Well I finally did it. I had quintuple heart bypass surgery on November 16, 2011.

The doctor’s first told me that I needed this surgery in August of 2008. Who me? The meditator, the consciousness explorer … the guy who had done multiple fasts, ate sprouts, and used to drink wheatgrass juice? The guy who used to do ten aerobics classes a week?

Yes me.

I was convinced that I could beat this through natural means.

How did I handle this? Easy. I went into denial. When all else fails, pretend that the problem doesn’t exist.

Right? Wrong!!!

I’m blessed that I wasn’t dead wrong.

How did I find out in the first place?

My inguinal (crotch) hernia started becoming a problem in the spring of 2008. My medicare insurance started on August 1, 2008.

Having researched for the least invasive type of hernia surgery (tension free mesh technique), I found a San Diego, California, surgeon who would meet my requirements. So I rushed into my August 1 doctor appointment. Yes, he agreed. I needed hernia surgery.

All I had to do was get clearance from a cardiologist (heart specialist). It seems that surgeons don’t want their patient to have a heart attack during their surgery.

So I went to the referred heart specialist who ran and EKG on me. He referred me to another heart specialist who used a giant, fancy camera to look at my innards. He referred me to a team of medical professionals who did a catheter test on me. They ran a tube from my groin area up the heart area and injected a dye that allowed them to see the blockages of arteries near my heart.

After a short while people started showing up to look at my pictures on the fancy display. Nobody said anything. One after another they simply showed up and studied my pictures. Apparently I was the featured entertainer of the day.

After that parade ended, the main heart doctor showed up and told me that I needed to have open heart surgery to bypass my blocked arteries. He said my blockages were something like sixty, seventy, and ninety percent in three arteries.

This proclamation was rather sobering. Shortly after the diagnosis I broke out into a severe skin rash over much of my body. My opinion was that the diagnosis caused me to break out into the rash. Later a doctor told me that the contrast (the dye injected into me to show the blockages in the arteries) caused an allergic reaction.

The next day I went for a follow-up appointment with a heart specialist who confirmed my need for heart bypass surgery. I felt that my surgery was a way for him to buy a swimming pool for his mansion.

Judgmental? Who me?

The doctor informed me that he couldn’t perform the surgery while I had the skin rash. There could be a danger of infection.

I felt very grateful for the skin rash. I didn’t want to get the surgery. This was a great excuse.

I dutifully checked into the emergency room to get a quick appointment for my skin handling. The nurse was compassionate. However, there was another parade of intern doctors who came to study my skin rash. Nobody really helped me. They scheduled me for an appointment the next day with another group of doctors. I accepted the appointment and cancelled it later.

I never returned.

Time passes. It is now 2011.

My primary care doctor threatened to take away my driver’s license unless I went back to see a cardiologist. He said I might have a heart attack while driving and plow into a group of innocent pedestrians on a sidewalk. I handled that by never returning to that primary care doctor.

However, that was a wakeup call. I started an internet search for a San Diego heart specialist who had a holistic approach. I wanted a medical doctor who had an appreciation for alternative medicine.

I was quickly losing hope of every finding such a person. However, my persistence paid off. I felt extremely blessed to find a heart doctor who I later called an angel.

Before she saw my earlier test results, she thought that it would be possible to avoid the open heart surgery. A couple days later, after the test results reached her office, her assistant called me in for an appointment. It was time for another catheter test. That test confirmed the results of the earlier test.

So my beloved cardiolgist told me the truth. It was not what I wanted to hear. I needed open heart surgery. However, I did not jump on board with that. I still had hopes of handling the situation with my natural remedies.

Burying My Head in the Sand

I had my own way of burying my head in the sand. It was the sand of illusion. I still believe that the natural remedies could help in the long run. But the flame was rapidly burning the fuse on my bomb. Somthing had to be done quickly.

Yet I waited.

The hernia kept getting worse. My inguinal (crotch) hernia was getting huge. Then I got constipated. The pain was so intense that I could hardly get out of bed.

I managed to arrange an emergency appointment with a hernia surgeon. He had a very abrupt personality and very little in the way of a healing presence. He assured me that he could fix the hernia – after I had the heart surgery.

The pain subsided – temporarily. Then there was another episode of constipation and extreme pain. I made an appointment with another hernia surgeon for a consultation. It was a major challenge just to get to his office. The pain was that bad.

