 Posted Friday, April 17, 2009 10:55 PM
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Here is an update on my Mom. She finally asked a friend to take her to the local Christian Science Nursing facility to rest for a few days. Apparently the stomach troubles have subsided but the back trouble has only worsened to the point where she was unable to get out of bed. A dear CS friend had to help her out of bed and take her to the CS facility. Once she is up she's able to use her walker to get around.
I spoke to her by telephone, as family has not yet arrived to be with her. She admits that things are not improving in her back. She's had to change practitioners because some aren't able to take emergency calls in the night. So now she's found a practitioner in a distant city whom she doesn't know, yet is paying to "help" her with a problem that's not subsiding. After all my years out of CS I find the whole issue of being paid to "work for" ("know the truth about") someone rather hard to take. I did tell her how helpful a chiropractor was for me when I had a debilitating back problem, and yet Mom is so frail, I'm not sure that's even a safe suggestion. I'll look into it.
Fortunately family members will be arriving to care for Mom at her home for a few weeks. During this time, we'll have to discuss with her the options of moving out of her condo and into a place where she'd have more care when needed. This is a big step for her to conceive of, as it will be for all of us one day.
Thanks again for your suggestions. If you feel like offering further suggestions, I'd be most open to more dialogue.
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Posted Saturday, April 18, 2009 6:47 AM
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| Rising Sun, I'm glad your mom's stomach issues are better and that she had the support of a dear friend (which doesn't always happen in CS). It's good that family will be there for her in a few weeks. She's had to change practitioners because some aren't able to take emergency calls in the night. Hmmm... It seems to me that in a system set up so that only one practitioner can "work" for someone, that practitioner should be on call for emergencies and should be able to "demonstrate" over the belief in sleep deprivation. Mrs. Eddy had a group of people do metaphysical work for her all night, every night, as she slept. It's obvious that she didn't think that their daytime "work" was enough to protect her at night.
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Posted Saturday, April 18, 2009 9:33 AM
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Dear Rising Sun,
I have been thinking of you and your mom over the last few days saying a prayer for you both and wondering how you are doing so I am glad that you gave all of us your latest feedback. I worked at one of those CS facilities and there is a lot of gentle and tender handling there so you and your mom can be grateful for that. A bit of loneliness however since there are very few visitors so do rally up some of her friends to get them to visit her even if it is just for a couple of minutes to let her know that she is accepted and loved. I think that was the most heart-breaking for me as a caregiver, was to realize that nobody "popped-in" to even briefly visit. One lady had a regular visitor who did pop-in to say hi, and give e a hug and leave a candy bar, boxes of chamomile tea and potted pansies for everybody there which brightened up everybody's days. I should write a book on visiting elder facilities! It's hard for people on the outside to know what to do or to bring. And as you well said, we all could end up in a convalescent home of some kind or another. So if you can rally some troops ahead of time to talk to about possibility of compassionate visits that very well might be a good idea. I am so pro-active I scare myself, so I don't mean to sound gloomy about elder care facilities, I have visited quite a few in the last 10 years and they all seem to be very clean and efficient places with pleasant and compassionate staff. As for your mom's back, I think any credentialed chiropractor would honestly know the safety vs the hazards of touching your mom, but I would not make a recommendation on whether you should or shouldn't get her to see one. I have had great relief from various energy treatments such as EFT and Rilke which some people think is some form of occult religion, and although the concept and practice of laying on hands and using healing energy is very much the same to all Reiki practitioners, some make it a religious practice and others most definitely do not. My thoughts are that there are examples of Jesus "laying on hands" in his healing practice, it always made me wonder why CSists had this "hands-off" practice and yet were admonished to be like Jesus, heal like Jesus. Human beings are bundles of energy. People who are full of love have love-energy. I hope that doesn't conflict with anyone's Christian belief here. If so I would like to hear how any Christian reader here feels about it. How does you mother feel about being touched? Well anyway,here's a blurb on Reike found on Yahoo search: By David Herron
A Reiki treatment consists of the practitioner placing his or her hands on the clients body having only the intent for the energy to flow. There is no complicated rituals to perform. Only the simple exchange of energy between two or more people. Only the simple intent to share healing. Only the desire to ease the burdens of another and the willingness to receive.
The Reiki energy is smart for it knows where to go and what to do. The Reiki practitioner does not direct the energy nor is it necessary to study arcane theories of the universe in order to use it. It is simply intent which causes the Reiki energy to flow and intent which directs it. The best thing for the practitioner to do is nothing, but to get out of the way and allow the energy to do its work.
Of course there are more websites on the subject.
Just some loving thoughts.
You, your mom and all of us are all cradled gently in the loving arms of God/Jesus at all times.
A. Mouse
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Posted Saturday, April 18, 2009 11:24 AM
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Just wanted to give my opinion as a Christian on Reiki. Before I became a Christian I was interested in Reiki and went along to receive a Level 1 attunement. As the Reiki teacher performed this warning bells started to ring. She informed me that there was a presence in the room, and had I any relatives on the other side! I had no idea that Reiki involved contacting the dead. This was no isolated case. I have a friend who went to another teacher just for a healing, and a similar thing happened to her. One of their books, which I have since thrown away, said that inevitably during the career of a Reiki healer they would be asked to contact dead relatives.
