My dear friend,
In part two of the explanation of my gastrointestinal issues (titled, “Not by Bread Alone”), I wrapped up the story of my sore tummy and how I arrived at my current condition. I also introduced the prescription that God has given me to treat my illness and prepare me for my trip around the Globe, a fast. The interesting thing is that He has not told me how long I am supposed to be on this fast for. As of today, I have been fasting for nine straight days. For some reason, I suspect that I will be on this fast for a total of 21 days, but God has yet to confirm that notion. For all I know it could be 40 days. Perhaps, He does not want me freak out at the thought that I have 32 days more to go, so He simply is not telling me.
I find that God does that very thing quite often with me. There are facts that He will not give me until the very last minute; because, He knows that it would crush me if I knew certain details any sooner than necessary. It is a great comfort to rest in God’s infinite understanding and knowledge, and to trust that He always knows what it best. When I am truly following His will, I never have to worry about dark the path that is ahead of me. He provides a path through the menacing gauntlet every time! Yet I do not understand why it is, but I often worry and fret regardless. God has been faithful to deliver me time and again – practically every day of my life – and I still cannot seem to remember that fact, until I stop for a moment, pray, and reflect on all His goodness.
In my last post I mentioned the fact that the fungal infection that I am fighting against is an outbreak of Geotrichum candidum in two different areas of my large intestines: in the cecum and in the descending colon. I also mentioned that I have tried many different treatment protocols over the years, and that none of them have ever been effective enough to overcome the outbreak. This is true even after I made adjustments to target Geotrichum candidum specifically, and my supposition for this condition is that the infection has taken up root in my appendix.
The problem is that there is no way to delivery enough of any anti-fungal agent to the areas of infection in order to completely wipe it out. I have come remarkably close a few different times, but in the end, I simply cannot get to the foothold that it has established deep inside my appendix. What I have determined is that the only way it can be fully exterminated is to starve is out. I have to stop feeding the fungal colony, which means that I have to stop eating. Moreover, I must be very careful not to drink any more water than necessary, as water aids in the survival of the fungus.
It is a fairly well establish fact that a human’s intestinal walls can heal in as little as four days, but that is a figure that can only be applied to the best of conditions. In my case, I must first overcome the fungal infection that is in my intestines, as well as the infection in my appendix. Experience has shown to me that the healing in the appendix seems to lag behind the healing of the intestines by four or five days. As of now, I can still feel a slight amount of pain and sensitivity in my descending colon, which is an indication that the Epithelialization phase of the healing process is still in full swing in significant portions of the wound. It could easily be another three or four days before the Epithelialization is fully complete. Then the appendix will be another four or five days beyond that.
The reason why I mention this is that during the wound healing process the surviving fungal colonies are somewhat protected from the anti-fungal treatments. Therefore, I cannot completely kill off the fungal infection until the Epithelialization phase is 100% complete. Hence, it could easily be another 9 plus days before the fungal infection will be entirely exterminated. 21 days of fasting may seem like a long time, but that is probably what it is going to take, at a minimum.
Even after the fungal infection has been exterminated from my intestines, the systemic infection of the Geotrichum candidum will still exist in my blood stream. What this means is that it is extremely easy for the Geotrichum candidum to reestablish itself in my intestines. Before I can start eating again, I must reestablish a strong intestinal flora to combat any attempts of the Geotrichum candidum to recolonize in my gut. This will be a challenging endeavor, as my appendix is going to be quite a mess. My appendix has been in a continual state of infection for no less than a decade. I do not imagine that it is going to return to full operation any time soon. Even after I start eating again, I will have to maintain a very strict diet, until my appendix returns to a functional state (as a safe harbor for beneficial bacteria) and my body is able to significantly purge the overgrowth of the systemic Geotrichum.
The good news is that regardless of the strict dietary requirements, I will not need to administer anything but oral anti-fungal treatments. Hallelujah! Additionally, I will be able to start eating foods that I have had to avoid for several years; I should be able to start eating a few select carbohydrates. The carbohydrates are very important; because, I will not be able to start any significant physical training until I can eat a few carbs again. Without the carbs, I am faced with a twofold problem. My bodies ATP process is limited in its ability to sustain energy supply to my muscles, and the high acidity of the diet greatly increases my bodies inflammation response.
Just prior to the beginning of my fast, I had carried on the most insanely strict and extreme diet imaginable for a span of 252 days (36 weeks, or 8 months and 1 week). My diet consisted of no more than 5 grams of digestible carbohydrate each day! In order for me to get enough calories, I had to increase my fat intake considerably. This, of course, led to a very acidic diet. I soon began to suffer from fairly severe symptoms of acidosis. Now it seems that my body is still recovering from the acidosis, even nine days into my fast.
It has been a brutal 261 days! All the bottom-end anti-fungal treatments. All the pain and suffering from the inflammation response. Eating the same bland meal day after day (and only one meal each day). I could go on and on telling you about all the sickening details. It has not been fun! There have been so many times that I just wanted to give up. But what could I do?! Just lay down and die! How could I do that? I could never do that!
So long as I have breath in me, I will not stop trying to show you how much God loves you my dearest friend. I simply cannot bear the thought of you entering into a lost eternity! It is too much for my heart to endure. All the pain and trials and tribulations that I must suffer can never compare to the heartbreak that I suffer over your lost condition, even now.
As I said before, to live is to trust in Him. Only Jesus has the remedy for death. Only the blood of Jesus can redeem you and I from our lost condition. Jesus Christ is the great physician. He is the only one that can cure you and I of all our sin and iniquity. He is the only one that can give you and I true life, life everlasting.
“6And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. 7Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. 8And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 9And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”
Numbers 21:6-9 KJV
“12And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians. 13And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.”
2nd Chronicles 16:12-13 KJV
“12But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Matthew 9:12-13 KJV
Love Always,
Dale 😊
For daily updates on the status of my fasting and my recovery follow this link: Dale’s Fast – Status
Your comments and questions are welcome, even the critical ones. You can submit comments without specifying an email address (despite the fact that it indicates that an email is required). If you do, I ask that you use a fairly anonymous (benign) username. However, if there is something amiss with your anonymously submitted comment, I will not have any way of telling you what is wrong.
