1. RAW Cleanse Toxin Defense – optimal oral health and immune system support.
2. RAW Cleanse Organ Detox – natural detoxification of organs and GI tract
3. RAW Cleanse Digestion & Elimination – toxin capture and removal

I’ll explain each component as I go through them.  I got my kit from our local Sprouts store for a little over $30 plus tax, but you can get it online from Amazon (RAW Cleanse – 7 day – Kit) for just under $30 with no tax and free shipping.  I liked it because the product is Vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and claims to be less harsh than some of the other colon cleanse products on the market. Here are some pictures of the whole box and the 3 parts inside.

Garden of Life – RAW Cleanse Box

3 Components of the Garden of Life RAW Cleanse

Related posts:

1. Master Cleanse Time I have been thinking about doing another Master Cleanse or...
2. Master Cleanse – Summary Post This post collects all the posts about my recent 14...
3. Gluten Free Pasta Tips One of my sons and I are sensitive to wheat,...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Scar Is Healing Well

I saw the doctor this morning and I am now cleared to get out of the boot and actually put a shoe on my left foot!  I’m really excited and can’t believe I have made it this far.  Two days ago, when taking out the trash, I put on my sandals just to run the trash can to the curb and it felt really good to have a sandal on my left foot.  Even though I have been going barefoot around the house without the boot, it was different to be in a shoe.  Mentally it felt like progress and it seemed to make walking a bit easier and better.  The doctor told me I am cleared to wear shoes when walking around and at work (sitting in front of a computer isn’t too strenuous!), but if I do anything even a little active like yard work or playing with the kids, he wants me back in the boot.  The scar is healing well and the hair is growing back on my leg.  I have been going to physical therapy three times a week and that is going well too.  We haven’t done anything too aggressive, but just moving the foot around and having the joint and scar area manipulated by the therapist is great.

Related posts:

1. Torn Achilles Update – Making Progress I am making progress in my recovery from my ruptured...
2. Torn Achilles Update – No More Crutches I’m walking on my own two feet again (sort of)...
3. Torn Achilles Update – Down to One Crutch I saw the doctor again today and I am now...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Related posts:

1. NeilMed Promotion – Free NasaDrops I just got an email from NeilMed that they are...
2. Master Cleanse – Day 7 Well I’m cruising through my Master Cleanse and feeling pretty...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Related posts:

1. Torn Achilles Update – Down to One Crutch I saw the doctor again today and I am now...
2. Torn Achilles Update – Making Progress I am making progress in my recovery from my ruptured...
3. Torn Achilles Tendon – Scary Levaquin Connection I’m writing this while laying on my couch with my...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Related posts:

1. Torn Achilles Update – Making Progress I am making progress in my recovery from my ruptured...
2. Torn Achilles Tendon – Scary Levaquin Connection I’m writing this while laying on my couch with my...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Wonderful boot on my left leg

I am making progress in my recovery from my ruptured Achilles tendon.  Yesterday I went back to the doctor and he adjusted the boot so it was in a neutral or 90 degree position.  Previously, the boot was angled down at a 30 degree droop in order to keep tension off of the tendon.  I am happy to be making forward progress, but going from the drooped and relaxed angle to a completely flat angle has been hard.  My tendon is really tight and has shrunk up so it is very uncomfortable to be stretched even into this neutral position.  The flat position is much easier to move around and more comfortable for things like sitting in the car, so overall it is good.  I still hate the crutches and I think that is the worst part of this whole ordeal.  Getting around on crutches just sucks.  My wrists are messed up and sore, and my armpits are getting sore and chaffed even though I mostly keep the weight off of the armpits like you are supposed to.  The hardest thing to get used to with crutches is that I can’t really carry anything.  I have been making great use of my back pockets and will stick food, bottles of water, whatever in my back pocket and hobble back and forth to the couch.  It is a real pain and I can’t wait to get off of the crutches.  More updates to come as I progress through this slow recovery.

This is the adjustable dial part of the boot

Related posts:

1. Torn Achilles Tendon – Scary Levaquin Connection I’m writing this while laying on my couch with my...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Related posts:

1. Cheaper NeilMed Alternative While the NeilMed packets of salt are really convenient –...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

After Surgery To Reconnect Achilles Tendon

I’m writing this while laying on my couch with my left leg in a splint after I had surgery yesterday to reconnect a torn achilles tendon in my left leg.  As a healthy active 37 year old, should I really be going through this painful ordeal, and what is the connection with the antibiotic Levaquin? 

