Hello ducklings!

I have to apologize for the long pause in between blog posts! A lot has happened since my last blog, so I shall update in as brief a paragraph as possible.

The kidney stone/s did not pass, or they are stuck. That is what the doctor believes, and yet I was sent for an ultrasound and x-ray as well as some blood work and other tests. The pain hasn’t subsided, even though homeopathic remedies are keeping it minimized. There was a trip to Ohio from the 14th of May to the 17th, where we finally met a dear Facebook friend of mine whose daughter was also injured by the Gardasil vaccine. Roo came along and it was a lovely time, and I can’t wait to go back and see them again. There was my older sister’s birthday which we celebrated at Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto, and then dinner afterwards. My niece’s one year birthday was celebrated on June 4th at the Metro Toronto Zoo, and then her party on the 6th so everyone could attend. I took many pictures, and Sienna got a lot of presents and enjoyed cake for the first time! I have mostly been concentrating on my health, though. I am not one hundred percent sure that it is merely stones or kidney infection causing this pain in my lower back and side, yet the only way to be sure is tests to see. The results will be received at my doctor’s appointment next Monday. That is the long and short of it, though there are two weddings to attend in July and I hope to feel well enough sooner than later to fully enjoy them.

The biggest thing that has happened other than dealing with my health is that I am now fostering for Barlee’s Angels dog rescue. They are situated in Guelph, Ontario, and I have attended two fundraiser events titled ‘Barleepalooza’ that are held yearly, as well as briefly volunteered for them years ago in their office. I have always wanted to foster with them. I have done cat, dog and reptile fostering in the past on my own. Yet it involved me rehabilitating, vetting, and fronting all costs for this on my own. Plus there is a nicer feel to being part of a group doing this! Our home visit was completed, and yesterday we got in our first foster!

Meet Violet! She’s a very sweet, shy girl who we are very happy to have staying with us while she waits for her Furever home. She is great with the cat, whom she sniffed noses with and then let alone, and good with my own dog, Roo. She had a bath on her first night here, and we are feeding her a bit extra to fatten her up some. Fostering is a great way to open your heart and home to dogs who need a place to stay while waiting to be adopted. Shelters fill up fast and when they run out of space, they often have to euthanize dogs who have not been adopted. The costs are covered by Barlee’s for vetting, food and supplies if requested–though if you want to help out financially, you can choose to supply some of these things yourself! I went out and bought Violet a new collar that matches her name quite well, as seen in the picture above, for instance. Whomever adopts her is welcome to it, as it belongs to Lady Vi now, and she looks wonderful in it!

I have a wonderful pup of my own, who I adopted at 6 weeks of age. Born to a 7-8 month old mother from the neighbor’s Canadian Kennel Club Black Lab, Roo is a purebred mutt and a very sweet dog. She is six years old, now. There were 14 puppies in her litter and she was the runt. I opted to adopt her rather than going through with my plans to purchase a female Rottweiler puppy. There are tons of wonderful purebred and mixed dogs of all shapes and sizes at shelters. Barlee’s matches great dogs up with wonderful families and has had a lot of success in doing so. Any person who adopts Vi will be lucky to get her! While she is skittish and loud sounds and quick movements do startle her easily, she is a sweet girl who likes to give kisses, and she is fairly good on leash and house trained and crate trained. She comes with all her vaccines and is spayed, too. There are many benefits to adoption of a dog, that’s for sure! Her first walk and visit to the pet store to get her a new collar were great and she was a good girl for her bath, too!

You might be wondering if fostering is something anyone can do. I thought that it might not be a good idea initially being in an apartment. Then I got to thinking: I have a dog in this apartment. A happy, exercised, spoiled dog. We go on the trails across from our apartment, to the off leash, fenced in dog park, and everywhere else a dog could want to go in the city. That’s her in the picture with Violet above. Anyone can foster, so long as they have the heart and patience to understand that some of these dogs come from situations that have conditioned them to be fearful, or skittish, or not well trained/socialized. Many of them are not any of those things, and just dogs who have found themselves given up for this ‘reason’ or that. Moved, had a baby, got a new pupppy…those kinds of things. As long as you are willing to give them lots of TLC, why not? They are all good dogs, and all deserve to find a good, furever home and have a safe place to stay in the meantime.

