The new doctor looks extremely promising!

I am psyched!!! I wasn't sure my health team could get any better, but I think it just did. I am cautiously optimistic. I had a phone appointment with my ND on Saturday morning and had her new treatment plan in hand when I saw the new Lyme doctor closer to home on Monday. I liked her the moment I walked into her office, which was more like a lovely, inviting living room, and she hopped up on her treadmill at her stand-up desk and began to walk in slow motion which she continued for most of the consultation while making notes on her computer and being amazingly engaged, knowledgeable and aware. She put me instantly at ease. I felt understood and seen without trying and let me tell you, that was super cool and had such a delightful lack of energy expenditure involved, that I felt cared for and able to relax almost immediately instead of being on the defensive, which is often the case.

I've probably forgotten some things and the treatment plan is in the mail, but here's what I can remember so far:

Here's what my ND prescribed:
   At first, she felt very strongly that I get back on, and stay on for the foreseeable future, the A-Bart tincture. Even if it was just in very small doses. She changed her mind later on and said to wait until we had my digestive system calmed down and for now, to stay on the homeopathic New Tick Bites Balance II as my only TBD (tick-borne disease) drug.
   She is sending a probiotic that I can take orally and not in pill form since pills and I are not getting along these days. She said it's just 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon and it tastes good. Right on. That will be helpful. 
   She suggested castor oil and heat compresses over my liver.
   She wanted me to start sessions with the rife machine ASAP and work up to using it once daily. She was adamant about this therapy and certain it would help me tremendously. She's rarely wrong.
   She is creating a gemmo therapy for me that includes oak and I can't remember the other 2 plants. I love those things! I told her it's like drinking a green blood infusion and she said she's using that description now.
   She highly recommended someone grocery shop and prepare food for me so that I can eat 3 healthy meals daily. I have far less nausea, vomiting and appetite loss when I am away from home (indicating perhaps an environmental allergy) and when I have 3 healthy meals a day (which also only occurs when I'm away from home and others cook for me.) She said she feels very strongly that the stress of shopping and preparing meals is not conducive to healing and she wanted that stress removed from me. As soon as she said it, I realized how right she was. My partner doesn't cook much and I'm not usually up to the task, so I've been living off of apples and peanut butter for the main staples in my diet. Knowing that I'm limited in this regard and can't afford a personal chef, I decided to invest in a decent smoothie maker and picked one up along with some frozen and fresh organic fruits, seeds, coconut milk, sunflower seed butter, and other goodies to blend. That feels pretty good. I feel a sense of liberation and freedom that I can easily prepare something healthy for myself besides my beloved apples and peanut butter that have sustained me for so long.

Here's what my MD prescribed:
   At first, she wanted to start me on Buhner's protocol which I have heard of, but am not familiar with. I looked it up after I got home and it's sort of funny going back to where I started initially using teasel and cat's claw along with some other herbs. She would likely add antibiotic injections.
   She ordered scores of blood tests that included something about looking at my genetics and immune system since two of my siblings also have autoimmune diseases. 
   She gave me the name and number of a man in my town who is a "certified indoor environmental consultant" and told me to make an appointment with him ASAP and to get out of my house until he can check it out. 
   She recommended I take 8 capsules of activated charcoal at night before I go to sleep to draw out toxins. Of course it negates all my medications, too which is why she suggested it at night. I'm reluctant to do this because I feel like I might neutralize drugs with a cumulative effect that I'll have to rebuild and I'm not sure I can sleep through the physical pain and restlessness, but I think I'll give it a try.
   She ordered what she called a "poop test," and mostly agreed with my ND on her protocol - and here's where it got really great - my MD prescribes and carries the same holistic remedies as my ND! How cool is that? Interestingly, my new MD said to restart the A-Bart even if it's just 1/2 a drop a day, or whatever the minimum amount is for me to avoid a herx. She felt my ND was right the first time and we need to be killing some bugs, so back on the A-Bart I go. 
   She also has the philosophy that a herx means you're killing too many bugs at once and that it isn't good for your body to have that level of toxic overload. It can be dangerous and even life-threatening to overdo it. She said she also understands the feeling of satisfaction one gets from having a herx because they know the bacteria is dying. It's a strange thing.
  
And I kind of fell in love with her when I saw and heard her response to me telling her I felt like I was in total treatment failure and was considering getting a rife machine. She grinned and knowingly shook her head, obviously biting her tongue. She continued with my intake questions and did her educational talk and came around to alternative treatments. She said the rife machine is not FDA approved so as a doctor she would never, EVER tell me to get one or use one. She would NEVER recommend that I buy a machine...like the one she has in her basement. Never. I cracked up! Much later in the conversation she said she herself herxed from using a Doug Coil machine (thanks for the name that she can't recommend! she's good!) and said she totally understands using whatever kills the bugs. 

When I explained that I felt like I needed to try a PICC line again if the rife machine isn't enough, which is her philosophy as well as the doctor's from the youtube video I posted recently, she said she agrees they can be really effective but she can't do them or manage them and they are a bit scary and dangerous. She said it might be worthwhile to do IM injections of antibiotics twice weekly but again, agreed with my ND that we needed to get my gut cleaned up and give my liver some support while we await this next round of test results and figure out our next strategy.

The last thing I'll say about her for now is that she acknowledged the healing strategies of chemical warfare and that it was also clearly not working for me. She has another strategy and for that, I am deeply grateful. I don't feel like I'm at the end of the road or without hope. She is shining a light for me and I am deeply grateful.

