LDN

In November I started LDN, or Low Dose Naltrexone. It’s an opiate antagonist, it blocks the cells’ opiate receptors, and is used in very low doses to treat auto immune diseases like MS, which is my reason for taking it. The idea is that by blocking the opiate receptors the cells think there are no endorphines circulating and ask for increased production. This means you up your endorphin levels, which again is said to help regulate the immune system. 

I got a tremendous boost when I started, suddenly I had the energy need to tidy a horrendous mess in the basement, for instance. It was brilliant, and we all looked forward to the completion of loads of projects around here. Hah! After two weeks the fun was over and I got an increase in MS symptoms instead. More numbness, to the degree that I am not sure where my right leg is or what it does anymore. So, you’d think that I could just stop taking LDN, after all it doesn’t work? Well, that’s not so easy. I forgot my LDN one night, and let me tell you – both the next day and the following were a total, complete, living nightmare. Absolutely hellish. I feel trapped between a rock and a hard place. 

Cue internet research. Finally I found a forum where this was discussed – the rare few who have an adverse reaction to LDN. According to the good doctor (who has since died, unfortunately), patients with an adverse reaction have Candida overgrowth, but when this is treated they respond well to LDN. Long story short, I have had two weeks with 100 mg Diflucan (not the treatment suggested), but has it helped? Nope. Drat, drat, drat. And my holistic GP who prescribed the LDN does not feel that more medication is the way to go. Not even the treatment suggested. Now, I don’t hanker for medication per se – but I’d love to feel better! Those first days were amazing, but is that all I’m going to get? If anybody has any experience in this or has some research papers I should read – don’t hesitate to tell me! 

Papercuts

I guess most of us have made some versions of these over the years – at least in school. In my family we didn’t use standard paper, we used tissue paper instead. Cutting in the beggining of December, unfolding the “snowflakes” and leaving them in a big book to be pressed for a week or two, then gluing them to the window. Where they’d stay a month or two, until they would be washed off. It’s been a rather lovely art-in-the-moment. I’ve enjoyed cutting these, and I found quite early I had a talent for making these. Over the years I’ve made quite a few – and have sent them to both friends and family all over. The only problem being that I got complaints – how  can I save these? I don’t want to destroy them! Too bad, I said, that’s just the nature of these. They’re very temporary art. Eventually my sweet hubby had had enough of these complaints and bought a laminator. So now I’m cutting, finger-pressing open, then ironing them to remove the creases as much as possible before I laminate them. Then I cut them out free-hand. And finally I punch holes and link them together or add beads and make ornaments – though the latter I only do with the small ones.

I really enjoy making heads, there’s always been princes and princesses on my mum’s windows for christmas. This is a smallish one, 13 cm Ø.

Every year I end up with a new design, this leafy flower is this year’s.

Now all I need to do is to find out how to set up shop, because there is a limit to how many we – or mum – need.

Finally a finished project

Actually, it’s two. One scarf and one blanket, both knitted, both for my daughter. She picked out the colours for the scarf, so she knew about that one, but the blanket was a surprise for her 18th birthday. It was knit as two halves, to get identical ends, and masked together in the middle.

Masking in progress

It becomes pretty invisible, here all that’s left is to remove the wires holding the masks.

The final blanket is about 2m long, enough to cover the recipient.

The scarf is 1.8 m long, and so soft! No wonder, as it’s alpaca wool. I might just have to make more…

A new Robert Moss course

So I’ve finished my Quantum Dreaming course, and I’ve had some experiences that have … pointed some things out to me. Like what to do. Not that I came to a complete understanding of why it is that I am here on Mother Earth, apart from what I already knew, or “knew” as it is more of an understanding. You know, that we’re here to promote love and understanding between people, that love is the only true thing and fear is a weapon wielded by those who live in fear themselves, because it gives them a feeling of power. The second to last class we did a journey to the library of the house of time. When I entered I heard my name called from all over the place, and as I wondered out loud who I was going to talk to, a voice behind me sad “Me.” I whirled around, and there was a Sufi in full garb. He started twirling, and motioned for me to do the same. My skirt grew to a radius of about 4 meters and eventually it was filled with people who had died a traumatic death, and I knew – KNEW – beyond doubt that I was to help them release the trauma of their deaths so they could move on. It is mind boggling when stuff like this happens, and I immediately begin to question myself. I have not had that habit beaten out of me yet, but maybe one day I’ll just accept what I’m told?

Anyway, I wrote about this on the course homepage and Robert replied that the Sufi headdress, that long almost sylindrical hat, is a tombstone symbol. Well, duh. Now I know why these people appeard when the Sufi instructed me. So I signed up to Robert’s next class, Shamanic Approaches to Death, Dying and the Afterlife, you can find some info here, if you’re interested. If anyone wants to know more about it, he’s doing a Q&A call tomorrow, 22. September at 12:00 pm Pacific.

In preparation for the new course I have (of course) grabbed some books:

• Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr. Brian L.Weiss
• Consciousness Beyond Life by Dr. Pim Van Lommel
• The Wisdom Of Near-Death Experiences by Dr. Penny Sartori
• Awakening to the Spirit World by Sandra Ingerman and Hank Wesselman

These come in addition to Robert Moss’s The Dreamer’s book of the Dead (and all the other Robert Moss books that I have), and a handful of other books on life between lives, reincarnation and NDE’s. I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised all these dead people ended up on my skirt. That’s not why I started buying these books, I started because I needed to understand my own weird experiences – which I now know are not that weird after all. It’s just that we don’t talk about them here in the west. I haven’t had a literal NDE, as Ive never been close to death, but I have had mystic experiences and they are very similar. So I’m looking forward to see where this new course brings me.

