What complications can flying cause?

How long after surgery can I fly?

It’s natural to want to jump right back into your life’s activities after surgery. And in many cases, you can ease in to normal activities fairly quickly. However, air travel may not be such a great idea for a while.

Air travel is not something that usually comes up in post-operative instructions that patients receive. If you’ve had chest, abdominal, neurological or ear/nose/throat (anything on or near the head) surgery, doctors recommend a minimum of 10-14 days before allowing air travel.

The head and the lungs are very sensitive to pressure changes while healing. Most jet flights are pressurized to about 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) and this is a significant change in atmospheric pressure that can adversely affect a head or abdominal surgery site.

Less complicated or invasive surgeries, for example appendectomies or arthroscopic procedures require less time between surgery and flying.

Don’t Risk Complications

You certainly don’t want air travel to cause complications – surgery and recovery are traumatic enough! But the risk of complications does arise if you fly too soon and don’t take some simple precautions.

One of the biggest risks associated with air travel is deep vein thrombosis or DVT, which are blood clots in the veins of the legs.

Many patients develop these during their hospital stay (from lack of movement and the resulting poor circulation) – and air travel, especially long flights, can make things worse.

The relative immobility of air travel can cause circulation to slow. This can cause small clots to cluster together into larger clots, as well as allowing clots to grow.

Even if the patient doesn’t develop clots in the legs, any abdominal surgery, especially those lasting more than 1-2 hours, can predispose the body to formation of many small clots in deep veins. Many of these dissolve naturally, but since there are no symptoms prior to a clot causing a blockage, you may be unaware that you have a clot.

Thrombosis can be lethal, and strike with little or no warning as clots break loose and travel into the heart, lungs or brain.

Don’t Risk Infection

Another risk is infection. Airplanes are notorious for being “flying petri dishes” as many people fail to take even basic precautions and fly when they are sick.

Your body is already under a tremendous amount of stress due to the surgery, and chances are your immune system is taxed to its limit. Introducing bacteria and viruses during air travel can be extremely dangerous!

Precautions For A Safe Flight

When you finally get clearance to fly, take these precautions to make your flight safe, comfortable and healthy:

• Make sure you’ve been mobile before the flight. Exercise helps dissolve small clots and improves circulation so that new clots don’t form.
• Take aspirin or a stronger anticoagulant if there is ANY suspicion that clots may be present.
• Stay hydrated but avoid caffeine and alcohol; hydration helps prevent thrombosis. Also stay away from sugary drinks, as sugar is known to interfere with the immune system.
• If possible, walk the aisles or move to the lavatory area where you can stand and stretch your legs.
• Wear compression stockings. These help promote circulation in the legs and also help prevent thrombosis.
• If possible, get a bulkhead seat where there is more leg room – but avoid the exit rows, because if you sit there, you are required to assist the crew in case of an emergency.
• Make sure any medications you need to take inflight are easily accessible so you don’t strain yourself or pull out stitches trying to pretzel yourself under the seat to reach your pills!
• Sit near or over the wing of the airplane. Airplanes act like giant seesaws, and the ride is the smoothest in the middle. This is especially nice when you have tender body parts that don’t feel good being jostled!
• Take an early morning flight. Morning air is generally significantly calmer than afternoon air – meaning less turbulence and less bouncing about.
• Bring sanitizing wipes and wipe down your arm rest, seat belt buckle and tray table. Although the lavatory is cleaned after every flight, the passenger areas are NOT wiped down, and bacteria can live for several hours.

If you’re preparing for surgery of any kind, or if a loved one will be operated on, chances are good you’re nervous – maybe even terrified. And the anxiety keeps building from the time you schedule the surgery until the moment the anesthetic starts to take effect. The anxiety stems from uncertainty. Things could go wrong, you may not have a clue as to how the procedure is performed, and you have no idea what is going on inside your body before, during and after surgery.

The Importance Of Being Positive and Calm

The patient’s mental and emotional state of being needs to be as calm and positive as possible before and after the surgery. Many people prefer not to know what happens in their body because they are squeamish about it, but ultimately, knowledge of what to expect can have a powerful calming effect – especially if the patient feels a sense of control.

