We had a virtual follow up appointment with my main doctor (functional medicine chiropractor) yesterday. My symptoms are back to being mostly the same as they were prior to the harsh supplement. I had to remove the harsh supplement completely, and we added in 2 more different supplements. I have now added in a total of 5 new supplements without a reaction that are designed to bind to the current toxins in my body and help my body eliminate them.
The good news is that my body accepted these supplements without a reaction to them. The not ideal news is that my symptoms are still about where they were when we started with this doctor in March. What this tells my doctor (along with the reaction I had to the harsh supplement) is that my body is at its max with pathogens and toxic load. Even with the supplements to support binding and eliminating toxins, my body is struggling. Instead of waiting until we get the mold situation in our home figured out, we are going to start the next phase of the plan soon. I will continue to take the supplements that aid my body in binding and eliminating toxins, but we will also now try to start killing some of the pathogens that are overloading my system.
The way my doctor explained it is that my body can’t get out from underneath the pathogen and toxic load. Some of his resources say, “The key is to strive for a balance of killing, binding, and eliminating in a way that makes symptoms manageable while also continuing to lower my toxic load and eradicate pathogens.” So, this is what we will be doing. We need to continue the process of making sure our home is safe from mold, but in the meantime, we need to try to move forward with the next steps of the healing plan. There is going to be a lot of trial and error to get to the right balance of killing, binding, and eliminating pathogens and toxins. And, the balance will probably change all the time, so it will likely be a constant balancing act. Too much of any one of the three (killing, binding, or eliminating) at one time can cause my body to react in a way that is not conducive to healing. I need to be ready for a lot of rethinking and shifting of the treatment protocols.
Also, because mold and all of the pathogens in my body are known for chronically dysregulating the nervous system, my nervous system may not be ready to accept new treatment protocols. I do a lot of work on my nervous system through a variety of channels, and it all helps, but the mold and pathogens will only let me go so far. My body has been fighting mold and pathogens for so many years that my nervous system is now on guard and tries to protect me (fight mode) from anything that comes my way, even if what is coming my way is intended to help me heal. My body has developed a trauma response (nervous system fight mode) to the years of physical trauma it has had to endure. In order to try to disrupt the chronic dysregulation of my nervous system and to try to allow my body to accept treatment protocols in appropriate ways, I will be adding in intensive neurofeedback sessions for an additional fee (not covered by insurance, of course). There will be 1 session twice per day for 5 straight days = 10 sessions per week every time my body tells my doctor that these sessions are needed. All of the nervous system regulating tools I currently use on my own at home will continue to be extremely important as well.
As is expected, I have a mix of emotions. I already feel like I have run 20 marathons, and I feel like I have quite a few that I still need to run. However, this doctor is not phased by any of this and seems to be real confident in his process. It is a relief (and also sad) that he has seen so many cases like mine that my situation is familiar and common and expected. I have never had a doctor who is this knowledgeable in my specific areas of need. This is definitely his passion area, and he spends a lot of time educating himself and learning from a variety of experts in each field. He knows it is going to be a tough battle, but at least he has experience with tough battles.
I also need to mention that we have consistently been given the gift of kindness and compassion from our bosses. My family is super supportive of me. My husband’s boss is also super supportive. He only knows about 10% of what is going on, but he has always been kind and flexible concerning my health situation. My husband has the reputation of being trustworthy and being dedicated to doing his job well, so he is regularly given the benefit of the doubt and trusted beyond measure. My husband has kept his boss in the loop enough for him to know that we are needing as much flexibility right now as possible. My husband told his boss yesterday about my possible upcoming neurofeedback treatment schedule (2 sessions per day for 5 days with at least 3 hours between each session). My doctor’s office is about 45 minutes away and involves heavy traffic, and we aren’t sure how tired I will be at the end of each day of treatment. His boss was very supportive of my husband using as much PTO and/or work from home time as he needs to be able to drive me to and from those appointments. He also told my husband that he trusts him, and he knows that my husband will get the work done while also taking care of his team. I cannot even explain how much of a relief it is to have supportive work situations. The last 20+ years, and especially the last 5 years, would have been way more stressful if our bosses were not supportive and flexible.
Brutal. Overload of pathogens and toxins. Running so many (figurative) marathons when I don’t even like to run.
Beautiful. A doctor who continues to seem knowledgeable and experienced in my specific areas of need. Flexible and supportive bosses.
Just another day of . . . This Brutiful Life: The Brutal & Beautiful Moments of My Life.
This Brutiful Life 