Comment to a comment

Yesterday a dear friend that I met in 2003 commented on my blog.  She was having difficulty emailing me because her email provider had changed formats and it was becoming difficult for her to figure it out.  I have pasted the comment in this post and will add my comments.

 

Kathy!   I love my new towel!   When I came home from treatment I wanted to do something for the many women who befriended me.  I still wasn’t sewing much because of overstimulation but was able to embroider.  I began sending them a towel a year  (The series was Monthly Madness where there was a specific towel for each month like the one in this link for March). 

I’ve been trying for over a week to figure out how to send you an email.   I’m getting dummer and more forgetful.  AT&T changed my format and obviously I’m a creature of habit and finding the right thing to click on to do things I’ve been doing differently for years is driving me crazy.  As we all know when we are in stress mode, our brain fog kicks into overdrive and learning new things and new tasks take on a monumental feel.

Looks like you are keeping very busy.  Are you a millionaire yet?  I can’t think of anyone I’d rather see make a million.  What would you do if you won that much money?    I am excited about my book coming out and hope that the message is well read, I didn’t write this to become a millionaire.  However, if I were to become a millionaire I am sure that I would do more for awareness and those that suffer as I have.

I saw my lawyer last week.  Waldinger wants to settle for $8,500.  Platte County offered $3,500.  My lawyer says both companies are admitting that there was a problem in my work area and he suggests I accept their offers, saying it will increase his chances of winning my lawsuit with the Missouri Second Injury Fund.     I reminded him that the Second Injury Fund is funded by Companies, went bankrupt two years ago and before they went bankrupt they stopped making payments to injured  individuals who had won their cases and the Injury Fund promised to pay them benefits for life.  My lawyer said that everything indicates the Missouri Second Injury Fund will paying people again.  DO YOU FEEL THAT COLD AIR???  HELL IS FREEZING OVER???   A year ago he said that going public with my problems would be beneficial for my cases.  Last week he said “Going ;public with your information will only piss both companies off and they will both resend their offers.”   I said, “What offer?   $10,000 is not enough to pay your expenses and that leaves me with nothing anyway,”  He just glared at me.  I said I’d make my decision in a week.  He said, “You have a very weak case and if you hesitate you may have to find a different lawyer to represent you.”   I said, OK and left.    I stewed over my decision and researched welding poisoning lawsuits and found a government site that said several thousand people have lawsuits like mine pending in courts and the government wants lawyers to settle as many of these cases as possible before they have to admit that Chemical Sensitivity is a Disease and people who have not settled begin winning their lawsuits because the government is fearful that if would adversely affect the United States economy if all of these people who are sick from breathing welding fumes win their lawsuits.  Millions of dollars would have to be paid out and that might bankrupt America.   I guess they don’t realize that America is already bankrupt and owned by China because America has been overspending and borrowing too much money for years.     I’m going to fight because the meager amount they offer isn’t enough to help me.  I’m willing to gamble it all realizing it can go either way.  Too many years have passed for me to sue either company for wrongful termination, salary fraud, employer tort or anything but Workman Compensation. I want my grandsons to know why I “act funny.” Ann I so understand this as my granddaughters have witnessed me with my mask and with a reaction so severe I needed histamine.  That there is a reason why I am not able to go places and do very many things with them.  I want them to know “my story” and your success encourages me to eventually write a book to tell my story.  I just finished reading Canary in the Court Room.It was great.    I had not heard of this book but just ordered it as a download for my Kindle.    I know first hand how difficult it is to fight for your rights in the workers’ compensation arena.  It is a tough battle.  It is a long battle.  You will be made to feel that you are crazy.  Roadblocks will constantly be put in your way in hopes that you will just say it is too hard and give up the fight.  I kept fighting now matter how hard it was.  I was determined for validation from the legal system for what myself and many doctors had stated; I was an injured worker.  I fought when I wanted to just sit and cry.  I was determined that this illness and what had caused it would not win the battle.  I understand Ann’s frustration and determination to continue to fight.  The offering would not even begin to cover her medical costs, lost wages and suffering.  I give her credit for continuing on with this battle against a formidable opponent.

