Working mom

    It has been awhile since I last posted on here. Over a year ago. Much has happened and continues to happen in the Zufall home. While everybody knows last year brought Elliott into our lives, what may not have been shared is how much depression came over me when the weather grew cold and gray.
   Around December I realized that I had a major anger issue that I don't remember having before or during my pregnancy with Elliott. I tried to combat it with meeting one on one with a lady from my church. I grew to really enjoy our every other week meetings and made choices to bring more peace into my life. Like, read my bible daily, journal often and pray more. I even made the decision to go to work as an RN. My first real nursing job. I was scared and nervous about the responsibilities I would have as nurse. Let alone, leave my two sweet boys at home in someone else's care. I only agreed to start applying for jobs because my husband (Levi) agreed to stay home and watch the boys. I am not a fan of having to pay for daycare, especially when I saved my family thousands of dollars by staying home for over 2 years.
   I applied to a few places but the Mental Health ward in Ogdensburg were the first to get back to me and I agreed to the job 3 weeks after applying. 12 hour night shift every other weekend. Its already been a journey from starting in Feb 2018. I have decided to go back to school because of work. I have decided to continue bettering myself so I can do what I've always dreamed of: travel the world as a nurse. Being in Mental health has definitely helped me to see more of my own mental health needs but also showed me how many others are struggling just like I do on a daily basis.
   Please, reach out and be kind if you see someone struggling. Mental health is still not as well known as heart disease or cancer, but I'm sure it affects everyone at some place in their life.


Blessings,
Sarah 

A quick catch-up

   I know its been a while since I've last written a blog. Life got crazy for awhile and then more crazy with the holidays and more crazy as I'm excepting another little one in August . We are very excited! As you can see: 

    A lot of things have happened in the last year. I've lost a few people who have been close to me. I'm still struggling with my health as well and now that I'm pregnant I've had to reevaluate my diet and the supplements I take. Fortunately I'm seeing a wonderful holistic approach dietitian and Nurse Midwife, who are willing to work with me. Its been a bumpy road. And life is only going to get busier and busier. 

   I've often gotten angry that my diet is so skewed and my body is so inflamed. How did this happen to me? Why did it happen to me? I have continued to do the Liver flushes in my previous posts. I've done 12. I haven't done them while pregnant though. Those flushes have greatly improved my health since starting them a year ago. I'm grateful I did my research. 

  Something I've been working on, as well as my physical health, has been my spiritual health. Our bodies are so connected to every aspect of itself, inside and out. A verse that I find myself going back to again and again may seem cliche as its one of the most well known scriptures. However I find it truly uplifting and peaceful. 

My Daily Anthem. 

  

The restorative power of our God through his word is ASTOUNDING. So get into the word. Put time into your spiritual health.In this dark and broken world you can have peace. God's word is living. He doesn't disappoint. He doesn't leave us to fight alone. He doesn't stop loving us. He is always faithful. Always consistent. Always ready and waiting for us to call on him. 

   

Oil Pulling, Liver Flushes and more...

    Its been a while since I last posted. I talked about in great detail about the Liver flush/cleanse I was doing. I have done two more since then. I haven't noticed too much of an improvement, but I've read it make take up to a dozen flushes to get the liver fully cleansed.  Although I did get lots of stones out with each flush. I will be doing another liver flush this weekend (my fourth).

  Between my first and second flush we took a family vacation and I may have over indulged and when I returned home my gallbladder and stomach were so angry with me any time I ate that I had to switch to a vegan diet. That has helped reduce the bloating and pain I feel with almost every meal. I have talked to a surgeon who said that gallbladder's don't heal and that it would eventually kill me if I didn't have it removed. Doom and gloom I know. But I want to keep it! I've read horror stories of what it's like not having one and only a small percentage of people who've had theirs removed never experienced symptoms. Basically they could eat whatever they wanted without recurring pain.

Favorite Vegan meal. Jackfruit BBQ fajitas with tofu sour cream and avocado topping. 

    Levi has decided to venture into some health activities of his own with Oil Pulling. Every morning before he eats anything he takes a mouthful of coconut oil and swishes it around in his mouth for 10 minutes and then spits it out outside (do not spit down the sink and do not swallow) then gargles with salt water and brushes and flosses his teeth.  Essentiality the oil is supposed to pull toxins from the mouth and body, break down plaque and whiten the teeth. Levi's teeth have become whiter and the plaque on his teeth break off when he is really faithful and does the oil pulling every day. He can't wait till his next dentist appointment to show off his teeth!! I  tried the oil pulling once and it wasn't that bad. I should probably do it more often, but I have never struggled with plaque build up like Levi has. 

