Papa was a rolling stone

For the first time in 2 weeks, I can categorically say that I feel great. Well, probably not that great as the guy in the photo, but well enough to appreciate the slightly cold morning here in Phnom Penh, do some chores in the kitchen, and sit down in front of the computer to write this post.

Spending the last weeks in a constant state of pain takes a lot out of anybody. I looked at my bed this morning and realized that the sheets desperately needed to be changed. They had soaked the sweat from my recurring fever. My bedroom felt like a sick room. The very air in my bedroom is stale, in dire need of freshening. For the first time in 2 weeks, I felt the energy to do these things.

Once the diagnosis of gallstones was confirmed a week ago, I started doing this treatment regimen to flush out my (steven sea)gallstones with no surgery. It was to run for 6 days and it involved apple juice, Epsom salt, olive oil, and lemon juice. The instructions can be found on-line, but the clearest (in my opinion) was in Sandy Daza’s column.

Here it goes: for days 1 to 5, you have to drink 4-5 glasses of apple juice a day. An alternative would be eating 4-5 apples. Meals are normal. In my case, I made sure I drank 1 tetra-brik (1 liter) of apple juice a day. My appetite was almost non-existent.

On the 6th day, you need to take 3 glasses of apple juice up to 4PM. No dinner also on the 6th day. Then at 6PM, you need to drink a glass of warm water mixed with a teaspoon of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). At 8PM, drink another glass of warm water with the Epsom salt. And finally, at 10PM, drink half a cup of olive oil mixed with half a cup of lemon juice.

In the morning, you’re supposed to pass the gallstones in the stool. The apple juice was supposed to soften the gallstones while the Epsom salt and olive oil exert a laxative effect, making it easier for the stones to flow from the gall bladder to the intestines and out the backdoor. To check if treatment was successful, gallstones are supposed to be greenish in color and they reportedly float.

Drinking a liter of apple juice a day wasn’t really a problem for me because I love apple juice. But the Epsom salt solution? Yuck! It was difficult to swallow; like drinking seawater mixed with a little detergent. What about the olive oil and the lemon juice mixture? Well, everyone knows that olive oil plus lemon juice equals vinaigrette. So it’s okay. But keep in mind that we do not drink salad dressings. That’s how it tasted. Swallowing it wasn’t the hard part. It was keeping it down. I felt it crawling up my throat that I had to suck on a hard candy to keep from throwing up. 

But enough of these complaints. I just thought that I was doing this in place of surgery and this helped me to cope.

This morning, after my first meal of steamed rice and fish, I felt the urge to go to the toilet.

And there they were, greenish gobs that floated on the water. No photos, sorry. That would be too much, don’t you think?

Now, am I cured? Literature says that I am, though I want to get another abdominal ultrasound to confirm and just to be sure. Mostly, I am relieved to be free from pain and being able to even consider that this is behind me. I need to focus on eating healthy to avoid its recurrence. 

Meanwhile, something is afoot with my dear old liver. I will write about it when I have more definitive information.