http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/ Infertility and Adoption online interactive support community for your family-building efforts. Information and discussion includes infertility, adoption, pregnancy, parenting and surrogacy issues. en Sun, 19 May 2013 17:38:32 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/ http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/69374-survivors-guilt-again.html Wed, 13 May 2009 23:10:19 GMT There's a link on the preemie group to a stay about a preemie, Kayleigh Anne Freeman (http:kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com). She was born 3 months early and went through a lot and is now in heaven. I feel so bad for her family... and ashamed of myself for complaining. I took this from Kayleigh's blog, the surgeries and procedures she had:

Surgeries:

ROP Stage 3 - Eye Surgery
Gastrointestinal Surgery - Bowels
VSD Repair Surgery - Open Heart
Tracheostomy Surgery - Airways
G-tube Surgery - Feeding Tube
Nissen Surgery - Stomach
Bilateral Hernia Repair Surgery - Groin

Procedure:

10+ Blood Transfusions
Skin Biopsy - Chromosomal Studies
Rectal Biopsy - Hirschsprungs Disease
Intestinal Biopsy - motility
Heart Catherization - Pulmonary pressures
(3) Central Line placements
Pepcin Test - aspirations
Impedence Study - reflux
(2) Upper Gastrointestinal Studies - motility
(2) Lower Gastrointestinal Studies - motility
15+ PCVC Line Placements - long term IV's
10+ Blood Culture Tests - for infections
200+ Blood Gas Tests - Pin pricks to her toes

DS had all the procedures mentioned. Each and every one. Well, not as many line placements or blood gas pricks because he was in the NICU only 5 months compared to Kayleigh's 10, but still...

He didn't have the open heart VSD surgery or the Nissen or a trach as far as surgeries go, but he did have the Stage 3 ROP lazer surgery and a g-tube. He actually had 2 major bowel surgeries and 1 more eye surgery by the time he left the NICU, and had 2 more eye surgeries after that. He still has the inguinal hernia, since no one is ready to go in, partly because it's not causing problems, and partly because of the lingering pulmonary hypertension issues.

So I finally find someone who knows what we went through in the NICU, but I can't be of any comfort to them. Seriously, what would I say? I went through pretty much everything you did... only DS survived? This family's story was on The Doctors, and they're asking for stories, but what should we do? Send the pictures and medical records and have ped and the neos write in, and then send a video of DS laughing like a loon and blowing raspberries and trying to sing along with Rolie Polie Olie and the Great Defender of Fun, and then drinking Pediasure from a cup and turning around and handing the cup to the dog (which he just did a few minutes ago)?

We know how blessed we are that DS survived at all and we thank God daily. We do often wonder "Why us" because it's still hard, but losing a child is even harder. Our thoughts and prayers are with Kayleigh's family. I feel guilty though... ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/69374-survivors-guilt-again.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/65472-very-odd.html Tue, 12 May 2009 06:49:32 GMT Under "Recent Comments" it has comments from years ago, like from soon after I started keeping a blog! I don't understand at all... :confused:

Oh well, hopefully they're still ironing kinks out... :shrug: ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/65472-very-odd.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/44856-now-im-allergic-sulfa.html Fri, 08 May 2009 04:39:48 GMT Everything worked out ok on Sunday. I did have to take a cab to the urgent care place but DH was able to get enough charge on the battery to pick me up. We went straight to Auto Zone and they did have an alternator in stock. It was $144, but has a lifetime warranty and DH was able to swap the old... Everything worked out ok on Sunday. I did have to take a cab to the urgent care place but DH was able to get enough charge on the battery to pick me up. We went straight to Auto Zone and they did have an alternator in stock. It was $144, but has a lifetime warranty and DH was able to swap the old one out right there in Auto Zone's parking lot. No tire places were open, but DH was able to take care of that Monday. Having a DH who knows cars really helps. :)

