Eye Exam

Pictured is my red Penstemon. Actually red with a little white inside the flower. A Perennial.

I had an appointment with my ophthalmologist yesterday to check on the cataract in my right eye. First he asked me about double vision. I used to have that really bad, but I don’t see double anymore. The only problem I have now is trying to look down through my bifocals to read and then I have a habit of closing one eye. My right eye is still up too high and so looking down through the bifocals creates the double vision. If I use my reading glasses, then it’s o.k.
The cataract is about the same as it was 6 months ago. My eye sight is at 20/50. Eighteen months ago it was 20/70 and my ophthalmologist was ready to remove the cataract. But since then it has improved so much that no action is needed at this time.
I give Miguel, my reflexologist in Turlock the credit for the improvement. Every time I have a treatment he works on the area on my feet for my eyes. One time I complained that I wanted to keep my eyes closed all the time even though I wasn’t sleepy. He discovered I had a lot of pressure behind my eyes and he worked it out on the corresponding areas on my feet.
It was instant relief.
My ophthalmologist said it is surprising that I can see as good as I can, considering. I’m happy my cataract isn’t getting any worse. I have to go back in 6 months.

The one lonely cherry is ripe. Yay. This is the Stella cherry tree that is self-fruitful. I'm hoping for more cherries next year.

11-11-11

I have an Iris blooming now. "Autumn Circus." True to its name, it blooms in the fall as well as in April and May. It was just divided in July and replanted so I didn't expect it to bloom so soon.
Today is a special day. 11-11-11. My sister was expecting a new grandbaby today, but I don't think it happened yet. Too bad. Today is 100 years since the baby's great-grandfather was born. The first baby born in Winton on 11-11-1911.
Today I had an appointment with my eye doctor. Last year he wanted to remove the cataract in my eye. But I was scheduled for knee replacement surgery later that month, so he said to call him when I was ready to have it done. I never got around to making the appointment even though it's been getting hard to read the newspaper. I keep the magnifying glass handy. So, today I was prepared to make the appointment to have the cataract removed.
To my surprise -- my eye has improved. The cataract is better than last year. The doctor said last year my right eye was at 20/70 and today it's 20/50. I asked what would make it improve? He said something about the lens changes or something like that. Anyway I got to thinking -- it must be because of reflexology. Because of Miguel Gallegos working on my feet and sometimes my ears and finger tips, I went from horrible double vision (a plus 5 prism in each lens) to no double vision. So, if reflexology can do that, why not improve the cataract in the eye?
It's no wonder I keep going to Turlock once a month for reflexology treatments. There are other reasons of course. Pain or soreness in my back, hips, legs, stiff neck. You name it. I always feel better after a treatment.
I am so happy that I don't need to have a cataract removed, but just ordered new glasses instead. This was indeed a lucky day.

Black & Blue Sage

Yesterday after our reflexology treatment in Turlock, my sister and I went to The Greenery. We've been going there each time we go to Turlock to look at their flower plants. Sometimes we don't buy anything, but this time I saw a one-gallon size of the Black and Blue Sage. I saw a large plant of it in bloom there months before, so even though this one was pruned down to the ground, I grabbed it up, knowing it will be beautiful next summer and fall. I stole the above picture somewhere on the Internet. Isn't the Internet great? You can find anything there!
In the spring I'm going to ask them to special order the Limerock Ruby Coreopsis for me. I can't find that red flowering plant anywhere. It will be another exciting spring with new Irises and other flowers in bloom. Sometimes I feel this place is too much for me (it is), but still I'd hate to leave. I feel comfortable in my own mess. (grin)
I told Miguel yesterday that my eyes always feel tired, even when I first wake up in the morning. I know I'm not sleepy, but I hate to open my eyes; just want to keep them closed. Well, Miguel found a lump just below my toes and worked it out. He said that lump caused a pressure behind my eye and now it was gone. Sure enough, I don't feel like I need to keep my eyes closed all the time. Great!! Sure is good to be rid of that.
Today was the Winton Historical Society meeting. I think this one sneaked up on some of our regulars. They didn't show up!! Collected a few more recipes though, so now we have 581. Not everyone has turned in their recipes yet, I hope they remember that December 31 is the deadline.
Sunday the Winton Volunteer Firemen are having a fund-raiser breakfast, from 7:00 a.m. until 12 noon at the Winton Hall. Some of our members will be there selling coffee mugs. Also, the VFW Auxiliary will be selling baked goods.
If you missed purchasing a "Memories of Winton 1911-1950" history book, they will be available there too.
Come by for a hearty breakfast and for a good cause. Proceeds from the breakfast will go towards equipment or maintenance needed by the Fire Department. Tickets, $6.00 for adults, $4.00 for children ages 6 to 12. Five and under eat free.