Technology has come to the rescue! If you want to know what the surgery is going to be like, try virtual surgery!

What Is It?

Virtual surgery is a virtual reality simulation of any number of surgical procedures including laser hair removal, open heart surgery, root canals, gastric bypass, tonsillectomies, knee surgery, c-sections and more – even tattoo removal! You can find a number of sites that have great interactive virtual surgery “games” where you take the part of the surgeon and perform the procedure. Of course you’re guided through it the entire way!

Become Your Own Surgeon Temporarily

The beauty of virtual surgery is that the patient becomes the surgeon and assumes control of the situation. In some games, the procedure begins with an explanation of the procedure, important safety guidelines and familiarization with the people involved and their duties. This empowering feeling can carry over to the actual physical procedure. The patient will be informed, and much more relaxed about the whole thing.

With all the virtual surgery sites available to choose from, which ones are the best?

Well, it depends in part:

• on your knowledge of anatomy
• whether you’re squeamish, and
• whether you prefer to experience the surgery as cartoon representations, or
• more realistic virtual body parts

Most sites are geared to the public; a few to the medical profession.

On the interactive “virtual surgery games” sites, procedures are simplified for the general public and generally don’t show blood.

My only complaint is the oversimplification of some procedures, which may make the user believe that surgery is a piece of cake.

Wrong!

There are many intricate systems at work in the body, and virtual surgery can’t possibly replicate them all (at least not with today’s technology). That said, these games are very entertaining and educational at the same time.

Be Prepared

Being educated about what’s going on in your surgery or the surgery that a loved one will undergo, will put your mind at ease. It will give you enough information to talk to the surgeon and understand the terminology during pre-op consultations, and educated post-op conversations.

Understanding the magnitude of the trauma that any surgery imposes on the body is important for healing, too.

Many people try to do too much, too soon (that’s easy to do, when the pain mediation has kicked in!). Some surgeons suggest that their surgery patients should be encouraged to play virtual surgery games so that they understand how much trauma occurs and how much healing the body has to undergo after surgery, in hopes of preventing post-operative problems and speed healing.

The Value of Virtual Surgery

Perhaps the biggest benefit to virtual surgery is the ability to put the patient’s mind at ease about the procedure.

A stressed mind impairs healing. If a patient can release stress by knowing what to expect, their mind will be more primed for healing and less worried about the “what ifs” that keep the brain on high alert. This is important both pre-op and post-op; a relaxed brain quickly goes into healing mode and becomes very effective at secreting healing substances – unless it’s stressed, in which case healing is put on hold.

Try a virtual surgery game today! They’re fun, educational and will put your anxiety about surgery to rest!

What is diverticulosis?

Diverticulosis is the condition of the bowel or sometimes referred to as the colon which presents as pockets in the bowel which has been caused by weakness of the muscle layers in the colon wall.  These pockets are more common in the sigmoid colon, which is a common place for increased pressure. Diverticulosis is uncommon before the age of 40, and increases in incidence after that age.^[1] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diverticulosis]

Constipation is one of the key causes of diverticulosis … so if you suffer from this problem … take measures to change your diet and lifestyle.  But weaknesses of the abdomin muscles can also contribute to diverticulosis and this can be caused by abdominal surgery.

Can diverticulosis can be reversed?

Over the last 17 years, I have had regular colonoscopies because of abdomen problems.  Some of these problems were because of the womb, ovaries and growths outside of the bowel – which have all been treated successfully with 3 major surgeries .

After these 3 abdominal surgeries I said, no more abdomen surgery.  Since then I have had tumours removed from my bowel as recently as September ’08.  Two years ago (in October 2006) when I had a colonoscopy (and 2 tumours removed) – I was diagnosed with diverticulosis as well as having the tumours removed.  At that same time, I also had a bone density test (which I have to have regularly – because I’ve had thyroid cancer) – and having no thyroid can cause calcium and bone density problems.

