Yep. Hospital. Had no clue what was going on.

It started like this: Last Wednesday, which would have been July 2. I began to experience intestinal discomfort, or, as I usually might say, "indigestion". It passed. Then, Thursday, I had it again. A friend of mine and I happened to be going on a raw milk run when we were talking about indigestion, and she told me about a mutual acquaintance who had experienced gallstones (had to be totally God, huh?). I asked her what happened, but really didn't think much about it. Apparently, this woman had a doctor who thought it was okay for her to try her "natural remedy" even though he didn't think too much about it. We went on to talk about the plan I had for my 40 day green smoothie fast.

July 4th comes along, and I felt fine that morning. Ate breakfast (our traditional 4th of July breakfast is waffles with blueberries, strawberries, and fresh whipped cream). We all got ready for the grandparent visit, and when they came, I was snacking on the veggie tray when my "indigestion" came back. It started smacking me around, you might say. I couldn't eat anything, not even the yummy, farm raised (by my dad) burgers my dear hubby grilled for us all.

I decided right then and there to start eating green smoothies immediately. I fixed one, and had 32 ounces of it for the rest of the day. I thought I was good to go. Just starting a little sooner than planned.

Saturday went fine on the smoothie diet. Sunday morning I ate a Hot Pink Smoothie, which was delicious, but by 1pm on Sunday, I started to hurt. Bad.

My stomach had some extreme pain just above the waistline. I thought it was a really bad case of indigestion. I made my green smoothie, and started to sip on it, but had to stop. I took papaya enzymes, hoping to help it. I belched as much as possible, quietly, (I'm sorry--!) thinking that would just relieve the pressure. Took more papaya enzymes an hour later, with no success. An hour later, ate 4 tums. No relief. I had to go lay down, but that didn't help. I threw up, and even hoped that would help, but it didn't. I got in the tub, thinking maybe that would relax me. It was better than not being in the tub. Couldn't stay there, all day, though. Tried sitting up, leaning back, one side, the other side. Just miserable, and extreme pain. I threw up again. Nursing the baby was so difficult, because I couldn't hold him in my lap.

By 11pm, I knew we had to go to the emergency room. I was scared. I hurt so bad. My mom had experienced pancreatitis last year, and I had visions of doom and gloom all over my mind. Didn't want to leave the baby without milk for days on end. I absolutely did not want him on formula!

My husband, the baby and I all got in the car. At the hospital, the doctor's assessment was that it was probably my gallbladder. I didn't realize until he pushed on my right side that it hurt so much more over there than it did all across my waist. He wanted me to get an ultrasound to verify, and then the kindly nurse gave me some pain killers to finally alleviate my agony. It worked pretty quick. They also gave me anti-nausea meds as well. I told my husband as soon as the doctor walked out of the room that I did not want my gallbladder removed! I got the ultrasound, then more pain meds (about 2 hours had passed, and the ultrasound pressure HURT!). I nursed the baby, because he was awake, and no longer happy with hubby. Ultrasound was positive for gallstones. Bloodwork showed my liver enzymes were slightly elevated. No fever, no signs of infection, white blood cell count, normal. The doctor recommended I be admitted to the hospital and talk to the surgeon in the morning so I could have my gallbladder removed. I asked to go home (I am still nursing the baby). The doctor stared at me blankly. I looked at my husband. I told the doctor I wanted to try a cleanse at home to remove the gallstones before getting it out. Again, blank stare.

I asked my husband if he thought I should stay in, or if he thought it was a good idea to go home under the circumstances. He said it was always a good idea to get a second opinion. Doctor shook his head. He said he didn't think it would work, and tried a nice little scare tactic. "The gallstone that is blocking the duct is 15mm across. The opening for your gallbladder is no bigger than this."

And he holds up his pen, which has an end that is maybe 5-7 mm across. I'm a mom. I've had babies via natural childbirth. I know what muscles can do. Didn't work.

I said I wanted to leave if he would write me a prescription for pain meds, and try it my way first. He couldn't understand it, but couldn't hold me against my will. I got my scrip, and one for the nausea meds, too, and we left. Next day, I'm checking the meds out online for the safety factor for baby-- I cannot believe this--the nausea meds can be fatal for infants. I was nursing my baby in front of the doctor! It can cause respiratory distress leading to fatality. Talk about your major negligence! I mean, they shake their heads at me because I want to try keeping a body part I feel attached to, but don't have a problem sending me home to kill my baby! By God's grace, the three doses I had did no apparent harm.

Anyway. I called the woman who had done the cleanse. She told me about. She sent me links to the sites that talked about it. My husband checked it out. I asked him if he was comfortable with me trying this first, before getting a second opinion. We decided to go for it. He watched me for signs of jaundice. I took my temperature time and again to monitor for signs of infection. Monday I did the preparations for the cleanse, continuing to stay on the pain meds until Tuesday morning, then it began the cleanse on Tuesday evening. Wedneday morning I woke up pain free. And the cleanse, well, it was, umm, cleansing.

