I baffled but pleased the conventional doctors

Integrating Complementary and Conventional Medicine Saved my Life Locally

In Cleveland, a good hospital with the finest staff for emergencies is right up the street from me. I was very lucky. The people helping me through my ordeal that began at 6:40am Friday June 6 2006, will remain on a first-name basis only while being gratefully acknowledged.

Situated on Warrensville Road, this place serves as a teaching hospital (now affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic) which has a staff educated in providing true 'wholistic care'. I use the 'w' because there is still some caution in stating their methods of treatment were exclusively holistic, alternative, and sort of from a natural psychological perpscetive but nevertheless over and above the conventional and traditional ‘call of duty.’

I sensed I was safe when the first EMT arrived at the top of my stairs, telling me everything was going to be fine. I felt my knees buckle from the excruciating pain and violent tremors that would not stop. My body was experiencing a full-blown septic seizure due to cyst rupture. Toxins throughout my pelvic region had to be flushed immediately. This emergency medical technician scooped me up before I hit the floor and shuffled me slowly to an awaiting stretcher. I could not have been in safer hands . . .

I got to the hospital in record time to begin the extensive but complementary approach to relieving lower abdominal and pelvic extreme discomfort. I was reluctant to surgery. I could not meditate, complete with candle, incense (sage) or a glass of wine, the excruciating pain away, so I allowed myself to receive a morphine drip. I was asked to assign a value to the pain threshold scaled 1-10. I had stated it was nearing 100 but soon realized I only had 1-10 to choose from, so I laughed and cried 20 plus! I maintained humor through chattering teeth and revealed a complete medical history offering a no-holds barred discourse.

I mentioned all teas, bath products, and douches, food consumed in the last month so they could treat me appropriately, effectively and as quickly as possible WITHOUT SURGERY! I had to rescue myself from the pain intolerance so I used visualization or I would have lost it.

I asked for a candle but you cannot have one in the hospital rooms; therefore, I created one in my mind. NOT letting the morphine overrule my own healing and psychical traveling capabilities, I entered my body. It was a battlefield down there, over to the left.

In this state of sensing what needed medical attention, I allowed the conventional tools be used to minimize trauma to the affected area. I endured the catheter, Cat scan, ultrasound, two pelvic exams, only to wake up a little while later (4 hours) and know from my inside journey outward, that everything was going along as naturally designed. Through this painful rude-awakening, I became fragmented, unfocused, allowing the negative polarity dominate my reactions to the drugs and the manipulation I did on myself.

I performed a self-taught deep-tissue massage on the pelvic bone and hip adjacent to the left ruptured ovarian cyst. For those readers unfamiliar with what an ovarian cyst is, I have provided a Wikipedia definition. “An ovarian cyst is any collection of fluid within the ovary. Some, called functional cysts, are part of the normal process of menstruation. Any ovarian follicle that is larger than about 2 centimeters is termed an ovarian cyst (mine measured in at 2.6778cm--nearly 3 inches!) Specific types of cysts include graafian follicles (which may rupture at mid-cycle and cause mittelschmerz) or corpus luteum cysts (which may rupture about the time of menstruation, and take up to three months to disappear entirely). Other cysts are pathological, such as those found in polycystic ovary syndrome, or those associated with tumors.” 1

The doctor who performed the two pelvic exams verified the cyst burst, assured me the rest will eventually dissolve on its own, and my body was in fact operating from a homeostatic foundation. This meant all endocrine, metabolic and gynecologic levels were stable.

The herbal treatment consisting of one preparation of the correct dosages of each herbal compound- black cohosh, lemon balm, wild yam, dong quai, licorice root and calcium- was ingested for four months and 21 days before rupture. This appeared as a goddess send. The news was "I am getting better even though the pain level maintained itself on my threshold of about nine for the next 29 hours", was still appealing to the doctor who earlier insisted I need a hysterectomy performed.

It is the early afternoon of Saturday June 10 2006 and the sun is coming in from the window. I have finally gotten some bland but required soup and a progress report from my Dr. My white-count is now 12,500 from 16,000 when they first brought me in. The staff and doctors attending to me were amazed as a 10 cigarette-a-day smoker (yes well I am human and not 100% in control of my bad habits), yoga, healthy eater and a mild-to-severe hormone imbalanced patient could tolerate what just happened without surgical intervention, was awe-inspiring ! This was a womens health moment!

With all going wrong, my blood pressure remained consistent; red blood cell count over norm and being rather healthy for my age, my immune system fought the toxins off better than they had anticipated. Gina, my first nurse attending to me during the most painful hours, was kind, gentle and intrigued by my request to meditate; she asked if she could get me anything.

All I wanted was silence and serenity> if not complete tranquility. The door closed and shades pulled, I could experience complete blackness, in order to see the light in all of this. It was beckoned in my mind, body and spirit connections, a gentle reciprocation to my individual demands for personal health and wellness.

