A Person's A Person No Matter How Small

This seems to be a hot topic right now based on how divided the presidential candidates are on the issue and it seems fitting to discuss now since November is Premature Birth Awareness Month. I figured I would put in my two cents because that is what I do. 

First I want to say very plainly where I currently plant my feet on the issue. I am strongly Pro-Life. I believe abortion is murder and I believe there is medical, legal and Biblical backing for that claim. Now that is said I want to also step forward and say that I myself have had an abortion. When I was a stupid 17 year old teenager I had unprotected sex and I got pregnant. I went to my senior prom pregnant. I walked across the stage at my graduation pregnant and there was only 3 people who knew this fact for almost 3 years. I was scared and though the procedure was expensive it was readily available and seemed like the most feasible option for someone who did not think she could raise a baby at 17. I walked into a Planned Parenthood Clinic in the morning and 8 hours later walked out a changed person. Some may say that my stance on this topic is hypocritical and to some extent I suppose they could be right, but because I believe in the saving Grace of Jesus Christ and in the fact that I have intimate knowledge what goes on behind those doors I feel 100% justified in my beliefs and having an opinion on the topic. 

First of all, I do believe that the locations of Planned Parenthoods and other so-called "women's health centers" are strategic. They are very much located in neighborhoods with a particular demographic. Here in Phoenix you find them near colleges, high crime rate areas and in communities that are most definitely lower income. The areas in which they are targeting are those that have higher unwanted pregnancy rate. I do want to point out that my word choice in that last sentence was intentional. Mainstream media would have said unexpected as opposed to unwanted because unexpected takes the responsibility out of desire to terminate the pregnancy. If you have sex you should expect to get pregnant, period. If you do get pregnant and that was not your plan then the feeling you should have is that the pregnancy is unwanted not unexpected. See the difference? Ok moving on.

Next, these "clinics" and the politicians that support them simply pander to the general public making the procedure out to be nothing more than a birth control method. One of the many ladies I sat in that Planned Parenthood with that morning was a thirty something year old married lady with 4 kids and that one was her third abortion in 2 years. That was one of the stories that makes me absolutely nauseous now and also helped my 17 year old mind justify my option. I thought, well if there are adult mothers out there doing this it can't be all bad. I mean I just made a mistake once, it could be worse. Let me just return to my previous point to drive that one home. If you have sex you should expect to get pregnant, period. At thirty something this woman had no more brains in her head than a 17 year old kid. 

One local abortion clinic (not Planned Parenthood by the way) states on their homepage: 

"Abortion Clinics Arizona offers abortion services to help you plan your parenthood. We offer painless, affordable abortion services in a state of the art medical outpatient treatment center. We believe that women have a right to choose when they will have children. We are here to help patients through a safe abortion procedure with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Abortion Clinics Arizona offers all birth control methods at affordable prices with convenient hours for exams."

This paints a very pretty picture amidst the chaos that of an unwanted pregnancy. Can we just dissect this for a moment? 

This clinic helps "you plan your parenthood." If they were in the business of "planning" they would have that last sentence at the top don't you think? 

They "offer painless, affordable abortion services." It seems to me that they are referring to the immediate physical pain. That's all well and good, but what, I would like to know, do they offer for the years of emotional pain in making a decision like that needs? It's only been 15+ years for me and there are days I am just a tortured by the realization of what I did as I was hours after doing it. 

They "believe that women have the right to choose when they have children." Again if they were so keen on providing women with a choice as to when they would like to have children their mission wouldn't be catering to clientele that already feels like they are backed into a corner. Education is power. Prevention is key. How do you prevent pregnancy? DON'T HAVE SEX! 

