Long Time, No See

I haven't posted for quite a while. However, this is not all bad. August was by and large a wonderful month for our family which included a much needed vacation to a local island (our first family trip in over two years) and also our annual 4-birthday bash. I felt blessed to spend time with my family, including my siblings who came from distant cities. It was a happy time, and in the midst of it, I saw the rheumatologist in Riverside who is so highly regarded by many. He did a thorough workup and said that for now, he saw no sign of scleroderma. Not only did he tell me this, but he also wrote it on his chart notes (which I got a copy of). That one phrase at the bottom: "No sign of Scl" is something I have re-read in bed at night, when I have had too much anxiety and could not sleep. Because really, I have to admit that I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I will be seeing him again in November for a followup checkup.

A lot of the supplements I was taking were making me feel terrific - clear brain, no fog, optimistic, patient. I made the mistake of trying to go cold turkey off of my proton pump inhibitor (Prevacid 30mg) though and boy has that been a HUGE mistake. The rebound hyperacidity has been outrageously intense, so much worse than any reflux I ever had in my entire life before going on the drug. That alone tells me that these pharmaceuticals are not healthy. I don't like the feeling that I have to go back on the drug to suppress the acid that is being caused by the drug. That feels like a pharmaceutical industry ploy to get people addicted to these things for life. So I am going to tough it out and pray that the acid will not damage my esophagus too much in the next few weeks. I am taking natural acid products instead, and have found a very good probiotic called GoodBelly BigShot 50 which has significantly helped.

I am excited about my upcoming appointment with a local LLMD/ND on Monday. I have read her book about the Lyme Diet and she shares my philosophy that food is medicine and that one can heal bacterial infection/hormone imbalance/candida overgrowth with the use of diet, herbals, antifungals and homeopathics - rather than relying solely upon antibiotics. I am open to both but really believe that rebuilding my gut ecosystem is going to be the key to all healing. The lyme connection may tie all of my autoimmune problems together, give them a root cause, and get me on my way to total health. I really believe the day will come when I feel 'normal' - energetic, optimistic, active and healthy just like I did years ago before having children.

I'll let you know how it goes :-)