Please be warned - Reiki is most definately the occult in my opinion. Do research it thoroughly on the internet, there are plenty of sites warning about the dangers of it.
Sorry to be so alarmist - but I have really looked into this in the past, and believe that God delivered me from Reiki and brought me to Christ.
Best wishes,
Starfish
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Posted Saturday, April 18, 2009 9:48 PM
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Hello Everyone,
Thanks for the responses from Linda, Starfish and A. Mouse (a.k.a. Anony Mouse!) : )
It's really encouraging to hear your suggestions.
A. Mouse made an excellent point about the benefits of visitors. Our local rehabilitation hospital staff are always attesting to the fact that the patients who have supportive family/friend visits are usually the quickest to recover. I do wish that all staff were tender and compassionate. That must depend on how the individual nurse looks at the whole aspect of nurturing and caring. Apparently one of the nurses found my mom filling her hot water bottle and questioned her about it, what was it for etc. The nurse said something to the effect of "There are other ways of handling that, you know." The staff are really going by the book, not allowing some of the "comforts of home", I presume because a belief that comfort can come from a soft, warm water bottle takes away from the belief that comfort comes only from God. I found that little tidbit of news very hard to take, and have had to deal with a judgmental attitude about it. Mom's probably taking the gentle reprimand as a reminder that she's "not knowing the truth enough". I haven't spoken to her about it, but I can imagine her accepting it as a mild chastisement that she "deserved" for not truly practicing what she preaches.
I feel that heaping condemnation (disguised as encouragement to use "radical reliance") on an 88 year old, questioning her on her motive for having a hot water bottle, is yet an additional stress to deal with in a place of supposed rest and healing. The only positive thing I can think of coming of that little interaction is that it may give me an opportunity to write them and give my perspective on "compassion".
Coming from a mindset which doesn't allow physical (even non-medical) means of temporary comfort, I suppose I can see why some CSists simply cannot give out, nor allow themselves to easily receive, or "indulge in" compassionate, nurturing care or physical affection. How glad I am not to be still trapped in that mindset! [As for the Reiki idea, A. Mouse, my mom wouldn't go for that, as she doesn't particularly like being touched. From what friends have told me, who have come from similar backgrounds to what Anonymous' was referring to and have found true freedom in Christ, I'd be cautious of the spiritual implications of Reiki, too. That being said, I do sincerely appreciate your conversations, and agree with you that the love one can feel from the touch of another caring person can have tremendous healing effects.]
I do have a dear old friend (former fellow student in Sunday School) who is also a nurse in the CS nursing facility where my Mom is. Thankfully she's known Mom for the past 40 years and IS able to show compassion in a friendlier way than perhaps the nurses who do not know her. The way I keep having to look at it is that this experience can be a topic of future conversation, should God open a door to further discussion. Just visiting my Mom in recent years has opened a few doors where I've been allowed to share my own spiritual journey as a Christian with former CS frends and contacts. (I'm fully aware that they don't know quite how to take me now! But I continue to extend the hand of friendship.)
Thanks again for listening. I'm so glad to have discovered this website when I did!
Rising Sun
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Posted Tuesday, June 16, 2009 8:43 PM
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Hello everyone,
It's been a while since we've been in touch, but I wanted to give a good report about my mother's recovery! Thanks to all for your concern, practical advice and prayer. Mom finally decided to see a doctor, went for several tests and agreed to take some temporary medication to clear up the digestive trouble and increase her appetite. She appears better than before this all started, 3 months ago.
Several things seemed to motivate this change of mind. At my sister's urging, I contacted mom's practitioner to tell her that there had been no improvement in her condition after several weeks of "treatment" and that Mom was not really telling her the details about total loss of appetite and regular discomfort. It was obvious that the practitioner was surprised to hear this, and she actually sounded relieved that I had called so that things could begin to go in a different direction. She suggested to us as a family that we get together with our mom and decide on a "next step" i.e. what was best for everyone (knowing that none of Mom's children practise CS). I was greatly relieved to hear her say this. Soon after this Mom agreed to try the medical route. She could graciously do this, even if only for the sake of her kids, but I think she also was really tired of feeling unwell. Her main fear had been that she would lose that comforting CS support, should she turn to a doctor. Somehow, the practitioner assured her that she'd still be available to her (later, perhaps?) I don't exactly know how they worked this out, but I'm sure grateful to see Mom better. I'm glad for the simple fact that she's experienced the immediate positive effects of something as simple as an antacid. Hopefully it won't be such a scary thing to turn to in the future. I'm also glad to have seen the "human" side (for lack of a better word!) of the practitioner.
Thanks again for your support. Your continued comments are most welcome!
Rising Sun
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Posted Tuesday, June 16, 2009 9:03 PM
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| So glad to hear this, Rising Sun. Thanks for the update!
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Posted Wednesday, June 17, 2009 6:00 AM
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| Oh, I have wondered about her! I am so glad to hear good news, and will pray for continued peaceful resolution.
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Posted Thursday, June 18, 2009 5:46 AM
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Wow, thanks for getting back with us with the good news. I was thinking about you and your mother just yesterday and said a prayer for both of you!
Your mother is very blessed to have non-CS children. That's her great God-given reality! And of course your support and intelligence is a great, great God given gift to her! ! !
I will continue to hold you in prayers for your peace and comfort.
no more CS4me
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