  We all have our struggles. We have imperfect human bodies that struggle with sin nature daily. I can't wait to have my heavenly body. I struggle with anger, disappointment and fear on a daily basis trying to find the right diet for me. I haven't stopped researching or asking questions about how I can heal. I've spent a small fortune on foods, herbs and pills to help me out and nothing seems to stick for very long before I have to change it all again. I need Jesus' healing power in my life each day. I need to know I'm loved and valued. I need to know that this pain is temporary. I need to believe each day that healing is coming my way! : ) 

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

   

Gallbladder flush part IV: The product

    Greetings!
    I bet some of you just couldn't wait to see how everything went last night with the flush?! Haha I couldn't, I was so excited I didn't fall asleep till late despite being exhausted. Most mothers are exhausted.

   Lets go back to yesterday evening to where the flush began.


   At 6pm Levi and I took our first dose of Epsom salts, boy is that stuff ever nasty! Its like drinking a pill you opened up into water because you couldn't swallow it. It was so bitter. The second dose at 8pm wasn't much better. But the effects it had were dangerous. Good thing we have two bathrooms in this house. Once 10pm rolled around, after about 20 minutes of squeezing lemons and oranges and filtering out the pulp, we mixed the juice with 1/2 cup of olive oil, shook it up in little jars with lids and went up to bed. We drank it down and immediately lay down. At first we both had tummy aches, since we hadn't eaten anything since 1pm earlier that day. The juice and oil was much easier to get down than the Epsom salts. Then I asked Levi how he was feeling, he said he was fine, suddenly he said he felt this movement deep inside of him like a twitch or tickle. I didn't experience that feeling at all. Instead I felt like my right side, on which I was laying, was tingling and warm. I had previously thought that a person would be up all night using the bathroom every few hours. That was not the case. I slept well for the most part, besides being really excited. The olive oil did make me feel nauseous in the wee hours of the morning but it passed when I had to drink the third dose of Epsom salts and then two hours later at 8am the fourth and final dose. Levi and I were so glad we didn't have to drink that anymore.

   I was a bit concerned that nothing would come of it as I didn't start to need the bathroom after the 6am dose of Epsom salts. But I shouldn't have worried as I was running to it after the last dose. Levi started going to the bathroom first. The pictures I have are not the full product. We each had to go with such intensity that we forgot to collect specimens. We just have our first movements. On the next flush I hope to capture more because I will be more prepared. I hope!

Levi's first. He had more yellow stones than myself. 

My first. I had more green stones and much bigger as you can see. 

    10:30 am rolled around, we could have some juice and fruit. By this time the bathroom trips had slowed down to once every half hour or so instead of continuous. I produced many, many more stones than Levi, all varying in size and shape, but the color was bright green. Some were even such a deep green they looked blue. Levi had much smaller stones and they were mostly yellow. All the stones floated so they were easy to notice. Not, however, easy to count. We produced, between us both, over 1,000 stones. 

 Over all I'd say it was successful and I do want to try it again next month. Levi agrees. No harsh side effects have been felt by either of us, besides the horrible tasting Epsom salts. Our energy isn't lagging even though we are still hungry.  

   I hope these posts have helped bring about more of an understanding of the human body. Again, no one has to try this if they don't want too. I do understand this is a bit old fashioned. I mean, why go out of your way to do a flush when I could just have my gallbladder removed? Well, I don't want it removed without trying to save it first. I feel pretty good about the flush and I'm excited to try it again next month. 

Also, here is the rare photo of Levi eating cereal! ;) 

   I will do one more update to this blog on this flush once I'm able to eat normally again. For now we stick to fresh fruits and veggies. Thank you for reading! 

    

Part III: The flush day

 

    Good Morning everyone! Happy Friday!
    I've been seeing the most beautiful pictures of icy winter trees on Facebook all week. God truly knows how to make a cold winter beautiful. His creation is just a reminder of what we have to look forward to in heaven someday.

   So, today is the flush! Today I have a very specific set of instructions. Besides avoiding animal products and drinking a liter of apple juice we have a very set diet today. One that Levi is not looking forward too. In our two years together I have never seen him eat cereal. Well, today I shall! For hot oatmeal is on the menu for breakfast with no sweeteners. Luckily lunch is something we are more accustomed too; steamed veggies with white rice. then after lunch no dinner and just water after 1:30 pm.

