So according to my last post, we were getting much better and the Sproutlet had returned to full health.
Friday I was even feeling better and wanted to get back to the daily grind.
Saturday morning I woke up and my right ear was clogged, like I had water in it and couldn't shake it out. Within the hour, I was crying like a baby. Ear infection, for sure! I had to cash in an This is an Emergency card and headed out to the clinic. Despite my all natural leanings, I was in excruciating pain and knew there was nothing that could be done at home.
Come to find out, they don't really give antibiotics for ear infections anymore. This is great news, I'm so glad they aren't overprescribing things, but I would not have stepped foot in a medical facility, especially for the second time in 2 months, if I wasn't in SEVERE need of attention. I rated my pain a 9 out of 10. After a little debate I was prescribed ear drops for the pain and amoxicillin, which was supposed to be a "wait and see" prescription- fill it a couple days after being seen- ha, filled that puppy right away.
The point I'm trying to make here is that even I know the limits, and when it's appropriate to seek professional help. That was the fastest onset of anything I've ever had, absolutely no warning whatsoever. Driving to the clinic, I was really beating myself up. I felt like a failure and a fraud, not to mention so much weaker than my daughter. But now that yesterday is behind me I realize there was just nothing else I could have possibly done. I'm still couch surfing today, taking it one day at a time... hoping tomorrow is a better day. The Sproutlet has TOO MUCH energy if you ask me, she's been bouncing off the walls and just desperate for me to get better.
Here's to a wise balance of home remedies and modern medicine.
A green parenting journey: Sharing our experiences as we go a little greener each day.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Friday, February 7, 2014
When the Flu Comes to Call
These past two weeks have been interesting. I was writing pretty regularly while the Sproutlet was sick, she seemed to have a pretty bad cold, that included a fever and a cough and some waking up during the night. She was probably the sickest she's ever been (she's rarely sick), but with the fever barely spiking and her having tons of energy (despite my pleas to just rest!) she sailed through it just fine.
Well, about a week passed, and I finally succumbed to it. Except, it was a lot different for me! All of the sudden I was feverish, had chills, couldn't stay warm, my body ached, I couldn't move much.... yup, even though I dragged my feet about it and didn't admit it until 4 days in, it was the flu.
The flu? That I definitely got from my 2 year old? Who just seemed "fine"? If I hadn't gotten it, I would never in a million years have thought the Sproutlet had the flu. But look at that, she did and I didn't even know it! Her immune system is nothing short of amazing. We are very very dissimilar in that regard!
So I'm over here still not feeling so great, with a weekend's worth of plans canceled, but that's okay. It was a great experiment in handling the virus our way. We successfully used homeopathic remedies to lessen symptoms, and even I was in the salt bath a couple times and found it to be extremely helpful. Because my nutrition is not nearly as stellar as Sproutlet's, yesterday and today I took a few supplements that I had in the house to help me fight off the virus.
The first thing that I always reach for (every day, in fact) is my Arbonne Immunity Boost. It's got Elderberry and Echinecea.
Even while I was sick, I still took this pill. Both ingredients can help heal in addition to warding off germs.
These are the other things I started taking yesterday:
Since I was walking around in a stupor the first few days (and not literally walking, mostly laying around) I totally forgot to take these and think I prolonged the illness accidentally by not getting on a regimen right away.
For your reference, here are some links about the properties of each of the above things:
It should be noted that I have taken these previously and had no side effects, which allowed me to make a sure decision in taking all of these at once. Whenever you try something new, remember to try it in isolation so you can correctly determine an adverse reaction and its cause.
Sproutlet DID take supplements in the form of elderberry syrup, vitamin D and probiotics, as I outlined in "Natural Remedies" and "Natural Remedies, Part 2".
And honestly, the thing that I was stressing to Sproutlet? PLEASE REST! Resting, sleeping, napping.... these are the things that have seriously made an impact in my return to health. Despite having a toddler, I am super lucky to have a mom and a husband who really stepped up to the plate to take care of BOTH of us, since we were sick separately and not at the same time. Thanks guys!!
