Austin and Master Co

Yesterday Amy and I returned from Austin after a couple nights of adventure that included two visits with Prantic healer Master Co. Prantic healing finds itself under the umbrella of Qi'gong, an ancient Eastern healing philosophy and practice. 

Please google Master Co.  It's easier for you to do this than for me to go into details about his practice.

Normally, Master Co does not perform healings at his seminars, but in my case (I think my high-tech chair drew his attention) he performed a healing on me each night, lasting 15-20 minutes. He focused on my right arm and produced noticeable results as my arm was pain-free when lifted.  Amy is especially excited because now she can scrub my right pit without me squishing her hand. 

Today I can still raise my arm (with help) higher than I have been able to for the last several months. 

Master Co did not charge us a dime for the healings. He also asked that we email him a picture of me so that he can continue healings from home (California). 

A funny segue.  I find it strange that my hands, largely useless, are transforming into frog paws. My fingers, especially on my left hand, are rarely apart and never see the light of day. The sides of my fingers are lily-white and mushroom gray. When Amy washes my hands she comes across a dusty, dandruff of dry skin.  If my hands were active, the activity would have shed the skin like everywhere else on my body. I need to start checking other areas of inactivity for fallout.  If it weren't for Amy, I would be a non-walking, poor-talking shed machine. I thank God we have a good shower and a good showerer in my wife. I'm probably cleaner by her efforts than I ever was during my previous life. 

If you think I'm doing this on my eyegaze computer, I am (NOT). That is still a work in progress. I have determined that as long as I can speak well enough for Rachel to type, I will continue this modality as I practice on the eyegaze. 

Restless Nights

I recently discovered that I am the worlds worst somnambulist. Though my mind wants to walk, my body says otherwise, so I worm and I squirm and I spaz and I lock up all without the ability to even come close to exiting my bed. I guess it's a good thing I can't get out of bed because if I could, you can imagine and visualize the biological carnage as I splayed all over the floor. Funny, huh? Only if I keep it theoretical.

hell bent

My communication skills were never particularly well developed before I contracted ALS; now my abilities are finding convolution in a physical and psychological free fall, compressing out of existence. Today I must use a splint on the middle finger of my right hand in order to pluck a keyboard, holding my breath as I struggle to lift and drop for each letter. Very soon my arm will become too weak to lift. I could wax philosophical and implement  an approach more positive- and soon I will- but for now I bask in a fading light of telling, thankful and excited to give everybody the middle finger, turned, birding my disease.

With help

My eyegaze computer is a Mini Cooper trying to haul four and a half tons of verbage. In other words, pun intended, I can't get out of the driveway with such a load so I enlist Rachel to help me carry the majority of my mindset forward as I dwindle. 

I used to describe my battle with ALS as a downhill skid, feet splayed, heels dug into the turf, Fred Flintstoning in an effort to slow down, stop, climb, whatever works. I feel things have changed and I have a different metaphorical description of my journey these days. Picture a screw. Held in an upright position, this screw has been adorned with a drop of oil. I am in the oil. As gravity asserts itself, the oil begins to flow around the screw, slowly following the threads that direct its travel. Fred Flintstone doesn't help me any more. My feet don't dig in and I'm at the mercy of all. My only chance is to topple the screw and leap off, hopefully avoiding injury. I'm working on that.

This week Amy and I travel to Austin to listen to Master Co, trying to grasp his philosophy involving prantic healing and Qi'gong. I hope to have a personal experience with him. 

This is peculiar. My ability to post seems to be in line with my ability to speak. I've never had this kind of an issue before. It's possible that I'm in such a mood that I cannot successfully compartmentalize my thoughts, causing me trouble in opening the doors of my thinking. I'll try to muddle through anyway. 

Having ALS sucks, but outside of that, life could not be better. I have virtually every convenience known to man, loving family at every turn, an insanely gifted wife and caregiver. I desperately need to dump this disease so I can go on with my new life free of stress and frustration. My sole job is to be happy and carefree, consuming the love all around me as a medicine of my return. I need to forgive myself, to ask for forgiveness of those I wronged during my life and to forgive those whom I have held accountable for any negative experiences during my years as an adult and child.

I'm atypical both in the ALS world and the world at large. Most ALS sufferers lose muscle strength and flexibility, resulting in the inability to move due to flaccidity. My muscles scream. They are not interested in succumbing to the disease. I'm hoping my legs can frustrate the motor neuron degeneration, possibly causing ALS to fall away to insignificance. 

I believe Qi'gong, as practiced by Amy, has played a large part, along with massage, to alleviate most of the swelling in my feet. For the last week, we have seen a near miraculous improvement. I had a concerning mole on my right arm, looking suspicious these last few months. I can say without a doubt that between Amy and myself, over the last 3 days, having concentrated on eradicating the blemish, that we have succeeded in its elimination. Gone without a trace. Maybe my ALS can be incrementally broken down symptom by symptom. I dare hope. 

I love Rachel. I love that she is finding herself here in Dallas. If she feels better, I feel better. Her accomplishments are mine. Don't misread that last statement. Better, see it as love and leave it at that. I also appreciate Rachel typing this, even if it is embarrassing to her.

I will continue to spit out little eyegaze briefs. Until I master the system, I will try to find gaps in Rachel's schedule within which to insert myself, allowing me to assert myself. 

go go gopher

i bet the world at large has written me off when it comes to eye GAZE technology, rightfully so. Well, write me  in, all you doubters- I'm back. Don't fret, i plan to crawl out from under my rock and resurface with a whole new dogpile of juicy sarcasmic volcanic vitriole. As the rest of me functions less and not at all, my brain runs amuck.

hz

From my ipad

I would be pulling my hair out over the difficulty I've run into when posting with my eyes, but since I can't reach the follicles on my head I'll have to settle with tugging weakly on my beard. Meanwhile, I'll keep at it.

An attempt to blog sans hands

A COMPLEX Narative IS Not On the HORIZON. Maybe LESS Is Better

A new challenge each day

This is the first of many.

38ravel

n

A brief note

Here I sit trying to work out My Eye GAZE. I'm not doing so good :.  Watch : It may take me a minute to say what I want to say. Take my dentures out. Reposition me. Keep up the good work. Vb bear market for a cleaning i 'm looking for the phone number for a cleaning dallas   Vision Could you cut up my food in small pieces, please? Scratch my house is on fire and I can't get out. I live at Rearrange my appointment was it as good as they say? DONT,, Know

Cheater Post

This post is with Rachel's help. I have a long way to go on the eye gaze before I can flush out posts that would be interesting and complete. Meanwhile, I need to be honest with my readership and give an update on my condition. There is a good side and a bad side to how I feel. On the good side, Amy and I are working on energy healing with the idea of heading to California or Minnesota for treatment. Last night Amy found a guy who will be in Austin in September and she is attempting to arrange a private meeting. When Amy performs Qigong on me, I see some results.  This is all good. On the bad side, ALS is taking me apart. And I feel fasciculations in my gut and on my sides. It has already drastically affected my speech and is now affecting my ability to swallow and my ability to take in air.  This is likely due to a weakening of my throat and tongue and a weakening of my diaphragm.  

My left arm is now too weak to raise and my wrist is limp. I know how that sounds. Take it any way you want. Flaccid is a word that comes to mind, regretfully. I do thank the stars that it seems to be affecting just my left arm. 

I still plan to continue cleansing myself of negative aspects in my life in hopes that this will help me to fight unencumbered, using all the energy I can find, hoping all the time that this is not a last ditch effort. If I can find small improvements, big ones can't be far off. One can only hope. 
Thank you.