Seeking health advice/100% raw for husband ~ long

[luvnraw]

Hi everyone, this is luvnraw.....I am now into I think my 8th week raw, I journal but haven't been fully tracking the days. I journal for my health issues and to see patterns/trends but no need to count the days really as I intend to stay 100% forever to get and stay healthy. Okay on for my questions. I have searched on the banana to no avail for a few things and am hoping some of you wise souls will have some suggestions for me.

My husband has been adding more raw and is eating about 75% raw on most days after seeing the health issues I have easing some (he has not had caffeine or sugar in 2 weeks and has given up diet pop too, has not had red meat in 3 weeks but has still been having fish). I believe that God led me to raw eating and I have been praying the He would lead both of us as to where we need to go from here. In my heart I feel hubby needs to be 100% to get well but I also know that has to be his decision, not mine. I offer him any of my stuff and only make him raw desserts (coconut cookies, raw sunflower seeds and strawberry banana or blueberry banana icecream).

Back ground on hubby. Seven years ago after always being very healthy (well on the outside!), developed sinusitis, was on major antibiotics on and off, developed adult onset asthma and worsening rhinitis, on and off antibiotics and prednsisone for a year and trialed on other asthma meds....our doc would not send us to specialist to be tested for allergies and our insurance required referral to be able to go, so he continued to experiement with hubby and he was his guinea pig.....hubby trusted him, I did not and started looking at natural things, leaky gut, candida, etc but hubby was not willing to try any of it. He ended up coding (code blue April 15th 1999) and as I watched him 'die' and did CPR on him for 7 minutes waiting for the ambulance......after intubating him, shocking him, giving him epi, etc he was on a ventilator for a week, not knowing if he would live or die, his lungs were so tight and he was a mess......not being calm back them, needless to say that doctor was never allowed to see him or go in his room and shortly after left the USA for Canada back to his hometown.....after he was 'stable' and tapered off prednisone and antihistamine he was allergy tested and was positive for cats, dogs, 5 weed/trees/pollens, dairy, onion, tomato, chicken, flax, oranges, peas, wheat, soy, peanut and almond. Now over the years we have tried to "test" him on these allergens and at least dairy, wheat, chicken, tomato he is reactive to with asthma or sinus symptoms even while on many medications that would counter react these. The other things we have never gotten around to testing and since I am allergic to nuts (anaphylactically) we never tried those.....so over the years we have also tried a few homeopathic things with no avail and hubby is on many medications currently.....advair (bronchodilator and corticosteroid), singulair, Dallergy (antihistamine), rhinocort (nasal steroid spray) and combivent as needed, maybe weekly (bronchodilator) (he wants to get off of all of these meds eventually like I have).......other issues, he started having chronic ear infections 3 years ago which they found weird for an adult but hey we do have many health issues!! After battling that for a year as well as more serious sinus issues, almost 2 years ago he had to have tubes placed in his ears (yes like babies) and polyps roto rootered from his nose, he had 10% sinus passages not effected with little airflow and was having a hard time breathing ......by the way its been almost 4 years since he has been able to taste or smell, he can taste sweet, salty, sour and bitter but not real taste like we have......no smell at all......this and the polyps can be side effects from both his advair and his rhinocort.....they say the polyps will come back and he will need surgery in about 3-5 more years.....now the tubes are out of his ears but he has permanent holes, so he continues to have issues, the doc says the stuff in there appears like a fungal allergy and recommends allergy shots and I say no way.....so daily hubby cleans out and pulls out stuff from his ears, they clog up, hurt, swell, he can't hear, etc and antibiotics in the ears has been the answer once the vinegar rinses/irrigations quit working......he has been fighting this pretty bad lately and wanting antibiotics but has not gotten them and this morning he woke up with a major sinus infection and his face is painful, his teeth, everything and he is swollen......he said this morning he wants to go 100% raw for 2 weeks and will try to not to the antibiotics or pain meds......he also has a fungal rash we have been trying to get rid of by using wild oregano oil, primal defense and just the past 3 days he has been doing ear and sinus irrigations with diluted grapefruit seed extract (he had been hesitant to do this before as anything into his ears, because of the holes goes to his eardrums).....I am thinking it is fighting this and getting worse before it gets better but I am not sure......so here is what I am asking everyone.....

