I am sure every mother feels their daughters are the best. I know I do, I thank GOD for my jewels. I am thankful that I lived to see myself in my girls; there was a time I did not think I would be around to see them grow up to be the beautiful women they are today. Having them in my life has made it easier to live with this ugly disease called multiple sclerosis.
Everyday is a struggle getting up; everyday is different from the next. During the past two weeks, it took every ounce of energy I had to go on with my day against the pounding punches of PAIN. Many days I wanted to relieve myself from this excruciating pain by putting on a morphine patch.
I wanted it so bad, but I refused to give in because I NEVER want to experience this again. I cannot hide anything from my daughters; they seem to know when I am having a hard time with multiple sclerosis. I opened my email one day and received the following from one of my daughters:
Mom I saw that honeybee venom is a therapy that treats MS pain. I saw this on "Radical Hollywood Remedies" last night and did some research and found this link about it. On the special, it says the honeybee therapy cost $75 a session. I suggest you try this and I will pay for your first session. I suggest this because I truly believe you should try natural remedies to lure yourself off the drugs. It doesn't hurt to try natural procedures since God put them on earth for us to use to heal our bodies to live a longer healthier life. Everyone please let me know all your thoughts on this.
http://health.discovery.com/centers/althealth/beetherapy/bkgsclerosis.html
http://health.discovery.com/centers/althealth/beetherapy/bkgsclerosis.html
Then there was this reply email from another daughter:
I think it's an absolutely wonderful idea! I'll try it with you!
I appreciate my daughters looking out for me and wanting to pay for me to have some bee venom because of their love for me, I do not know if I can do this. I am paranoid about trying something new. I know I do not want to go back to wearing morphine patches again and my doctors do not want to prescribe Lortab like they use to...thanks to all the accidental overdosing in the entertainment industry.
I survived this many years living with pain, with God’s help, I will make it some more years. However, I am open to natural pain resources; I am not saying I will never try bee venom as a natural pain remedy. I am old school and I have to get over my paranoia trying new drugs or natural remedies…blame it on my Daddy I get it from him :-)
13 comments:
Hi Debra:
I guess firstly, I would ask if you have ever been stung by a bee?
If the answer is no, then before you even entertain the bee venom "therapy", you should find out if you are allergic to bee stings.
Because an allergic reaction to bee stings can kill you.
I keep an EPI-PEN handy because I went into anaphylactic shock after my first bee sting at age 13 and almost died. They say you are sensitized after the first sting and that you won't get the same symptom again.
But after having lived through the first time, I am never going to try it again unless I suddenly acquire a death wish. Immediately after using an EPI-PEN you have to go to the ER because it plays havoc with your heart rate and you can die from the damn EPI-PEN without further treatment.
If you HAVE already been stung by a bee and have had no reaction, then maybe this "therapy" might work for you.
It is a theory of redirecting pain - giving pain to one area of the body to redirect the endorphins to rush over to the area that has just been stimulated by a pain trigger (the bee sting). Some people swear by it - to the tune of five or more stings per day.
For me, the jury is still out.
But, just in case, I'd keep an EPI-PEN handy, with dependable GPS enabled-transportation to the nearest hospital.
I'd love to send you a "get started kit" for what I do for me and get you to try it for a month or two. Email me and we can talk about it.
I'm sorry you are feeling so poorly. Have you considered THC (marijuana)? It is legal for medical use here if your doctor signs off. It is the only thing that helps me and it is not physically addictive.
BTW, when you feel better can you swing by my blog and answer the DMD questions I posted?
Thanks,
Nadja
Hi Anne,
Come to think of it, I never been stung by a bee. That is something to think about, especially since I acquire severe side effects from most drugs I used.
Look for my email in two or three days. I have appointments after appointments starting Monday :-(
Hi Nadja,
I have tried Marijuana for my pain and IT WORKS. Because it is an illegal drug, I stopped using it because I did not want to risk my freedom or the person picked it up for me. Since I could not have marijuana when I needed it for my pain, I had no option, but to take the dangerous addictive legalized man made drug for pain.
Maybe, the day will come when our government will realize medicinal marijuana is less lethal and better for chronically ill people to take than the addictive pharmaceutical pain drugs with severe sometime fatal consequences.
Tennessee, had a bill last year in the house to legalize medicinal marijuana, but it failed. I am definitely an advocate for legalizing medicinal marijuana. I did a blog post on it about a year ago and I constantly contact my state representatives to fight for legalizing marijuana in TN.
I'm sorry the medical marijuana initiative failed, keep fighting. It really helps me and the other legal recipients in Colorado.
I was going to say THC indeed does work. Like Denver Refashionista said, keep fighting. I too live in Colorado and and I think being an activist in the fight makes a lot of difference. I belong to ASA (Americans for Safe Access) and try to go to every event.
I know very little about bee venom therapy but I have heard about it. Keep us posted! I am open-minded but do keep an Epi-pen!
Hi Debra,
Please come by my blog and collect your award.
Love,
Herrad
Renewed Hope Clinic in Beaver, Utah is one option that has been shared with me. They use a substance called SF-1019, which is a goat syrum of some type, that has not yet been FDA approved but has shown some promise in some patients. Like bee venom, the allergy issue is one problem, but it also has the advantage of few other side effects due to the fact that it is a natural substance. I don't know a lot about it, I haven't been diagnosed yet, but everyone has a suggestion for me. However, when I am diagnosed, this is one option I plan on looking into. Don't know if this helps, but I hope you can find some relief soon.
Thanks,
April
i see you posted this on the 26th. have you decided to go with the honeybee venom. i understand being nervous about new drugs or natural remedies, but those natural remedies do have a good track record.
Well, good luck with whatever you decide. I know having 3 beautiful and caring daughters would make me feel better any day. You have much to feel proud about. PS, it looks like a self-photo shot and job well done! I hope Obama gets in on the pot isssue, it is proven safe, has helped millions, could create jobs if legalized and tax it---win win situation. Happy Friendship Day!
I have heard of this type of therapy. However, has it been tested and scientifically proven to work with patients with MS? I have had MS for six years now. I have tried Avonex, which worked for me for the first two years, but then stopped working. I then was placed on Tysabri. I have been on this medication for the past three years. I have had few relapses, and they have been relatively mild, in comparison to the ones I had on Avonex.
I truly wish you the best of luck. But do caution you to first research the treatment you want to receive, to make sure that it works for you.
@ A curious mind
Trying Bee Venom therapy is a suggestion from my daughter. I do not know anyone that has tried it. Believe me I will not try anything without researching it first. At this point I do not have an interest in trying this type of therapy.
I am glad Tysabri is working for you. Avonex was my first DMD and we did not get along, I came off of it after six months. I thought about trying Tysabri, but I went with Copaxone because with my luck I would be in that rare percentage for PML.
I have had my problems with Copaxone by having IPIR's once a year in the last three years and I have been on it for six. The way I see it having the rare occurrence of an IPIR with Copaxone is less of a risk than possibly being that rare percentage of getting PML taking Tysabri.
Funnily enough, I ended up here because I am looking into trying bee-sting therapy for my mom. Here's an address to copy and paste: http://www.olg.com/beelady/History.htm
This woman with MS got herself out of a wheelchair, regained her hearing, and is doing well after years of dedicated sting therapy.
Good luck!
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