Two Interludes (of the Past Week)

 

1.

Metaphysical Aspects of Dealing with a Misunderstood Chronic Illness (IBS)

a typical Emergency Room image

 

 

A year ago, I first wrote about my chronic health condition.  (article)  In June 2017, one night I awoke and found myself suddenly in a state of severe discomfort that I would later learn could be compared to diverticulosis and sciatica.  It was theorized that this might be the result of a virus.  During the aftermath and gradual recuperation, an eventual diagnosis was "Irritable Bowel Syndrome."  When I consulted a gastroenterologist, he could only guess about what treatment to advise.  While researching IBS, I found an informative article about this categorization encompassing a variety of digestive disorders: "5 Simple Steps to Cure IBS Without Drugs" by Mark Hyman, MD.
 

In 2018 I changed my HMO and began consulting with other medical advisors, including a new gastroenterologist and later a physician assistant; however, neither were able to offer any suggestions about how to enhance my slow recuperation.

I should remind the reader that the onset of my illness is manifestly a case of 'bad luck,' although the word 'luck' may not be a word easy to define.  The context and meaning that I want to indicate is something that is due to chance.  There are some channeled perspectives that communicate generalized broad philosophical orientations about 'all illness being emotionally induced' and how 'we choose our illnesses' and even the accidents that happen to us (without always explaining that it is not our conscious selves making the choice as there is a 'Higher Self').  The sentiments contradict conventional social perceptions about the nature of sickness and physical injuries.  This predicament seems to be one of the aspects about 'channeling' that has been an obstacle to this form of transcendental communication being understood as authentic by people with only superficial knowledge about a particular case.

No matter how good and honest and conscientious one attempts to be, when one suddenly finds himself or herself in a health crisis there will probably be some moments given to the consideration—and this may probably and perhaps even especially apply to atheists and agnostics—'could I have done something to make God angry at me?'  I'm bringing this up so that you will know you are not alone when the time comes when some devastating illness may confront you — considering at least the mentality of anyone who at times gives one's attention to interaction with 'God.'  On August 28 when I experienced a new health imbroglio, I was displeased to find myself momentarily doing this sort of questioning again; and being so fortunate as I have been in life I can without hesitation say that there is no supportable argument that God should ever be considered in any such way.  It seems deaths, injuries and illnesses are based on momentary mistakes or unfortunate situations that are beyond the scope of help that can be manifested by one's individual 'spirit guide' (or 'guardian angel'); for example, being exposed to a virus while being at the 'wrong place at the wrong time.'  On one occasion while driving in my car, as I and other drivers began coming to a stop for a Chihuahua puppy crossing the street; I heard a squeal of brakes and a large dark Hummer plowed into the back of my car.  If there had been another car in front of mine, I probably wouldn't have been so fortunate to escape serious injury as I did.     

I'd rarely been ill prior to turning 60.  Apparently the textbook course of action for doctors confronted with IBS patients is to consider if there is depression or anxiety.  Two years ago upon being confronted with the possibility that my mental state was influencing my illness, I reminded myself that it does no good to fret over the terrible things that happen in the world as there seems little that I personally can do about most of them although each one of us should always do whatever one can to be of benefit to others. 

On Wednesday August 28, I suddenly experienced my most severe bout of constipation that has occurred so far.  Severe constipation and diarrhea are two of the symptoms associated with IBS and each condition has occasionally occurred to me yet this new predicament was something else entirely.  At first I was worried about being late for another busy work day at my school; as the time passed, I was wondering if I was going to need to call an ambulance.  As my first consultation with a new doctor was scheduled for the following week and he wasn't reachable by telephone that morning, I opted to drive myself to a hospital Emergency Room.  This was the first time I'd experienced what is known as a 'bowel impaction.'  I'd also recently been experiencing increased nocturnal intestinal gas.  Several times each night, I need to get out of bed to allow the gas to come up out of me and sometimes it is necessary to move around for a while to induce the discharge.  This had motivated me to modify my already curtailed diet.  And now this. 

