Life at Willis Creek Ranch: The 'not what we had planned' day

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

If you follow me on Facebook, you may have noticed that all photos and commentary ceased after Tuesday, June 21. Here is the explanation...

This was supposed to be our 2nd full day of exploring Edinburgh. Well, I nipped that in the bud for all...

Even though I felt lousy,
I still got great joy from that view. :)

About 3:30 in the morning Tuesday night/Wednesday morning I awoke having a severe asthma attack. It was by far the worst one I have had in years, maybe a decade. Looking back now it kind of makes sense... we had two very full days on our trip and we ended at the Highland Folk Museum where the pollen was flying and all my triggers were in full bloom. That alone would probably have caused me trouble, but when you consider how ill I already was I had absolutely no margin.

I was able to get through the attack but by Wednesday morning we knew I needed some medical attention. I was in pretty awful shape. Julie began looking up options on the internet and discovered a certified herbalist who had great credentials, Fiona Morris. We were all amazed when we discovered, that in all of Edinburgh, her office was just a couple blocks from our apartment! AND she stated on her website that she made house calls on Wednesdays! Incredible! Julie called her and she was at the apartment by 11:00 a.m.

She spent an hour taking my full medical history and talking in depth with me about everything that has happened the last year and a half. Even though I *knew* all that has been going on with my health since my hysterectomy, talking about it with her really brought it into my full view. It has been a heck of a year and half for me! I have been pushing through a number of injuries and strange things with my body that I just hadn't expected to happen following my hysterectomy. I have felt like the proverbial 'elephant in the room'... literally and figuratively, for a long time now. She did help me to see that some of it is my fault (which I knew) but not all of it! I have had legitimate issues that have been a real struggle. I hate where I am now (and not just with this 5 week illness I am dealing with), but she helped me tremendously. She gave me a plan and a hope and she also prescribed a personally concocted tincture of herbal ingredients that are specific to what has been happening in my body. It was made to order for me at Neals Yard Remedies. I have been taking it ever since this day and can tell that it is helping me. And I was able to bring a HUGE bottle home!

Additionally, she gave me a holistic massage with many osteopathic elements to it (including moving my lymph!) and by the time she left me 2 ½ hours later, I felt like I would actually be able to make it home. Something I had honestly doubted just hours earlier. Such a blessing!

We had laughed about this tea when we first saw it in the
Sainsburys. We thought it might be appropriate for me
considering what I was doing all over Scotland!!!
Fiona actually told me to get and drink some.
She also said you don't pronouce it PUKA, but pooka. :D

After Fiona left, Mama, Julie & Jennifer were able to go to Clarinda's tea room at the bottom of the Royal Mile like we had planned. I was so glad they were able to go and happy they sent me photos! I enjoyed some quiet time at the apartment and really took it easy. Not a problem at all.

Mama and Julie at Clarinda's tea room

Jennifer

Clarinda's tea room

I was, as always, enjoying my quiet view. :) 3:52 p.m.

and again a few hours later! 5:21 p.m.

One thing Fiona recommended to me was to visit the Salt Cave in Edinburgh. Another miracle was that there is only one Salt Cave in all of Scotland and it was located just about 4 blocks from our apartment! Miraculous, huh? :) We didn't know what on earth to expect at this place, but figured we didn't have anything to lose. So, at 7:00 pm we all went over to the Salt Cave and Mama, Julie, and I had an hour session.

What is the Salt Cave? It is a room that has hard salt walls and fine granulated salt on the floor (think beach sand). There are comfortable deck chairs and ottomans in the room along with ambient lighting and the sound of waves playing softly over speakers. Basically, you go in, sit in a chair (no phones or distractions allowed) and then you breathe for an hour while particle size (0-5 microns) salt that is negatively ionized (so that the small particles will be drawn onto mucus in your lungs) is piped into the room. The room is kept sterile, hypoallergenic, and hypobacterial (we wear hairnets and shoe covers) and the air is replaced on a regular basis.

Mama with the owner of the Edinburgh Salt Cave

We really liked him.

He was pretty funny. :)

Why salt? It began with the unintentional 'study' of British men who worked in the salt mines. It was said they never had respiratory issues or skin issues, and their immune systems were strong. Turns out that pure salt is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, has mucolytic effects (loosens excessive mucus and speeds up mucociliary transport), removes airborne pollen, and reduces immune system oversensitivity.

Now, you can google and find out more if you like, but here is the deal... I was better within mere minutes of sitting in that room. And by the time my hour session was over I was breathing more freely and deeply (without coughing up a lung) than I had in weeks! But, the most amazing response was not had by me, but by my dear Mama. None of us could really believe it.

Mama wears hearing aids and even with them has a very hard time hearing well, especially conversations. She had her hearing aids on when we went into the Salt Cave but shortly felt like her ears were getting full so she removed them and put them in her pocket. She didn't think about them again. After the session we all climbed back in the car to return to the apartment and were chatting about the experience. Suddenly Mama calls out in amazement from the backseat, "I can HEAR you!" She said it hit her like a ton of bricks. She still had her hearing aids in her pocket, but she could HEAR all of us and could UNDERSTAND every word we were saying! Better than she EVER hears with her hearing aids in. That miraculous thing lasted all night long. It was kind of emotional, really. The next morning she was back to 'normal' but the memory of that has stuck with her. They recommend 20-30 sessions (1 session = 1 hour) per year for maintenance of big medical issues so 1 session alone would not really have long term effects. But, what if 20-30 COULD? That is something we are all thinking about a lot.

I will also say at this point that if we hadn't experienced what we each experienced, we would say it sounded like hogwash. :D

I was able to sleep better that night than any night prior on that trip. I felt more hopeful about finally getting well, too. The wonderful combination of Fiona Morris (the herbalist) and our visit to The Salt Cave truly worked a miracle for me.

After the session at the Salt Cave, Julie and Jennifer were able to get to Edinburgh for a nice meal out at Michaels Steak and Seafood Bar. They enjoyed it and we were so glad they could have that time. Julie said it was the best meal she ate in Edinburgh!