August 2013

In August I had a visit with my primary care physician here are some of the doctors notes from that visit:

Problem #1 LYMPHADENOPATHY, AXILLA
ASSESSMENT: NEW
ORDERS: ONCOLOGY, XRAY CHEST AP AND LATERAL 2 VIEWS, OV

Problem #2 ARTHRITIS, RHEUMATOID
ASSESSMENT: UNCHANGED 

Problem #3 ANEMIA OF CHRONIC DISEASE
ASSESSMENT: NEW

Problem #4 LEFT BREAST PAIN
ASSESSMENT: UNCHANGED 



Lymphadenopathy refers to lymph nodes which are abnormal in size, number or consistency ^[1] and is often used as a synonym for  enlarged lymph nodes. Axillary lymphadenopathy: in localized axillary lymphadenopathy, the enlargement is restricted to lymph nodes in the axillary areas (both arm pits)

I was referred to the oncologist because of the enlarged lymph nodes and other symptoms I was experiencing. I will share that visit and more of my journey in the next blog! Let me know if your reading...

My life is DIFFERENT than yours...

Living with RA has enough physical challenges as it is. But on top of that there are mental and emotional challenges too. It's like being on a roll a coaster constantly. You are looking for a cure, not knowing who you can trust. wondering if doctors just want your money or if they can actually help, what works and doesn't, not being able to rely on people you thought you could when life throws this at you and the list goes on.

I do not want to dismiss or take away from any other condition or illness but what makes this one so hard is:

-there is no cure: with this comes the desire to constantly want to prove the doctors wrong and find a way for the disease to go away, not show up in my blood work anymore and all symptoms taken away and damage renewed

-it's dabiliatating: life goes from being perfectly independent and capable to in a wheelchair and needing assistance with everything. Taking away so much of what you used to be able to do. 
-its on-going: its not like having a baby or getting the flu or having surgery. When these things happen in life usually there is an out pour of people willing to lend a helping hand. When you have a chronic illness that last FOREVER it seems like rather the opposite happens. I'm sure there are several reasons why people shy away. Here's some I can think of: 1. its not a one time job, 2. if they offer to help there is no end in sight, 3.they can't relate and don't understand, 4.they think you can do it on your own because this illness is INVISIBLE. There are many days I have lied in bed and starved until my husband got home from work.
-its invisible: the #1 thing I hear most often when people find out I am sick is " well you look great." Altough I appreciate the comment, I don't look how I feel. I just wish once in a while I could have cuts and bruises, elbows and knees that are red,swollen- as big as bowling balls because then I would look more like I feel. :/

-it changes day to day: I can have a low pain day and do a lot and the very next day I don't have enough strength to brush my teeth.

Through my experience I don't think you can meet stronger people then those who have suffered, endured, fought, prayed and been through battle after battle trying to get through life. I have gained SO much wisdom through this journey. I want to share a little of this wisdom with you now. This is stuff you heard before but please listen and try to live this way so you don't have to go through something extremely hard in life to learn such a simple lesson.

Here it is:

LIFE IS NOT ABOUT :

WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING, WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE, WHAT CAR YOU DRIVE, WHAT BRAND CLOTHES YOU WEAR, WHAT SPORTS YOU PLAY OR DID PLAY, WHO YOUR FAMOUS RELATIVE IS ETC.

LIFE IS ABOUT LOVE- LEARNING TO LOVE AND TO BE LOVED. THAT'S THE WAY WE WERE CREATED.

ALL THOSE THINGS LISTED ABOVE IN A SENSE FALL BACK TO WANTING TO BE LOVED AND TRYING TO FIT IN. HOLDING A STATUS.

ALL I WANT TO DO IS LOVE AND BE LOVED.

HARDEST TIME OF MY LIFE

From the dates of February 2013 through February 2014 was the hardest time of my life.  99% of these days I couldn't get out of bed until the afternoon. When I was able to get up by the afternoon I needed assistance with the simplest task, like getting dressed. I had to cancel jobs because I was physically not capable of doing them. I had several doctor visits throughout the next several months.
March: Dr. visit with primary in chronic pain, broken out in rash, horrible joint pain, pain in my left breast. 
April: Had a physical with my primary, he ordered lots of lab work. I had an ultrasound of my thyroid to check for abnormalities. 
May:I went to see the nutritionist of my medical group who was sure I had Celiac Disease so she ordered the lab work. Luckily this was one test that came back negative.:) Visit with the endocrinologist regarding auto immune with thyroid. ( result from blood work)
June: I was declining weight. My average weight for the previous 7 years was 127.
July:At my rheumatologist visit in July I weighed 117 and I was low in vitamin D and anemic. I had lost 10 pounds from being in chronic pain and not wanting to eat. My doctor ordered several x-rays and MORE bloodwork that day.

I reserved the little energy that I had to push myself to attend my daughters softball games throughout the summer.

I was hoping things would begin improving but there was more to come. What happened in August will be my next post...

Dr. Steve Nelson- Palm Desert

I came across Dr. Steve Nelson over the internet. I actually saw a Groupon for a body wrap and called to ask about it. When I spoke to him on the phone he was asking me about my health history. He said I needed to come see him because he could help me. I began seeing him in April 2014. At my first visit I was there from 10:30am-2pm and then came back at 3pm-6pm. He did a zyto scan on me but it told him different things then my food stressors. He also did muscle testing to see what I had in my body and also what supplements my body was asking for which wasn't much.

