Park Attwood clinic and Misteltoe Therapy.

The information in this diary is from my point of view and should not be take as medical information.
For information abut Park Attwood, Mistletoe Therapy and the work they do, please contact:

Park Attwood Clinic,

Trimpley,
Bewdley,
Worcestershire,
DY12 1RE.

Tel: 01299861444

Email : info@parkattwood.org.

Website : www.Parkattwood.org

The review - The people and the place

I wanted to include something about the amazing people I met hence this blog. This includes patients we met at the clinic.

* Wendy, My sister - Firstly, I have to mention my sister, Wendy, who without I would have been lost. She has been a great support to me, making me smile when I feel like crying and taking time out of her busy life to come to Park Attwood with me. Thank you Wendy, I am so grateful. I am so glad that you are my sister.

The Patient

* Carole - A truly inspirational lady who has breast cancer. She has her own farm with the farm animals as pets. We went through our fevers together and swapped notes on how we felt. Carole is someone I will keep in touch with when I go home.

* Suzi - So Knowledgable, I thought she was a therapist! Suzi has been so helpful with advice about Mistletoe and Dr Callebout, I am seeing him on Friday, and is also someone who has inspired me to carry on with Mistletoe. Suzi is someone else I would love to stay in touch with.

* Aurial - Well, What can I say, the traveller. Aurial (pictured) is 76 years old and this dear lady travelled from Scotland to Birmingham and then to Park Attwood by train which took 12 hours and it was so good hearing her story of her journey and experience along the way. I had a 3 1/2 hour journey from Plymouth and took the easy option, by car. I feel so humbled. I am sure Aurial has inspired all of us as she is so amazing.

* Paula - A quiet Irish lady who has Parkinsons disease. She told the story of her son who escaped the Tsunami disaster and then the heartache of losing a daughter. She is a sweet, lovely lady who, again, inspired us all. She looks like the typical warm, cuddly Grandma and idolises her 14 Grandchildren and 1 great grand child. I could have listened to her soft Irish lilt all week.

The team

* Dr Maria Pedro Fonseca - The singing Dr, one of the patients passed away and a small ceremony was held in her room. We were invited to join but stayed outside the room. Dr Maria sang an Aria and it was beautiful. Dr Maria is the kind if physician everyone should have. She is beautiful inside and out. I could see just how much she enjoyed the work she does. She is a very calming influence.

* Dr Maurice Orange - Another wonderful Dr who treats everyone as an individual and is very passionate about his job. I have never seen so much inner beauty in people until I came here, they emulate it and this includes Dr Orange who's gentle voice can be listened to forever.

* Nurses - Emma, Dawn, Trudi, Sue, Sam and many more. This is a different class of nurse as nothing is too much trouble. The nurses kept us smiling even when there were tear

* Patti - The Eurythmy lady from New York, and a very calming influence on everyone.. She is so beautiful ( I know I keep saying it but it's true) and has a good sense of humour. She reminded Wendy and I of Debbie Harry , a very attractive woman inside and out.

* John - The art therapist and also very calming. He brought out a lot of baggage I was carrying and inspired me to carry on with my painting.

* The kitchen staff - The food was very vegan, nuts seeds and such like. My sister didn't like it like I did and was asked what she liked. All week she had a special meal cooked for her. We were so well looked after and again, nothing was too much trouble.
* The cleaning ladies - We couldn't beleive it on the Tuesday morning we were asked if we had any washing. These lovely ladies took our clothes, washed, ironed and brought them back. We have been so spoilt. One of the ladies had her knees replaced and was up and down the stairs every day with the washing. I called her the bionic woman. She was lovely, and such a beautiful smile. Thank you for spoiling us.At lunch and supper, the whole team of nurses, Dr's, Therapists, cooks sit down together with the patients. They work as a team and it makes it such a lovely atmosphere. Park Attwood is perfect and if any one gets the opportunity to go, they should take it, I know I will definatley be going back.

Day 6 - Coming home

I had an awful night again, struggling with the pain of a migrane. It was getting unbearable and I even felt I had had enough. I kept telling myself that hopefully, this will all be worth it. We are leaving at 10:00am and Pat, a great supporter of the website and someone who has given me so much support since we started to chat through Email, is picking us up. She lives about 10-15 mins away and I am really looking forward to meeting her. Unfortuatley, she lost her husband, Tony, a few days ago which was heart breaking as they had been through so much. She still found the time for My sister and I which I really apprciate what she is doing as it must be hard for her. I still have the migraine but not as much as it was in the night.

Pat arrived and we had a hug when we first met. It felt like I had known her forever. She is so lovely. We went to her house for lunch and were supposed to be picked up at 3:00pm. The driver arrived at 5:00pm. We had a really good journey home and arrived safe and well and I found we had a new lodger, Shadow our new cat. He is beautiful.

Day 5 - Another Mistletoe day

I am having another drip of Mistletoe today. I have a migraine still and it seems to be getting worse. I am being given lots of homeopathic remedies as I cannot have paracetamal or Nurofen as it takes the temperature down and I need my immune system to do it itself.

Day 4 - Temperatures rising.