Barlee’s Angels

Here is the url for the Barlee’s Angels page. Thinking of fostering or adopting and live in the area? Why not have a look at them and see! Barleepalooza is another great way to help out. It is in September, I’ll edit to add the exact date when I know it! Until next time–and much sooner around this time,

Yours truly,

Tales of Souls

May 1st was the day that saw many people, including myself, wearing bright green. Some took photos sucking on a lime for the Lyme disease awareness challenge. I unfortunately happened to be dog sitting this weekend, so this blog post comes a little later but is no less important!

The whole of May is designated as Lyme awareness month, although the date chosen to wear green and represent awareness for said disease was May 1st. Many people have heard of Lyme disease. Transmitted by Blacklegged ticks, also known as ‘deer ticks’, Borrelia burgdorferi is the name of the bacteria that is passed from the infected tick to a human. The blacklegged tick spreads Lyme in the Northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and North-central United States. The western blacklegged tick spreads Lyme disease on the Pacific Coast. Although a course of antibiotics can successfully treat Lyme if it is caught early, it can cause a whole host of other problems if it is not–a disease that can effect the heart, joints and nervous system. So what are the symptoms of Lyme?

Symptoms of Lyme are very generalized when they start, though erythema migrans (EM), a rash that appears 3-30 days after infection–as do most of the primary symptoms–is often a telltale sign. It tends to appear about a week after the bite, and can expand to 12 inches. Often part of the rash disappears and leaves a ‘bulls eye’ marking. It is very important to note that sometimes this rash does not present at all; not the rash or the bulls eye mark, even if Lyme is contracted. Still, it is a telltale symptom to watch for nonetheless. EM can appear on other parts of the body as Lyme progresses. It isn’t itchy or painful but often feels warm to the touch. Since it can appear on any part of the body, it might not be noticed until it grows larger. An initial tick bite might itch and look like a mosquito bite.

Other general symptoms include fatigue, fever, headaches, muscle and joint aches and swollen lymph nodes. As Lyme progresses, however, symptoms can grow to include loss of muscle tone on one or both sides of the face known as Facial or Bell’s Palsy, meningitis, pain and swelling in large joints, shooting pains, heart palpatations and dizziness, arthritis, chronic neurological problems, cognitive difficulties, sleep disturbances and continued extreme fatigue. Meningitis is an inflammation of the spine that results in severe headaches and neck stiffness. It alone can be very dangerous. It is important if you experience one or more of these symptoms you go and see your physician as soon as possible.

It is key to be tested for and catch Lyme disease early. The longer it goes without treatment, the more problems will arise from it. Even months and years after treatment with antibiotics, the accompanying problems Lyme disease causes can linger and continue to present themselves. While the rash is one of the easiest symptoms to recognize, if you suspect or know you’ve been bitten by a tick–some even have to remove them carefully!–you should request testing for Lyme. It is imperative to remove a tick as soon as possible.

The blacklegged tick nymph is most often responsible for spreading Lyme disease. It is about 2mm in size and very hard to spot, especially since ticks like to most commonly attach themselves to their host in hard to reach places. The groin, armpits and scalp are favorite places for the ticks to attach. They are active during spring and summer months. While adult ticks also spread Lyme, there is less chance of contracting Lyme from an adult because they are so much easier to see, and more quickly removed. Adults feed in the cooler months. If a tick, adult or nymph, is removed properly and quickly, there is a good chance Lyme won’t be transmitted, as the tick needs to be attached 36 to 48 hours for the bacterium to transmit. So how to safely and completely remove a tick?

The safest way to remove a tick is with a pair of fine tipped tweezers, or a tick key like the one in the image above. There are tweezers or tools like them sold specifically for tick removal. Yet the steps for use of either fine tipped tweezers or these are as follows:

1. Grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible with the tweezers.
2. Pull upwards gently and consistently. Don’t try to twist or turn or the mouth pieces or head of the tick can remain embedded in the skin. If that happens, try and remove the remaining parts with the tweezers and if you can’t just let the skin heal over.
3. Thoroughly clean the area with rubbing alcohol, iodine, or antibacterial soap and water.
4. Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of live ticks by drowning it in rubbing alcohol or flushing it down the toilet.
5. If a rash appears at the site of the tick bite or anywhere else on the body, go see your doctor and request testing for Lyme.

Don’t panic if you notice you’ve been bitten by a tick. This doesn’t mean you have contracted Lyme. Simply remove and dispose of it safely and be attentive to any symptoms that may arise following a known tick bite. In the meantime, try to take preventative measures against ticks for yourself, your pets and your yard. How to do this?