I spent Wednesday feeling rather weak. I ate light. Thursday morning, still weak. Ate a banana, oatmeal and two eggs for breakfast (not all at once, just each thing separately an hour or two apart. By Thursday evening, I was loaded with energy.

Problem is that a 40 day green smoothie diet could just give me more gallstones. Rapid weight loss is a trigger. So, I have to slow down, and take it a little easier.

For now, I'm just gonna do it the old-fashioned way. Eat right, exercise. Oh, I'm still eating smoothies. Just not exclusively. They're good, and good for you.

I'll be planning something else for the next forty days. I'll let you know what it is when I make up my mind.

After all, where would I be if I didn't make any changes, in another 40 days?

I got to meet my surgeon, Dr. C.J., quite an awesome guy if I do say so myself. Every doctor and nurse I talked to had great things to say about him. He was funny, very informative, and he put my mind and body at ease. He's being doing gallbladder removals ever since it was popularized. He's done more gallbladder surgeries than any doctor in the state of Hawaii. So yey me! He even gave me a cute little "comic" on the whole procedure to take home and gross out everyone with.

Apparently from my ultrasound the blood clot is rather huge. It's an inch in diameter. :|

This whole time I've been telling my doctor that gallbladder problems don't run in my family, I assumed it was only kidney problems. Lo and behold I talked to my dad yesterday we do have gallbladder problems. My aunts all had gall stones, I swear he said kidney stones, and cysts too. Maybe my dad is confused, but whatever. I got it, now it's going to be gone in less than two days time.

I'm already putting in the paperwork for my TDI at work, sadly I can't turn it in till the day of my surgery and won't take effect till 3 days after my surgery. According to Dr. C.J. I should take off between 3 and 4 weeks. I'm aiming at 2 weeks. Actually 1 week. I'm scared to leave work that long. The last time I left my equipment under the guys at my shop. A 200lb door fell off my most prized possession. They fixed it, but I was - I'll be nice - unhappy.

My boss is being really nice about it all. But I have a feeling the whole time I'm gone I'm going to be receiving calls everyday asking me about something and how to do this and what's this for. I swear a shop of 6 guys you'd think they'd be able to handle. lol.

As for the home front. Things have been pretty, cool. I guess. We had a garage sale the past weekend to get rid of our stuff. We made just under $400. We were okay with that. Except I know we would have made more if Preston's aunt from across the street would have stopped coming over to buy something. Since she is family and all she got everything for practically half or less than half of what we wanted for it.

Then living in Hawaii as we do you deal with F.O.B Filipinos. No offense to them, my grandparents grandpa was probably like this too. But they come SUPER EARLY. I swear our ad said 8am. They were there at 6am. Then when the price is pretty damn cheap already they want everything for practically NOTHING! And they'll stand there arguing with you to get the prices lower. I swear that first lady I wanted to shove her back into the car and send her on her merry way. I woke up 430am lady at 6am I'm still not awake to deal with you!

Nyx has been pretty good. His May Day program was the 1st of this month, been lagging to post some decent pictures. But it was cute. He was the Prince of Lanai, I think. During the whole program he either had his fingers in his mouth or trying to bite his arm. It was funny.

Last Thursday I took him with me to see my surgeon, more for the fact that I had to take him to see his Pediatrician Dr. Y. She has to be the best pediatrician around I love her. But anyways, Nyx has been complaining about his ears and hearing things softly again. She didn't see any infections just some liquid. But as a caution prescribed some stronger antibiotics and anti inflammatory medicine. Then a referral to a Dr. N. who is a ear specialist. That is set for Tuesday.

Keeping track yet? It's a few hours after my surgery. But I'm not that crazy. Preston will be bringing him.

Preston has been pretty awesome lately, we had an 'argument' about a week ago, talked it over and he's been doing pretty well and trying to make things better. I think that with everything going on he's been stressing out, becoming really frustrated, and he really isn't the type of guy to talk about his feelings. He doesn't really let it sit there and build up, he just doesn't tell me what's wrong like he should.

I think that's just about it. Just come Tuesday, you'll probably find me on here. A lot.

I mean a lot. What else am I going to do? Clean house? Pfft!

I'm a type A personality with a bit of C on the side... When I work, when I focus and have a plan, it's dangerous to any who stand in my path. I can be viscious and ruthless... and I am. As history has had it, I am generally the one standing in my way... making me the target of myself. And so the body takes a mental and physical beating, I am not kind... as a matter of fact, I would never treat someone else the way I treat myself without a twinge of guilt. I'm paying for it, in oh so many ways...