PS – none of the links are affiliate links, there’s just there for you to enjoy and get a quick look at what I’m writing about.

Cheers!

Berte

Traction therapy is a nifty thing

About 10 months ago I started having problems with my right arm. I got a frozen shoulder, and an increasing numbness in my little and ring finger. Eventually the frozen shoulder healed, but the numbness increased. By April I also had severe pain in the meaty part of my underarm, and I, who was once nicknamed “the mother of power” suddenly couldn’t lift anything. By then I had discovered that I have a prolapsed disc in my neck, which push on the spinal cord, but which the docs would rather not operate. Fine with me, those operations are often not a success. Eventually I found a neuro-chiropractor who came highly recommended. Unfortunately it didn’t help my arm, though the lower 2/3 of my spine became way more flexible, so yay for that. I was then sent to a colleague who passed me on to a physiotherapist, and this guy is my new favourite. He’s doing traction therapy, which essentially means that my head is strapped into a harness, and as I’m lying on a massage table I’m hooked up to a machine which pulls at my head. And it helps! It really does work. It takes time, but there’s a noticeable change. Woot! I wonder how my arm will feel by Christmas. Hopefully it will be back to normal…

Lightning is no joke

(Photo from nrk.no)

323 wild reindeer killed by lightning. It’s rather mind boggling. They still don’t know exactly how it happened, but I’m morbidly fascinated. A whole flock dead within a few minutes, up in the mountains. At least it was quick. So if anyone doubts the incredibly destructive power of lightning, here’s proof you don’t need to be hit directly to die. The lightning hit the ground, and ka-zam! 323 reindeer were electrocuted.

A harvest of miniatures

We started our veg garden a bit late this spring. It had to be moved. Which means that some of the veg grown are not as large as we would like, but they’re wonderfully cute. The largest heritage carrot here is all of 8 cm long, the smalles ones not even 2. The beets are like candy. Wouldn’t have bought any this size, but coming from our own garden these miniatures are pure gold.

To the mountains!

Hubby starts a new job next Monday, so we decided we needed a trip, just the two of us. The kids are back at school, after all. and they’re old enough to take care of themselves. So, what should we do? Mini cruise to Copenhagen? Yes, grand idea. Only, they only had the worst cabins left. With bunk beds. So we looked in the other direction and booked two nights at a mountain resort. And we’re so happy we did. The drive up was amazing. The food here is nice. Nothing to rave about, but not bad. Wholesome and tasty. But the views! Ah, this is balsam for the soul. My heart’s been making leaps of joy at the sheer beauty. At one point I felt like I was about to burst from joy, but I burst into tears I stead. No idea where that came from, but I do know that this kind of nature speaks to my soul. What a blessing the good cabins were sold out on the ferry to Copenhagen. This is a gazillion times better. 

Some photos from our trip today:

Ringebu stave church:

A summer farm in Fefor

A small pond. ❤

One of the summer guests.

View towards Gudbrandsdalen.

Along the Peer Gynt road

View from our window at Dalseter hotel.

Today’s dramatic sunset.

Shoes!

Bought some white Vans a while ago, planning to decorate them. Took a while to decide, but they’re now done, and I’m rather happy with the result.

MS and gluten is a crap combination

At least it is for me. A month ago I started eating gluten, after having been without for six years, to trigger a reaction that could be measured by blood test. Almost immeadiately I sensed changes in my body. The first was water retention. I ended up having to remove my rings, as they become way too tight. I gained with with an amazing speed, but thankfully it levelled out (still, I fear it will be hard work to get those kgs off again), I got eye pain, headache, hipache, more stumbling and unsteadiness than I’ve ever had (and a souvenir mega scrape on my right knee to remember how it feels to have no idea where your feet are or what they do). I got itching – gods I’ve been itching like mad all over – and I’ve been so, so tired. Ridiculously tired. Zonked out like woah. With brain fog and forgetfulness. Really, it’s been crap.

A week ago I had the blood test, and since then I’ve been avoiding gluten like it is the plague. The eye pain is gone, as is the swelling – my rings are back on. But I’m just as unsteady. I get sudden “releases” in my hips, like they don’t want to hold me up, often while walking the stairs. Thankfully those releases last a fraction of a second, but it both hurts and scares. I really, definitely, absolutely, passionately do NOT want to fall down the stairs. Or, as things should be stated in the positive (as the subconscious is apparently unable to hear a negation), I really, definitely, absolutely, passionately want to walk down stairs with complete ease and grace. Actually, I would love to run and jump and skip carefree from boulder to boulder like I did in my childhood. To begin with I’d be happy to feel safe in the stairs. And lose weight (despite some loss of fluid, I’ve not lost any weight). At least I’m no longer itching like mad.

So, to those of you who read this and wonder if there is anything in all the gluten talk, is it as bad as people say: If you wonder, and you have some health issues, I’d suggest one thing: try it! Try being totally gluten free for three months and see what happens. Make notes of how you feel now, and compare. When I quit gluten I went though horrid withdrawal symptoms and had to remove everything that had gluten in it from the house. I would sleep walk to the bread bin to grab a slice and stand there finishing off my snack and wonder what was going on. Ridiculous. After three weeks I was out of it, thank goodness. Now I don’t care, I really don’t want anything with gluten in it.