Welcome to Part III of my story regarding my having developed Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and how I'm still tackling it. So far in Parts I & II, I have given you the background into how I first heard of my life shortening condition and now in Part III I'll recount what action I took.

But before I go too much further, let me give a brief recap. At this particular stage in the journey all I knew is that I had been told by a Senior Nurse on the phone, "we want to start your treatment" and upon questioning "for what exactly?" I was informed that I had IPF. I had no idea what it was nor the ramifications of having developed it - I was ignorant of the illness. 

First port of call, of course, is the internet...

My internet research findings

I'll keep this as short as I can. During my internet searches I found two things. The first was that it was confirmed that this was an incurable, irreversible condition which gave me a window of 2 to 5 years left to live depending if I were to successfully respond to the little treatment on offer, which was designed to merely 'slow it down' and delay the inevitable. It listed possible causes as being a smoker, working in mines or some such industry, or being exposed to asbestos. I qualified for none of those scenarios...hence the condition was named 'Idiopathic' i.e. of unknown cause.

My internet searches then took me on a slightly different path and I researched my heart medication side effects. The list of usual side effects were listed and I know these well, but clicking further to drill down on the subject on the NHS website I uncovered (rare) Serious Side Effects of both Bisoprolol and Simvistatin which were not listed in the medical paperwork which accompanied the medication, as the very symptoms from which I was suffering i.e. Shortness of breath, Dry cough, and Wheezing indicating a lung problem. Both pills recorded the exact same serious side effects, and matched the exact  symptoms of IPF! I can in no way say categorically that the pills have caused my condition without further medical analysis, but I wouldn't rule it out either, and what I can say is that this medication which I had been taking for 2.5 years certainly wasn't assisting my overall recovery and may well have been exacerbating my condition from the start. At least this discovery was more feasible than any of the alternatives I had read, i.e. smoking (I never have), mining (I never have) and exposure to asbestos (I never have).  

When you're faced with the words (verbal or written in print on a website) "It's incurable, it's irreversible and it's life shortening" the immediate reaction is that of numbness. Thoughts of your family and leaving them behind rush through your mind like you are expecting something fatal to happen tomorrow. How am I going to tell them, what am I going to tell them, how can I handle this? OMG! What am I going to do? My appointment with Lung Consultant (B) was scheduled for about three weeks hence, and I had three weeks to research and get used to the news before being told the 'official' diagnosis. I also had three weeks to go before I needed to break the news to anyone, if I was ever to do that. Sometimes one thinks, "I'll keep it to myself and I won't tell my kids." Then there are days when you need to tell someone if only to unburden yourself and your mind. And then of course there is the need for understanding, support and if necessary, planning for your demise...should your condition become rapidly worse and you go down-hill quickly. In addition, being able to talk about it openly has a sort of cathartic aspect, in that you can more easily face the future (even though at this juncture it looks bleak) and the more people are used to it then the more they will understand your behaviour should it change as a result of this bad news. Having said all that, there is a need to remain calm and rational if you are going to manage this and any chance of recovery.

For me personally, I felt I needed to plan. Not for my death, but I have contracts with a number of small businesses who reply on my skills for some of their business success -  so the planning was more in the form of 'business contingency'. Two clients in particular sprang to mind as they are both local and one in particular with whom I have worked closely for a number of years, would have to re-think the future of their business such was the dependence upon my skills. The other business contract was, I knew, coming to a mutually agreeable end as I had fulfilled my side of the client's requirement to help get them over the hill during COVID lockdowns etc and the owner was now much more hands-on regarding the technical side of the systems we'd introduced. We remain close friends, I'm there should he need me, and it frees up time for me to concentrate on doing a few more things I want to do, whilst I still have limited time. 

With my main client, this was a different situation. We have been there for each other in times of great difficulty. My client stood by me during my heart attack and recovery from my quadruple heart by-pass and I was there for her when she was unexpectedly rushed into hospital and under went three life saving operations in three weeks, and the necessary recovery thereafter. Little did I know at the time that it would be due to her that I would look at an alternative approach to my health solution which could save my life and without which this blog would not be written. 

The first glimmer of hope... and an alternative approach

I first broke the news to my sons... and it wasn't easy. There's no easy way to tell anyone that you have been diagnosed with a life shortening illness. But ever the optimist I explained that I wasn't giving up and that I'd fight it....I didn't know how but I knew I would fight it. Breaking it to my sons was a little more complicated for me than for some because my eldest works abroad and we haven't been able to meet up face-to-face since January 2019 when he departed the UK...we have however kept in touch and I have advised him of my progress at each step of the process. My youngest son I see regularly and was one reason why I never returned to live abroad. 

Having broken the news to both my main UK clients, it was suggested by main client (whom incidentally was shattered by my news) that I make an appointment with a particular 'Naturopath' who had a great reputation for success. The Naturopath was based locally and in my frame of mind, "Anything was worth a shot!". An appointment was booked at short notice and I attended the session knowing nothing about the Naturopath nor what was expected of me nor me of her. By this time my change in diet was working and I'd lost about 1 stone 7lbs, so something was going in the right direction and it gave me some level of confidence. 

