An ocean of healing

Just a very quick post to thank everyone for all their love and prayers. Adahlia has been doing very well for the last 24 hrs – very happy, energetic, bright-eyed, and attentive. Her nose is still running a very thick, slightly blood-streaked mucus, and she is still not looking rosy in the cheeks, but the diapers are not quite as horrifying. Yesterday, I rocked her and sang to her to comfort her, as it is sometimes the only thing that calms her, and I could not figure out the source of her screaming distress. Yesterday, she napped for over three hours in one hazy, unhappy stretch. But today, today she is making happy chirping sounds, dancing to the radio, and looking eagerly at everything we pass on the nature trail. Today she wasn’t ready for a nap until nearly 2 pm. Today, dare I say it?, her lips may be just a touch less pale, and perhaps there was a hint of color in her cheeks. But it’s hard to say. It’s hard to separate what you want to see, and what you’re afraid of seeing, from what is really there, sometimes, even for people well-trained in the healing arts and able to see multiple layers in the complexion.

This past Sunday, 3 days ago, it was gorgeous here in Portland, and amazingly, it was also sunny and over 50 degrees on the coast! I decided we all needed to go “grounding” – the practice of walking barefoot on the earth (dirt or soil, doesn’t matter) – to let our bodies reconnect with their roots, the earth itself. Grounding reduces stress, physiological and psychological, and resets cortisol levels. Joe agreed an adventure would do us good, even if it was just a distraction to keep us from simply staring at and worrying about Adahlia. So away we went.

To minimize drive time, we drove a straight-line distance thru Tillamook and ended up at a place called Symons Viewpoint – a lovely stretch of beach with three giant sea boulders like eggs, one of them carved into a graceful arch. To our surprise, the sea was full of nearly a dozen surfers in wetsuits. The beach had a pleasant number of people on it – some strolling, others walking dogs, and one group of folks playing frisbee and making an elaborate sand castle city. The weather was perfect – low winds, bright sun, and warm sky. We found a quiet stretch of sand, set down an old bedsheet for a blanket, took off our shoes and socks, and set to playing.

And oh, did we play! Adahlia had an absolute blast. She surprised us both, for she certainly didn’t look, or act, like a desperately sick kid. She ran barefoot all up and down the beach. Pants rolled up, she flung her unsteady toddling gait out towards the waves, with me right behind her, and as the waves rolled in, I’d grab her wrists and lift her into the sky, spinning and shrieking, dipping her toes into the surf that swirled around my ankles and setting her down again where the water was just barely wetting the sand. She didn’t seem to mind that the water was freezing cold on her feet. She loved chasing the waves out, and having the ocean recede only to chase her, roaring and screeching, back up the beach. We danced, twirled, and did acrobatics. Joe did running leaps over her head as she stood rooted in the sand, giggling.

Adahlia loved playing with the water and sand so much that she didn’t want to leave. When we finally did, hiking up to the car while surfers in tank tops or partial wetsuits sat drinking beer, petting their Labradors, and gazing at the sunset, we all felt that it had been a time of great healing.

“Mother, mother ocean,” as it’s been said.

I do feel that this is a huge healing event for Adahlia. A “healing crisis” of sorts. I believe these medicines are draining toxins from her brain and bones, and that she is just now, just today, starting to get a taste of relief. I believe the Chinese medicines have been working well up to this point, and that they still work, but that by changing direction with these homeopathic spagyrics, we’ve shocked the body a bit, much like changing up your workout, and now we are moving past a plateau. It’s a bit more extreme than the Chinese herbs, but she does appear to be handling it, and I’m no longer quite so concerned that the detox might overwhelm her organs.

I don’t know what her blood counts will be tomorrow, when she goes in for lab work and a blood transfusion, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were terrible, or, starting to trend in healthy directions.

I am very confident in that what we are doing for her is currently the best course of action. If her iron is still too high, we can add the exjade to chelate it. But we won’t start her on steroids yet. It is like this analogy from an old professor of mine:

Let’s say you decide you want to start using a room of your house again that you haven’t used in a long time, like an attic. You go out and buy all new furniture for it. Does it make sense to put your new furniture in a dusty, dirty attic full of trash? No. You first remove the old furniture and debris, then you wash it thoroughly, and then, only once it is clean, do you put the new furniture down. Now, you can live in the room happily. The same is true of the body.

Thank you all again for your love and prayer and support. I will update you all some time tomorrow or the next day, and hopefully, in the next few days as we move out of this crisis, I will also be able to write a post of some general, happy updates on how Adahlia’s been growing, too. She had a very happy Christmas and holiday season and we’ve got lots to report!

Think of us tomorrow while we are at the hospital getting her blood drawn and transfusion. Joe will be at work, and this is only the second transfusion she’s had where we won’t have him with us. She’ll be strong, though, I know it. Send her your love and comfort.

Thank you again! Be well. Love to you and yours.