Hope

So, I know this blog is often overlooked. I live a very busy life, and my medical conditions have settled some, on the whole. I sometimes feel guilty for feeling as "good" as I do.

Anyway, I felt like an update was in order, as for the first time, in a long time, I have hope.

It started with a mild rant on Facebook. A friend posted about a progressive doctor, if I was interested. I was, actually. I later learned she worked for him, and after much discussion, I decided to go to a consultation with him, and find out what he suggested.

The consultation wasn't covered by my insurance, and so we had to pay up front. With the investment made, we knew we had to go all in & do what they recommended to try to make this work!

I went to see him on Tuesday, and was impressed, and awed, by the fact that he might be able to help. Not "Here's another pill to add to your list" help, but REALLY help. As in, "we re-set your body & you may not have to live in continual pain" help!



The interesting thing about his approach is that it cannot be replicated. I cannot simply post here how to fix yourself, because everyone's body breaks down for different reasons. The base of the issue is gut problems, literally. But why my stomach isn't working properly is extremely unique to my personal health, employment history, living situation & even eating habits.

We did a ton of testing. He sent me to the lab, and they drew 7 vials of blood, testing for a range of things from gluten, corn & dairy sensitivities, to a complete iron work-up. He's suspecting chronic anemia plays a part in my muscle pain issues (vulvadynia). He also sent me home with a rather expensive stool & saliva test kit that I mail in- to check for parasites, bacteria and other sensitivities. (Really relishing this part. Heh.)

I have a follow up in a month, where he'll go over what has been discovered, plus I'll have a consultation with their dietician as well. He recommended getting a jump start on a new lifestyle by refining the way we eat. Even though we haven't pinpointed my culprits yet, he recommended we start by eliminating gluten, corn, eggs (which I don't eat anyway), sugar, soy (which I'm allergic to & don't eat) and dairy. Even though we were mostly vegan, after discussing it with him, we decided to follow his suggestion of adapting a Paleo Lifestyle, which focuses on lots of veggies, some fruits, seeds & nuts, and grass fed beef/bison/lamb, and wild caught fish. Since I don't like fish, he put me on a mega-dose of Omega 3s, to help stop the inflammation in my body, and he recommended I stay away from chicken (the one meat I was occasionally eating when I started to bruise) because it can lower Omega 3s. (No point in being counterproductive!)

It has not been easy to eat meat, but I had decided that if I could possibly find my old body again- the old Naomi, I would do it. I also didn't realize how much I loved my beans, until they were on the no-no list! :( But I can do this, and we can make this work.

He outlined a rough plan of how things would work with follow-up. Once we get my results, we'll know what to avoid. We'll also start rebuilding my intestines, with probiotics (which I'm taking, but probably aren't working because of the broken down barrier) and enzymes, plus the healthy diet.

I went in trying to be very conservative in my expectations, but after he told of other IC patients he had seen, who are medication free because of his advice, I left with a smile! (Even after 7 vials of blood!) This is definitely worth trying!