My temperature had started to rise and I had the chills. The fever had started but I wasn't prepared for the horrendous headache tha comes along with it. I had breakfast and went back to my room where I stayed all day. I have never experienced a headache like this one before and I will have to through it all again on Friday. I have had a migraine all day long. I sympethise with any one who gets one. I had another Mistletoe treatment today although the headache is going now. I had art therapy this afternoon and did another picture. This time I had to put myself in the centre and the illness on the outside. I painted myself as the light at the centre and the illness is the poited purple chards on the outside. At first I saw it as an attack but when I really looked into it it became the attacked. I felt the bright light had exploded through the illness and chards of it were flying outwards.

I am so amazed how this has helped me. I am hoping to carry on with this when I come back.

BALDUR

This is the sculpture in Park Attwood garden. The inscription reads

"The Mistletoe Struck Baldur and it killed him"

This inspired me to look into who Baldur was and why he was struck.

I have found out that The Aesir are a legendary tribe of Norse gods who's mother goddess, Frigga, had a son.
His name was Baldur, child of the light and sun, who she adored.
The Norse people, being farther north, truly honored the Sun because it meant protection from the freezing winter ice.
A prediction forsaw that Baldur's death would be a sign that the world would end. Frigga went to every creature and object such as Wood, Stone and water and made them all promise not to harm her son. But she forgot about the Mistletoe plant as she felt it was harmless. They all said they would not hram her precious Baldur that was until the God Loki disguised himself and tricked Frigga into revealing this to him.
Loki then fooled Baldur's brother,Hodur, who was the old, blind God of Winter. All the gods at this point were testing Frigga's magic by throwing the objects at Baldur but nothing hurt him. Loki placed a dart of Mistletoe in Hodur's hand and encouraged the blind man to try as he had not taken part due to his disability. Loki Guided Hodur's arm and aimed it at Baldur who was struck down by the Mistletoe.
The other Gods couldn't revive Baldur and Frigga was devastated as any mother would be.
Baldur's death signaled the end and it is said that Frigga ordered that Mistletoe, a poisonous herb, should never be used for harm again and should only be used for love and healing. Hence the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas.

The death of Baldur also depicts the end of Summer and the start of winter. This is such a beautiful tale that I had to include as it felt so fitting to what is with Mistletoe and my cancer.

Day 3 - Enjoying the gardens

It is 7:15 am, Wendy and I had a good nights sleep and didn't venture down to the kitchen for a midnight cuppa!
The fever hadn't started last night, I think I was sat too close to the radiator!!

Carole, another lady here is having the same treatment and has beaten me to fever pitch!

We had a fun gamble to see who would start first and she got there before me. Poor thing has been stuck in her room all day and not down for meals.

I had my third vodka shot (lime drink) This morning. I have to take charge of the syringe today and I am not looking forward to that. I only have to inject twice a week when I go home so, will have to learn to do it. This isn't something I am comfortable with but, as I tell lots of people, your never to old to learn. Hopefully, this will be a life saver and will be worth continuing.

I had art therapy today which was drawing a circle on a blackboard and pin poiting myself at the centre and Eurythmy which is movement and breathing Something like tia chi I think. It made me feel peaceful and free which I was suprised with as I didn't think it would do anything.

Wendy and I took a short walk around the grounds today as the sun was shining and it was such a beautiful day and the view is breathtaking. I took some pictures of the house and surroundings.

I had my third drip of Mistletoe which was tripled from Monday, 8 viles now, something should be happening soon. and was about to undertake my first self inflicted injection.

I did it!!!! the first jab was so nerve wracking but I did it with the help of the nurse who did one jab and I did the second. (I am such a coward) My temprature has risen this evening to 37.21 so I think I am in for a stormy night. I had a lovely foot massage which warmed my little tootsies up no end. Tomorrow will be interesting as I think it will be fever day.

Day 2 - Sleepless night

Wendy and I had a restless nights sleep as I was worried about the position of the cancer and felt pushed back to the starting post again as I found out yesterday that it had progressed to stage 3.
My sister and I ventured to the kitchen around 3:30-4:00am to make a cup of tea and had a very quiet giggle along the way. We came across "the Smacker" which we wondered was it for bad patients like us?

We went back to our room with our drinks and eventually went to sleep and woke around 7:30am.





I had art therapy this morning and released a lot of emotion during the session. My picture showed a purple tenticle which was my cancer, all purple and blue was the cancer but that was the attacking part and the other colours were me and my energy fighting it.



I had a second Mistletoe drip which was doubled up from yesterdays amount with still no side effects and a massage in the afternoon. I didn't get the full body massage because of my period. I had a foot and back massage which was wonderful. I had two lime drinks which I have called vodka shots as the drink comes in a little shot like glass and it is to calm the heart.I also had two more Mistletoe injections today (one each side of my tummy) and will have to learn to administer it myself......that was scarry!
The nurse showed me what to do with an orange and a syringe but I declined the first attempt and let her do it. I will try tomorrow. I got quite hot this evening, not sure if the fever has started to show itself.
I think I am very hopeful with this treatment and really do want it to work.I miss my children and can't wait to get back home to them after the treatment.