So when the flu does come to call, don't be too scared. There is a lot to be said about staying home and not spreading the germs around. I very highly suspect we picked up the virus at the pediatrician's office. Whether this was from vaccine shedding (The flu mist is a live virus) or just picking it up from another flu patient, I will never know, and it matters not- what does matter is to stay home, even if you are sick for an entire week (or more). And please hydrate hydrate hydrate, and rest rest rest!
We should be back to normal routine in no time.
 |
| Sproutlet got nightly baths of salts for detoxing and EOs for healing and soothing symptoms and was better in 4-5 days. Her fever never went above 101 under the arm. We did use a fever reducer twice when the fever was 101. |
Well, about a week passed, and I finally succumbed to it. Except, it was a lot different for me! All of the sudden I was feverish, had chills, couldn't stay warm, my body ached, I couldn't move much.... yup, even though I dragged my feet about it and didn't admit it until 4 days in, it was the flu.
The flu? That I definitely got from my 2 year old? Who just seemed "fine"? If I hadn't gotten it, I would never in a million years have thought the Sproutlet had the flu. But look at that, she did and I didn't even know it! Her immune system is nothing short of amazing. We are very very dissimilar in that regard!
So I'm over here still not feeling so great, with a weekend's worth of plans canceled, but that's okay. It was a great experiment in handling the virus our way. We successfully used homeopathic remedies to lessen symptoms, and even I was in the salt bath a couple times and found it to be extremely helpful. Because my nutrition is not nearly as stellar as Sproutlet's, yesterday and today I took a few supplements that I had in the house to help me fight off the virus.
The first thing that I always reach for (every day, in fact) is my Arbonne Immunity Boost. It's got Elderberry and Echinecea.
These are the other things I started taking yesterday:
Since I was walking around in a stupor the first few days (and not literally walking, mostly laying around) I totally forgot to take these and think I prolonged the illness accidentally by not getting on a regimen right away.
For your reference, here are some links about the properties of each of the above things:
It should be noted that I have taken these previously and had no side effects, which allowed me to make a sure decision in taking all of these at once. Whenever you try something new, remember to try it in isolation so you can correctly determine an adverse reaction and its cause.
Sproutlet DID take supplements in the form of elderberry syrup, vitamin D and probiotics, as I outlined in "Natural Remedies" and "Natural Remedies, Part 2".
And honestly, the thing that I was stressing to Sproutlet? PLEASE REST! Resting, sleeping, napping.... these are the things that have seriously made an impact in my return to health. Despite having a toddler, I am super lucky to have a mom and a husband who really stepped up to the plate to take care of BOTH of us, since we were sick separately and not at the same time. Thanks guys!!
So when the flu does come to call, don't be too scared. There is a lot to be said about staying home and not spreading the germs around. I very highly suspect we picked up the virus at the pediatrician's office. Whether this was from vaccine shedding (The flu mist is a live virus) or just picking it up from another flu patient, I will never know, and it matters not- what does matter is to stay home, even if you are sick for an entire week (or more). And please hydrate hydrate hydrate, and rest rest rest!
We should be back to normal routine in no time.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Being Different
This post has been kicking around in my head for a long time, and I finally feel ready to write it.
I'm not trying to make myself sound like a martyr, I truly am different from what could be labeled "popular" or "mainstream". I think differently, do things differently, and worse yet, I talk about it a lot. I champion away, seeing myself as a mighty warrior doing the work of many that either can't or don't want to. But let's be very clear, that is my choice. I made a decision awhile ago, after wondering for a long time if I wanted to be popular or if I wanted to be a loudmouth about the things I believe in. I have no ill feelings towards people who think just like me but choose to be quiet about it. I seriously contemplated that life. Some days, that nice quiet life seems like a great idea! But I have chosen my path and have so much to share with the world, I feel like I would be doing myself a disservice if I wasn't exactly who I am. I am unquestioningly, unwavering, un-apologetically me.
