Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[CarlaB]

Yeah....I'm Catholic and I do know what the "rules" are but my thinking is that if you feel you're doing something wrong and do it regardless...then its WRONG. If in your heart you mean no harm and dont feel what you're doing is wrong...then its not.

Thats my belief...I have my own relationship with God...I guess like everything else in life I dont follow anyone elses rules or beliefs.

This is true. However, there are some things that are objectively wrong, i.e. murder (not necessarily killing, which can be done in self-defense or in a just war). Your knowledge of right and wrong makes up your conscience, but you have to inform your conscience. Then you use your conscience to determine your actions. Feelings have nothing to do with your conscience, but if you think, which is what I think you meant, you are doing something wrong, you are -- this is taking into account an informed conscience.

Also, for something to be sinful, you have to know it's sinful and you have to consent to doing it. Of course, willful ignorance is no excuse.

Okay, better get off the theology! LOL I'm a convert, so I've studied the teachings. The more I learned about them, the more I embraced them.

True freedom isn't necessarily being free to do whatever you want, but free to decide whether to follow a "rule" or not, so following all the rules isn't taking away from your freedom at all.

It's like if you lived on a busy street so your toddler couldn't play outside. So you put up a fence (a rule), then he can play out there all he wants without getting hurt.

See, a religious discussion is perfectly fine when everyone respects everyone else's beliefs!

[AndreaB]

Mine was from chicken pox (is that the right one, lol)...when you have chicken pox the virus lays dormant inside you and latter in life stress, trama, surgery, etc. can bring it out in the form of shingles. It's related to herpes. Somewhere around 1999 or so, I had terrible back pain...it was horrible, then I broke out in a rash in a band around my lower back...looked like a belt.

Varicella is the chicken pox vaccine.

I had a rash band around the side of my upper torso to the back when I was in high school. Didn't really hurt at all though so it couldn't have been shingles. Never did figure out what it was, happened off and on for the whole year, maybe two and I haven't seen it since.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

LOL. Once my stomach was hurting so badly I was laying on the bathroom floor (we've all been there ). I was holding my stomach and yelling at God. My hubby said something about it, and I said I was talking to him ... I WAS talking to him! I wanted to be sure he heard me!! It was more conversational though, not the gd words.

I think it is better to yell at G-d than to close our minds to His existence. At least, if we are yelling at Him, we are acknowledging His presence...

Children are allowed to be angry with their parents (although it doesn't mean they can actually do anything about it--to acknowledge how we feel is the first step to actually doing something about it.

I think many of us feel anger when we don't understand why things happen the way they do. Madeleine L'Engle puts it beautifully. To paraphrase her, she said something like, "What we're really saying is, 'Do it my way, G-d, not your way, MY way!' " And then if you look at it from C. S. Lewis' perspective, the way things happen might make G-d just as sad--or more so--as it makes us.

Sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a literary debate!

[CarlaB]

Boy, that sounds like a busy day. Get your feet up as soon as you can.

And this is NOTHING compared to what I used to accomplish in a day! I will get my feet up soon. We're eating late because of sports practices ... I hate that, but I hold off on dinner till we can all eat together. Since I didn't eat lunch till 4, it's not hurting me any.

[dlp252]

Okay, here's a good site for shingles:

Open Original Shared Link

What is shingles, and who can get it?

Shingles is another name for a condition called "herpes zoster." It causes a painful rash. You can only get shingles if you had chickenpox in the past or if you have had the chickenpox vaccine ("shot").

After you have chickenpox (usually as a child), the virus that causes it stays in your body in certain nerve cells. Most of the time your immune system keeps the chickenpox virus in these cells. As you get older, or if your immune system gets weak, the chickenpox virus may escape from the nerve cells and cause shingles.

Most people who get shingles are more than 50 years old or have a weak immune system. For example, you might get shingles if you have cancer, take medicines that weaken your immune system or have the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

and

What is postherpetic neuralgia?

"Postherpetic neuralgia" is the name used when the pain of shingles lasts for a long time after the rash is gone. About 1 in 5 people with shingles will get postherpetic neuralgia.