1. Is there anything that can be done tonight after he is home from work to help relieve the pain and pressure from the major sinus infection? He asked me what I thought about him going 100% raw and doing the antibiotics at the same time and I really just want him to do only the 100% raw.....he is in alot of pain and I want to give him relieve ASAP to keep him away from the antibiotics and doctor......

2. Would it be better for him to go 100% raw and stick with fruits/veggies or go into juice/fast to allow the body to heal quicker? I know this morning he was willing to do 100% raw but I am not sure about how willing he would be to juice (not as much willing as not sure how to do it with the job he does), although he has been doing green smoothies with me since the 4th of July.......because I feel he has leaky gut and candida overgrowth I have not been going overboard with the fruit but am now reading its more about fat??

3. Does anyone know of a good substitute for flax seeds in recipes? I have Alissa's book and many recipes call for flax. He did show allergic to it and I am not sure if he should be having it right now.....taste is not the issue as much as texture right now.

4. Does anyone know of a good substitute for buckwheat in recipes? I am not sure if I should use that in recipes as he is definitely allergic to wheat and that is a relative of it......taste is not as much an issue as texture being the same....

Any other thoughts, links, etc are appreciated as I want to do everything I can to keep him as motivated to stay 100% raw for the 2 weeks.....I am thinking if I can get him feeling much better in those 2 weeks maybe he will just stay 100% with me.....I did search the banana for flax substitutes, buckwheat substitutes and sinus infections but did not come up with answers, just people talking about their sinus infections and antibiotic use.....hubby also has a high pressure, long hour job and I do pack him a large raw lunch but do not see how I could pack him the juices......

I know that deetox can be severe and there is retracing which I have been having and as much as I don't want to rely on western medicine, I am a respiratory therapist who can intubate and can handle anything that happens with my husband, as long as it happens while we are together and I will trust God to handle the rest!

I thank all of you for any help and suggestions you can give to me. I am feeling desperate right now as I so don't want him to cave into antibiotics and know he is just so close but he see's this is working for me and he just wants relief......I told him I would work hard today at trying to find answers....and as soon as I am done with my workout I will be serving the net all day for answers......thanks so much everyone!!

[Revvell]

Just from what I'm reading here, personally, if he was my husband, I would take baby steps.

#1) pain and pressure from sinus infection ~ I've used GSE ~ Grapefruit seed extract for sinus. It MUST be diluted ~ even more than what they say on the bottle. I would use 1-2 drops in 2 ounces of water. It is great stuff. It'll dry the sinuses w/out side effects.

#2) I would say that I'd keep him on the smoothies. He'll be detoxing enough and juices will accelerate that proces and w/ all he's been doing, it might be more than he can handle. Can he take some time off from work?

#3) what recipes w/ flax? Crackers? The main reason flax is used in many recipes is to hold things together. Someone else may be able to assist you there and it would be helpful if you tell what recipes. Might email Alissa?

#4) From all I've read, buckwheat is not a relative of wheat. It's not a grass and from what I know about asthma (almost died from it twice myself), buckwheat "should" not be a problem. Again, what will you be making with it?

Just keep this in mind please. He didn't get this way overnight. Going raw will bring on some detox ~ maybe a lot! IF he can get through them, he'll come out the other end with more life and vitality. He is soooo lucky to have you on his side.

Best to you ~

Revvell

[Sweet lips]

Do you guys have enough moisture in your home - like using a humidifier with eucalyptus in to help him shrink the sinus membranes.

You can sub with oat groats. (I know I spelled this wrong).

Remember fruit are cleansers and citrus fruit will cleanse quickly, and veggies are healers, which will also cleanse as well. How are you fixed for recipes for him - are you able to keep it interesting.

I am on an extended fast day 22 as my husband who is way from home about 12 hours a day is also fasting. We do two things, I make him 2 64 oz containers of juice to take to work - one is fruit - mixed orange juice with pineapple and sometimes melon and a veggie made with carrot, tomato, celery, onion, garlic - two sections, cilantro, bell pepper, jalepeno and if not that, cayenne which is excellent for mucus relief. I pack them in a cooler tyoe of lunch box and he takes them in and stores them in the office fridge, or if he doesn't have that option, there should be a nurses office on site that can provide the location. When we go out as we did yesterday for a long period, we have coolers that we can put the same amount in and carry with us. It has worked well.

