A Health Update – And ANSWERS!!!

I had my follow up appt with the functional medicine Dr Tuesday. We spent a long time going over the test results that have come back (and thankfully we got through them all in one long appt instead of having to go back next week as planned). Only one test hasn’t come back & she will call me with those results.

I will start by saying that I am VERY thankful & relieved to finally have ANSWERS! But, it is also HUGELY overwhelming. And not an easy answer, because, as expected, there is a lot going on. I will try to explain as simply as I can & list all the issues we have found so far. 🙂

SHORT ANSWER:

I tested positive for several tick-borne illnesses, MANY infections & viruses, many vitamin deficiencies & even one that is toxically high (not sure why), TONS of food allergies & much more.

LONG ANSWER:

1. I tested positive for TBRF: tick-borne relapsing fever. Obviously, a tick-borne illness, a chronic bacterial infection. Unknown how long this has been going on! It is similar to Lyme, but not specifically Lyme. Causes recurring issues that can come & go.

(While I did test positive for chronic Lyme, the subcategories were inconclusive, so at this point we will treat the knowns & retest in a few months to hopefully get a clearer answer about that. Treatment will likely be similar if not the same either way.)

2. Positive for Babesia, which is another tick-borne illness, this time a parasite infection, similar to malaria, often occurs as a coinfection with Lyme. This is an ACTIVE infection, not just chronic or past. (I know some of this is more information than you want/need, but I’m still processing & it helps to just have a bit more information about each thing.) 🙂

3. Positive for Epstein-Barr Virus (any number over 21.99 is positive, mine was 750!!)

4. Positive for West Nile virus (no idea when, where, how, why??? This showed up as a past infection, which is strange to me that I never knew…, but even though it’s a past infection, it’s still lingering in my body)

5. Positive for C. Pneumoniae infection – another current infection

6. Positive for Mycoplasma or M. Pneumoniae (bacterial infection – “walking pneumonia”)

7. Other past & current viruses & infections

8. Showed some auto-immune markers, but thankfully no clear auto-immune disorders, which is good.

9. Positive for Coxsackie enterovirus – B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 & A9

10. Positive for SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) – however, we are waiting on treatment for this, it’s possible it may resolve just with treatment of all the other issues, so we’ll come back to it if we need to in the future.

11. Adrenal issues – Cortisol & hormone imbalances, not at all surprising with what’s going on.

12. Thyroid imbalance

13. Anemia

14. Iodine Deficiency

15. Riboflavin (B2) Deficiency

16. Chronic inflammation (no huge surprise here!)

17. MTHFR – C677T & A1298C variants (which can cause anxiety, chronic pain, fatigue, etc…surprise, surprise)

18. Selenium – most people are low in this & that’s why they checked, but I’m toxically, off the charts HIGH on this! Again, no idea why??

19. Omega levels are off

20. APO E Gene 2/3 (pretty much it’s just a gene marker – if you have certain markers, you’re at a much higher risk for certain diseases. I don’t have the really bad gene markers that put me at a higher risk for like Alzheimer’s or that kind of thing)

21. Lastly – a HUGE, HUGE list of food allergies. Thankfully, most of these are hopefully temporary!! But, it means huge diet restrictions for the next 2 months, then we’ll retest & go from there. Basically I can eat plain meats (but no fish), some veggies & most fruits. NO DAIRY, GRAINS, FISH, NUTS – those are the worst & I absolutely have to avoid them. I’ll be honest, this is going to be the biggest struggle. My body just craves grains and I’ve never been a huge meat eater. And with the illnesses going on, some days I’m just gagging on food. Example – the other day I was craving butternut squash, so I roasted some & had it for breakfast. But yesterday I literally couldn’t get it down. There is still a lot to be thankful for, it could be worse & that’s what I’m trying to remind myself (along with hopefully it being temporary!)

Overwhelmed yet? =)

It’s no wonder I feel so ILL! And I’m so, so thankful to have gotten to where we’re at so we can move forward with treatment. Really, this is a huge, huge deal and I feel so much relief!

THE PLAN:

Because there is so much going on, we are having to prioritize treatment. We’re starting with boosting my immune system, attacking the viruses & trying to get the vitamin deficiencies, Thyroid & Adrenal issues under control. This means 2 additional prescription medications & at least 10 new supplements in addition to what I’m already taking. The Thyroid meds I have to take twice a day on an empty stomach, 12 hours apart, and many of the other supplements have to be taken with food so I can keep them down, which is a real issue for me (nausea & vomiting). So figuring out foods I can eat, eating them & taking all my meds as needed will be the biggest struggle. We will be adding in antibiotics in a month or 2 to attack the Babesia & tick borne illnesses.

PRAYER REQUESTS & PRAISES:

As mentioned in the above paragraph, the food struggle is the hardest for me. Yesterday afternoon I just broke down because I was so hungry & nothing sounds good (that I’m allowed to eat) & I just feel more ill when I don’t eat right. It’s so emotional. Especially this time of year. Anyone who has dealt with food allergies or food restrictions will understand.

Having answers is HUGE! I’m so thankful for the wisdom that led us to this Dr, and that she knew what to search for. I’m so grateful for my family who has been so supportive through it all, but please do continue to pray for them as well, it is taking it’s toll on everyone. We’ll get through it; God is gracious & meeting our every need & we have so much to be thankful for. But, I know they would appreciate prayers as well, for continued understanding as well as extra grace & patience all around.

Lastly, pray for patience for me – I long to always respond with patience & grace, but the reality is that I’m human and not coping as well as I’d like 100% of the time (again, understandable, but it’s so frustrating for me to be so irritable & I just don’t have any reserves by the time afternoon & evening comes. I just want to be able to love on my kids & cuddle them when they want!!)