Ten Years Free // Part 3 of 3

I really don't like hospitals or apple juice.

That might sound random, but if you have an experience like I did with those things, you probably wouldn't like them either.

Apparently, the first thing they tested for, while I was still in the hospital, was bacteria. They told us that wasn't it, so we moved on. I had several (I think three but it could have been four) scopes as the doctors looked for answers. Before one of my tests, I had to take medicine to clear my system. I remember this part as having to drink a small glass of apple juice with the medicine every couple minutes. My mom says it wasn't that fast, but it was fast enough that I ended up throwing up. Well, that's one way to clear your system. I couldn't even smell apple juice for years and I'm still not a fan of it or even apple cider.

One thought was that I might be "allergic" to ibuprofen; that it irritated my stomach lining and caused bleeding. I still don't take ibuprofen to this day because, while we know it wasn't the cause, it might have been a contributor and might still be an irritant to my stomach. I'd rather not test the theory :)

Scopes, tests, and doctors visits. Over and over I heard how strange it was that I didn't have pain. Every doctor asked me if I was stressed. No. I'm a kid. They'd press on my stomach, ask if I had pain, and when I said no, they'd marvel. These visits and tests were spread out over several months and finally the doctors thought they had an answer: Crohn's Disease. I was to go on medication (for the rest of my life) and have scopes "regularly". (I don't know if it was every six months, every year, if it would have gotten less frequent, I just don't know).

My mom decided to take me to see Dr. James Perkins. He was a naturopathic doctor who had helped a friend of ours a few years prior. This friend had MAJOR health complications that left the traditional medical community baffled as well. We went to see him and he found that I did indeed have bacteria, in fact I had parasites. What?! The doctors told us that I didn't. He explained that for the medical community, there must be a certain level of bacteria present for them to diagnose it as bacteria. I apparently had enough bacteria to make me super sick and almost die, but not enough to show up or count on the medical tests. Weird. He gave me three supplements to take and when I went in for my next scope, the uclers were GONE! The doctors were so confused. My mom was told to bring me back every (some number of months) so they could do another scope and check on things. She smiled and said "thank you" and we never went back.

I'm grateful to the hospitals and all the people who helped me. They gave me a transfusion, stabilized me, and kept me from dying. They found out I had uclers. But after that, they did tests for months and Dr. Perkins had me healed - HEALED - in just a few months. No Crohn's medication, no more scopes, no diet (chocolate again!!!!), no anything. My mom still took me on occasion to get my hemoglobin checked and for (in my opinion way too long) had Dr. Perkins check for parasites and ulcers and my hemoglobin when I went to see him.

We've been going to Dr. Perkins for things for 10 years now. He is probably the best thing from the whole experience. Life is a little bit different. I have a much lower tolerance for grease and fatty things (no beef hamburgers). I can't eat as much junk before not feeling well (not that it's a bad thing, just a difference). We also have found lots of natural things that work really well and have made our lives much better (like Juice Plus). My sickness started us on a path that led to a world with much more natural things in it.

If there is one thing I learned from it all, it's that so much more could and would be done, healed, and accomplished if the medical and natural communities worked together. My healing needed both. My brother broke his wrist and needed surgery. But when I had severe pain in my back, I went to Dr. Perkins and he put a rib back in place that had been pinching a nerve. Dr. Perkins couldn't do anything for a broken wrist and the medical community wouldn't have been able to help me with my pinched nerve and out of place rib. We need both.

My parasite was called Helicobacter pylori. In a really strange coincidence, my youngest cousin was born with it a year later. She was in pain from it because she cried and was upset for most of her first year of life.

I'm so happy to be celebrating 10 years of health. I haven't had any problems or flare ups since. I'm so thankful for my friends and family who supported me and prayed for me. My Oma made me the chocolatiest cake - a Kahlua-less Kahlua cake -the minute I found out I could eat chocolate again :) I'm thankful to God for healing me. Because He is the One who healed me, He just used the medical and natural communities to do it.