It was a TIA

Last Wednesday I had and EEG and an MRI. The doctors wanted to rule out seizures with the EEG and check for damage or additional strokes with the MRI. If the MRI showed no damage they no longer call them mini strokes they call them TIAs. I have had both test done before and both have come back clean so that is what we've been praying for.

The last time I had an MRI it was an Open MRI so imagine my surprise this time... argh. The tech said the open ones aren't as good, but I should just relax and breath normally because if I wasn't still enough it would skew the results -- supposed to keep your mouth closed too. There in was a problem: not only am I claustrophobic but my nose has been broken a few times making me only able to breathe shallowly through it, I turned down the chemical relaxant as I was driving myself. Keeping my eyes closed and praying for everyone I knew kept me focused elsewhere and avoided a panic attack.

Today the doctor's office called and said that my brain MRI came back normal. Praise the Lord! That means it was a TIA, transient ischemic attack. Click for article.

The neurologist had said that due to my intermittent atrial fib (ablation isn't an option) which causes blood to pool that if the test came back TIA instead of stroke Plavix and Asprin type drugs (which I had been taking since the incident) would not work as they were blood thinners and I would require platelet therapy such as Cuomadin. I do not want to go on Cuomadin and I will be discussing alternatives on April 30th with my doctors in Atlanta.

I am still waiting on results for the EEG but expect it to be normal as well. This EEG was a bit different then when I took it 10 years ago. I don't remember having to go to bed at 12 AM and be up at 5 AM. I do remember them wanting you to sleep or at least be very relaxed. This time, during the actual test I did finally start to drift off just to be jolted awake and told to breathe a certain pattern for 3 minutes. I'm assuming the test has just changed or just done differently here and not that anything odd happened. The tech seemed like all was fine.

Just want to thank our family and friends: Church family has been driving me to Atlanta weekly since the TIA and will continue until all is cleared and I'm good on any new meds, our Blazer bit the dust and our neighbor has loaned us their car for when we need two, family is bring us a van in May to replace the Blazer. Thanking you all and thanking God for you!

Update

The treatments are going well, albeit far from fun or over they are helping in cognitive abilities and energy. Family and friends have once again surrounded me with love and help and I'm to the point that I can normally drive myself and YDS is comfortable with his sitter and hoping to learn how to ride horses (no separation anxiety for him!).

Depending on testing results (tests taken after every 5th treatment) and other issues, I expect to be done late October or early November if I'm able to go 2x a week during the summer.

An additional prayer concern is that it appears I had a minor (extremely minor) stroke on Sunday. As I am ok today except for my normal heart issues and some heartburn I have been squeezed in at the Cardiologists for this Thursday. However, Progressive Medical thought a chelation would stress my body to far and decided to skip that for this week, they did give me some more vitamins and licorice to bolster my adrenals and general health via IV (very short, ODS was surprised I got home so soon.)

The boys have not been told about the stroke and as they don't read this and there is nothing they can do about it I don't plan to tell them... so please don't expect a lot of phone talking -- if you have more questions than I've answered here please email me and I'll respond when I can (after Thurs. I'd have more answers maybe -- all though PMC said the cause can often be elusive and wants me to start monitoring my sugars again as a crash might be to blame as well as my heart/syncope issues).

In school they taught us to begin and end letters on a positive so... my ear infections are almost completely cleared up, ODS took second at district 4H DPA for photography and had a successful fundraiser for his Eagle Scout project (Thanks Elam Baptist!) this weekend.

FYI for Nana!
YDS = Youngest Dear Son
ODS = Oldest Dear Son

Aluminum, Cadmium, & Lead Poisoning too!

Just talked to my doctor about the heavy metal test results -- there are 3 ranges: toxic, elevated, acceptable -- I had aluminum, cadmium, and lead all register in the toxic range closely followed by (doctor said borderline) nickel, thorium, and uranium. Nothing else was worth mentioning as they fell in the acceptable region.

Insurance covers treatment for lead poisoning only, but the treatment works on the other metals as well and will just require a co pay every treatment (much better than $250 per treatment)plus there is the added benefit that the chelating agent is run on hydrogen peroxide.

I will have about 50 treatments called Short Chelation over a minimum of 2 hours (the longer the hydrogen peroxide is run the better as this is the oxygenation that will kill off the viruses and Lyme disease over time), EDTA will be the chelating agent. Here is an article on the use of EDTA for Lead Poisoning.

I will get 7 treatments in while my parents are here then I'll go down to the minimum of 1 a week for the rest of the year, as I'll have to drive myself and make arrangements for childcare for my youngest.