Like shingles, postherpetic neuralgia causes a stinging or burning pain. Your skin might become very sensitive to temperature changes or a light touch, such as from a bedsheet or moving air.

Most people with postherpetic neuralgia get better with time. Almost all of them are free of pain within 1 year. A few people have chronic pain (pain that doesn't go away).

I highlighted the last sentence. Figures. The thing with bedsheet or moving air is right on though...even if my clothing rubs on my skin it burns...yesterday it was my hair on my neck.

[Rachel--24]

I think there is alot of truth in this theory...

Many times when the heavy metals are removed and chelated from the body, yeast drops significantly. It is now understood that the body is able to use yeast to combine with heavy metals to render them inactive. Less damage to your health is done with high levels of yeast than heavy metals so it is thought that the body uses higher levels of yeast to protect itself from dangerous toxins."

The source of the theory came from Dietrich Klinghardt, MD. He said that the body prefers candida to heavy metal and that the candida attaches to mercury.

If this is so, then too-vigorous efforts to kill off candida might be a bad idea for persons with amalgam fillings. Better to remove the fillings and wait until symptoms of heavy metal poisoning are gone and then attack the candida.

I've heard this about a gazillion times when I used to post on the Candida boards and when I look at my situation I think it must be true.

I dont know that there is any way to *prove* just what the immune systems' intention is when it allows Candida to overgrow with heavy metals present. It is proven that candida attaches itself to the metals.

I used to think that Candida overgrew because of weakened immunity....this is the most "common" reason we hear re: Candida overgrowth. The Dr.'s would always say that this doesnt happen in people with healthy immune systems....it only occurs in those with impaired immunity...such as an AIDS patient. The Dr.'s would ridicule me for suggesting such a thing.

That used to infuriate me.

Now that things are starting to become more clear to me...I do think Dr. Klinghardt is right. The healthy immune system doesnt become "overwhelmed" by Candida.....rather it seems more likely that the immune system is *using* the Candida to protect the body from further damage from the heavy metals.

When I look at my own situation...it makes alot of sense. Once I started getting poisoned (tasting metal, etc)...it seemed like Candida just exploded in my body.

Obviously my immune system is not weak....I see no reason that Candida should get the upper hand so quickly...unless my immune system allowed for it to do so.

I do not get sick....even when everyone around me is getting sick...I'm not.

This isnt new...I've never been prone to catching colds or other "bugs".

Then I have Lyme and Basbesia...yet my immune system seems to have these guys in check. Who knows how long they've been with me....yet I never got sick. Even with all this other "chaos" going on in my body...the Lyme stuff is not contributing much.

It seems like if my immune system was too weak to control Candida...it would also be too weak to control other things.....like Lyme and other pathogens...or even the common cold. I dont think this is the case...I think the immune system is using Candida to deal with the metals.

To me this is almost the biggest peice of evidence that mercury caused this illness. I see no other reason for this major problem with fungal overgrowth in my body.

It makes sense that killing off a bunch of candida is gonna make the situation worse....and not reallysolve anything. It will cause "die-off"...partly due to metals being released...and the candida will only return...beacuse the immune system obviously *needs* it there.

Scott had told me that Klinghardt's belief is that when Candida binds with the metals...it prevents the metals from traveling around the body...instead they stay in one place. This is much safer....without the candida preventing this from happening...serious damage would likely occur.

It is proven that when the metals are removed...the candida levels go down as well. I think I'm just gonna concentrate on that....and not do any aggressive Candida treatment. I've been pretty lax about the Candida....and I think I'll stay that way.

*Everyone* with mercury toxicity gets Candida....theres gotta be a reason for that. Even if it were caused by weakened immunity I dont think the same exact pathogen would overcome the immune system in every case of mercury poisoning. Candida seems to be *allowed* to overgrow in every individual with mercury toxicity.

I think it makes sense...

I still hate Candida though.

[CarlaB]

Sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a literary debate!

I think we're all doing a good job respecting each other's beliefs and not presenting our own as fact. My previous post was presenting Church teaching as fact because that is what it teaches, not because I think everyone believes it ... I hope everyone knew that.

