Oops!

I left something important out!

My labs showed something that I think is going to turn out to be very important and I wanted to mention it because it's something that it could easily affect anyone. I had high levels (extremely, unusually high) of sulfate in my urine. This is usually caused by sodium lauryl sulfate which can be found in lots of different kinds of soap, shampoo, cleaners and lotions. You guys know I am usually on top of (okay, maybe "hyper-diligent" about!) keeping the dangerous stuff out of the house now, but somehow this one slipped through the cracks. I found this stuff in the shampoo I've been using since the "good" one Nancy gave to me ran out, in our toothpaste (that I know we shouldn't be using anyway), and worst of all...in our antibacterial hand soap. This stuff is not good for you! The doctor told me that it could be one of the causes of my heart arrhythmias. It's an interesting thought! Just thought I'd pass it along. :o)

"Good" News?

Hey everybody! I just got back from my appointment with my functional medicine doctor and, even though my body is still feeling bad, my mind is a little more at ease. We're still not sure exactly what is going on, but my labs gave us a starting point. Here are the things my recent labs indicated:

Vitamin B-6 Deficiency
Vitamin B-12 Deficiency
Carnitine Deficiency
Chromium Deficiency
Zinc Deficiency
Copper Deficiency
Possible Type II Hypoglycemia (Adrenergic kind)
Hypotension (which we already knew)

No heavy metal toxicity. No systemic fungal infection. (Phew!)

So, basically, I'm missing a lot of things that I should have. Important things. The doctor is sending me an e-mail later, telling me what we're going to do to get started digging through the mess. You keep praying. I'll keep you posted! :o)

Casting Crowns

I heard this song last night and it made me cry. Wow.

(Sigh)...smile....(Sigh)....

I spend the better part of last night in the ER again with SVT. They kept talking about giving me adenosine to slow my heart back down (which was just scaring me and making my heart beat even faster!), but thankfully, the old standby of drinking ice water did the trick and I was eventually able to go home. They did see that my potassium was low (3.0) again and that my blood glucose was high (147) again...Either of those things could be triggering the SVT, but as usual, no one really knows. I took some liquid potassium at the hospital last night and seemed to feel better, but then this morning....SVT again. Lovely. The homily at church yesterday was about Jesus as the Divine Physician and it inspired me to call our pries for the Anointing of the Sick. I have an appointment tomorrow at one o'clock to get results from my functional medicine guy, an appointment with my electrophysiologist on Friday, and an appointment with my internist on Wednesday.....Please pray that at least one of them can help me and I will try to keep my head in the right place in the meantime.

Oooh! Speaking of praying, listen to this! We all prayed and prayed that I'd make the right decision about whether or not to take Florinef to raise my blood pressure, right? Well, last night, I remembered that a side effect of the drug is that it depletes the body of potassium pretty quickly (which can be very, VERY dangerous). Imagine if I had decided to start taking it earlier this week, already (unknowingly) having low potassium! Would you also believe that my blood pressure was extremely HIGH all night long??!! It would not have been a good idea to be on a drug that raises blood pressure! So, thank you God for listening!

Fair Weather Neighbors

After living here for a few years, I'm starting to notice that the people who live around us are a lot like me: They don't like going out in the cold! Today we woke up to blue skies and light breezes and it reached a perfect seventy degrees by lunch time. All of the kids (who seemed to have been hibernating for the winter) came out of the woodwork to play in our yard. Instead of "kids", I should be more specific and say "boys" because out of about 17 kids on the cul-de-sac, we only have three girls. Since two of the girls are too old to play and one is too young, I was surrounded by wild, rambunctious, dirt-slinging, stick-flinging boys. It was crazy, but so much fun!

At the end of the afternoon, one teeny tiny Cindy Lou Who of a girl showed up to see what the boys were up to. I snatched a quick picture of her and her royal pinkness before going inside for a much needed rest. This is the most action I've had in weeks and I think I kind of overdid it....But it was worth it! Doesn't being outside on a gorgeous day bring a world of good to your spirit? It does for me. I hope the spring-like weather sticks around longer than a week (but still keeping fingers crossed for our annual snow day!)

RESULTS!!!...(But I can't have them yet)

My functional medicine guy called this afternoon and said MY RESULTS ARE IN!! I can't get them until Tuesday of next week, though, so it's going to be quite a weekend, being sick and waiting...I decided to hold off taking the Florinef until I get my other test results. I called my PCP's office to talk to the doctor about waiting to take it until I knew whether or not I have a systemic fungal infection (a contraindication). The nurse wouldn't let me talk to the doctor and seemed unsure about what to tell me. She said that it'd be dangerous to wait before telling me she wasn't sure if it was more dangerous to try the drug. Then she went on to say I better start it because that's what the doctor originally told me to do before saying to do what I felt was right. *sigh* I'm following my gut on this one (and hoping my gut is in better shape than the rest of me!)

So, I'll keep you posted! :o)

(Sorry to talk about nothing but my health for days on end :oP--I am kind of swamped in all of it right now.)

In the thick of it

I talked to my doctor's office a couple of days ago and have been a nervous wreck ever since. The results of the blood pressure monitor were no surprise--my blood pressure dives dangerously low, especially while I'm sleeping and my pulse goes right with it. They told me they were calling in a prescription for a drug called Florinef (click on the link and browse a little if you really want to feel my anxiety) to bring my blood pressure up. I knew a little about this drug from researching adrenal issues like Addison's Disease (something I could possibly have, something that hasn't been tested for, something this drug treats specifically) and let's just say, I knew before looking that it's not like popping an Advil.

I love this doctor so far, but my other two doctors have e-mailed me saying that this drug should not be administered without proper (and specific) diagnosis. They didn't think I should take it based on low blood pressure alone. So, I'm stuck again. My "functional medicine guy" told me he's expecting results from the lab any minute now and asked me to please wait to start therapy until we could get to the root of the problem.

Meanwhile, I am at home (not alone this time, thank God! Andy's off today), afraid to spend another night with fainting spells, wondering if my blood pressure will dip too dangerously low and land me in the hospital (or worse), not understanding why it's happening in the first place...

This morning, I got my journal out and just started writing prayers. I asked God to take care of my doctors and give them wisdom. I asked Him to strengthen me and lead me through this. I asked for answers to come soon, but, most of all, I asked for peace of mind. The worst part about all of this (besides the obvious physical symptoms) is the fear and uncertainty that goes along with the process...The responsibility I have for making my own decisions regarding my health is a big one and it is overwhelming me lately.

Please keep the prayers coming.

If this gets fixed, I will know beyond the shadow of a doubt who fixed it. THAT, I know for sure!

Another Health Update

When I got home from my dad's house tonight, I saw that I had missed a call today from my doctor's office. There was a message for me to call them first thing in the morning.

I already know the results from my blood pressure monitor were awful (I had readings from 168/90 to 78/44 that I know of...there is definitely a big problem) so I'm a little nervous about what they're going to say. They weren't even going to call me at all--I was supposed to be getting my results at a pre-scheduled follow-up visit in a few weeks. I'm trying to remember that I prayed before finding this doctor and then poof! there he was...I prayed before my appointment and got more accomplished than I could have imagined...I was trying to get someone to monitor my blood pressure and he did it without me even mentioning it...It has to be God at work here, right? So, I should just stop wondering and worrying and go with it, right? Take that leap and let go....fall backwards with my eyes closed and know that there will be someone there to catch me...

Maybe this will ultimately lead me to a good outcome.

Please pray for me as I turn over this new leaf. I am waiting on so many other test results besides this one (any of which could greatly impact my health and life) right now and I can use all of the prayer I can get!