However, do not believe me to be a pariah. My daughter and I are very lucky to have lots of friends both near and far. There is a common misconception about advocates, in my opinion. People seem to think they can be harsh, abrasive, nosy people who can't help but talk about their causes all day long. I think most moms would agree with me, when you meet a new parent on the playground, your first impulse isn't to ask where their child sleeps at night or something equally as intrusive. Whatever your "cause" is, new people you just met aren't going to know about it.
Social media changes the dynamic for this a bit, of course. I am a very open person and don't hide who I am on the internet, and of course, most people feel braver, less reserved in front of a keyboard. A conversation that might not happen on a playground might happen in a closed group on Facebook. I have a particularly close group of friends that know an awful lot about me and my family. I have volunteered the information freely- for example, they know my daughter's "Vaccination Status." I have chosen to share it with them. In some circles, this is a huge risk. Some people who differ from the normal schedule choose not to share this information, and go through life never ever speaking about it. That is to say, it's not just the kid next to yours at library time or in the cart ahead of you at the supermarket that's unvaccinated, it very well could be your close friends. But for me, that didn't work. I needed to be me, and that person is very very outspoken about my beliefs and truths. And perhaps I am the luckiest person on the planet but I don't know anyone who has purposefully stopped hanging out with us because of it.
That is not to say there hasn't been Unfriending. Oh, the unfriending. IRL (in real life) it's harder to make such a statement, but as soon as we get online, people have the power to say "I disagree with you so hard that I just need to break this connection with you". And yes, it hurts a little but mostly it's disappointing that people feel this way, as I consider myself a very tolerant person and really can't imagine severing ties with someone over beliefs that aren't mutual, as that in itself doesn't hurt my feelings. I am also a fan of scrolling. If someone posts something that I don't like, I scroll by it (yes, sometimes with great effort).
An advocate sometimes has a very hard time doing this. I myself needed a very large learning curve.
Here is a visual representation of how a lot of my internet time was spent:
What I ended up having to do was surround myself with like-minded people. I joined groups of parents that were fighting the same battles I was. I searched instagram for moms just like me and sent requests to follow them. Some people eschew the thought of labels-- "I am more than just a label!!" but I revel in them-- if you profile says BF BW CS BLW ERF AV, you're getting an instant follow request. It's like knowing someone's core values without having to spend months in the beginning being all pussyfooted. Love it. (By the way, if you are looking for a BF BW CD CS BLW ERF AV EOs mom on instagram, I'm mygreatestaccomplishment). Now my social media sites are filled with like-minded people who not only post things I'm interested in, but have advice for me and experiences to share. I imagine the world was a lonely place without the internet, and give props to it often. But I have to strongly dissuade you from thinking it's like a cult, I'm getting the best of both worlds this way. All of my real friends' statuses and pictures are peppered into my feed as well. Having a few hippies like me in the fray makes me feel like less of an oddball, and reinforces the fact that I know what I'm doing, I'm not the only one, it's just not me on this lonely planet.
As for my personal Facebook feed: I was posting to it a lot. I created a separate page, Remembering the Fallen: Vaccine Injury and Death Awareness and invited all of my Facebook friends to follow it if they so wished. That way, when I *HAD* to share something, I had an outlet, and people I knew could choose if they wanted to see it (or not. Mostly not.) Again, through the magic of the internet, I have found tons of ears (eyes?) to talk to. I feel like I'm doing something worthwhile and meaningful on a daily basis, something that I was missing before.
Very quickly I want to comment on perpetuating the Mommy Wars. Recently I have come to understand both sides. Some say the Mommy Wars absolutely have to stop, it's tearing us apart and ruining the best job in the universe. Others say they must continue, because the battles are over KEY issues that can not be ignored, and getting the "right" thing to do out to a wider audience is much more important thing than someone's feelings. Honestly, yeah, I do believe a lot of practices are outdated and that everyone could use a little more love and compassion in their lives. My views are again very different than what you'll get in the general population. (Sorry for the vagueness, I'm sure you can insert any parenting topic and fill in your own blanks). But, again this is a recent development, now I comment with kindness instead of going on the offensive (which, let's face it, no one wants to hear, it won't be well received and you are just going to cause a rift between someone you care about (or know IRL, or respect. or whatever the circumstances may be).