I LIKE hearing what other people believe!!!

CS Lewis, I love his stuff. Same with Tolkein.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Varicella is the chicken pox vaccine.

I had a rash band around the side of my upper torso to the back when I was in high school. Didn't really hurt at all though so it couldn't have been shingles. Never did figure out what it was, happened off and on for the whole year, maybe two and I haven't seen it since.

Could it have been a reaction to the metal prongs of your bra? Those usually give me a rash.

I was told that shingles have nothing to do with herpes simplex--the chickenpox virus is herpes zoster )also known as varicella), which is a totally different virus.

When I was diagnosed, my first reaction was, "Shingles? What's that? It sounds like I need aluminum siding!" And when the doctor said it was the herpes zoster virus, I said, "That CAN'T be--I've never slept with anyone, I don't even have a boyfriend!"

[Rachel--24]

And when the doctor said it was the herpes zoster virus, I said, "That CAN'T be--I've never slept with anyone, I don't even have a boyfriend!"

Thanks for the laugh...I'm off to Whole Foods now....

[dlp252]

Varicella is the chicken pox vaccine.

I had a rash band around the side of my upper torso to the back when I was in high school. Didn't really hurt at all though so it couldn't have been shingles. Never did figure out what it was, happened off and on for the whole year, maybe two and I haven't seen it since.

Yah, I think you'd know it if it were shingles.

It is proven that when the metals are removed...the candida levels go down as well. I think I'm just gonna concentrate on that....and not do any aggressive Candida treatment. I've been pretty lax about the Candida....and I think I'll stay that way.

*Everyone* with mercury toxicity gets Candida....theres gotta be a reason for that. Even if it were caused by weakened immunity I dont think the same exact pathogen would overcome the immune system in every case of mercury poisoning. Candida seems to be *allowed* to overgrow in every individual with mercury toxicity.

I think it makes sense...

I still hate Candida though.

Me too, lol! Yes, this is one reason why I haven't taken any antifungals...you (or someone else) posted something like this before and so I've been afraid to kill the candida too aggressively...I'm content to starve it out as much as I can until I get the metals under control.

When I was diagnosed, my first reaction was, "Shingles? What's that? It sounds like I need aluminum siding!" And when the doctor said it was the herpes zoster virus, I said, "That CAN'T be--I've never slept with anyone, I don't even have a boyfriend!"

Yep, I thought the same thing, only I'd been married so didn't have that excuse...but still.

[AndreaB]

Could it have been a reaction to the metal prongs of your bra? Those usually give me a rash.

And when the doctor said it was the herpes zoster virus, I said, "That CAN'T be--I've never slept with anyone, I don't even have a boyfriend!"

I would think it would still be just as bad if it was the prongs but who knows.

You and Donna.

[CarlaB]

I was 25 when I had it

"That CAN'T be--I've never slept with anyone

Good girl.

[AndreaB]

Good girl.

Does that mean you aren't a good girl. (j/k btw)

[CarlaB]

Does that mean you aren't a good girl. (j/k btw)

I was married at 21, but, yeah, good girl here I just couldn't say that when I was 25!

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I didn't get married til I was an old lady of 31!

[Rachel--24]

I didn't get married til I was an old lady of 31!

Then I guess I'll be pretty much a "dinosaur" by the time I get married!!

[Rachel--24]

The less I worried about it, the more it went away. (Too bad we can't say that about our gluten issues! )

Yeah.

I wish my problems would have been lessened this way. In the beginning when all the crazy stuff starting happenning to me...everyone was telling me to not worry about it and eventually it would go away on its own.

It never went away though...not even for a day.

I dont think this kind of logic works for mercury poisining.

[happygirl]

I was 22 (just shy of 23)...which for my "generation" is SUPER early.