For pain- I use an arnica based homeopathic creame and some homepathic pill- which are really small and they have assisted me tremedously.

I also recommend hot and cold compresses with a little eucalyptus on them to aid in relief, as he rest through the evening. Additonally: Manipulative therapy is also helpful, as is selective massage therapy over the affected sinuses. In performing this treatment, a thin layer of olive oil is first put over the cheeks and forehead. Uses the tips of your thumbs to gently but thoroughly massage these surfaces. Of particular interest is the area just below the eyes, for nerve centers there help drain the maxillary sinuses (in the cheek bones). Many sinus difficulties are centered in this area, and drainage and resolution can be greatly encouraged by correct massage treatments.

If you have any questions about food -p.m. and we can talk

[luvnraw]

Revvell and Sweetlips,

Thank you for the suggestions! I did email Alissa and spoke to her on the phone and will keep hubby on 100% raw but no juicing right now as 'baby steps' are right on! Thank you both for answering me! I hope he will be well on the road to recovery and as he has committed to 2 weeks, I believe it will be longer:p

Christi

[fatdogs12]

keep us posted :)

[RawTruth]

Christi --

My thoughts are with you both even though I didn't post anything here. (Didn't have anything to say about this, so I try to keep my mouth shut at times like that :D )

I'm just so glad that you got three people with experience to help you.

Raw is the road to health.

[sweetgoddess]

Christi, that just wrenched my heart reading about what your husband is going through. I am so glad you got to speak with Alissa. And I am so glad your husband has you're love to help him through.

How is he doing today?

My husband had his sinuses collapse in a submarine and has dealt with sinus issues for many years since. It is nowhere near what your husband is dealing with, but in case anything helps I wanted to tell you that for instant relief, my husband heats one of those rice or buckwheat hull bags in the microwave ( you can squirt essential oil on it also) and places it over his sinuses. This moist heat gives some immediate relief from pressure and pain and helps them drain.

Also, Traditional Medicines makes an herbal tea called Gypsy Cold Care that is fantastic and very soothing to the sinus passages.
He also uses a netti pot daily.

I wish blessings of healing for your husband.
Warmly~

[luvnraw]

RawTruth ~ You are sweet to let me know you were reading, I do always enjoy your posts!!

Sweetgoddess ~ Wow, can't think that your husbands issues are not horrible though OUCH! Thanks for the ideas. I did actually start him yesterday when he got home with hot moist compresses and I have a massager for my back that we have also been using on low. Both have helped him drain alot. He does do irrigations often with a machine sort of like the water pick, so like the nettipot, just more power.....

Today he is somewhat better. He was able to change his schedule to be able to work from home today instead of Thursday and tomorrow he is back to one of his many sites. Yesterday his entire right side hurt and all the teeth on that side were loose and today about 4 teeth are still loose and he looks a little less puffy, so better but still a way to go. He is so longing for his tylenol #3, I feel bad for him but hope he continues to hold out. I know tomorrow will be better for him. Last night we were up and down all night and only about 2 and 1/2 hours sleep, so hopefully tomorrow will be better. Today he took a break from work to heat/massage and I went in to check on him and he had fallen asleep like that, draining and all....poor guy only napped about 20 minutes and the pain woke him up. At least today it is not severe constantly, it is dull constantly with bad on and off......he has made it 2 days raw now, the countdown is on and I know if he continues his health will improve and over time we will be able to finally get him off of his meds.....it is sad how much both of us have over time changed for our acceptance as "normal" health that we tolerate with such deteriorating health over the years at young ages.....none of it is normal and I am so glad that we have found a path to embrace REAL health, vibrant health and have hope for the future to not long for our heavenly bodies because our earthly ones have gone downhill so quickly! We are not healthy yet but I know we will be and the wonderful change in my state of mind since being raw is terrific too!

Thanks to everyone for everything. I love the fact that even without advice, you are there and thinking of us. You all are the best and I am so thankful to be part of a caring community like this and hope one day to be able to share some awesome recipes that I whip up as I get more creative, although most days I keep it simple already!