They are there "to help patients through a safe abortion procedure with the dignity and respect they deserve." How safe does manually dilating a women's cervix to insert a vacuum and extracting a baby, regardless of how small, sound? They claim that this procedure has little effect on future reproductive health, but they can't guarantee it (read the fine print if you have a question about that). They claim that hemorrhaging, cervical or uterine damages or other procedure related trauma are rare, but they happen (again read the fine print). And dignity and respect? What dignity and respect does that poor baby get once ripped from the womb? You get a fun prescription of Valium and antibiotics as parting gifts and the extracted baby doesn't get flowers or a second thought. They get dumped in a bio hazard bin if they are lucky. This poor little child who did nothing to deserve their fate is discarded like trash or sold to companies who wish to profit from its misfortune. By the way, this particular clinic that I am referring to offers abortions from 6-20 weeks gestation. To put it in perspective that means they perform abortions on babies that are the size of a pea to the size of a small cantaloupe. Now the recommended dilation required for abortion procedures is approximately 2-4cm to allow for instrument insertion, so logically how do you think a baby that is 6.5 inches long gets out? Where is the dignity or respect there? 

At this moment I would like to jump back just a tad. They mentioned before "painless." I was one of the "lucky" ones because I had my abortion very early on in the pregnancy. The internal trauma that I endured was relatively less than that of other girls who were further along. Though doped out of my mind on a cocktail of meds I do remember the chilling screams of one girl who was quite a bit further along and suffering. The combination of having to be dilated a bit more to accommodate the additional instruments and the internal trauma of having a larger baby removed (not to mention the mental fun) left her writhing in pain. I remember there was a nurse trying to quiet her because she was screaming so loudly that the people in the waiting room could hear her. I will never get that out of my head. 

I doubt I have to go over that last line again, but to drive the point home. If they were a clinic that truly wanted to help women plan when they have kids the emphasis of their mission statement would be on pregnancy prevention, not termination.

The development of a baby begins immediately. It is ridiculous to me that the lobbyists and supporters of abortion blatantly ignore the sound science that they cling so heavily to proving that the life of that child begins at conception. Let’s just look at some of the developmental milestones that occur in those first few months of pregnancy. At the very moment of conception cells are splitting, multiplying and beginning to form life. At 5 weeks there is a measurable heartbeat. The brain begins to form at 6 weeks. By 8 weeks (2 months) the baby has independent movements. The organs and physical structures are formed and ready to grow by 10 weeks. At 12 weeks (3 months) the baby has reflexes and can move fingers and toes. By 13 weeks a very unique fingerprint is developed. Bones are hardened at 17 weeks. 19 weeks marks when a baby can see lights, hear sounds and taste flavors. At 20 weeks (5 months) the mother is officially halfway through a normal pregnancy. 20 weeks is also the general cutoff for abortions performed in an outpatient type situation. Young mothers and those who just are unaware probably do not even realize how very fast the growth of a baby happens. Every day that goes by means that baby boy or girl grown as an unimaginable rate. Terminating a pregnancy at any stage obviously halts that growth and takes a life. 

There are medical explanations that support the fact that abortion is taking away life. Many people have argued that aborting a baby is not so dissimilar from having your appendix or kidney taken out. Some see a baby as nothing more than an organ that can be removed and disposed of. This idea baffles me because truth be told, from the very moment of conception, the embryo is genetically different than the mother. The baby, in the first moments of life, are given a distinctly different set of DNA from the mother and the father. Additionally, the heart is formed by the 18^th day from conception and it begins beating by week 5. Historically, the absence of a heartbeat has been the leading criteria that defined death. If a person was to no longer have a heartbeat they were presumed dead. How is it then that the same is not a criteria for recognizing life? If a recognizable heartbeat defined viable life nearly all abortions would be illegal because most women don’t even know they are pregnant by that point. More recently a more intricate criteria for death has been the absence of brain wave activity. For a baby in the womb brain waves have been recognizable by 40 to 43 days (approximately 5 to 6 weeks). This method of defining life, though a bit more complex, still could outlaw a large majority of abortions in the US. 