We are going to the Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner at the Washington DC Hilton on Wednesday night. President Bush is going to be there! He comes to this one every few years, and he'll be here this year. Plus, all the big media companies (CNN, Fox, NBC/ABC/CBS, etc) and political figures (lots of congress-people) will be there. I spoke to the people in charge of catering and they are preparing me a gluten free meal. Who is excited! I told Eric if by chance Heidi Collins is there (which, I don't know if she will be, she's not based out of DC) but IF she is, I'm going up there and introducting myself

Eric has rented a tux, and I'm wearing the black dress I wore this fall in my best friend's wedding, with a black shawl, and my pearls. I even went and treated myself and got my nails done this evening.

After all I have gone through in the past year....I'm really just enjoying the chance to go to something like this and being normal .

Only thing is that I'll have to try to cover up my "tracks" on my arms from the IVs...so that I don't look like a druggie.

[AndreaB]

Then I guess I'll be pretty much a "dinosaur" by the time I get married!!

I was an old lady of 31 as well.

[AndreaB]

I was 22 (just shy of 23)...which for my "generation" is SUPER early.

Only thing is that I'll have to try to cover up my "tracks" on my arms from the IVs...so that I don't look like a druggie.

My oldest step son was 23 when he got married. He'll be 25 in a couple months.

Oh, that's right. Your dress from the wedding was sleeveless wasn't it? That should be fun for you. Is that this weekend?

[Rachel--24]

Feelings have nothing to do with your conscience, but if you think, which is what I think you meant, you are doing something wrong, you are -- this is taking into account an informed conscience.

Also, for something to be sinful, you have to know it's sinful and you have to consent to doing it. Of course, willful ignorance is no excuse.

Carla,

You understood what I was saying. If you know something to be wrong...yet you choose to go ahead with the act...this is sinful.

Of course we've all done things which were wrong....but we're not always *aware* that its wrong at the time...or we believe that we're doing the right thing (although it may not turn out to be). I do not believe this is sinful.

Just because the action may be sinful in *someone elses* eyes.....does not make it so...for you....the person who *believes* the action is good. If everything were in black and white and the same for everyone....how could there be lessons in life??

This is my thinking anyway...I'm sure many would disagree.

[Rachel--24]

After all I have gone through in the past year....I'm really just enjoying the chance to go to something like this and being normal .

YAY for normalness....and getting dressed up...and painted nails and forgetting EVERYTHING and just having FUN!!

I miss doing my nails.

Once I get detoxed I should be able to handle the chemicals again. My nails have gone unpainted for over 3 years now!

I'm so "ungirly".

Yeah...I know....big shock huh.

When is the "event"??

I'm very excited for you....it sounds like you'll have a great time. Maybe a little make-up can work for the "tracks"?? Do the IV's leave bruises on you??

I get bruises pretty easy from needles.

[Rachel--24]

My oldest step son was 23 when he got married. He'll be 25 in a couple months.

Marriage was never a big deal to me. I broke up with the people that wanted to marry me. There was only one person I felt like I really wanted to marry....and of course...as fate would have it....I got dumped.

Anyways...marriage isnt that big a deal to me again. I dunno if I'll meet anyone to change my mind....but I do know this much.....it definately wont happen while I'm toxic and somewhat "out of my mind".

I dont think anyone will wanna sign up for this now.

[AndreaB]

Just because the action may be sinful in *someone elses* eyes.....does not make it so...for you....the person who *believes* the action is good. If everything were in black and white and the same for everyone....how could there be lessons in life??

We are all on different parts of a path. The bible states something to the effect that God winks at our ignorance but it doesn't give us reason to continue to be ignorant so we don't learn and grow.

Even with me practicing headcovering now, it's not a salvational issue.....unless you've studied it out, been convicted about it being right and then rejected it. I have read on the headcovering forum I belong to that Catholics used to cover for services but it's largely been lost.

[AndreaB]

I dont think anyone will wanna sign up for this now.

You never know. If someone was really interested in you as a person and not taking advantage of you being down. It's possible. They'd just get the sickness part first.

A friend of my parents got remarried a few years back to someone with cancer. They knew they wouldn't have much time together but they were willing to take whatever time they had. He did last year.

And no, I'm not saying you're going to die well, someday we all will though. My point being that the right person would wade through all this with you and be interested in all aspects of your life.