We arrived in Coeur d'Alene last Wednesday, and thanks to my friend Carrie who took care of our hotel stay, checked in to our home for the next week!
My first appointment was slated for Thursday morning at 9:45am. Thursday didn't get off to the greatest start. I had just gotten out of the shower a little after 8:00, and the doctor's office called me, asking if I was having a hard time finding them, as I was supposed to check in at 8. I told them what my paperwork said, but they asked if I could come in as soon as possible. It made for a little bit of a stressful morning and left a bad first impression, especially because they made me feel like I was the one that messed up. When I got to the office, they told me they had called to let me know of the appointment change, but I even checked my call log, and I most certainly had not received such a call! The worst part about this is that I feel like my appointment was rushed through to make up for time. But such is life.
Wasting no time, the doctor got right into his evaluation, by muscle testing (also known as applied kinesiology). If you are not familiar with this technique, feel free to research a little. I don’t know how to explain it, and realize it sounds a little like quackery, but I know it works because the only doctor who has truly helped me at any time during the last 8 years with my symptoms, did so with muscle testing. My digestive issues significantly approved with this method. Here is a little blurb to explain it: http://amybscher.com/getting-answers-from-the-subsconscious-mind/
I won’t go into the details, but Dr. Smith spent the first part of my appointment testing me with this technique. He tested me for allergies (chemical, food, environmental) and also for viruses (Lyme and non-Lyme). Here is what he found:
1. Fungus/Mold in my Maxillary Sinuses (This I was quite sure of already, from living in that moldy condo for two years, but it sure felt great to have a doctor finally confirm it! And might I add that even x-rays were unsuccessful in finding this!) Oh, plus I currently have a cold on top of all that.
2. Protozoa in my Small Intestine and Bladder
3. Parasites (worms) in my Large Intestine
4. A Virus in my Liver, which is functioning at 73%
5. SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth) – This is a huge one, and causes a whole host of symptoms on its own – look it up!
6. Protomyxzoa in my Blood and Spleen – This, he says, is a huge finding for me. He says if even if everything else is treated, this is what really drags people down and makes them extremely fatigued etc. It is a protozoa in the malaria family.
7. Lyme Virus A in my Liver and my Heart – I had no idea about the cardiac Lyme, and was shocked to hear that part! The doctor told me most patients with this die, which made me tear up a little, but he said it in a way as though it’s a good thing I came in, to get rid of it.
8. Lyme Virus B in my Small Intestine
9. Lyme Virus E in my Joints
10. Borrelia (co-infection of Lyme) in my Blood, Spleen and Lympth
11. Babesia (co-infection) in my Blood and Spleen
12. Bartonella (co-infection) in my Blood and Spleen
13. Joint Disfuction in C7 and L5
14. MTHFR – This is a gene that, in easy terms, prevents your body from releasing toxins and absorbing nutrition etc.
15. Nutritional Deficiencies: Magnesium, Zinc, B1, B12, Vitamin C, D3, Iron, and more.
16. Neurotransmitter Deficiencies: I am deficient in Gaba, Seratonin, Dopamine and Acetylcholine. This explains why I haven’t slept well in years!
17. I missed which virus it was, but I also have one in my dental cavities. Which is interesting, because for years I've had several dentists urge me to do a root canal due to unexplained pain that come and goes, seemingly from the nerves. I eventually figured out, after many visits to many dental specialists, that it must be Lyme, and I was right!
I already knew I had a lot of these viruses and co-infections, but it was alarming to hear some of the ones I hadn’t heard before. It was also very interesting to learn where each virus was in my body. He had a hard time finding some of them because they are so very well hidden in my organs. In fact, he was quite stumped trying to find the virus in my heart.
The good news is, he didn’t find that I have neurological Lyme, so for now the little buggers haven’t entered my brain, even though I have had some symptoms of it, which he said is normal. Other good news is that the doctor tested my husband, since there is a possibility of passing the Lyme to him, and he tested negative. That was a relief!
