Post-Parkinson’s Self Diagnosis and Recovery

Hello Dear Friends,

I know it has been many moons since my last posting, and the one following this one could come next week, next spring, or next lifetime. Several years ago I attended a class in blogging and was told that to be successful (and what does that mean?) one needs to post at least once, and preferably twice weekly. I tried that for a short while. It was ok, except that I am now my own boss, and my boss was running me ragged: blogging, coaching, consulting, substitute teaching, working on a book, volunteering, not to mention at all my personal life, and the attention I love to invest there, and of course, my daily beloved qigong practice. That Parkinson’s drive was still running very strongly in me. It was as though PD itself was not enough of a lesson to slow me down. My stubborn sense of self was still very much in the doing mode, instead of just being. It wasn’t exactly a conscious decision to return to “overdrive.” I was swept by the passion that accompanied my recovery, and the desire to get the word out to others and to respond to the steady stream of incoming contacts. Plus, my passion for teaching continued, and the teaching career that had been abbreviated by Parkinson’s could now be retrieved by working in the schools as a sub, and I was particularly drawn to working with autistic little ones, having raised an autistic child myself.

So that was where I found myself over the summer – teaching an autistic preschool summer program and loving the kids and the challenge, as well as the two wonderful paraprofessionals who supported me. During the last week of the program some of the wee ones were out for a day or two with runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever, etc. I, too, became a host for whatever this bug was, and it hit me hard.

A heat originated at my core and I could feel it as it emanated from the inside out. My crown, lip, and much of my body was frequently covered with beads of perspiration. I felt throbbing in my head, reminiscent of the time many (38) years ago, when I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, reading 210/180. (Since then I have remained on HBP meds, only one, and at a low dosage. It is the only pharmaceutical I have remained with since my healing via qigong.) There was soreness around my lymph glands, and although eating moderately and healthfully, I was gaining weight and changing shape and also experiencing increasing hunger and intestinal rumblings. And the constant heat I was feeling left me with little energy for physical practice. When the discomfort continued for over three weeks, I checked in with a doctor. The only interest there was the spiking high blood pressure. I was told to double my blood pressure meds. I refused and said I would work on it energetically and naturally. Now the ball was once again in my court, to find my own path to healing. I did, however, have to get regular BP readings at the medical center. This was amusing, as my readings at home were always lower than those taken by the nurse (white coat syndrome). Frankly, I think in my case it may have been more like “pissed off syndrome” as I was annoyed that once again there was no support emerging from the medical system to first work on problems without increasing meds.

So off I went in research mode, and it looked like adrenal fatigue was the label that most closely fit what was ailing me. It made sense. I follow the theory that Parkinson’s doesn’t necessarily mean one is deplete of dopamine, but instead, that one isn’t accessing it. As a result, persons with Parkinson’s run on adrenalin. Having had PD, I know I was running on adrenalin for a very long time. It would make sense that those glands were over-used, and that my recent virus had overtaxed the adrenals to the point of fatigue. So what did I do?

More research. I also attended a Chi Center retreat and had a healing session with Teacher Ma in which I complained of the hunger pangs I was still experiencing. She suggested working on the pancreas. That led me to further research where I learned that both the pancreas and liver often function as glands. This made sense and fit in with the adrenal fatigue self-diagnosis. Plus, I’d suspected low thyroid for many decades, although the numbers did not support that when tested. However, I never received the detailed and intricate tests that now are given by many functional medicine physicians. So it looked to me like I needed to address metabolism. How?

I was referred, by a wonderful woman in the supplements aisle at Whole Foods, to the work of Haley Pomroy, a nutritionist who wrote “The Fast Metabolism Diet.” I bought the book and began the food plan. I also began increasing the wallsquats I had been gradually easing into and I added more qigong moves for weight loss (a DVD by Lee Holden) along with my regular Wisdom Healing Qigong daily program.

Six to eight weeks later blood pressure was normal, body thermostat was working well, and I had shed fifteen pounds. As with my healing from Parkinson’s, the solution was simple, but not easy. Once I rejected the doctor’s advice, I had to assume responsibility for myself and all the time and work that included. However, this time I had more confidence in the power of self-healing. How could I not, after waving farewell to Parkinson’s just a few short years ago?

So I continue on the healing path. There is always something to work on, and therefore always something more to learn. I am grateful for this lifetime, this body, these opportunities, and for you, my readers. It is good to be with you again. And since it’s still January, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy, healthy, and blessed 2015. Haola!

Chi and ciao,
Bianca

———————————Announcements—————————————–

I will be attending the Chi Center Event, Awakening Vitality, in San Rafael, this Saturday, January 24th. I hope to see you there, either in person or virtually.