Katherine Stickroth

Among the many enjoyments of living in Wallowa County are my friendships with people descended from pioneer stock. Because they are rich in common sense, I benefit from their wisdom.

My Wallowa County elders are agile and active, quick-minded and smart — how I aspire to be well into my 80s. Many conversations center around growing and preparing their own food. Therefore, my health has improved a hundredfold by following their eating habits and trying out home remedies.

One winter day, as I was visiting some friends, they asked me about the Band-Aids on each of my fingers. Upon hearing of my dried and cracked cuticles, they suggested I coat my fingers with lard. My questions led to a demonstration on “rendering lard” and I was gifted with a jar of the prized substance.

Before bed that night, I applied the hog fat, even covering my entire hands because it felt so good. After carefully crawling between the bed linens so as not to rub it off, I fell asleep ignoring the fact that I smelled like bacon in a frying pan.

The only problem from this experiment was that an hour later I woke up to my cat and dog licking my fingers.

I wore gloves the rest of night, and sure enough, it worked.

Another condition that required attention might be a sensitive subject for some, but because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I’m going to share my story.

This past July, on my first day at the Outpost writers workshop offered by Fishtrap, my breasts became fire engine red and very, very painful. An emergency room visit that night armed me with antibiotics, yet when I returned home from Outpost at the end of the week, things had not improved.

Breast cancer is normally thought of as only determined by the discovery of a lump. But I remembered Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC), the fast-growing kind with no tumor. My research indicated my condition matched IBC symptoms and photos.

Flooded with memories of my husband’s fight with cancer, a terrible fear drove me to several doctors for a definitive diagnosis.

The appointment with Doctor No. 4 led to a recommendation for a sports bra. She thought I had said I was attending a “riders” workshop (a horseback riding clinic), not a “writers” workshop. When I explained I was only holding a pen, we broke into giggle fits. She referred me to a surgeon for a biopsy, and a close friend arranged for me to see a breast specialist in Boise. This physician readily diagnosed mastitis, an infection of the breast tissue.

What? It had been 34 years since I had nursed a baby.

Tears of relief … then joy, pure joy.

Friends at home had been holding their breath, praying for me. Upon leaving the clinic, I immediately called them with the good news.

And being from Wallowa County, where so many of my friends are ranch women, by the time I got off the phone, I had five offers of bag balm for my udders.

I promptly bought my own, and can personally attest to the value of home remedies.

Katherine Stickroth is a freelance writer who blogs at awallowagal.com. Look for a recent post there for more information on what she learned about breast health.