For people, there is DEET repellents. Make sure there is 20% to 30% DEET in the repellent. Spray yourself and your clothing. There is also permethrin. Spray gear, tents and boots with products containing 0.5% permethrin. Have a bath and wash your hair thoroughly after a hike, checking carefully for ticks. Remove any you may find immediately. Check your gear and pets thoroughly for ticks. Tumble dry clothes on high heat for at least an hour as this will kill any remaining ticks on your clothes.

For pets, there are products such as Revolution to prevent ticks and fleas. Nonetheless, always check your pets as best you can for ticks, and remove any you find in the same fashion as you would on yourself. At every vet examination, ask your vet to check for ticks. Be aware of any tick borne diseases in your area–your vet may also know this. You can also take measures to prevent ticks in your yard. Regularly mow your lawn. Keep leaves raked. Put a 3 foot barrier of gravel or wood chips between your lawn and any wooded area, around play structures and patios. Remove any old furniture or mattresses and places that can give ticks a place to hide. Stack wood in a dry, safe place. Place any lawn furniture and children’s play items in a sunny place away from the wooded edges of lawns. As long as you are careful, you can reduce the risk of ticks in your yard, or on your pets, and from biting you!

I have several friends who contracted Lyme disease. It is hard for them living with the fatigue, dizziness, pain and other horrible symptoms Lyme has caused them. To me, it is really important to raise awareness of this disease. Recently, singer Avril Lavigne spoke out about her experience with Lyme disease. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Foster also contracted it and was forced to leave the reunion of the show due to it. It really raised awareness in a big way, yet there really can’t be enough of that done when it comes to diseases such as Lyme. Prevention is the best method, so hopefully reading this will make others aware so they can act to prevent this happening to them, or know how to act quickly if it does.

I apologize for the busy weekend I had that prevented me from getting this blog up in a more timely manner, and thank you for reading and hopefully even sharing this with your friends, family and loved ones. If you know someone with Lyme, remember it isn’t easy, as most non-visible illnesses aren’t. They might not look it on the outside but it is very, very hard to deal with an invisible illness, so be patient and understanding of them and their struggle, as it is very real. Thank you all for reading, my ducklings, and take care until next blog,

Much respect and love,

Tales of Souls

Dearest ducklings,

Today it was back to the doctor’s to be told what the technician had already revealed: kidney infection and kidney stones. Anyone who has had a kidney infection will know that they can be dangerous and leave scarring on the kidneys if left untreated. No one wants damage to such essential organs! So, my doctor, like any good physician, prescribed antibiotics.

Now, I have a long and bad history with antibiotics. To their credit, they did save my life. About nine years ago, I had a sinus infection so severe that I ended up in the hospital with them believing I had meningitis. I couldn’t walk, had a high fever, and couldn’t even keep water down. They even told my parents that I could die. I wasn’t told, and I was in such a haze, I only recall they gave me morphine, did a spinal tap, and then put me on IV with fluids, anti-nausea medication and antibiotics in the mix. Three days later I was sent home with a prescription of a very strong antibiotic at a high dosage called Cefuroxime, commonly known as Ceftin. That’s when my troubles with antibiotics began.

For those of you who are wondering how a sinus infection could progress to this point: in my past, I lived with people who would smoke weed and cigarettes in my the house we lived in. I am allergic to the THC in weed, and sensitive to chemicals in cigarettes, and so developed severe allergy symptoms. They were not the kind of people who were considerate of anyone else, and continued smoking in the house in which I lived as well. Several times I went to the hospital in Campbellford–the place I was living at that point–and was always dismissed. They told me I was stressed, had a bug, had allergies…no further testing was done. I would hope the hospital there has changed for the better. Another person might have sued for malpractice. I was there often enough for someone to have thought to give an MRI or CT Scan. It would have shown immediately that I had a severe sinus infection. Then I just woke up one morning unable to keep anything down or get up. I was visiting someone at the time. An ambulance was called, and I was taken to Milton hospital. They got me into an MRI right away and the infection was so bad that they thought it was meningitis. Back to the antibiotics!

