The Plan...

Last month, I talked about my initial consult with the doc, and how he felt it was important that I start over with a completely new plan to help set me on the road to a healthy life.

So what is this new plan?

Well, it's one that I've never really tried in the 20 years I've been sick.

And that is to aggressively treat the chronic infections in my sinuses and small intestine.

Doc says these low-grade infections are not only creating digestion and malabsorption issues, they're poisoning my mitochondria and putting my body in a catabolic (muscle-wasting) state -- a state of metabolic acidosis.

The small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) showed up on my Organic Acids Test, as did high levels of ammonia, which he said is a result of both the acidosis and the bacterial infection. The infection basically gets first pass at whatever I eat, so if I eat some chicken, the bacteria eat it first, steal the protein and then off-gas the ammonia. Ammonia is a toxin, but it's also alkaline, and so the body is trying doing whatever it can to correct the acidosis. But because it's not getting the nutrients it needs, my body is basically catabolizing itself to stay alive.

Also interesting was the marker for vitamin C was almost non-existent, despite the fact that I take 1,000 mgs of 'C' a day. He said the infections are basically 'draining' or using up all the C I'm taking in. 

So I'll be rotating 4 different antimicrobials (2 at a time) for the gut infection, along with 2 different herbal tinctures for my sinus infection. He also wants me to start a pharmaceutical-grade meal replacement formula once or twice a day to get more protein in and also help improve gut integrity and function.

Treating these infections will help improve gut function and digestion, lower the ammonia levels, gradually reverse the muscle wasting and improve energy levels.

And while some days are really a challenge, and mornings can still be hellish, I'm actually getting nasty stuff out of my sinuses I haven't seen in literally 20 years. 

Even though it's early, I've noticed I've been able to walk further on a pretty consistent basis without as many of the physical repercussions I'd typically suffer even just a few weeks ago.

I really like the doctor. He's direct without being patronizing and he's also genuinely encouraging at the same time. It's clear that he can tell that I'm one of those who 'overthinks' everything, so his directness is very helpful.

He also has a rather ingenious plan to help improve my sleep and restore a normal circadian rhythm which I'll post about next month.