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I Just Don’t Understand

by ladypbwiggins

One year ago today a group of people attacked the US Capitol in the name of patriotism. Capitol police were assaulted and Congressional members were endangered. During that time messages came from those members that their lives were in jeopardy. We saw real time images of the attack. Had the assaulters been Islamic it would have been called a terrorist attack. If they had been black, well let’s just say there would have been more immediate arrests and deaths. It was an insurrection and was called such until some high level GOPers characterized it as a tour. I’ve been to the Capitol and the tour never included destruction of the windows, offices or attacking officers. 700 have been prosecuted and more are scheduled. Yet, 71% of the Republicans are reported to still resist the Presidency and don’t believe what they saw with their own eyes. I just don’t understand.

We have always had political disagreement. We have had riots and peaceful protests. But never this. At least not in my lifetime. I thought the atrocities of the Civil Rights movements or the mass shootings would be the worst I would see. An attempted coup on US soil I never thought would happen much less see.

Realize the HOPE

by ladypbwiggins

I posted this in 2022. It is even more relevant now. Please give it a read and your consideration.  Allow your better self to prevail.

We are into the second day of 2022. Tell me, what has changed since December 31, 2021. I know some of you will say nothing and in some ways you are correct but there is an element that January 2022 has that December 2021 lost. There was an expectation leading up to midnight January 1, 2022. There were comments made among people everywhere that expressed “better is coming”. It sounded like, “I will be glad when this year is over.” “I can’t wait until January 1.” “I can’t wait until midnight.” There was an expectation. There was hope. Yes, HOPE.

We all HOPE things will be better. However, it just won’t happen. We have to make things better. We have to do what is best for humanity not an institution, not a political party, not a corporation, not a government entity. We have to do what is right and best for mankind. If we once again realize that the things I do to make your life better will actually make my life better, maybe, just maybe we will make things better. For you Christians reading this I would like to remind you that Yeshua (Jesus) instructed us to love our neighbor as ourselves. He used the story of the Good Samaritan to show that everyone is our neighbor and being a good neighbor requires a willingness to do more than take care of ourselves or people ethnically like us or people of the same faith. If you missed it or don’t know the story it is the despised Samaritan who was the compassionate one, the good neighbor. The political and religious leader stepped over the person in need. Which are you?

The Christian behavior in this country,especially in the last few years, is so far from Yeshua’s teachings and examples that a new name should be applied to it. There is no Christ-likeness. Where is the love for those with whom you disagree? Where is the love for those who may not believe as you do?Where is the love for those whose lifestyle does not conform to what you believe is God’s law? Let’s be honest. Our present Christian behavior doesn’t either. We need to get back to the Judaic basics of our beliefs. If nothing else we Christians need to get back to the 10 Commandments. That was what Yeshua taught. and lived. That’s what Paul taught the non-Jewish believers without requiring them to convert to Orthodx Judaism and lived before them. We need to obey them instead of requiring other people that never said they were believers in the first place to obey them. I am sure the other faith belief systems have a comparable tenet. So treat people right even if you disagree with them. or they are not like you. We were not commissioned to be judges but examples.

Only then can we realize the HOPE. Only then will 2022 be better than 2021. I remember when I was a child the admonishment to “do unto others what you would have them do unto you” was a powerful guiding force for decision-making. I’d ask myself before I said something or did something, would you want that done to you? If the answer was No then I likely didn’t do it. Now I did have moments of anger where I ignored myself but typically, I listened. We should start asking ourselves would we want to be treated the way we are treating others. Change our society by caring for each other. Realize the HOPE.

It is now 2025. Unfortunately,  things have not changed much. In fact, in “christiandom” it has gotten worse. Yeshua is being  disgraced. There is very little love being shown to people. It is taking a great deal more effort to have HOPE.

Loss Replaced With Better

by ladypbwiggins

I was so excited about getting the great results of beet and celery juicing. I began to plan for other juice meals and then……

Silence. My Caynel Masticating Juicer stopped. I thought it had over heated. I waited. Turned the switch. Silence. I tried again. Silence. My juicer died. Of course the warranty had expired. It was laid to rest last night in the dumpster.

Now I await the arrival of my new juicer. Didn’t plan to spend that much money on a juicer but it is my medication provider. It cost about 4x as much as the other. I will let you know if it provides 4x the quality.

It is my expectation that the loss will be replaced with better.