I had been told that Dr. Smith could also determine by testing, how long I have had the disease. So on my second visit that day, I asked him about it. He told me that I contracted the disease when I was 24. This is 2 years before I developed gallstones and had to have my gallbladder removed, which is when all my symptoms really started. I was nearly convinced I had been born with it, so that was good news I guess, that I’ve only had it for 10 years and not my whole life. I have no idea where I would have been when I was bitten, but I plan on going through all my pictures from 2005 when I get home, just to see if I can figure it out!
After finding out what I’m dealing with, Dr. Smith tested different medicines to see what would work best with my body. Once that was finished, we did the actual treatment. Many of you have asked what the treatments involve. It’s very hard for me to explain in person, so here is a blurb from their material:
What is LymeStop?
LymeStop is a powerful, all-natural therapy that is the culmination of an Idaho doctor’s research with over 400 Lyme sufferers, including himself. This breakthrough alternative treatment is revolutionizing the way that Lyme disease is typically addressed.In 2009, Dr. Anthony Smith made a profound discovery about Lyme disease. He found that most Lyme-related infections appear to have tender, acupuncture-like points on the body.* These points are unusually tender to palpation, and they have a diminished impedance to a negative magnetic field. But most importantly, they can produce a highly effective therapeutic response against Lyme Disease.
How do LymeStop treatments work?
Gentle therapeutic magnets are simultaneously applied to a BLP, the cranium, and other significant areas. This magnetic stimulation optimizes your neuro-immune system's recognition of the specific infection. This empowers it to produce an immediate and effective therapeutic response. It is therefore your own incredibly efficient immune system – not the magnets – that actually performs the treatment. LymeStop is so effective that even people with significantly compromised immune systems have responded well.
After that, I went into another room to talk about my diet and to go over all the medications they would be giving me to take over the next 3 months, to start once I get home. I will blog about all that next time.
I definitely felt like my body was doing something that first day, although I can’t really explain what exactly. For the most part, I was pretty weak, shaky at times, and just blah over all. I had some waves of nausea, but nothing too much more than what I usually deal with. My pain seemed to have increased quite a bit, which could be from the treatment or not, it’s difficult to tell.
Overall, the last few days have been very similar to the last 8 years, where each day varies – moments of feeling ok, and moments of feeling like total crap. But if I really think back on our time here so far, I would say that I’ve felt better than normal, which is the complete opposite of what I expected to be feeling during our stay here. In fact, yesterday we were able to do an entire day of activities, which isn’t something I can normally do! We went to the mall, to Greenbluff Farms, and then to the movies. I had to take a few more pain meds than I usually do, and was still in pain, but I’m feeling hopeful because it’s normally difficult for me to do just ONE of those things in a day. I also had planned a surprise birthday dinner for my hubby while we were here on Saturday, and had my niece and siblings over to our room for the Seahawks game on Sunday - so really this was the most I've been able to do in a short amount of time for a long while!
I have one day of treatments left at this point. The office visit part of this trip has gone by fast, but I am more than ready to leave this hotel room. Imagine how antsy you get, when you're home sick for a few days. It’s like that, only 7 days straight of being in ONE ROOM. Thank goodness the weather has been nice most days that we’ve been here, so we have been able to go lay out by the lake on several occasions. But we have spent a lot of time at the hotel too, and I'm more than ready for a change of pace.
In my next blog, I will give an update on my treatments and talk about what my future looks like as far as a treatment plan and follow up visits. Thank you to everyone who has sent me encouraging words through text, facebook and emails (and cards, like from my dear friends the Tollefsons and their 4 year old kiddo Oliver!) – you have all been great at helping me pull through this. I am confident that I found this place for a reason!
PS - The doctor's office has a THICK binder full of testimonials, and I'm part of a Facebook group that has many success stories as well. It's so great hearing from other people who have dealt with a lot of the same things I have, who are feeling much better. If you want to read some of the testimonies, here are some stories from his website:
http://www.lymestop.com/testimonials.html
