Everybody Needs A Wakeup Call

As far as I can remember, I always had a respect for Nature and knew everything had it's place in the balance of things.  But, I did not understand the role chemicals would have in my life until 1986, when I was exposed to pesticides and nearly died......and in a way I did.  I do not think my story is unique....but it NEEDS to be told.

It was 1986 and I was at the top of my game....I was a winner with each role of the dice.  I had survived the recession of the '70's totally unscathed...had more job offers than I was able to accept and made more money than I ever dreamed.  At the height of gas rationing I went out and bought myself a Lincoln Mark V and walked around in Tahari Suits dripping with gold jewelry and perfect makeup from the top of my permed head to the bottom of my painted toes.  Yes, life was good....I was prosperous and dressed up like a New York Model.  That all changed in a twinkling of an eye and a deep breath.

It was July 8th, 1986 about 5:30pm and I was in the emergency room at New Britain General in a coma unable to move, speak or see....but I was able to hear.  The doctors were perplexed, as the lab reports came back....and no explanation of why I was in a coma.  I heard one doctor say, "I don't understand this.  It is like an acute allergic reaction....like an anaphylactic shock.  What was different?....what did she do that was different?  Did she change her laundry detergent?....did she eat a new food?  Something she was exposed to is causing this reaction.  I can remember hearing my dad say....I don't think she did anything different....except for the exterminators spraying her apartment this morning.  At that piece of information about the exterminator....the doctor shouted out....PESTICIDES!  She has "pesticide poisoning".......

Pesticide poisoning, I thought.....what is pesticide poisoning?  HA!  I was to soon find out.  More tests were taken...but more specific tests.  The most important and telling tests were those taken of my liver functions.  In the 3 hours since my first inhalation of the fumes from the pesticides, my lab tests showed "liver damage".  I heard the doctor say....these tests confirm, she has pesticide poisoning....but we do not know what to do for it....how to treat it.  What we do know is that her immune system is being destroyed and her health will get worse to the point where she will be allergic to everything in her environment....she will develop Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and become a "universal reactor".  The pesticides have destroyed the cholinesterase in her system....and she will become sensitive to every chemical she comes in contact with.  What kind of mad talk is this, I thought?  I could not process these words....but I will never forget them.  That was the beginning of the end of my life as I knew it........

What is this madness?...pesticides poisoning, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, cholinesterase, universal reactor?  I'm fine.  I came out of my coma in just 2 days....and after 6 weeks the tingling and numbness in my arms and legs are gone.  So what is the big deal?  I am Donna again!  But I wasn't.  I would never be "Donna" again.  Very soon I noticed I was developing breathing problems...that continuously got worse day by day...related to what I was exposed to.  I noticed that when I did laundry...I could not breath.  When I showered and shampooed my hair....I would collapse on the bed in what was later diagnosed as asthma attacks.  When I would paint my nails...my whole body became numb and vibrated to the point where I wanted to scream.  I was developing extreme muscle aches and joint pain....to the point where I was in constant pain 24/7.  I was unable to think, concentrate, co ordinate my movements.  My digestion was not working and I developed food allergies I never had before.  What is going on, I thought?  I feel like I am living in the Twilight Zone....I do not feel like the same person....and I wasn't.  I was dying a slow death....my lymphatic system was no longer able to filter out toxins and my lymph nodes became swollen, hard and painful and I was becoming "pre cancerous".  Everything was bothering me...perfume, cleaning products, the copy machine and I was becoming intolerant to mold and auto exhaust.  My health plummeted to the point where I was no longer able to work and I could no longer drive my beautiful Lincoln.  The Donna I knew since birth was destroyed, dead and gone....and replaced with a none functioning body of a human that thought she would go crazy and was scared to death.....and all for what?  A few ants.  A neighbor complained about a few ants and the landlord called an exterminator....and along with getting rid of the ants....my live and health were destroyed.

"You better go to a doctor"....I was told.  So I did.  The doctors made me worse.  They treated the symptoms and not the cause.  Instead of ridding my body of the toxins, they were adding to the toxic overload with medication...pills....pharmaseuticals. I was given massive doses of anti biotics, muscle relaxers, pain pills, inhalers and oh, yes....they gave me a prescription for anti depressants (which I would not fill)  I was not depressed!!!.....I was sick and dying!  The chemicals in the pills were adding to the distress I was feeling so I threw away all my pills and stopped going to doctors.  Instead I resigned myself to go to bed and prepare to die.  The only doctor I wanted to see was Dr Kavorkian.  

In a weakened state, seeing in triplicate, I was carried into the office of Dorothy Sherman.  At that point breathing was impossible and I was so weak I was unable to stand or walk on my own.  I will never forget that day....that day was my Wake Up Call!......

...."Dorothy", I said in a labored voice...."you are my last hope.  If you can not help me, I do not know what I am going to do."  "Oh, I can help you", Dorothy said.....this woman looked deep into my eye balls and shot me with such a blast of positive energy that I felt my body jerk with strength.  "But YOU are going to have to do everything I say".  And I did.  Dorothy taught me how to make myself well through proper diet, a protocol of vitamins and herbs, and other modalities of healing such as energy work, hydro therapy, exercise and positive thinking just to name a few.  In essence I had to get my lymphatic  system flowing again in order to filter out toxins AND I had to eliminate "chemicals" from my life.  No more make up, perms, nail polish....I had to through away my shampoos and skin creams and use only organic skin care products.  I had to throw away my laundry detergents and dish liquid and replace them with items that were free of petro chemicals....I had to replace practically everything in my life with petro chemical free, fragrance free and no VOC products....and, above all...stay away from pesticides!

It was a long and slow road back to the point where I was able to function in society again....but I will always be chemically sensitive.  And I will always have to control my environment and live chemical free.  But my experience has given me an advantage over most people in the fact that I am aware of how pesticides and chemicals can destroy a person's health and life....most people are not.  Yes, my Pesticide Poisoning was my "wake up call" to a better way of life...and a healthier life.  And now I am passing the baton to you in hopes that this Blog will be your "wake up call" also.  The articles that follow will provide a tutorial of what products need to be avoided, why and what alternatives are available.  If there is just one person out there that will benefit from my experience, I will consider my struggle to be my badge of honor.