I'd been to this particular Emergency Room before with my mother and once on my own for a less severe condition.  The room was dominated on each end by two large screen TV monitors.  The programs televised were episodes of the sitcom "Friends" followed by an episode of an adult cartoon series.  The shows were interspersed with commercials, predominantly for foods I can't eat.

As I waited to see a doctor, I wondered about how knowledgeable he or she would be about IBS in general.  I had some blood drawn, provided a urine sample and X-rays were taken.  The doctor was around my age (sixtyish) and very considerate.  Bowel impactions are considered to be among common afflictions that bring patients to an Emergency Room. 

The discharge advice was to begin consuming each day Citrucel fiber supplement and a stool softener, which I'm now doing.  I will be seeing my new primary care physician on the day after tomorrow.  I would like to be formally tested for food sensitivities/allergies, which is something a coworker has found beneficial and is also something advised by Dr. Hyman. 

To help reduce the intestinal gas coming up out of me, I recently decided it necessary to stop consuming gluten-free bread and avocados.  I'm also consuming a smaller portion of celery every day.  Now, in order to prevent another impaction, I've decided to forego all nuts for the time being except for some walnut pieces taken with my oatmeal and berries.  My morning drink is pineapple juice and water is what I drink the rest of the time.  My other sustaining foods are a cucumber at lunch and a selection of steamed vegetables for dinner (currently spaghetti squash, carrots, parsnips, yams, zucchini and eggplant.)  For the first time in many years, I'm going to also consume bananas at lunchtime; and also add kiwi fruit and chia seeds to my diet.  Consuming any of my favorite foods of past years could reduce wellness and bring another setback to my striving for optimal nutrition considering my digestive condition.  
  

I've found that some dieticians don't know what advice to offer vegans such as myself.  The first time I experienced a severe reaction to eating any food occurred while I was beginning a steak dinner at a restaurant circa 25 years ago.  My usual weight had been 185 pounds prior to the onset of my illness and when last checked nine days ago it was at 158.

2.

  Some Recent Synchronicity

 

 

On Friday (a school holiday) I was still recuperating yet decided to drive to a consultation in Glendale 23 miles away via freeway.  As I was nearing my destination, my car's "check tire inflation" warning began flashing and then stayed on.  A few blocks later I noticed a convenient auto service center and soon learned that the problem with my car was that a tire pressure monitor sensor in back needed replacing.  There wasn't time to make the repair that afternoon so on Saturday I found a service center nearer to home and arranged to return after 11:30 to have the defective sensor replaced.

While the mechanic worked on my car, I went to the customer lobby and found the obligatory large screen TV blaring for a few people waiting for their cars to be ready.  Again there were commercials for foods and drinks I could never eat, such as something called 'Mini Babybels' and alcoholic beverages.  A commercial for a ridiculous 'fabric freshener' came on that is the same one currently seen in rotation on the large screen TV monitors at my gym.  The company's previous insipid commercial played every day for eight months straight.  Supposedly the stupider a commercial is, the more memorable it is — eight months of the same inane message. 

A marathon of "Snapped" murder profiles was the selected telecast of the day.  A segment finished about twin teenage sisters who murdered their mother and then were sent to prison.  Then a new segment began.  The victim was a man who began experiencing gastroenteritis pain and a visit to a hospital emergency room brought an incorrect diagnosis.  He was eventually found to have been poisoned.

 

an image of the convicted murderer wife seen in the telecast

  

 

A February 20, 2014 Los Angeles Times news article by Maura Dolan provides a summary account of the predicament of the woman featured as the subject of the TV show: "Death Sentence upheld for Montebello woman who murdered her husband."

SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Supreme Court unanimously upheld the death penalty Thursday for a Montebello woman convicted of murdering her husband for life insurance and implicated in the choking death years earlier of her baby daughter.  

Angelina Rodriguez fatally poisoned her husband, a special education teacher, by serving him drinks laced with oleander and antifreeze in 2000, a few months after persuading him to take out joint life insurance policies, the court said.