I called my son yesterday so I could bounce my decision off him.  He answered the phone and I said, “I love you.  Pack the whisky and come over tonight because I need to talk.”  He said he’d come earlier if I needed him and I said I was OK but I needed to talk.  He said quit being embarrassed, send your information to 20/20, 60 Minutes and anyone else you want to send it to, keep one copy of everything and thro the rest of these papers away.  If you’re still alive when this crap comes to trial you will either be a rich woman able to afford treatments that will no longer help you – or – you will receive nothing and you continue living like you have for the past 14 years.  You’re a fighter.  A bull dog.  You won’t let go of this until you do everything you believe is important.   If you accept their offers you will never be happy again.  I don’t give a damn if you win or lose this stupid lawsuit.  I want you happy.  I want you to  enjoy your life.  Finish this battle.  Don’t give up until you have to.  To hell with what people think or say or imply when you wobble around.  Ann’s injury causes her head to wobble like the bobble head dolls you have seen in the stores.   Just a small amount of diesel fumes from a semi going by will start the wobbling.  I have witnessed this time and time again. You don’t sleep with them.  The only person you owe anything to is you.  Yourself.  I love you no matter what you do.  Elsa and the boys love you more than anything.  You won’t be happy until you fight this to the end.  Organize this crap, put it in an envelope, mail it and then relax and see what happens.  Shit will hit the fan.  If Waldinger or Platte County sue you for making this mess public what are they going to take away from you?  You have no money.  They can’t take your house.  You can’t work.  They can’t take your salary.  If they win then you win.  Your disclosure will embarrass the Giants which will make you happy.  If you end up getting money fine.  If you get no money and they sue you then your life won’t change.  They can’t get blood from a turnip.  Make yourself happy.   That’s all I want for you.  Damn I raised two great kids!      Well, the short email I planned on writing has turned into the chapter of my book!   I hope you and yours are all OK.     Your very good friend,  Ann      I never got my story to 20/20 or any of the other news shows.  I have written my story and hope that it will reach others.  If it were not for the support of my family and the friends that stuck with me it would have been difficult to keep on fighting.  Ann, my friend, I am in your corner and will continue to offer you support in your fight.

Update to Occupational Injuries

The New York Times had this article in their paper yesterday.  It is more information relating to my original post of workers being injured by n-propyl bromide.

As someone with a work related injury/illness, this infuriates me to see how workers are treated and what little is done.

Book Update

The journey to tell my story has been a long one beginning with those first words I typed into my computer in 2003 to where I am now.  There have been many detours along the way:

• A 10 plus month stay in Dallas for treatment in 2003
• A 3 month stay in Dallas for treatment again in 2005
• Times when I had to shelve the project because writing and reliving my story was too painful causing severe anxiety
• Fighting for my workers’ compensation
• Dealing with the illness itself
• Dealing with the depression brought on by my illness
• The time it took to edit (both myself and my editor)
• Choosing a cover idea and finding a photographer

Thursday, March 14th, I have the photographer coming to work on photos for my front cover.  Today I signed the contract to have the cover designed and a webpage created (this project starts on March 28th).  The plan is to have the cover design and webpage created by mid May.  I hope to have everything submitted to the publisher by the end of May.  If everything goes according to plan, it is possible that I could have the book by July or August of this year.  I think I see the light at the end of the “book tunnel”.

From my book an excerpt of a poem:

Feeling all alone

no one wants to talk

The weather is bad

can’t go for a walk

With friends there

is no common thread

Our conversations

are empty and dead

There seems to be

nothing to discuss

Talking and hearing about

me is too much fuss

Will I ever feel

at home and at ease

In this cold house

with this awful disease

They saw a new movie

or found a new place to shop

I got a new food and

found a safe mop

 

Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day

Today is Valentine’s Day.  Are we going anywhere special?  Are we eating any special dinner?  Today is Day 1 of the three critical days surrounding my LDA (low dose antigen therapy).  I am in isolation for the next three days and will continue to stay so for a few more days to make sure I don’t get any exposures.  What am I having for dinner?  LAMB STEW.  The same lamb stew I will have had for lunch.  The same lamb stew I will have for lunch and dinner tomorrow and the next day.  The only change is when I have a ground lamb patty with potatoes cooked in rendered lamb fat for breakfast.  See my LDA Day 1 from ????

Over the years as I have become sicker, less tolerant of chemicals and indoor enviroments and more allergic to foods,  Valentine’s Day has been celebrated less.  As I was thinking about today’s post I remembered a few Valentine’s Days that were anything but romantic.  I am including a few excerpts from my book.

2001

Valentine’s Day 2001 was anything but romantic. I had been on the IV for a few days and the antifungal drug and oral antibiotic for close to a week. I had gone to work as usual. Rick and I had made no definite plans on how we would spend the evening because I had been sos tired, and we were not sure if I would feel up to anything at the end of the day. Shortly around noon, my throat began to feel restricted. I tried to wait it out. Finally I phoned Dr. D. He suggested that I go to the emergency room. I drove myself to the hospital, which, I realize now, was probablly not the smartest thing to do…..I was released and went home around 2:00 a.m. on Thursday.

