Debgraafsma's Blog

So….. I’ve discovered essential oils.  That is to say, I’m discovering essential oils, and have decided to repurpose my blog to chart the process. So far, I have learned what I am coming to believe are the fundamentals of natural healing … a more holistic approach than the medical path I had been on for some time now.

I paused in my blogging journey some time ago.  Years, in fact.  I started during a season of life when I was bored mentally but physically feeling awful.  There were days I couldn’t walk to the restroom without pausing from weakness and fatigue. I stopped cooking. I stopped cleaning. I stopped…. Well just about everything.  My family reapportioned the chores around me. My husband, bless his soul, picked up many of the things I had always been able to do without thinking. (He told me later, he had resolved within himself my condition had scared him.  He was preparing himself to live the rest of his years without me, just waiting for the last coffin nail to drop.)

I went to our family doctor.  During this time, I went through two physicals. My numbers were fine… maybe borderline in a few areas, but I was healthy as a horse.  I was taking supplements, pro-biotics, and a mitt-full of herbal capsules. The kids even laughed about Mom’s morning “gag and choke” routine when I “did the healthy.”

(I started to wonder if I was just lazy – or worse, crazy….. Was it all happening in my head?)

Moreover, I ate whole grains. I limited my intake of sugar. I had lost over 90 pounds three years prior, but had gained it all back. Along with the weight came an intense weakness and fatigue that just wouldn’t go away. No matter how much sleep I got.

(Was I depressed? Didn’t think so. Was I burned out? How was that possible?  I was sleeping all the time!)

Sure, our oldest daughter had gone through cancer treatments a couple of years before. She was doing great, and had just been married. Our youngest was getting ready to go off to school. Our middle was living at home and doing very well at her job. Bill had just finished his doctorate. And I was finished with menopause.

(Could it all be hormonal?  Who could tell?  I researched and found really scary possibilities.  If you are relating to this blog, please don’t do that to yourself.)

Then, after two Christmas seasons of not being physically able to do the decorating and baking I so loved to do; and not being strong enough to entertain guests in our home like we had always done – I became scared.  But, by the end of the spring of 2010, I was just plain mad. I had prayed. I had asked for healing. I was doing all the “right things.” But I was gaining weight and feeling worse and worse.

What on earth was wrong with me?

Then came July 4^th of that year. The day before, I decided I would refuse to spend yet another holiday on the couch. After all, there really is nothing on television…. Or any other screen for that matter, that is life altering, or heart fulfilling. And honestly, I was a little tired of reading – At that point, I would go to work, come home and sleep. But I was desperate for a change.  I decided to “just put my mind to it.”

You know. You’ve probably done it too.

I asked the family if we could all go to a local amusement park on the afternoon of July 4, which in 2010 fell on a Sunday.   We could ride roller coasters in the daylight and eat funnel cakes and hot dogs. After sunset, we could watch the multi-dollar fireworks display from inside the park this year.

Everyone agreed. We needed a family day; together; on an outing. We all missed them.

“Is Mom up to it?” our kids asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” I thought.  But I said, “Absolutely!  Let’s do this!”

Bill and I were excited. The girls were too. That day, our oldest daughter and her husband joined us, and we all made a day of it.  Well, sort of. After two roller coasters, I was done. Discouraged, I sat on the benches for a time and watched everyone else ride ….. what a bummer!

“Maybe your blood sugar is too low,” someone suggested.

“Okay,” I thought. So, I bought a hot dog and some French fries. I remember thinking I wished they sold salads – but I kept dipping the fries in the ketchup anyway.  (Did you know there is sugar in ketchup these days?)

I felt a little better. We rode another roller coaster. And I was physically exhausted once more.

(Now, just for reference, I had always been the first one to repeat the coasters – front row too – during the girls’ childhoods.  The girls had always referred to their Mom as the “ride warrior.” But on that day, it was all I could do to stand in line! After that last ride, I had some water, and decided to rest until it was time for the fireworks.  I told the family I where I would be when the show started.)

Close to sunset, Bill bought me one of my favorite treats: a funnel cake. We got one doused in cinnamon sugar, and it evaporated between the two of us in less than three minutes.  A little later, we purchased another, and consumed it just as quickly.

I remember sleeping soundly that night, and late into the morning of the 5^th. But then, all day on the 5^th, I was unable to do anything! All of the exhaustion symptoms I had pushed to the side, willing myself to forge into a family day on the 4^th, had returned with a vengeance.

The evening of the 5^th,  I felt like my heart was pounding in my head. Bill had recently been placed on blood pressure meds by our family doctor, and he expressed concern.

“Check your blood pressure, Babe,” he suggested.

Finding the cuff under the bathroom sink, I set it up according to the instructions. A few minutes later, I was also concerned. The screen read 188/101. I had no idea what those numbers meant, but I knew they were high. I practiced some breathing regulation exercises, and put an ice pack at the base of my neck. An hour later, it read 165/84, or something close to that.  Assuming the numbers were coming down to normal range, I helped in the late-night routine household chores.

“I’ll have to ask the doctor about this,” I thought, shrugging it off. I headed up to bed with Bill.