So the dentist appointment looms and the pain increases but there are things to do. So I shut it off, I shut out the pain in my body. I ignore it  and breathe through it and see past it... I'm good at that now, blocking pain of physical and mental origins. I lay, slightly inverted, mouth pried open, chest burning with fire and pain... I lay quiet and still, floating somewhere else while the dentist fixes the hole in my tooth. And finally, I'm set at right angle to the world again. I stand, I walk, I pay, I leave.

But the pain is breaking through... "Not yet" I say to myself, "Just a little longer and I'll leave you alone to rest". I take a Tums, and another... 5 total and the pain only screams more... I arrive to pick up my son at Wendy's. I lay down on the couch, hoping to negoiate with myself... "Now stop this, you're being ridiculous, it's just some heartburn, you're stronger than this, just breathe through it". (Knowing that I would never say things like that to my own children if they hurt) And then I need to throw up... Wendy watched the clock... She said I was shut behind the bathroom door for over 20 minutes.

Able to breathe again, but still in such pain, I push it away long enough to beg Wendy, "Please keep him for a little while, and bring him home when he and Gabe are done playing". She asks no questions, only hugs me and tells me to go rest at home. He won't be coming home that night though....

I drive myself, breathing, focused, pushing away thoughts, I drive myself to ... the grocery store. What a glutton for punishment I am, I really treat myself worse than any I know! You see, I had told the volunteer coordinater at Dryden's school that I would make a dish for the teachers lunchoen the next day, and although I knew I wasn't feeling up to cooking that night, this pain was not going to make me go back on a promise. I would show my body who was in charge.

Through a fog of agony, I make it to the deli and between placing the order with the counter girl and paying for it, I find myself examining the porcelain bowls of the stores at close range again, but with little more than bile as a result. I was worried now though, there had been a little blood in the bile.

I don't remember the drive, I do remember getting home, putting the food in the refrigerator, changing into sweat pants and a T shirt, laying on the bed and not being able to conquer the pain any longer. I couldn't lay still, or stand, or sit, or crunch up in any way that made the pain go away. I couldn't stop it, I couldn't get it to listen anymore. 

Somehow, I gathered my purse and asked the neighbor to drive me to the emergency room.

My eyes see blurry glass doors slide open, and my hands scribble information on a blue form... "Have a seat" I hear the female voice and I reply... "I can't... please make this stop.... " And then I'm in a bed, and I'm thrashing back and forth, crying "Just stoppppp...", no one is helping me, and this monster just keeps tearing at me. A shadow of  Joshua appears at the door and he turns around to leave "ASSHOLE!", I want to scream at him. But he is telling the staff that this is not me, this is not his wife who breathes through everything, this is some strange creature in so much pain that he doesn't recognize it... A man comes and asks me questions and I answer as best I can, and he injects a pain medication and finally, I can see and hear and breathe again. I feel like I've just run a marathon, the tension running from one end to the other...

That evening, I am admitted, and they find that I have had a Gall Bladder attack "How many stones???" I ask. "Doesn't really matter" is the response I get... Then the surgeon and I speak and I decide that they can have the piece of shit if it's going to make me feel THAT Bad. 

There's more details but I'm getting long winded so...

Surgery is done, I feel Excellent, and yes, I am and will start taking better care of me... It's a process you know?

The idea is that coffee helps to eliminate the risk of every developing type 2 diabetes. Having 1 to 3 cups per day can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by single digits. Having 6 cups per day or more, has proven, according to a study, reduced men's risk of type 2 diabetes by 54% and womens risk by 34%. Hard to believe.

Studies have also shown that:

• People who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinsons disease.
• People who drink 2 cups per day or more can reduce their risk of colon cancer by 25%
• People who drink at least 2 cups per day reduce their risk of liver cirrhosis by 80%
• People who drink at least 2 cups per day avoid getting gall stones by 50%
• People who smoke or are heavy drinkers lower their chance of heart disease and liver damage as compared to those that do not.
• Coffee drinkers may lower the risk of developing asthma

Coffee has shown to be able to lift your mood, get rid of a headache and prevent cavities (I guess that depends on how much sugar you take).

What effect does coffee on your skin?

Coffee and caffeine are finding their way into skin lotions and creams because of antioxidant properties and tightening and firming qualities. Caffeine applied to the skin operates in three ways - as an antioxidant, a diuretic and a vasoconstrictor.

For years, caffeine has been used in products sold to reduce cellulite. The caffeine supposedly dehydrates fat cells by somehow energizing them which in turn causes the sodium/potassium component of the cells to be eliminated, so the skin on buttocks and thighs becomes smoother.

Caffeine's vaso-constricting characteristic also makes it a favorite ingredient in eye creams for reducing puffiness and dark circles as well as tightening skin around the eyes. This I have to say I have seen with my own eyes. I found a product that contains caffeine, and has reduced puffiness and dark circles under my eyes. The caffeine combined with a variety of other botanicals, minerals, and of course rich with vitamin C has made it very effective in taking care of this problem. Of course, nothing eliminates cellulite or troubled skin around the eyes completely. The best you can hope for is noticeable improvement, perhaps only for a few hours.