Background

Two weeks ago on a Thursday, I had a terrible sinus infection that knocked me out.  I deteriorated quickly in the afternoon and by 7:00 at night I had to crawl into bed and stayed there.  I spent the entire day Friday in bed except for a trip to my Dr. to get checked out.  He confirmed it was an upper respiratory infection and prescribed Levaquin.  I had been on Levaquin before and I knew it was one of the more powerful antibiotics.  It had worked quickly in the past to clear up previous sinus infections.  After getting the prescription filled on Friday I got progressively better.  Fast-forward a week to the next Friday.  While at my chiropractor’s office for an adjustment, I mentioned the sinus infection and Levaquin.  She asked if I had heard about the spontaneous tendon ruptures caused by it.  Hell no, I hadn’t heard!  I immediately researched this on the web and confirmed that Levaquin causes a weakening and deterioration of the tendons.  This is even confirmed right on the Levaquin.com website:

• Fluoroquinolones, including LEVAQUIN^®, are associated with an increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture in all ages. This risk is further increased in older patients usually over 60 years of age, in patients taking corticosteroid drugs, and in patients with kidney, heart, or lung transplants. Call your healthcare professional right away at the first sign of tendon pain, swelling, or inflammation. You should stop taking LEVAQUIN^® until tendinitis or tendon rupture have been ruled out, and avoid exercise and using the affected area.

Seriously, WTF!  Why was I taking something for a sinus infection that was deteriorating the tendons in my whole body!

My Story

The next day, Saturday evening, I was playing basketball at our local community center with my boys.  Nothing big and strenuous.  We had been playing for about 45 minutes when I missed a shot and shoved off with my left foot to go after the loose ball.  *bang!* I collapsed on the floor.  I looked around and asked “what was that – what hit me?”  It felt like a stray basketball had slammed into the back of my leg and I was in agony.  Someone gave me a hand and I stood up, but I knew something was terribly wrong.  My foot felt “floppy” and walking was a terribly odd sensation of not being able to push off on my toes.  I could stand fine, and could shuffle a walk, but right away I thought about the Levaquin and ruptured tendons.  It had happened to me.  In an instance, I realized that this “side effect” had happened to me and that the next few weeks, months, or longer of my life had just changed.  I sat back down and someone brought me a bag of ice.  I examined the back of my heal, and sure enough – instead of a taught band of tendon on the back of my left heal it was completely soft.

After icing it down for a few minutes, I hobbled out to the car with my boys and dropped them off at home before continuing on to the ER.  After about an hour, I had the official diagnosis of Ruptured Left Achilles Tendon and a fiberglass splint to go with it.  The pain from this is really severe.  It was a constant pulsing of pain, and then if I stepped on it wrong it would be a sharp stabbing pain.  The pain medicine from the hospital helped, but couldn’t fully mask the pain.

More than the physical pain, I keep thinking that this never should have happened.  I exercise regularly and eat healthy.  I am at a good weight and generally fit.  I have been mountain biking for years and hardly ever miss a week.  I even have an Excel spreadsheet tracking the dates and mileage of all my riding going back 4 years.  Why should a healthy, active 37 year old be faced with a torn tendon like this?

When searching the web for info on the Levaquin/tendon connection, the most prevalent links are for lawyers pursuing class action lawsuits against the makers of Levaquin.  It is really a shame that this horrible side-effect has been known about for years and they haven’t done more to promote awareness or get Levaquin off the market.

I am very interested in your feedback – have you had an issue with Levaquin and tendons rupturing or do you know anyone who has?  I am also interested in my legal options and if it would be worthwhile pursuing one of these class action lawsuits.  More than just the medical bills, I think it is lame and unethical to keep a drug on the market where the side-effect is so much worse than the fix.  The lost time is a huge deal to me.  My kids have spring break coming up soon, and I will be on crutches and less mobile.  I was considering planning a trip and any hopes of that are now dashed.

Further Reading

The best site I found for info on the Levaquin connection to ruptured tendons is this page at the Tendinitis Expert website.  From there, you can explore his website for other tendon information.  For general information on ruptured achilles tendons, the Wiki entry is a great place to start.

