Look At Me Now - Whole Again! (eBook)

Recovering from over 20 Years of Debilitating Disease

Michelle Ford Busath (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
108 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-6633-6 (ISBN)

Infos

'Look at Me Now-Whole Again!' chronicles Michelle's journey through health challenges, family dynamics, faith, and recovery, providing inspiration and insight into enduring and thriving against the odds.

Michelle was born in Sacramento, California, into a large, supportive family with four sisters and a younger brother. Diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes at the age of seven, she grew up relying on a strong faith in God, instilled by her loving parents: a father who was a professional engineer and a mother who worked in church education. A devoted family woman, Michelle married young and had her first child nearly four years later. After her third child, she became a single mother. She later met John, and they blended their families, raising five young children together. They recently celebrated their 36th anniversary, and their family has grown with the addition of 13 grandchildren. Guided by her Christian faith, Michelle overcame health challenges and, alongside John, serves their community through Carmichael HART, providing the homeless with compassion and hope. A passionate learner, Michelle became a Certified Wholistic Health Coach through the accredited Institute of Wholistic Health. She now inspires others by teaching natural health and wellness methods.

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"e;Look at Me Now-Whole Again!"e; is a testament to resilience. It chronicles Michelle's journey from childhood to adulthood, detailing her struggles with health issues, family dynamics, single motherhood, and spirituality. Her transition from debilitating symptoms and life-threatening experiences to a state of recovery and vitality delivers a powerful message of empowerment and hope. This narrative inspires readers to confront challenges and embrace life fully.

Textauszug

Chapter 1 –
The Beginning…

In the fall of 1967, per Placerville, California school government guidelines, Schnell Elementary School offered the dTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) vaccine. Soon afterward, I began having horrible headaches in the morning upon waking. These were compounded by nausea, and occasionally, vomiting. A doctor in the area suggested, since it only happened in the morning, that I just didn’t like school.

As fall turned into winter, I began waking up at night so thirsty, I would run to the bathroom, turn on the faucet, and drink directly from it. The water tasted horrible. When liquid goes in, it must come out. I began wetting my panties (that is what a little girl’s underwear was called in 1967). This was very embarrassing for me. After all, I was in 2nd Grade.

My symptoms increased in both intensity and severity. Rarely did I wake up without a headache, but I still went to school as often as possible. I loved learning and looked forward to each day of school. As these symptoms became a daily event, I adapted. The morning nausea became normal. Isn’t that amazing; how we adapt and endure?

For Thanksgiving, our family went to Kanab, Utah for a family reunion. The headache, thirst, and incontinence were my constant companions for the entire trip. I had four (4) siblings at the time; Connie (2 years older), Sharon (1 year older), Coleen (almost 3 years younger), and Denise (4 years younger). Activities were planned and carried out. A climb up K Hill, a trip to the sand caves, a hike down by Kanab Creek, and Thanksgiving dinner at the Masonic Lodge.

After arriving home, my parents planned a trip to the Oakland Temple. We got to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house on those days. My sisters and I loved spending time there.

That day, however, November 30, 1967, I awoke with an awful headache so bad I could barely open my eyes. The light made it worse. I didn’t eat breakfast because I felt sick to my stomach. This day, I wanted to stay home and in bed.

Mom called Grandma and Grandpa to let them know I was ill. They both stated they knew how to care for sick children, and to bring us anyway.

They prepared some chicken noodle soup with toast, for lunch, and hot cocoa. We loved the homemade soup and hot cocoa. The bread was always homemade, and usually topped with honey from Grandpa’s farm in Utah.

I ate a piece of toast, then drank some hot cocoa. A wave of nausea came over me. I ran to the bathroom and threw up, turned around quickly to pee, then threw up again.

Grandma made up Uncle Ronald’s bed for me with towels over the pillow and down the center. Uncle Ronald was only 10 years older than me. She gave me a cup of ice chips to keep my mouth wet. I was so thirsty. I spent much of the day vomiting and peeing. I couldn’t keep anything down.

As cell phones weren’t yet invented in 1967 (and not for another 25+ years) Grandma and Grandpa waited patiently for my parents to return. Oakland was over 90 miles from Grandma and Grandpa’s home.

Mom and Dad (Momma and Daddy) returned around 11pm that evening. I remember hearing Dad say that his medical insurance started in less than an hour, at 12:01am on December 1, 1967. Dad called the hospital on Morse Avenue. They instructed him to take me to the clinic on Arden Way after midnight.

The first thing they wanted me to do at the clinic was pee in a cup. I tried, but for the first time, there was nothing left. I had peed and vomited so much that my weight had dropped significantly. Mom said I was placed on a baby scale, as I wasn’t strong enough to stand to be weighed. I only weighed 16 pounds. The nurse sounded concerned and made a note in my chart.

I was terrified of needles. I begged Mom, “please, Momma, don’t let them give me any shots.” Then, I lost consciousness.

