Something I often think about is how we humans put our fate into some one else’s hands. Most people expect mainstream medicine to fix us with surgeries and prescriptions. Those things work for the time being. As soon as we feel better we move on with our lives with only a few small changes. The next time a problem crops up we trot back to the doctor’s office for more pills which usually get us feeling fairly decent again until the next time. Round and round we go until they can’t fix us anymore. And then we blame their lack of knowledge or concern for our demise.

What if we took control of our own fate? Is there something we can do to improve our health before we get sick? Or, if we get sick, then maybe there are things we can do to improve our situation. What would happen if we took responsibility for where our life is at? How does it feel to know that every ache and pain is a result of choices we’ve made; the relationships in our life, good or bad, are consequences of our own decisions or that the job we love or hate is because of our choices?

Doesn’t that put a new perspective on things? Looking at my life like that helps me to realize that I brought my kidney failure on myself. It also helps me to realize that there are things I can do to improve my situation. Naturopathic doctors believe all disease comes from a place. They are helping me look for that place and then start the healing process from there. This is working very well for me. I have more courage than I ever had before. I can distance myself, and in some cases, completely removed myself from the relationships that were unhealthy for me. I was able to walk away from a job that was a very poisonous environment. I am eating different than I used to. It is such a feeling of power to make these choices, to know that there is so much I can do to make my life better. My health is improving daily from a direct result of the new choices I am making.

I know there are a lot of people who don’t want to believe this. They have lived their lives blaming others and like putting their life circumstances onto some one else’s shoulders. I wonder how our health would improve if we realized the impact a simple choice makes on our lives? What if we worked really hard to heal before we are on our death bed? There are so many things to discover about the power our mind has over our health. I believe it has far more control than we think. It is a lot of hard work but dying doesn’t look so easy either.

Put your self through a little test. The next time you feel that you have a cold coming on, tell yourself how good you feel. When you usually say, “I think I’m coming down with a cold.” Instead say, “I feel so good today.” Keep telling your self that throughout the day and see what happens. I can’t wait to hear the results. Let me know.

Until next time, take care. MD

Doctor Doctor Part 2
While I was in the hospital I read a book called “The Secret”. This is when the reality of how the choices we make in life have a direct impact on our health, wealth and our general well being, really hit home. Reading this book also helped me realize that I could change the direction my life was taking just by my making different choices. I needed to learn how to believe it was possible. That has been my focus since I came home from the hospital. I kept reading the books that would help me with that. I practiced the lessons suggested amongst the pages. My health slowly returned. I was becoming a much stronger person, in body, and in mind and soul.
Months later, I felt I had done as much as I could do on my own. I felt I needed more help than what the books could offer. I thought that a naturopathic doctor might be a benefit to me. I looked in the yellow pages for such clinics and phoned some of the numbers listed. I didn’t get good vibes from the first few people I talked too so I just kept trying. Eventually I reached one where the voice on the other end sounded right to me. This clinic had a naturopathic doctor, who I will call Dr. Lucy. Beware of the quacks! A naturopathic doctor receives a minimum of 8 years post-secondary education. This training includes the study of medical sciences comparable to that of a general practitioner. They are also well versed in many alternative treatments. I felt I would be in good hands.
This doctor immediately set me up to talk to a naturopathic specialist in Israel, who I will call Dr. David. He and I talked on Skype for almost four hours! Very intense. Afterwards I was exhausted but felt very strongly that this was the right way for me to go. He decided on a remedy for me. We now talk on the phone about every six weeks.
At the same time Dr. Lucy started giving me Bowen Therapy treatments. I responded very well to this hands on treatment. She also has me working with her nutritionist, who I will call Lois. Lois is helping me eat for my metabolic type.
I am having great success with the help offered at this clinic. Naturopathic doctors support the body’s ability to heal itself. They take into account the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the patient when diagnosing and developing a treatment plan. I was so happy to find professionals who believed in the healing and would nourish it in me.
I made sure my specialists at the hospital, who I see every three months, know that I am going to this clinic. I don’t take anything until I check with them. The pharmacist at the hospital is the one who investigates ingredients of what the naturopathic recommends. She reports her findings to me suggesting why some things won’t work for people with kidney failure and why some things will be all right for me to take. My main specialist has said my naturopathic doctor can call him any time if she has questions.
I am so grateful that these professionals have agreed to communicate with each other with my best interests in mind. At this point, I feel that the doctors from the mainstream medicine are just humoring me. I know they think healing is not an option. In spite of that they advise as I go. They and my naturopathic doctors are finding a balance between two very different sciences. I’m confidant I have the best of both worlds helping me on my road to recovery.
Until next time, take care. MD

