Megan's Honey
How our Honey Business got the name Megan's Honey.
5 Yrs ago, one of my twin daughters woke up one day and started walking funny, at first we thought she had fallen off of something and hurt her leg.
When it didn't go away and after many Dr visits and many tests later, she was finally diagnosed with Juvenile Rhumatoid Arthritis at the age of 18 moths old. Like any parent who has had a child with a serious illness, we were devestated.
The Dr wanted to put her on Methotrexate which is a low dose chemo therapy..... it scared the crap out of us. We trusted our Dr she was one of the best JRA specialist at one of the best Children's Hospitals in the nation. She started off on a liquid form, her body did not process it well, and was basically destroying her liver.
They wanted to try a new medicine but the Dr wouldn't give it to her because we lived in a 100 yr old farm house and she would be susceptible to fungal lung infections. We had to buy a new house.
About that time a guy told me I ought to keep bees. I asked why and he replied
" have you ever met a beekeeper with arthritis"
Those words stirred my thoughts at night and I realized I hadn't, most beekeepers I knew were very old men, and I often times wondered how they could still pack those heavy boxes of honey.
I did my research and found out there there just might be something to this Bee Venom Theropy. I asked my daughert's rhumatologist about it against my wife's wishes because she was afraid the Dr would think I was crazy.
Turns out I wasn't!!!! ...........she said there was many promising studies in Europe, but studies here in the US get killed by big pharma. So we got our bees in preparation for the day we would be brave enough to treat her with it.
Mean time her medicine she was on stopped working so the Dr wanted to go back to the methotrexate in injection form. She said her body would metabolize it differently. It did and it was working .
Here she is age 3 giving her self chemo injections
The problem with this is even though it was working when she was on it chemo kills her immune system even with a low dose so when she got sick ......(which happened often)....... she had to go off her chemo and on prednisone which only treat the symptoms, and also has it's own problems like growth reduction and severe weight gain which cased even more stress on her arthritic joints.
Here she was on prednisone
and to compare her twin sister.
When she was off her chemo she would get knots on her joints ....( and her arthritis was spreading) and they would take months before they would go away, once we got her back on chemo.
Finally I'd had enough !!!!
I grabbed a bee, iced her wrist, and once it was numb I gave her that first sting.
It scared me more than it scared her and it became badly swollen ( which is a normal reaction) but 3 days later after the swelling went down the knot was gone!
We have been treating her off and on as needed with BVT ever since!
We found out that Rheumatoid Arthritis is an auto immune disorder so her body doesn't recognize the inflamed joints because it's her body attacking itself. By injecting a foreign protein such as be venom it triggers an immune response and causes her body to produce a cortisone dump to counter act the inflammation from the bee sting. That cortisone also attacks the inflammation from the arthritis.
She is now 6.5 yrs old and finished her first season of soccer and T-ball. Something we thought we would never get to see her do.
I'ts amazing what parents sometimes take for granted.
I thank God every day for my Daughters, and I thank Him for the Bees!
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Amazing post. It's wonderful when we step away from the beaten path and discover a new path that works for us. Congratulations on the improved health of your darling daughter.
@uncleharley, wow bees are amazing little insects.
Thank you so much for writing this for us..
Please can you clarify for me,, are you now treating her solely with BVT or is she still on prednisone and chemo?
thank you in advance!
Not solely she is still on Chemo because bvt only treats the symptoms but no more prednisone, only treat her if she has a flare up off her meds.
Shame man, have you ever researched cannabis oil for rheumatoid arthritis treatment?
YES! we almost got some but them my state decided to treat CBD oil like actual cannabis
You can make it for your yourself.
Her health stays your main concern.
If you look on this article of mine at the bottom are two very helpful links. the pheonixtears one teaches you how to make the oil at home.
https://steemit.com/health/@mysticlilly16/cancer-cachexia-wasting-syndrome
Lots of love and good luck
@mysticlilly16
I'm soooo pleased for you! Wow, she looks like a lovely, healthy kid !
Thanks, toughest kid I know.
I am trully happy that you found the answer to the treatment in a natural source and also Wow!!! 6 Years old and playing soccer! So many blessings for people who search for answers... I was very pleased to read this my friend.
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That's cool thanks for the nomination
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Wow that is so cool thanks for the nomination!
thanks for sharing this and we are so glad that your child is healthier now. best wishes for you all!
What an amazing story! I want to know more about your honey biz, too.
nothing big, just sell enough raw unfiltered honey to keep me afloat (apx 25 gal last yr.) I run between 10-20 hives at any given time. I am currently treatment free and so far sugar free, but that may change this fall it's been a dry yr and they may not put up enough stores for winter.
This is a fantastic story. I'm so happy it worked out for you.
What does her doctor say about the bee sting therapy? I would have been very nervous about giving her that first sting without the supervision of a doctor. Have you found an arthritis specialist who will prescribe bee sting therapy?
Her Dr said " I can't legally prescribe it" while nodding her head yes lol
The idea that your doctor can't do what is best for your daughter must be upsetting. Glad it worked out for you, though.
They kind of work hand in hand studies show after taking the methotrexate for 2 yrs after remission she should have less than a 20 %chance of it returning later in life Bvt only treats the symptoms so it works great when she can't be on her meds
Hello @uncleharley.....I'm a bee keeper myself _ doctor .... all the way i read your post & imagining you struggling i even imagined you infront of the doctor .....& the story goes on until you said i grabbed a bee and stung her i couldn't imagine that & started asking my self ,bear hand ,with gloves ,an instrument ....please share with us .
I wish for your daughter a happy healthy long life.
Followed for more beekeeping stuff.
I typically put a jar with a screen lid over the entrance to collect. place them in the fridge for about 10 min and the slow down real slow and I usually pull them outta the jar with reverse tweezers.....because I can't get my fat bear paw of hands in them.
Great .... idea the fridge .
Wow, that's a truly amazing story! Have you also tried her on a whole food plant based diet? It would be less painful than bee stings! You can watch a video (or read the transcript) about WFPB here: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-do-plant-based-diets-help-rheumatoid-arthritis/. Not only has WFPB been scientifically shown to prevent/improve rheumatoid arthritis, but also many other chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
she doesn't eat alot of meat, but we haven't went full blown whole foods, although 90% of the food we eat gets harvested locally either by me or a local farmer.
You might try cutting out eggs and dairy for 3-6 months and see what that does :)