Now, so we’re clear; I still had not really mentioned my frustration with my symptoms to my husband. Or even disclosed half of what I had been physically dealing with. I thought I was protecting him.  And, for the same reasons, he had not ventured to bring up his fears of my death with me.

The morning of July 6^th, 2010, I awoke around 4:00am with a start. My head was pounding like it was about to come off. I couldn’t seem to focus my left eye, nor did I have any feeling in my left cheek.  My left arm and shoulder were numb. Come to think of it, so was my left leg and foot!

“I’m just lying in a funny position,” I reasoned, trying to shift. I mentally prepared myself for the pins and needles feeling that would certainly follow my movement.

As my brain worked to communicate with my body, I became terrified. Nothing responded.

I couldn’t move my left side!! Over and over again I tried, and couldn’t move even one muscle!  With my right arm, I reached over my body, and tapped my sleeping hubby’s shoulder.

“Honey?” I called. I waited a minute. “Babe?” I tapped him again.

He turned over, and faced me, his eyes still closed. “Mm? What?”

“Honey, can you help me?” I said. “I can’t move.”

Bill was instantly awake, and alert. “What?” he repeated.

“I can’t move. I’ve been lying here for about 30 minutes. Can you help me?”

“Sure,” he answered. He helped me roll over to my back, and then just held me for the next two hours. We prayed together for healing, for wisdom, for a miracle. Slowly feeling began to return, and the headache began to subside.

Had it been a stroke? A heart attack? What was going on in my body?

At 6:30am, we called the emergency number for our doctor’s office.  I had gone through a physical just a month before. For that reason, I didn’t want to go to the local emergency room. Instead, I opted to wait for our doctor’s office to open. (Besides, who wanted EMT personnel in our messy bedroom that night?)

The triage nurse asked for my symptoms. As I shared them with Bill, his eyes grew wide. The nurse also expressed concern, and said we should come in when the office opened at 8:00am.

Needless to say, my entire life changed that day.  My non-fasting glucose (A1C) was out of control at 13.9 — (14 is coma range). My blood pressure was high also 167/90  or something ridiculous like that….  The EKG was normal, as were many other tests. Our doctor gave me the name of cardiologist I “really needed to see to be sure,” and then sat us both down for the bad news.

It was full blown diabetes, and a few other things. (I have since learned the name for the condition is Metabolic Syndrome, or Syndrome X).

“What could I have done differently?” I asked, sure he would say ‘diet and exercise.’

“You could have chosen your parents,” he answered. “It’s genetic.”

He sent me home with insulin. And needles. And prescriptions. Lots and lots of them. (More than 5 that day….. 9 more later). Strange. Hadn’t I been taking my vitamins, and limiting my sugar, and doing teas and herbs? What was wrong with this picture?

Great. Just great. (I just want to add at this point that a period of emotional struggle began for me at this point, along with a sense of futility!)

So……. Let’s fast forward to today, early summer of 2016.

It’s been a full six years since my diagnosis.  I still am giving myself two injections each day, and faithfully taking the prescribed drugs for diabetes, along with several other things; fourteen medications all told. For the first year or so, I took the classes, and tried to follow the advice given by professionals. After three years, I was able to bring my A1C down to a healthy 6.1, and have remained there to the present time. There was a season when I tried to go to the gym, but would come home and collapse, once again unable to do anything productive.

I have discovered low carb protein, thanks to the Unjury company. (Check it out at Unjury.com). Unjury is a medically developed protein for patients who have undergone gastric surgery. I mix it up each morning with fruit, powdered vitamins and greens.  (I plan to post recipes here in the future). This concept provided me with an incremental improvement in my energy levels. The protein also helped me to experience better sleep.

I have also discovered the value of drinking greens – not that I thought it would be a great idea when I started. I was raised as a missionary child, and was taught it was polite to try a bite of everything. Still, the idea of drinking something green was a concept I had to come to slowly. (Those recipes are also coming). This addition/change provided an additional incremental improvement to my health levels.

Exercise has also been helpful – mostly walking, and light cardio.

So then, in consideration of all I have said to this point, I now come full circle to my opening sentence: I have discovered essential oils.  Since beginning to use them – diffusing, applying, and drinking a drop or two here and there – I am actually experiencing marked and positive change in my health levels.

Oils have definitely brought positive change into my life. For example, a month ago, I travelled to Mexico on a short term mission trip.  That was a miracle for me! Eight years ago, I never expected to ever go out of the country again, much less on a missions trip!  And I didn’t collapse!  It was amazing. And the best part?  I can’t wait to go back to that beautiful country in the fall of this year!

Father God has provided tools for healing in His creation. As I continue to blog here, it is my hope to be able to encourage many, help some, and provide hope for those who find themselves stuck in a place of “un-health” and “dis-ease,” as I was.  I can feel my body becoming stronger every day. I can sense my immunities being rebuilt, as I follow this fresh and natural path.  It is my hope to one day soon, find myself without a need for my medications; healthy and whole.

Next up: What are essential oils, and why are they important?

©2016 Debbye Graafsma/Awakened to grow. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.