The Hospital

crunched by Crunchy Betty on November 1, 2011
filed under Are You A Crunchy Betty?

My dad had a heart attack.

On Wednesday.

As far as heart attacks go, and after a previous triple bypass 11 years ago and hundreds of steaks (not the grass-fed kind) later, it was only a small heart attack. He’s okay. Recovering, but okay.

My dad and I haven’t always seen eye-to-eye regarding healthcare. See, he’s a nurse practitioner who has been educated (like so many healthcare professionals) strictly by the pharmaceutical companies for years. Drugs cure everything. They fix all ills – even when they cause others (and that’s okay, because there are more drugs to fix the ills that the first drugs caused).

We had a huge fight seven or eight years ago because I suggested that he look into taking cinnamon supplements to help control his blood sugar. He held up a syringe full of insulin and a blood sugar monitor and firmly stated that was all he needed. Of course, it wasn’t – there was at least one more medication he took, and it turned out his blood sugar was way out of control despite all that.

The trips to the grocery store with him, though, are the worst, because he loves his steak – and he doesn’t care where it comes from. We watched Food, Inc. together, and apparently he was all, “Eh.” When you’re in your 60s, it’s really hard to change your mind about how you buy your food. I get it. It’s like if a teenager came to me and said, “Really, you should like Ke$ha. Toss out all your indie rock.” It’s like that, only I’m not stupid.

But here’s the deal: Even with a heart attack 11 years ago, and with only a few lifestyle modifications that didn’t get in his way, he’s been nearly effortlessly healthy since that fateful day they cut into his heart and smushed things all around into new places.

So for 11 years, he took far less than the bare minimum of recommended pharmaceuticals, was completely noncompliant with his followups, and still remained pretty vibrantly healthy. Could he have done things differently and had a better outcome? I have no idea. But it’s worth noting.

Anyway, the stories of my dad aren’t the meat of what I thought I’d share. Two things happened over the days I was with him in the hospital – two things that will raise your eyebrows, I do believe.

First:

The Cardiac Ward is Very Sad and Full of Weird Nutritional Advice

If you’ve never been in the cardiac ward at Penrose-St. Francis in Colorado Springs, and you have no reason to go, don’t. Or do. But just go and be friends with all of the patients. Go and bring flowers and puppies and sugar-free lollipops that look like flowers and puppies.

As you walk down the hall, you’ll be struck by the multitudes of patients who are very, very old and so attached to hoses and strings that they cannot stand up. They cough a lot. And hardly anyone is there to visit them. (This is why they need flowers and puppies.)

It is the opposite of life. That is what it feels like there.

But the nurses are SO wonderful, and I had a brief moment, watching them do their caregiving thing cheerfully despite all the illness, where I thought, “I want to be a nurse when I grow up! Look at how kind they are. I should be kind too.” That was the one bright spot in the whole of all the days I was there.

Also when you walk down the hallways, you’ll find many posters on the wall making dietary suggestions to the cardiac care patients. These are things they’re told to eat when they’re finally released. Here is my artist’s recreation of what these posters look like:

On first glance, not a big deal, right?

I’m no nutritionist (like, not even close), but even I know how unhealthy refined carbohydrates are – and almost all of the pictures included a refined carb. Not that it’s a huge deal, but really … hasn’t our food pyramid come farther than this by now?

And, consider this: You’ve just had a heart attack. You’re depressed. Life’s rough already. If you were sentenced to only those foods (which are very arguably NOT the most healthy choices already) for the rest of your life, would you even care about living it? It’s a wonder more people don’t just die from a broken heart right on the spot when they’re released.

Here’s what else happened.

Don’t Read Health Magazine in the Hospital

As if it wasn’t bad enough that when I cracked open the latest issue of Health magazine sitting on the table in the cardiac catheterization lab waiting room, the first statistic I glanced at was “Chances of dying in an airplane accident: 1: 2,000,000. Chances of dying in the hospital due to a medical error: 1:300,” the next few pages blew my mind.

Juxtaposed between the ads for questionable chemical-filled cosmetics and athletic companies telling women that they will feel so much more empowered if they buy a gym membership was an article with a headline that said something like this: The Worst Things You Could Do For Your Health.

(Okay. Not a direct quote on the title, but the article title isn’t on the Health website, and I’m not spending $5 to reread a magazine that just made me feel sad and angry inside.)

I cannot remember the third thing in that article, because the first two blew my mind so hard: Drinking raw milk and growing your own sprouts.

In this article that was all about the most dangerous things you can do for your health, two things were (this bears repeating) drinking raw milk and growing your own sprouts.

But here is an artist’s rendering of what this article actually looked like:

Unbelievable.

So there you have it. My trip(s) to the hospital.

