A Miracle and a Challenge

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.(1 Peter 5:7) 

Doug and I recently went to Tonga to visit Chris, Ash, and the kids. (Click their name to read their blog.)
It was water to our souls! We will never forget that experience.

You might also know that heat affects MS adversely. Tonga is, by nature, very hot. I was prepared when we got to Tonga to be towed around in a red wagon or something. I was not anticipating feeling well at all and was worried I might not be able to walk at all.

Praise God that was not the case!! Here's how it started. . .

Stepping off the plane when you land in Fiji feels like someone dumping a bucket of steaming wet towels over your head. It is so humid! There is also this specifically wonderful, colorful, greenhouse smell that hits you just as hard. The sounds of the birds sound like something you only hear on those cheap jungle sound CDs in the candle section at Target. It takes a while for you to realize that the birds are actually real.

Almost as soon as we stepped into the airport, my optic neuritis (left eye blur) started up. I wanted so much to enjoy the experience--my first time outside of North America-- but I was too concerned with making sure I wasn't tripping over my own feet. I admit I was a little sad.

So, in my frustration and disappointment, I said a little prayer to God. I simply said "Ugghhhh.....God... I really don't want MS this week. Please. I wish I could just pretend I don't have it."

So we went through customs, took a short ride in a taxicab with a persistent driver to see Mountain of the Sleeping Giant, and enjoyed the south pacific sun during our layover. We hopped on our hour-and-a-half flight to Tonga and were greeted by a happy Paquette family once we found our way out of the crowded, one-room baggage claim area. We spent some time outside and it took us a day or two to get over the jet-lag.

A few days into our stay I noticed something weird. "Huh...My feet feel funny"

Wait... "My feet FEEL funny?" ..Holy crap, I could feel my feet for the first time in 8 or 9 months!!

We also rode our bikes frequently. Normally any kind of exercise makes me go blind in my left eye, and in the heat even my right eye starts to go. But, Chris and Ashley trusted me to tow their oldest, Ariel, through the busy down town on the back of a bike. I didn't go blind at all--and this is in in 85+ degree weather. Later in the trip when Doug had strep throat, I was actually able to tow him--about two miles-- through town! I barely went blind the whole trip. And I could feel my feet for a few days.

God heard my little complaint! I could pretend I didn't have MS for a week. In my eyes, this is a miracle. The numbness and heaviness have since come back in my feet, but I'm so encouraged by what happened in Tonga.

By the end of April, it will be a year that my feet have been this way. It's getting old, for sure! But I want to challenge myself on something.

I've accepted some (some) forms of conventional medicine for treatment, and as a result I've kind of let my diet slide. I've learned something though: Conventional medicine is not bullet proof! It is still so important to create health in your body and give your cells a healthy healing environment.

All those times I've thought, "Eh.. A little cream in my coffee." or "Well, it's just a little gluten.." have added up, and I've decided it's time for a new challenge!

I'm doing my own version of a sugar detox/whole 30 combo. No sugar (only berries for fruit), no dairy, no legumes, no grains, for at least 30 days. The sugar and dairy are the parts I gave up on. The rest should be pretty easy. I'll also be doing yoga/weight training every other day.

So I'm going to be posting weekly updates to keep myself accountable...

Today is day one!