Doctor, Doctor Part One
You should know about my doctors…I have many.
I first came in contact with the nephrologists on May of ’07. After weeks of trying to find out why I was so sick my family doctor sent me to the hospital in an emergency situation. At this point I was not able to keep food down and was very week. My doctor had done a lot of tests but always got negative results. He kept testing with no luck. I got sicker. Finally something suspicious showed itself in one of my blood tests. My potassium was sky high which was a sign of kidney trouble but also was at the danger level for heart failure.
The specialists were as puzzled as my family doctor. They knew my kidneys had failed but they didn’t know why. They put me on emergency dialysis while they ran more tests. Their test results were also coming back negative. They finally did a kidney biopsy and those results showed I had P-Anca Vasculitis which was now dormant but had left enough scar tissue that my kidneys were no longer functioning. Their diagnosis was that my kidneys wouldn’t heal.
When I first got to the hospital they were poking and prodding all over the place! They kept telling me how sick I was. One of the emergency doctors leaned in close to me to tell me that they were testing for things like leukemia and lupus. How is it when you are sick, people need to get in your face to talk to you as though you have lost your hearing? Do they think their news has greater impact if you can smell their breath when they break it to you? If the diagnosis doesn’t bring tears to your eyes, the fact that they had garlic for lunch surely will!
In spite of that I was grateful for all the experts who were diligent about helping me survive. Eventually I was sent to the dialysis unit. I soon came to realize that I was in the best of hands and I surrendered myself to the nurses and doctors who knew so much about dialysis and the kidneys. Everything they did made me feel better. Not only did they look after me they were also concerned about Larry and the kids. We all felt safe in their hands.
The thing that stands out to me is that while they all were working so hard to make me feel better, they were constantly reminding me how sick I was. “You are very sick, Mrs. Dancey.” “You are a very sick person.” “Your kidneys won’t heal. You might as well face it.” “You should get a transplant.”
Those words met on deaf ears. Wait a second… maybe they had good reason to think I was deaf. Still, that is no excuse for all that garlic at lunch!
I choose to ignore the dialogue of what others think my body is capable of. I will focus on healing. I’m willing do anything to make that happen. I believe our bodies are capable of great things if we open our minds to the endless possibilities. I’m excited about this experience and the people that kidney failure has brought into my life. I look forward to learning how to have a future of good health and good wealth. I’m grateful you are allowing me to share my discoveries with you.
Until next time, take care. MD

I’m going on a trip! Larry will be working some trade shows in early Feb and I’ve decided to go with him. We’ll be in Vegas for a week and Orlando for another week.
He’ll be working while I play. Sounds good to me!
This will be my first time traveling while on dialysis. My solutions will be delivered to the hotels by my supplier so I don’t have to worry about getting that across the border. I have other things to consider. I have to take along an emergency kit that contains antibiotics, heparin and needles. Those things can be in my check on bag with a letter from the doctor so it should be OK. What concerns me is the tube in my stomach that is used for my treatments. This tube was surgically inserted so there is no checking it with my luggage. It’s coming with me. I’m told it will show up on their x-ray machines. “Honest officer that is for my treatments!” I could be writing this from the slammer. Curable from within could mean: “From within the system!”
Until next time, take care. MD

Thanks for the feedback from yesterday’s blog. The caller agreed that not all relationships are healthy. We discussed the difficulty of that realization. It is not easy.
In my case my life depends on learning to live my life with ease. I must create a healing environment for myself.
I believe everything we do in life is a choice. The choices I’ve made in the past have brought me to where I am today. As I earn my way out of this dis-ease I will learn to make the choices needed to bring peace and posterity into my life. I can heal anything by healing my beliefs first. I deserve it.
I’m glad this is helping some one out there. Stay strong. You too can make the choices needed to live the life you were meant to live. You deserve it. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. The Tao Te Ching reinforces it with this famous line: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Until next time, take care. MD