I do want to finish by saying this: I’m so on board with medical intervention in the form of things like bypasses and cardiac stents and surgery to remove tumors and moles. But when the doctor said to my dad, “We’re going to have to put you on several high-dose medications to keep you alive,” my heart just sunk.

That’s the part I have a hard time with.

But in the end – right now – I’m just glad he’s okay.

And that things are going to get back to normal soon – for him and for me.

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Sara

I’m glad your dad is okay. He was lucky, and it’s probably the steak that saved his life! It makes me sad to see what my FIL is doing. He had a heart attack in his 50′s and then was on Lipitor for 20+ years to control his cholesterol, which worked nicely! One day, he heard fish oil might be good for him, so he called his cardiologist who asked him to come in for a checkup. As a result, he had a quadruple bypass a couple of days later!! That lipitor really saved him, huh? :-/ He’s still on the L. and now his diet is even lower in fat. Not a steak in sight, and he looks terrible. Much older than he should.

nadimoon

Sorry to hear sending you healing energy and warm positive thoughts everything is fine. Just breathe deep, relax, and think good positive thoughts. Namaste (peace) to you.

I do agree anything that keeps you from ingesting drugs is worth more than its weight in gold. You and only you know what’s right for you. It doesn’t matter they have a “medical degree” 99% still depend on treating not curing anything. Most times it ends up causing more problems than it treats.

I’ve been totally prescrip free for 5 years now. I’ll have it no other way. no some days the pain it’s not easy, but at least I can think and function most important of all I’m fully conscious instead of in some weird drug induced coma for 4-5 days in a row. Yes it was that bad that no matter what you could not wake me up until it wore off. I was taking 15-16 prescrips a day most included some sort of serious painkillers. Those were the ones that left me comatose. Yes told dr and he said it was fine at least I wasn’t in pain. Changed drs several times and got same result. After the fifth one I got educated and FIRED them. I weaned myself off the drugs and have never looked back. Definitation of insanity; doing the same thing expecting a different result. Suddenly a little light goes off in your head shouting; “Heeelllooo”. At that moment you just get it and begin to do something different and get that different result you’ve been longing for. They say you are what you eat, but for me it goes soooo much deeper than that. My motto: “You are what you THINK!”

namaste to all and take care of each other

~nadimoon

Jalcml

Glad your dad is okay and recovering. I have had much the same experience with my father in law and the hospital when visiting him. Sadly, there is a lot of money behind big pharma and not a lot behind sprouts. Sigh…
Sandi Queen

Oh Leslie,
I’m so sorry about your dad’s heart attack, but glad he’s doing OK. I can totally relate to the sinking feeling when the medical staff at a hospital, who, in their defense, have NO nutritional training at all, give advice that we who study such things know is contrary to good health. Three weeks after my 3 1/2 year old son was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, I mistakenly asked his oncologist, “Is it OK to give him fresh carrot juice?” Her response floored me…”NO! We don’t know how too much CARROT JUICE might interfere with his *protocol* (of toxic chemo that we were forced to sign waivers to allow them to give him, waivers stating that these drugs were known to cause new cancers….but at the same time, threatened that if we did not sign the waivers, our child would be taken from us because we refused to give him his chemo, and put in foster care so he would be able to get the chemo!) Her advice was to just let him enjoy himself and pump him full of hot dogs, doritos® and soda, and all the other stuff kids like.

Needless to say, I never asked her another question about how to care for my child, just quietly made it through 3 1/2 years of treatment, studying to become a CNHP so that I could care for him in a way that would truly help him cleanse his body and fight this disease. Thankfully, we have the internet, as well as many other wonderful resources which are available to learn better ways. I’m glad you have found some. Your dad can only benefit from your perseverance to find answers that will really help. I’m praying for you, and for you dad.

Sandi Queen, Jeremiah’s Mommy
http://www.caringbridge.org/pa/jeremiah
Anonymous

Wow…sending lots of love and positive thoughts your way.

Thanks for sharing all your insights from the ordeal. In my opinion, you are spot on. This also makes me think of the movie Forks over Knives…it has inspired my meathead boyfriend to almost completely eliminate animal products from his diet (and I am *nearly* vegan myself). There is a Forks over Knives diet that is supposed to reverse heart disease…maybe worth investigating. (And it helps that it originates with two doctors.)

Incidentally, I have that issue of Health magazine on my end table. I’ve gotten two issues so far from a free subscription and am considering cancelling, even though I’m not paying for it. It just seems like a waste of paper…I had the same reactions you did!

Glad your dad is okay. Hope to see an update from you in the future.
Penny

I am glad that your father is recovering. The medical industry is full of valuable information….and we have been taught these health professionals are the ultimate- what they say as authorities is true. Now, we are learning to research and ask more questions before accepting a medication or treatment (in some cases).
The more curious we are about other remedies and healthful choices, the more the medical community will respond.
They need to know what we want and they will provide it….doctors, nurses, PAs, etc….are in the field to help US,to help…. people– we need to help them to know what we want.
or something….
Kelly H.