It was her second attempt, according to the ruling written by Justice Ming W. Chin.  She had previously tried to kill him by loosening natural gas valves in their garage, the court said.

Rodriguez had married Jose Francisco Rodriguez several months before his death.  

During her murder trial, the prosecution also presented evidence implicating her in the 1993 death of her 13-month-old daughter, Alicia.  Rodriguez was married to another man at the time. 

The baby died after choking on the rubber nipple of a pacifier.  Two months earlier, Rodriguez had taken out a $50,000 life insurance policy on the baby—without her then-husband’s knowledge—and made herself the beneficiary, the court said.  

Rodriguez and Alicia’s father also sued the manufacturer of the pacifier, which had been recalled based on five consumer complaints that it had broken apart.  The company paid a $710,000 settlement.

While behind bars for the murder of her husband, Rodriguez tried to dissuade a witness from testifying against her, the court said.  The jury convicted of her interfering with the witness but failed to reach a verdict on a charge that she tried to have the witness murdered.  

In challenging her conviction and sentence, Rodriguez argued, among other things, that the jury should not have been told she killed her daughter.  Rodriguez was not charged or convicted in connection with the death, but law enforcement reexamined it after the poisoning of her husband.

The court said the jury was entitled to hear about the child's death during the penalty phase of deliberations.  

"There was ample evidence that defendant murdered her daughter," Chin wrote.

Karen Kelly, who is representing Rodriguez on appeal, said she would ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision.

At first while seated in the lobby unable to avoid listening to the true crime TV show, I realized this is the kind of negative news that bombards mass media audiences daily.  The recent plethora of active shooter reports seems to be influencing other spiritually ignorant and miserable people to act out in imitatively murderous ways.  The television journalist motto "If it bleeds it leads" has been traced as far back as 1982 by one researcher.  (article)

The episode of "Snapped" about Angelina Rodriguez chronicles how the young woman repeatedly nonchalantly incriminated herself, such as by discussing with other people easily available types of poison prior to committing the murder.  The TV documentary filmmakers have created a report that seems to indicate that there are people with no concern about the welfare of other people — even the ones closest to them who love them the most.  One fact presented was that Angelina had identified the grandfather who raised her as having abused her when she was a child.  The telecast reported this as an attempt to gain empathy in court.

I reflected about the wretched choices made by Angelina and realized that she had gone through life without gaining any practical knowledge about spiritual aspects of life.  Articles at this blog profile a variety of transcendental communication cases that affirm how for an individual consciousness 'unit' Earth life is a comparatively brief interval during an eternal progression encompassing spiritual evolution processes of karma and reincarnation.  Earthly life can be expressed with such words as 'test' (or 'contest'), 'game,' 'gift,' 'experience' or 'no picnic' with a purpose for each soul of undergoing spiritual development and establishing an individual identity.  A blog article about the 'Messages from Michael' transcendental communication case includes a definition of 'karma':
 

Karma, as we have indicated before, is the result of removing another fragment's ability and/or right to choose for itself, and is a profoundly compelling tie between fragments until the karmic ribbon has been burned by equal payment.

One may contemplate the karma of even a murderer with the realization that it is never too late for someone to become more enlightened and make use of what may be learned about spiritual aspects of life.  

In a Direct Voice seance transcript that may be read in a previous blog article, an unnamed communicator shared some advice for sitters during a seance in Ireland:
 

You want to do a little bit of service while in the world no matter what station the great Spirit God may have placed you in.  Each one should be willing to help those around in need of assistance and not allow it to fall on one shoulder only.  Also, you must not allow anyone to impose on you too much; just see that they take their share of responsibility.  It is a good lesson to each one of you to accept your share of responsibility and it helps to prepare you for the journey here, enabling you to take your proper place in the fuller life which awaits you.  I am just one of the stragglers who has come through it, and I wish I had done my duty better in the earth life.