I look forward to seeing what the indoor environmental consultant has to say. I swear, this stuff is like living in a detective novel only the bad guys live inside me. There are so many mysteries, puzzling things and threads to chase. It's all pretty fascinating from an observational perspective. 

The good news of the day is that hope has been restored, some of my beloveds are bringing me food, others are helping me organize fundraising for a rife machine and treatment costs, I have clear next steps to take, and it's firefly season in Virginia and beautiful beyond words. 

Check her out! I think she's very cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAYstUm1NI8 

A great overview of Rife machines to treat Lyme!

I thoroughly enjoyed a youtube video (see below) on treating Lyme and co-infections with a Rife machine. This doctor is a delightful, engaging teacher and knows her stuff. Read on, Lymies, especially if you Rife! She mentions toward the end of the video the ineffectiveness of many of the cheap Rife machines on the market that are unable to produce frequencies strong enough to penetrate deeply into the body. She also gives frequencies to use for Lyme, Bartonella and Babesia (all of which I host) and cautions against overuse since the die-off (herxheimers) can be life-threatening as the dead bacteria flood the liver, brain and nervous system, exacerbating the symptoms exponentially. Oh, goodie. 

Actually, as twisted as it sounds, I am excited!! The caution here is not to stop and start the treatment, but to stick with it. My ND suggested I start Rife treatments immediately ("tomorrow, if you can") twice weekly, being careful not to overdo it so the herxing will be manageable. She said my goal is to work up to using it once daily and that I tested strongly positive for this therapy. As with other bacterial infections, stopping treatment too soon only kills off the weak bacteria and refines the strong ones. Sadly, that's my current state since I'm having treatment failure for late stage Lyme. I need a bug killer quick! 

The closest Rife to borrow is in Lexington, VA at an attorney's house. We met online through the woman who sells them and he offered me use of their machine any time I'm in the area. His wife had total treatment failure until she found the Rife and the benefits of colloidal silver. He claims they have helped more than anything so far. Since that's where the new Lyme doc is, maybe I can layer tasks here. I can't imagine driving over an hour twice a week for these, especially if the herx hits quickly. I haven't asked about that bit yet; when to expect to get knocked down hard, and looking forward to it. 

Here's the video. She's very good at explaining TBD's and killing strategies thereof. If you want to understand this crazy thing, watch this. She's entertaining, informative, smart, and cute.

More ER visits - what a bummer

(I saw this t-shirt on Etsy some months back and loved it!)

Back to the hospital, jiggity jig. This is getting ridiculous. I've about had it with trips to the ER in excruciating pain and uncontrollable vomiting. Fortunately, I have a phone date with my ND tomorrow and see the new Lyme doc on Monday. It seems I won't be able to avoid the Gastroenterologist, as much as I'd like to skip that entirely. At this point, I'm up to 4 ER visits in the last 10 months and I'd like to be done with that now. Hyperventilating from pain exacerbates pain. That's just wrong. Right?

I'm still unable to take the "anti" drugs; my pain and fatigue levels are still rising. I'm finally scared, really scared about what comes next. I'm still losing weight and struggling with appetite loss, nausea and gastrointestinal distress in new ways. I'm exhausted. Lying in bed yesterday, I wondered if I might die from this. I hadn't really thought about that before.

I sincerely want to thank all of my cheerleaders, because without you I'm afraid I would be consumed with despair. Somehow, with you all pulling for me, it gives me courage to take another step, try another cure, search for better help, and stick with the healing process.

I've been in contact with the woman who has the RIFE machines and she's still willing to let me try it out, so I'll make a date with her as soon as I physically can. I hope this helps. I'm not sure I can stand another disappointment right now. 

Thank you to my fundraising team (I can't believe you peeps!!) Thank you to my SiStars and spiritual family who keep my healing grotto full of pure, clear, healing, magical waters. Thank you to my healthcare team for all the steps you've taken outside of normal and for listening to me. I can't imagine what it would be like to have my reality denied like so many others who suffer from this disease. 

As long as I can count, I'll count my blessings. Gratitude and love are amazing forces that I want on my side, so I shall pour them out and let them gush from me to heal that which is around me. For I know the great mystery. 


Now, to take a lesson from my cat and try to relax...

Treatment Failure

Well, this is depressing. I've been taking my ND's digestive aids and feeling pretty good until yesterday when I reintroduced the drug Tindamax (or Tinidizole) in a half dose: half a pill in the morning with breakfast and half a pill with dinner. 

I woke up all night long with unbearable back pain (where did that come from? I think it's too soon for a die-off) and this morning I'm staring at my coffee, wishing I could drink just one cup, but the acid reflux and nausea have already kicked in. I'm reaching the conclusion that my time with oral drugs is drawing to a close and I'm a little terrified. It seems my body is just saying "No!" and I have to respect that and figure something else out or come up with a management plan.

Now admittedly, I am wildly impatient, a testament to my fiery nature, and I also reintroduced teasel, the A-Bart tincture and the homeopathic remedy "New Tick Bites, Balance II." I assumed they would be less of an impact, but perhaps I've assumed wrong.

Back to the starting line, so here's my new plan. I'll drop the Tindamax again and go with the tinctures and homeopathics and see what happens. If that goes OK, I'll give it a week and try the Tindamax again. I'll find the culprit one way or the other.

I've definitely decided to try the RIFE machine. I've collected more information from people suffering from TBD's (tick-borne diseases) and the success stories are hard to ignore. I think I'll have my first session later this month or early July.

I also see an immunologist at UVA in July and the new Lyme doc in 12 days. I hope and pray someone has workable solutions for me. This is one of those days that I'm staring at the pit of despair and trying not to fall in. Send the good goo, peeps!  I could use it!