It has been a very long tiring day. I went to my long anticipated appointment today to see the specialist that people travel 2, 3, 6, 12 hours to see. I feel almost spoiled having this clinic 6 miles away from my home. When I first walked in it wasn’t like any other doctors office, where there is the typical waiting room and a big front desk. There was just a room off to the side where the receptionist came to greet me and asked my name. After I told her it was like a whirlwind. She took my 24 page questionnaire that I had filled out prior to the appointment (yes, I read the directions). The “waiting room” looked like someone’s living room. Very zen. Not even 5 minutes later a nurse comes out and introduces herself to me, to my Mother and my Husband and told us that she will be taking care of me today and asked me back to one of the rooms to take my vitals. After vitals I was shown to another room with a glass round table and cute little chairs that went around. The only thing that reminded me I was in a doctors office was the seat where you can either lay down or sit on the end (you know, that massage table looking thing that is in every doctors office). Dr. C came in and introduced himself. He is Indian, so I was really scared upon meeting him because I have the worst time understanding people from India because of their accent. I really have to listen hard to pick out the words, I don’t know what it is about the indian accent.
Anyway, he started talking to me right away about why I was there, and that he was positive he could help me. He did a pressure point test on different places around my whole body, and talked about my previous medical history. Doctors usually don’t look over your chart until they are in the room with you but he had already read my entire packet that I had brought with me just 15 minutes previously. He first started to explain to me why my body was acting like it was, and even explained to me why my body is acting like it is, and where the pain was coming from and he guessed that I had been sick for a lot longer then 9 months since some of my symptoms date back as far as 8 years ago when doctors couldn’t find an explanation for my migraines, or for my irritable bowel, or the reason why I always felt off balance. Everything seemed to come together like a puzzle, and everything started to make sense. I think it was at that moment I started feeling a bit hopeful again, even after he said I was one of the more severe cases he’s seen in a while.
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia along with Chronic Fatigue. When I told him I had a full time job and that I went to school he couldn’t believe it. He said that his other patients had had to go on disability long before the point I was at. I told him that I didn’t have that option since my Husband hasn’t gotten a job.
Dr. C then went into the program he was going to set up for me. He prescribed pain meds, muscle relaxers, Ambian for sleep, and an anti-fungal since my yeast levels were high. He wants to start me on 9 different natural and organic supplements on Friday and get me to the point I can ween off all synthetic drugs (chemical drugs you get in a pharmacy) while maintaining pain management and getting my body back to working correctly.
After meeting with Dr. C I was taken in a little room to have my blood drawn. They took 1 liter of blood!! I’ve never given that much blood in one sitting before, I felt a little woozy halfway through when they had me drink apple juice which He also had me do an IV treatment. I was lead into this room with 12 recliners and about 6 people were in there with IV bags hanging over them. I felt like I was on the cancer ward getting ready to get chemo therapy. One of the IV bags was medicine for the pain and stiffness and the other bag was for my memory and concentration (what they call Fibro Fog). The IV treatment lasted 2 hours. After that I got an energy shot in my butt and the nurse went over my medication schedule with a booklet about each med, when to start each med, and how much of each med to take. She said she would call me in the middle of the week sometime to check on me and see how I’m doing. Wow. That’s all I have to say about that, is wow. They were so nice and it was clear they really were all about the patient, and the patients needs.
I have more to write, but right now I’m too tired.
My Mother goes home tomorrow. I’m really sad about that and I’m going to miss her.
