BY Christie Sproba
One day I would grow up, get married, have beautiful children, and live happily ever after. Visions of precious moments and the perfect life. I don’t think anyone plans or anticipates tragedy, divorce, or illness but life happens. We all have “bumps in the road” that throw a plot twist in our fairytale. I did too. Most of the time we deal with them and get back on track. Sometimes the bump becomes a mountain and threatens to change the story completely.
For many years I defined healthy living as eating right, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight. I created and led programs to inspire adults and children to lead a healthier lifestyle. It was my passion. What I have found over the past 5+ years is that there is so much more to healthy living than the narrow definition I had accepted.
After cancer treatment, Sproba remains fit for life (chron.com)
During my crusade to make our communities a healthier place.
I was faced with my own life changing health challenges. In 2005 I lost vision in my left eye and started experiencing strange neurological symptoms like dizziness and tingling in my left leg. My vision eventually returned but I was diagnosed with Optic Neuritis which is a common symptom of Multiple Sclerosis. I visited many doctors and specialists but after a year and a half of tests and scans there was not enough evidence for a diagnosis. At that point I decided to just live with the symptoms and move on.
In January of 2008 I was diagnosed with hormone positive breast cancer. Over the next year and a half I endured chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, radiation, and breast reconstruction. I was very excited to be finished and get back to a normal life. In February of 2014 I had a CT scan of my shoulder for a broken collar bone which showed something suspicious in my right lung. In April a PET scan and another CT scan found several small nodules in both lungs and I was told it was most likely metastatic cancer. I was devastated. To make a long story short, I was faced with a diagnosis and prognosis that were just not acceptable. Treatment of metastatic cancer (cancer that has spread to another area of the body) is a whole different ball game with few if any good answers. I chose to find my own.
After a short few months on endocrine therapy (medication to shut down estrogen) I turned to some alternative therapies and spent 7 weeks at a wellness clinic in Florida the summer of 2014. Thankfully only one nodule was cancerous and was eventually removed. I currently have no evidence of cancer. While I was at the clinic in Florida I realized something else. The symptoms I had been dealing with since 2005 had worsened, I was having difficulty walking, and there was a strong likelihood I had MS. It was several months before I finally sought out a neurologist who confirmed on an MRI there were lesions on my brain consistent with MS. Over the past 5 years the disease has continued to progress. Living with progressive chronic illness can be overwhelming. I take one day at a time, always grateful for the good days and always hopeful tomorrow will be better than today.
On Still Being Cancer-Free and Beating COVID-19 Together.
There is a lot going on in the world right now. It is truly heartbreaking to hear the news every day, so today I choose to focus on something I can be grateful for and hope that someone can benefit from my perspective.
Today I found out I am still cancer-free.
Five-and-a-half years ago they removed a metastatic breast cancer nodule from my lung. The diagnosis of metastatic cancer led me on a journey I never expected. I have learned so much along the way, but I will never know everything or have all the answers.
I know I am not dying from cancer. I also know that despite my best efforts I am living with an aggressive chronic disease. I have explored and experienced the world of alternative medicine. I have been forced to navigate the frustrating healthcare system and battle with health insurance. I have learned to believe in methods science doesn’t support, but also appreciate the advancements and treatments science has to offer. I have questioned main stream medicine, Big Pharma and sometimes gone against the advice of doctors.
I believe we are our best advocates.
I believe people do heal themselves in ways that science cannot explain.
I believe in hope, but I also believe in realism. If science offers a treatment option that pretty much guarantees success you better take it. But sometimes science doesn’t have good answers. That is why people explore the alternatives and sometimes they find success. Sometimes. I certainly have experience in this area but I am very grounded in reality.
I guess I’m writing this because I do have a different perspective than many when it comes to health. Our communities, our country and the world have been fighting a virus for too long. The battle against this virus has us fighting amongst each other.We are not in this on our own. We are in this together.
I’ve listened. I’ve read. I’ve researched. I’ve definitely watched too much news. But the bottom line for me is the choices I make affect the people around me, the people in my community and the people working to keep us safe and healthy.
When I chose to pursue alternative therapies for cancer, that decision affected my health only. If I choose to go out in public when I’m coughing and sneezing I am potentially affecting the health of others.
The pandemic has affected every area of our lives. We really don’t know the long-term effects on all of our school children. I know when the vaccine came out and things started to settle down we were all so happy to start getting back to normal. But the virus had other plans. I did not hesitate to get the vaccine. The risk to myself seemed minimal compared to the effects the pandemic was having on our kids, our healthcare workers, our economy and our mental health.
That’s how I see it. It’s not just about me. If I choose not to be vaccinated then I should also choose not to put other people at risk. We have a choice in where we go, who we spend time with and how we protect ourselves. Risk versus benefit.