Monday

Life is back to normal as far as Maggie is concerned. She is my happy, lovable cat again. Here is a picture of her on top of the cookbook bookcase. Notice the small windmill by her feet. I don't know how she figured out the paddles would go around, but she played with it and made it spin around. She's a smart one, that cat. (And Spoiled)
Today Carol and I had appointments with Miguel in Turlock. Again I had spots on my feet that hurt. One was for my head. Miguel asked if I've been dizzy. I never mentioned that to him, but when I lay back on my pillow, I would get really dizzy and would try to find a different position. I was concerned about it, but I guess not enough to go to my MD. Miguel said there was some kind of blockage near the top of my head. The appointment was before noon and my face was hot all afternoon.
The recipes have started coming in. THANK YOU!! We need a LOT MORE, of course. It's interesting to see the different ones that people have sent in. Have you sent in your recipes yet?
It was decided to print the Winton Hometown News every other month, instead of each quarter. That will be two more per year. We should be able to find enough material for that. The newsletter that just went out then will be the March/April issue.
The next one (May/June) will be mailed out in May. And yes, it's still fun!!

Today

Today I had lunch at Carrows with a couple of friends. Just as we were walking in at 11:30, we saw this funnel cloud. I had my little camera in my purse, so took a couple of pictures. The cloud was already dissipating. It was on the TV news tonight; we don't usually see such things in Merced.
We had our usual long leisurely lunch and played catch-up on what's going on in our lives. Bev went to Miguel,the Reflexologist in Turlock for the first time, because of a twitching in her ankles that sometimes kept her awake at night and Surprise! It's gone!! Chalk another one up for Miguel Gallegos!! Bev had this for years and lately it had been getting much worse, waking her up in the middle of the night.
I've been working on the Winton Historical Society's newsletter. My sister and I decided to switch jobs, so now she is the Treasurer and I am the Editor. We both will go to interview people and get their stories and maybe scan some pictures. That's the fun part. (Just call us the Roving Reporters!)
It's taking some time to figure out the front page with inserting the large picture into WordPerfect with all the text that needs to be there.
And then there's the names and addresses to type in and print out address labels. This first one is taking a lot of time, but after I get the hang of it, it shouldn't be so bad. The pages have filled up quickly. Maybe we'll have to send a newsletter every other month instead of quarterly. We'll see how it goes.
In the meantime, don't forget to send in your recipes for the Winton Centennial Cookbook.

Reflexology Treatments

I have been going to Miguel Gallegos- a Certified Reflexologist for some time now. I learned about him from my sister Lorraine. I went because I have on-going back problems and Arthritis. I also have High Blood Pressure too. One day it went out of control and I wound up at the ER and they did the works on me- testing out what caused it. I had to have my meds increased. They sent the information back to my doctor and I was to see him the next week. He did a followup and said- among other things that I had a blockage and needed to be checked out with the Heart Specialists.
Before I went there I thought I should have a treatment with Miguel and told him about the blockage. He found it and worked it out. It was the size of a pea.
Then I went to my appointment with the Heart Doctor. There I had a Sonogram, 2 MRI's, and a treadmill test. They all came back OK- no blockage. Kind of surprised the Doctor. I didn't tell the Heart Doctors about going to the reflexologist, as I didn't know if they would believe it. After the blockage was removed (dissolved) I felt so much better- my shortness of breath is a lot better too.
I was telling someone about this and she was wondering if he could do anything for Restless Leg Syndrome. I then remembered I had that also sometime back and it is gone too. I didn't even tell Miguel about it. This is a nerve problem also and all of our nerve endings are at the bottom of our feet. Check out this chart.
Carolyn Wiens

Reflexology Treatments

Today, my sister and I had another reflexology treatment in Turlock.
Lately the muscles above my right eye have been tightening up and I feel like I must be frowning. These are the same sensations I felt 25 years ago before I realized my right eye was sinking in. People used to tell me "stop frowning" so often that I finally got tired of it and wanted to shout "I can't help it; I'm not frowning." So, now I am thinking I must be working back through and my body is undoing the damage that was inflicted upon it years ago.
It was a very gradual process when all my problems started with double vision, locking jaw, etc. so it's not surprising to me that it is a gradual process getting back to normal.
I've made giant leaps with the healing through reflexology and I would be very happy with the status quo, but I am now confident that more healing is taking place.
Read what Kevin Kunz says about "going back through" in his blog.
I know some people expect a complete healing with one reflexology treatment, but that probably depends on how long they've had the problem or how severe it is.
Today I tried out my new compact camera on Miguel and his wife, Blanca. It's a Kodak Easyshare V1273 and it takes really good pictures, but the operator needs more practice with it.