What I was told was that the Naturopath was/is an ex GP who decided to stop pumping pharma drugs into people and she'd been practicing Naturopathy for some 40+ years...with great success. She practiced in a number of treatments including as a Nutritionist and a specialist Osteopath, so I had the confidence that she understood the body and how it behaves. I'd long gained the impression, especially when caring for my elderly father in his latter days, that for GPs illness was much more Pharma/drug driven whereby if they didn't have a drug for the ailment then there wasn't a solution....they also know elementary nutrition which I can be found in any book on basic nutrition. I had also been awoken by my research into the COVID debacle and the vaccines propaganda and the track record of fraudulent Pharma companies which alerted me to the fact that there could well be an alternative approach to managing my illness. It is also worth mentioning too that having lived in the Far East and the Middle East and worked in North African countries, I was familiar with a market in natural remedies through Chinese herbs and Middle Eastern spices but had never really taken a detailed look into that area. Since returning to live in Swansea however I had contacts with Chinese medicinal consultants both locally and in London, but for no reasons which were personal to me. Some internet surfing I had done in the past had revealed that some 60+ Naturopaths/Holistic specialists/Homeopaths had all mysteriously died between 2015 and 2017 in the USA, and such circumstances can never be put down to coincidences. It just doesn't happen like that! Anyway, I was prepared to give the Naturopath a chance as 'what did I have to lose?' 

Attitude

I can't go any further in this story without mentioning the subject of mental attitude. I have long been an advocate for developing a very positive mental state i.e. in my book there's no such word as 'can't'. This stood me in great stead when I was on the road in sales for the bank...and it helped determine my success in everything I have ever addressed, especially in business. Since I had returned to the UK however, a negative cloud had hung over me (the UK's culture no longer fits in to my psyche) and it was difficult to shake off. [I won't go into the whys and wherefores - it's an inappropriate subject here]. I needed something, however small that I could pin some hope on for the future and I wasn't sure from where it would appear. Just hearing that an experienced Naturopath was prepared to meet with me, was the spark to light the fire of hope and positivity, after having researched such upsetting news. By the time my appointment arrived my mental state was hugely positive and this was also augmented by the fact that my weight loss plan was working. 

Had I approached this appointment with sceptical views, a closed and negative mind this blog wouldn't be written and I owe much of my progress (read on) to the incredible belief I have that I will overcome this condition and I will prove the Lung Consultants (A) and (B) wrong! My positive frame of mind is also the one element that has got me, and still gets me, through having to stick to routines that I would have previously found alien and often uninspiring. 

Naturopathy

I'm not qualified enough to go into this subject in depth but I do learn daily about new areas (to me) of naturopathy and especially nutrition. In addition I must stress, this isn't a novel and so I will refrain from describing the Naturopath in full other than to say, she was highly professional calm, gave me the confidence which I was seeking in order to help me tackle my IPF condition. From the very moment I met her, I had and still have the utmost faith in her ability and I trust her entirely to do the right thing for me - I can't say the same about the general medical practices with which I have been in contact, other than one or two individuals. Clearly she has heard it all before over a 40+ year career and I was just as likely repeating that which other IPF patients had divulged. I was assured that she could "put me right but there were changes to be made if I was to recover from this condition." This alone gives one hope. The words 'recover from this condition'? Did she really mean that? Yes. She did. She had/has successfully treated other IPF sufferers with success and they were/are out and about with full lung capacity and undertaking all manner of physical activities. Of course we are all different and I hadn't heard the official diagnosis of my condition from the hospital practitioners, so the Naturopath was working blind on me. Nevertheless it was the first sign of any hope that anyone had offered me. 

White Light Radionics

Yes, it was alien to me too! And when you read this you'll be convinced that not only am I completely barking mad, but that I should be certified, and you may even call the men in white costs on my behalf. But...please bear with me...and as I said earlier 'approach this with an open mind' and safe in the knowledge that the practitioner in this case has 40+ years of experience in this field. In other words, 'Have faith!' (Naturally, I would resist the men in white coats!). 

I'll try and keep this simple...Radionics theory builds on the premise that all living things including plants, animals and humans radiate energy.  Healthy cells emit a different energy or 'frequency' to unhealthy cells. It's the practice of 'tuning in' to these unique frequencies, a bit like tuning a radio to a station, to identify energy and any irregularities occurring during ill health. 

Typical analysis utilises a sample of a patient's hair. The individual's cell frequency is checked for any disharmony and results reveal specific misalignments or point to areas that might be affected and require further attention. 

Attending a white light radionics consultancy session is undoubtedly bizarre, but from my experience and I gather from many others, it works...and as I have stated previously "What do I have to lose?" The recommended remedies are in my case all natural and no drugs are involved....so the 'side effects' should be low and not adverse....and shouldn't interfere with my heart medication. Indeed the side effects to natural remedies is purely the fact that your body hasn't previously been exposed to these supplements and your body is telling you "Hey, what's this you have put in me?"