More Veggie Juice Bounty

by ladypbwiggins

This will be a short one. More of the pulp was refrigerated so I put the pulp in the dehydrator. I will grind it and make a powder that can be used in smoothies and soups. I might even sprinkle the powder on salds and tyr making salad dressings. So much to experiment with.

Daya 6 & 7: The Battle is Won

by ladypbwiggins

Seven days ago I engaged in a battle with my Blood Pressure. I was determine to defeat this adversary with natural means. I had tried several different pharmaceuticals prescribed by my primary care provider and my cardiologist. My doctors’ felt the side affects to them were out weighed by the decrease in my pressure. However, I was the one feeling those side effects. All but one made me extremely ill. The one that was tolerable wasn’t as effective. I stopped taking them. I researched the vegetable and herb world to find answers to my situation. I found beets decreased the blood pressure quickly. I also found a herbal tea that reported decreasing blood pressure. On last Sunday I began. Three hours after drinking 8 oz of fresh non-pasteurized beet juice my pressure had dropped 20mmHg units. I was hopeful. You can read the details in the preceding posts.

My “beginning the day” blood pressure was always less than it had been the day before. The last two days I have had measurements in the 120/80 -ish range in the late afternoon. This morning, I drank 12oz of a combination juice of beet, celery, carrot and apple. At about 5pm I took my pressure and it was 122/71. This will be my daily prescription for my blood pressure along with potassium and magnesium tablets and a decrease in salt intake. I will continue to try to reduce my stress and increase my exercise. This is my self-care plan. I am making an appointment with the cardiologist. I expect that will be a positive visit, except for the stress test I have to take. 🙂 I am not a doctor or a medical expert. I can only share my experience. If this appeals to you, discuss it with your doctor and give it a try.

I am continuing the war of taking care of my body on all levels. I still have difficulty prioritizing myself but I am getting better. My next battle is returning to the weight and dietary practice pre-quarantine. I liked how I felt and I like how I looked. Seventy is my new 40. I am going to get there. It took 18 months to get here, so I know it will not happen over night. First order is to get back into the habit of making my raw food that needs to be dehydrated in a timely manner.

Next experiment is making veggie burger patties with the pulp from the beets and celery. Hope they taste as good as the juice.

Day 2 How I Got Here

by ladypbwiggins

Some of you know that my husband and I began a raw vegan/vegan lifestyle in 2017. It was prescribed by Dr. Baxter Montgomery to treat hubby’s cardiac problems. This is a very curative dietary lifestyle. So how did I end up battling high blood pressure. To explain that I have to go back to pre-Covid quarantine.

I made all our food from scratch. I bought veggies and fruit in their original, natural state and prepared our dishes with extremely minimal processing. Hubby got stronger. Arthritis pain decreased for both of us. We had more energy. Eventually, I was showing signs of fatigue from all the work and not enough rest. It takes time. Dr. Montgomery noticed I was tired and told me I didn’t have to prepare everything from scratch. There were some things I could buy already prepared. Looking back on it I think he meant something different than I understood. I began to purchase prepared vegan food. I read the labels and bought what was closest to what I would have prepared. That was the beginning of the slippery slope. A few non-related things added to my stress and fatigue level. That lead to the next step down.

Second, I was introduced to the Impossible Burger and the Beyond Burger. They’re plant-based right? They were tasty and convenient. They were also processed and high in sodium. Now in moderation they may not have been bad but when you are tired and hungry you go for the quick fixes. I purchased the patties and the sausages from the market. Then Burger King began selling Impossible Burgers. Oh, I forgot. Red Robin sold veggie burgers and they were near our home. On those days,they had become frequent, that cooking was harder than buying, I purchased from the restaurants. They are plant based right? A more than moderate diet of these with fries combined with steady doses of high stress leads to problems. This was not every meal but it was more than I should have done, The majority of this activity was during the quarantine. Our daily walks ended. So no excercise. Now I don’t have anything against those products but they are not my family’s friend. Now that I am in this battle, they are forever off my list of things to eat. In fact I am trying to get rid of all processed food. If you are having similar problems I recommend eliminating processed foods even if they are plant-based. Read the labels.

Today I awaken with a blood pressure of 155/102 and HR 61. This was 30mmHg lower than I began yesterday. Cardio for 16 minutes. 4oz of beet juice. Wanted to see if that had a similar effect as did 8oz. I had a stressful day. Husband seems to have Covid symptoms. At 3:59 blood pressure was 150/94 HR 74. At 7:30 148/97 HR 73. Drank 8 oz of freash celery juice. 10pm 167/101 HR 69. It seems celery juice is not as effective as the beet juice. At least not with me. Tomorrow return to 8os of beet juice but the celery juice will be included as well. I am determined to find the correct combination for me.