This second hernia surgeon knew my beloved cardiologist. He called her cell phone when I was there. Unable to get a word in edgewise, he later told me that the heart surgery had to be done before I could get the hernia fixed. He mentioned that he was friends with the heart surgen who had an office in the same building.

Finally surrendering, I immediately made my way to the heart surgeon’s office and made an appointment for the first available surgery date. It was November 16, 2011.

This was the beginning of an amazing adventure filled with lessons that impacted every area of my life.

To be continued.

I’ve done various fasts including a ten day water fast and a 28 day Master Cleanser fast. These all produced some great benefits.

On the ten day water fast I had one day of amazing mental clarity and creativity. The result of this was a pretty slick piece of computer software that I presented to the world.

Near the end of the 28 day Master Cleanser program I had a wonderful spiritual experience. Some people call this a satori. It’s a temporary semi-enlightenment state. The sense of peace and simplicity was wonderful. At the moment I lack the words to describe it.

However, these extreme fasts have their down sides. I spent most of the ten days of the water fast in bed. I felt quite debilitated.

Near the end of the 28 day Master Cleanse I started getting toothaches. Actually that’s the reason that the cleanse came to an end.

During each fast I dropped a bunch of weight. After each fast I gained back more weight that I lost. Hmmm. There was something missing.

What was missing was the complete foods. When we fast, such as in a juice fast, we discard the most nutritious part of the food. That’s the pulp. With most fruits the most nutritious part is the area just inside the outer skin and the seeds.

Avocado pits are extremely nutritious. Watermelon seeds are great. The white area just inside the watermelon pulp is quite nutritious.

You might notice that I’m not going into detail about what sort of goodies are included in each seed or pulp. That’s because I’m not a nutrition expert by any means. You probably know more that I do.

However, all of us have some sense about what kinds of stuff improve our health and what kinds of things don’t.

There’s one important thing I do know.

When it comes to food preparation I’m lazy. If it’s not quick and easy I won’t do it. I’ll go get some fast food “just this one time.” That one time extends itself into hundreds of times per year. My waistline also extends.

A Confession

Well here it is. My life is about raising consciousness. But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve put myself into a food coma.

So in my case it is necessary to make things simple. If it’s not quick and easy, then I won’t do it.

With my super blender I throw in avocado pits. I throw in the whole apple including the stem and seeds.

And I top it off with one tray’s worth of ice. Most blenders have a heck of a time with ice. My blender can grind rake handles. Of course nobody is going to consume a rake handle smoothie. But it demonstrates what can be done.

My smoothies have a great consistency.

If you’re lazy like me, or if you want to get the best leverage from your time and effort, you might want to get a Blendtec blender.

I do have a commercial interest in this recommendation. So this is one way to give back if you like what you’ve seen and heard on this blog.

If you order through my link then, I’ll give you a choice of one of the following:

A free copy of my eBook – Rocket Fuel for the Soul – Blissercise Self-Help Manual.

– OR –

MP3 versions of my observer meditations. You can load these onto your computer or MP3 player.

– OR –

Seven days of email support on any spiritual or personal issues that you might have.

You can claim your bonus by emailing me your order number after you order.

FYI, I ordered the Blendtec on Tuesday and received it at my door three days later.

I’ve used it every day since I got it. It’s a major part of my daily routine.

Note that this is expensive by most people’s standards – $399. To me it’s worth it’s weight in gold. I’ve felt more energy and mental clarity after I started using it.

Here’s the link to place the order. Click here.

May the bliss be with you.

Your friend,
Jim Kitzmiller

Should I do that?

Well, if someone tells you about any real or imagined health problems, then they’re inviting you to hold a mental picture about them having those issues. And they’re strengthening their own image of them having those health problems.

However, the opposite holds true. I can create images of my perfect health. I can tell you and others truthful positive things about my health. This helps support our mutual creation of my optimum health.

My breathing exercises are increasing my life energy and connection with The Divine.

I’m using my new blender to create healthy meals and snacks. I’m feeling energetic and alert.

I’m doing the right exercises for me.

I love to make and eat healthy salads.

I’m blessed to share a home with an organic gardener and nutrition expert.

My spiritual practices enhance every area of life, including my health.

How about you?