I was undisturbed for a heavenly two hours to travel by way of intense concentration and a little help from healers and patients existing at the same time with me in different parts of the world. Let me not forget the conventional ‘morphine drip’ which made the journey one intuitive trip! Although, I do not recommend accepting such a complex drug as a way to cope with pain, unless administered by a doctor, because it can tip the cognitive scales and make you react differently.

My doctor is very proud I took an unusual approach, the osteopathic /alternative route-- because he witnessed my system balance this sort of thing on its own. It is rather unfortunate that it takes convincing the pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies that hold doctors by the checkbooks, that pre-existing conditions under gynecologic circumstances are wrongfully, denied.

I have to admit after going into metabolic acidosis and feeling so horrible, I am glad my body expelled some of this foreign object causing me so much distress the last 14 months. Flare-up after flare-up, I resisted and tolerated pain but continued to decrease the size of an estimated 3 inch (2.7889cm) cyst with various plant extracts therefore encouraging more normal periods and educating myself in the practice of healing thyself by watching my own symptoms and doing research in alternative health fields.

In this way, I help clinicians and traditional doctors get out of cutting and creating more havoc from surgery to a system. I am relieved that my body can now regulate and heal with the aid of holistic/conventional medical intervention.

I educate myself in the terms my Dr. used, such as functional cysts, corpus luteum, and the need for follow-up ultrasounds. If the scan shows a significant decrease, then the system is progressing towards menopause, correctly. I will not take birth control pills, but if the size is not truly significant I am more likely to be diagnosed with ‘a functional cyst‘ and the prognosis is good provided I keep an ‘eye‘ on it.

The material left over from last month can grow over with new cystic material, which occurred in my system roughly for fifteen years. The amount of tissue increased and the mass finally caused me enough discomfort in February of 2006 to start treating it. In researching my individual symptoms, I discovered that as long as it is not causing debilitating pain, most doctors would suggest waiting a month or two to see if it goes away on its own.

At my most recent follow-up appointment at University Hospital, another good Cleveland hospital, my Dr. advised for two cycles to do their natural dissolution process and see in late August if the mass is normal pin size. I discussed my future options and the continued treatment. There is agreement and promise to beat this thing non-invasively. In the meantime, there are certain precautions I can take to avoid external exposure.

Estrogen dominance affects my system by keeping me willowy, somewhat fatigued, minimal appetite and conscious of a pain threshold. This over-production of estrogen disallows me from enjoying soy products, cow’s milk and milk chocolate, any liquor or beer, red meat or any prepared, processed food out there.

Everything has to be whole food or liquid nutrition, nutrients from the sea. I also discovered my Progesterone levels were off requiring a bolder treatment including wild yam and vitamin B6 and E.

Lena, another nurse and care-giver, equally offered me some enlightenment by being with me through the better part of my ordeal. She is an unusual being originally from Sri Lanka, who was not only intrigued but also willing to participate in my healing journey.

She is in touch with the spirit world by mostly, cultural influences, but more importantly by the passion, she finds in helping those heal as naturally and painlessly as possible.

I had the wonderful opportunity of having Complementary medicine performed on me.

What is Complementary Medicine you ask ? Well it is a combination of eastern and western approaches to healing. If alternative medicine or therapy is used alone or instead of conventional medicine, it is called "alternative" medicine. If the treatment or therapy is done along with or in addition to conventional medicine, it is referred to as "Complementary Medicine" as the two practices complement each other.

For example, many Chinese hospitals use acupuncture to reduce the pain during the surgery instead of anesthetics. This is complementary medicine. Later, we refer to the use of sesame oil as a complementary treatment for cancer. Dean Ornish uses life style changes to combat heart disease. These are all examples of complementary medicine.

My case represents the harmony between chemical, physical and emotional wellbeing that is no longer detoured by malfunctions in my endocrine system. Some of it can be regulated by natural intake of a balanced herbal combination that suppresses the estrogen surge in my body; others can be getting an ultrasound every 3-4 cycles, and really listening to my body this time around.

The rest of my condition will be regulated by diet rich in omega 3‘s, phytoplankton, acidophilus, meditation, exercise, plenty of fresh air and boiled then frozen water to drink six or more glasses of per day. I will have to curb my addiction to cheese, cigarettes and prepared foods while restricting my total dairy intake to 30%. I will suppress the chemical surge by continuing with meditation. I required an overhaul and the hospital gave me one.

I can look to a physical and emotional transformation to begin my healing process. The harmony for my complete wellness will start to present itself when my inner self is really communicating with the outer self.

Some of the workers at Meridia saved my life providing me with knowledge to self-educate, examine, heal and maintain upon leaving the hospital.

The peace of mind I now have in the health care industry is the staff and their willingness to go beyond traditional boundaries to save people not just cure dieases or abnormalities.

References
1) Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovarian_cyst

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sincerely,Erica Hidvegi, theHealth conscious Consumer activist/ Reviewer