Since having my thyroid removed in 2000 my bone density dropped into early stages of osteoporosis in 2006.  My doctor told me that I had to exercise rigorously for a year to halt or reverse this bone loss.  I was given advice as to how to manage the diverticulosis – and I particularly had to avoid things with seeds – like sesame and passionfruit seeds.  This would cause me painful problems in the abdomen.

Can exercise reverse diverticulosis?

For the whole of 2007, I exercised rigorously – like my life depended on it.  I did clinical pilates 4 x 1 hours per week and I walked 4-6 x 1 hours per week.  Yes – it made me tired.  It made my bones ache and my body hurt.  It was a struggle at times – but as I said I did it as if my life depended on it.  From a bone density point of view – it was effective.  I didn’t reverse the bone loss, but I was able to stabilise the bone loss and my specialist was happy with the results.

In September 08, I knew there was another problem in the bowel and went back for another colonoscopy.  A tumour was found and removed, and no diverticulosis to be found.  So, I know through personal experience that it can be reversed.  And the story goes on … because I keep growing things in my body … there is still something in me to understand about what I am personally doing to create this.

Everyday for me is about understanding myself better.  And I discover things about myself, I don’t like to find that are buried deep in my psyche – through my exercise and commitment to know myself – I am able to acknowledge, accept and get the higher learning from the darker side of my personality.  In doing this, it releases the harmful effects of these feelings and thoughts = and I continue to heal my body of the consequences of my “stuff”.

Yes … diverticulosis can be reversed

So, my conclusion is that although the experts say that diverticulosis cannot be reversed – that rigorous pilates, working particularly on the abdomen plus a rigorous walking plan for 12 months, will heal diverticulosis.  And any other abdomen weakness.

My abdomen was numb from the surgeries. Along the vertical scar in my abdomen, I was numb for the size of your hand placed over the scar.  After I started exercising, I couldn’t feel my abdominal muscles work for 6 months.  In fact, when I started pilates I couldn’t lift my butt off the floor while lying down.

But I did the exercises 4 times a week and imagined them working until one day I got a twinkling of sensation which grew over the following months to being able to control my abdominal muscles.  Essentially – I grew the muscles again through the exercising.

Commit to a rigorous exercise regime to heal abdominal weakness

I believe that if you have abdominal weakness or problems and can commit to a rigorous campaign of abdominal exercise and walking – that you can heal your abdomen.  But it doesn’t happen in a week or a month.  You get results after many months of dedication and commitment. This will also help your bowel work the way it should with the peristalsis doing its job properly because you’ll have muscles working again that haven’t worked for a long time.  When you consistently exercise you cannot help but strengthen every part of the body – including the bowel itself.

I believe anything can be healed – but the person needing the healing has to participate actively for the process to be truly effective.  If time is a challenge for you – you have to decide what is most important to me right now.  To get your health resolved you are going to have to do the exercise.  You can be healed – but as I’ve said you need to participate actively in the healing.

If you are having surgery on your abdomen … make sure you get the healing meditations at http://www.beforeaftersurgerytoolbox.com.

If you’ve been told that you have to have surgery … whether it is minor or major … you will have had that rush of anxiety.

I don’t know about you, but my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t wake up from anaesthetic.

It doesn’t matter how many surgeries you have … there is still a level of anxiety that is associated with it.

These are some of the things that you can do to overcome your anxiety:

1. breathe deeply in for the count of 5-10 and hold for the count of 5-10 and then gently breathe out for the count of 5-10.  The more you practice this method of breathing – the longer you will be able to hold your count.
2. take action … don’t sit around worrying.  Do something physical to take your mind of your impending surgery.
3. treat yourself … this could be an outing, shopping, going to the movies, having a luxurious aromatherapy scented bath … you are only limited by your imagination.
4. listen to soothing, relaxing, music … or if you like loud, head banging music … listen to that … use music to put you into another time and space … really feel the music – whole bodily.
5. write down all the things that are worrying you in a journal … and then set them aside — ask your unconscious mind to deal with them on your conscious mind’s behalf.
6. if there are things that you need to talk to your doctor or anaesthetist about … make sure you do this
7. get your affairs in order before surgery … make sure you have written a Will and discussed your wishes with your next of kin.  This may sound macabre – but it will ease any worry about this.
8. handle unfinished business … this can cause anxiety, too.

