An apple a day, anyone?
It really was a good news/ bad news kinda day.
I spent this morning in and out of doctors offices. I got up bright and early to spend some time with my poor abused Primary Care Provider. I don't know what he thinks about having a witchdoctor as a patient, but he has taken my views on my health care relatively well, and since he has been able to witness the effects of alternative medicine, he is beginning to appreciate my point of view. I think I make his head hurt when I come in with something new like the resvetrol (which, by the way, is making me itch!)
The good news is that my total cholesterol is down. My HDL (the good cholesterol) is in normal ranges, however, my LDL (the bad cholesterol) is higher than my Doctor likes to see for a diabetic. Speaking of diabetes, mine is still under control without medication, using dietary control measure. My A1C is 6.1. The other good news is that my liver enzymes are back down to normal ranges. All hail, preservative free, organic food.
My Doctor was mystified as to why putting me on viral suppressive therapy should ease my arthritis, but we were both happy that it did. (I didn't tell him that it is playing havoc with my digestive tract...the poor dear already has enough on his mind. I'm taking more kefir to counteract the effects of antivirals stomping through my body).
My visit to the neurologist was also a mixed bag. I was surprised that he even remembered me. I thought that it had been longer since I had seen him. I thought it was the late ninties, but he said that he last saw me in 2001. Ok, I must be getting senile.
I had been telling people for years that I had an MRI done of my head and they found nothing. He was able to certify that I did indeed have a brain, but appeared to be unwilling to certify it's condition. But seriously folks, the good news is that my neuropathy has not gotten any worse. Now for the bad news...the main reason that I went to see him.
For the last several years, I have been having these weird episodes that send me to bed with a dizzy, puking, headache, with the headache being the smallest part of what is going on. It can be set off by blinky lights, videogames, lack of sleep, not staying hydrated, getting stressed out, eating too many high sugar foods, forgetting my medications or caffeine...in other words, LIFE! Because of the vertigo, nausea and tinnitus being primary, and the fact that both of my parents have at one time or another been told that their s/s are menieres, I have always assumed that menieres was the cause of my woes.
However because of the set progression of s/s in each episode and the fact that the disease process isn't progressing, I am being told that it isn't menieres, it is atypical migraines. I don't care what you call them, I just want them to stop (so do many of my friends, since they are the ones that are often on the receiving end of these episodes.)
My PCP took me two falls out of three and finally convinced me to see the neurologist. I put it off as long as I could, but broke down and went today.
The bad news is that the neurologist was unable to decide definitively that I have migraines, but he feels that there doesn't seem to be enough deterioration for it to be menieres disease. We are both at a loss, and I was glad to hear him say that medications didn't seem to be appropriate, though his reason wasn't happy making. Because I have hypertension, and because my symptoms are atypical, a medication like Imitrex is contraindicated, and suppressive therapy doesn't work for atypical migraines.
I think that I am left with recognizing the symptoms before the point of no return, preventing and/or treating them as needed, medicating and hiding in my bed as needed. I must say that I am a little frustrated, but agree with him that none of the symptoms add up to a whole, and probably never will.
I sure as hell don't know what to think. The only good news about these episodes is that they are trackable and if I pay attention to the signs, I can derail the worst symptoms of each episode. I just wish the the signs/symptoms made more sense.
Where is Greg House when you need him.
I spent this morning in and out of doctors offices. I got up bright and early to spend some time with my poor abused Primary Care Provider. I don't know what he thinks about having a witchdoctor as a patient, but he has taken my views on my health care relatively well, and since he has been able to witness the effects of alternative medicine, he is beginning to appreciate my point of view. I think I make his head hurt when I come in with something new like the resvetrol (which, by the way, is making me itch!)
The good news is that my total cholesterol is down. My HDL (the good cholesterol) is in normal ranges, however, my LDL (the bad cholesterol) is higher than my Doctor likes to see for a diabetic. Speaking of diabetes, mine is still under control without medication, using dietary control measure. My A1C is 6.1. The other good news is that my liver enzymes are back down to normal ranges. All hail, preservative free, organic food.
My Doctor was mystified as to why putting me on viral suppressive therapy should ease my arthritis, but we were both happy that it did. (I didn't tell him that it is playing havoc with my digestive tract...the poor dear already has enough on his mind. I'm taking more kefir to counteract the effects of antivirals stomping through my body).
My visit to the neurologist was also a mixed bag. I was surprised that he even remembered me. I thought that it had been longer since I had seen him. I thought it was the late ninties, but he said that he last saw me in 2001. Ok, I must be getting senile.
I had been telling people for years that I had an MRI done of my head and they found nothing. He was able to certify that I did indeed have a brain, but appeared to be unwilling to certify it's condition. But seriously folks, the good news is that my neuropathy has not gotten any worse. Now for the bad news...the main reason that I went to see him.
For the last several years, I have been having these weird episodes that send me to bed with a dizzy, puking, headache, with the headache being the smallest part of what is going on. It can be set off by blinky lights, videogames, lack of sleep, not staying hydrated, getting stressed out, eating too many high sugar foods, forgetting my medications or caffeine...in other words, LIFE! Because of the vertigo, nausea and tinnitus being primary, and the fact that both of my parents have at one time or another been told that their s/s are menieres, I have always assumed that menieres was the cause of my woes.
However because of the set progression of s/s in each episode and the fact that the disease process isn't progressing, I am being told that it isn't menieres, it is atypical migraines. I don't care what you call them, I just want them to stop (so do many of my friends, since they are the ones that are often on the receiving end of these episodes.)
My PCP took me two falls out of three and finally convinced me to see the neurologist. I put it off as long as I could, but broke down and went today.
The bad news is that the neurologist was unable to decide definitively that I have migraines, but he feels that there doesn't seem to be enough deterioration for it to be menieres disease. We are both at a loss, and I was glad to hear him say that medications didn't seem to be appropriate, though his reason wasn't happy making. Because I have hypertension, and because my symptoms are atypical, a medication like Imitrex is contraindicated, and suppressive therapy doesn't work for atypical migraines.
I think that I am left with recognizing the symptoms before the point of no return, preventing and/or treating them as needed, medicating and hiding in my bed as needed. I must say that I am a little frustrated, but agree with him that none of the symptoms add up to a whole, and probably never will.
I sure as hell don't know what to think. The only good news about these episodes is that they are trackable and if I pay attention to the signs, I can derail the worst symptoms of each episode. I just wish the the signs/symptoms made more sense.
Where is Greg House when you need him.