Amyway, I started the meds for the UTI Sunday evening and had been nauseated since starting them, but I've always gotten nauseated with Bactrim and it's one of the common side effects so I didn't think much of it (any meds that say they may cause nausea generally do cause it with me so I'm used to it). I took the last Bactrim yesterday morning but started feeling way more fatigued than normal. Going to the end of the driveway to meet DS's bus wiped me out! And I had no appetite at all. Then I felt like I was running a fever and I broke out in a rash and was itching everywhere. I looked and the sheet Walgreens gives and it looked to me like I was reacting to the pyridium (I had never had it before; just Bactrim). I had the "contact your doctor as soon as possible" stuff listed, so I called this morning and was seen pretty quickly. Turns out I was reacting to the Bactrim! I had no idea. But my dr did some kind of skin test and it was screaming positive. His eyes got really big and then he asked me if I was sure I wasn't having breathing problems. So apparently, it was pretty bad. :shrug:

Anyway, I'm allergic to sulfa. I'm pushing 40 and I just now have a drug allergy? Does that make sense? :confused:

I kept my Monday appointment to go over antidepressants. My dr. agrees that I likely need them again - actually, he thinks I should have stayed on them in the first place. Go figure! But we needed a more in-depth appointment for that (I was fit in today as an emergency for the med reaction), and there's more things to go over anyway, so Monday it is.

I am really tired, but otherwise hanging in there. I'm going to have serious FT withdrawals tomorrow! But it looks like the change will be good. :) ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/44856-now-im-allergic-sulfa.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/44692-u-t-i-s-tires-alternators-oh-my.html Sun, 03 May 2009 21:48:06 GMT (xpost from PA35)

I started having symptoms of a U.T.I. yesterday. I made it through work, but it wasn't easy. I was still planning on going to work today, but now the symptoms are full-force. :sick:

What's worse is, we were coming back from El Paso and our right passenger-side tire blew. We were almost all the way home, so we limped it the rest of the way (about a mile, maybe a little less). We're already using the spare on another wheel so we couldn't/can't change it out until we get new tires. So DH was going to take me to the urgent care place in the other car. We got in, and the battery power gauge wouldn't budge. The car did start, but that's about it. DH is pretty sure it's the alternator, so he's getting a bigger charge on the battery right now to limp it to Auto Zone for an alternator. Luckily, he can do the work himself.

Most (if not all) of my work friends are currently at work or don't live anywhere near me, and our closest friend here is currently out of town, so I'm stuck taking a cab to the urgent care place. It's expensive, but we have no choice right now.

Anyway, wish us luck on getting all this situated and having at least 1 car operating for us to go to work tomorrow. My employers still have that lame points thing, and losing that job is the last thing we need right now. ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/44692-u-t-i-s-tires-alternators-oh-my.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/44562-shutting-off-border.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:47:26 GMT to stop an airborne virus. How will they do that? And if they succeed, then what would they do? Turn the virus away when it doesn't present its visa? Deport it? Arrest it? :shrug:

There isn't a darn thing we can do about it down here other than the regular preventative flu measures since there's no vaccine. I am concerned, mostly for DS, but I'm concerned about regular flu/viruses with him anyway.

Although all this speculation about what should be done on the border by people who don't live here is always interesting to watch... :tongue: ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/44562-shutting-off-border.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/91-why-i-am-i-still-so-sad.html Tue, 21 Apr 2009 05:59:21 GMT I've been trying to think about what's going right in our lives, and focus on blessings, instead of getting caught up in the future and all the "what ifs." And we have lots of blessings in DS survivng at all, and in him being so healthy, and in our health, and having jobs and being able to juggle things as they stand right now. We're also making headway on bills (just paid off a loan in March and a credit card this month) and our marriage is strong. So there are definite positives and we are so thankful.

There are so many people out there who have lost their jobs, or who have kids who are critically ill, or who are ill themselves, or who are having marital problems or are in other difficult situations. There are so many who have it harder than us, so I really have no right to feel as bad as I do. I just can't help it though. This is not cyclical so I don't think it's hormonal. The feelings just. won't. stop.