Just last night I commented on a facebook status: "There are so many things I want to tell you, but I can see that this isn't the time or the place and that it won't be well received. As a mommy of a vaccine injured child this article hearts my heart, but I can see that you are also passionate about your children, and in that, we are exactly alike. But if you ever do have any questions, I would be honored to try to answer them. Xoxo" and the person responded in kind, yes, we are very passionate about our children.
The reason why people like she and I, just like so many others around the globe, will never, EVER see eye to eye is because we are this:
DO. NOT. MESS. WITH. OUR. CUBS. Don't even think about it. Am I right? This is the one thing we are so passionate about that we are literally fighting battles about the best way to raise them. And who can honestly blame us? These are our CHILDREN we are talking about. They ARE the future. They are our single greatest contribution to the world and the perpetuation of the entire SPECIES. In layman's terms, they are pretty damn important! Of COURSE we want to get it right. You don't get a do-over. You get ONE life, one chance, one shot. You are going to feel pretty strongly about any decision you make regarding your children. Why? Because it has a permanency that can't be erased. "I've ruined my child" someone will say when they do something as trivial as allowing them to stay up an extra hour at night. So you have to magnify that feeling about 10 MILLION times. To say you are going to be protective about your decisions is laughable. You'll be more than "protective"! It will become your core being! And when your core being is challenged, just watch how quickly you become an agitated mama bear (or lioness)!
I'm not trying to make myself sound like a martyr, I truly am different from what could be labeled "popular" or "mainstream". I think differently, do things differently, and worse yet, I talk about it a lot. I champion away, seeing myself as a mighty warrior doing the work of many that either can't or don't want to. But let's be very clear, that is my choice. I made a decision awhile ago, after wondering for a long time if I wanted to be popular or if I wanted to be a loudmouth about the things I believe in. I have no ill feelings towards people who think just like me but choose to be quiet about it. I seriously contemplated that life. Some days, that nice quiet life seems like a great idea! But I have chosen my path and have so much to share with the world, I feel like I would be doing myself a disservice if I wasn't exactly who I am. I am unquestioningly, unwavering, un-apologetically me.
However, do not believe me to be a pariah. My daughter and I are very lucky to have lots of friends both near and far. There is a common misconception about advocates, in my opinion. People seem to think they can be harsh, abrasive, nosy people who can't help but talk about their causes all day long. I think most moms would agree with me, when you meet a new parent on the playground, your first impulse isn't to ask where their child sleeps at night or something equally as intrusive. Whatever your "cause" is, new people you just met aren't going to know about it.
Social media changes the dynamic for this a bit, of course. I am a very open person and don't hide who I am on the internet, and of course, most people feel braver, less reserved in front of a keyboard. A conversation that might not happen on a playground might happen in a closed group on Facebook. I have a particularly close group of friends that know an awful lot about me and my family. I have volunteered the information freely- for example, they know my daughter's "Vaccination Status." I have chosen to share it with them. In some circles, this is a huge risk. Some people who differ from the normal schedule choose not to share this information, and go through life never ever speaking about it. That is to say, it's not just the kid next to yours at library time or in the cart ahead of you at the supermarket that's unvaccinated, it very well could be your close friends. But for me, that didn't work. I needed to be me, and that person is very very outspoken about my beliefs and truths. And perhaps I am the luckiest person on the planet but I don't know anyone who has purposefully stopped hanging out with us because of it.
That is not to say there hasn't been Unfriending. Oh, the unfriending. IRL (in real life) it's harder to make such a statement, but as soon as we get online, people have the power to say "I disagree with you so hard that I just need to break this connection with you". And yes, it hurts a little but mostly it's disappointing that people feel this way, as I consider myself a very tolerant person and really can't imagine severing ties with someone over beliefs that aren't mutual, as that in itself doesn't hurt my feelings. I am also a fan of scrolling. If someone posts something that I don't like, I scroll by it (yes, sometimes with great effort).
