A Few Lessons Learned

When I started my blog I really didn't think anyone but my wife and kids would read it. I guess when I wrote my last post(Tired) I forgot that my boss would read it. Normally that would not be a problem, my boss Bob happens to be a very good friend and I invited him to read my blog. But in my last post I wrote a little about work...ok I gripped a little about work. Forgetting that Bob might read, he told me the next day that we should talk. Bless his heart I wonder if he is worried about how I am doing, if I am happy, what my work goals are, etc. Luckily I really do love me job. I think I was having one of those days where everything seemed to be going wrong. So Bob, if you read this post, don't worry about me. So the lesson learned here is to remember that others may read your blog - and that is great. I will just as easily write my thoughts here as I would to talk to someone. I have found that this has been a good forum for me to express my thoughts, experiences and desires.

Another funny lesson. Last year, on Easter Sunday, Rachael had a gall bladder attack. We didn't recognize it as such for several months, as the pain continued day in and day out. After speaking with a surgeon about removing her gall bladder, we decided to take a more in depth look at alternative cures. Our philosophy is that Heavenly Father created us with each of our organs for a specific purpose. It was amazing to me that so many doctors, and especially surgeons who are paid based on performing surgery's, were willing to take out the organ that is causing pain. The reason to them was simple, "Oh, the gall bladder really doesn't do much and you do not need it." That philosophy seemed so weird to us. During our research we found that much of her gall bladder pain could be controlled with diet. So we decided to eat healthier - less red meat, no dairy, more vegetables and fruits. With in a short time Rachael was feeling better and our family was healthier.

Fast forward a year - yesterday I had a terrible gall bladder attack. It was one of the most painful experiences I have had. I thought several times that I would rather break a bone than go through that again. One of the ways to reduce gall bladder pain is to eat 1 teaspoon of beets, lemon, and flax seed oil. This special mixture, if taken every hour, will decrease or even extinguish gall bladder pain within a few hours. By 4pm I still had amazing amounts of pain (I was even taking ibuprofen and naproxen for the pain) and I decided it was time to call a doctor. Sure enough the prognosis was that I was having a gall bladder attack and that it was more than likely caused by gall stones. Every time I would eat, which wasn't very much, I would double over in pain. The doctor wants me to get a CT scan to see if I have gall stones - if I do the typical response is once again surgery to remove the gall bladder. But this does not fix the root of the problem - only the effect. The doctor did mention that as I wait until next week for the CT scan I can either be very religious and fast a few days, or I can restrict my diet. Instantly I realized how poor our diet has gotten over the past year. We started out doing so well, and especially this past week have gone very very down hill. He specifically mentioned to not have fat, dairy, or much meat. Things we already knew but unfortunately took a lot of pain to bring back to our remembrance.

So I am back to eating healthy again. More veggies and fruit and less meat. Really this is not a bad thing, I certainly loose weight and feel better. I just get so darn bored with the choices.

All in all it has been a good week. I have learned a few really good lessons. Now the trick is to improve next week. That always seems to be the difficult part.