2003

Valentine’s Day  was very hard for me. I celebrated without my valentine.  I was in Dallas, and Rick was home in California.  I couldn’t even walk across the alley to the store and buy him a card.  I always bought special things for him, Sarah, and Laura.  I realized that they were just “things” but it was something I looked forward to doing.

The pain in my left eye and sinus area was becoming worse.  I was so hungry from fasting.  “Normal” people were going out to dinner to celebrate and eating fancy desserts and chocolates, and all I had was getting was a lousy glass of water…

2004

On February 11, 2004 (a few days before Valentine’s Day) I wrote in my journal, “I hat this aspect of my life.  It causes paranoia.  I am so afraid of reinfecting myself that I wonder:  even if the allergies get more manageable, will I be able to go out anyway…… and a few days after Valentines Day I was preparing for a much dreaded defense medical appointment

2006

I received notice late in December that my trial would begin soon.  The first session was scheduled for February 7, 2006 (exactly a week before Valentine’s Day).

Why do I still hold on to this? Emotional reasons?

I have tossed out so many things since my mold exposure at work and subsequent cross-contamination of all my belongings at home.  I have tossed out books that I loved, tossed out all of my clothes and shoes, watched as my husband tossed my old one-eyed panda teddy bear and scottie dog from childhood, gotten rid of my computer which was less than a year old and placed all my photos away for future scanning by someone other than myself. Yet I still have this little tiny bottle of perfume. Have I ever worn it? No. Is it a small vial of a very expensive perfume? No. Do I even know what it smells like? No. Then why am I holding on to it?

When my husband and I got married in 1976 I had chosen the perfect gown. It was a candlelight color and I fell in love with it. I had gone to the bridal salon in plenty of time to get fitted and order the gown. My mother and I had been told the gown would be ready in eight weeks. Eight weeks came and went and my gown was not in. Finally twelve weeks after I ordered the gown, I received a call at work. I was so excited. The gown was in and ready for me to try on. I phoned my mom and she met me there. The dress was taken out and given to me to try on. It was more than a size too small. They had misfit me or inadvertently ordered the wrong gown. What was I going to do? It was barely over eight weeks until my wedding and this gown had taken twelve weeks. They offered to place an other order and said the gown would be here on time. I told them to do whatever they wanted. Tearfully I walked out to my car. What was I going to do?

That weekend my mother and I drove out-of-town in search of a gown I would like that we could purchase off the rack. We searched and searched and I “settled” on a gown. It wasn’t the gown I wanted but time was running out. We purchased the gown and the woman gave me this lovely little  bottle of perfume to take with me. I didn’t wear the perfume on my wedding day but this little bottle has been sitting on my dresser or table in my bedroom and moved from house to house with me all these years. Why haven’t I gotten rid of it? I honestly don’t know. I have never opened it, never wanted to wear it and now could never wear it. I guess there is something about it that brings me back to a happier time.

Sentimental Value

Today as I was talking with a friend about loss of belongings because she has found some mold in her house and is worried that she, like I, will have to get rid of clothes and other “things” (things that hold memories of a time long gone). I told her about my piles of black garbage bags that sat on the floor as my mother pulled all my clothes and shoes out of my closet (pictures will be in the book), etc. Then I mentioned the lone little vial of perfume that I have sitting in my bedroom on my dresser. Suddenly, after all these years a horrible and earth shattering thought came to my mind. Why do I have that in my bedroom? Yes it has never been opened and no fragrance or chemicals are being emitted from it. But what if? What if for some unknown reason, that innocent looking little vial of perfume were to fall on my hard tile floor and shatter. All those chemicals would be thrown into the air of my safe bedroom. How could I not have thought of this before? It is amazing what giving up possessions and memories can have on a person and make them totally “INSANE”.

It just looks pretty.

Ground Hog’s Day

I know that I am a little early for celebrating Ground Hog’s Day but I had a repeating dream last night. I was not in a deep sleep because after the dream repeated itself I realized that I was aware of the dream and could think about it.  I began thinking about the dream and trying to analyze it.   I immediately thought of the movie Ground Hog’s Day because the dream would repeat itself over and over as if it were a recorded loop. After a while I decided that I had to get up and write things down if I was ever going to release myself from the grip of this dream and actually sleep. At 2:30 this morning I got up. I grabbed something to eat, made something warm to drink and sat in bed with my steno pad.

