Day 10

I know it's been awhile, but I'm still here! Some days I've had to wonder if my illness is all in my head. All I had was my subjective information to give to my doctors and the ruling out of many other illnesses with many tests.

I went to my second visit to my new doctor specializing in CFS/FM yesterday, and went over all of the blood test results. There are some IGG tests done to test your immune system's reaction to certain viruses. Many people are exposed to viruses throughtout life, and may have some initial illness from them, but then the virus becomes latent. (inactive) For a person with a healthy immune system, these do not cause any issues later in life. My blood tests show that I was exposed to Herpes Virus 6 (an airborn virus) and Epstein Barr Virus and they are active in my body. While no one knows yet what exactly the relationship is between CFS and these types of viruses, having them reactivated is very common in these people. My doctor has prescribed a supplement called Lauricidin which according to many tests is proven to kill these viruses. My doctor says he starts with this treatment because many patients do well with it, and the viruses do not become immune to it over time. If that doesn't work, I will be on an antiviral treatment. I wasn't shocked by the news. While it's not good to hear I have viruses I'm fighting, finally getting some answers to my questions is a relief. It is also a relief to know I am in good hands with my doctor, and I have confidence in his ability to treat me. Some good news, one of the lab tests tested my immune response. My doctor told me most patients coming in to see him have an immune response 10-20% of what it is supposed to be. Mine is at 60% of what it should be. Hooray for my immune system!

I also had thyroid tests done too. While my T4 level is normal, my body's ability to transform T4 into T3 is not what it should be, so I will be taking supplemental T3. The doctor says that will really help with my fatigue.

Last week I had a urine test sent to a lab for heavy metal toxicity. I won't know the results until my next appointment in May. Heavy metals toxicity is often common in those with CFS. (and people without CFS!)

Maybe some of you recall my mention of stress management as part of the treatment. It involves journaling about stressful things in your life and seeing a CBT. (Cognitive Behavioral Therapist) I can start journaling, but the CBT will have to wait until I can afford it. While stress is not a cause of CFS, it is considered a part of it. They found many people with CFS were type A people who had to go, go go, all of the time. Yes, I was one of them! A Cognitive Behavioral Therapist can help you to identify the reasons for that kind of drive, and help you find ways to change that behavior. Interesting stuff!

I hope your having a good week.

Until some other time...

Linda

Day 9

I have quickly figured out that wanting to write a daily blog is difficult to do! Not only because of time and energy limitations, but some days are not that inspiring. I wake up and think, "Same stuff different day!"

I had a very draining day on Friday with dealing with one of my kittens who was injured back in February. She was not able to use her back legs at all. I thought for sure we would have to put her to sleep. The good news is, after giving her steroids over the weekend, she is walking today. More good news, I was able to somehow get through that draining day. It helped that my husband was able to leave work early that day to come home. I'm just hoping it doesn't all catch up with me in a few days. I don't want to push things, so I'm taking it easy today.

I'm still continuing on the green smoothies, enzymes, B12 shots and glutathione cream. I have also increased my D3 intake by 2000 i.u. over the last 2 weeks. (doctor's orders) Vitamin D3 has been found to kill many viruses and boosts the immune system.

Overall, I think I'm doing better since starting my treatment. I may not have a lot of physical energy, but I do seem to have a lot less brain fog going on. For that I am thankful!

Until tomorrow...(or whenever!)

Linda