January.  It's been awhile.  I have no idea if anyone even reads this or if it's helping anyone else.  I needed some time to try and get back to my life without thinking every minute of the day about how I felt.  As it stands now, the last 3 months have been good.  There have been no relapses (although I keep being told it'll happen, it hasn't and probably won't).  I've learned a lot from this experience, mostly to never trust doctors and when something bad happens you're on your own.  This is not a "take a few pills and you'll be better" problem.  This is maintenance to retain your health and a lifestyle change.  I can now do everything I did before.  There are still lingering pains in my lower calves, although not so bad as to impact day to day life, more low level when I get out of bed I notice it.  I don't feel pain walking around.  There are some things that will guarantee pain that I would have thought nothing of before.  You can't have anymore caffeine, ever.  It amplifies the pain within 2-3 days.  You can't take ibuprofen and aspirin is to be used sparingly.  Again, amplifies the pain within 2-3 days.  I'm never without wearing comfortable shoes now, that means day and night, no house shoes, no ill-fitting shoes.  I change insoles once a month.  The natural supplements do work, but you have to keep taking them and I won't lie, it's the cost of keeping healthy.  Eleven pills can and does change your life and I'm living proof.  However, if you're suffering pain daily and it's impacting your life, take a chance and try some of the supplements I'm taking and stop taking ibuprofen and caffeine for the pain, it's only making it worse.  There is no instant cure, but after a few weeks you should show a change for the better.

As to my mother's battle with Lisinopril we finally found the magic formula.  I had all but given up then made one last search attempt right before she got on a plane bound for England and healthcare that was covered for her.  Hell when your sick and you have to do that, but here in the good ole USA it would have bankrupt us.  The symptoms had continues without interruption and seemed to be speeding up.  Every 2 weeks there was 5-7 days she was down on the couch, in bed and in stomach pain with everything bloating internally.  Not only that but her blood pressure coincided with these events, giving her system hell with the rollercoaster effect of high up and low down swings.  We'd tried everything natural and only certain supplements gave relief, but not a cure from this.  2 days before she left I ran that search.  I sometimes wonder that my ancestors and guardians must help point me in the right direction.  I came up with Reishi mushroom (now changed to a 7 mushroom formula) and Astragalus.  It sounded a little off the wall and most Chinese remedies I avoid as there are too many side effects.  However, there were no major side effects that could do damage so I gave them to her before she left with instructions for use, the max on the package, 3 pills of each one each day.  Nothing natural is a silver bullet.  It's not going to take effect immediately, it takes a few weeks to notice change.   Within a week of being in England she had another attack.  Not to be unexpected, as the formula hadn't the time to take effect.  However, it wasn't as severe and didn't last quite as long.  We were hopeful.  While in England she met with the doctors and wasn't offered any new drugs thank god, just the truth of her condition and tests run.  Lisinopril did cause the damage, although it is rare for damage to take this form of internal inflammation (angioedema) as this condition is usually hereditary.  Since we were not helped at all by the medical establishment here to get this fixed quickly it has led to her bladder bulging or dropping out of place from all the inflammation.  This is not severe but it will have to be monitored in case she needs surgery to correct it.  All tests came back OK so there is no kidney damage.  With the bladder bulging it does leave room for easier bladder infections, so she has to stay alert to when these might be coming on.  After 4 weeks in England and results for the condition she returned home.  The Mushrooms and Astragalus have worked magic with no recurrence of the inflammation attacks and no side effects, she continues to take these daily.  There is also a natural treatment for the bladder infections that works called Cetyl Myristoleate, taken at the first signs of the infection and then for a week.  I have no idea why or how it works but it does.  My mother stumbled across a posting where a lady had started taking it and found it worked so decided to try it.  I can't find any medical studies to back it up but when something works with no side effects it doesn't really matter. 

So that's it.  We're back to our regular lives now but not completely unscathed, as you can tell.  At least we're able to function without pain or attacks.  If you find any of this helps you, please email me to let me know your experience.  Here's to a great 2009!