I’m glad your dad is ‘recovering’. It is very frustrating when we can not see the advantage of a true balance in our lives- what we eat, eastern medicine, western medicine, exercise, etc. Positive thoughts to you and your family.
Megan

What this article reaffirms to me is that we need balance. It is not enough to solely rely on medicine and it is not enough to solely rely on being “natural.” As a doc who also makes all of her own cosmetics and believes in a lot of natural remedies, I also believe in the good a lot of pharmaceuticals can do too. In fact, for all that we love about high tech fancy surgeries and procedures, in a lot of cases, (especially if you read the literature on stents), medical treatment with pharmaceuticals and sustained lifestyle changes is just as good, if not better. I tell patients all the time that preventative medicine is not about lab tests and radiologic tests, but about what we put in our bodies and how we take care of our bodies. A lot of people really want a pill to fix everything and on the other end of the spectrum I have a lot of patients who don’t want any pill no matter how much it could help them. I’m don’t believe either camp is “right.” The point is, everything we do is about weighing risks and benefits. All treatments whether they are natural or not, have risks to them and it’s up to individuals to decide what risks are worth the benefit. I try very much as a doc to give my patients the risks and benefits about everything I can, from screening labs to medicines and let them decide what is best for them. If you aren’t sure if a medicine is right for you or why your doctor wants you on it, ASK! If they can’t answer your question or seem unwilling to, I’d suggest finding someone else who can/will.

Megan

Oh yeah, and for the record, the ridiculously outdated nutritional info most of the medical community subscribes to really frustrates me too. Inevitably, I have many diabetic patients, for instance, who get referred to a diabetes educator from the hospital and I end up correcting half of what they learned from them.

I’ll say it again, don’t rely on medical professionals to always be up to date on everything, (although I totally agree that they should be!) Read up on your own from reliable sources and ASK QUESTIONS! I can’t say it enough! ;)
Kathleen

I completely agree with this! As someone with some severe mental health problems, I simply can’t make it without medication at this point in my life. I try to do everything I can to improve my well being, and I really agree with what you said about balance. I understand why some people would urge me to go entirely “natural”, but it really is all about balance for me.

G Furman

It is so sad because people trust their doctors so much. Doctors, here in Canada at least, are not required to take a single nutritional course in their entire education. What do they know about what to eat or not to eat? When my brother was in the hospital for a life threatening infection, do you know what they fed him? Jell-o. Completely artificial, sugar filled, preservative packed Jell-o, and only Jell-o for months. Sad.

If you haven’t seen it already, I recommend the documentary Food Matters. It is all about treating illness with food and vitamins as opposed to pharmaceuticals.
jjmama1502

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family….I totally understand your frustration…
My father has the “BIG 3″…high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes and to add insult to injury ulcerative colitis. His diet is atrocious and he’s on more meds than I can count but when I try to talk to him about possibly changing his diet/lifestyle, he looks at me like “isn’t that my cute little hippie-tree-hugger daughter…” and goes on his merry way. ARRRRGH. I guess we just keep trying, keep praying, and do what we can…we can’t give up on ‘em, can we?!
Jessica

Hey Crunchy B,
I just wanted to send my warmest thoughts and consolations your way. I’ve gone through nearly the same experience very recently, and I totally get the heartache and frustration that comes with it. My “common law” father-in-law (to whom I’m quite close) had his second bleeding ulcer in three years this past summer. He was hospitalized (again) and for a few months after had a terribly hard time getting his hemoglobin count back where it should be. I kept dropping hints (the subtle kind as well as the slightly more direct kind) about things he could eat to get his iron back where it should be and to repair the bacterial imbalance in his stomach, but he wasn’t willing at all to make many changes or to try new things (much like your Pop). I know how long it’s taken me to re-educate myself about food and health, and I don’t expect him to change overnight either, but it’s heartbreaking to see him go through such health problems when they are minimizable (or preventable) with simple things he could do on his own. Anyway, all that is to say that I wish you and your Dad the best, and that I wish there were easier ways to deal with these things.
RowanMist_Gen

Oh honey. I’m really glad that it was only (only!) a little heart attack & that he’s home/coming home soon. I’m sorry it happened at all. Virtual hug for you. Also wishing you tea & biscuits. And puppies.
Tara

Glad to hear your dad is okay! The contradictions in what we’re told by these “professionals” is so irritating. More and more I’m convinced we really don’t know as much as we think we do. So much is luck of the draw, and despite your best intentions, you still get screwed! I knew someone with congestive heart failure (caused by a virus, they think), high blood pressure and pre-diabetes despite being a vegetarian for 20 years, and no couch potato either! And yet a woman who just died at the age of 110 smoked for 95 years of her life!! Insane!
Lauren @ DessertsByLauren.com

