I'm on Day 132 today. I so wanted to get this update out earlier this week, but this week has just flown right by. On top of being busy, I've been battling what I though was allergies, but turns out that I have a full blown out cold! What started out on Wednesday as a sore throat, quickly turned into a cough, stuffy nose with mild headaches.
Dr. C thinks this is all viral (and also because I've run myself down). He told me to take a massive dose of Vitamin C, licorice root tea and oregano oil {which is like drinking gasoline...good times!}. After telling him today that I'm really not feeling better, and after admitting that I pushed myself too hard yesterday, he told me "you have to recover lady...you had a virus!"
So, doctor's orders, I'm resting today (and probably tomorrow). I'm taking this time to catch up on computer work that has gone to the back burner and catching up on my blog. So, here's what's been going on since my last post 12 days go.
NUTRITION: I saw Dr. C yesterday, Tuesday 4/18/17. I'm down a total of 31 pounds...still burning fat and gaining muscle! That's all good news. Dr. C will possibly be making some modifications to my nutrition plan in the next month or so, but that's not set in stone. He's made some modifications to my supplements (which I'll update below). He wants to see how I do with those changes and with de-stressing before he makes these changes.
DE-STRESSING: My goodness. This part is so hard! There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to do all I need to do for everyone else, and then take time for me. I started a journal to jot down what triggers my stress, what I think I can do to change that, things that I would like to do and places I would like to go. I shared some of these ideas with Dr. C and he said that I'm doing the process. Everything starts with a thought and a plan...and that's exactly where I'm at right now. He said that now I need to start making plans to do the things that I said, write them on the calendar and execute them little by little. I did make it to the beach again on 4/18/17, and will blog about that later. Dr. C said that since the beach is so therapeutic to me, that I need to try and get there at least two times a week. It's been hard because the weather has been so cold and rainy here...but rest assured just as soon as the weather changes I'll be there!
5-HTP & TRYPTOPHAN: Dr. C has switched me off of the 5-HTP onto Tryptophan. I quickly maxed out on the 5-HTP, and about a week and a half ago I started having some adverse reactions to it. I was very agitated and aggravated. I couldn't settle down no matter how hard I tried. My mind was constantly jumping from one thing to another. I was exhausted, and my pain level was much higher than it had been. I wasn't myself, and really didn't like how I was feeling.
Dr. C told me yesterday that he recently read an article that 7% of people who take 5-HTP have these type of adverse reactions to it. Of course, I would be in that 7%! I've heard many times in this 4-1/2+ year journey that I'm "not like other patients", that whatever I was going through "wasn't normal", I even heard the phrase many times "in some patients" this or that happens. So, why shouldn't I be in this elite 7% group? {sarcasm definitely intended}
I've been taking Tryptophan since Tuesday night, and see a night and day difference! I've been sleeping much better than I have in a few weeks. I've had some dream recall (which is huge). I'm more relaxed, not agitated, aggravated or jittery. It will take some time, again, to level this out and find the right dose for me. I will continue to work closely with Dr. C (contacting him daily to let him know how I'm feeling). He told me yesterday that when I came to him in December, he knew that I had many issues that needed to be resolved, but as we chip away at this he's realizing there's more to what's been going on in my body than he truly knew. He reiterated that this will all take time, but he's confident that I will get better.
CHIROPRACTIC: I saw Dr. P on Monday, 4/17/17. He's been treating my lower back with heat, electrical stimulation, light massage and stretching. I see a remarkable difference in my back since starting these treatments. I was even able to wear heals on Easter Sunday with no pain! My back is still healing, this I know. I still get fatigued and have discomfort if I've done too much in one day. However, I do not have that excruciating pain and pressure that I've experienced for the last 4-1/2+ years. I will start seeing Dr. P only once a week instead of twice a week.
ACUPUNCTURE: I'm not loving acupuncture. Not at all. I've had three treatments. The first two were okay, but this last one on Monday, 4/17/17 was terrible. I couldn't relax. I felt most of the needles the entire time. Some were hurting. And, for about two hours after I had burning and tingling in my right leg, and tingling in my arms where the needles were. I talked to Dr. C on Tuesday about stopping the acupuncture and replacing it with massage. The masseur that does the light massage on my lower back is amazing, and, at this point, I really feel like massage would benefit me more. Dr. C was totally fine with that, but he wanted me to run it by Dr. P when I saw him. I talked to Dr. P and he was also fine with me switching from acupuncture to massage therapy. Unfortunately, I cannot start massages until the end of May because of the masseur's and my schedules. In the meantime, will stick with the once a week treatments with Dr. P until the massages kick in, and then we'll decide if I can stop treatment with Dr. P and only do the massage therapy.
So, that's it! Things are definitely moving in the right direction. As hard as this has been, and sometimes still continues to be, I'm so grateful that I am on this path to wellness.
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