An advocate sometimes has a very hard time doing this. I myself needed a very large learning curve.
Here is a visual representation of how a lot of my internet time was spent:
What I ended up having to do was surround myself with like-minded people. I joined groups of parents that were fighting the same battles I was. I searched instagram for moms just like me and sent requests to follow them. Some people eschew the thought of labels-- "I am more than just a label!!" but I revel in them-- if you profile says BF BW CS BLW ERF AV, you're getting an instant follow request. It's like knowing someone's core values without having to spend months in the beginning being all pussyfooted. Love it. (By the way, if you are looking for a BF BW CD CS BLW ERF AV EOs mom on instagram, I'm mygreatestaccomplishment). Now my social media sites are filled with like-minded people who not only post things I'm interested in, but have advice for me and experiences to share. I imagine the world was a lonely place without the internet, and give props to it often. But I have to strongly dissuade you from thinking it's like a cult, I'm getting the best of both worlds this way. All of my real friends' statuses and pictures are peppered into my feed as well. Having a few hippies like me in the fray makes me feel like less of an oddball, and reinforces the fact that I know what I'm doing, I'm not the only one, it's just not me on this lonely planet.
As for my personal Facebook feed: I was posting to it a lot. I created a separate page, Remembering the Fallen: Vaccine Injury and Death Awareness and invited all of my Facebook friends to follow it if they so wished. That way, when I *HAD* to share something, I had an outlet, and people I knew could choose if they wanted to see it (or not. Mostly not.) Again, through the magic of the internet, I have found tons of ears (eyes?) to talk to. I feel like I'm doing something worthwhile and meaningful on a daily basis, something that I was missing before.
Very quickly I want to comment on perpetuating the Mommy Wars. Recently I have come to understand both sides. Some say the Mommy Wars absolutely have to stop, it's tearing us apart and ruining the best job in the universe. Others say they must continue, because the battles are over KEY issues that can not be ignored, and getting the "right" thing to do out to a wider audience is much more important thing than someone's feelings. Honestly, yeah, I do believe a lot of practices are outdated and that everyone could use a little more love and compassion in their lives. My views are again very different than what you'll get in the general population. (Sorry for the vagueness, I'm sure you can insert any parenting topic and fill in your own blanks). But, again this is a recent development, now I comment with kindness instead of going on the offensive (which, let's face it, no one wants to hear, it won't be well received and you are just going to cause a rift between someone you care about (or know IRL, or respect. or whatever the circumstances may be).
Just last night I commented on a facebook status: "There are so many things I want to tell you, but I can see that this isn't the time or the place and that it won't be well received. As a mommy of a vaccine injured child this article hearts my heart, but I can see that you are also passionate about your children, and in that, we are exactly alike. But if you ever do have any questions, I would be honored to try to answer them. Xoxo" and the person responded in kind, yes, we are very passionate about our children.
The reason why people like she and I, just like so many others around the globe, will never, EVER see eye to eye is because we are this:
DO. NOT. MESS. WITH. OUR. CUBS. Don't even think about it. Am I right? This is the one thing we are so passionate about that we are literally fighting battles about the best way to raise them. And who can honestly blame us? These are our CHILDREN we are talking about. They ARE the future. They are our single greatest contribution to the world and the perpetuation of the entire SPECIES. In layman's terms, they are pretty damn important! Of COURSE we want to get it right. You don't get a do-over. You get ONE life, one chance, one shot. You are going to feel pretty strongly about any decision you make regarding your children. Why? Because it has a permanency that can't be erased. "I've ruined my child" someone will say when they do something as trivial as allowing them to stay up an extra hour at night. So you have to magnify that feeling about 10 MILLION times. To say you are going to be protective about your decisions is laughable. You'll be more than "protective"! It will become your core being! And when your core being is challenged, just watch how quickly you become an agitated mama bear (or lioness)!
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