This Brutiful Life

On Thursday, I received a call from the new doctor’s office telling me they had an opening later in the day. (When the phone rang, and I saw who it was, I very quickly and carefully answered the phone. 🙄) They asked me if I wanted the open appointment for my initial consultation, and I said yes.

As I have mentioned previously, this medical practice has the patient complete testing prior to the initial consultation. That way, the doctor and the patient both have more information to determine next steps. I already had all of my test results downloaded and printed from the patient portal, and given my extensive history and the results shown, I was relatively sure what was going to be revealed by the doctor. My husband and I discussed our questions ahead of time, and I wrote them down to be as prepared as possible. The appointment would be for 1 hour, and we knew from previous experience that if the doctor wanted any kind of medical history at all, we were going to be short on time.

We were correct. He asked me for my medical history. We never really know how much history any doctor wants, and it varies by practitioner. I started relaying parts of the backstory that I thought might be pertinent information. He didn’t have the best bedside manner, but it wasn’t the worst we have experienced either. Out of nowhere, he told us that he is a pretty direct person, so we needed to be ready for that type of personality. Okey dokey.

Once he figured out how much we already knew about so many of these topics, he sped up the conversation. Based on my test results, he told us that the tentative plan (that could change at anytime) is to work on the items listed below in the order listed below:

1) Bacteria: SIBO, Lyme, Bartonella
2) Mycoplasma
3) Mold toxicity
4) Heavy Metal toxicity (Thallium)
5) Yeast
6) Viruses (Epstein-Barr Virus, etc.)

However, in order to work on these items, we first needed to prepare my organs for the upcoming treatments. My entire body has been functioning on empty for a very long time, and my test results indicate that my organs are showing signs of major distress (you don’t say!). We would need to start by trying to support my adrenal glands. Then, we would try to improve the function of my liver and kidneys, so that my body has improved detoxification capabilities in place for the various upcoming treatments. As I have mentioned previously, there has been a large amount of irreversible damage done to my organs from years of poor medical care, but we won’t know the extent of the damage until much later. Until then, we need to try to reverse as much of the damage as possible.

My test results also showed dangerously high levels of mycotoxins from 5 different types of mold. We would need to test our home (again) to determine if mold has been colonizing in my body from prior exposures or from both prior and current exposures. With significant exposures, it is possible for mold to colonize in the sinuses, lungs, and intestinal tract, and then the mold can stay with the person even if they are no longer being exposed. If mold has stayed with me from my prior exposures, and I am also currently living in a toxic level of mold, treatment would be unsuccessful for all of the above listed items.

He also asked us to check to make sure our radon pump was still working in our home and to retest for radon.

Next, since I also have issues with my teeth and gums, he recommended a dental cone beam scan. Apparently, he frequently sees patients who have had their wisdom teeth removed at a young age and then develop a mild, ongoing infection that goes undetected for years and causes chronic inflammation. He wants to rule this out as an additional stressor on the body. Since this doctor happens to be from our general area, he gave us the names of 2 dentists who are good options in our area (not covered by insurance, of course). The cone beam scan does not need to be completed prior to treatment with him, but he asked me to get the scan done as soon as possible.

After getting my organs ready and making my home environment safe (whatever that will entail), then we would treat each item on the list in the order it is listed. Each item would take about 60 days if my body is tolerating the treatment, and longer if my body indicates a need to slow down. My body is exhausted from years of fighting, so he made it clear that we will need to be extra patient.

At some point, I would also benefit from more Neurofeedback treatments (not covered by insurance, of course) and brain rewiring treatments (not covered by insurance, of course) since the items listed above have been chronically dysregulating my nervous system and causing my body to stay in fight mode. The timing of those treatments depends on many different factors.

In order to continue working with this doctor, we would need to pay a very large sum of money (not covered by insurance, of course). For this large sum of money, I would receive 10 months of services that include 13 appointments with the doctor and direct messaging with the doctor in between appointments via the patient portal. Two appointments per month with their Health Coach were also included in the total.

Additional payments would be needed for all testing, supplements, additional treatment, and additional appointments. Even though this doctor is a chiropractor who uses a functional medicine approach, chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture were not included in the package offered. In fact, I would probably be better served if I continued chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, and biofeedback with my current practitioners (in addition to working with this doctor), but that decision would be up to us.

We would also still be paying for therapy each week. Now doesn’t seem like a good time to stop taking care of our emotional health.

We asked the doctor a bunch of questions about his determination and level of commitment to seeing the process to the end. We also asked what happens after 10 months since my treatment timeframe seems to be years instead of months. He said that we would pay additional fees after the 10-month program expires.

He indicated that I am not the most difficult case he has ever seen. I have already done a lot to keep myself alive. Many people in my situation are bedridden. He said he has a practice full of patients with stories similar to mine who have gone to a variety of medical practitioners and have seen a steady decline in health. He also said that he has a lot of patients who know more than the actual doctors he meets at various conferences he attends. His patients have had to learn a lot about health and wellness and have had to take their health into their own hands. While I was very sorry to hear that there are so many others who are in similar situations as us, it was also good to know that he has seen many cases like mine and has found a large amount of success. The reason we originally contacted his office in January is because of the podcast episode my husband and I listened to back in November and kept in the back of our minds.  When we told my current practitioners (chiropractor/acupuncturist and biofeedback provider) who have been helping us piece together treatment since January that we had begun the testing process with his practice, they both told us that this doctor is well known for being highly successful (and also very expensive due to his success rate). Everything we have heard about him from a success perspective has been very positive.

He indicated that there will likely be a lot of ups and downs, but he is ready for the challenge. We then paid for the high-dollar 10-month program.

I have been explaining my symptoms and/or medical history to almost every medical care provider I have encountered since my early 20s. I have been tested multiple times for many, many different things. And, not one doctor providing conventional medical care tested my body for mold toxicity and/or most of the other items listed above.

The only practitioners who have been helpful and/or discovered anything listed above throughout this entire journey are a Naturopathic Doctor, 2 Medical Doctors using a functional medicine approach, a Holistic Health Practitioner, a Neurofeedback practitioner, 3 Chiropractors (one who uses a functional medicine approach), a Biofeedback practitioner, and a therapist who specializes in chronic illness and trauma. And, none of these providers have been covered by medical insurance.

How much is your life worth?

I am feeling the full range of emotions right now. The full range. Any texts or emails with words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated.


Brutal. Missed opportunities. Terrible medical care. Irreversible damage to my body. The money we spend to keep me alive.

Beautiful. My determination to keep going in the midst of terrible medical care. Taking one day at a time. My husband reminding me every single day that we are in this together for however long it takes. Hope.


Just another day of . . . This Brutiful Life: The Brutal & Beautiful Moments of My Life.