I am really hoping that the rest of the treatments can be done locally once my reaction is determined and my thyroid medicine is regulated. Please pray I can move treatments locally -- that is less time for my youngest to be at the sitter (5+ hours less) plus a lot less $ in gas! Also, please pray for lack of brusing and that I don't pass out, no burst veins, and for ease of IV insertion (no continuos stabbing but success 1st time every time).

I will be starting with a bolster treatment which as I understand it is a vitamin/mineral IV on Jan. 24th followed by Short Chelation on Jan 26th and 30th. There is a bolster treatment after every 5 chelations so I will actually have 2 bolsters and 5 chelations while my folks are in town.

The boys wont be able to keep up with me -- I'll be the Enegizer Mommy! by the end of the year.

Health Update

The song "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller was what inspired the previous entry. Another song I like, as it reminds me I'll be whole in the future, is "There Will be a Day" by Jeremy Camp.

Ok, where have I been and what's the scoop on my health -- well as they say that is a long story...

Approximately a year and a half ago, my cardiologists where at a loss -- my tachycardia was still severe and especially during that time of the month often triggered atrial fib and syncope episodes. I still became a mindless, spineless, mess in any heat but humid heat was the worst (no more hot showers) and to make matters worse I began swelling up. Not just my hands and feet but my whole body and face -- congestive heart failure was immediately ruled out; but with the warning that in about 2-3 years it would more than likely be an issue if I couldn't get my heart rate down.

Exercise was problematic with how high my heart rate was to start and the issue with the heat -- not to mention I had absolutely no energy.

With the medical community scratching their heads and me seemingly only getting worse we took the plunge and headed to Progressive Medical Center (much thanks to family who provided financial help for the hotel and the 1st monumental set of tests).

They tested everything! Hair, saliva, unmentionables, and at least 14 vials of blood.

Results:
Anemia (again!), Thyroid disease, slow stomach with gluten intolerance, intestinal parasite, enflamed and leaky intestines causing me to be septic, Mono, Lyme Disease, Diabetes

I gave the results to my primary care, who still doesn't appear to believe anything is wrong with me, even though it was her office that caught the anemia and sent me to the OBGYN which started all of this and then to the cardiologist -- she did say it was a lot to take in and that she would have to review all the results though...

My cardiologist was over joyed -- He said to get everything under control (anemia, thyroid, mono, lymes, diabetes: all make the heart have an elevated heart rate by themselves) and if that hadn't fixed my heart then at least it would be a whole lot closer to healthy and the medicines had a better chance of doing something if they weren't rotting in my stomach.

So that's what I've been doing.

I take a boat load of supplements, killed off the parasite, gone gluten free, and seemed to be getting back to normal (only having heart issues and worrying about syncope during those 2 pesky weeks), after daily sugar testing it was determined that I did not have diabetes but was at risk, I even lost about 12 lbs through no effort at all plus a multitude of other health improvements.

Then we hit a wall -- no improvements and I began swelling up again amidst other worrisome issues, like all the weight I had lost was back plus some!

It was decided that I could only have 2-3 servings a week of gluten (I had been allowed to reintroduce gluten to my diet once my stomach and intestines where doing better) and they put me on stuff to bolster my adrenal glands. Some improvement (I can take a hot shower without passing out and my heart rate only reaches about 150) but my health still was deteriorating.

With the proverbial brick wall, the cost and distance, I had decided not to continue and went for one last consultation so I could get my thyroid prescription transferred to my primary care this last November.

I saw a doctor who took almost 2 hours with me! Hope restored. It was determined that the Lyme Disease was playing havoc with my thyroid and that I cannot have any gluten at all.

Here is an article if you want to read about how lymes affects the thyroid and why I am not a candidate for antibiotic therapy.

I had 2 tests on Dec. 5, 2011 to see if I was eligible for insurance coverage for treatment and to adjust my thyroid medicine again. We got the thyroid results rather quickly and my dosage has been changed, but the other results have just come in. The number of treatments as well as which treatment would be best and covered by insurance is still in question.

One treatment would require at least 50 infusions but is covered by insurance (only travel, sitter, and co pay costs) and would require additional mineral supplements and possibly give me issues with anemia again (controllable again by supplementation); the other treatment is supposed to be better but is not covered by insurance -- if less infusions are required and less supplementation it maybe a wash financially not to mention more convenient.

So ... waiting on doctors and insurance at this point; but I should be starting infusions this month erasing the final hurtle towards normal health.