To learn more about coping with surgery anxiety … get your copy of “Before After Surgery Toolbox” where all your questions will be answered.

Author:  Julie Lewin

My mother had a hysterectomy when she was around 45 – and she said to me, “I don’t understand why women feel as if they are no longer a woman, and believe their husband/lover won’t want anything to do with them anymore?”

She also said it was the best thing she had done!

I have to agree with her.  I had a hysterectomy at 32 – for medical reasons – and it was the best decision I had ever made about my body.  The relief was outstanding – and life changing.

What’s Life Like After Hysterectomy?

For me, there was no more pain! Not just menstrual pain – but 24/7 aching / stabbing pain of varying degrees – with no moments of pain freedom.  That was a very big plus – like winning the lottery really.

I didn’t realise how stressful chronic pain could be to every aspect of your life – until it was no longer there…  some of you might relate to this.

No more hormone cycles – my family, friends and colleagues – really appreciated this one.  I was so bad with PMT – I had to write in my diary – 1 week in 3 (yes, I also had a short cycle) – “do not make any important decisions this week”.

Intimate Relations - improved significantly because there was no more pain to ruin the moment.

Numbness – there was numbness in my abdomen around my scar for up to 1 year … bridging the scar with acupuncture treatments was a big bonus for this healing quicker – once I discovered this solution.

Core muscles - I don’t know how other people have gone after abdomen surgery – but my core muscles were affected.  There is obvious tenderness for a couple of months – but I quickly started doing my abdomen exercises – and as healing happened increased these exercises.  I found the yoga routines – Cat Cow Flow and Salute to the Sun were exceptionally helpful for improving my core strength – along with some other pilates and yoga exercises done regularly throughout the week.

Meditation – I used creative visualization to improve the healing process to my abdomen.  I did this daily – and I believe it not only helped with healing my physical body, but healing my emotional and spiritual bodies from the invasive trauma of surgery.

For meditations that will help you recover from surgery go to Before After Surgery Toolbox.

If you would like to share your life after hysterectomy story, others would really appreciate reading what you did to heal in any or all areas of your life.

I am often asked this question.  From a personal point of view … I eat anything I want to … although I do pay the price every now and then.   This can be in a variety of forms.  They are:

1. stomach cramps – leading to one or two episodes of diarrhea to very distressing diarrhea which can last 1/2 day to a day … (and on rare occasions requiring rehydration at the hospital).  One of these occasions that took me to the hospital emergency was after over-indulging in the healthy food olive oil and dukkah (middle eastern mixture of nuts, seeds and spices).  If you do get diarrhea – the product Gastrolyte is extraordinary for easing it – within minutes.  I highly recommend this product.
2. waking up the next morning feeling like a bus had hit me, with a headache, puffy eyes, swollen around the back of the neck, a feeling heavy energy and uncomfortable in my body.  This is because my liver didn’t cope with the food I ate the day before which would have involved fat of some description.
3. becoming very fatigued and needing to sleep.

When you have discomfort or don’t feel well after you have had your gallbladder removed - take a note of what you have eaten in the previous 24 hours and give consideration to the fact that your liver may have had difficulty with the fatty foods you ate.

Even after you have had your gallbladder removed, the cold pressed virgin olive oil + lemon juice remedy for gallstones which is in the post Gallbladder – surgery or no surgery can also be used to cleanse your liver and make a difference to how you are feeling.

I do this olive oil and lemon juice cleanse once a year – even though I had my gallbladder removed almost 20 years ago.

So – the things that are delicious treats, but I don’t eat too often are:

• fish and chips – (yes – the ones that are cooked at the take away food shop)
• bacon from the supermarket (although – you will be interested to know that I can eat organic, naturally smoked bacon without any problems)
• Yoghurt
• Cream

If you’ve had a different experience with food after having your gallbladder removed, we’d love to hear your comments here.

I’m going to write this article from the perspective of personal experience.