Related posts:

1. Torn Achilles Update – Running Again! Well I thought I would never make it to this...
2. Torn Achilles Update – Making Progress I am making progress in my recovery from my ruptured...
3. Torn Achilles Update – No More Boot I saw the doctor this morning and I am now...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

So Delicious Coconut Bars

I recently discovered coconut milk and have been drinking it and using it in smoothies. It is awesome for that, but these vegan coconut bars are awesome!

They are by So Delicious (yes, that is the brand name!).  The inside is ice cream made out of coconut milk and they come in either plain chocolate (on the left) or coconut almond which has flakes of coconut and slivered almonds in the chocolate crust.  Both flavors are awesome and I have stocked up and always keep a few boxes in my freezer.

If you haven’t tried coconut milk, it is a great-tasting alternative to cow’s milk and to other non-dairy drinks like soy milk.  The coconut also has great health benefits.  This quote is from Why Coconut on their website:

• Coconut represents a vegetarian-sourced saturated fat consisting of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA). Scientists have long recognized MCFAs such as lauric and capric acid for their anti-viral and anti-microbial properties. The body utilizes MCFAs as energy instead of storing them as fat.

Here is the list of ingredients on the frozen coconut bars

Related posts:

1. Eating Vegetarian Without Cooking – Taco Bar Build Your Own Tacos This is a very simple idea...
2. Gluten Free Pasta Tips One of my sons and I are sensitive to wheat,...
3. Happy Halloween Logan here wishing you and your family a very happy...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Keep Perspective

This one is the hardest for me.  I feel an obligation to get angry at stupid drivers or feel that it is my responsibility to police other driver’s bad moves.  All that this leads to is the potential for road rage – both for yourself, or being on the receiving end of someone else raging.  Instead, remind yourself that it isn’t your job to correct other people’s stupidity.  Keep your perspective on two things:

1. Traffic is fleeting and fluid and it doesn’t really matter exactly where you are in the traffic flow
2. It doesn’t matter how right you are if you end up dead or injured

Instead of focusing on a stupid stranger and getting emotionally involved with them, think about your family or your own personal hopes and dreams for the future.  Stay emotionally involved with the people and things that matter to you and it will be much easier to ignore that moron.

Create Good Habits

Figure out things that minimize stress during the actual drive and do them consistently.  For example, instead of trying to pick which lane is going the fastest and changing lanes back and forth, I like to get way over to the left lane and just stay there for most of my drive.  This way I don’t have anything to do except watch the car in front of me and wait for my exit.  This also applies to the reverse by finding ways of avoiding stressful driving situations.  For instance, if there is a section of your commute where you need to change several lanes of traffic quickly and it is usually a hard, stressful merge, either change your habits – like changing lanes sooner – or find an alternative route to avoid the stressful section.  You can’t always cut out all the stress, so do your best to quickly merge or get into a better position and then get back to focusing on relaxing.

Keep Your Mind Occupied

You need to pay enough attention to drive safely, of course, but sometimes the best thing to do is turn up the radio or tune in to a favorite morning DJ.  Keeping your mind focused on something else makes the problems of the road seem distant and less important.  If you are laughing or enjoying yourself it will be harder to get upset over yet another long commute.

NET – No Extra Time

This is an even more useful alternative for using your time.  I picked this phrase up somewhere from a motivational speaker and it has really stuck with me.  I plan on giving this its own post in the future, so I’ll just touch on it here.  The concept is to accomplish tasks during time that would otherwise be wasted.  You are not using any extra time – you need to be in your car for that commute anyway so you might as well make use of the time.  Accomplishing tasks can be anything from listening to audio books, planning out your day, catching up on phone calls (with a good headset of course!), or even taking public transportation so you can pull out your laptop or a book.  Anything you can accomplish during this time will cost you no extra time.

Avoid The Commute

This is not always possible, but avoiding the drive – or at least the rush-hour drive – completely is the best possible solution.  If you have flexible hours then you can try to schedule your day to avoid rush hour driving by coming in early and leaving early, or coming in late and leaving late.  If your job allows, talk to your boss about telecommuting.  I have made arrangements that during projects which don’t require in-person meetings I work from home anywhere from 1-4 days a week.  This has really helped out and saves time, gas costs, and the headache of driving completely.

I hope these tips get you thinking about ways to improve your commute which will make life just a little bit better.  So remember to focus on who and what is important to you in life instead of the morons you meet for a few seconds or minutes during your drive, get into good driving habits and avoid bad ones, and make the most of your time in the car.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.