Illnesses

Indeed I read recently that the reason for any illness is the 'abuse of the body'. Of course some of that abuse is unavoidable, or accidental as we know no better, and much is down to eating the wrong foods...especially processed food products, and then lack of exercise. If you put s**t food into your body then, sorry, but there are going to be consequences i.e. side effects. More recently I have heard the term (in relation to COVID vaccine adverse side effects) "Oh that's the vaccine working!" No, this in my humble opinion is your body telling you "this is an alien substance you have just taken in and I don't like it!" Just as if you get food poisoning your body tells you "Hmmm, wish you hadn't eaten that because it's not natural and now I have to make you pay!"  Of course it's far more complicated than that but with my simple explanation I think you get the gist.

Back to Naturopathy

I was told on my first session in mid April by my Naturopath that my body was too acidic and that I'd have to change it rapidly to alkaline. I knew about this but hadn't realised that the particular foods I was eating were causing my body to become acidic as I had thought I understood some elements of food production and digestion. Oh boy I have so much more to learn. I was also aware that if one's body is in an alkaline state that cancers cannot spread as the cells can't easily reproduce in an alkaline body. This fact has been borne out by a great friend of mine who having had stage four cancer, had changed his diet to create an alkaline body and he's never had any re-occurrence, whereas those cancer sufferers who continue to unwittingly eat poor food can often see a return of the cancer. But I'm not the expert and I am only relating my observations. Incidentally, it's amazing how much we don't know about our food and how much of what we buy has already been processed but appears to be unprocessed. (More on that later.)

During the White Light Radionics session the Naturopath told me that my heart medication was ineffective - one pill (Bisoprolol) was 20% efficacy and the other (Simvistatin) only 48% efficacy. She has an approximate cut off of 50% i.e. anything below, one has to ask, "Why are you taking it? Do you really need it? What's it doing for you?" and anything above then "Ok, it maybe working and doing it's job" But in my case, as I had discovered that both could have been causing my IPF condition or at least exacerbating it I was asking the question "Do I need this?" It was left that I would ask the GP and/or Lung Consultant (B) about the medication I was already taking, but that my body would probably be better if I wasn't taking pills which were ineffective.

The analysis of my body continued and there were certain areas that needed addressing in order to return my body to a balanced state. One area which required attention were my kidneys (I was all too often dehydrated) and also clearly the Naturopath wanted to ensure my heart structure was sound too. Some attention was also required in the intestines and there are three related measurements (which I don't understand) relating to the intestines and inner or small intestines (?). These were all noted by the Naturopath for reference upon my return assessment in 5 weeks time.

At the end of the session I cam away with a list of supplements and a more rigorous diet than I had adopted for myself at the of end December 2020/January 2021. The diet was as follows: 

No Grains - nothing made from grains (no bread, cakes, pastries etc - not even gluten free!)

No Dairy - i.e. no milk, creams, cheese etc but Almond milk is okay and Coconut Milk

No Tea (Breakfast tea - I'm allowed herbal teas) No Coffee and No Alcohol

No Sugars nor artificial sweeteners - honey is permitted

No Vinegar - regular vinegar that is (one or two of the others are ok but I stay away from them if I can)

I could eat salads and fresh fruit and vegetables as much as I wanted, eggs, chicken, a little meat, plenty of oily fish. Oh and soups!

At first it came as a shock but once I addressed the diet menu I had developed earlier in January, it wasn't too far removed from that which I was already eating....but cutting out bread, cheese and coffee hit me hardest. I was restricted too to only 4 oz (112gms) of protein with my evening meal - I've never measured - and I had the task of drinking 8 glasses of lemon water each day. Eight? I thought! Hell, I've never drunk 8 glasses of anything before in one day...this was going to be a challenge and hand on heart it still is a challenge...but I try.

As for my health supplements - they are exactly that - they are specifically selected for my body and the condition my body was in and the condition my Naturopath believes I need to achieve to get my body back in shape. You must forgive me if I don't therefore list my supplements here. The danger is that anyone suffering from IPF can read this, go off and purchase my supplements and think that it will solve the problem. It won't. You need to consult your own naturopath, nutritionist or specialist etc for your own personalised prescription of supplements which are right for you. Suffice to say I was taking approximately 33 to 36 supplements a day (11 pills taken 3 or 4 times a day) of one kind or another for the best part of 4 weeks. This I discovered was an emergency dosage in order to get my body into the alkaline state as quickly as possible, as was the rigorous diet....(to rebalance my body,) they wouldn't last forever. My next appointment was due in 5 weeks time (allowing a week for me to buy the supplements online) and hence the 4 weeks treatment.

I went off armed with my 'prescriptions' for the supplements and some hope that maybe this could be the answer for which I was looking to get me back to great health.

 

Please return for Part IV of my story and how my appointment with Lung Consultant (B) went, three weeks later.