[Note: This post may be updated in the future if more information is available.]
February 2022:
My results from the retesting for Lyme Disease indicated that Lyme Disease may still be lurking in my body, but not enough criteria was met for a Lyme Disease diagnosis according to conventional medicine standards. Also, the Epstein-Barr Virus results indicated that the virus may currently be reactivated in my body, but those results were inconclusive. [Side note: I am so glad test results are always so straightforward. 🙄]
About a week later (late February 2022), we met with the functional doctor in our area, and her friend, the chiropractor. The meeting lasted 1.5 hours, and we discussed a lot of topics. I explained that conventional medicine which only allows for 10-minute appointments and ends with a prescription medication to just suppress the symptoms was not what I was looking for and not what my body needed. I needed a doctor (or even better, a team of doctors) who could look at the body as a whole and treat me with the idea that everything is connected. I also needed doctors with grit and perseverance when things don’t go exactly as planned. They assured me that our philosophies aligned, and that they would be able to help us. We all agreed that illness is almost always a “dis-ease” of body/mind/spirit.
At the end of this initial meeting, we asked about pricing. We were expecting another expensive bill for current and future services, but we were given a gift instead. They both offered to treat me for free. They would donate their time and services as long as I paid for my vitamins and supplements (at their discounted rate — no mark ups). I immediately started crying. My husband and I were both in shock. He asked them why they were offering such a gift, and they stated that they could tell we were good people, and that we had suffered (and paid) enough already. The only thing they asked of us in return was to be open to the process, to be committed to the process, and to trust that they were different than my previous doctors and would not abandon us throughout the process. We needed to trust them with my care.
We left the meeting excited and grateful . . . and a little confused. We still weren’t clear what treatment would consist of, but we were willing to try anything. The plan was to show up at the chiropractor’s office on his days off and receive treatment. The functional medical doctor would be at some of the appointments, too, to understand my body and to be able to order testing and iron infusions as needed.
Was this real life? Were there really doctors who were willing to treat me as a team using each of their areas of specialty? What I had been wanting, needing, and discussing with my husband for at least 20 years was actually happening? And, they were going to provide treatment for free?
Just another day of . . . This Brutiful Life: The Brutal & Beautiful Moments of My Life.
This Brutiful Life 