Jackie's Doctor's appt

[Guest guest]

Hi guys, sorry I haven't been on for awhile, the holidays were very stressful

with my elderly parents and my siblings who don't understand how sick I am. And

I had a nasty virus earlier in the month that I was able to keep at bay by

following Andy's recommendations. I took echinacea, astragulus, and elderberry

three or four times a day, amongst other things, and it really does work! This

is the first time I have had all three of these available to take at once, and I

am a believer. I also took extra zinc and lots of Vit C too, and probably some

other things he recommended that I happened to have on hand. I was taking all

of this when I had labwork done for my doctor's appt, and what I found

interesting is that my neutrophils were HIGH, so these things evidentally did

boost my immune system.

Anyway, my doctor's appt. earlier this month left me kind of puzzled and not

sure what to think of her, but she is definitely too mainstream to really help

me. She takes insurance, so I also think she's limited by that, as far as what

tests she orders, etc. She was easily convinced I had CFS, which I have never

pushed for an official diagnosis before, but I know I've had it for a long time.

She went to some website and asked me questions from there as her diagnosis.

But I think she treats it very allopathically. She suggested a sleep study, and

mentioned a stimulant, and tested me for lyme disease, I think to rule that out,

and I have a follow-up appt with her on the 3rd to discuss things more fully and

lab results, etc. I think I will just see what her recommendations are, and go

from there.

I was hoping she would help me with hormones and understand the thyroid and

adrenal thing, but that didn't happen. I showed her my Great Smokies tests for

thyroid and adrenal, and she pooh-poohed Great Smokies as a legitimate lab,

pooh-poohed saliva testing, and didn't even think much of my thyroid antibodies.

I said I wanted my thyroid antibodies, free T3, and Free T4 tested, since it has

been a long time, and all she would test is free T4 and TSH, so I knew that

wasn't a good sign. She was listed in the packet from Women's International

Pharmacy, a compounding pharmacy that makes bio-identical hormones, so I thought

she would help me with hormone testing, but she made it sound like I have to

order the testing from them myself, and then she would prescibe what they

suggested. So that confused me, because I would think she would order the

testing for me. So I need to contact them myself, just had to let things lie

until after the holidays.

She did test my ferritin, which I asked her to. It is up to 12 from the measly

4 it was about 18 months ago! I don't tolerate iron supps, so I have followed

Andy's advice from the HTI and am trying to increase it by taking more

antioxidants. I also had an ablation in May, so I hardly have my periods

anymore, so I'm not sure which intervention made the most difference. But at

least it went up some.

My lyme test came back negative.

I also asked her to test my Vit D levels, because another doctor found me low

and I have been supplementing at 3000 IU's for some time, and she wouldn't do

that either. And I was sick the week I had my appt with her, and I had been

exposed to someone with mono over Thanksgiving, and I had it myself as a

teenager, so I asked if I was more susceptible to it and whether it could have

something to do with my CFS and if she would test me for it, and she said no.

So I was surprised and confused by what she would and wouldn't do.

I told her I was doing mercury chelation, and she didn't have a problem with

that, but also wasn't very interested in it either. Which was fine with me,

because I didn't want to have to argue with another doctor about Cutler's

protocol! But I think she is actually clueless, because she made some comment

about it being good for clearing the arteries, which we know is only EDTA, so

that was an indication of how little she knows about it. I mentioned going to

Seattle to see a doctor who follows Cutler's protocol, and she had no problem

with that, and sounds like she'd be ok working with someone else. I also

mentioned I would like to consult with Cutler, and need a doctor to sign an

agreement since he's a chemist not a doctor, and she seemed open to that also,

so I left a copy of the agreement with her. So I'll find out at my next visit

where her and I stand. I'm curious if she'll sign the agreement, and if she

does, I don't know how much of it she would be willing to do, especially if it

comes to prescribing stuff. If she doesn't get the thyroid and adrenal stuff, I

don't think she will be much help. At least she was covered by my insurance, so

I'm not out anything. And I didn't leave upset or anything, just not quite sure

what to think. She did make some comment at the end that I was a smart gal, and

I think she realized I wouldn't just blindly follow her recommendations, and

asked what I was expecting of her. I told her chelation was going fine, but I

was looking for help with my hormones, especially thyroid and adrenals, and of

course she mentioned the diseases in the extremes, so I mentioned mild adrenal

insufficiency, and that that was why I was taking the Isocort, and she said

something about she can't read everything, so maybe I was a little intimidating,

but she never got defensive or argumentative. So I wasn't quite sure how to

read her, and what she really thought of me.

Jackie T