Yes it's hard. Yes, life sucks sometimes. Yes, sometimes the pain is so bad you want to just leave this life for the next one. Yes, it's difficult for people to understand what you're going through. It's a nightmare at times and it just seems to keep repeating itself. Sometimes, that is the reality of Sickle Cell. Thank God for the people in our lives who are there to care for us, carry us when we can not walk (sometimes literally, other times mentally, emotionally, physically), love us through our deepest trials and pains. Some of us out there don't even really have a network of people to lean on and we are wading through this life just holding on to any help we can get. I know what it's like. Just because I have changed my diet and I have seen great improvements in my health, doesn't mean that I've been cured. I still get pain at times, pain that seems to want to take over my body and have my life stop being my new normal. Right now, my right ankle hurts. Yesterday, it was my left ankle. A bit earlier, my stomach was hurting, and I think about how it was the painkillers - that I only took to manage the pain brought on by the disease - that ruined my stomach in the first place. I was just remembering how it was my oldest sister who ran downstairs and got honey and mixed it with Cayenne Pepper on a spoon and made me take it when I was curled up on my bed with stomach pains from the damage the NSAIDs had done to my stomach. I DID NOT want to try her stupid home remedy. Does she know she helped save my life that day? I remember how my second oldest sister, time and time again tried to get me to try Cherry Extract when I was suffering from hip pain which made me nearly immobile - kept me from getting out of the house and from going to work or school - and I couldn't deal with too many stairs for years after I had my hip crisis in the Summer of 2008, which I believe left part of my hip muscles infarcted. Finally, in September 2014, I tried her stupid Cherry Extract. And found out that it worked. Both of my sisters' stupid home remedies actually worked. They helped to restore my desire to live, they helped restore me to health, and helped me get on a path to desiring to live instead of being ruled by the pain, by the emotional, mental, physical, sometimes spiritual turmoil that sometimes comes with it.
I share my story and these resources and the things that I do to remain healthy because I know it makes a difference. People may not comment on these posts, but I see the number on the bottom of this page rising, and I know that there are thousands of people out there who have benefited from these words. So I will continue to post them, whether I get comments or not, as I am able to. I just want people out there to know that there is hope. No, I'm not talking about a cure, I wish I was. But, I am talking about natural treatments, natural things that you can add to your diet that can help you live a better quality of life. You may not see immediate changes. Don't give up hope. Incorporating these changes takes time. Give yourself time. But don't be afraid to try something new. Don't just read and forget about or dismiss these stupid home and natural remedies. Read them and let them stick in your life. Try them and see if they work for you. I have failed along this journey so many times. Royal Jelly? Epic fail. Nattokinase and Serrapeptase? Epic fail. Trying to treat my ulcers with red cabbage and aloe vera? Super epic fail! Beets? I can't eat them anymore. But... I haven't given up. My diet is pretty limited now... but... I haven't given up. I thank God for the people who have been there to care for me and encourage me along the way. I couldn't have done it without them. Because of these people, I am still here today. Because of these people, I can offer you encouragement. There is hope. There are options. Try, try, try. Read, share, and try some more. There are resources out there besides painkillers and I want the whole world to know so that the suffering caused by Sickle Cell can be decreased. So, please. Read, try, share, and read some more. I hope that this helps someone, God bless. :)
I share my story and these resources and the things that I do to remain healthy because I know it makes a difference. People may not comment on these posts, but I see the number on the bottom of this page rising, and I know that there are thousands of people out there who have benefited from these words. So I will continue to post them, whether I get comments or not, as I am able to. I just want people out there to know that there is hope. No, I'm not talking about a cure, I wish I was. But, I am talking about natural treatments, natural things that you can add to your diet that can help you live a better quality of life. You may not see immediate changes. Don't give up hope. Incorporating these changes takes time. Give yourself time. But don't be afraid to try something new. Don't just read and forget about or dismiss these stupid home and natural remedies. Read them and let them stick in your life. Try them and see if they work for you. I have failed along this journey so many times. Royal Jelly? Epic fail. Nattokinase and Serrapeptase? Epic fail. Trying to treat my ulcers with red cabbage and aloe vera? Super epic fail! Beets? I can't eat them anymore. But... I haven't given up. My diet is pretty limited now... but... I haven't given up. I thank God for the people who have been there to care for me and encourage me along the way. I couldn't have done it without them. Because of these people, I am still here today. Because of these people, I can offer you encouragement. There is hope. There are options. Try, try, try. Read, share, and try some more. There are resources out there besides painkillers and I want the whole world to know so that the suffering caused by Sickle Cell can be decreased. So, please. Read, try, share, and read some more. I hope that this helps someone, God bless. :)