My old family doctor, whom I had for 29 years, kept on prescribing me antibiotics for what was only actually a few times sinus infections. I was never certain what it was, and assumed that it was chronic sinusitis. Only years later did I find out they were simply migraines and allergies. Yet every two to four months for a period of two weeks, I was put on antibiotics. Many times it was Ceftin. As time went on, I would go on the antibiotics and often have to stop because I started feeling strange. I would feel weak, dizzy, distorted and very ill. Though I knew I shouldn’t stop them, after I stopped, I seemed to get better again. It got to the point that I got used to having ‘sinus infections’, going to the doctor, and receiving antibiotics. I was on them far too often and far too long. Most of the time they would have not been needed. Doctors know to prescribe things that they feel match what you have. What they don’t know is how to fix the issues that present when the things they prescribe cause you to have problems they are not trained to deal with. Taking antibiotics too often, or too long, certainly creates problems.

Antibiotics. It means ‘anti-life’. While they can save lives, and treat infections, they can also destroy life. That life is the positive bacteria in our gut and bodies that we need to be healthy. Doctors don’t tell you how to make sure you care for yourself while on and after antibiotics so that this doesn’t happen. So, I’m here, my ducks, to tell you what you should always be doing if you are needing to be on antibiotics!

Many of you will have heard of probiotics. You can find this in yogurt, which is the source most people are familiar with. Less familiarly known is that sauerkraut, especially organic or made at home, contains far more probiotics than even many of the expensive, store bought pills. Kefir, far healthier than yogurt, contains a lot of probiotics. And, as you guessed from what I just mentioned, there are probiotic pills you can buy from your local health food store. Other things containing probiotics include: kombucha, a tea that is fermented and becoming increasingly popular. It can be made from home relatively easily. There is Miso Soup, which is a Japanese soup, also easily made at home. Dark chocolate contains both probiotics and antioxidants. Who doesn’t like chocolate? It seems like a win-win situation with that one! Pickles, a personal favorite of mine, are another probiotic containing food. Kimchi, a spicy, fermented cabbage, is one I have yet to try. Olives in brine contain a lot of probiotics, though they are favored more by some than others. Yours truly loves olives. I admit to liking most foods, though. It’s certainly a good list to get you started!

The probiotic pills I chose was Super 8 Plus. With 25 billion cultures, at a price of $42.99 Canadian and 60 pills per bottle, it was my best bet. Not only does one bottle last me a month at two pills per day, but it was one of the better ones and also at an affordable price for me. I will be taking two of these a day while on my antibiotics, and for a month. Since I need to rebuild my gut flora, I’ll be staying on these and seeing how I fare. Anyone with digestive tract issues or who has been taking antibiotics should certainly consider the benefits of probiotics. If you need a stronger dose due to antibiotics or gut issues, there is a bottle of Super 8 Plus at 61 billion cultures. Yet two a day of the 25 billion should do most people just fine. Much of our health starts with the gut. Any naturopath, nutritionist or homeopath will tell you this. If you are taking antibiotics, please balance out your healthy bacteria and gut by taking probiotics. You wouldn’t want to have your health negatively effected like mine has been by not knowing that you should do so. Whether you use kefir, sauerkraut, or buy the pills, it’s well worth doing.

I will be taking the remedies for a couple of days and seeing if I am improving. If no improvement happens or I worsen, I’ve got these antibiotics, and my bottle of probiotics and kefir, to keep me balanced and where I need to be. It’s 11:22pm here in Ontario, Canada, and yours truly is heading to bed. Good night, my dear readers, and sleep well when you do!

Yours truly,

Tales of Souls

Dear ducklings,

Today was spent completing the blog site as well as the Facebook page for the advice section. You can find the link to that page in the ‘advice’ page here. I added all the interests I’m currently engaged in to all the pages save art. It will have something when a piece is completed, though, so stay tuned! There is a lovely GAPS recipe for candied pecans in the recipes section. Do try it, and I hope you’ll tell me if you loved it as much as I do!

I want to welcome any new followers who joined me today, and hope you are finding your way around easily! Today has been long and arduous, since I’m currently dealing with both kidney stones and a kidney infection. I shall not complain, however, as this too shall pass. Instead, I will share a few things that have helped me cope with it and will hopefully make the passing of the stones easier, and have made the pain more bearable!

This lovely little concoction involves taking 20mL of extra virgin olive oil and either 30mL of pre-squeezed lemon juice or squeezing the juice of half a lemon into a glass, and downing it like you would a shot. Do not drink this slowly! The olive oil tastes terrible otherwise, but if you down this quickly the taste of the lemon completely overrides it. This remedy is great for not only kidney stones passing with more ease, but also the best remedy I have found for gallstones!

