Thursday, January 29, 2015

My Journey with Interstitial Cystitis



Lavender was the very first oil I bought.  I was VERY skeptical and at a point when I had been dealing with the pain of Interstitial Cystitis for over a year.  I was frustrated, worn down, not sleeping through the night due to my bladder pain.  I was miserable and Doctors had very little to offer me.  I felt like a Guinna pig and at that point had been put under 4 times in the past year.  I was on a mission to heal my bladder.  INCURABLE is what they said.... live with it the rest of my life??  I felt like this was not something I could even bring myself to believe.  I HAD to keep hope!  I was determined.  I read as much as I could from others with IC.  I read countless testimonials from others that had healed using natural herbal supplements, lifestyle changes, Essential oils, etc.  I will write more in depth when I get more time.  But decided to start here with my story in hopes of helping others that might be facing the pain and frustration of Interstitial Cystitis (IC for short).

It was my birthday.  I was turning 38.

I was about a month out from my last procedure.  My urologist insisted on doing another cystoscope to rule out cancer.  You see I had several episodes of passing fleshy bloody pieces from my bladder.  My urologist vowed to help me.  When she saw my bladder she was shocked and said it was the worst she had ever seen.  She was affraid to perform the hydrodistention in fear of rupturing my bladder.  So it was not done.  Instead she took biopsies... one to rule out cancer and two to identify if I had an abundance of mast cells (which I did, consistent with interstitial cystitis)

Back to my birthday where I was desperately trying to enjoy some amount of normalcy with my husband and kids.  I was following the strict IC diet to the T with little to no relief.  That day before heading to town for my birthday dinner I decided I was going to bite the bullet and get some more herbal supplements and try an essential oil... WHY NOT I thought... if I wasted my money oh well, it was my birthday present to myself and perhaps something would help me!  I had to TRY!

So I bought a small bottle of lavendar oil at my local health store.  The price of $15 for this itty bitty bottle killed me but I just did it.  Went to my car and immediately applied the lavender to my abdomen/bladder area... I was AMAZED within minutes I felt relief of my bladder spasming.  My urgency calmed.  Dare I say I felt almost normal for a couple of hours!  That was the moment that changed everything.  My skeptical ways were gone.  I was sold!  My husband I think thought I had lost my mind! LOL.

I believe I have healed my bladder thru many, many things which I will try to write about more when I get time.  but these are them briefly

Diet (for me caffeine was my main trigger)
Pelvic PT (I did about 4 months including biofeedback, dry needles, deep tissue massage, ultrasound, TENS machine)
Balancing Hormones (I was Estrogen Dominant, low progestrone)
Herbal supplements included Marshmallow Root, Fish Oil,  magnesium, Vitamin D, quercetin, bromelain.
Excersize/Yoga
Relaxation Techniques/Deep Breathing (lavender is great for this too)
Eliminating Stressful situations and coping better with things I could not control
Bladder instills with DMSO (6 rounds)
Bladder instills with Elmiron (I only did 2 and felt like I was in remission so did not continue)
Getting of Pain Meds and Toxins
and last but not least Essential Oils!

If you would like more info please let me know.  I am now in remission about a year and have resumed eating a normal diet.  I don't take any supplements regularly anymore either.  Reintroduced coffee as well!  I now diffuse Essential oils daily in my home which I love for their effect on my mind and body.  I use lavender at the twinge of any pain.  I have found that if I get stressed my bladder will spasm and my urgency will come.  This stops once I apply the lavendar though!



Th
jjjjjjjjjj Lavender’s antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antiseptic properties can only help. - See more at: http://www.doterraeveryday.com/101-uses/#sthash.aFCp1JJL.dpuf

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Homemade DIY Leather Conditioner & Cleaner Plus a Giveaway!

We have this Navy blue leather chair that we have had about 15 years.  It was one of our first purchases when we got married and bought our first house.  We ADORED this chair... we vowed to never get rid of it (we did pay a fortune at the time for it!)  Well The chair has been thru moves, 3 kids, cats claws, and well LIFE!  It is the most comfortable chair ever though... and it RECLINES without looking like a gawdy recliner!  Over the years we have purchased expensive Leather Conditioners and cleaners... They smell horribly toxic and do a less than par job if you know what I mean! We were even on the verge of getting rid of the beloved chair simply because it looked so dry and beat up.  No longer the glory of the living room it has been moved to our bedroom looking sad.

Well I have been learning about Essential oils the past 6 months or so.  And after using them personally with huge success for some health issues I bit the bullet and got a started kit with doTERRA so I could get them at wholesale.  My kit just came in last week and anxious to use them I did some research and found a recipe for a leather cleaner.... Would this help sell my husband on my "witch Dr hobby"?  lol....  Read on!

He was using the smelly toxic stuff we had left from the last time it was cleaned.... He was fristrated at how little it was doing.  I went to the kitchen and whipped up a small batch of cleaner
That's it!  I added it to an empty clean spray bottle that I had on hand and my husband tested it on a small spot... He was amazed immediately and excited began doing the whole chair.  Just spray and wipe in a circular motion.  It replenished the dry, sad leather in an instant!

I didn't think to get a"before" picture until he was half was through, but you can see the difference on the ottoman and the chair that my husband was working on.  If you would like to order or have any questions about Essential oils I would love to help you!  I know I was very overwhelmed with the idea of how to use essential oils in the beginning.  One of the easiest ways to get started with them is to get an intro set which is about $20 and includes Lavendar, Lemon, and Peppermint Oils.  These 3 oils are used for sooooo many things from help with Sleep, healing/soothing cuts and scrapes, headaches, cleaning, etc. 

I am having a giveaway for a FREE bottle of doTERRA Wild Orange Essential Oil!  One winner will be selected at Random February 3rd, 2015, simply leave a comment on this post to be entered.  Winner will be contacted once the drawing ends so please make sure your profile has a way to connect to you!