After suffering from a painful autoimmune disease for close to my entire 22 years of life and having a rough year due to a knee infection and cardiac issues, I'm sick of the missionaries coming to my house without permission and when I do want their support, such as before my last surgery, they brought the holy oil of course and told me that I will not need the surgery because of God's Healing Power. I had to have the surgery anyway and I'm still recovering from it and I'm sick and bed ridden because I'm not allowed to take the medicine that keeps my autoimmune disease under control because I'm more vulnerable to infection.

I'm sick of being told "God can heal!. BoM can heal!," or "You don't need this surgery!". I have tried to engage the missionaries in small talk and light hearted topics but it's frustrating when they change the subject and cut me off to start interrogating me like somebody from the Gestapo about how I'm not good enough!. It's downright cruel!. I wish the missionaries would either leave me alone or be more empathetic about my medical issues, like a true believer in the Holy Ghost should be!.

That sounds awful! One way you get through to them is to call the mission president and tell him what you've told us.

Hi Jack Spence.

Sorry to read about your major challenges. So much pain and illness. I hope you can go back on your regular meds soon to help settle down the autoimmune side of things.

The missionaries are being completely irresponsible to tell you that you don't need surgery that your medical team clearly deems you do. I'd ask them when they graduated from medical school. Even if a believer goes along with the "holy oil" thing, it should be an adjunct to your medical treatment, not a replacement for it. Fortunately, you didn't listen to them.

I am not against the idea of a "healing touch" approach but, again, added to the medical efforts, not instead of them. Depending on what is bothering you at the time, perhaps a massage or "blessing" or a gentle listening ear may help, such as with tension headaches or overwhelming stress.

I agree that it may be something to contact the MP about. He should know what his missionaries are saying to the public. They may be completely rogue and could do real damage. I wonder where they learned this ministerial approach from. They may have misinterpreted something they heard. I'm not defending them, just trying to understand. I didn't think Mormons were into faith healing, or whatever they call it.

What would they say, I wonder, if you told them the reasons you needed the surgery and the hopefully successful outcome of it?

Too, if you don't want them to visit you any more, just tell them that. Or tell the MP. I believe you can phone the mission office (should be listed in the local phone book) and ask to speak to the MP.

I needed to speak to an MP once and I went to the mission office. One of the APs there gave me the MP's home address! (He was a realistic, mature guy who assessed the situation and knew that indeed, I needed to speak to the MP). I went to the MP's house and did get to talk to him but unfortunately he didn't help much. That is when you need to decide who else to approach. But hopefully in your situation the MP will be reasonable and work things out for you.

Let us know what happens if you can. Meanwhile, chin up and here's hoping for a good recovery from at least some of your health problems.

If the MP is shooting for GA position they will not be reasonable. Just tell the idiots to go away. Preferably with a long string of appropriate offensive language.

I have been prone to hideous sinus infections for the last 20 or so years. Imagine a zone of severe pain that runs from your hairline, down to each ear, and then down across your top lip. And if you have to bend down for some reason, the pain just explodes.

I've had three sinus surgeries over the years, and they helped, in that I don't get infections nearly as often.

However, for the last month, I've had a horrible one: the symptoms I described above, plus breathing through the infectious stuff in my sinuses is like living in an outhouse.

My wonderful ENT doctor (who treated me for almost 15 of those years) just retired a few months ago. The guy who took his place in the practice refused to treat me.

Over the years, I have become allergic to most of the antibiotics out there. The only thing that I don't have any allergy problems with is so powerful that the doctors try to save it for things like anthrax. The doctor who would not treat me said, "I refuse to prescribe XXX [the super-powerful drug] because that's like using a surface-to-air missile to take out a mosquito."

So I've tried over-the-counter things: saline rinsing, lots of Vitamin C, hot compresses, lots of water, stuff that is supposed to shrink sinus membranes, etc. Didn't help.

So, after a month of this misery, I went to a certified nurse practitioner. She said that she certainly has reservations about this medication too, but since nothing else worked, and I was allergic to so many things, she prescribed the Atomic Drug.

Within 24 hours, I have noticed a change for the better. I just hope that this stuff will kill every infectious cootie in my system. I don't know what I'd do if any became resistant. It's a scary thought.

Healing blessings didn't work on me even when I was a TBM. I'm sure they wouldn't help an apostate. . .Heck, I might even be allergic to them now.

You might try probiotics.

Google: probiotics, sinus infections

There are all kinds of ways to get probiotics, but the easiest is through probiotic capsules, etc. Go for a minimum of 90 billion (there are single capsules with 90 billion), and I would start out with three or more per day, spread over the day. You can get probiotics in capsules at Whole Foods (I think!), or your local health food store, or your local GNC store.

I would also supplement the in-capsule probiotics with kefir milk (Wallaby organic kefir milk is carried by Whole Foods; I recommend the vanilla and strawberry to start; some of the flavors are too intense for me---and if you like the plain, this is a good choice too). (wallabyyogurt.com)

Yogurt used to be a good source of probiotics, but in the past several years has now been so gooped up with sugar and junk (especially Chobani), plus some of the yogurt available has been cooked (which kills the probiotics), especially so-called "frozen yogurt," which means that most commercially available yogurt is often questionable now as a source of viable probiotics.

When you take probiotics, you are re-building the probiotics which SHOULD be numerous, and healthy, and flourishing in your gut---and your gut is 80% of your immune system...so taking probiotics might take a month or two or three to work...but if it does work, it will work forever (meaning: all you have to do after you get back to where you want to be is just maintain that level of gut probiotics, so you will be able to take "just" 90 billion, or less, a day after that. ;)

I am sorry, and I hope this helps.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2015 02:36AM by Tevai.

Catnip, I didn't get any relief from my chronic sinus infections until I started working with a PA. He prescribed high dose, heavy-hitting antibiotics over three weeks or more. I also took short term courses of steroids on occasion. That along with consistent allergy meds, brought my infections under control.

Normal doses of courses of antibiotics won't work for chronic sinus infections. You have to smack 'em hard and long.

Don't take medical advice from teenagers just out of high school. They have no clue what they're talking about. Don't take spiritual advice from them either, for the same reason.

Who is letting the missionaries in the door? Who is admitting them to your sick chamber? I would have a chat with that person.

Just because --

Just because someone calls you on the telephone, doesn't mean that you need to pick it up.
Just because someone knocks on your door, doesn't mean that you need to respond.
If you respond, you don't need to open the door. You can talk to that person through a closed and locked door.
If you do open the door, you do not need to admit that person (You are busy, now is not a good time, you don't need any more missionary visits.)