It was the kind of dream where you wake up and wonder where you are. How did you get there? What happened to the time that you are missing in your mind? I often find myself wondering where the time went. One day I am a forty-four year old woman and the next I am fifty-eight years old. I spent so much time and energy fighting constant illnesses and infections, battling allergies and sensitivities, going through surgeries, living in isolation, fighting for validation in court, and fighting for my life, that it is hard to grasp where the time went. It is as if I went to sleep young and healthy and woke up old, sick and gray. There are no major events or excursions that one might have to mark the passage of over ten years. Yes, my daughters graduated from college, one got married and grandchildren were born. Yes, I had birthdays and anniversaries but these birthdays and anniversaries weren’t really celebrated in a way that would leave a positive impression.  There were no big parties to celebrate a milestone birthday or anniversary.  I didn’t go on any big trips across country or to Europe.

This dream may have been precipitated by a book I am reading, Before I Go to Sleep: A novel. In this book the main character has had an injury that allows her to retain memory as long as she is awake but once she goes to sleep those memories are gone and she wakes to find herself in a strange place and in a body that is older than she remembers.  I can sympathize with the character in this novel.  There are days when I look in the mirror and wonder who the person looking back at me is.

The loss of time topic, so to speak, is a conversation I have had with others who suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and other Invisible and Chronic Illnesses.  We all share the same sense of loss of time.  When asked how old I am, I have to think because it is hard to fathom that time went on without me fully participating in a “normal” life.

I don’t sit and bemoan this any more, but I did.  It used to fill a lot of my waking hours.  There are times as in last night’s dream that these questions haunt me.  I realize that things happened during that time.  I lived through it but there are a lot of painful and scary moments during that time that may act as a sort of amnesia and thereby leaving me with a sense of time lost.

With any luck after sitting up this morning writing in my steno pad and typing it here, that sense of loss will be gone and the woman in the mirror will feel more familiar and less a stranger.

Who Needs Organization?

Well I sure do. I have spent most of the day trying to get organized. I am one of those people, though sick, who has to have things just right. I hate to search for something forever only to find it was right in front of me under my steno pad.

Shortly after I started this blog I discovered the search section that allows me to see what search terms were used to lead others to me and my blog. As I read some of them I realized that I could answer the questions, at least from my perspective and experiences. I began copying and pasting them to a blank page and simply titled it “Discussion Items for Blog”. This simple page began to accumulate more and more pages. Whenever I wanted to talk about something I had saved, I couldn’t find it among the numerous search queries I had saved. Meanwhile I am trying to work on my book cover and marketing and promotion which includes collecting and printing all sorts of information. Suddenly I became overwhelmed and anxious at all these various tasks.

What was my solution? I needed some organization.  I needed to get some supplies and organize all this information so it would be readily accessible whenever I needed it.  I needed to think like I thought when I worked in an office and it had to run efficiently.

What did I do? I bought more hanging file folders for my file box used solely for these ventures. I began taking everything I had and separating it into piles. Folders were made. Now in my box I can quickly find my BLOG HOW TO’S folder or my MARKETING/PROMO folder. My information on self-publishing is in a folder as well as the printouts of my “About the Author”, “About the Book”, and the teaser I have selected. I bought a new binder and a set of binder dividers and now it is organized for my blog. I have sections for Past Blog Posts (I have started printing them to make it easier to look for when I need a particular post to refer to), Sources I have used for those past blog posts, my Timeline of Events (all 63 pages from the time I got sick until my short trial), and Blog Discussion Items (separated by food, workers’ comp, mycotoxins, multiple chemical sensitivity, book excerpts, etc.).

So watch out world, here comes an organized woman!

Workers’ Compensation Defense Doctor #1 Appt. Report

By now hopefully you have read yesterday’s post about my first defense doctor appointment. I felt ill for days after that appointment. Towards the end of June of 2004 I received a copy of Dr. ______’s report from my attorney asking me to comment on it. Following are excerpts from my letter to my attorney. The text in black is Dr. ____’s comments in his report. My comments are in blue and red.

Page 3 Paragraph 2 – Dr. S (using letters to indicate doctor names mentioned in report) performed a third surgery in August of 2000 and again found sinusitis. He does not mention the culture taken 2 days before the surgery which revealed fungal growth approximately 2 weeks later.