I know there are vastly different opinions on the subject of COVID-19 and that’s OK. If you take anything from this, I hope it’s that we don’t have to agree but we should all want what’s in the best interest for each other. Look beyond the hype, the angry rhetoric, and the politics, and choose what’s in your heart. After cancer treatment, Sproba remains fit for life.
Source: Home/Blog | strongerthanmyfears (wixsite.com)
Walmart Is Running Out of This COVID Essential.
Shopping during the pandemic has presented its fair share of challenges, even at generally reliable retailers like Walmart. The company experienced shortages for essential items such as toilet paper and bottled water in early 2020, and then again in November, as case numbers spiked once more. And now, as the Delta variant causes yet another surge of infections, shoppers in various areas have reported limited supplies for certain must-haves. In Pittsburgh, canned food was recently wiped out at one Walmart Supercenter, while toilet paper and cleaning supplies have been scarce at a Walmart in Casper, Wyoming. There’s one specific Walmart shortage, however, that’s a lot more widespread. Read on to find out what major COVID essential this big-box retailer is running out of across the board.
RELATED: This COVID Essential Is Disappearing From Store Shelves.
Walmart is running out of rapid at-home COVID tests online.
It appears that Walmart is selling out of its rapid at-home COVID tests. Currently, the retailer’s online store lists all four of its rapid tests as out of stock. The only coronavirus tests available on Walmart.com are PCR collection kits, which cost anywhere from $95 to $950. One rapid test, BinaxNOW, is also sold online at Walmart’s sister company, Sam’s Club, but it’s listed as out of stock there, too.
“We have seen significant demand for at-home COVID-19 testing kits and are working closely with our suppliers to meet this demand and get the needed product to our customers,” a Walmart spokesperson told Best Life. “We do anticipate increased availability of the product in the coming weeks.”
RELATED: This COVID Essential Is Disappearing From Shelves, Doctors Warn.
Other online stores do not have this item in stock either.
Walmart isn’t the only company experiencing a shortage of these tests.
Walgreens’ online store lists two of its rapid at-home tests, QuickVue and BinaxNOW,
as out of stock for shipping. The BinaxNOW test is also sold at Kroger.com, but it’s not in stock there either, and the QuickVue test is sold out on Amazon.
The shortage of these tests is a result of the U.S. failing to develop a market for at-home home tests big enough to handle the newfound demand brought on by the Delta variant, according to an investigation from Newsy.
“Right now with Delta is the first time you actually see any demand for these tests,” Sara Citrenbaum, a research specialist at rapid tests.org, told Newsy. “Last year we couldn’t convince places in our life to actually utilize these tests.”
Some stores have had to put a purchasing limit on these tests.
In late August, CVS made a move to stop customers from hoarding at-home COVID tests amid the increased demand. The retailer placed an in-store limit of four for the BinaxNOW test, QuickVue test, and a test from Ellume, and an online limit of six each, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 26.
This restriction was made “in order to serve our customers’ OTC testing needs, and due to high demand,” a CVS spokesperson told Bloomberg in an email, but CVS’ rapid tests are currently out of stock on its website. Rite Aid has placed a purchasing limit of one for BinaxNOW’s two-count test, but this test is not currently available for purchase online.
Manufacturers for these tests say they’re working to ramp up production.
Hopefully, this shortage will be short-lived, as manufacturers work to up production to meet newfound demand. According to Newsy, Abbott, the maker of the BinaxNOW test, had such a surplus of its tests in May due to lack of demand that the company started to lay off employees and throw away test components that had reportedly expired before getting used. Now, they can’t keep up. Ellume told Bloomberg it was working to increase production, while Abbott told AARP that it has also started “scaling up manufacturing” recently.
“We’re hiring people and turning on parts of our manufacturing network that were idled or slowed when [testing] guidance changed and demand plunged,” an Abbott spokesperson told AARP. “While there will be some supply constraints over the coming weeks as we ramp back up, we are [pulling] resources from all over the company to help meet this unprecedented demand.”
RELATED: The Latest Major Shortage Is Happening at the Worst Time Possible.
The Remnant Newspaper – WORLD VACCINATION: Michael Matt on the Kennedy Connection
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/strength/not-in-the-mood-for-squats-try-these-6-butt-exercises-from-a-yoga-instructor-instead/ar-AAOG7t
Is Your Memory Getting Worse? Doctors Share 8 Reasons for Memory Loss (msn.com)
Dangerously Mutated COVID Variant Detected in 47 U.S. States (msn.com)
These Are the Best Exercises to Burn Belly Fat As Fast As Possible (msn.com)
What Are Isometric Exercises and How Do They Benefit Runners? (msn.com)
Yes, you can work your abs while standing. Here’s how (msn.com)
Top 10 elliptical machines – Health n Well.com Web Search
Sarah Palin vaccine – Bing
For These Times Tip:
What I have learned From Democrats in 2021.
People have a way of telling on themselves and
see others the way they see themselves.