The largest case regarding the legality of abortion was very obviously Roe vs. Wade. This case resulted in state laws that protected unborn children being overturned across the county. Since the decision of this case in 1973 nearly 30 million abortions have been performed. That is approximately the population of Canada. Yearly that averages out to be almost 700,000 which is nearly to population of Washington DC. The Roe vs. Wade case separated personhood from humanity. Basically this meant that the judges agreed that the developing child was human, but was not seen as being a person. This is important because from a legal standpoint only persons are given the protection of the 14^th Amendment. To provide a little history for you the 14^th Amendment was created to protect any person from being denied the right to life, liberty or property without due process of law. This means that before a person can be condemned to death they must have committed a crime, been tried for that crime and found guilty by trial. The burden of proof in law is on the prosecution. The benefit of doubt is with the defense. This is also known as a presumption of innocence. The defendant is assumed to be innocent unless proven guilty. Seeing as an unborn child could not have possibly committed a crime they would be protected by the 14^th Amendment. Or that’s how it should be. The case Roe vs. Wade proved to strip these innocent unborn children of their personhood and allowed them to be unfairly put to death because it has been left to doctors, parents, or even other judges to arbitrarily decide when personhood should be awarded to human beings.

Now I also mentioned that I felt that there was Biblical backing to support the fact that abortions are wrong. To follow on the legal reasons the phrase “innocent blood” is mentioned 20 times in the Bible in relation to children. God also commanded that “Thou shalt not murder.” (Exodus 20:13). The words used here are of great importance. God did not say thou shalt not kill, he said murder. Obviously there is death and bloodshed in the Bible some condoned by God because the people were found to be “not innocent.” When someone is “not innocent” they are killed, when someone is “innocent” of a crime and put to death they are murdered. Again seeing as an unborn child could not have committed a crime or been found to be “not innocent” putting them to death would be murder and violates the 10 Commandments. Based on Biblical reference personhood most definitely does begin at conception. In Jeremiah 1:4-5 God says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” God created each and every one of us and gave us purpose. In Psalms 139:13 David recognized that God created him saying “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” David also saw that children were created with a purpose and given to a family as a reward and said "Truly children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward." When abortionists reason that taking life is less evil than the difficulties that will accompany life, they are making themselves wiser than God who teaches us that his grace is capable of stupendous feats of love through the suffering of those who live.

My personal journey has taught me a lot. I have formed opinions and done my homework since to make sense of my terrible decision and help people not make a similar mistake. I can honestly recall most of the 8 hours I spent in the clinic that day. I remember the people, some of the conversations, and being asked why I was crying but not even knowing that I was. I remember seeing my baby’s heartbeat (which I wasn’t supposed to see). I remember the procedure room and how dark it was and how every talked very quietly. I remember the kindness of the nurse telling me that it was almost over. I remember a lot of the time in the recovery room, but mostly the other girls’ screams. All of it makes me feel dirty even today. Today I feel strong enough to tell my story and share my experience and opinions. I am always one to share what I have learned and this is no different. Even doctors have turned 180 from the idea that abortion is ok. The below link is the experience of one such doctor (the video does share graphic ideas and images so watch at your risk):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5THDmys8z30

If you have anything to share I would love to hear it. Sound off in the comments here or on Facebook and let’s get this conversation started. We need to not be silent anymore about taboo topics. These are now the topics that politicians, lobbyists and reporters are using to their advantage and very little truth is told. We can change that. 

Out of Breath

Ok so I've been a bit out of touch here recently. I have been spending a great deal of time prepping for my first Expo that is coming up in October. Life has been a little hectic so I took a break. That said I read something today that I felt very strongly about. 

The article below is about a 9 year old girl who had some breathing difficulties over a weekend that landed her in the ER and she was given an inhaler. She took it with her to school and on Monday when she had another coughing fit she tried to use it, but the school confiscated it and refused her the ability to use it. 

http://fox4kc.com/2015/09/29/9-year-old-girl-denied-inhaler-during-coughing-fit-at-school-per-district-policy/ 

Now I understand the school's perspective of keep the kids safe, don't allow them to take unknown meds, blah, blah, blah. My problem is that even after her father verbally provided the school with permission to use her inhaler she as still denied it because the proper authorizing paperwork was not filled out. 

I'm sorry, but this is sh*t! Any school that MY kids have gone to I am asked whether I would allow the administration of Tylenol or Ibuprofen if needed. Even though I have checked that cute little box I am always still called and it is confirmed that they can give him that medication. Now why can't Albuteral be added to this list of optional medications that can be given by the school? 

