In this vlog, Rebecca and Justin document Justin's suspected salmonella food poisoning. Rebecca explains how they identified the illness, referencing a friend’s experience and matching symptoms. She outlines their home treatment plan, which includes herbal protocols from Stephen Buhner’s book (cryptolepis, cod liver oil, electrolytes), attempts to arrange IV hydration with a local company, and strict isolation of Justin to prevent spread. Justin describes his symptoms—fever, headache, dehydration, low oxygen, elevated heart rate, chills, foot pain, and gastrointestinal distress—while trying to stay productive on his laptop for an upcoming Abundance Plus launch. The family balances caregiving with daily chores: Rebecca cooks ribs, manages the children, and maintains the farm in a minimal "survival mode" while projects like greenhouse trellising and front‑yard work are paused. They discuss logistical challenges such as the sheep escaping, the need for adult supervision, and the upcoming rabbit breeding project from Polly Face Farm. Throughout, the vlog captures the emotional strain, humor, and resilience of the family as they navigate illness, business responsibilities, and farm life.
Chapters
Good morning, it is Monday morning and we have figured out what is wrong with Justin. He has what we believe to be food poisoning or salmonella specifically. All his symptoms line up with that. We spoke with our friend, um, Casey, who also had salmonella at one point, and it seems like that is what we're dealing with. We are treating it at home because there's no reason to go to the doctor. I'm doing all the herbs that my herbal book says to do. Um, I have a great one from Stephen Buhner on, and it's for viruses and bacteria, which this is obviously a bacteria, and it has this specific instance in the book. So I'm doing that. I'm going to try to get a hydration company that is local to us to come out and give him some IV fluids, um, with like vitamins and minerals in it. I think that would be really helpful to him, so we're hopefully going to do that. I have already put in a word to them. They're not open yet, but, um, I've already started that ball rolling. Hey buddy, do you see yourself? This little guy is doing good. The kids are doing good. It's already been a wild ride. It is 8:30 and it's— we already accomplished quite a bit. So I don't know how much is going to be in this vlog. Justin has a camera in the bedroom. We have— I have banished him to the bedroom. I am disinfecting all the things because I don't want it to be spread, um, and I'm keeping Justin in bed. I'm basically banishing him to the bed because we need him well and, um, I want him to like focus on getting better instead of trying to push through and having a longer illness, I'm forbidding him to do anything. And so I know it's gonna be really hard for him because he doesn't do well just laying in bed. He does have his laptop back there so he can work, um, but yeah, it's all on me and the kids. And so we're just making it happen. We have actually gotten quite a bit accomplished despite the fact that we're down a a whole human. Farm is just cruising on what, um, on like just getting the bare minimum done. The greenhouse trellising project's on hold, my front yard's on hold, so it's just all on hold until he gets better and we can get out of survival mode. So that's basically where we're at.
It's, uh, 8:27. Whatever this— well, this is rough. Food poisoning, salmonella is what we reckon, or salmonella. I got all the symptoms for those things, one or the other, because nobody else is sick. I think it's 8:30. I need to, uh, I feel like I can, maybe should take a nap. Feel bad, because I'm gonna do it, do so much. I do a lot around here, so it's a lot when I'm out for everybody. Feel bad. So my job is to get better. So that means I should probably drink this water. No, I don't want to. Just took a hot bath for 20 minutes to sweat. Try to take a nap. I couldn't go to sleep. Checking my heart. Oxygen 94, heartbeat 96. My normal resting heart rate is usually like 45, 50. So my body's working really hard to heal.
I am Going to cook dinner, which is ribs. We have like so much meat set out because we didn't obviously know he was going to be ill, and now he's not eating. He hasn't eaten in almost 24 hours or 48 hours. I'm going to put the ribs in the oven. We're gonna slow cook them all day, and then I guess the children and I will eat ribs. Maybe my parents will come. I don't know. It's just a lot. I feel like so many things are falling through the cracks and there's really nothing that I can do about it. We got Burn It Up Cooking Junior here. No, Bachelor Jonas. Bachelor Jonas. That's what he wants to be called, Bachelor Jonas. And let's just cook this just a little bit because this is a good— Yeah, rocking. It's nice and rare, which is nice. So you're cooking some lunch. Besides holding the baby, we'll go check on Justin. All right, and look who's sitting up in the bed.
Yeah, I had a phone call at 10, remember that? Kind of forgot about that.
Yeah, you had a phone call.
I was able to take it. I feel like I was a little absent-minded.
You were absent-minded on the phone?
It's a little brain foggy, but I was walking around. You know how I do when I get on—
he paces. He can't stand still when he gets on the phone.
I was able to pace. Do I look as bad as I feel?
No, actually you look a lot better than you used to look.
Oh good.
He looked so bad before. I think now seeing how he's like, how he looks more normal, you look more normal than you've looked since Saturday. So now looking back on Saturday afternoon, I'm like, he was really sick and I didn't realize the extent of his sickness.