With the explosion in coffee based skin products, it now is seen in body scrubs, face creams and fragrances. A number of products even smell like coffee and contain ground coffee intended as an exfoliate. Some purveyors have even gone so far as to suggest that the absorption of caffeine through the skin will give you the sort of alertness you can expect from drinking coffee. I have a tough time swallowing that one! Coffee has a slower absorption rate then if you were to drink a cup of coffee. Drinking coffee actually puts it directly into your body, whereas the skin absorption rate is much slower and less effective

Being a latte drinker, my question is what about the stained teeth? It may prevent cavities but it increases staining. As far as having a headache, I know that if I do not have coffee one day I will get a headache, I tough it was caffeine withdrawal, so maybe thats why the headaches disappears? As for mood enhancer, isn't that what caffeine does, gives you more energy. But when the caffeine wears off we need more coffee to get rid of the headache, and not feel lethargic anymore. I guess I would not mind having stained teeth if I can avoid parkinsons disease, heart disease, liver cirrhosis, gall stones or colon cancer!

What do you think?

A cup of coffee a day could keep Alzheimer's disease at bay, research suggests. ...

In this study, rabbits fed a cholesterol-rich diet were given 3mg of caffeine a day, the equivalent of a daily cup of coffee for an average-sized person.

After 12 weeks, a number of tests showed that the blood-brain barrier was significantly more intact in rabbits receiving the caffeine. ...

The study is not the first to flag up the health benefits of coffee. Caffeine can reduce the risk of asthma attacks and help improve circulation in the heart.

Coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing certain cancers, as well as Parkinson's disease and type 2 diabetes.

The drink can keep gall stones and kidney stones at bay and has a mild anti-depressant effect which could reduce the risk of suicide.

Read Entire Article

Four years ago this very weekend the pain that had been bugging me like an ongoing bout of intermittent but ugly indigestion finally decided that it would wait no longer for me to visit my doctor.

I went to bed the previous evening largely uncomfortable but in no great distress but the pain was still there in the morning as I got ready for work. This was unusual but was more an irritant rather than a problem, then suddenly the pain intensity accelerated like a bat of hell.

I winced and moaned and groaned as I staggered around our lounge. My wife, now understandably concerned asked if she should call an ambulance and being a man I told her: "Nah, I'll be fine" before the pain went up another notch and I realized that I was in serious trouble.

It's funny looking back that I thought I could 'walk off' a serious medical condition. Typical bloke - always trying to be the hard man.

My wife got a neighbour to look after or three children as we headed off to the hospital, my first trip in an ambulance, and not one I care to repeat. At A&E I was wheeled in and the staff tried to ascertain what the problem was. I was still 'with it' but it was my wife that answered most of the questions.

Then came a question for me: "Do you have a pain in your arm?"

It immediately occurred to me that they thought I was having a heart attack which I was as sure as I could be that I wasn't. However, I DID have a pain in my arm so I told them which probably delayed a correct diagnosis by a good 10 minutes. It was acute pancreatitis which would eventually necessitate the removal of my gall bladder.

To cut a long story short I was in hospital for a week after being admitted, losing almost a stone in the process. That was a bonus but I can't say I recommend the acute pancreatitis weight loss plan.

It wasn't until the following September that I went under the knife. Prior to going into hospital this second time I did a bit of web searching to learn more about the operation even finding a pictorial tour of a laproscopic gall bladder operation but I dare not look at it for obvious reasons!

As I was taken down to the operating theater I was filled with dread, half expecting me to be the one in a million chance of dying or not going under the anesthetic. Fortunately both fears proved unfounded.

When I came round I noticed that the keyhole surgery had left me with four small holes at various points near the offending internal organ. Did they have to attack it from four separate directions or did it take four attempts to find it? Needles to say, I didn't want the bottle of alarmingly sized gall stones as a souvenir offered later.

I can honestly say that I'm pleased to put the trouble behind me but those two trips didn't half muck up my social life back then.

The first stay coincided with my father's 70th birthday party and the whole family went out for a meal while I watched Sunday afternoon TV in hospital. The second meant I missed our company's 10th birthday party, an international booze up with people from all over Europe.

I'm not a bitter man...

I really hope they see me first. No, no, I'm kidding. But I might offer them my spot. These days I gladly linger anywhere they have internet connections.

A brief meeting. Acknowledgment of severe case of stones (worthy of removal), a little poking around the belly, removal of the remaining surgical tapes, handshakes, done. "No offense doc, I hope I don't see you again."

Post-Op, not as smiley:

Yeah, I don't get a lot of sun on my belly. Now ready for a steady diet of Hydrocodone.