I hope your dad is ok. I can relate with your frustrations though. My mom is on high blood pressure meds, she’s borderline diabetic, and has several other health issues that she takes meds for. It’s beyond scary. And when we go grocery shopping, her cart makes me sick. She gets enraged that I, someone half her age, should tell her how to eat. My husband and I are not the healthiest eaters, but we try. My mom’s cart is generally filled with frozen, processed foods, chips, and processed desserts. I’m a baker, so i’d rather make my own. My husband loves to cook, so we eat relatively healthy. My mom lives across the hall from me and I constantly tell her to come eat with us because I can’t stand the crap she eats. And she also orders take out a few times a week. She just won’t listen. And gets furious when I try to help. Some people just don’t want to be helped, but it’s so hard when it’s someone you love.
http://courtcan.com Courtney Cantrell

Betty, I’m so sorry your dad is going through this and that you are, too. My father-in-law had a quadruple bypass in 1999 and three heart attacks over the course of a weekend in 2006. He is also diabetic. He’s now 76 years old, and his eating habits are a major point of contention in the family. So I can well relate to your frustration — as well as to your thankfulness that, for now at least, he’s okay.
LisaLise

Wishing your dad a speedy recovery. Don’t beat yourself up too much over your dad’s diet and life choices. He knows you care and he knows you want the best for him.
Gelato

Peace be with you dear one. It is a blessing that your dad is alive and for that I am thankful. Since I was a child I always heard these words from my dad, “If I live another year . . . “. I’ve basically lived in fear all of my life because of family genetics. My dad’s father dropped dead of a heart attack at age 52, one brother at 39 on the operating table having open heart surgery, and another brother at 42. My dad is the oldest living child at 73 years old! I have preached until I was blue in the face about eating better and to quit doing physical labor like he did in his youth. Last year my dad told me he had had some chest pain and wasn’t feeling great. He is the oldest and I am the oldest child. My dad gave me that information because he knew I would do something about it. (Like try to save his life.) I phoned his cardiologist’s office and said my dad was having chest pain. The doctor saw him that day, then did a catherization, and a stent was put in his heart. He was then put on a blood thinning med (like rat poison) to keep the area unblocked in his heart. I know you are familiar with all of this medical stuff. You know, as much as I love my dad, I just had to end my trying to control him. This I figured out as I realized last year my words to him were like a rubber ball bouncing off of a cement wall. I’ve recognized that all of my life I worried that I may not have my daddy another year. Why put myself through this and be depressed over his not listening to any suggestions? Today, I will help my dad in any way possible and if he asks my opinion, I give it. Every day I try to talk to him by phone and I pray with all my heart for him and his health concerns. I’ve shared this with you in hopes that you do not tote the guilt I carried around for so many years. The ”what if I do or do not do this”—-trying to save my dad. My wish is that the rest of our days will be spent as happy as they can be and without the turmoil. That I will be able to see him as much as possible and that he knows that I love him unconditionally. Thinking of you and yours.
Jane

So sorry to hear about your father’s heart attack. SO glad he’s going to be okay. Sending you, your dad, and the rest of your family lots of healing thoughts.
http://upyourimpactfactor.com/ JennyBBones

For over a decade I worked for the soul-crushing pharmaceutical industry and I can tell you that without a doubt, their LAST priority is healing people. Their ONLY priority is making money (if people are truly healed, they’re out of business). I sat in boardrooms and watched them make these deadly decisions every day. I saw them “tweaking” data on clinical trials and covering up patient deaths on a regular basis.
I also was unfortunate enough to be at the mercy of doctors’ medication recommendations when I subsequently suffered a nervous breakdown…due in no small part to my chosen profession. It was an awful year spent in a drug-induced coma. I’ll never forget reading a list of “advice” one psychiatrist gave to my husband at the time….one of the “tips” was “Feed her lots of chocolate, it’s a mood elevator.” I love chocolate, of course, but what I needed was (significantly) less medication and (much) better nutrition. There was nothing I or my husband could say that would sway the doctors’ recommendations. Finally, and thankfully, I found a path of true healing and have never looked back. I am an advocate for socialized health care. Not because I think the gov’t will do a great job of it, but because the moment it is privatized it becomes nothing more than a money-making machine. It’s the lesser of two evils, the profit agenda versus bureaucratic incompetence. But in the end, we are each responsible for our own health and education. This site goes a long way in aiding people on that journey.It is extremely frustrating to watch a loved one make decisions we know to be counter-productive to their health. It is a feeling of complete helplessness. You are doing everything you can, sister. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

The Goat Cheese Lady

JennyBBones, Thank you for sharing your story. Are you willing to share also, what is your path of true healing? I think we all, at different times in our lives, are on or are looking for that path. Thanks, and keep healing!

http://upyourimpactfactor.com/ JennyBBones

@2caf45ff67107e0fb3ecd37df537c897:disqus I am more than happy to share my experiences and thanks so much for asking. I’m actually working on an ebook as we speak, outlining some of the techniques I learned which helped me to overcome my breakdown and depression.