I’ve learned that we have more control over disease than I thought. I started thinking of it as dis-ease as suggested in some of the books I’m reading, and I realize that to earn my way out of kidney failure, I need to learn how to get from dis-ease to ease. This is no small task!
My homeopathic doctor, Dr. David, tells me not to let others decide my destiny. I need to take control of my own destiny. With that in mind, I’m using my gut as my guide. If a situation makes my stomach tighten and I feel a bit nauseous I know it is wrong for me. I then need to handle it in a way that eases the knot in my stomach.
I am finally at the stage of my healing where I can usually deal with it on the spot. I still have my setbacks although they are getting fewer and farther between. I believe that is because I have removed myself or distanced myself from most of the people who don’t fill me up. You know the ones who do their best to suck the life out of you when they get a chance. The ones who know your weak spots and aren’t afraid to use them to push your buttons. The ones who want to drag you down with negativity. This can be friends, family or co-workers. Some times you can even feel the negativity oozing from a total stranger! I for sure stay clear of those.
Becoming aware of these people can be a hard reality. It sometimes means walking away from those you care about. I’ve learned that even people you care for are not always good for your health. Be aware of the ones who can’t look at their own short comings and continue to look outward. Be prepared for your name to be drug through the mud when you attempt to break the pattern. It takes a great amount of will power to stick to your resolve. Imagine how powerful the human race would if each of us took total responsibility for our own happiness!
I’ve also noticed that some recognize the difference in me and are trying to meet me half way, both of us looking for a balance instead of forcing our wills on each other. I love that about them and will do my best to meet them half way.
The only thing I know for sure is that to live with ease I must follow my gut and not let the opinion of others define me. Whether or not someone disagrees or agrees with me has nothing to do with me. What they say about me, good or bad, has nothing to do with me. The barbs and put downs are not my concern. I need to learn how to believe that. I must get to the point of never having the sick feeling in my gut. Live without dis-ease and live with ease!
Until next time, take care. MD

I finally took down the Christmas tree. That always feels like such a letdown. Christmas season is over. It is my favorite season by far and I already look forward to next years festivities. The kids love it too which makes all the planning, cooking and decorating so worth while.
2009 was a good year but I’m looking forward to 2010. I think it will be a very successful year. I feel the universe conspiring in my favor.
Until next time, take care.

We took our daughter to the airport yesterday. She as well as our other two kids was home for Christmas. The three of them arrived at the same time, filling the house with excitement, stories of their worlds and lots of stuff! They left one at a time. With each departure the house seems a bit bigger. Yesterday the last one left and today the house feels huge and soooo quiet! I’ve got the stereo on to help fill the space. It doesn’t measure up to the kids chatter and laughter but it is a good background for the memories we created this Christmas.

Every time I’m around the kids I’m reminded of the courageous choices they make in their lives. This is always an inspiration to me and an incentive to do my best as a mom of adult kids. We are never done teaching them and no matter how old we get, we never stop watching our parents, learning from how they handle situations. I read somewhere that kids can’t move forward if their parents don’t. That has stuck with me over the years. I use it as incentive to keep growing. Not let fear stand in my way. Not let adversity define me. Right now my situation is that I have had kidney failure and my health is compromised. I have stopped resisting this and accepted the reality of it. I’ve decided to use this as an opportunity and a teacher. Learn the lesson from it and eventually work my way out of it. I’ll be a stronger more aware person for it.

Until next time, take care. MD

My first day on the blog!

At the age of 50 I got very sick. After much testing they discovered I have something called P-Ancu Vasculitis. It is quite rare. Doctors don't know much about it. They don't know what causes it or if or when it will show itself again. They do know that it attacks the organs, with a special attraction to the kidneys. This sneaky disease is dormant right now but has scarred my kidneys to the point of no function. The doctors say that scar tissue won't heal. My treatment right now is peritoneal dialysis. The nephrologists (kidney specialists) say that I should look at a transplant as the next treatment

In my mind that is just a band-aid. It doesn't look at me and address why I got sick to start with. Have you noticed how one disease always leads to another in time? Science has the knowledge to fix a lot of things as they come along but doesn't address why we get sick in the first place. For me I wanted to look at the why of it. How did this manifest itself in my body? What can I do to avoid any more health trouble? What can I do to enjoy good health in the future?

I have decided to take control of my own destiny and focus on healing. It is really working for me! I have regained %15 kidney function to date. This will increase in time. My goal with this blog is to tell you about my healing. Hopefully my story will help some one else out there who is faced with this same challenge. You can do it!

I look forward to hearing your story and sharing mine with you as it unfolds. I'll talk to you again soon. Until then, take care. MD