I have been seeing a counselor for the past few weeks and it helps some, but it's temporary. I feel comfortable with her so that's the problem either. We've gone over stress relief techniques which do help in a pinch, but the sadness and dread just keeps coming back. So I just don't know what else to do.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am just at a loss... ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/91-why-i-am-i-still-so-sad.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/456-little-good-news-work-front.html Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:59:32 GMT I ended up taking the shift with Wednesdays and Thursdays off, even though I wanted the one with Fridays and Saturdays off because I was/am sooooo sick of getting shafted on the weekends. But it came down to being stressed at work on the weekends or being stressed even more at home trying to... I ended up taking the shift with Wednesdays and Thursdays off, even though I wanted the one with Fridays and Saturdays off because I was/am sooooo sick of getting shafted on the weekends. But it came down to being stressed at work on the weekends or being stressed even more at home trying to finagle a way for me to be at work at 3:30 on Thursdays since DH would need to work until 5:30 (him working until 5:30 2 days a week allows him to be able to leave at 3:00 the other 3 days so I can get work at 3:30). So I took the Wednesdays and Thursdays off, which is what my gut had been saying all along... and it turned out to be the best choice because the person who's been calling in got the Friday and Saturday off shift. So the problem is nipped in the bud, at least for a while.

If this person decides to call in Sundays too, that'll be a problem, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. It's still an unfair situation overall, but what else can I do but hope and pray that things work out for the best and get better. ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/456-little-good-news-work-front.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/531-burned-out.html Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:28:33 GMT No doubt about it, I am just burned out across the board. Usually any depression I have is cyclical (in more recent years, anyway) so at least partially fueled by hormones, but I have been down for most of a month straight, even with counseling.

Part of it is work. I'm tired of having to juggle my "regular" home stuff, my own job, and then having to take on extra because of other people's extenuating circumstances. Last year (edit: actually, it was year-before-last) a coworker had a preemie born a little further along than DS and with fewer complications and less hospital time, but he (the coworker) seemed to think that entitled him to using (unpaid) leave to take 3-day weekends - every week. He called in every Saturday night, leaving me as the only person at my job level in our center and at times in the entire airline. Of course, everyone knew darn good and well he did not have an emergency every Saturday night, but my employers' jacked-up policy did not allow them to question him or get a letter as to why every Saturday. So having the work ethic that I have (home stuff should not interfere with work) and not wanting to turn around and do the same (I have a child born even earlier, after all), I sucked it up and took it.

Now there's another coworker whose mother is really, really, ill - and she's taking a cue from our former coworker and calling in every Saturday night. I CANNOT take that again! I've discussed this (and brought up the past situation) with management to a point and they completely agree - they said they have already flagged the pattern, but company policy does not allow them to call this person (or anyone) out. WTF???? I understand that this person has an extenuating circumstance in general, but you know, so do I. DH and I have gone through a lot to make it to where our employers aren't inconvenienced much (if at all) by our circumstances, and I resent having to pay the price at work for others who can't or won't do the same. And I just can't handle juggling our home stuff, my regular job, and then added work due to someone else's extenuating circumstances anymore.

Part of it is just our regular stuff though. The future just looks so bleak if DS doesn't come close to catching up. No matter how hard we work, no matter how much we save, we're not going to be able to cover everything. Me leaving my job does no good because we're disqualified by DH's gross income. I did get the paperwork for the medicaid waiver waiting list and am in the process of working through that, but I'm not holding my breath. I know there's some organizations out there who may be able to help (thanks to those who provided information!), and we'll look into that when the time comes, but that still doesn't fix the situation overall.

I'm still plodding along but this time, I just can't take much more, if any. Going back on meds may well help some, but the only way to fix situational depression is to change the situation. I've done all I can to try and do that, but it hasn't worked. It seems the answer to our prayers is just "no" over and over and over again. No to being able to get pg naturally in the first place, no to few complications, no to normal development, no to enough money and/or better job opportunities to cover everything, no to better services. I guess we're just not worthy and I don't understand why. We don't steal from others or stab people in the back or dump our work on others or lie about people or anything we've seen so many do. We've taken responsibility for our actions and our circumstances. It's really hard to have faith. I'm still trying, but honestly, right now, I just want everything to be over.

Sorry for the pity party. I just needed to get some things out. ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/531-burned-out.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/624-so-why-do-i-feel-guilty.html Sat, 04 Apr 2009 16:21:08 GMT My coworkers and I got run through the wringer last night because of cancelled flights. Which were cancelled due to a weather situation that did happen. My employers were actually being proactive in their approach and it paid off for everyone including the passengers, but we got screamed at all... My coworkers and I got run through the wringer last night because of cancelled flights. Which were cancelled due to a weather situation that did happen. My employers were actually being proactive in their approach and it paid off for everyone including the passengers, but we got screamed at all night anyway. Our other call center is open overnight but only 1 person who was scheduled actually showed so they wanted us to take up the slack. Normally I'd be in it for the extra cash, but after the past couple days of being screamed at, the inevitable lashing we'll get today (people honestly don't understand that airlines do not control the weather), and the fact that I've been stuck as the only person at my job level in the building the past several Saturdays since the others seem to think it's ok to call in every Saturday, I had to say no to save my sanity.