I have a history of childhood sexual abuse and, when combined with a rape in my early 30′s I just went continually downhill until I literally hit bottom (at least I HOPE that was the bottom lol). My healing has been a beautiful journey and I would not change any part of my life as it led me to this moment right now, sharing with you.

I can identify three major steps along the way that were key to my recovery:

1. Get off the mind-altering medications so I could function enough to heal. However, I have to give full disclosure here, one symptom of PTSD I have yet to get a handle on is anxiety and I do still have a script for a mild anti-anxiety med when needed. But this is a far, far cry from the heavy doses of anti-psychotic, sleep, and anti-depressant med cocktail they had me on before I got well. There were times when I would sleep for 3-4 days straight…seriously. How can someone get better under those conditions? PLEASE NOTE: I was weaned off these medications when I finally found a doctor I could trust. No one should ever stop taking these types of meds abruptly or without supervision.

2. I identified the warped messages and values I was carrying around and begin to literally re-program my thinking. For example, I believed I was weak and deserved violence and pain. Now, I feel strong, beautiful and confident. Woe be the man who ever lifts a hand (or anything else) to me again. This is a long process that requires commitment but it is the cornerstone of my recovery. After all, it took us decades to believe all that negative crap about ourselves, it may take a few months to reverse it.

3. I had to disconnect my self-identification with my past tragedies. I am no longer an “incest survivor” or “rape victim.” I can honestly discuss these events with as much emotion as I can tell you what I ate for dinner last night. Again, this is not an easy task but absolutely necessary. We have to remove the emotional baggage so that we can step out of the past and into the present moment. The beauty is, we TOTALLY have the power to do this! Our memories only have the power we give them. There is such immense freedom in this truth.

My email is jennyb (at) @upyourimpactfactor:disqus (dot) com and I’m happy to answer/discuss this further with anyone who so desires.

Love & Light,
Jenny

http://makeitbakeitbuyitfakeit.blogspot.com Stephanie

As with so many others here, my family has dealt with this same situation and my prayers are with you and your whole family. Hopefully it will be comforting to know that you are not alone. Not by a long shot.

Things I’m reading and learning now about nutrition go 180-degrees from what the doctors told us back when my dad was going through this (eg. margarine vs butter). There is so much that we (humans) don’t know still and the important thing is to keep our minds open and question the new information as well as the old. Don’t expect one source to have all the answers. There is no magic pill that takes away responsibility for stewardship of our own bodies, and people will go to great lengths to not have to change. When they’re people we love, or even ourselves, it’s really hard to come to terms with that.

ps… I looked up that article (3rd thing was raw gulf oysters). Seriously, just stay away from magazines. They’re bad for your health and well-being.

Andria

Your statement about magazines is so true. I absolutely hate magazines. My mom gets the Oprah magazine and it makes me sick. There are articles on wellness, feeling good about yourself, recognizing your strengths, blah, blah and then on opposite pages are hundreds of ads for beauty products and wrinkle creams. Mixed messages if you ask me. Telling people they are beautiful on the inside and then telling them that looking young is the only important thing in life. Just had to rant a bit since your comment really hit home. I avoid magazines when possible!

http://twitter.com/AbsurdGrace Sophia Grace

I agree, too, about the magazines! And any pop-culture deal… Like television. Why is it legal to advertise pharmaceuticals on prime time television? To me that’s clearly a lack of ethics.

Stacyjomcdermott

Prayers and good thoughts for you and your dad. I will agree with you that the nurses at Penrose are fantastic in how they interact with their patients (my mum was there about 7 years ago for an emergency gall bladder operation…she’s since pass).

The best thing to do for one’s body at any age is to eat close to the source…and garlic, lots and lots and lots of garlic.

All the best, Stacy (formally of CoSpgs, now in Oakland, CA 99%!)
Flowerlady

I’m so sorry that you & your dad have had this problem. I just found you about a month ago & I’m already a fanatic! I just love your blog. I’m now 50, but in my early 20′s (& before) I struggled with many health issues. When I would go to doctors for it they would just poo poo it & label me a hypochondriac, so I turned to natural medicine, which cured a great deal of my problems. Since then I’ve seen many of the recommendations I followed, which were viewed at the time as wives’ tales, come to be viewed as true & lauded by those who once frowned on them, so I try to go with what seems sensible. I totally agree with the other comments about balance. There are times when medicine is necessary, but going naturally most of the time may help avoid the need for medicine. I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying your blog & that you like to keep things simple. I do too! Thank you so much!

