My appointment with my new doctor!! :)

Hello everyone! I wanted to make a post tonight because I am just so excited to share what God did today. I want to thank you for all of your encouragement and prayers. It meant so much to us. It has been a long couple of months as I have been off treatment since the end of April waiting for this appointment. I have gotten a lot sicker, so this appointment couldn't come at a better time.

It was an early morning as Phoenix is two hours away from us. So, at 6:20 we got into our car, prayed over our trip and left Tucson. We had a bit of an adventure trying to find a copy center as we had to make copies of my medical records. The reason why I mention this is because it's almost humorous. After we visited the last doctor that I went to, which was awhile ago, we accidentally left my medical records in the trunk of the car. This normally wouldn't be a big deal, but about five years ago, we spilled some gasoline in the trunk and we have never been able to get rid of the smell. So, after my medical records had sat in the trunk and baked in the Arizona heat for months, they stunk like we were at a gas station! We knew we were going to a clinic that works with people that have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and also knew that some of the office staff had the same issues. So, we had to find a copy center in order to give them "non-smelling" paperwork. That cracks me up! When we first got married, we would have never imagined we would be doing something like this in a million years. I thought you would enjoy that small humorous story. :)

Back to my appointment...I arrived at the office and the staff was amazing. So caring, considerate and friendly. I did not react to the building at all. They created this office for people with MCS, so all of the materials in the building are chemical free, and they have a special air filtering system. This is the first office that I didn't react to. That in itself is a miracle!

We got to see the doctor right away as we were the first appointment. She was wonderful. If I had to describe her demeanor in two words I would say it was a "calm confidence". She worked years in one of the top ERs in the country as both a physician and an emergency surgeon. We can tell she has the personality to handle emergency situations, which is such a comfort to us as nothing with me ever seems to go "as planned". As we began to discuss my case, we were so impressed by her knowledge of how to work with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity patients. For the first time on this journey, we had a doctor who knew that we had to work within the parameters of what my body can handle and did not try to throw me into the "normal treatment protocol box". What a breath of fresh air!

She is so well-rounded when it comes to experience and knowledge. She has a western medicine background, but also has trained in holistic/homeopathic, bioenergetic and Chinese medicine (herbals/acupuncture). She has also studied Dr. Rea's techniques and is one of a few doctors in the United States that is able to implement his VERY successful methods of treating Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. So, it seems that we have the best of every world.

She did a number of tests in the office that did confirm to us what we already knew. However, it's always good to get the confirmation. She said my liver is very stressed and not detoxing the toxins like a normal person, which is causing my Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, the insomnia and a whole ton of other issues. She also said that my Vagus nerve appears to not be working correctly which is part of the autonomic nervous system. So, that is why I am having a lot of autonomic nervous system issues like I described in my last post. I also have a lot of other issues that we will be addressing like hormones, low blood sugar issues etc. She really treats the whole body instead of focusing on one particular issue. This is so important as when you have a chronic illness like myself, it effects every organ and system in your body.

So, the overall plan is to help stabilize my body and to also do some of the MCS treatments to enable me to tolerate more chemicals, drugs and food. I am not sure of everything involved as I will find out more on my phone appointment next Thursday. However, it was so nice to know that we weren't jumping into anything to fast.

As far as treating the Lyme goes, we were once again told that we were going to have to do IV therapy because of how much the bacteria has invaded my system. However, not until my body will be able to handle it (Pheww!!). We are not sure when that will be, but we think it will be at least two or three months, maybe longer. With her experience as an ER doctor/surgeon, she recommends to all her patients to get a PORT installed. This is a central line that is installed in the wall of your chest. She said that it is a lot easier to use and in her opinion safer than a PICC because there are less complications. That will be a scary step for us because it is a surgical procedure and with my allergies/sensitivities it will be challenging. However, at the same time, we serve a big God and know we will have His protection when the time comes to take this step. The treatment will be astronomically expensive (literally mind-boggling) as insurance most likely won't cover the treatment, but for now, since we aren't to that stage yet, we are trying not to think about it. We know God will provide as He always has in His timing.

She did put me on a 4 day rotation diet that will be pretty interesting. I eat about 2 or 3 foods per day multiple times a day and then I can't eat those foods again until 4 days later. For the last year, I have been only able to eat about 10 to 12 foods consistently, so I am already used to restrictions. However, it will still be an adjustment. She also said no milk products which believe it or not was something I was semi-tolerating. She wants me to be carb free as it seems like my body is turning carbohydrates into toxins. So, I will only be able to eat beef, chicken, turkey and egg whites for protein, and then cooked broccoli, carrots, canned peaches, applesauce and frozen blueberries for my veges and fruits. That literally is my list right now. Those are the only things I currently don't react to. Hopefully, in the future my list will expand! We are praying for that!! :)

So, that is our update! I will know a ton more after next Thursday's appointment (July 15th) as that is when she will discuss with us the game plan. My treatment is going to require us to make a large number of trips to Phoenix and with Brian's busy work schedule, we are not sure how that is going to work out as I am too sick to drive myself. However, once again, that will be another area to trust God with! Have you noticed a reoccurring theme?!! This is one big faith walk for us, but then again, there is nowhere we would rather be then walking the path that God has laid before us.

I will make sure to update you next Thursday! We are just so incredibly thankful that God guided us to her. She is an amazing physician, and we feel confident that she will be wise in handling my complicated case. Thank you again for all of your prayers! The encouragement we have received has been so comforting. It has been a rough couple of months, but we have seen the hand of God guiding every step of the way. Have a wonderful week, and we'll update soon!