From what I understand there was a sack of stones in that bladder. I asked to keep the rocks, but was discouraged. I thought they might make a cool necklace or something artful like that. Okay nap time for me.

Went out to have a nice dinner with Brent, got back to do a little homework and BAM... sharp, stabbing stomach pain! The pain was bad enough for me to want to go to the Emergency Room to get it checked out, because I was not keen on suffering that way for very long.

A few blood tests and an ultrasound later, the threat was located-- an inflamed gall bladder and pancreatitis (which apparently is an inflammation of the pancreas) caused by gall stones. This, of course, had to be taken care of surgically, so I was moved from the ER up to a very nice hospital room with an awesome view. Brent was there the entire time, and only left my side to either go home and feed the cats, or to get me a fresh set of clothes in which to leave the hospital. This whole weekend would have been considerably lamer if Brent wasn't there to help me and cater to my post-op whims... thank you baby!

All that said, I'm home now and I'm doing quite alright... the lacerations still hurt, obviously, but they are slowly getting better-- Brent is helping almost as much as the Vicodin is :D.

I saw an Edward Jones commercial tonight that made me snicker. The commercial showed a medical doctor talking on the phone to one of his patients. The doctor instructed his nervous patient how to operate on himself from the luxury of his home. While holding a steak knife, the trembling man asks, "Shouldn't you be doing this?"

The commercial was created to emphasize the point, "let the experts invest your money!"

And I agree with of point of letting experts do their job. But unfortunately, when it comes to the medical field, most doctors do not know anything about natural health and naturally flushing or naturally healing the body. Doctors are experts of what they have been taught- medicine and traditional medical treatment. Most doctors know very little about natural remedies, natural cures or natural flushes that are just as effective as their traditional counterpart.

If you are possibly going to get your gallbladder removed, you should first attempt to naturally flush the gallstones before losing your organ.

Why Gallstones Remedies Work?

I have been passionate about natural health for nearly a decade now! And after starting my business it took years to find the 'right' natural health medical doctor who believed in natural health as much as I did. But I think Dr. Saunders was worth the wait because we have teamed up to revolutionize the gallstone industry with simple gallstones remedies that flush the gallstones naturally. Guaranteed!

First off, the body is a pretty miraculous thing! The more I study it; the more I have faith in a higher power! And our gallstones remedies work because they allow the body to do all the work to naturally cleanse or rid it self of nearly all impurities (including gallstones). This is how the body was designed to rid itself of the stones.

And natural health has been on the forefront of discovering how to naturally cleanse the body with various fruits, vegetables, supplements and even beverages. In fact, many natural health cleanses use simple facts like: high water-soluble fibers (many fruits) will naturally flush the body of numerous toxins and keep you regular.

This same concept is used in most body flushes! However, the gallstones flush uses potent natural acids (like lemons and grapefruits) to dissolve the gallstones.

6 Secrets Doctors will Never Share with You.

The following tips are simple gallstone remedy secrets recommended by a natural health medical doctor.

1. Marvelous Magnesium- A diet rich in magnesium appears to reduce the risk developing painful gallstones, according to findings from a US study. You should take 400 mg per day of this marvelous mineral.

2. Reduce Saturated Fats- You should decrease the amount of saturated fats you consume (namely red meats and pork). This will greatly decrease the chance of developing cholesterol-based gallstones (almost all gallstones are composed of cholesterol).

3. Increase Fruits and Vegetables- By increasing your consumption of water-soluble fiber, you can naturally flush your body with fiber. This is a good way to stay regular and flush cholesterol which could cause the stones.

4. Drink Coffee- Recent research indicates that coffee increases the flow of bile and may help to decrease the risk of gallstones. Be sure to only buy regular coffee (not de-caf) and we recommend organic coffee.

5. Start Exercising- Exercising will also naturally keep you staying healthy. By having a regular exercise schedule you can actually prevent future gallstones from forming.

6. Take Vitamin C- Vitamin C is needed by the body to convert cholesterol to bile acids in the body. This easy to get vitamin will greatly eliminate the risk of gallstones.

Dissolve and Flush Gallstones in 24 Hours

If you have gallstones, you can pass your gallstones pain free in less than 24 hours, using a safe, natural and proven home remedy. To discover a researched-based, medical-doctor approved and 100% guaranteed gallstone remedy, please visit our secured Gallstone Remedies Website and discover how you can keep your gallbladder, save thousands and naturally pass your stones.

Gallstone Remedies

Pass your gallstones in 24 hours or less! Allow Joe Barton and Barton Publishing to help you with a 100% guaranteed doctor-approved, research-based gallstones remedies report that has helped thousands!