I do feel bad, but honestly, I am sick and tired of having to bear the brunt of other people calling in due to their extenuating circumstances (some of which are more legitimate than others)when I have my own, yet I still show up and do my job as scheduled. Last night I told them that if they could guarantee that I wouldn't get the shaft tonight, I'd stay overnight. My sup actually called the powers that be about it, lol. :laugh: They were sympathetic but of course they couldn't guarantee that no one would be calling in. So I came home. I am seriously thinking of playing hooky since I am pretty burned out, but I'll likely go in anyway. ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/624-so-why-do-i-feel-guilty.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/734-41-37.html Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:56:41 GMT ... is the loss that one of our retirement accounts has had in the past 12 months! :eek: This is the one that we could borrow from if we absolutely had to; the other is a state-run mandatory pension-type plan that we cannot borrow from and have no control over how much goes into it monthly. Both... ... is the loss that one of our retirement accounts has had in the past 12 months! :eek: This is the one that we could borrow from if we absolutely had to; the other is a state-run mandatory pension-type plan that we cannot borrow from and have no control over how much goes into it monthly. Both are through DH's employer. We knew we shouldn't look (we've just been filing the statements), but DH opened the newest one anyway. How depressing, especially when we're trying to save for the future. :(

We'll just have to let the account ride... I hope the economy improves soon, for everyone's sake. ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/734-41-37.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/903-hmmm-i-didnt-mark-private-myself.html Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:24:49 GMT But that's ok. It was snarky anyway. I'm not sure everyone got the reference, but that's likely for the best since there's enough drama with that person as it is. I do appreciate everyone's support though :) ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/903-hmmm-i-didnt-mark-private-myself.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/934-counseling.html Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:01:50 GMT EI paid for counseling services but that ended when EI ended a couple years ago. I had stopped meds before that and probably shouldn't have, but I was able to roll with the punches for the most part until recently. It's just all come to a head for some reason.

Anyway, my employers have an EAP and I called them and they're covering 3 counseling sessions. The first is tomorrow. I know I need help but still feel weird about it, even though I had it before. Makes no sense. And I know I should go back on meds but I hated Paxil. It sort of worked, but I gained weight and couldn't lose it and while I felt a little better mentally, I felt worse physically. I was on Zoloft before that which worked fabulously mentally and physically at first, but after 6 months or so it sort of pooped out and didn't work at all mentally. Apparently, that's not all that rare for Zoloft or any of them because different meds work better for different people.

So I'm willing to bet the farm the counselor will have me go to my primary care dr, or may even call him herself for a script. I'm hoping the counselor will call because I don't know how to approach my primary care dr., even though he prescribed the meds before. Again, this makes no sense. But something needs to be done. I feel like I'm living on a different planet than everyone else - everyone else living on a planet where things are ok most of the time. But I don't feel like things are ok at all.

Sometimes I think I should just have a complete breakdown and get it over with since it's been looming for years, even before DS was ever born. Luckily I have had enough control to not go that far, plus, it will not help anyone else, that's for sure. It would be a disaster for DH and work and DS most of all. So hopefully counseling and maybe meds will help. ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/934-counseling.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/1024-were-screwed.html Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:20:35 GMT As I've mentioned before, we don't qualify for any regular government assistance for DS based on DH's gross income alone and our household size. We've hemmed and hawed over applying for a waiver at all because we've heard such horror stories, at least as far as NM goes. People seem to think that just because your child is disabled, you get services, and they tell us stories of people who make good money getting services for their child. They mean well, but we've found out that these people who get services for their child and make "good" money do not live in NM.

So I called about the DD waiver today and they took down our information and said they'd send a packet. The schools and ped have all already told us that they'd fill out and help us get whatever was needed (ped had actually already looked into it years ago). That's not really the problem in and of itself, even though it means even more work for me. The real issue now is the fact that even though DS may well qualify based on his needs (ok, he does qualify based on his needs per the schools and ped), in NM it still boils down to income. There's still an income limit for waivers... or at least a scale that sets priority purely on gross income/household size rather than actual need for services/equipment.