There are five different types of hysterectomy.

1. Total abdominal hysterectomy
2. Vaginal hysterectomy
3. Laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy
4. Laparoscopic supravaginal hysterectomy
5. Total laparoscopic hysterectomy

Depending on which type of hysterectomy you choose or is decided for you will depend on how long you are in hospital, how long before you can return to work, how long before you recommence intercourse, and how long before you can return to your normal activities.

Unless you are having options 4 or 5 above, generally, you are told to take at least 4-6 weeks off work and not to do any lifting – or reaching up for 6-8 weeks. It can feel like a really long time that you don’t have to hang the clothes out!

For the first three options, it would be fair to say there is an anticipated 6 week recovery period before you return to “normal”. The gynecologist will examine you during a follow up visit about 6 weeks after surgery to make sure that everything has healed properly and to ask if there are any worries or concerns about life post-hysterectomy.

It is at this visit that you will most often be given the good news that you can recommence sexual intimacy.

The Incision

When you have a hysterectomy, the incision may be along the top of the pubic hairline (horizontal) or from the navel into the pubic hairline (vertical). If you have a choice, the horizontal cut is preferable. Both from an aesthetic and a recovery point of view.

I had two horizontal surgeries and one vertical surgery. I found that the recovery time after the horizontal surgeries was quicker. There didn’t appear to be as much internal pulling when I moved and I didn’t experience any numbness around the horizontal scar.

Recovery Hint

You will be given gentle rehabilitation exercises from the physiotherapist. DO THEM!!! I found that after each of my abdominal surgeries – my core strength was affected adversely. By doing these abdominal exercises in a disciplined way – YES - that means every day, I was able to strengthen my core and not have to stop and cross my legs before I laughed, coughed or sneezed … this is most embarrassing when you are half way across a zebra crossing during peak hour traffic!!!

I found Pilates to be the best form of exercise to rehabilitate after I had fully recovered. Before full recovery, I did gentle yoga exercises that were uncomfortable to begin with – but I persisted and got great results. I strongly urge you to persist if you think of giving up!!

For more detailed information, I found this site gives an excellent overview of the five kinds of hysterectomy.

If you want to reduce the recommended 6-8 weeks recovery time for the more invasion types of hysterectomy to 3-4 weeks - I really recommend you buy the Before After Surgery Toolbox, do the healing meditations and read the book in the Toolbox.

“But you’re not fair, fat and forty – what makes you think you’ve got gallstones?” This is what the doctor said to me when I told him I was there to see him because I had gallstones.

Apparently, fair skinned, overweight people around 40 years of age are the most common sufferers of gallstone attacks. But you can have gallstones or have a gallstone attack outside of these demographics.

My story

I was 31 when I was diagnosed with gallstones and told I needed surgery urgently. I was about 121 lb (55kg) – painfully thin for my height – and couldn’t eat anything that didn’t make my stomach, back and shoulder ache, throb or just plain hurt.

Evenings were worse than morning. After being told I had gallstones, I had to wait 5 weeks to see the surgeon because I didn’t have health insurance. Although the intern at the hospital said, if you feel you can’t cope, come straight to hospital and we will do an emergency operation.

I was also told that if I had to have emergency surgery I forfeited my option of having keyhole surgery. An emergency operation would mean that I would have a large cut and there was more risk involved.

Keyhole surgery is where the surgeon makes 4 cuts in the abdomen and inserts surgical instruments, a camera and drains to perform the surgery with as little trauma as possible.

Although, the abdomen is tender after keyhole surgery – it is not as painful as a large abdominal wound. Also, the time in hospital is much less with keyhole surgery. Instead of 5-7 days, keyhole surgery could be as little as 36 hours.

Each night I waited to see the surgeon, I thought to myself – can I get through the night without dying. If its still bad in the morning, I’ll go to the hospital. By morning, I was always much improved.

My remedy for the pain

Each night I would do a visualization before going to sleep. I would flood the abdomen with blue light and then imagine that all the gallstones were put in a sack so that none of them could escape and block the tube that takes the bile into the stomach. I then filled the sack with green healing light until it brightened into a flash of white light.