There has been a sharp increase of children with asthma or asthma type issues and with doctors being reluctant to formally diagnose a child with "Asthma" because of their age it makes sense to treat attacks on an as needed basis without a specific treatment plan. 

When my son was younger he had several attacks of what anyone else would consider "asthma," but because he was so young they wouldn't provide a treatment plan. He was given a breathing treatment and pretty much told that if he had any future issues to return. But what if there has not been a problem in the past that warranted a doctor's visit. What if a coughing fit is an isolated event due to seasonal allergies? What if a child has one of these attacks for the first time at school because they are being super active at PE or recess? When this child heads to the nurse and they are clearly having difficulty breathing, as a nurse or administrator, you're just going to sit there and watch this child struggle to get air? Resting does NOT always mean the breathlessness will go away. In fact, for my family personally, it is at night, while my son's body is fully at rest, that he has his worst attacks.

When given in small incremental doses Albuteral is nearly as harmless as Tylenol or Ibuprofen and just as necessary. It just blows my mind that a little girl (or boy) could be suffering so badly to the point of puking and the school do nothing more than "monitor" her (or him).

Take action people! Stepping off my soap box now.

Where were you?

14 years have gone by. This day should be just like any other day, but it's not. It hasn't been for 14 years and it never will be again. Today is a day that many mourn the loss of loved ones and the loss of security. 14 years ago it didn't matter what race you were, what your sexual preference was, where you lived, what your job was, etc. 14 years ago we all stood together as a nation pissed off and horrified by the vicious attacks on our soil. Our resolve to fight the enemy and never forget the wrongs done to us was strong. For some, that resolve has waned and now it's becoming a fleeting memory. It's becoming just one more historical record in our nations' history book (which is a whole other discussion). There are those though that remember that day as if it were yesterday, who still become very emotional at the thoughts and who truly stand behind the phase "We will NEVER forget."

It was a pretty cold day in September in 2001. I remember this because I was buying hot chocolate for my sister and I at the grocery store by our house. I was a senior in high school, my sister was a sophomore. I drove the '81 Ford pickup truck that my parents had forever. When we pulled up to the store I told my sister to find a CD to put in or find some music on the radio because I was uninterested in listening to talk radio. I was having a hard time waking up and needed something to pick up my energy. When I got back to the truck she had found a CD and we drove to school.

We headed to our spot in the Arts building where our other friends gathered before school. We were first there so we sat and waited. We didn't have long to wait before one of our friends arrived and we were greeted with "Did you hear what happened?" Our reply was obviously "No" and he proceeded to tell us about the situation happening on the east coast. Stunned would be the only word I could use to describe my reaction. Our choir teacher arrived very shortly after this and let us into the choir room to watch the news on the TV in there. We walked in and watched. It looked like something out of a movie, but knowing it wasn't was terrifying. We stood and watched the first tower fall. I remember covering my mouth with my hand in disbelief and just being in complete shock. I didn't have ties to New York or the east coast in general so I didn't have the immediate emotional reaction that a lot of people had. Also as a 17 year old I suppose I didn't really understand the impact that it would have.

Unfortunately, the day was to proceed though not a single lesson would be taught. We were all glued to the TV and radios. I remember my English teacher the most clearly. She was always such a bubbly, happy lady. She made learning enjoyable (though I liked English anyway so that was never a problem for me) and she always had energy. Today she sat at her desk almost catatonic staring at the TV and clutching her cell phone. The only thing she said was to read quietly and watch the news if we would like to and that was all that was said that day in that class. She had family in New York that she was now unable to reach. She looked empty and lost and my heart broke for her. Again, I didn't have ties like this to the situation so to see someone so effected made my heart hurt. The rest of my school day proceeded pretty much in silence. It seemed like we were all walking through a cloud. It was somber and hushed.

As I was a senior and only had a half day's worth of classes when I left I went to Walgreen's, where I worked, because frankly I had nothing else to do and no where else to be. As I walked in the manager, my boss, was on the intercom asking for a moment of silence due to the situation in New York. We all bowed our heads and I am sure we all prayed. Through the day more news poured in about the additional planes at the pentagon and in Pennsylvania.

