More test results...

So M & I met with the doctor last night and went over some of the test results that had come in since my last meeting. I got results of my bone density scan, my comprehensive digestive analysis, my most recent blood work from last Thursday, and then two tests that were done on the lymphocytes from my blood to check for vitamin and nutrient deficiencies.

The comphrensive digestive analysis showed a lot of what I already knew. Mainly that I am very low in 2 of the 3 "beneficial bacteria" and that I have additional bacteria that is not "beneficial". I have Kiebsiella pneumoniae in my intestines which the doctor said could be the reason I am having such a miserable time with the colonics and why I am in the bathroom almost as much as I am in the treatment chair or my bed. I will be taking the antibiotic Cipro orally for 3 months to get rid of this. I also showed that I had gamma haemolytic streptococcus which isn't a "potential pathogen" like the Kiebsiella is, but still is something that might cause some issues but all the antibiotics will help take care of it to.

Good news is that I was negative for H. pylori again in this analysis so hopefully that means I really DO NOT have that and that it isn't just hiding out in the biofilm. Also there were again no parasites which is also GREAT news.

I found out in the nutrient analysis that I am deficient in Vitamin B12, Pleic Acid, Fructose, Magnesium, Spectrox and Gluthathione. That doesn't mean that I'm not eating foods with these nutrients in them, it means that my body is not absorbing them at all. The Gluthathione really upset me because as I have stated before I can't take the IV Gluthathione dose because it has Sulfa in it and I'm allergic to Sulfa drugs. Also, being deficient in B12 is something that's been ongoing for a few years now. What's really neat about these tests is that they show that my body is not absorbing them. Normally when you are low in B12 or some other vitamin the doctor just gives you a supplement to take. That's what happened to me 3+ years ago when my B12 was low. However, this test shows that my intestines can't break it down and absorb it so there's something else causing the deficiency. Basically, this explains a lot about why I was eating so much ice cream, sugars, meats, etc. and yet still not gaining any weight and actually losing it instead.

To help with that the doctor has put me on a couple of different things. One is called Ox Bile Acid (gross I know) but she said this would help me break down some of those vitamins because apparently my gallbladder is "stopped up" and not producing enough bile to break these essential vitamins and nutrients down. Along with the Creon 20 prescription she put me on to help with the enzyme production, I should start being able to get the necessary nutrients in my body. I'm also missing a necessary fat and she will be putting me on something to help with that as soon as my stomach calms down a little more and I can keep food in my intestines long enough to draw the necessary nutrients out. We're hoping to start that in a week or so. I will also be taking a presciption strength fiber to make my intestines and colon "firm up" which will also help keep the food in my body long enough to extract all the things I am deficient in!

OH - best news yet in my estimation is that since I have that K. pneumoniae in my intestines I will no longer be getting colonics - THANK YOU LORD! She said that was more than likely the reason that the colonics were making me so sick is because it was just stirring up a "bug" in my belly and causing more harm than good. I was very happy to know I won't be doing those for at least a month.

My blood work was taken the Thursday after my ER visit Wednesday night for my kidney stone where I passed so much blood. So my CBC was really able to show the results of how much blood I passed because my red & white blood cells were both low, my hemoglobin was low and my hematocrit was low. Even my overall platelet count was low. But the aPTT test that the ER ran had said it was taking over 200 seconds for my blood to clot. THEY WERE WRONG! They didn't test properly. It's only taking about 36 seconds for my blood to clot which is a little higher than normal but not at all in the "danger zone" that the ER doctor seemed to think I was in. Again, I thank God for a doctor who knows what she is doing and is very on top of her protocol.

Finally, the results of my bone density scan showed that my spine is good so YAY! However, my hips are showing signs of osteopenia which is what comes before osteoporosis. She is going to up my Vitamin D and is adding Vitamin K and also putting me on more calcium supplements. She didn't feel the test was bad enough to warrant a prescription for calcium or any osteoporosis medications. She will be getting me into physical therapy as well to help me gain more strength in all my bones as well as my muscles because spending 3 years or so basically in bed all the time has definitely taken away all my physical strength!