We are so screwed. Maybe I'm jumping the gun but I just do not see how we are going to handle these upcoming years if DS does not catch up. Right now we have an adaptive stroller and I can still lift him so I am handling bathing and all that, but what's going to happen when he gets too big/heavy? No matter how much we scrimp and save, we'll never have the amount of cash needed at one time to cover the amount insurance doesn't cover for a larger wheelchair, much less pay for someone to come and help me with his toileting, getting him to the bus, etc.

I just feel like we're being penalized. We've paid dues and put DH through college so we'd have enough money to raise a family. Then we didn't get to get pg the regular way (well, we didn't get a pg that stayed around that way), but we still made it happen. We worked hard to be able to handle any "normal" childrearing costs, and if all we had was the regular stuff, we'd be fine - even if we had more than 1 child. We'd like at least 1 more child - our household size being 3 was not our choice or decision. I wouldn't even be writing this if all was normal, or maybe even if we had a larger household size. But the fact remains that things are not normal, and we're in limbo, making too much in the government's eyes, but not enough to cover things in the real world.

Then there's religion. We've lifted the situation up to Jesus/God and the universe since it is written that God will provide. Of course it is in His own time, but we are desperate here. If things were "normal," or heck, if DS catches up relatively soon, we are/would be just fine and the Lord would have actually provided in abundance since we are so blessed to still have jobs and insurance. We are still blessed to have DS at all but if things don't change for the better relatively soon and he doesn't catch up, and we don't get any sort of assistance with equipment and services, what does that mean as far as the Lord providing.

It's just frustrating to see situations where people have perhaps not made as good decisions as we have, or haven't worked as hard as we have, but things are just handed to them (*ahem* does Octomom ring a bell?). And people make excuses for them. And then there's people who get services and equipment whose needs aren't nearly as severe as DS's but they have a larger household size or less gross income so they qualify. What's up with that? :shrug:

Anyway, I'm plugging along as usual, but I just don't know how much more I can take of all this, of all the "No" answers to our prayers and from the government, and of all the effort put forth despite the gray cloud over our heads and feeling that it's all just futile. :( ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/1024-were-screwed.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/1133-7-years-ago-today.html Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:06:36 GMT ... we were in Albuquerque for our one and only tx cycle of any kind. March 17th was lucky for us as it was transfer day. They transferred 3 good quality embies, 2 8-celled and 1 5-celled. And 8 days later, I got a screaming positive HPT. :) Either two of the embies stayed, or 1 stayed and split,... ... we were in Albuquerque for our one and only tx cycle of any kind. March 17th was lucky for us as it was transfer day. They transferred 3 good quality embies, 2 8-celled and 1 5-celled. And 8 days later, I got a screaming positive HPT. :) Either two of the embies stayed, or 1 stayed and split, because I was originally pg with twins (found out a little over a month later when I m/c'd one :( ).

And to think we thought that was the end of the rollercoaster. Little did we know that things would definitely not go as planned or dreamed or expected with the birth and afterward. But at least we've made it though so far. ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/1133-7-years-ago-today.html http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/1154-thinking-trying-detox.html Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:54:30 GMT I haven't felt good lately and I know a lot of it is stress but my eating/drinking habits aren't helping, I'm sure. So I'm debating on going through a few days of detox. I probably should wait until I'm feeling better mentally (my employer's EAP program is paying for 3 counseling sessions, and hopfully health ins will kick in after that), but I wanted to get this article I found down, just in case:

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/drma...evitalize-you/

5-Step Detox to Revitalize YouBy Dr. Maoshing Ni - Posted on Tue, Mar 10, 2009, 4:51 pm PDT

Your body is naturally equipped with a self-cleaning process. But too much sugar, caffeine, processed foods, stress, and too little exercise can slow the body's natural detox function to a slow pace. And then your body can't clean itself when it is put up against the increasing number of harmful and toxic substances in the environment. Toxins come in many forms: pesticides in produce, formaldehyde in carpets and cosmetics, PCBs from plastic containers, dioxins from bleached paper products, and more.