I expected that this would keep me safe for another day while I waited to see the surgeon.

[If I had my time over again, I would not wait so long to see the surgeon - and I would take the cold pressed virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice remedy described in an earlier blog.]

After surgery – more pain!

After surgery, it is not uncommon for patients to experience pain similar to a gallstone attack. If you experience this sort of pain – you need to check with your doctor that there aren’t any complications. Sometimes – there is no known cause for this pain … possibly it is a phantom pain.

I experienced this pain for quite some months after surgery – but ultrasounds revealed no cause for it. The surgeon said that they can’t explain why this sometimes happens.

I changed my diet to exclude fatty food – and everything settled down eventually.

This website – gallbladderattack.com – has excellent information about the gallbladder and what to eat and what not to eat – before and after surgery.

If you do have to have surgery – I highly recommend that you purchase the Before After Surgery Toolbox.

Just one of millions!

This photo was taken on Great Keppel Island which is located east of Rockhampton, on the central coast of Queensland. We went for a week’s holiday to Great Keppel Island to recuperate after surgery.

During our walks around this beautiful island, we were overwhelmed with the vision of millions of Blue Wanderer butterflies flying in from over the ocean and landing in the trees beside the walking tracks. They gave true meaning to the concept of overcoming struggle (flying over the ocean) and being safe (resting in the trees on the island).

View of the Pacific Ocean from Great Keppel Island

I want to share with you some words from a photocopied piece of paper given to me after someone saw my logo of the hands and the butterfly. I don’t know who the author is, but have copied this part of it exactly how it was given to me.

On ‘answers’ at Yahoo – a young woman has typed in that a butterfly is symbolic of the soul and the resurrection of Christ. (I had never heard this before! – [me either]) Apparently, the meaning is derived from the three stages of life of the butterfly – the caterpillar, the chrysalis and the butterfly. They symbolize life, death and resurrection.

I am not sure if this is true but it felt true for me! And so I thought I would run with it. Another comment on Yahoo answers from Adonai, indicated that it was a transformation – “a resurrected person does not just come back to life but is transformed. That’s what makes the butterfly symbol an apt one — a caterpillar looks nothing like a butterfly. But after a period of “entombment” in a chrysalis, it emerges into a glorious new life.”

What a lovely way to look at the ‘dark’, tomb-like times in our lives. To see them as incubations. A time of re-formation. Re-structuring. Think about it – a caterpillar makes a chrysalis and then it must dematerialize, completely break down, and out of the same substance a totally new creature is created and emerges.

Idyllic beach on Great Keppel Island

Maybe we can choose to look at the difficult times in our lives as our chrysalis times. Sometimes we reform a little, sometimes a lot, but we emerge transformed. Hopefully a wiser one; perhaps with more understanding of life (the big picture!), and the importance of connection to something larger than us. Something that actually creates the forces of transformation.

Did you know that the emerging butterfly must struggle to get out of its ‘tomb’? Do you recall the story of a man who watched a butterfly struggle and struggle to break through its cocoon and finally, to help it, he cut the top of the cocoon. Just a fraction to make the hole bigger so the butterfly could have an easier journey. The butterfly was soon out but deformed badly. Its body was huge and wings small and floppy. It died shortly afterwards. I don’t know where the story originated but its meaning is profound.

Apparently, the struggle is critical for pushing fluid out of the body of the butterfly into its wings giving them strength and shape. Taking away that struggle did not help at all. Sometimes we need to go through that struggle. We don’t know that its necessary for our new beauty to be formed.

The daunting hike on Great Keppel

If you are struggling with something at this time, can you take a ‘resurrection’ view? Can you look down on what is happening to you and feel there is some benefit that will come of it? Even if you can’t see or sense it right now, have faith that you are incubating. And re-forming; re-structuring; in the process of transformation.

It makes the struggle or incubation much more exciting!

So it seems to me we have 4 periods really.

1. Life as we know it.
2. Then ‘death’, or a time of ‘darkness’ – or maybe even just a time of withdrawing and contemplation followed by;
3. a necessary struggle with the emergence of our transformed state. Then the glorious creature begins a new life.
4. And then it happens all over again!