[Arky]

luvnraw, I'm very sorry to hear how much discomfort and unhappiness your poor husband (and you, by involvement) has had to put up with. Just looking at your description, it seems you have focused primarily on diet (a great place to start, obviously). However, I wonder if you have considered the possible effects of his local environment (including work) ? For example, have you investigated the possibility of possible low-level contamination of your house with fungal spores, bed mites, allergenic bedding (e.g. goose down), non-bio-degradable laundry detergent etc.? Also, double-glazing, believe it or not, is associated with sinus problems, so you should ensure you allow adequate ventilation. It'd be wise to ensure you have an uncontaminated water supply, just to be thorough. Lastly, does your husband have any mercury fillings and/or has he had any root canal procedures performed by his dentist? (I'll elaborate if need be). All of these things can contribute to sinus problems in susceptible individuals, and, in extreme cases, suppressed immune functioning, leading to repeated infections.

Best wishes.


J.

[sweetgoddess]

Excellent points arky.

Christi, very glad to hear that he is working his way through the days and resisting the tylonol. It sounds so miserable, I wish I could help.
Has he ever seen a holistic Dr?
You are both making a huge step in the right direction, providing the body with the tools it needs to begin healing itself.
My thoughts and blessings are with you both and I commend you for your loving, nurturing heart.

Warmly~

[Gosia]

3. I have been using psyllium husks for keeping things together in recipes.

All the best,
Gosia.

[luvnraw]

Well things started out well today but have since gone downhill......this morning hubby awoke feeling very good but toward late afternoon he could feel more pressure building and by the time he came home this evening he was in alot of pain and swollen again. I so wish he could/would take a few days off as yesterday lots of warm compresses and vibration seemed to help but today he went all day without until he came home.....he said he is worse tonight then when it started and to top it off he is detoxing with the flu like aches and pains (same as I had when I started detox and believe me those first 3 days were torture for me, as well as many since then!) he said he hates detox but he is still raw (day 3 completed) and knows it will get better (his hopes are by the weekend or before) and he went to bed earlier tonight then before and hopefully the pain will not keep him awake all night since he has 6 hours of drive time added to his work day tomorrow and he has only had about 7 total hours of very interrupted sleep the past 2 nights....

Arky ~ I just hurt for him since I can't make it go away and hope and pray he will continue 100% raw without medications.....thank you for all of your suggestions! Yes we have had our air quality and well water (which we filter) tested and all is fine on those fronts. We have a water bed and I wash the sheets and change them 2x week usually, no goosedown (I am allergic, yes we are a mess but not for long!!) and we do have the covers over the pillows for allergy/mites. Laudry detergent, hmm that I would guess is a no......have any brands/suggestions, that is on my long list of things to change to be 'green'? I do rinse the laundry through a cycle after washing due to my own allergies though.....double glazing, do you mean windows? I do open the windows and air out the house sometimes but we run the air alot (I have special electro magnetic filter that I clean often), the heat/humidity causes both of us breathing difficulties so we use the air conditioning and he has pollen allergies so I do not let that in often or he has issues from that! Seems over the years we have developed a catch 22 with all of this! No, he has no fillings or root canals, not one cavity and has only been to a dentist once in his lifetime, after we were married at my insistence......I truly believe all of this stems from many, many years ago, extreme high stress time, 2-3 hours of sleep for months, too much partying and not eating right breaking down his immune system allowing environmental allergies, then rounds of antibiotics/prednisone for over a year I believe and in my mind that causes candida overgrowth/leaky gut to lead to the many food allergies.....not many problems, medications later here we are.....but we are at a crossroads and if he can just tough it out, I know 100% raw is the way to awesome health for both of us and a couple of years down the road we will only remember these issues from reading journals! Thanks so much for listing things for me to check out !

Sweetgoddess ~ He is definitely miserable tonight, his eye socket hurts, all the way down to his chin and his teeth shift when he blows his nose :( I sure wish I could take it upon myself and save him the pain. No he has never seen a holistic doctor, the closest I have been able to locate is 3 hours away. We are tired of conventional MD's but with that option so far, well I started searching for things myself (with my issues hoping if I would get healthy then he would follow suit, not thinking it would be in an act of desperation on his part!) Thanks for the encouragement and positive thoughts, he needs everything he can get right now!

Thanks everyone for the thoughts and suggestions! I have been busy shopping, uncooking and making sure the refrigerator is full of washed, chopped veggies and fruits for his snacking (although he has not been hungry and it hurts to chew), have made smoothies and puddings, things he can manage easier! In my spare time I have been cleaning, walking on the treadmill and reading Alissa's book, so I haven't been on here much and look forward to the weekend when I can get back to browsing the boards! Have a great day tomorrow everyone and here is to a hopefully healthy (healthier anyway) Thursday!