I had BLT light treatments in my ears. I did an ion foot bath, and I brought 3 gallons of water to treat so I would have it to drink until my next visit. Here's the supplements he put me on in hopes of ridding my body of yeast:






My diet was strictly brown rice, veggies, chicken and turkey. NO SUGAR except for half a green apple twice a week. Here was my tongue compared to Carl's on day 1.

Here is my tongue today:

Ion foot baths

This is another detox regiman I do on occasion. It removes toxins from your body and according to the color and substance of the water your able to tell what it's cleaning. My water has never been darker then light yellow but once it had red flakes which can mean you have blood clots and another time it had small black flakes which can means its cleaning heavy metals. Here's some pics 

When there's inflammation in your body it's important to detox and try and get your body to alkaline state or completing balanced. These ion foot baths can cost anywhere from $15-$60 per treatment. 

Prednisone

Although prednisone has been called the " miracle drug," by doctors I don't consider it quite that. They call it that because it has been able to help with several different types of illnesses. However as it may take your symptoms away it does cause many side effects. In one of my earlier post I listed some of the effects of prednisone off the internet. These scared me enough that I did not take prednisone the first or second time I was prescribed it. Although I had been injected with it a couple of times as an emergency so I could function. Prednisone as I have learned is a steroid that is stronger then cortisone.

Eventually I had to try it because I got to a place where I was completely disabled. Here are the side effects I personally got:

Acne: I never have struggled with acne but prednisone brings it on like crazy!

Mood disorder/Depression:  I am happy one moment and sad the next. I get really down about the sicknesses.

Anxiety: about food and decision making, wanting to eat comfort foods, but struggle knowing they cause me harm.

Insomnia: I can't sleep at times and then I go back to having anxiety because I need sleep for my tissues to heal but my mind won't shut down and I am WIDE AWAKE.

Appetite Increase: I want to EAT everything!!!!

Weight gain: this is always an initial effect when I start it each time

Irritable: or as my husband calls it "snappy"

Sensitive teeth: ouch! They were just tingly at first but when I tried to gargle with hydrogen peroxide one day it was painful on my teeth. 

I hate the person prednisone makes me mentally. I love the person it makes me physically. I can move and function, I can get myself dressed, I can make meals for myself and my family. But mentally I am Debbie Downer. When I am not on this medicine: life is blissful. Yeah, I hurt and I can't get out of bed but I am in love with my life(not the disabled part but the rest), I am in love with my husband, my daughter is the best kid in the world to me. I have clear skin (minus the rashes) and I wake up happy.

Rant and Hashimoto's

Whether we will admit it or not there is always some sort-of pre-conceived opinions/judgements( or whatever you want to call it) that goes along with chronic illness. When people say they suffer from physical pain and they look fine some ideas might be: they're over dramatic, they have low pain tolerance, they need attention, they are lazy and the list goes on. I'll admit it myself, that before I was a person who was plagued by chronic illness I often wondered if others were "faking it" or just lazy. I now know better. Don't get me wrong there are probably some people out there like this, but without knowing their history and story don't come to an evaluation about that person until you have heard them out.
[BTW: Chronic illness/Chronic Disease refers to long-lasting condition (more then 3 months) that can be controlled but not cured]

Since beginning this blog I have already come into contact with a handful of people who are also suffering from autoimmune diseases or symptoms. Some of these people I already knew and had no idea they were sick and others I have just recently met. One thing we all share in common is the desire to heal and live pain free. As a result of this I have spent countless hours of research and A LOT of money looking for it.

Last year in Febuary was one of those times. I was going to see a guy by the name of  Dr. Jace. ( you can look up his website if you wish- www.jacemedical.com.) My friend Esther from church told me about him and said she had a friend of a friend having amazing results with his RA by going to see this him. I spoke to this friend on the phone and he did really have great results, along with seeing another doctor along side Dr. Jace who gave him antibiotic treatments. Anyway, I wanted to get the most out of my initial visit with him, so I ordered all the bloodwork through my primary care physician. That way I could bring it with me to my first appointment. After going to the lab I got a letter in the mail saying this:

Your vitamin D was low, I prescribed vitamin D for 2 months then continue with vitamin D (1000 units daily, over the counter.) Your thyroid antibody test was positive, we will be sending a referral to the endocrinologist, and they will be calling you for an appointment. 

I had to delay my visit to the to Dr. Jace and instead I made my appointment with the endocrinologist. I saw him a while later. I left that day diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease. And just like when I was diagnosed with RA and I really had no idea what it was or how it worked. I left not even knowing how to say Hashimoto's correctly. Here's what it is:


Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune condition in which the body attacks and destroys its own thyroid gland. Piece by piece your body chews up and destroys your own thyroid gland as if it is the enemy. In a healthy immune system, antibodies act as the body’s army to detect and destroy invaders not normally present in the body, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. In the case of Hashimoto’s disease, a defective immune system wreaks havoc on the body by directing antibodies against its own thyroid gland as if it is a foreign invader.

I guess you could say I wasn't very happy to hear the latest diagnoses, here is a pic from the appointment that day.




But on top of the diagnosis, the doctor was not very nice. He asked me why I had these labs drawn and I told him they were ordered for a holistic doctor that I was planning to go see in LA. His response was that I had no business ordering these labs because then I find out stuff like this and I have bigger problems to worry about like my RA. Gee, thanks a lot doctor. So now I had not 1 but 2 auto immune diseases. :/

They ordered an ultrasound of my thyroid.