More on Reflexology

I should have listed Miguel Gallegos' address and phone number on my "Reflexology vs Romberg's Syndrome" post.
I did do a google search for his name to see how easily he could be found, but unless you add Turlock to your search, there are far too many hits. So ~ here is his address: 309 Lander Ave, Turlock, CA 95380; phone 209-669-3609.
Insurance companies don't recognize reflexologists, even though they will pay for chiropractors. I guess it's too hard to regulate. They seem to dump them in with massages. Miguel does NOT massage your feet, he gives you a treatment.
More on Romberg's Syndrome; it is a rare disease, you can read more about it by doing a google search. Usually it starts at an early age, up to the 20s. I was in my early 40s when I began having problems. At the Stanford Eye Clinic, the doctors had never seen anyone with it (at least at that time), but had read about it. One day when I was there, a doctor from New Zealand was visiting and since he had patients with Romberg's Syndrome, he was asked to examine me. He told me I had a mild case and not to do anything.
I have seen pictures of people with full-blown cases of Romberg's Syndrome and some of them really are heart-breaking. My local eye doctor refers to it as Hemifacial Atrophy, meaning half of the face is wasting away.
Now when I have reflexology treatments and Miguel is working on my feet, I can feel sensations in my face; my jaw, my forehead, my front lower gums, my face gets warm, etc. It's the improved circulation that I am feeling.
The person who told us about Miguel had a problem with his shoulder, his doctor wanted to operate, but Jack kept putting it off. He had a pickup with a manual shift and he finally had to sell it because he could no longer drive it. After having a reflexology treatment Jack went back to his MD. His blood pressure was lower and the doctor was quite impressed and asked how he did that. Jack told him about going to the reflexolgist. The doctor said, you're still going to have the shoulder operation, aren't you? Jack said I don't think I need to and raised his arm high in the air. The doctor could only exclaim, "This is a miracle."
A friend had a rash on his arm that he couldn't keep from scratching. His arm was always bloody and even though he wore long sleeves, you could still see it through his shirt. He went to all the experts, even to "the head doctor at UCSF" who looked at his arm and said he didn't know what it was. This was the same answer he got from all the other doctors. Then he says, "I went to this office in Turlock with a neon open sign in the window. Miguel took one look at my arm and said, it's your liver, it will start to go away after three treatments." And it did.
Moral of that story: Don't be overly impressed with a fancy office.

I have one more story that I've been a little reluctant to tell. I know there are a lot of skeptics out there. But I guess that's o.k.
A lady who had medical problems was examined by doctors in Stockton. They found she had a blockage and wanted to do the balloon treatment to resolve the problem. They wanted to set up an appointment right away, but the lady wanted to wait a week or so. She went to Miguel and he worked on her feet. It was painful, but well worth it. She called Miguel later and said the doctors gave her the test again before the procedure appointment and they were shocked that the blockage was gone. They kept asking her what did you do? The only thing she did was have a treatment at Miguel's.
Yes, I know that's a pretty heavy story and it would be hard for me to believe too, except for my own experience and what reflexology has done for me.
Reflexology is NOT a massage.
UPDATE: See what my sister wrote on January 20, 2009. She had a Blockage too and Miguel worked it out. She is the 4th person that Miguel was able to get rid of their blockage. Wow! I'm sure a believer now!