Jen

Would you be willing to share some ideas for natural medicine? I have some health issues and would very much like some natural remedies. If you would be interested in giving me some tips please message me…jennifer.rockey@gmail.com. Thank you!!!!!!

Becky

Yeah. What an experience, huh? My 11 year old son was diagnosed with leukemia 1 month ago. He had complications galore, finally got home, was OK for 6 days and then ended back in for 10 more days. One drug he’s on causes diabetes. OK, so they teach you how to deal with that. Healthy things like “eat all the carbs and crap you want and just take more insulin.” His meals were PURE garbage! His tray could have ice cream, pudding, juice, a burger, fries, cookies, and low fat/fat free milk. On one tray. What are you supposed to live on there!?! Or heal with?!? It’s so nice to be home again and have real food going into his body! The “what to eat” posters kept us entertained also. My goodness! Insanity!
P.S. Reading your posts gave me short cheerful burst of sanity while in the hospital with him. : )
Lissa

I’m so glad your dad’s recovering, and so sorry that you and your family have to go through this. And yeah, hospitals… not fun. And the idea that the people who are supposed to know the best way to take care of ourselves are trained by companies who profit off of sick people is scary. Sending prayers and thoughts your way!
DesignerGirl

I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through this, but glad to hear that he is getting better (whether it is through drugs or natural methods). My husband, who will be turning 36 next week, was in the hospital for 3 days last spring. It started with the scariest 24 hours of my life–he couldn’t breathe, they told us there was an issue with his heart, that he had 3/4″ of fluid in the sac surrounding his heart, and they couldn’t figure out why it was there or make a solid plan for how to get rid of it. He started in the ER at the ‘local’ (still 25 minutes away) small-town hospital, and ended up being transferred by ambulance to the cardiac unit at the big city hospital (45 minutes away). I hope I never have to follow an ambulance carrying my husband again. I think I can safely say that was the worst night of my life so far.

In contrast to your experience in the cardiac unit, we had a fairly good one. The nurses were FANTASTIC, though my husband was often forgotten during busy times because he was able-bodied and able to get to the bathroom and shower on his own. The drugs they gave him in the beginning, the painkillers (pain from the fluid was the reason he couldn’t breathe) made him look and feel worse. He didn’t have pain, but he was throwing up, and he turned an awful shade of puce that I hope to never see again. The food they fed him (once he wasn’t on the awful pain meds) actually was healthy, and he often had more food than he could eat in one meal. He did get vegetables AND fruit with every meal, his sandwiches were on whole-wheat bread, and he said the food tasted good. I was happy to find reasonably priced good, healthy food in the cafeterias as well. After reading your commentary on your experience, I’m even more thankful for the big-city hospital he was taken to–it sounds like ours is a pretty good one!

In the end for him, they figured out the fluid was caused by a virus invading the wrong area, and a combination of anti-inflammatory drugs helped flush the fluid from his body. Thankfully he did not need to have the fluid drained, which had the potential to make the inflammation worse, and introduce more infection. In his case I’m VERY thankful for the drugs that were available. And three weeks later, when he got sick again, but this time with pneumonia, I was more thankful for antibiotics than I ever was before. He still hadn’t fully recovered yet, and pneumonia at that point could have killed him.

On the whole, though, I agree with other posts in that we need to find a balance between natural health and prevention, and the use of modern medicine. Sometimes the drugs are definitely bad, and other times they are good. The doctors my kids have seen are younger/newer, and take more of a holistic and natural approach to illness. I’ve been advised by those doctors to give my kids honey when they have a cold instead of cold medicine, and it really does work. On the flip side, one of them refused to give antibiotics in a situation where it was definitely warranted (strep throat), and I had to take my daughter to a different doctor to get the medicine (and by that point her eyes were infected as well). That same doc that refused the antibiotics for my daughter had refused to give my husband preventative antibiotics the day he saw him for an extreme cough…the day before he landed in the ER with pneumonia, 3 weeks after being in the cardiac unit. I don’t like to have my family on unnecessary medications, but there are definitely times when they should be used.
Kathleen

Best wishes to you and your father!
http://www.laurelofleaves.com Lori @ Laurel of Leaves

To me, hospitals are one of the most depressing, awful places in the world. I’m so sorry about your Dad I have family members with the same sort of attitude toward anything natural or non-medical and it breaks my heart.
Kellay_00

