Anastazea's Story
"How I Ultimately Found Relief for Grand Mal Epilepsy."
My name is Anastazea.
This page is about how I
am surviving "grand mal," the most serious form of epilepsy -
even though the doctors I have sought for help, gave up on
me years ago, offering no helpful solution, let alone an
outright cure.
I used to have seizures.
Bad seizures. I had them for 25 years. I have dislocated
both shoulders so many times, I've developed rheumatoid
arthritis in both shoulders. During one particular seizure,
I dislocated AND fractured my left arm at the same time.
On more than one occasion I've had BOTH arms in a sling!
Every time I had a seizure
I would ask the doctor to tell me what was wrong with me.
Most of the time I would get the same response. The doctor
would become incredibly frustrated, his attitude would
deteriorate to being rude and degrading. Even though
I would be brought in by an ambulance, with witnesses to
the seizure, they still treated me like they thought
I was a junkie looking for drugs.
Despite having
been long ago diagnosed with epilepsy, they would always give
me the same answer after each seizure, "Look, we don't know
what's wrong with you. Medicine is NOT an exact
science, you know." But still they insisted that if I wanted
to get well, I'd have to continue to take the medication
they prescribed or else ... I was terrified. The doctors
came right out and said that they didn't know what they
should do, in my case. (At least they were honest in that respect.)
I was raised like everyone
else in America - to believe that the doctor knew "everything"
and could heal anything. While under conventional doctors
care I lost half my teeth, my weight balooned past 300 pounds
(I'm only 5'1"), and my dark brown hair turned snow white.
This sounds unbelieveable to anyone who has not experienced
or been in the regular company of a grand mal epileptic.
It was so bad, I could not even be left alone in the bath tub
at times for fear that I would drown.
This was not due to side
effects from the drugs the doctors said I had to take. They
said I would just have to live with it. I found myself dependent
on the welfare system, and on the goodwill of whoever had the
time or inclination to supervise my daily activities. I was
also at their mercy. I also found myself dependent on the public
health care system. I had no money to pay for "real" health
care becuse I could not hold a job.
My credit rating became terrible
because of my instability. I couldn't afford to pay for the drugs
the doctors were prescribing for me without public assistance.
What was really strange is that the doctors told me that
I had to have the drugs to stop the seizures, and yet no drug
they ever gave me ever stopped the seizures in 25 years.
My self-image was at an
all-time low. I did a lot of stupid things in between seizures.
I hurt a lot of people that didn't deserve it by my attitude and
actions. The doctors words kept ringing through my head, "Medicine
is not an exact science, you know," and "We don't know what's
wrong with you."
I began to wonder why
I should be forced to trust people who were as much in the
dark about my "condition" as I was. These so-called
professionals didn't know what was wrong with me and they
didn't care to find out. I lost all faith in the medical
profession. I took myself off of all prescribed medication.
The withdrawals from the drugs I had taken for so long
were painful and terrifying. But I felt that deaht would be
a better alternative to the way I was living -- but to my
amazement I did not die. The seizures grew less frequent
although they were still just as violent. In between seizures
my thinking was a lot clearer and more rational. I began
reading everything I could get my hands on about my
"condition." I had nothing else to do. My life was in
tatters. I could not even have my children with me for
long stretches of time.
I discovered herbal
therapy and embarked upon a two year experimentation process.
I was working totally alone. My kids thought I'd lost my mind.
My mother told me repeatedly that I was crazy. Even my
priest tried to discourage me. He kept telling me that
I was unqualified to do what I was doing to my body --
that I should follow the doctors' instructions,
because they had a lot more education that I had.
But their instructions almost destroyed me.
After many months of study and experimentation,
I developed an herbal regimen that relieved my
symptoms WITH NO SIDE EFFECTS! [Editor: The successful
result of this experimentation is Kavakosh(tm).]
I have been seizure-free
for 4 years and 4 months. That's 3 years longer than
any prescription drug or "doctor's advice" ever got me.
I have lost 125 pounds! I have held the same job for
two years. That's longer than I have ever held a job
in my life. For the first time in my entire life
I am financially self-supporting. I have lived alone,
without supervision, for almost two years. I am
totally independent. I am a forty-three year old
grandmother, and am able to enjoy my grandchildren.
I didn't think I would live to see 35 much less my
grandchildren. I am in a relationship with a wonderful
man that I love very much. I am now able to put my
life back together. I cannot say I'm cured, but I can
say that I am in control. I am now able to be a
productive member of society, instead of a drain.
But, because of
repeated injuries during the previous seizures I now
have rheumatoid arthritis in both shoulders, which
causes almost constant pain in my chest and back.
My right shoulder felt nothing, the doctor said I'd
destroyed the nerves in my right shoulder and it would
never be the same again. I was having such severe
chest pains it would make me vomit when it would
reach its peak. I once again went to my local public
hospital for help. They kept me in there for two
weeks, checking for heart trouble. This, despite the
fact that they had my medical records for every seizure, head
injury and shoulder dislocation for which I had
been brought to that emergency room... and even
though I told them what the cause of the pains in
my chest were. (I just needed analgesic relief.)
They found no evidence of heart disease, pronounced
me healthy, and sent me home, telling me not to come
back! They told me I would just have to live with the
pain in my chest.
So one day I
called the 800 number for the "Arthritis Foundation" for
help, information, anything. Because I could not get
any doctor I had been seeing to tell me what
arthritis is or how to deal with it. Well, the woman
who answered the phone at the "Arthritis Foundation"
heard my story and said she didn't know what to tell
me. She would not even send me a pamphlet of information.
She said what she could do was give me the phone number
of my local Arthritis chapter. The woman that
answered the phone THERE didn't know what to tell me,
either! But she did give me the name and daytime phone
number of a man she said was one of the administrator's
of our fine local public hospital! (The same place
I went to seeking help for seizures and chest pains
in the first place. The same hospital that told me not
to come back, that they didn't know how to treat me.)
Well, I called this hospital administrator.
He told me that
the best chance I had for obtaining assistance and
treatment for arthritis was to go to the mental health
clinic and tell them that I was depressed and suicidal
from the pain. Pretend to be crazy. Surely, I would
get help there. I went to the mental health clinic and
did as he suggested. They told me I did not meet their
criteria. They were not going to help me, either!
I have been denied access to any kind of health care
in my area. I can't afford to pay for "quality medical
advise." I've been there before. So now I am in the
process of developing, once again, an herbal regimen
for the arthritis -- just as I did for epilepsy.
Most recently, I have begun to see significant effectiveness
in relieving my arthritis, as well.
I know that I am not
the only one in the world who has been abandoned by the medical
profession. And I am writing this to encourage those people
not to give up! To take their health care (and their money)
into their own hands, like I did.
It is not my intention
to prescribe or diagnose for any body. I only want to share
my story. I know that there must be some good doctors
out there, somewhere. I just haven't found any that would see
me without a bigger price tag than I could afford. I found
my own way through a devastating condition, and I found
that I can do it without their help.
Now that I have been
able to help others who have my condition, I am working
on a high ketone diet and herbal formulas I use to keep
my seizures and arthritis under control.
If your doctor is
successful in your own personal treatment, and you can afford
to pay for it, then stay on this path. But if you are in
my position, then take a look at the methods. (My products
are available directly from Alpha Omega Labs.)
Maybe some day
the medical establishment will understand that if they continue
to keep quality health care out of common people's reach,
we will find another way. Until then I will be
here for you. If I don't know the answer to your problem,
I will find out the answer. Please send
me email. In the meantime, I wish you hope, health,
and independence.
Anastazea
New Orleans, Louisiana (USA)
January 15, 2000