That evening I sat on my bed wrapped in my blank watching the president's address to the nation regarding the days' events. The magnitude of the events started to set in for me and out of nowhere I just cried. Tears streamed down my face thinking of all of the people that lost their lives, all the people who lost loved ones, all the people who were helping search for survivors, all the people who didn't know how to react to something so huge, but mostly I cried because I was scared. I was scared because I really didn't know what was going on, what was coming next, how we were going to fix this, and I felt that the secure foundation that this country has was broken. At 17 I was just scared and lost.

I remember as I watched the address on TV digging through my bedside table drawer for a book I rarely picked up. Once I found it I put it on my lap and looked at it. "Holy Bible" it said in gold letters. They say that this book has answers, that it can bring peace. I didn't understand that really because I was not brought up in a religious household, but at that moment I was willing to try. For some reason the only passage that came to mind as it was one of the only ones I knew was Psalm 23:1-4.

A psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

It seemed appropriately dark, but equally promising. In my moment of need I was comforted, but continued to cry. I wept with the rest of the country and burned into my memory "I will never forget."

In the days following the attacks the recruiters office's were flooded with men and women wanting to avenge our country's loss. We all knew that the retaliation was going to be quick and we were going to have to fight back. Friends and acquaintances alike joined the ranks of our military and those who didn't watched and vowed continued support.

Years have gone by and I can see the support of some waning. Others are as strong as if it all happened yesterday. Personally, I am married to a service member in the Arizona National Guard. He did a one year tour in Kuwait in a Technician/transportation unit who provided support to convoys going in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan. We were grateful that he was on post in Kuwait a good majority of the time and that meant he was safer than most the fear and the threat of danger was still there. Our troops have my undying support and would despite my military connection. These men and women risk their lives day in and day out for the safety of our country and to allow the continuing benefits that we have. Our country has faced very hard times and is currently walking through a difficult period, but I pray that we are able to continue to remember that there are bigger threats to our lives and our ways of life beside the individual next door that may have a different skin color or the girl down the street who has a wife.

I leave this post with " I WILL NEVER FORGET" and "I WILL ALWAYS SUPPORT OUR TROOPS." I also am going to take this time to have my own personal moment of silence. Please do the same if you are so inclined.

Reflection

This morning I was provided the opportunity to sit and reflect quietly and privately. My family is currently walking through a very traumatic and difficult season. I am having to make choices that both hurt me and anger me, but are the best for myself and my family. I feel that my hand has been forced in the matter by others' poor choices, but I am confident in my decisions at this point. I am trying very hard to work through my pain and anger so that the relationships that can be mended can be in the future. I am finding it very difficult though to move past this knowing what I do and having the convictions that I have. 

There are certain things that a person just does not do. Boundaries have been crossed, legal boundaries, moral boundaries, and in my eyes there is no forgiving that. The crossing of those lines put fear, anger and pain in my heart. It built a wall that is not going to be easily torn down. The choices of yet still others to support this person and their behavior has put even more pain and question marks in my head and heart. I find myself questioning the very fabric everything I have known about the family I was raised in and it has made me what to protect the family I have built that much more. 

Getting past this is going to depend on a lot of prayer and a lot of forgiveness on my part. It is going to take me wrestling with demons that have haunted me for years and new ones that are bigger and scarier than my childhood ones. I am not only responsible for my personal journey, but I am helping guide the journey of my little ones alongside my husband. The decisions I make and burdens I bear not only effect me, but my family. I hope I can find peace with this situation sometime in the future I truly do, but for now I am concentrating on me, my husband and my kids.

Post Op Review

Ok so I am officially three weeks out from having my Lap Band surgery. I have to say I am pleasantly surprised how little it negatively effected my world. The surgery was quick, the recovery was extremely tolerable as far as surgery recovery goes and I have felt some restriction as far as my ability to intake food.

During the pre-op and post-op diet changes I have lost 16 lbs which may not seem like much, but it is a thrilling realization. I have spend years trying to move the scale with little change and now it is falling off in a reasonably steady pace. I have started to work in exercise when I can and I am very conscious of what I am ingesting.