Have you watched the new documentary Forks Over Knives?? If not then you should really check it out! (even though you probably share a common mindset already, it is filled with great information. My husband and I just recently became almost vegans after first reading Food Revolution by John Robbins and then watching that film. It is a big misconception that if you give up meat and dairy you will feel like you are missing out on something. As a person that has enjoyed both for my entire life I can honestly say that there is nothing further from the truth! I’m loving what I’m eating these days and feeling great!
Marijo_gd

Hi, Crunchy Betty. I just wanted to say my toughts are with you right now. I know from experience how horrible it is when someone you love is in hospital (my own dad spent about 3/4 of 2010 in hospital), so I hope you don’t have to go through that again.
I am actually lucky enough to have had a father who did his research and embraced a more natural life style. As soon as he started getting sick (a very rare cancer), he changed his diet completely. He ate more vegetables and fruits, had oats for breakfast every day and used all his will power to stay away from chocolate because it made his heart rate go way up. He also went for walks everyday, even when his pain was really bad. In the end, it didn’t save his life but I know for a fact that all those life style changes made him live a longer and more enjoyable life than he otherwise would have.
I’m from a developing country (Paraguay), so if you think your doctors are not up to date, you can get an idea of how ours are. So I guess what I want to say are 2 things. One, I’m sending you lots of imaginary lollipops and puppies! I love your blog and admire enourmously what you do and write. Two, being as natural as you can is extremely important, both to heal and to prevent. And it really comes down to taking the bull by its horns and calling the shots in your own life.
http://thepetitegourmet.tumblr.com the petite gourmet

My heart sunk when I read the first few lines. Glad you and your dad are doing better.

Hospitals scare the living daily lights out of me. I once accompanied my boyfriend to just so he could give blood for a medical research study and I cringed the entire time.

I definitely think there is a balance needed between modern medicine and homeopathy. Of course medical intervention and medication are necessary, I used medicine everyday, but I dislike the notion that pills will solve everything. People who need medication for medical ailments but who don’t make necessary lifestyle changes to help themselves and solely reply upon pills are doing a disservice to themselves. I would never say that medicine is bad or that doesn’t help people; many people in my family have needed medicine to stay alive, but for ailments like heart disease or type 2 diabetes where perhaps a diet change is necessary, drugs won’t fix their entire problem.
Cris

I have never commented before however this story pulled at me, my mother had two heart attacks last month. First, let me say that your father and family will be in my prayers and I will thank the Good Lord (who put all these wonderful natural resources AND the much needed health professionals with the incredible brains to come up with medications to help us where natural remedies might not) that your father is ok right now. Keep educating your father, with respect and out of love and who knows how things will change This is all you can do–it will always be his choice in the long run! Good luck.
http://twitter.com/EthelQ Kimber Starling

My heart goes out to you and your dad. Regardless of what he decides to do health-wise I hope he feels better and goes a long time without another incident.
On a different note, I love your hysterical (look up the origins of that word if you want angry post material) renditions of “health” oriented magazines. I feel similar anger and sadness a lot of the time when all I see are ads for pills and very little information in mainstream media about the wonders food can do for us. I can also sympathize with your struggle of spreading the crunchy news to family and loved ones. It’s really hard to get people to change, but hopefully they’ll start to notice good examples (and you are a great example) and become curious about all the great options available to them.
http://twitter.com/EthelQ Kimber Starling

Sorry about the multiple posts. It’s my first time commenting and I’m having some problems figuring everything out. Also, internet dwellers, please don’t stalk me, using Twitter as a sign-in is showing my full name, not my normal internet handle.
http://mikeandmollyshouse.com Molly

My friend who has been a nurse for over 40 years loves to spout off the statics for the placebo effect- something like 30% of people get better with a sugar pill! The mind is a mystery and a powerful thing.
I’m like Megan and go for a balanced approach. I see a lot of misinformation in the ‘natural’ world as well as the western medicine. We don’t know what we don’t know so we shouldn’t go around acting like we do know it all.
I hope your Dad has a speedy recovery.

http://twitter.com/AbsurdGrace Sophia Grace

I’m utterly comfortable with the placebo effect being the curative in any medical situation. I mean… what’s better than your mind/body taking control of the situation?

http://www.baltimorehousewife.com Lori ~ Baltimore Housewife

It is sad that so many people are taught to rely on “modern medicine” when traditional and holistic medicines can work just as well–and without a lot of those nasty side effects.

I really hope your father feels better soon. My thoughts are with you.
Mandy

Glad your dad is ok; love your take on the whole thing. Here’s that article by the way: http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20527888,00.html
Joan

Thank you so much for noticing that nurses care. Not everyone sees us in that way.

http://twitter.com/AbsurdGrace Sophia Grace

There are some extraordinary nurses. And there are also the not extraordinary ones. I’m glad to hear you had a good experience. And cheers to folks who are compassionate in their healing professions. Certainly makes a difference from the other side.