Reflexology vs Romberg's Syndrome

My sister and I had appointments in Turlock yesterday with Miguel Gallegos, a Certified Reflexologist. We go about once every five weeks.
This picture of Miguel working on my foot was taken by Marci Stenberg and appeared in the Merced Sun-Star on January 4, 2005, along with an article written by Krista Bjorn.
I started going to Miguel for treatments in November of 2004; first because my knee was so swollen with arthritis that I could barely walk. I even quit going to the Mall. Someone told my husband about Gallegos and thought I should really give it a try.
With the very first treatment, the swelling went down almost an inch in each knee and I was again able to shop at the Mall.
On my second visit, I asked Miguel if he could do something about the loss of fatty tissue in my face. I was just kidding him, as I really expected him to say no.
It was in the early 1980s that I began having double vision. My local ophthalmologist noticed that my right eye had sunk in. I was prescribed glasses with a plus 3 prism in each lens to make my eyes focus together.
I went to the Stanford Eye Clinic to find out what caused my eye to sink in. I was really quite concerned about it and wondered what was going on in my head. I was invited to participate in the "Grand Rounds" where 14 doctors at Stanford examined my eye and head; one doctor said I had a funny shaped head, another said I looked like someone hit me over my right eye with a machete. Then the doctors had a meeting to discuss my case. They determined that I had Perry Romberg's Syndrome and that a nerve on the right side of my head had died that was supplying blood and nutrients to the affected area. So, that was why the decrease of fatty tissue above and behind my right eye, causing it to sink in.
I was told there was no cure for it, but it was not life-threatening. The doctors said they could reposition my eye (it was up too high and slightly turned) and inject silicon to make my face symmetrical again. I seriously considered having that done, but it was a bit scary. So, I continued getting stronger and stronger prisms until in 1997 I needed a plus 5 prism in each lens, which made it a plus ten. My (negative) progress was monitored at Stanford for several years, taking pictures of my face at different angles to document the changes. I was shocked at how bad I looked at these different angles and hoped I would be able to retire from work before I looked too grotesque.
Soon I started having problems with my right jaw locking. My dentist thought I had TMJ and sent me to UCSF. After an MRI of my head, the doctors said it was not TMJ, but that the right side of my face had shrunk, my muscles were shortened and that's why my jaw locked. Many times my jaw would close so hard and quickly that I would bite my tongue or the inside of my mouth. It was so painful and frustrating. Sometimes it would cause bleeding. A few times I could barely open my mouth wide enough to take a bite of a thin sandwich. My right temple protruded and was always sore. I was told to relax and was given blue dots to stick everywhere at home and work to remind me to do that.
By my fifth visit in February of 2005 to Mr. Gallagos, the Certified Reflexologist, I began seeing double with my glasses on. My ophthalmologist was surprised that my glasses were now twice as strong as I needed. He cut the prisms in half, to 2 1/2 in each lens. Six months later, after 6 more treatments, my prisms were cut in half again. A year later, I was able to wear glasses without prisms for the first time in more than 25 years.
Not all, but most of the fatty tissue has been restored, my eye lashes and right eyebrow have grown back, my jaw doesn't lock and my right temple is no longer sore. My eye is still sunk in, but not as bad as before. On the right is a recent picture, showing how my eyes look today, not nearly as bad as they used to, but I still don't like having my picture taken.
I don't know if it can go back to being completely normal. Maybe this is as good as it gets. Remember I've had this condition for more than 20 years. But I really believe it is still improving, just not as quickly or dramatic as it did at first. Each time I have a treatment, I can feel the twinges in my head while Miguel is working on my feet. My face gets warm while the blood circulation is improving. I always feel good after a treatment.
To me, all this is nothing short of a miracle. After years of fighting with the prisms, bobbing my head around while reading, so as not to see double! If my eyes were tired, it was even more difficult to focus. I was afraid to drive to Fresno (60 miles away) because my eyes would get tired and then hard to focus on the traffic and the traffic signs. Also the job I retired from required a lot of reading,and that made the job much more difficult. It is such a relief to be without the prisms. I have driven to Pasadena and back in one day. A 4 1/2 hour drive one way. I would never have considered it before.
I believe this big improvement was because Mr. Gallegos was able to restore the blood circulation throughout my body. He works on the feet, he never touched my knee. He has on occasion worked on my elbow (for my knee), the tips of my fingers and a few times on my ears. Like my sister says, she likes going to Miguel because she only has to take her shoes off!
While waiting for my treatment in Miguel's office, I hear many stories from other patients of how he has helped others; a woman whose finger would not straighten out and her MD wanted to operate, had it corrected by reflexology. Another one was cured of her Migraine headaches, a two year old who couldn't walk, had been to the Children's Hospital near Fresno where doctors told her mother she would eventually be in a wheelchair, was walking after one session with Miguel. She had a total of three treatments.
There are many other stories, too many to relate here. Miguel will be the first one to tell you to see your medical doctor. He does not promise to cure people, but is there to help those who need it.
When I told him about my eye, his first question was, have you been to your doctor? The answer of course was yes and when I said I'd had this for over 20 years, he just shook his head and went to work on my feet.
To learn more about reflexology click on this link.
Click here for interactive charts.
I have several books on reflexology, but am not trained to give myself treatments, I rely on the professionals, i.e. Miguel Gallegos.
(I didn't tell him I was going to post this.)

I just found where Kevin Kunz mentioned this post on his blog. He has written about 10 books on Reflexology along with his wife, Barbara Kunz. The interactive charts are from their website. I love those. I have a couple of his books. Here is his blog address: http://footc.typepad.com/my_weblog/ To read what he says about my post, click here.