I do have moments of weakness that I am really fine with at this point. I still splash some sweet tea in my unsweet tea for a little flavor. I ate a handful of potato chips with dinner last night. I still crave sweets like you wouldn't believe (which I have only indulged in once). I am trying to not be too hard on myself because it has taken years for me to get to this point and I can't expect that overnight I am going to be a reformed food addict with no bad habits or guilty pleasures.

I recognize that this is going to be a hell of a long road and I just need to take it one day at a time. If I stumble one day I need to remember that one day will not undo everything and I can't just throw my hands up in defeat and retreat to my old ways. Tomorrow is always a new day to do better, to make better choices and move a little more. This Band is a tool, but it is me who has to do the work. I say bring it on! I am ready.

I go in for a fill on the 1st and as much as I hate needles I am looking forward to it. A little more restriction will make this process that much quicker and the tool just that much more effective. I am impressed so far and if there is anyone out there is cyberspace who would like to chat about my experience please feel free to message me. I would love to provide my experience to anyone it may help.

This next couple of weeks will be spent working on my willpower, my water intake and my level of activity. Slow and steady wins the race and I am hoping to find my pace soon.
Till next time.  

Every story has a beginning

I’m going to get raw and real for a moment. For years I have struggled with my weight and by years I mean from Junior High into my adult years. I had a brief period in my timeline that I was at a healthy weight for my age and height, but children and life slowly took its toll. I tried a million different diets, exercise routines, types of weight loss aids, saw a nutritionist and nothing seemed to tip the scale for long. I would lose 10 and gain 20. I am an emotional eater and I would call my relationship with food an addiction. It blew my mind how often food was a topic of conversation or on my mind. My love of food was starting to impact my ability to play with my kids, my energy level, my overall health and severely killing my self-confidence. Something had to give.

A few months ago I took a long hard look at my options and together with my husband attended a consultation for a bariatric surgeon. After careful discussion and thought we mutually decided that the Lap Band would be the safest option and would provide the results I needed and on March 19, 2015 I began my journey. Luckily our insurance would cover a weight loss surgery, but there were criteria that needed to me met which included 3 consecutive months of weight related health monitoring and several medical clearances. I met with doctors, a psychologist, a cardiologist, had blood work done and jumped through the hoops I was told to. After being denied initially and working through the appeal process on July 14^th I got my approval. There was a light at the end of this LONG tunnel.

I had one week of a pre-op diet to complete which consisted of replacing 2 meals a day with a low carb protein shake and having a small dinner meal with no carbs, fats or sugar. I had to stop drinking soda, sugary beverages, eating bread and pasta. No more mindless snacking and more concentration on what I was actually eating. This whole process is such a 180 from my normal habits and let me tell you it was way more challenging than I expected. All for the greater good right? I watched my weight drop from my starting weight of 240 to my current pre-op weight of 232 and today marks another milestone in this journey. Today is SURGERY DAY!

I would like to follow up this story with this: I did not make this decision public knowledge in the beginning for a reason. Everyone has their own opinions about weight loss and surgery and such and quite often tend to judge others based on their ideas. Not everyone will support my decision to go under the knife, but frankly they are not walking in my shoes. Some will call this the “easy way out” and I can vouch that to this point and what I know about the massive lifestyle change that this is going to take it is anything but. I have done my research, joined a support group, sought counselling and given this more thought than you can even imagine. This was not my first choice of weight loss methods, but when all others miserably failed and I knew it was due to my self-control issues I knew I needed “something” to hold me accountable. That is what this device does. This is going to be challenge, but it one that I can’t afford to fail. I want to feel good about myself again, I want to run with my kids, I want to love me so I can let my husband love me, I want to live. I truly in my heart believe that this is what will get me to those goals.

Today starts a new chapter in my life and my family’s life. Below I compiled my stats and before pictures. I am very self-conscious about being so bold on this, but I think in its own way doing this will help too. I will post updates periodically, but in the meantime here I go.