[tracyinfo]

Luvnraw, you and your husband sure have a lot going on in your lives. I am sorry to hear so many negative things are in your lives. But one thing I am happy to hear is that you have a wonderful outlook! Keep up that courageous front and keep up the good work on both of you raw. Their will be more hurdles, but they will start to dwindle.

Many blessings.

[sweetgoddess]

Christi, does your hubby read Alissa's book or this forum at all? Some testimonials to inspire him?
When I went raw back in January I noticed a difference in my breathing and sinuses within 2 weeks, and didnt even have any problems in this area. Even so my breathing changed. I hope so much for both your sakes he will tough it out through the detox symptoms and get to the other side! It will be SOOOoo worth it. He is so fortunate to have you in his corner.
Was he much of a dairy person throughout his life?
What does he do for work and do you live in a big city?

When I go through detox, I notice I wake up feeling good and by afternoon, wam, the mucous pressure in my head starts. Maybe thats what happened for him yesterday.

I know if you both can get through this difficult time, you will be gifted more than you can imagine. We are here to support you both all we can.

I wish you and your husband a blessed day.
Hugs~

[Arky]

Does your husband keep a food diary? If not, this might prove to be a very valuable tool in diagnosing any possible additional food intolerances. Sometimes such patterns are not immediately apparent, but become more evident as time passes and the picture builds more extensively. Although you have had certain things tested (e.g. the well water) it'd perhaps be informative to see the results of substituting bottled water for a period of a week or more. If no difference, then fair enough, but you never know until you try...

I'm not saying I think your well water is to blame - I'm simply using it as an example that since you have failed to make any siginficant headway, it is one of many elements in your husbands environment that you could legitimately use scientific methodology on - i.e. a logical process of elimination (no pun intended!). Sherlock Holmes would be proud of such an endeavour.

Dr Richard Mackarness, in his 1970s book 'Not All In The Mind' described one such methodology which, as a practising doctor and psychiatrist, he achieved great success with, to the benefit of his many patients.

J.

[luvnraw]

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't responded, I have been going through a healing crisis myself and have just been doing only what is necessary to take care of us and haven't been online! Hubby is doing better and today is his 7th day raw. He has a small amount of eye pain left now but looks like that part of the sinus thing is going to be behind him. Now things are acting up with his ears but we expected that and now his body can focus on healing that!


TracyInfo ~ Well we do try to keep a positive outlook, truly that is God in our lives because without our hope in Him we would surely have given up. There are still days we may want that but at least here I believe we have the answer to one day being healthy again! Thankfully when we are having "feel sorry for ourself" days, usually its only one of us and the other can help encourage through it!

Sweetgoddess ~ No he doesn't read the book or the forum. Last night though he was actually serving the net looking for raw recipes and was scanning over sadtoraw that he found, so that was cool! He was very much a dairy person when he was little through his late 20's until the allergy issue! We don't live in a big city, very rural where we have to drive 20 minutes or more to get to stores. He is a district manager of the Great Lakes region TA's (TravelCenters of America) truckstops.....he has alot of exposure to diesel and cigarette smoke over the years but has been able to lessen that now that he is in this position. I am glad to hear that it is not uncommon to wake up feeling great and then by afternoon having it kick in with detox. Did you ever get your greenhouse going for this year? How is it going? I plan to garden next year and if I can do it successfully then the following year have a greenhouse.....have to prove myself first!

Arkey ~ We do keep food diaries for both of us. There seems to be no rhythm or rhyme to his symptoms though and I believe it is just because he is so toxic (me too!) We have been journalling for many years trying to find patterns. I will have to try the bottled water sometime too. I had never thought of that since we have well water, it tested fine and I filter it via the PUR filters. We are always open to trying new things.

Again I thank all of you for your suggestions and encouragement and kind thoughts! I will be starting a fast on Wednesday hoping to detox more as the ongoing process has been frustrating for me lately with so many healing crisis I am hopeful to get some of it done quicker. My goal will be 8 days this time (my 1st one was 7 days comepleted) and then I can break it the day before I head back to work hoping to have strength for my job! Hubby will still be doing 100% and I will happily be uncooking for him! Hope everyone is having a great weekend!