NOTE: Last night I took magnesium before I went to bed along with CBD infused tea. I felt so rested when I woke up. Hadn’t felt that in a long time. I am trying it tonight with the magnesium only. Hopefully it will also lower my blood pressure tonight.

Blood Pressure Battle

by ladypbwiggins

A few months ago I discovered that I was in a critical hypertensive condition. I just thought I was tired and stressed out. While that was true, it was not the real problem. My blood pressure was in the 200/180 neighborhood. I don’t know how long I had been walking around like that. I had mild headaches but I just took acetomeniphine and kept it moving. It was only because of God’s grace that I did not stroke out or lose my eyesight.

I discovered this condition when I went in to have surgery on my eye. They couldn’t do it because my pressure was so high. I had to get it down quickly. I went to my primary care provider and she prescribed some powerful medication. It made me so sick that I couldn’t function. I went back and she prescribed a different one which got it down sufficiently enough to have the surgery but my system didn’t like it either. By the way, the blood pressure caused the eye problem. Blood vessels burst in my eye. After the surgery I continued to take the medication until my follow-up exam. I know high blood pressure can damage your heart so I went to my husband’s cardiologist to get mine checked out. While there I told them how the medication was making me feel so another one was prescribed. That one made me even sicker. I thought I was dying after the third dose. I had a blinding headache accompanied with nausea and weakness. I stopped taking it.

So what do I now. Clearly the pharmaceuticals are not my friends. I had planned to return to a nutrition solution after everything was stabilized but I am forced to begin it sooner. I knew that was where my long term solution lay but I needed a quicker reduction. I have no choice but to look to fruit and vegetables. (Some of you know I had been on a raw vegan life plan. Had I behaved I would not be having these issues. More on that later.)

First I looked to herbal teas that I could add a few drops of CBD oil into. Thought that would be faster. My list is beginning with pure chamomile and linden tea. I had never heard of linden tea. Some of it’s benefits are:

  • May promote relaxation. …
  • May help fight inflammation. …
  • May reduce mild pain. …
  • May have diuretic effects. …
  • Linked to lower blood pressure. …
  • May help you sleep. …
  • Soothes your digestive tract. …
  • Easy to add to your diet.

This worked but did not get my pressure low enough. I searched for the specific types of foods that were good for lowering blood pressure. There are many and I will share those in a future post. The first is beets. I know someone is saying yuck but beet juice is really sweet. I began drinking fresh beet juice today. One glass of beet juice is reported to significantly lower your blood pressure quickly. It is suppose to be effective for 24 hours. Other veggies are spinach, ginger, and garlic. That looks like a salad!

I watched a video tonight of a chiropractor named Dr. Story. He discussed what he prescribed to his patients to lower their blood pressure naturally. It coincides with what I found on the GoodRx website and our cardiologist. To reduce blood pressure without medications you should, I should

  1. Exercise most days of the week. Exercise is the most effective way to lower your blood pressure. …
  2. Consume a low-sodium diet. Too much sodium (or salt) causes blood pressure to rise. …
  3. Limit alcohol intake to no more than 1 to 2 drinks per day. …
  4. Make stress reduction a priority.

Jun 22, 2019
What’s the Fastest Way to Lower My Blood Pressure Safely? – GoodRx

I plan to begin this journey on tomorrow. Nothing here is new or a surprise but I am not doing it. I don’t like to exercise but I know it’s necessafy. I know a low or no salt diet is best for everybody but I don’t always eat that way. I’ll talk about that more later. Alcohol is not an issue. I drink wine very infrequently. Now here is the kicker. I live a highly stressful life. My stressor cannot be eliminated so I have to find a way to reduce the stress or release the pressure it causes. I basically have to learn how to relax. If you have suggestions on that, please share them. Until tomorrow, have a good evening. I’m going to try to relax now.