For those of you who are thinking, "But Karen, you have calcium oxylate kidney stones! Won't adding more calcium just mean more stones?" Well, this is how awesome this doctor is. She has me on this supplemental medication called Calci Clear AM and Calci Clear PM. The AM pills help my body process the calcium and get it back to the bones while the PM pills help to get rid of any oxidation of calcium that might try and build up during all these supplements. She did say I may end up passing a few more stones - mainly ones that are already in my kidneys - but her goal is to get my body to process calcium correctly so that I quit forming the stones all together!

I cannot describe to you how amazing it is to have a doctor look at THE WHOLE PICTURE and be able to tell me exactly what my body is doing, WHY my body does the things it does, and more importantly - what we can do to FIX IT! I thank God for giving my doctor the brilliant mind she has concerning the human body! I feel like I am finally in the right place and just seem to keep finding out more and more about how to regain my health while I'm here!

She said I have made amazing strides so far and I feel that way too. She of course knew that this past week has been really hard on my body and my mental state with the kidney stone and scare of the uterine bleeding, but I'm handling things as well as I can. She made sure to tell me & M that she's excited about my progress but wants us to know that I will still have some bad days as we continually fight all of these bacterial and viral infections. For instance, this week I have been just exhausted, but I think it's really all the action of last week is just catching up with me.

OH - one last change. We switched from Levaquin IV antibiotics to Doxycycline (or "Doxy" for short). I was experiencing some bad side effects from the Levaquin - it was causing a lot of my joint pain and giving me pain in my tendons. That's a somewhat common side effect so I've been on Doxy for 3 days now and my joints seem to be getting some better. Or shall I say they aren't hurting worse than they did while I was at home - haha.

So for anyone keeping count I am now on 4 antibiotics - IV Doxy, oral Azithromycin, oral Cipro, and my weekly Bicillin injections! I'm still taking the Relenza to get rid of the flu and she thinks after this last dose I should be flu free - YAY! I'll have the blood work run again 3 days after I finish this dose of Relenza to check and make sure.

I know this is a lot of information - believe me - it's a lot for me to take in so I can't imagine trying to read about it for someone else...haha! However, she has been able to get me feeling some better within a month. In fact, my potassium levels are already back to normal so I will stop taking the prescription potassium pills in a week. We hope to see the levels stay in the normal range. Overall she feels that my body is trying to get into a groove of working WITH me instead of against me! I mean, it feels like I have been beaten up and not put back together correctly, but that's just part of the process you go through when you're taking all these drugs. I am on like 25 supplements now and I think 7 different prescriptions (not counting what goes into the IV) so it will just take some time. But I am seeing lab results that are looking better and I am getting to feel and see some progress physically as well.

Keep on praying because I know God is working in me right now and some days I don't want to be strong and go to treatment. Some days I don't even want to get out of the bed. But I know that I have to keep on fighting this and I know that God is carrying me through when I seem to be falling down. I will be excited to see my next blood work up because I know it will have much better results since all my bleeding issues have been taken care of. God is so good, He is in control, and He is letting me lean on Him for strength for every step I take in this battle.

I'm tired and still trying to process some of this information so I'm going to sign off now. Thanks for reading and praying and keeping me in your thoughts. It means so very much to me. I love you all and I know that without this blog - without this way of letting people know what all was going on, I might not have the mental fortitude needed to keep up this fight. So I appreciate all of you more than you will ever know! You help me push on through the hard times, you celebrate the good times with me & you also help me see when I am trying to do the pushing instead of just leaning on God for my healing and my help. Thank you all.

Good verse from the calendar today:

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

I approach His throne with confidence, but also in awe and wonder of all the wonderful things He has already done for me and I stand in amazement when I think of what all plans He has for my future. I'll say it again - GOD IS SO GOOD!!!