Left wrist - 8"

Left bicep - 15-1/2"

Right wrist - 7-1/4"

Right bicep - 14-3/4"

Bust - 49-1/2"

Waist - 45-1/4"

Hips - 51"

Left thigh - 26"

Left calf - 15-1/2"

Left ankle - 9-1/4"

Right thigh - 25-1/4"

Right calf - 15-3/4"

Right ankle - 9"

Shirt size - XL to 2XL

Pant size - 18

Bra size - 42DD

Shoe size - 8-9

Weight - 232.6 lbs

Height - 5'8"

Seven Days To Soft Soles

Ok I really don't know if it'll take seven days or not, but I do know that I love this product and it will for sure be in my pedicure tool box forever. This summer has been especially hard on my feet for some reason. Between the pool water, the sandals, the bare feet on hot concrete, etc my heels have turned into a dry mess with cracks deeper than the Grand Canyon. Not only are they ugly, but they are painful. I was getting tired of the pain and found some relief with lotion at night, but the second they got dry again it was back to the drawing board. In an effort to fix my problem I tried the Ped Egg, pumice stones, files, lotions, crack repair gels, etc. The lotion as I mentioned helped, but it was super temporary. After 20 minutes of initial burning the crack repair gel did help with the pain as no sweat or dirt got into the wounds, but it was a band-aid for the problem. Though the Ped Egg was a decent concept it turned out to be worthless and I was disappointed that I even wasted my time. The pumice stones and files would probably have been fairly effective if I had the stamina. I am not a small chick and bending over that long sadly is painful (working on that issue also).
So in my pursuit of smoother, healthier feet I searched for an additional option. In the aisle of foot care aids I saw a product. It was an As Seen On TV type deal which I am generally wary about (see review of the pointless Ped Egg). There were actually two products that caught my attention that were essentially the same concept, but had their different features.




By appearances only they seem to have very similar design features: rotating file head, thick handle, battery operated, etc. The price tags though were very different. The Ped Egg product was a reasonable $14.99 and the Amope option was a much pricier $39.99. Now if I was bargain hunting the  decision would have been a no brainer. I would have walked out with the cheaper Ped Egg product and tried my luck with it. I was, however, looking for a solution to my aching feet not just another test product so I evaluated further.
The Ped Egg Power came with two interchangeable heads with different grit levels. My initial thought was that feature was pretty cool because it was a bit more customizable. After looking at it though it seemed when compared to the Amope the grit on either of the Ped Egg heads was much too smooth to do the job effectively. The Amope head had a much courser grit and a much wider head which to me was also an important feature. Replacement heads are available for both and neither had horrible reviews. Yes I am that person who will stand and read a review in the store before buying something. I was slightly more impressed with the Amope Pedi Perfect so that is the product that went home with me. The $40 price tag was a bit much, but hell if it worked wouldn't that be hundreds saved at the nail salon?
So I brought my new toy home and put in the batteries (that it came with!! Now if only kids' toys could be so convenient...that's another topic). I turned it on and was a little surprised by the volume of the thing, but it did seem that it was warranted because that thing was pretty powerful. I started on my heel and instantly I saw a cloud of white (ok TMI I get it). It was shaving away all the gross layers that I hadn't been able to get to before. The best part was I could barely feel it. There was no pain, no stinging, no trying to contort myself into unnatural positions to get to the hard to reach spots. It was simple, apply spinning head to calloused feet and move slowly. When I turned it off I touched my feet they were soft. Honestly there were still cracks, but they were softer and didn't hurt as bad. As with any foot file-y type product you don't want to kill your feet in one sitting so it's kind of a little by little routine, moisturize and repeat tomorrow. Like I said I don't know if it'll take exactly seven days, three or twenty, but it's not an overnight deal. Take your time, be patient and I bet you will have very similar results.
I cannot vouch for the effectiveness of the Ped Egg Power as I did not buy it and have not tried it. It may be a quality product that offers great results as well, but for me the few extra bucks to finally get relief was worth it. I hope this might have helped someone on the fence about this product or someone who didn't know what to try next for relief. If you have any questions about my experience with it please let me know otherwise enjoy!