Intentionally My Time!

by ladypbwiggins

It’s amazing how a health scare will bring your life choices into perspective. You would think with all that we have been through with Carl’s health issues this would be something I would have done before. But it was his health that was the focus. Everything that was done was done to improve his health and any benefit I received was tangential. Recently I had a scare. Blood vessels in my eye bled and filled the viscous fluid with blood. It also formed a blob that is still present but seems to be diminishing. I hope it is not wishful thinking. A vitrectomy was performed to remove the fluid and replace it. I have limited vision in my left eye because of the blob. What other damage may have been done is unknown at this time. More assessments will be done soon. So what caused this? I thought it was caused by a reaction to some medication that I was taken for polyneuropathy in my feet. No I am not diabetic. I did have other reactions to that drug but it did not cause the bleeding. I discovered on the day of the procedure that I had been living in a hypertensive crisis state. That is stroke or death level. My blood pressure was so high they couldn’t perform the surgery. The surgery was delayed to get that under controlled. In the mean time I had to live with the thought of possibly losing my sight in that eye. Getting proper medication to accommodate the surgery was an adventure in itself. The first medication interfered with the anesthesia so I had to quickly get it changed so my pressure would be down in time. The meds that worked made me sick so after the surgery I went back to the first one. All that time I thought I was just extremely tired. I knew I needed rest but the blood pressure made it critical.

The Change

My son asked a question of me today that made me really think about my level of self care. He said mom why are you so intent on worrying if I’m comfortable. I told you I was fine. Is it because you are insecure? The truth is deep down inside I have always felt I was not worth it. Everyone else was more important. Looking back on my life I realize I have given all my energy to taking care of someone else. It’s not a bad thing, It’s just a “didn’t prioritize me” thing. I gave me the leftover energy and usually there wasn’t very much left. I don’t regret giving myself to others. I just regret I didn’t take care of me at the same level.

So what am I going to do about it. My daughters, especially the youngest has been preaching the mom you are worth it sermom for a while now. I had intention to change my self care but I guess I needed this to kick me into gear. I am going to be selfish. Some say I already am but they don’t really know me. I am going to be intentional about the choices for my own health and well-being.

Several years ago we changed our dietary lifestyle for Carl’s health. We have slacked a little but now there will be intentional focus for my health. I hate taking pills and I refuse to be on blood pressure medication the rest of my life. I will be under a doctor’s care, so don’t freak out. I know blood pressure can be regulated with food. Dr. Montgomery, Carl’s cardiologist will now be mine. I am going to him to check my heart. I want to be sure that hypertensuve state didn’t damage my heart. I will rely on him to help me wean off the blood pressure meds. I have alreay begun PRP therapy for my back. It seems my spine is in bad condition. I will resume the hobbies I put on hold for my mental health. This is my intentional beginning.

My vision is blurring now so I will end with this.

Don’t wait for something dangerous to happen to get you to accept your worth. Take care of yourself.

MY TIME INTENTIONALLY!

Chickpea & Mushroom Burger or Not

by ladypbwiggins

Took a break from jackfruit to use my baby portabella mushrooms before they went bad. Trying to change the mushroom lose paradigm. I chopped the chickpeas and mushrooms together in the food processor. I added some leftover cooked oatmeal from breakfast to aid in binding. I used onion powder instead of fresh onions because I am trying to determine the source of a bitter taste in my veggie burgers. It was suggested by another vegan to soak the fresh onions before using but it didn’t help. I added my spices and herbs. It was a little too moist so I added some rolled oats. I set the mixture aside while I made jackfruit dinner. 😄. After dinner I decided to wait until the next day to cook the burgers. I put the mixture in a glass container. I noticed it looked like a meatloaf so I thought, why not? The next day I cooked the”meatloaf”. Dinner became black-eyed peas, mixed veggies and meatless meatloaf. Burgers will have to wait.

I am not adding a measured recipe because I didn’t measure. This was totally a “my senses determined how much and what” kind of dish. The flavors were correct but the texture was a little dry. It will definitely be tried again with a little more scientific precision 😄.

Ugh Those Brown Bananas

by ladypbwiggins

I think everyone, at least vegans, have experienced those too ripe bananas that just look terrible and a breath away from the banana graveyard. I keep telling myself that I’m going to make banana bread before it’s too late. I have never made. Today I did. I searched the internet for a vegan recipe and I found quite a few. I then had to narrow it down to those who matched the ingredients I had in the pantry. I landed on Nora Cook’s recipe. Of course I didn’t have everything required. I don’t use all purpose flour. Subtitue number 1. I didn’t feel like softening up my brown sugar. Substitute number 2. I had ground so much today that I didn’t feel like grinding flax seeds to make the flax egg. Subtitute number 3. Had no almond milk. Substitute 4.

The resulting recipe: 2 cups of buckwheat flour, 2 TBLs chia seeds, 12 Tbls Water to make chia eggs. Add more water if needed to get an egg like texture. 1/4 cup flax milk, 1/3 cup melted vegan butter, 1/2 cup Agave nectar, 1 tsp Baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.