolved oxygen, electrolytes, 78 ionic minerals, 34 enzymes and 17 amino acids— which provides an unsurpassed oxygenating source, and nutritional delivery system, to every cell of the body. CELLFOOD's unique structure oxygenates and feeds the cells— cleaning and 'tuning up' our body's systems all day long." I fell off the bandwagon with cellfood once I had a crises but you can look at information on it HERE.
• L Arginine
• Dioscovite: This contains high amounts of thiocynate, which is mainly the nutrients found in African Yam. Read up more about it HERE.
  
• Omega 3/Fatty Acids
• Tahitian Noni Juice: Apparently it helps to boost your immune system and reduce pain. This is a statement from another sickle cell warrior..I've personally never used it before. Check it out HERE.
  
• And don't forget the old list HERE
  

Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the beginning of the summer! Happy Memorial day weekend.

And the War Goes On...

Hello darlings,

I'm back in action! Oh yeah baby!!!:)

Seriously though, being sick totally sucks. I don't want to have another crises for a loooooong, looooooooong time. I'm not even shooting for a year anymore, I just wanna be 100% crises free.

So my visit to the ED totally sucked as usual. I really wish I could revamp all the emergency rooms in the United States in their ideology and treatment of sickle cell patients. Everyone was nice until the doctor came in to see me...she must have said something because the attitude of the staff totally changed after that. The only person that was cool to me after that was the housekeeper...she helped me walk to the bathroom and stuff while my nurse was doing the whole 'I'm so busy' rote.

It's so sad how sickle cell warriors are treated. When I was in Nigeria, I got treated way better in the hospital by the staff and doctors than I've been in any American hospital. Sad but true.

It's a shame because that hospital was on my short list to work in once I moved back to Oregon. It's a mile from my house, and is a trauma hospital and has the type of unit I want to work in. But after my one and only experience with their ER---that's so not happening....they lost out on an awesome nurse.

To those that have written me and are still waiting a response, I apologize. I will get to it this weekend. Hope u are all doing well. Okay, off to the Sickle Cell Board to check out the peeps there.

Hola!

363 days....

Where do I begin?

I'm living in Santa Barbara, the site where the Jesusita fires were burning fiercely a mere 2 days ago. Thankfully the fires have now been contained. It started last Monday, and by Thursday, the fires were raging out the control, the city evacuated. Heads up, if you ever have sickle cell and you are where there is smokey fires...GET THE HELL OUT.

I didn't, mainly because the hospital wasn't evacuated and I had to work. I came into work on Thursday soldiering in for my coworkers that couldn't make it in. The hospital ventilation system is old, and according to hospital regulations, the vents must remain on to circulate the 'sick air' out of the hospital. By 11pm that night, I was suffocating on the job, breathing in smoke with minimal oxygen. I thought I was going to pass out. I spent the rest of the night alternating between hugged around an oxygen tank and wearing a mask. It was awful. Thankfully my coworkers pitched in and helped me out, otherwise I don't know how I could have survived the night. Motrin was my friend on Thursday night.

Friday morning, I drove 2 hours to LA. My flight to Portland was thankfully on time, and by early afternoon, I was in Norio's arms, content for a moment. I crashed at home, sleeping for a few hours, breathing in fresh Portland air. Around 5pm, we went to an open house. I was feeling poorly by then, but fighting desperately to stay normal.

At 7pm, my streak was broken. I was only crises/hospital free for 363 days:( I landed in the emergency room, my whole body aching, with tears streaming down my face. My joints were on fire, my chest was burning and I was in full blown crises mode. Thankfully, a little hydration and IV Dilaudid fixed me right up and they discharged me 2 hours later.

I've been in bed since then...fighting hard not to land back in the hospital. For starters...the ER I was at totally sucked, but that is a story for another day. I'm just glad that I'm home, lucid and able to type this without curling up in too much pain.

I have to go back to SB on Wednesday to start work on Thursday, but my body is begging me to take a few days off. I think I will comply. So instead of celebrating my 1 year anniversary of being crises free thanks to Nicosan, I've crashed and burned like everyone else.

Hope you are all well.

Nicosan Updates

There seems to be some hope on the horizon for Nicosan. I can't go into details yet, but I will once the changes have all been confirmed. I knew that you guys had intercessory prayer mojo backing us up! What warrior doesn't?