I have also been using a shot of Bragg’s organic apple cider vinegar twice daily, and drinking POM, eating pomegranate, and watermelon. Obviously I am also drinking tons of water. I find I’m extra thirsty and have no problem drinking about 3 liters a day of spring water, whereas I normally drink two. I also am keeping up with my 500mL of 100% coconut water as well. This, too, is supposed to aid in kidney stones. Coconut water is the best for hydration and has many great properties. I want to warn my readers that if you have kidney stones, there are certain foods to avoid. These foods are called high oxalate. Depending on the type of stones you have, as there are four types, there are certain foods you will want to avoid more than others. Primary ones however seem to be as follows:

– beets
– chocolate
– soda/pop/colas
– spinach
– rhubarb
– tea
– coffee, decaf and caffeinated
– nuts
– wheat bran
– salt (sodium)
– nuts
– sweet potatoes
– eggplant
– beans (all types)
– parsley
– dark leafy greens
– swiss chard
– blackberries
– strawberries
– celery
– endive, escarole
– draft beer
– carob powder
– too much calcium
– too much vitamin C
– too much insoluble fiber

My readers can well imagine my unhappiness, for while I don’t consume much salt at all, I do eat nuts, strawberries and blackberries and love my sweet potatoes and beets! I also admit to always putting parsley in my soups, and mourn the fact that I need to avoid or severely lessen more foods than I already do for the duration of the time it takes to pass the stones! Yet all of these things I have been doing have made things much more tolerable than they might otherwise be, so I’m grateful, once again, to have them available. Should you ever have an encounter with these nasty little stones or a kidney infection, I hope you find this information useful as I have.

Besides this, I am taking homeopathic remedies. Nux Vomica is a very safe one for everyone to take, so I recommend that one. Take 3 pellets at 30CH daily dissolved under the tongue, or take two pellets and dissolve them in a 500mL bottle of spring water–Dasani is often recommended as it is reverse osmosis, and does well for remedies. Take three small mouthfuls daily. Remember to have eaten nothing 15 minutes before or after remedies. Keep them away from cell phones and electronics and try not to touch them with your fingers. I just simply let them fall into the lid and then pop them into the bottle or under my tongue. I am taking another remedy more specific to my infection and stones, so I will not recommend it as homeopaths individualize what they give to people for the most part. Yet I hope you never have to suffer stones and an infection! It is nasty business and not at all pleasant.

Yours truly could use a good night’s sleep and a nice, long hike with her dog tomorrow. Until these stones and infection pass, I don’t think I’ll get my way. It’s time I was going to bed to attempt that first, so wish me luck, and take care, my ducks, until next blog post!

Much respect,

Tales of Souls

After much deliberation on how to set this site up, it is completed enough that I feel I can warmly welcome you, my followers and readers! I spent the better part of the day constructing the layout and pages–simplistic as it was, since I don’t possess the option to use CSS. It was simply me wanting to choose what I felt would convey myself and the site well, and be easy to navigate.

For those who know me well enough to know my love of fantasy and dragons, you’ll understand the choice of logo. For those of you who don’t, I hope you find the layout visually pleasing, at least! You’ll find that most of the pages merely have ‘work in progress’ listed. I apologize, yet this blog is still undergoing work. I’ll work at getting the rest of the pages moving one by one, as soon as possible. In the meantime, the blog portion of this site is the one that will likely see the most traffic, and here it is. There is an explanation of the site listed under ‘about’, and I’d like to direct my readers there first and foremost. I will say, as it does there, that you will see a little bit of everything posted here. My musings on life, experiences, and also things about many, many topics. I do love animals and nature, and health and fitness is a big part of my life right now so you will see much of that. Feel free to comment on topics of interest you might like to see covered. I’m not big on politics, and so admit to my ignorance so far as this goes. You won’t see much of that here. I also don’t know much about religions outside the one my parents brought me up in. Yet I’m not shy about any topic, so please, feel welcome to shine light on whatever you’d like.

I’ll be posting the link to here on Facebook, and inviting friends and family alike to follow. Hopefully, this blog touches, and reaches, many people in time. If it does, I’ll invest in it by upgrading to premium or above. I mostly just wanted to share and help, and this is the best way to do that. Thanks for reading–I need to think of a signature tag line,

Tales of Souls