Exciting!

How many different butterflies will you be in your lifetime?

Sunset off Great Keppel Island

The surgery journey can also be compared with the journey of the butterfly.

Stage 1: caterpillar - being told that you need to have surgery.
Stage 2: chrysalis - having surgery and going through the healing process.
Stage 3: butterfly - healing complete and you are transformed into a healthy, vital, life-loving person.

Remember: wherever you are on your butterfly journey … there will be transformation and you will find you have an inner strength that is your island to land on in times of need. Rest awhile – but don’t be afraid to leave the safety of your island and fly over the ocean of life feeling the fear, but doing it anyway. This is called LIVING.

You don’t need to go to Great Keppel Island to recuperate or get some R & R – but please do consider going somewhere that is free from the outside world.

When we were on Great Keppel Island, we couldn’t use our mobile phones. We didn’t have TV. And we didn’t have the internet. The powerful healing that occurred from the absence of these apparent life necessities was profound. And one that we choose to do again and again.

Find yourself a place where you can give all your energy to recuperating, resting, and rejuvenating in nature without life’s apparent modern necessities. You, too, will heal profoundly.

If you liked these pictures you might like these greeting cards, too.

Experiencing a gallbladder attack can be excruciating … ask anyone who has had one. It is generally associated with eating fat of some sort. And interestingly, if you have gallstones – fatty foods could be something that you crave.

Gallstones can cause a multitude of symptoms that appear to be completely unrelated and can lead sufferers down many rabbit holes looking for a solution to their suffering.

I stick my hand up and admit this happened to me.

The symptoms of gallstones are:

• pain across the middle of the back
• painful right shoulder – sometimes misdiagnosed as frozen shoulder
• painful right arm
• cramps in the legs
• nausea and vomiting
• headaches
• fatigue
• pain under the right ribs
• sore stomach / abdomen
• fever, chills and sweating
• foggy / woolly feeling in the head

Once you find out that you do have gallstones … you may never have another attack – or you could continue to suffer.

When I was diagnosed with gallstones – I was completely shocked and in denial. I was not inclined to see a surgeon or visit the hospital as my doctor requested. This was my first mistake.

I should have done this as soon as possible after being diagnosed,
so that I had a better understanding about the whole medical situation and how dangerous it can be. I haven’t written this article to frighten you – but to alert you to talk to your doctor or physician about gallstones and any possible complications.

If a doctor says to you “Oh, not to worry your gallstones are small.” You need to ask more questions. My understanding is that the smaller ones can cause more problems than the large ones.

There is an easy natural remedy you can try before committing to surgery. If you have concerns about using this remedy or other natural remedies, discuss it with your doctor or naturopath before going ahead.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know about this remedy and went straight into surgery.

The Remedy

Make a mixture of 1/2 cold pressed extra virgin olive oil + 1/2 fresh lemon juice

• this mixture tastes like a delicious salad dressing
• make small amounts – the most I would mix at any one time would be 1/8 cup of oil + 1/8 cup of lemon juice.

Take 1 dessertspoon 4 times a day – a dessertspoon at breakfast / lunch / dinner and before bed.

Take this mixture for 14-21 days. And from between 14-21 days you should pass the gallstones through your bowels.

(Keep the mixture in the refrigerator – the older it becomes the thicker/creamier it will be – this is still fine to drink.)

Anecdote

One of my elderly clients was bedridden and being treated for a blood disorder without success. She was most upset that she was missing out on her bowls outings. After going to visit her and listening to her symptoms … I was convinced she had gallstones. Not wanting to leave any stone unturned in helping her mother, her daughter searched the internet and found the above remedy. My elderly client took the remedy for 21 days – passed many gallstones and was back playing bowls in no time with all symptoms gone.

I cannot say that this remedy will work for everyone – but anecdotally it works.

Where your health is concerned – you must do all your research and talk to your health practitioner and make a decision that you are happy with.

For more detailed information about gallstones go to:

http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/gallstones/GS_whatis.html