Thursday 3 January 2013

End of Year Recap


My apologies and thanks in advance for those who are sticking with my scattered and infrequent updates.

My trip to Dallas, TX to recover from the incorrect grout that was used in our bedroom turned out really well, though it was longer than expected. While there I was able to recuperate and slowly detox from what had happened.  Through sauna, IV nutrient supplementation and energy work, I came home feeling better than I had in a couple of months.  The trip home was exhausting, but it afforded me the ability to very careful attend my oldest child’s birthday party for about an hour when I returned. The trip also led us to find a used Heavenly Heat sauna for sale in northern TX via a flyer posted in Dr. Rea’s office. In Nov., my in-laws were kind enough to transport it back to our home in the Midwest. Having access to a sauna at home is like a dream. Dr. Rea feels very strongly about sauna usage for detoxification and there were no other options available for me since I am unable to leave our home.  Currently it is having some electrical issues with the heater, but my husband is very handy, so I’m sure it will be up and running again once we receive all of the replacement parts.

Right now I am still a bit under the weather from a “regular person” virus that has kept me down for over three weeks, but I still feel like I am well past the scary point where I was last winter and after the exposure to the incorrect grout. My progress is small and slow, but I believe I’m getting ever so slightly stronger.  I’ve managed to gain a couple of pounds even since returning from Dallas and have been able to keep the weight on, which means a lot.  Dr. Rea re-tested my t-cell counts and immune response levels in mid-Sept. while I was in his office to see if the Gammagard (immune globulin) was making any kind of impact.  Both my CD4+ (helper T cells) and CD8+ (suppressor T cells) rose and my CD56+ (NK cells) which were high, came down.  None of the aforementioned is yet in normal range, but they are close.  After just completing another three months of once weekly injections, I will be re-testing soon to see where I stand.  I suspect another round of Gammagard is in my future, especially because of the virus I am currently trying to fight off.  My immune system isn’t handling it very well.

I’m continuing to take my allergy shots and even added a few items after testing and re-testing in Dallas.  I’ve experienced what I believed were reactions to fabrics in the past, but I never could pinpoint if it was certainly the fabric itself, the dye, something it was treated with, or something I had eaten. Long story short: I’m allergic to cotton, wool and polyester.  My allergic response was thankfully not incredibly sensitive since I have to interact with these items daily. I am now using an antigen for those fabrics on a four day rotation.

Currently I’m lying very low whenever possible. Over the summer I occasionally left the house for chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture, but the drive was 25 minutes one direction and I reacted to the office (as I would to any office).  I’ve since decided that it’s best for me to stay home and minimize reactions. Both types of therapy are something I strongly support, but in my delicate state, I’m not sure if the benefits outweigh the risks. I feel quite stir crazy never going outside, other than to put my child on/off of the school bus, but for now, I know it is the right thing to do. The fewer hits I can take; the better. My husband was kind enough to schedule a friend/family member to make contact with me during each day during December. Most were phone calls and Skypeversations, but I was fortunate enough to have a few in person visits, though they were a little tricky and unconventional (exp. people sitting on the front porch talking to me through the window, or me wearing a paint respirator and conversing with people on the front porch).

One avenue for improvement I’m currently researching is the removal of my amalgam fillings, tooth colored fillings and root canals. In November, my husband and I met with a biological dentist in our area to assess my teeth. This dentist appears to have a reasonably good understanding of people with my condition, as his staff is/are not allowed to wear scented products to work. The office still smelled like a dentist’s office, but I think that’s kind of difficult to avoid. Thankfully he had windows we could actually open. He feels very strongly that patients can be allergic to and/or affected by the types of materials used for their dental care. He offers a blood test to determine material compatibility with each patient. Likewise, Dr. Rea offers individual skin prick tests from a dental panel of various dental materials, both common and uncommon. Dr. Rea and the dentist feel strongly about the removal of amalgam (mercury containing) fillings. During my first visit to Dr. Rea’s office over the summer, I had a blood test to assess certain levels of particular toxins my bloodstream. The mercury levels in my blood were in excess of normal range, yet consistent with what is to be expected for someone with amalgam fillings. The biological dentist actually used a sort of “metal detector” like device on my teeth to determine individual levels for each filled tooth. Apparently tooth colored fillings can also contain aluminum and other metals. All of the levels they found were pretty consistent with what is expected, but one of my amalgam fillings had a mercury level that was about five times as high as they’re used to seeing. I knew the doctor was pretty shocked by it when he asked the dental assistant if she was sure that wasn’t a mistake, to which she replied: “I checked her twice.” I don’t think I need to engage in a long account of why amalgam (mercury) fillings are bad for you. Anyone with chronic medical issues would be wise to research the connection. My mercury fillings will be coming out. The question is: when? I’m not entirely sure where I stand on removing all of the tooth colored fillings. More education and research will be needed.