Gallstone Remedies

Needless to say, I didn't get my trip to Borders and I didn't get my trip to my mum's boxing day party.  I got a trip to the toilet, and another and another.  I shall sum up my experience of the whole day with the childrens' favourite battle cry: 'It's not fair!'  Having got that off of my chest, we shall draw a veil over the events of the past twenty four hours and move swiftly on.  The only good thing might be that I've lost a few pounds, although knowing my luck I shall venture in trepidation to the scales only to find that I have put half a stone on.  Perhaps my body clock is working backwards and it's time to crack open a lard sandwich and stop messing around.

Today I am feeling slightly less vile, although a bit like I've been in a washing machine on spin cycle for a few hours.  I am now waiting to see if I wake up tomorrow covered in spots from head to toe.  This is what they call: 'Something to look forward to,' apparently! This is what happened to the kids, so I keep leaping in front of the mirror, whipping my top off and inspecting my stomach ferociously in the hope that I can catch them unawares.  Quite what I am going to do when I find them is another matter, and one which I haven't given much serious thought to.  It's not as if I can round them all up and send them packing is it?  I might look up random folk remedies on the internet for curing itinerant rashes.  There's bound to be something strange and horrible that you can do with ordinary household implements such as an oven glove and a cheese grater.  It would help to pass the time, since I am refusing to leave the house until the January sales are over.  Anyone who wants to get up at six in the morning to go and stand in line to buy Next underpants is certifiable in my book.

One of my friend's ex-husband used an internet method to try and sort out his grumbling gall bladder.  He was on a waiting list for the hospital to have it seen to, but as these things are not considered urgent, he had been on the list for many a long month and expected to be on it for considerably longer.  In the meantime he was suffering a great deal, as these things may not be urgent, but they are extremely uncomfortable.  My friend suggested he see if there was anything he could do, probably because she was fed up of him lying around the house grumbling and littering up her lounge every day.

He found an absolutely hideous remedy which involved lying on his side, propped on a pillow and then drinking down the juice of several lemons and a litre of olive oil (you had to be propped on your side, to help the glorious mixture percolate through the gall bladder properly).  After this you had to lie and wait for it to flush through your system, at which point you needed a clear path through to a dedicated toilet for about three days while it worked its magic. 

Now you would have to be totally desperate to give this a try, in my humble opinion.  And it is testament to his manly willpower, and presumably how much pain he was in, that he did indeed do it.   He didn't fall at the first post and vomit the greasy lemon mixture all over the carpet, which is what I would have done.  He manfully chugged it down and then galloped away for the next three days, wearing a small track in what had been a very expensive carpet.  After all that time he had passed about eighty gall stones (they look like black olives.  He showed me them in a jar! Gross.) and felt totally brilliant.

Now all this time he had been suffering the poor man had been surviving on Oliver Twist type gruel, because anything you eat that doesn't taste like wallpaper paste apparently aggravates the crap out of your gall bladder and makes it hurt even more.  So when he felt better he decided to treat himself and eat some proper food.  On day four he sent out to the local Chinese takeaway and ate an entire feast for four people by himself.  About eight hours later he was rushed to hospital in dire agony and had to have his gall bladder removed.  Turns out he hadn't read all the instructions on the DIY gallstone removal page.  You're supposed to do a detox diet for three weeks after the initial flushing so that your gall bladder has time to recover.  It clearly wasn't ready for crispy duck a la MSG and had registered its disapproval accordingly.

So, be warned.  If you're going to do crazy home health experiments on the internet, make sure you read all the instructions first, or you will be very sorry.  Also be warned.  Very few of the remedies that are recommended are friendly, if you see what I mean.  You can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of remedies that require you to have: 'a nice cup of tea and a sit down', and there are not words to describe how many of them start with the words: 'First boil your Brillo pad', etc.

Someone very strange once told me that if you had a headache you could cure it by grabbing hold of a chair and wishing the headache into the chair!  If only it were true.  They were convinced of the efficacy of this cure.  I have to say that in sheer desperation I did try it one day (mainly because it was one of the few that I'd heard of that didnt' involve sharp instruments.  Trepanning anyone?).  Oddly enough it didn't work, which is probably why I haven't seen it recommended in any first aid manuals recently.  It did distract me momentarily from wanting to cut my own head off though, so if you fancy a bit of a break, it may be worth pretending for a little while.  I found that after a couple of minutes what I really wanted to do was throw the chair at the head of the stupid person who had recommended it in the first place.  I was only stopped by the knowledge that I had been both stupid enough to believe them and try it in the first place.  Shame on me.

Other weird remedies recommended to me for various things have included: sticking warm bits of garlic in your ear for earache.  I have never tried this because of the smell and the logistics of how you would get it to stay there.  Presumably you use some kind of glue, or perhaps a little bit of melted cheese!  Someone else recommended warm olive oil.  I didn't try this because knowing my luck I would either set my ear on fire or tip too freely and end up pouring a litre of the stuff straight into my brain cavity.  How would you explain it to the Doctor? It would be completely mortifying.