She thought it was keto flu.
I thought at first it was the keto flu. I did give him a hard time because I was like, because I was thinking he ate so much.
I—
it's fine.
But, um, because Saturday is my day where I eat 3 meals like a normal person, not just 1 meal.
And I was like, you did this to yourself, you made yourself sick. But then like when he got the temperature, I knew something else was happening and I didn't know what it was. And that's what freaked me out is because I was like, this The stomach bug, you don't generally get a fever.
Yeah.
Like he had. So, and like the chills and stuff. Like, you feel bad with the stomach bug, but he was like, really, he was like the stomach bug on steroids.
I am able enough to work on the laptop, I think, today. This will be the first try. I'm feeling up for it. It's a good thing because Abundance Plus is launching. On Sunday. So there's a lot of computer work to do. What is it?
98.3.
That's pretty normal.
You don't have a fever.
Yesterday I got a fever in the afternoon.
Yeah, which is— I feel like that's common.
Yeah, what'd you give me? Crapta lactis. Tastes like bile.
This is what Justin said tasted like bile.
Yep. And then I gave him —makes Alimad taste like ice cream. Yeah. Garlic supplement.
And I gave him cod liver oil this morning because cod liver oil is good for when you've had a fever. It's good to help replace and hopefully the hydration can come and give you an IV hydration just to give you some minerals and vitamins and stuff to kind of replace what you've lost in the fact that you haven't eaten in almost 48 hours.
I got a little bit of a headache, but I am getting things done.
Headache is, is a symptom of this, so that's why I feel like this is— I feel like we finally figured out what you have. Yeah, in my Stephen Buhner book, I don't know where it's at, um, cryptoleptus is perfect for this. So I'd actually started giving you this before we knew it was what we knew it was. I have—
this is new territory for me, Rebecca. Free online legal forms and documents. I'm like looking up arbitration, mediation, court litigation. Why? Well, this is a non-exclusive license. For—
For—
We have secured 8 films from Happen Films, which are some amazing films. I'm so excited about that, but we've got to come up with a legal agreement. This is new for me. It is.
This is all new to her. I know. I was like thinking like, what are we getting into?
No, no, no, no.
All I can say is thank God for Arun. Because he's out there—
making sure things actually are— The boys did it yesterday, but it's good to have an adult go over there.
Yeah, an adult needs to be there because I heard the sheep got out.
They were out this morning, the first time in 2 years. Oh, must be a nice Father's Day post. Oh, thanks so much. Father's Day to Justin Rhodes. We're so thankful for you in our lives. We love you. Oh, thanks so much. Justin actually got— we are proving and watching the vlog on Abundance Plus on our TV.
His feet started hurting more and then he got really tired and then he started needing to use the restroom quite a bit.
I'm excited about this one because I had nothing to do with it. Cryptolactis. Or I should call it plant bile. Uh, Rebecca was on the phone trying to get Hydrate Medical to come out, do a saline IV, get hydrated. My biggest symptom now is a headache, which is probably from dehydration. That's rough. That's so rough. I think I'd rather eat animal bile. My back is hurting, so I'm thinking I'm gonna try some of those original strength trainings that our trainer is teaching us. Just to, I don't know, loosen up my back a bit. But that's the thing, I'm a little loopy. A little loopy in the head. I think I may need to call it. Such a work— alcoholic. It's hard for me, but I just need to rest, I think. Even on the laptop, um, probably not going to make the best business decisions. Probably one of the best things I can do is descreen, lay out in the sun for 15 minutes, just rest on a towel. That made me feel a little better. So sauna or no sauna? So I'm dehydrating, but I need to get— I mean Feel maybe dehydrated with the headache, but I do need to sweat out the toxins. I sweat a little bit in the sun, so maybe 20 minutes. Drink a lot of water before, I think, and I'll give you electrolytes.
Okay, some electrolytes.
Uh, I wanted to show you guys this today, but, uh, we're getting some breeding rabbits from Polly Face Farm coming in July. Yeah, they sent us pictures and these rabbits are adorable. It'll be Lily's project. She'll be in charge of this this doe and this buck. But there's only one doe and one buck. Should I get two does?
She thought she— she thinks she was getting—
there's so many rabbits, but maybe we should get two does. She thinks that's kind of how we do things. We have two cows, we have two sows.
Yeah, well, or just talk to her about it. Just be like, how do you feel if you only get one?
I mean, because what happens if one— something happens to that one? Well, that's why she wants to. But with two, we're gonna get so many babies. But you can just breed You can— you keep the bucks separate and you just put them in accordingly. So if one doesn't work, you have a backup. We don't have to breed them both, right? We don't have to breed them both every time they can breed. I don't think we can do it like once a year. Yeah, that's something we need to ask Joel, right? Like, we can— like with cows, it's bad news if you don't breed them back right away.
Yeah, I don't know. I don't know anything.
Okay, we'll have to ask that to Joel when he comes.
