Best of all, he got his Chevelle actually running and was able to drive it to the Prom. His goal has always been to have it finished before school was out so he could drive it his senior year. Without Lyme-N, it never would have been possible. Last summer he had plenty of opportunity to work in it, but he was just unable to do so. His Lyme symptoms, mental and physical, were controlling his ability to function. Now, you would never even guess he had had Lyme. Same with Colby. They both continue to do amazing.
I was waiting to see my new doctor about my adrenal exhaustion before posting an update, and I saw him Tues. May 24th. It's always a process to introduce new doctors to all my history. I printed out my symptoms list, but forgot to bring it. I was having a lot of anxiety about trying a new doctor. I have had so many negative experiences. Many doctors have wanted me to make some major, major changes in my diet or lifestyle that were just completely impossible for me. I'll never forget, one doctor had an in-house dietitian that she sent her patients to and her plan was so radical that I nearly had a panic attack in her office.
Anyway, I like this new doctor so far. He is an ND like Dr. Hardt, and he seems to be a really good listener, took his time and asked me a lot of questions. One thing I liked was that they had an online questionnaire that I filled out ahead of time that asked things like "What lifestyle habits or patterns do you think might be a hindrance to your treatment?" They were very insightful questions, and ones doctors never ask. However, he will be out of the office all of June and July for the blueberry harvest at his farm so I won't see him again until August.
He gave me an at-home cortisol test to take as well as a a bunch of lab work that has to be done. I will do the cortisol test sometime in July and we will discuss the results in August when I see him again. I spit in a cup 4 times in one day to measure my cortisol levels at different times of the day. That is something I really wanted to do, so we are on the same page there.
He also prescribed Nystatin, and anti-fungal that I have to take it for 3 months. It's a liquid that has to be swished in the mouth for 30 seconds and then swallowed. It's a bit thick and they have flavored it with some minty flavor so it's not bad, but the aftertaste, oddly is mildly moldy. Blech. He said that because I was on antibiotics for so long, he was surprised Dr. Hardt didn't ever prescribe an antifungal for me. I have strange symptoms~ when I would go OFF my antibiotics, I would get what felt like the beginning of a yeast infection. And when I take probiotics, even one dose, I get that same feeling. I explained this to him and he thinks that it's due to a fungal overgrowth from the years of antibiotics.
He also thinks I may have hypothyroidism. While I agree that I have all the symptoms of that, and actually diagnosed myself years ago with it, I believe it is due to the adrenal exhaustion.
He was flexible and didn't have any 'make or break' directives, which eased my anxiety. I put on my intake form that I was worried he would require me to stop taking my Adderall and I would not be able to function anymore. He understands that I need it to function, but I told him I do want to get well so I don't have to take it anymore. I want to feel happy, motivated and energetic "normally", without drugs. Like I used to before Lyme.
So I have finally taken the first step in tackling my AE. I think it's going to be a long road, but I am thankful for his insights and I am looking forward to finally being able to focus on tackling this.