In August 2003 I had to go on an oral antibiotics for another sinus infection so, I doubled the scoops in my shakes and took them faithfully four times a day. When I finished the antibiotics, not only was I feeling well, I was not suffering any of the normal side effects of extreme fatigue, blue circles under my eyes, yeast infection, thrush mouth, and loss of appetite. Neither did Murren suffer any yeast overgrowth (from the small amount of medicine leaked into my breastmilk), as in the past. During the Fall of 2003 I was in good health. I did not need a tune-up before starting school as always in the past. I even made it all semester without a single sick day � for the first time in my entire life! I was well all winter yet again, even as my husband, students, and fellow teachers caught viruses. I needed a couple of rounds of oral antibiotics in the summer of 2004 and ended up in the hospital for a tune-up in September(2004) � 18 months after my previous hospitalization! That was the longest I�ve ever had between hospital stays. Reliv has also simplified my medicinal regimen. Though I still take my digestive enzymes, Prevacid and my breathing treatments, Reliv is the only nutritional supplement I need on a daily basis. I no longer need vitamin B, ADEK vitamins, multi-vitamins, or Miralax and my need for antibiotics, oral or IV, continues to diminish. The Life I've Always Wanted I've found that when I neglect taking the shakes, for whatever reason, I end up needing naps twice a day in addition to sleeping all night and am STILL tired. But, if I am faithful, I can make it through a whole day going full steam without ONE nap. I take 1 heaping scoop Now (instead of Classic - Now contains vitamin K) and one scoop Innergize three times daily, with 1/2 scoop Fibrestore once a day. Now that I have begun swimming laps, I have added 1/2 scoop Provantage to two shakes a day on the days that I swim. Just a note, I showed the shakes to my dietician, who was unenthusiastic, though not prohibitive. She just didn't understand what I had found. But, the proof is in the results. I not only have a level of health and quality of life that I've long desired, but rarely if ever experienced, and was convinced was not sustainable because of CF. I am able to be a full-time mom to an active 3.5 year-old, a wife, AND work part-time! I hope the dietician will see my health steadily improving and be convinced of the merits of Reliv. My experience with Reliv is far from unique. So many people's lives are being transformed by improved health and strong immune systems. I introduce it to everyone I know and I plan on using Reliv as my prenatal next time! 2007 Update Each year since starting Reliv, my health has improved and stabilized more. Now, 4.5 years after starting Reliv, I have been in the hospital only 3 times. The last time was July 2005 and was due to an infection in my port-a-cath. The time before that, was September 2004 and was a tune-up. I haven't even taken an antibiotic since July 2005! A couple of times I thought I might need to and even got a prescription filled, but ended up not needing it. In the last year (since April 2006), my lung function has come up 30%!!!! I attribute this to several things. Because of Reliv, my lungs have not suffered inflammation or illness in several years and my sinuses do not get infected easily (but I have found a remedy for when I do get a sinus infection) anymore. This has allowed my lungs to rest and heal and become stronger. I think this set the stage for my new medication to really improve my lung function. Last April I began nebulizing 7% hyper-tonic saline twice daily. I noticed a difference almost immediately because stuff that had been rattling around deep in my lungs started coming up. The hyper-tonic saline also helps my lungs stay open longer after my albuterol. I notice a difference when I do not take it. My weight has remained stable since starting Reliv and my blood work always comes back normal. I am due for a bone scan soon, so I will post if my bone density is still stable. I'm terrible about drinking lots of sodas, so we'll see. Though I still take all my enzymes, prevacid, aerosols, and do my vest as prescribed. Everything works so much better and helps me so much more now than it ever did before Reliv. I will never stop taking Reliv and I'll keep my children on it. In fact, the first thing I plan to do when our new children join us is get them used to taking their shakes! I take Reliv phone calls often and each year I get more phone calls from people with CF who are getting results like mine. Some people's results are not as dramatic and some are even more dramatic than my own. I encourage everyone to at least look into it. It can't hurt and it might make a huge difference. To this day, Murren is the only child I know that has never had the flu or an ear infection. She's always healthy and when she does catch a little virus, she bounces right back. I attribute this to two things--13 months of exclusive nursing and an additional 18 months of supplemental nursing with daily Reliv shakes from the time she started taking liquids other than my milk! I still plan on using it as my prenatal next time and wonder if that child's health might be superior even to Murren's. |
| My weight has been stable at my ideal (+ or � a couple pounds) for almost 3 years now. For the first time it's not a battle to keep my weight up. Because I nursed exclusively for 13 months the doctors told me to expect some bone loss at my annual check-up in May 2003. They found no loss. They also told me to expect not to be able to maintain my health, proper weight and vitamin levels while nursing. I was told that Murren would need supplementation because of my condition. But none of this proved true. Murren was in excellent health, was bright, growing, and developmentally right on target. In August 2003 I began to wean off my iron supplements and am now off all of them. At a check-up my doctor said, even after coming off some of the iron supplements, my blood levels were better than he'd ever seen them! |
| The Usual Way to Take Care of Myself My pregnancy and birth with my daughter, Murren, were very healthy. She was a healthy, happy, sweet baby. Shortly after her birth my grandmother came to visit and brought Reliv products for me. I was very skeptical about trying Reliv, so I shelved it. A couple of months following Murren�s birth, I became severely anemic, which I tried to remedy with natural supplements and diet. I also quickly lost most of my pregnancy weight down to a few pounds below my ideal, but kept losing weight. Then, after spending two months on antibiotics and then a hospitalization when my daughter, Murren, was about 5 months old, I figured I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. So, in October 2002 I got serious about Reliv and started taking 1 scoop Now and � scoop Innergize twice a day. A New, Better Way Though, the only thing about my healthcare regimine that changed was adding Reliv, by November 2002, my iron levels started to slowly get better. I'd been on iron supplements (more & more kinds and higher dosages) since July, but my levels had not been improving - until I began Reliv. I also gained a few pounds. In March 2003 I was hospitalized for sinus surgery. It wasn't until then that I realized that I hadn't been sick at all since September 2002. For the first time in my life, I had not only stayed off any antibiotics all winter, but I had not even a sniffle the whole time. This was despite my husband, John, having endured at least three flu bugs. Not only did I enjoy immunity to the viruses, but so did Murren. Planning to keep my baby with me, I took my Reliv to the hospital and my recovery time from the surgery was shortened, even with a nursing baby that woke me up in the night. |
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| Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life. Psalm 119:49-50 |