Day 15 | Laundry Day!

March 24, 2017

I got to sleep in this morning which was amazing! When I woke up, Brett was already hard at work doing laundry. We have two giant blue buckets. One is the wash bucket and the other the rinse bucket. Brett uses the wash bucket to soak the clothes in some Downy Free & Gentle Fabric Softener. The fabric softener contains quaternary ammonium which is supposed to bind to biotoxins and remove them from the clothing. After agitating the clothes he wrings them out and plops them into the rinse bucket, swishes them around, wrings them out again, and hangs them up to dry on our broken canopy.

It’s a lot of work and I felt really bad that I didn’t do much to help today. I was tired and needed some down time to recover from all the exposures I ran into the last couple of days. So, I just sat and rested for most of the day. It’s nice to know that I am making progress just by breathing when I’m in a good location.

The one thing I did do today was take a shower using an Arrowhead water bottle. It was rather clumsy and difficult, and the strong gusts of wind made me miss showering indoors with warm running water.

When I was looking for a spot to wash my hair, I stumbled upon the spine of an animal. The vertebrae looked pretty large to me! Maybe it was just the silly city girl in me, but it really creeped me out to think that there might be a predator big enough to kill a coyote or something. A mountain lion?

Brett reminded me that perhaps the animal died for some other reason and I decided I liked his theory much better than my mountain lion theory. Still, I was a little nervous about walking around in the dark tonight.

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4 Comments

  • Alex

    Glad you got to rest today, Ana! We have been praying for a chance to just breathe—hoping moments like that can keep coming for you (and Brett too)! We love you!

    March 25, 2017 at 4:44 pm Reply
  • Audrey

    Ana and Brett, everyone in the Young Writer’s Workshop is praying for you and cheering you on!! It sounds like you two have been having some pretty rough outdoor adventures (to say the least).
    I saw a story about a girl who was struggling with similar issues to yours. She was allergic to a crazy number of things (even plastic!), but she has recovered. I posted the link to her story in hopes that it could encourage you.
    http://www.awmi.net/video/healing/niki/
    Keep on fighting!!
    Audrey French

    March 25, 2017 at 7:57 pm Reply
  • Chris Barratt

    Ana, I’ve been following your story for several years now through my daughter who writes for The Rebelution. I’ve also been praying for you regularly. I know you’ve probably tried many things through the years, and I probably risk repeating what you’ve already tried. But just in case not, I’m going to present these ideas anyway. I’ve been a natural health person for the past 20 years. Currently, I’m the director of our local health food co-op. I’ve read your entire story on this blog, and I know you’ve tried everything but just in case I’m going to throw out these ideas. Quercetin and Bromelain are natural anti inflammatories and antihistamines. Like I said you probably already know this. Also when you’re washing your clothes have you tried Eucalyptus essential oil? This will kill any dust mites and germs. I would get a good eucalyptus like Young Living. Just a few drops in the water. Also, since I know your diet is very strict and you undoubtedly don`t do sugar etc. Which is good because it lowers your immune system. But you’ve been through an awful lot and since our immune system is located in our guts and yours has taken a hit with all the drugs etc, are you doing a probiotic? A good one that’s vegetarian is Nutrition Now PB8. This has eight strains to help get the good bacteria to replicate again. And lastly, 100% Pure is a great all natural cosmetic and beauty supply company. They are the purist I’ve found outside of making things from scratch. But that doesn’t mean you still don`t have to check ingredients, so please still do. Of course, fly all this past yr docs. And again, I’m sure you probably already know all this as you’re experts at it all by now. But I’ve been so worried about you and been praying so steadily that I felt led to pass this info on anyway. Please know you’re not alone and many people like us have been praying and donating. And also tell Brett we’re praying for him as well. He’s obviously hand picked by God to be your husband!! Much love and many continual prayers!!!!

    March 26, 2017 at 1:15 pm Reply
    • AnaHarris

      Thanks so much for sharing Chris! I appreciate that you took the time to write this out in such a kind and considerate way. I have tried most of the things you mentioned, including bromelain and quercetin, lots and lots of probiotics and 100% pure cosmetics. I loved their lipstick. But please don’t feel bad for making the suggestion, they’re definitely all things that are worth trying. The quercetin and bromelain did help a little for a while and probiotics are so important when you’re on antibiotics. The one thing I haven’t tried is eucalyptus oil because I reacted badly to essential oils that were high in 1,8 cineole in the past. Maybe someday I’ll be able to tolerate them again. Thank you so much for your prayers too!💚

      March 26, 2017 at 8:38 pm Reply

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