I awoke in a crib with the sides up. I was in a room with three other cribs, with children sleeping in them. Some appeared to be around my age.

I noticed both my arms were strapped down to boards with long tubes coming out of each that went to large clear glass bottles that were hung upside down from tall poles. They had labels taped to them. I tried to move, but was too weak. I was so thirsty. My mouth and tongue were dry.

I looked around and saw Mom, asleep, sitting in a rocking chair with a blanket covering her. I tried to speak. I began to cry. Mom woke up and came over to me. I asked her, “Did they give me any shots?” I saw tears in her eyes. She told me that I would need a shot every day for the rest of my life.

The daily weigh-in and standing on the scale in the pediatrics department was interesting. I remember the day I hit 20 pounds. The nurses were very excited.

My diet changed. Other children in pediatrics got to eat hot dogs and potato chips for lunch. I got a turkey sandwich without any condiments, and an apple so big I couldn’t take a bite out of it. I straightened a paperclip, stuck it into the apple, and cut out bitesize pieces. It never occurred to me to ask someone to cut the apple for me.

Every other kid got waffles and syrup, with orange juice for breakfast. My choices were scrambled eggs and dry toast with sugar-free grape jelly, or warm oatmeal with Sweet’N Low powder packets, a half of a banana, and of course, milk.

Dinner was wonderful. My choices were Swiss Steak, meat loaf, sliced roast beef, all served with mashed potatoes and gravy, with peas. I didn’t care what the other kids ate for dinner. Mine was delicious.

Every day, after breakfast, the Candy Stripers (teenage volunteers) were assigned in Pediatrics to help us complete our menu options for the following day.

The other kids were there for different reasons. I shared a room with a boy who had been burned by a fire. I recall his daily screaming, as they soaked him in a tub to remove and change his bandages. A girl diagonally from me was there recovering after getting her tonsils out. There was a younger child, toddler-age. I don’t know why he was there. He didn’t ever get visitors.

The pediatric ward got to eat all meals first. Breakfast at 7:30am, lunch at 11:30am, dinner at 4:30pm, and a snack at 7:30pm, before bedtime. I rarely got a snack.

After lunch and homework for the school-aged kids, the televisions were turned on. Gilligan’s Island played every day at 4:30pm, just as our dinner trays were put on our patient tables.

Mom and Dad visited often. Near the end of my first hospital stay, I was allowed a field trip outside of the hospital. There was a big mall nearby, Country Club. I learned how to “Window Shop” that day. Sacramento was big compared to Placerville.

The last thing Mom and I needed to learn before I could go home was how to prepare and inject insulin. We practiced on oranges with syringes filled with water.

I don’t recall what time of year I was discharged from the hospital. Dad picked me up. It was at the end of the day, after dinner. I didn’t spend much alone time with my dad, prior to that day. Usually, he would take the three big girls, Connie, Sharon, and me to a park, or fishing, to give Mom a “break.”

Dad took his harmonica out of the glove box and played it for a little while. He offered to let me play it. I was apprehensive, so declined. Dad taught me that you need great lips to play the harmonica. When Dad’s lips tired, he told me a few stories about growing up in Kanab. It sounded like they spent all summer away from home, out wandering around Southern Utah, wallowing in the mud in Kanab Creek.

When we arrived home, we set up my testing area and I was trained by Mom on the specifics. It was kept on the counter, above the back of the toilet in the hall bathroom.

There were no glucometers. We measured my urine sugar levels using this kit. It had two small cups – pink and blue, a test tube, a dropper, a bottle of CliniTabs, and another bottle of Ketone Tablets. The tests were done each morning before breakfast and my injection.

The pink cup was for pee; the blue cup was for water. The test tube was turned upright and placed back into the holder. Then, all the mixing and counting began, step by step, like a recipe. 15 drops of liquid was always needed in the test tube before adding the CliniTab:

• 5 drops of urine
• 10 drops of water
• 1 CliniTab

The test tube heated up as the tablet dissolved, transforming into a beautiful color:

• Blue – Negative
• Green – Trace Sugar
• Yellow – Moderate Sugar
• Orange – High Sugar

When the color was Orange, we had to determine how high. A 2nd test began:

• 2 drops of urine
• 13 drops of water
• 1 CliniTab

If the result was still Orange, a 3rd test was performed:

• 1 drop of urine
• 14 drops of water
• 1 CliniTab

After the 2nd test, if the result was Yellow or less, 5 units of Regular were added to the Lente Insulin in the Syringe.

After the 3rd test, if the color was Yellow or higher, 10 units of Regular were added.

The final test was to determine if there were any Ketones.

• 1 white Ketone Tablet was put on a tissue
• 1 drop of urine was put on the tablet

When the tablet remained white, the test was negative. However, if it changed color, from light pink to...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 13.11.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Gesundheit / Leben / Psychologie ► Esoterik / Spiritualität
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-6633-6 / 9798350966336