 A friend of my parents used to get bad earache and one day he decided the only thing to do was to screw up bits of tissue paper and stuff them in his ears (like you do!).  He went to sleep like that, rolled over and lost one of the bits of paper in his ear.  He had to go to the hospital to have it extracted, which made his earache worse than ever.  He had a thing about ears.  He used to stick breadsticks in his ears when he was drunk, and had to go to hospital quite a few times for that as well. I expect it was all the grissini crumbs in his ear drum that gave him the earaches in the first place, that or his wife slapping him repeatedly round the head for being such a dullard.  I would have suggested glueing earmuffs to his ears after a bit, just to give the hospital a rest from his total idiocy.

Someone else I know had a big thing about drinking their own wee.  They were positively evangelical about it.  They would have to have been really, to try and recommend it to someone like me.  It wasn't for any specific ills, it was more in the nature of a pick me up and general cure all.  Apparently, if your diet is healthy enough your wee shouldn't smell bad at all, and it is perfectly safe to drink (I think we can safely say that chocolate panettone and a daily Terry's Chocolate Orange do not constitute a healthy diet, so that's me out, sadly!).  She recommended a hearty glassful twice a day to see you right.  I always thought twice about kissing her hello after this, and she did invite us round for dinner a few times, but sadly I was always too busy.

I have heard about this before.  It is quite a popular health remedy as far as extremely odd health remedies go.  Nevertheless it will be a cold day in hell before you find me quaffing a pint of finest wee, mine or anyone else's for that matter.  I still wrestle with the fundamental biological fact that wee is a waste product, specifically ejected by the body because it can't cope with all the nasty toxins that are in it.  If wee were good for us, surely kidneys would be purely ornamental?  As this is not the case, I feel that the money for the subscription for 'wee drinkers weekly' would be better spent elsewhere.

I mean if you're that keen on the stuff, why stop there?  Why isn't anyone recommending the beneficial, health giving properties of munching pooh?  I know there are websites out there that deal with that, but apparently those things are more for pleasure than for health, although I'm hard pressed to say why frolicking in pooh should be the least bit exciting.  After eight years of nappies I feel that I am more qualified than most to comment on the pleasure giving qualities of a fine pooh, and I can honestly say that it has never done anything for me, other than make me feel a bit queasy that is.

 Jason is just pleased that I am better today.  He has had a day of role playing booked for ages and was nursing me feverishly all day yesterday in the hope that I would rally round and release him from his nursing duties today.  He hates being Florence Nightingale at the best of times, and refused to kiss me yesterday in case I passed the lurgy on to him.  When we were first going out and one of the kids got Chicken Pox, he moved in with his best friend for a few days until his mum could dig out his vaccination records to see if he'd had it or not!  He does love a good illness, from about five miles away.

Yes, 'tis true dear reader.  Jason is a role player.  He is an IT consultant, internet poker player and role player.  Cut him in half and read the word 'Nerd' running all the way through him like a stick of Blackpool rock!  Luckily for me he doesn't come across as a nerd at all, which is both very impressive and one of the main reasons I agreed to marry him.  If he had a serried rank of pens in his top pocket (including integral pen protector), some jumbo cord trousers and some iron on patches on his denim safari suit it is an absolute certainty that Oscar would not be here today, and neither would I.  When I made my wish list of desirable qualities in a man, having an extensive knowledge of the world of fantasy role play (not the sexual kind, obviously, although that too strikes me as a bit weird, matron.) and the ability to understand binary were not on it.

I was always fascinated by the idea of Dungeons and Dragons when I was a teenager. I read fantasy books avidly and was convinced that if I didn't live in the middle of nowhere I would be able to join a D&D society and it would be unspeakably brilliant.  I thought it would be 'cool'.  Quite why I thought this now escapes me.  When I got to university there was a D&D society and I went along to chat to them at Freshers Fair, in order to fulfil my ambition.  When I got there I was completely overwhelmed by the plethora of terrible hair styles and tweed jackets.  I turned and fled, never to venture there again.

Always at the back of my mind however, was the sneaking suspicion, that if I could find some cool D&D'ers who didn't frighten the life out of me, I would love it.  When I met Jason it seemed like this possibility was likely to become a reality.  One year he had a tabletop marathon at our house, and a load of his mates came round to play a three day  game.  I was quite excited, thinking this would be my chance.

After watching them take half a day to set the bloody thing up I had lost the will to live.  I fell asleep on the sofa with the sheer boredom of it all, and was only roused when they had a particularly fierce battle.  I will tell you now that this is not as exciting as it seems.  It turns out that any table top gaming requires the ownership of hundreds of dice, of which none of them have less than a quadrillion sides, a sharp pencil and a good head for maths.  A battle merely involves lots of dice throwing and feverish adding up.  It is RUBBISH!  There is no blood, which disappointed me after the hours of tedium I had been subjected to.  There's nothing like a bit of wanton blood letting to cheer you up on a dull day.

