Well, did you think I had fallen off the face of the earth? Last week was just busy with other more important items and sometimes that happens. My goal is to blog at least 2 times a week, preferably 3 but I just have to "let it go" and do the best I can. So, there, you have it! ~like you really cared~😀 Today's post is unlike any I've ever done but it's what was on my mind and I thought others might profit from it. I'm all about enjoying good health!
******
Over the past several years and most especially since my Dad's illness 5 years ago, I have become painfully aware of the "horrors" of prescription drugs. I really think that many of the side effects of drugs are far, far worse than the condition they are used to treat. I cannot stress enough how important it is to check out the side effects of drugs. My most recent issue has been with the drug, Neurotin (generic name, Gabapentin). My Dad was given this drug (6 per day) almost 5 years ago to help with the tingling and pain in his feet and legs following his bout with Guillian Barre Syndrome. At that time I didn't do my homework and check the drug out. He was such a sick man that I was just about willing to let him take anything to get better. Well, in the past year he has gotten to where he sleeps half of the daytime hours and he can't remember anything past 5 minutes after you tell him. Yes, he is 87 and he certainly could have some dementia but something about all of it just did NOT seem right to me. So, I started checking his meds and their side effects and when I read the Neurotin side effects I knew he had to get off of it. Two of the top side effects are: loss of memory and sleepiness. Good grief! I called his Dr. and told him that I wanted to get him off and he has gradually been weaning him off of it for 5 weeks. I talked to my Daddy about this and he was a bit apprehensive because he was afraid his feet and legs would start hurting. I assured him that we would do something else if that happened but it might be that he no longer needs anything for that issue. After 3 weeks I began to notice and others began noticing the difference in his memory and he is now just taking his usual afternoon nap. And, he suffered from extreme dry mouth and that's another side effect of Neurotin and his is pretty much gone. It has been amazing and since it is such a popular drug I thought by my sharing this it might help someone else out. And, Daddy is experiencing little to no pain in his feet and legs now and looks like he won't need any medication, outside of an occasional Ibuprofen. Many, many drugs can be a two-edged sword, so do your homework before taking them!!!
*******
And, while I'm on the subject of health matters..........Tommy has had a racing heart for 25+ years and it's really never bothered him as it only happened rarely. He had it checked out many years ago and Drs. were not concerned since it was so occasional. Well, some 6-8 months ago it began occurring frequently and became quite a bother to him and it caused me much concern. I just didn't think it was good. So, in Jan. he was checked out by a Cardiologist and a Electrophysiologist (deals with heart rhythms only) and it was found that he had what is known as Heart Block. That sounds much more scary than it is and it is fairly easy to fix. This past week Tommy went into the hospital and had an Electrical Path Study done and the Dr. found that he had 5 extra pathways that were causing the issue. The EPS was done through a catheter in his groin and through that same catheter they ablated those pathways. Ablation is quite an amazing procedure and we are most hopeful that he will no longer have to deal with a racing heart. He was in the hospital over night and then home the next morning. It left him a bit weak but he's done well and after a week, he has no limitations. I'm so thankful we live in an age of such medical advancement!
*******
Have you ever heard of this? I had not until about 5 years ago when our son in law told me about them. And, after he told me I began taking them and have been taking them every day since. There are many proven benefits of having adequate amounts of minerals in our diets and few people, if any, get it through the food they eat. I will not go into detail here but would urge you to Google "the benefits of Trace Minerals" and decide for yourself. It is proven to ward off many health issues and build immunity. I have never been a sickly person and generally only have maybe 1 cold a year but I am all about doing anything to stay healthy. And, as we know, the older we get, the more difficult that can be. So, I take a Trace Mineral every day to aid in good health! And, yes, they can be ordered from Amazon!
******
And, I leave you with this..........
I don't know that there has never been a greater need for prayer for our country than right now. It makes my heart so very sad to see all the decisiveness, hatred, ugliness and just down right meanness among people. I urge all of us as Christians to pray earnestly for hearts to turn to Him for healing and unity.
“If my people who are called by my name
humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked
ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal
their land. 2 Chronicles 2:14
