The "H" Word

The germ theory of disease states that diseases are caused by infectious microbes that impair both the function and the structure of different organ systems. This model is the basis for the use of antibiotics to destroy the invasive microbes, and vaccines with low doses of the microbe to challenge the body’s immune defenses, and thereby prevent systemic infection.

The cellular theory of disease states the importance of balance in the body’s internal environment. The body becomes susceptible to infectious agents only if the internal balance is disturbed. There are billions of microbes and bacteria inhabiting our bodies. When a bacterial or viral infection is being passed around, why do some people get sick while others remain healthy?

On July 22nd I was prepared to voice my concerns with my doctor about the following issues:

Candida - Two weeks prior to my appointment I met with a holistic nutritional counselor who is in remission from Lyme disease. We discussed Lyme treatment and dietary topics, and she voiced concern about the quantity of medication that I have been taking (as have many others including myself). She also spoke about her own experience and told me that I was not going to get better until I got my Candida (yeast) issue under control. This is a post from awhile back regarding my experience with candida when it first appeared in November of 2012. I am way more informed about this topic now and will discuss it in depth at a later date. In the post, I stated that it was my understanding that I wouldn't be able to get rid of the candida until I was off of all my medication. In your head right now please imagine the buzzer and the red "x" that appears on the screen behind the contestants on the Family Feud when someone answers a question wrong.

Toenail fungus - The toe nail that I wrote about in the post referenced above has been continually growing back and falling off due to the never-ending fungal issue. By falling off, I mean I remove it myself. It doesn't hurt. The nail bed and nail are dead. The fungus recently appeared in my other big toe, and that nail has been peeling off in sheets. In what can be viewed as a good news/bad news scenario, the toenail is not completely dead yet. The first time I yanked a portion of my toenail off because it was catching on the inside of my shoe, I saw stars. And then I saw blood. My toenail was bloody and sore for a good month and a half. Thank goodness for band-aids with cartoon characters on them, they have been a staple this summer when I dare to wear open toe shoes.

Gastrointestinal issues - In my previous post I mentioned the situation with my gut. It has been an on-going problem now since March. It fluctuates between me not being able to go to the bathroom, and me not being able to stop going to the bathroom. This past April my doctor told me I had gastroparesis, a condition in which the muscles in your stomach don't function normally which prevents your stomach from emptying properly. A host of medical issues, including extended use of antibiotics, can lead to this condition.

Body temperature regulation - If I am indoors and the AC is on I am freezing. Once the sun goes down if I am outside I get chilled very easily, even if it is 80 degrees out. I have to take an extra later of clothing with me everywhere. 

The first five minutes of my doctor's appointment went well, but when we started discussing my GI issues the conversation took a turn for the worse. I mentioned that I had spoken with a holistic nutrition counselor who is in remission from Lyme and she said that the candida could be the cause of my GI issues. I swear, the minute I said the "h" word, steam started pouring out of my doctor's ears and he became incredibly belligerent with me. Here are some highlights: 

• He was adamant about the fact that I don't have Candida. Please note that I referenced my blood work from November of 2012 which clearly showed that I tested way above normal for an active candida infection. I was only on an anti-fungal for about two months, in addition to the probiotics that I have been taking throughout my whole treatment, which didn't prevent the candida in the first place. I couldn't understand why he was telling me it was not an issue. Five minutes after we had moved on from the candida discussion, he printed out the blood work that I had referenced from November of 2012 and while holding it by the corner of the paper like it was a dirty diaper, he thrust it across the desk at me. He told me he would order a candida test for October.
• He also told me that my toenail fungus issue is not related to Candida, which contradicts what I was told in his office when the issue with my toenail originally started (also mentioned in the blog post I referenced above). 
• He also reiterated that my stomach issue was not from Candida, it was gastroparesis. When I pointed out to him that I had researched it after leaving his office the last time and that I was not exhibiting some of the major symptoms listed,  he snapped at me and told me that those symptoms were only for extreme cases and I definitely had it. 
• After telling him that my body temperature regulation issues were getting worse he showed me my latest blood work and in addition to my T3 being low (which was discovered a few months ago), my T4 was also low. I am now on two thyroid medications. He mentioned that he didn't think I had a thyroid problem per se, he thinks that one of the antibiotics I'm taking is blocking my thyroid from functioning properly.  
• I asked if I could stop taking the medication he thought was affecting my thyroid and he looked at me like I had five heads. Then he proceeded to produce blood work from a year and a half ago, pointed out a protozoa that was detected and then wrote me a prescription for a new antibiotic. While I kept my mouth shut, I really wanted to tell him that we had used a different antibiotic about a year and a half ago to go after it when it first appeared in my blood work and I was never retested to see if it was still there. 
• In the end, he agreed to let me stop taking one of the antibiotics I am on (not the one he thinks is causing my thyroid issue) and he agreed to let me cut back the dosage on two others that I am taking. I did not start taking the antibiotic that he hastily wrote that prescription out for based on blood work from a year and a half ago.
• My blood pressure was so low that he took it three times, but never commented on why he thought it might be lower than usual. By that point, if anything, my blood pressure should have been sky high because I was in a small office with my doctor who was acting like a four year old who had just had his favorite toy stolen on the playground. 

Needless to say when I left that appointment I didn't have a good feeling about what had transpired between me and my doctor. After the discussion with the nutritionist about the candida I spoke with a few other people either in remission from Lyme or other chronic illnesses and they all shared with me that going after the candida was the turning point in  their treatments. Candida overgrowth can cause many medical issues and painful symptoms, and is also another controversial subject in the medical community in regards to how bad it is for your body and how to treat it. 

After a few days of thinking everything through and becoming increasingly disgusted with the way my doctor treated me after learning that I had spoken with a nutritional counselor because I am concerned about my health, I made an appointment with a new doctor whom I'd heard speak about Lyme disease treatment a couple of weeks earlier at a district wellness event. He is of the belief that the majority of illnesses are due to cellular malfunction caused by cellular toxicities and cellular malnutrition, both of which can be avoided and overcome naturally. During his Lyme disease discussion he talked about the importance of keeping candida under control throughout treatment and about how the maintenance of health and prevention of disease involves conscious attention given to factors of life-style, environment, nutrition, exercise and recreation, as well as psychological well-being and spiritual practice. Seeing how I have drastically changed my life-style and nutrition and have taken up yoga, reiki and acupuncture and had just had a major disagreement about Candida with my doctor, I figured it couldn't hurt to make an appointment with this one. While I have made great progress with my current treatment, ignoring the secondary issues that have cropped up would be a recipe for disaster. 

My appointment was 4.5 hours, and I am waiting for the results of my blood
work. While things may be rough as I transition to a new treatment, in the long run I think I am going to benefit greatly from the changes that are going to be implemented. The new doctor and his team were quite thorough and informative. As you can see I had a lot of blood drawn as part of my initial work up. 

At this point you are probably dying to ask me if I almost passed out in the lab due to the fact I had been fasting since dinner the night before and didn't get the blood drawn until the end of my appointment around 11 am.  Well thanks for asking guys, yes, I did almost pass out. You are probably also wondering why the heck I needed to get all that blood drawn if we already know I have Lyme and 3 additional tick-borne illnesses. Once, again, thanks for asking. I am getting tested for additional tick borne illnesses, a few autoimmune diseases and mycotoxins. Did someone just say something? Oh,  you want to know what the new doctor thinks about all of the antibiotics I am currently on? I'll save that answer for next time. 

I am sure you have a lot more questions, but I am running out of time tonight. I also have a lot of questions. Something tells me I will not have a shortage of information to write about in the coming months as soon as the answers start rolling in.