   I think they call it a "flush" because you are literally flushing the toilet non stop and its about to get 10x worse this evening and into tonight and tomorrow morning. Yes, even though the flush takes place at night you are still getting everything out far into tomorrow and maybe the day after too. I'm basing all of what I'm sharing with you on what I've read. This is my first flush and I'm not an expert.

•    6:00 pm mix 4 tablespoons of Epsom salts with 3 cups (measuring cups) of water. It makes 4 3/4 cup servings. Drink one now. 
• 8:00 pm take another 3/4 cup of Epsom salts
• 9:30 pm make the fresh lemon and orange juice. The oranges and lemons need to be room temperature. I'll be taking mine out this morning to give them plenty of time to get there. Make sure to remove all the pulp from the freshly squeezed juice. 
• 9:50 pm mix 3/4 cup of lemon and orange juice with 1/2 cup of cold pressed olive oil and shake up really well. You may want a jar with a lid. 
• Stand by your bed and drink the magic potion! Don't take more than 5 minutes to drink it. 
• 10:00 pm LAY DOWN IMMEDIATELY! Either on your right side with knees to chest or on your back for at least 20min. If you feel the urge to use the bathroom try and wait as long as you can. It may not be possible though. 
• After the 20 min use the bathroom as much as you feel the need to.
• Next morning: 6:30 am take the 3rd dose of Epsom salts
• 8:30 am take the 4th and last dose. 
• 10:30 am fresh juice can be consumed and around noon fresh food can be consumed. I would suggest soft foods such as berries or bananas or steamed veggies. 
• Eat lightly for a day or two after. 

Repeat monthly or bimonthly.


   Just to clarify the reason behind doing the flush once a month or every other month, once you start cleansing the liver you can't leave it half unclean. You don't wash half of a plate when you do the dishes. The flush doesn't get everything the first time, or even the second, it may take up to 9 times to get it all. If a flush is done  every month and there are two months in a row where little to nothing comes out, then one may only have to flush the liver and gallbladder twice a year. I will see if I'd like to do it once a month or bimonthly after this first flush. It is a lot of prep work just to get to Friday. However I may feel so good afterwards that I want to do it once a month. Many experienced flushers who have shared their stories often say they have found new energy after a flush, their skin clears up, they sleep better and one person even claimed their eye sight was better!

    Remember this is not for everyone. Everyone's body is uniquely made and what works for one person may not work for another. Two people can have the same ailment and the symptoms be different. The liver/gallbladder flush doesn't work for everyone and shouldn't be tried if you have low blood sugar issues or already have gallbladder disease or are already ill or have scarring of the liver (liver cirrhosis) . Be wise with yourself.

   Tomorrow I will be posting about the results, yes there will be pictures. Until then, have a good day! 

Gallbladder flush Part II: The procedure.

    Hello All,

   Today I will be covering what a flush looks like and some more need to know things about gallstones, gallbladder and liver. Hopefully this will be a shorter post than yesterdays.

   The flush is completed in 6 days time and is a lot of prep work until the actual flushing part commences. First off, you have to prep your colon. When doing any body system cleanse/flush one needs to clean the colon first. You can't have toxins getting stuck on their way out. They must have a clear route of exit. Each day we (Levi and I) are taking extra magnesium to help the digestive system move a little quicker. Each day we are also drinking a liter of apple juice. The apple juice is suppose to help soften the stones.

   There are two types of stones; pigment stones and cholesterol stones. Pigment stones are dark in color and made of bile and calcium salts that didn't move quickly enough through the system. Cholesterol stones are just as their name implies. Cholesterol sticks to the inside of the gallbladder when there isn't enough bile flow to move it along. It slowly hardens over a period of time. These stones weren't made over night. They can vary greatly in shape and size. And get this, not only does the gallbladder have them, but the can liver too. In the many bile ducts of the liver pigment or cholesterol gets trapped. And without the proper digestive bile flow can stay and grow.

    Once the stones are softened then the flush can take place. The flush consists of fresh grapefruit juice or fresh lemon and orange juice equally mixed, cold pressed olive oil and Epsom salts. On fifth evening of the flush is when the party gets started by drinking Epsom salts to keep the digestive system clean. Also the diet of the fifth day should consist of hot oatmeal for breakfast, no sweeteners, steamed veggies and rice for lunch and fasting dinner. This way there isn't much to clear out. There are four doses of Epsom salts, two before the actual flush and two after. Once the first two doses are completed, each two hours apart, then mix the room temperature juice with the olive oil, shake and drink while standing by your bed. Sounds weird? Here's why. Because you will need to lay down IMMEDIATELY! Either on your back or on your right side with knees pulled up to the chest for at LEAST 20 minutes without moving. Then after the 20 minutes if one feels the need to use the bathroom one can. The stones should begin to come out at that point or shortly afterward. The last two doses are taken in the next morning to keep everything working smoothly and food is only suggested if one is hungry. 

