Well, here I am in the midst of writing a somewhat professorial blog about integrative health, when lo and behold I find myself putting it all into practice. At work four days ago, I was aware of some low back pain I attributed to my new free weights and mat workout with Dave, a former fitness trainer and current vintage hunk. As my shift continued, the pain intensified, until I got a glimmer that the only times I have felt compelled to press my lower back into an available wall were when I had a kidney stone and when I was in preterm labour. Knowing that I was not possibly in preterm labour, I trotted (yeah, right...) off to go pee on a stick (not the pregnancy kind). With a moderate amount of blood showing on the urinalysis, I concluded that my old nemesis, the kidney stone, was back. I defied all exhortations to go to the ER (but only after completing my shift, of course), preferring instead my warm, cozy bed to the plastic-covered slabs in the hospital and Dave's light, occasional snoring to a roomful of IV pump alarms, snoring and coughing (for my American audience, Canadian hospitals typically have ward rooms of three to four or more patients per room, and not usually same sex patients at that). Dave's energy work saw me through much of my last kidney stone experience, and I was confident in relying upon that. Dave was at work at the health food store, so he brought home chanca piedra and serrapeptidase for me to take, the former to dissolve the stone and the latter to relieve inflammation and pain. He studied up on alkalizing foods and we settled in for a night of reiki, reflexology, and diluted apple juice (locally produced, of course).
By Day Three it was apparent that no immediate progress was ensuing, so I made an appointment with my new primary provider, a general practitioner I know from the hospital who is interested in CAM. Her locum tenens was covering for her, but he concluded his interview with me by ordering a CT scan and bloodwork, and remarking that ordinarily he would prescribe NSAIDs, but if I was happy with what I was doing already to keep doing it. Wow--no condescension, no argument!
By that afternoon, the vomiting began--with a vengeance. I advised Dave that I was now ready to present to the ER. First order of the day--a normal saline IV and repeat urinalysis. And waiting...five or six hours later (no quicker, regrettably, than U.S. ERs) the news was, no kidney stone, but major uterine and ovarian issues. Hence the feeling of being in preterm labour again.
So, nothing is urgent at this point and we can ride it out for a few weeks to see what transpires in my pelvic cavity. I continue on the serrapeptidase to decrease inflammation but with my history, I'm hanging on to the chanca piedra for later. Dave has upped his energy work on me, and I anticipate these issues will resolve with all this intervention and energy. If not, though, I'm ready to "get it fixed". Through it all, I have been very pleased with the level of openness of my allopathic practitioners. Could it be that we really ARE moving towards integration of ALL best practices? ~Whitney
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