Smilinrosie

I am so sorry to hear about your Dad. Mine died almost two years ago and I miss him terribly. It’s interesting that you should raise the challenge of balancing ‘medical phylosophy’ with ‘homeopathy’ or ‘naturopathic treatment’. I am an Operating nurse AND a firm believer in ‘earth-grown’ remedies. It is a definate challenge! There are places and uses for both. The Medical profession is trained to follow the ‘party-line’ and ‘stick to the statis-quo’ at all costs. The ‘granola’ (I use that word with deep affection) can get carried away with the latest discovery that will cure all. The best thing each of us can do is be an informed consumer, either way. Why not try what the earth has to offer, but not at the cost of being unreasonable with your health or welfare. On that note, it takes away the ability to have a ‘majic pill’, either way. There is a definate balance that can be struck, it just takes more work than expecting someone to ‘fix it’!
Take good care all!
R
jill

I’m so sorry about your father. I know how it feels to go through illness in hospital settings. So, so frustrating. I remember going to the parking lot and weeping when my son was in there for a few months. I finally did get protein drinks sent to him. Luckily besides the treatment my son was allowed to turn down a lot of meds.
As for parents being too old to change their tune. I’m 55 (whew, just said that, ha) and I have totally changed when we had a baby coming, via my daughter who lives here. We eat as organically as possible, grass-fed, and yea, I am a total protein person, your dad would love my steaks. I sometimes feel too old for this task of a little guy, but I’m shaping his future. He loves to go out to the garden and pick his own beets for dinner. What joy to know I have a hand in this. As for the raw milk, the kids all call it “real” milk, as compared to the junk we sometimes buy in the regular grocery.
Some men do not like change, I don’t know if it’s an age thing. My husband is working hard to accept change. Doesn’t always seem like it, but will continue gently working on it.
I hope your father recovers and you have many more good years. Despite his stubborn streak, I know you love you and only want what’s best even if he doesn’t realize it. So frustrating, but just do your best, that’s all you can do.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1583997249 Alicia House

My heart aches for what your father and you are going thru. It is amazing how many of us are brainwashed by the big corporation/big ag companies. It has been going on for so many years now that whole generations have been born into it. It really hit me too when I say your depiction of The Worst Things You Could Do For Your Health. Big dairy and their pocketman, the government, are trying to shut down raw milk any way they can. The grassroots food freedom movement is now gaining traction via a college educated dairy farmer from Canada. He is now on his 35th day of hunger strike. Maybe you could hop on over to the SupportMichaelSchmidt facebook page and lend your support too. I know that anything you do will take off!
Stephtd

I am with Kathleen. I have serious medical issues that no amount of good diet and exercise can control so I take medication. And I can see the point for cardiac pts not drinking raw milk. THey say you shouldn’t drink raw milk unless you know the cow. And, the truth is that the reason Mr. Pasteur invented the eponymously named Pasteurization was because people were dying with great frequency from raw milk and the contaminants it carried.
According to Wikipedia (not the world’s best source)
“Proponents of unpasteurized milk make the unfounded and incorrect
argument that if milk is obtained from humanely raised cows that are
grass fed and handled hygienically, then there is little problem with
disease. However, raw milk can become contaminated in a number of ways: by
coming into contact with cow feces or bacteria living on the skin of
cows, from an infection of the cow’s udder, or from dirty equipment,
among others. Raw milk is responsible for nearly three times more
hospitalizations than any other food-borne disease outbreak, making it
one of the world’s most dangerous food products.” Most of the pathogens in contaminated milk cause violent stomach and bowel flus, Others cause high and recurring or long-lasting fever, One may cause Chron’s disease, another causes Tuberculosis; Salmonella and Staph have also been found. At a time when disease was so prevalent and misunderstood pasteurization was vital.

Pasteurization is different from sterilization.
Now if you drink raw milk and don’t get sick I am sure it has fantastic benefits. I get sick from most milk so I am screwed either way.

I love sprouts and used to grow my own but they can very easily develop problems because you have moist things growing in a jar. There were a spate of tests after illness that found sprouts to carry something like salmonella. They recommended washing them a lot if you ate them.

http://twitter.com/AbsurdGrace Sophia Grace

There is a scary bug that is commuted through raw milk. I don’t think I’d want my kids to consume it, but once we have our own cows/goats, that’ll be the only dairy we consume.

http://twitter.com/AbsurdGrace Sophia Grace

OMG. I so _totally_ understand. Because I am in a hospital M-F, it’s sometimes hard to swallow. In fact, my daily hospitalible experience completely and utterly destroyed by desire to go into medicine.

Which, I suppose, is good that I decided that _before_ going to medical school.
I guess.

And, I’m sorry. There’s no good way to watch someone you love go through a medical emergency. I send love.