Update on my Health and how I proceed from here... My body is having a difficult time with the combo of heat and humidity here in Costa Rica. It is an inherent difficulty with having a pacemaker. My heart now beats 60 BPM no matter what...sleeping, walking, meditating, running. In response to heat, the normal heart beats faster to pump more blood through the cooling system. Mine no longer has that capacity. Usually in this situation, the evaporation of sweat is enough to aid and assist in cooling the body. In this high humidity sweat does not evaporate, it drips. So, again, there is no heat dissipation of my body going on through the evaporative process. As a consequence of these two factors, in this high heat/high humidity environment, my body is overheating. Not good. So, I have no choice but to now seek a place to live that is more conducive to my bodys needs. My pacemaker is functioning perfectly, according to the EKGs and monitors. So no worries there. No, thankfully I do not feel it firing. That would be horrid. ZAP! tick Zap! tick... I would feel like a Promethean fly caught in a bug zapper. I will be heading to Tucson, Az to undergo a six week intensive course of IV chelation therapy to remove the calcified plaque in the arteries, thereby flushing the arteries of the minor - moderate blockages found there. If this therapy also is sufficient to remove the calcification from the aortic valve, it may regain flexibility and function, eliminating the need for a heart valve replacement surgery in 3-5 years. The primary condition of the heart that ceased functioning was its electrical system, not arterial blockage. I did not have a heart attack. Years ago when I was struck by lightning the electrical system of my entire body was haywire for quite a while. As the cardiologist could not explain why my heart failed in the way it did, I am wont to believe it was a consequence of the lightning strike. I am not one who at all buys into the metaphoric associations of the body to spiritual states of well being, so there is no need to try and find some covert issues at affect. Ones physical health is NOT a statement about ones spiritual state of consciousness. Overall I am feeling healthy and strong. I am walking 2.5 - 3 km 4-5 times per week. My blood pressure is stable at 126/76. My eating is, as it always has been, conscious and healthy. 90% of my diet is veggies and fruits, with organic or naturally sourced fish, chicken or meat making up the other 10%. I pretty much avoid grains...carbs just do not do well with me. I have dropped 30 pounds since my move to Costa Rica. I will seek to keep that going as I move back to the States. I want to thank, in particular, Jay Holt and Jane Del Piero for getting me to the hospital on time and insuring that the immediate needs of my admission and treatment were met. Also, my son Indigo and my daughter Fiona Gregory flew in from the USA to sit with me, hold my hand and see me through that trying time. I am ever grateful, kids! While I have been in recuperation I have had invaluable personal assistance from Christina Callicott, Kiki Toao and Tara Kehler. I could not have made it this far in my rehabilitation without their selfless service and kindness. And, of course, the establishment of the GoFundMe campaigns set up by my eldest son Indigo M. Gregorygo M. Gregory] and his wife Mari Shigeno Gregory, and of my second eldest son Temujin Sage Gregory. Their efforts made it possible for YOU to contribute the finances that made it possible that I receive the treatments necessary for my life to continue...literally!... while I was hospitalized and undergoing surgery here in Costa Rica, where they will not do medical treatment without full payment up front first. To each of you who contributed financially, sent your prayers of blessings and healing, expressed your words of support and good will for me as a person and as a Shaman... Thank you from the bottom of my still-beating heart! Should there be need to inform you further, I will write in this column. Again, thank you each for your love and support!
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 16:32:49 +0000