The biological dentist also strongly recommended the removal of my two root canaled teeth. One of them has been giving me problems for some time and has had two root canals on one tooth. The dentist who originally performed the procedure told me I would probably lose the tooth eventually. The bio dentist reasoning behind removing root canals stems back to research done by a famous dentist from over 100 years ago, Dr. Weston Price.

 
From the website of Dr. Joseph Mercola:

“Dr. Price was a dentist and researcher who traveled the world to study the teeth, bones, and diets of native populations living without the "benefit" of modern food. Around the year 1900, Price had been treating persistent root canal infections and became suspicious that root-canaled teeth always remained infected, in spite of treatments. Then one day, he recommended to a woman, wheelchair bound for six years, to have her root canal tooth extracted, even though it appeared to be fine.

She agreed, so he extracted her tooth and then implanted it under the skin of a rabbit. The rabbit amazingly developed the same crippling arthritis as the woman and died from the infection 10 days later. But the woman, now free of the toxic tooth, immediately recovered from her arthritis and could now walk without even the assistance of a cane.

Price discovered that it's mechanically impossible to sterilize a root-canaled (e.g. root-filled) tooth.

He then went on to show that many chronic degenerative diseases originate from root-filled teeth.

 . . . Dr. Price went on to write two groundbreaking books in 1922 detailing his research into the link between dental pathology and chronic illness. Unfortunately, his work was deliberately buried for 70 years, until finally one endodontist named George Meinig recognized the importance of Price's work and sought to expose the truth.”

His books are still available today and there is a great deal of information available on the subject, but I think this is sufficient for now. The biological dentist has seen great results with the removal of root canaled teeth, as well as fillings, however not everyone sees results and some are not immediate. The largest concern for someone like me is that the immune system will take a hit, so to speak, from the procedure itself. Doing any kind of dental work is a risky move and would very likely cause me to feel even worse for a while. We are not yet sure my system would be able to handle any kind of change without completely crashing and unfortunately we don’t have many ways to build it back up, such as supplements and nutrients. A telephone consult with Dr. Rea is in the near future. Meanwhile, I’m trying to find out if other environmentally ill people have seen improvement from the removal of fillings and/or root canals. It is certainly a risky move.

2012 has been, without a doubt, the most difficult year of my life. Though I know my anguish pales in comparison to the many afflictions, injustices and great suffering that occur in our world every day. There are millions of people longing for someone to care about them and offer them hope. Though I will admit to feeling quite sorry for myself, questioning my own existence and going into some incredibly dark places, I can at least know I have hope. Why? Because I am a child of God and I am surrounded by flesh and blood “angels” on earth (and probably even some ethereal ones). Through their prayers, words, inspiration, and dedication, they let me know that I can and will survive . . . and one day thrive. God has been so good to our family throughout this illness. My husband and I know, probably now more than ever, that He has never abandoned us and will always come though when we need Him. This is a difficult season to be sure, but there will be brighter days ahead. Welcome, 2013!

1 comment:

  1. What a difficult year, Laura! I think about you often, hoping and praying that you are healed soon. Someday, I believe your body will be healand your knowledge and experience will help countless others. Good luck with the dental procedures. (I believe nothing good can come of heavy metals in the teeth either ;-) I'll be thinking of you. Please let me know if you need anything!

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