Luckily Jason doesn't expect me to share his hobby, which is a good thing, as in the summer he does live role play re-enactments (known to the initiates as Larping) and goes camping in a field for three days dressed as a troll and fighting people with plastic swords.  He always tells me what brilliant fun this is, and I always beg to differ.  I have agreed that I will go to one of these events on the strict understanding that my tent have hot and cold running water, a chandelier and an escalator (and no beetles in the ground sheet), and until that day you are more likely to see me subscribe to 'Wee Drinkers Weekly' than you are to see me dressed as an elf, prancing round a field up to my eyebrows in mud. 

The kids are desperate to go with him.  Tallulah calls it 'scamping', and both she and Tilly both have their characters developed.  Tilly is going to be a vampire with special wings and powers.  Tallulah is going to be a fierce princess.  They even have a cache of weaponry which they have been steadily collecting.  Tilly has a war hammer.  When she got it I explained to her that in Viking times they took their weapons very seriously and considered them to be an extension of themselves.  With particularly cherished weapons they even gave them names.  She went away and thought about this, returning to the kitchen twenty minutes later to announce the fact that her hammer was now called; 'Frappuccino' (a girl after my own heart!)

I am going to be a stay at home mummy, which is a role which I normally chafe against, but faced with the alternative, seems wonderful.  The kids have gone to Jamie's for the afternoon for some kind of festive lunch type event.  Jason is doing his role play at Lee's (see.  For entertainment purposes only), and Oscar is asleep.  I am going to sneak off and watch a distressing DVD about monks being slaughtered in Burma.  It's all go in this house.

I had gallstone attack when I was in 4th month of my pregnancy. some thing around 20 weeks. I thought it was heart burn and it bothered through out the night. so I took couple of zintac in short period of 5 hours. Still wake up at morning 4:00 am with severe pain near my ribs, right shoulder pain and added to thet upper back pain. I cant sit or stand or lay down. I was in the worst state of my life. I was yelling and crying. I could not stand , so we went to (I mean me and My husband) went to emergency. Long story short they gave pain medication, did ultrasound and found I had gallstones. I was given antibiotics (which are safe to take during pregnancy) as gall bladder was severly inflamatted and told me to take Low Fat Diet. They dont want to go for surgery as it is not safe during the pregnancy. so only option left was going on low fat diet.

I searched so much for the internet to find if I could any natural remedy for gallstones.These are the things I came up and helped me to go on well during my pregagncy.

1. Radish juice: I made 1 or 2 spoons of radish juice from the white radish and used to drink early in the morning. Even when i had pain i used to drink a spoon full of fresh juice. Its a immediate relief for pain.

Its seems its even good if you eat radish every day in your cooking or in raw form. They have the capability of dissolving stones.

2.Castorl oil: I will say wonder oil. Thats true its a wonder oil. I used to put castor oil patch (with out heat pad or heat) or just castor oil over right side of my abdomen. Just lay down for 1/2  to 1 hour. I used to continously apply it . when I had pain it used relive it 5 to 10 mins and even if I dont have pain also I used to apply it. As long as I applied I did not get any pain.

3. Olive oil and lemon juice: I heared the remedy . But did not tried it completely. But just had one spoon of olive and one spoon of lemon juice before going to bed. It seems they flush the stones away. But I really dont know. I might try it after my delivery.

4. Turmeric: Its good for gallstones too. I am not sure wether to use it in pregnancy or not. I use turmeric in almost all my recipies. so I though it safe only and had very little turmeric (not even 1/4 spoon) in butter milk  and drink it every day.

5. water : proper intake of water. as usual atleast eight glasses of water.

6. Finally Low fat diet. Trust me it works.

Things I avoided: I am not sure wether its correct or not . Spinach and Tamato are not good if you have stones. Even for kidney stones. So i almost avoided both of them.

This is all I followed since I found I had gallstones. Right now I am 36 weeks pregnant and Dont have any serious attack. When ever I had pain I just take radish juice and apply castor oil and I am right on my track. Very helpful.

Tune in for more info on gallstones.

Even in the ER yesterday, the doctors did an ultrasound to look for gall stones. Nope, she doesn't have any. Finally, one of the doctors suggested a procedure to test the gall bladder when it contracts (to emit bile). They shot her full of die and then gave an enzyme to make the gall bladder contract. Yep, it's not moving which is causing her a great deal of pain.

So, in just a few minutes I'm heading back to the hospital and the surgery is being scheduled for sometime tomorrow. Life is on hold for a few days until we get past this crisis and my mother-in-law will most likely be staying with us for a few days next week to help with the kids during recovery.

If you'd like to keep tabs on us, I'll be posting regular updates to Jaiku.