   The oil and juice mixture help the flow of digestive juices and bile to move the stones into the small intestine and out. Some people have even said they felt the stones rolling out of their gallbladder and liver. I have researched this topic for about 5 months and read a lot of reviews and others' experiences. Many claimed success and few did not. This is not for everyone! I'm trying this as an option to become healthier. 

   Pretty simple sounding, but takes a lot of prep work to get to the flushing. Today is day two for Levi and I, nothing exciting has happened besides trying to eat less animal products and more vegetables. 

More updates to come! Thank you for reading! 

Healthy 2016~

   I do apologize as its been a while since I last updated. I'm taking this blog in a slightly different direction for a while. I really want to become a much more healthy person this year. Its become my goal, not just because I need to for health reasons (touch on that in a bit), but because I now have a son who I want to role model for. Having kids changes your world!!! For the better!

I mean, how could you not fall in love with that smile?! 

   Now onto the health issues, this is going to get personal!! When I became pregnant with such a cutie as you have seen above, I started getting these midnight pains in my right side that felt as though my liver was going to explode. I thought it could be just bad heart burn as it helped to sit up and burp. As the pregnancy progressed the pain became more extreme as Joseph grew inside of me and pushed my organs all over the place. I had an "attack" about once or twice every other month. The last few "attacks" left me so helpless that I'd have to sit straight up with a cold washcloth on my body and a fan pointed right on as me as the sweat rolled down my skin. 

    Being a nurse and interested in the human body I began to do some research. I came to realize that it was not heartburn at all but gallbladder attacks. For those of you who don't know what the gallbladder is; its a small pear shaped organ that sits in between the two lobes of your liver and holds bile and processes fats. When one has a gallbladder attack the gallbladder pulses and radiates pain onto the liver and even up to your right shoulder. 

    After Joseph was born the attacks became worse, even to the point of being up for 8 to 9 hours in the night with vomiting. They started becoming more frequent too. Almost every night and I couldn't go a week without one. I didn't know what to do. I sought help from my regular doctor and she scheduled an ultrasound for me and lo and behold I have gallstones! So when I was having an attack the gallbladder was trying to push a stone out of the bile duct and that's what caused so much pain. 

   You can call me crazy for putting up with the pain for so long and not seeking medical attention because it can become fatal if the gallbladder bursts causing your body to become septic. However I know what signs to look for, such as jaundice, yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. 

  Anyway, in order for me to avoid the excruciating pain of an "attack" I had to watch what I ate. I've made small changes to my diet. I started eating more salads, snacking less, including more veggies in every meal, cooking more rice and eating less. Gallstones are made up of hardened cholesterol from fat. I cut out beef and pork and stuck to chicken and fish. I had to have protein because I'm breastfeeding. Less dairy, less gluten and more steamed vegetables and fresh fruit. I don't eat out as much and I try and avoid desserts. Cravings are harder though, who doesn't want a big bacon burger smothered in cheese with french fries and a  chocolate milk shake? Not, saying I want that, not anymore. I've been living with these "attacks" for a year now and haven't had one for over a month!!!!! Last time was right after Christmas. 

   I've been doing ongoing research on herbs/medications to take and more diet changes to prevent/get rid of gallstones. I came across a book called: The Amazing Gallbladder and Liver Flush by Andreas Moritz. I borrowed it from the library system and eagerly began reading it. It talked about how gallstones AND liver stones can affect almost every system of the body and how to cleanse your body of them. I have decided to try it!!

   And that's what this big long post is really all about. My experience and Levi's (my husband) doing this flush! Just because you haven't had a gallbladder attack doesn't mean you don't have stones. Your body was born to compensate! Mine couldn't handle pregnancy and stones at the same time and that's why I've become aware of them. Don't worry if you're not having gallbladder attacks you shouldn't have to take action, unless you want too. I'm taking action because pain and love are great motivators. Levi is doing it with me because he loves me and is curious about how this works. 

Each day or every other day I will be posting an update of how our flush is going. Today is day one. 

Thank you for joining us on this journey to becoming a healthier family!