...some GOOD NEWS!
Quick Summary: Despite a very challenging year, my health is not only improving, it's improving in five different ways! Thanks to your generous support:
My digestion is definitely improving. And as a result...
I can tolerate more foods.
I can tolerate supplements I've needed but couldn't take before.
My energy and strength are increasing again.
And I'm finally starting to sleep better, and longer.
In Depth:
My digestion is definitely improving. When one has a chronic illness, it's always good to get a second, third, or...fifteenth opinion.
Medicaid recently approved six acupuncture visits per year. At my first visit in August, I asked the acupuncturist to review some of my past test results.
He mentioned things pointed out by other docs, but also noted something the others had unfortunately overlooked: a 'very high metabolite' for c. difficile, the most common cause of infectious diarrhea.
My digestion has been terrible since I was first diagnosed, but especially bad for the past 18 months. I didn't mention the diarrhea because it would get better, then worse, then better again. I kept thinking I was getting it under control. But I wasn't.
Once I learned what was causing it, I went from having the Big D five days a week, to maybe five times in the last three months. A HUGE, HUGE improvement!
And as a result, four other pieces of the puzzle are improving as well...
I can tolerate more foods. It's very common for patients with ME/CFS to develop sensitivities or intolerances to various foods or food compounds. A good friend of mine was down to ONE food -- eggs -- for nine months before he was able to start turning things around.
I started reacting to foods high in oxalates and salicylates about 10 years ago, and more recently, to high histamine foods. This led to a very restricted diet and decreased caloric intake.
Thankfully, that's beginning to change. In two months, I've gone from eating the same six or seven foods every day -- to twelve! Although my gastroparesis is still an issue, I'm actually feeling hungry at times, instead of just eating because I know I should.
As a result, I'm getting more calories, about 300 more per day. The doc says in order to stop my muscle loss I'll need to increase that to 700-800, but after ten years, it's definitely a good start.
I can also tolerate supplements I've needed, but couldn't take until now. Those dietary restrictions really messed up my metabolism. I developed sub-clinical scurvy, sky-high triglycerides, high 'bad' cholesterol and low 'good' cholesterol. But now that I can tolerate them, these issues can finally start being addressed.
My energy and strength are increasing again. Both took a huge dive over the summer as the c. difficile got worse and worse. With that bugger under control, I'm definitely starting to feel better.
And last but not least, I'm finally starting to sleep better, and longer. Ironically, one of the main symptoms of this 'fatiguing' illness is unrefreshing sleep. Most ME/CFS patients never get any REM sleep, let alone manage to sleep for even thre or four hours. Some go days without sleeping, even with heavy drugs.
My sleep was really poor, but that's now improving as well. I've had more nights where I've slept for seven hours straight, and a few where I almost slept EIGHT hours. For me, that's huge! Multiple studies show a connection between poor sleep and impaired immune function, so improving my sleep quality is bound to help my overall condition.
In summary...
After 18 months of horrible digestion, things are back on track and looking up. Long-standing issues are also starting to resolve after years of dysfunction.
The Doc is still tweaking my thyroid dose -- which could also explain some of these improvements -- and wants me to start testosterone (which tested very low) but we're trying to increase calories first.
Thanks to you, the pieces of this puzzle are coming together!
I invite you to consider donating today, so we can reach our Winter Fundraising Goal and build on these improvements.
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