Your body will process and eliminate some of the hordes of chemicals that enter, but overflow gets stored in the liver, lungs, kidneys, fat cells, intestines, blood stream, and skin—which can result in chronic illnesses down the road. When you undergo a detox, you get these toxins out of your system.

How do you know if you need a detox?
You know you're suffering from toxic overload if you are experiencing fatigue, memory decline, difficulty focusing, allergies and infections, irritability, anxiety and depression, difficulty with weight gain and weight loss, muscle and joint pain or weakness, skin rashes and outbreaks, recurrent yeast and fungal infections, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal bloating, and indigestion.

Most people report vast improvement in their symptoms after a detox. At first, you may feel a little fuzzy because of the toxins being released. However, when you stick with it, you will begin to feel more alert, energized, and full of vitality.

At-Home Detox
Start small! Begin with a one-day program and gradually increase to one week or more. Here are 5 steps to a daily detox that will gently cleanse your body:

1. Start the Detox Day Right
• First thing in the morning, drink one lemon squeezed in 12 ounces of warm filtered water. Lemon activates your liver to release toxins and helps to cleanse and move the roughage that stays behind in your intestines.

• Take acidophilus or a probiotic supplement. Acidophilus is one of the many "good" bacteria and yeasts known as the probiotics. Probiotics balance our intestinal functions, helping to break down food and control the "bad" bacteria that is also in your system—all of which optimizes the detoxification process. Always take probiotics on an empty stomach.

2. Your Detox Meals
These meals are designed to jump-start your body into becoming healthier.
• Breakfast: Eat oat bran cereal, brown rice, or any other whole grain cereal as long as it is unbleached and does not contain any added sugar or chemicals. Pair with unflavored soy milk.

• Lunch or Dinner: Eat any combination of beans, brown rice, oat bran, vegetables, and organic chicken, turkey, or soy-products. When you eat, notice how your food affects you. You should feel satisfied and energized. If you feel tired and sluggish, try eating smaller meals so that you don't overwhelm your digestion and interfere with the detoxification process.

3. Eat Green to Spring into Health
The green pigment in plants, chlorophyll, is structurally similar to the hemoglobin in the human body—the iron-containing element in blood. It increases red blood cell production and improves oxygenation, detoxification, and circulation. Be sure to eat several servings of fresh green vegetables every day during your detox. Try this super-cleansing broth and juice as a quick way to up your veggie intake.

Detox Broth: Add as many of these ingredients as you can into a large pot of filtered water: collards, Swiss chard, kale, mustard greens, cabbage, dandelion, Brussels sprouts, daikon radish, watercress, seaweed, ****ake mushrooms, cilantro, garlic, leeks, fresh fennel, anise, fresh ginger, and turmeric. Boil until all ingredients are soft. You can make in a large batch and refrigerate for up to three days.

Detox Juice: Juice the following together: Aloe vera juice (which can be found in most health food stores), apples, asparagus, beets (including greens), cabbage, carrot and carrot greens, celery, cucumbers, and parsley. You can also purchase vegetable juice from the store, but be sure that it has no added salt or chemicals.

4. Supplement Your Detox
• Take a daily supplement of 1 tablespoon of flax seed oil, walnut oil, or deep-sea fish oil.

• Green Tea is a strong antioxidant, and a great beverage choice for your detox. Be sure to drink decaffeinated green tea.

• Dandelion and Milk Thistle both protect and restore the liver. According to Chinese medicine, the liver is most active in the detoxification process during spring.

• Ginger is a bowel and kidney cleanser. Make yourself tea from fresh ginger root during your detox.

A popular herbal formula among my patients is Internal Cleanse, a special combination of natural herbs to detoxify, calm nerves, clear the mind, promote emotional balance, and ease digestion. For more information, click here.

5. Take an Invigorating Herbal Soak
Soak for 20 minutes in a revitalizing herbal bath. Help draw out toxins by infusing your bath water with eucalyptus, wintergreen, peppermint, fennel, cinnamon, and epsom salts.

Spring may be the best time to cleanse your body, but you don't have to wait until spring to start. Detoxification and cleansing is a healthy maintenance program for all seasons.

May you stay healthy, live long, and live happy!

-Dr. Mao

Anyone have any experience with this??? Any input would help :) ]]> LisaNM http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/blogs/lisanm/1154-thinking-trying-detox.html