Doctor appt. 2/3/12 ......and a little more

Before actually getting into the nitty gritty of our last doctor's appointment, I wanted to share a couple verses that have popped up for me lately. Corrie and I really see this journey through my sickness as so much more than just doctors and medicine and trying to get better. It's also a journey of seeking hard after the Lord and believing in his promises. That said, the first verse is Isaiah 42:9:

"Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them."

Possibly the single most important factor that has kept us joyful and hopeful in these last few months has been the whispers of the Holy Spirit to our hearts. Without getting into too much detail, let me just say that His words to us have been very hopeful. We do not believe AT ALL that this sickness is permanent for us, but that it's end is in sight and that God's healing will spring forth speedily in my body.

Sometimes it feels foolish to hold on to this hope and to seriously believe that the sickness's days are numbered, because we have not seen any physical improvement for quite some time. And when you struggle to stand up from sitting on the couch or to climb up a couple of stairs, healing can seem like nothing more than a faint whisp of a possibility.

But the other verse that has been hitting me over and over again is in Romans 4, where God says that Abraham, "contrary to hope, in hope believed...And not being weak in faith he did not consider his own body, already dead, and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform."

The Bible is just full of promises for healing, so we thank God that he has given us the faith to stand on those promises and to see them come to pass.

Anyway, here are some of the details of what's been going on with my health and healthcare lately. Last week Monday, I had an appointment, not with my doctor, but with someone that he works closely with who is able to run a lot of tests to assess patients' progress and major areas of concern. Then, this past Friday, we met with my doctor to go over the results of that testing and to reevaluate our plan of action...because we all want to see more improvement than we have lately.

The testing showed that Lyme and it's coinfections are still there and still a concern, but not the top priority--probably because we've been doing so much treatment against the Lyme. What DOES show up as top priority right now are parasites, heavy metals, and chemicals. So we are going after these parasites pretty hard throughout this week and will see how my body reacts to the treatment. If all goes well, this Friday we'll start the process of drawing the heavy metals out of my body through what is a very effective IV therapy.

Regardless of whether we are able to do the metals treatment on Friday, we will still be meeting with my doctor to closely monitor my progress. He is fully conscious that the inflammation in my body, and especially my joints, can cause long term damage. So he wants to know immediately if what we are doing is helpful or not. In fact we were told to contact him asap if my reaction is either too great OR too little.

For pain/functionality, he had me start a round of Prednisone, which will also help to protect my joints from damage. Let me just say, this stuff is awesome! It's been nice to feel energized, mobile, and more present again. Unfortunately, the parasite treatment seems to also be working. And as the parasites are dying, they are releasing toxins into my body, which leads to pain. But it's still better than it was.

Also, this coming Friday, we're going to talk about bringing a rheumatologist into the picture in order to monitor my joints and provide treatment of symptoms while we still pursue the treatment of the cause.

We have been contacting some other healthcare options, including a pretty intensive clinic that we would have to travel to. We are waiting to receive a full report from them detailing what their treatment program would entail. We plan on going over this with my current doctor, because he can offer most, if not all, of the same treatment. But it would be a great thing to have him working in conjunction with this other place.

Ok! Was that an earful or what? If you need a snack break or something feel free. This post alone is worth 2 Lyme Master's Degree Credits.

Prayer Requests!!
1. Please pray that this parasite killer works! This drug is intense, and it is the drug best used for one of the two parasites. If it works REALLY well, it could knock both of them out at once...and that is what we are going for!
2. Please pray that my body handles the die off. If this week is too hard, our doctor is going to be hesitant to start the heavy metal treatments...because that too will have a die off.
3. We have recently discovered that my body becomes sensitized very quickly to treatments and drugs. This could go any way. I could become sensitized to the Prednisone, and start hurting A LOT. Or, conversely, I could become sensitized to the Parasite treatment and start feeling GREAT on the Prednisone. We have to watch for both.
4. Please pray for protection on my joints, and that when the time comes, we would be led to the best physical therapy for my condition.
5. Please pray for Corrie. She spends the majority of her time serving me and taking care of Rebecca, and she needs all the energy and strength she can get.
6. Please pray for wisdom as we are always listening for the Lord's direction in treatments.

Please stay tuned for more info as it comes. And thank you for being with us, praying for us, and here on this blog.