Page 5 PHYSICAL EXAMINATION – Indeed, the false ceiling in the exam room had water stains but so did the false ceiling in my office, where she and her husband sat for an hour-and-a-half.  He did not mention that during the time I sat in his office I was wearing my mask with 2 charcoal filters in it.  He did not mention that during the hour-and-a-half appointment in his office I became hoarse and gave myself a histamine/serotonin injection.  When in the exam room, I had to remove my mask so that he could examine my sinuses and throat making me more susceptible to allergens.

She indicated that her husband would place her in a Tubex suit, also wear one, as their clothes had become contaminated.  (Tyvek)  He does not mention that he said if I stayed there he would have to phone for an ambulance to which I responded that an ambulance would make worse especially if they tried to take me to a hospital.  He also did not mention that he said if I had any more appointments that I should insist they come to me.  Was he trying to placate me into thinking he believed me or did he believe me but because he is part of the defense, he cannot say that?

Page 6 Paragraph 3 – ….yet, individuals with hypersensitivities from their workplace initially note worsening while at work, improvement away from work, and then worsening upon returning to work; but neither she nor her physicians reported this typical history….The notes from Dr. S during my October 30, 2000 office visit where he states that I walked four miles to his office.  (I was having trouble with the dizziness from the Neurontin so I walked).  I had began walking to other appointments, to meet friends for lunch, etc.  Therefore I was doing better and then became worse shortly after being allowed, as Dr. S wrote in in a note, “to attempt to return to work”.

Page 6 Paragraph 6 – Ms. Treat was the first to raise concern about possible mold exposure at her employment, especially because of a “mildewy” smell at work.  Dr. S suspected a fungal infection in January 2000 after I began blowing black mucous out of my sinuses.  I mentioned this to my boss, Mr. S, that Dr. S thought I had a fungal infection.  When I continued to become ill, Mr. S directed the district office to have our office tested.  The report done by ____ states that she was asked because of the smell in the office and a worker was constantly becoming ill to test the office building.  Even though moderate amounts of mold were in the report she stated it couldn’t have made me ill.  …We had not yet been able to get the culture in my sinuses to actually grown fungus even though I found out from Dr. M and Dr. R that this is many times the case because fungus does not like to grow outside its environment.

Page 6 Paragraph 7 – Only after her suggestion did Dr. S, and then Dr. M consider mold hypersensitivity; yet, I found no record of any of the many available tests for mold hypersensitivity.  Dr. S suspected fungus as I said in January 2000.  I told Dr. S about the test results of the mold tests done in our office when our office received them.  Dr. S said he wanted to do a RAST test on me to test for mold.  Dr. S ran the test and included some basic foods when the test was done.  The test showed an elevated IGE to many molds.  (This information is in his reports and in a letter to Dr. M.)  Dr.M considered mold hypersensitivity to mold after I was referred to him…..He could not believe how high my mold antibodies were…..Did Dr. _____ not even look at these test results?

Page 7 Paragraph 6 – Because of her persisting complaints, she eventually elected to transfer to a different work site but was also unable to tolerate her new location because of an intolerable smell.  Still, an offensive odor should not be confused with sensitivity to fumes and vapors, which was never established.   I was offered the transfer to the new school because both Dr. S and Dr. M said that I could not longer work at _________ because of my sensitivities to mold.  When I started at the new school they were painting, putting down carpet, installing, sod, etc.  By the time I arrived at the new school I had no sense of smell and could not smell the new carpet or the paint.  Therefore, I could not have thought I was reacting to something that I smelled………I was on leave not because I thought I was reacting to the new school but because I had been taking Amphotericin-B through a nebulizer and was reacting to it and having difficulty talking and Dr. S felt that if this didn’t work I might have to take another IV medication which could be life threatening considering my sensitivities.

This is just a small amount of all the comments I responded to in the first defense doctor’s report.  So what at first may have seemed like this doctor was sympathetic to my plight in stating I should have future doctors come to me, he was not.  Nor did he mention any of this in his report.  Workers’ Compensation is a tricky thing to navigate.  There was no way I could have done it without a very amazing attorney.

The Dreaded Defense Doctor Appointments and Workers’ Compensation – Appt. 1

I have had several search engine searches regarding workers’ compensation lead others to this blog.  Because of this I am going to talk a little about my experiences with workers’ compensation doctor appointments.

I have talked about going to see the psychiatrists for my workers’ compensation case. I have yet to talk about some of the doctors the defense sent me to and how those appointments went. My first appointment aside from the psychiatrist was in February 2004 to a doctor who practices in internal medicine and rheumatology. His office was a 2 1/2 hour drive from my home and my appointment was scheduled for 10:15. The doctor arrived at 10:45 and I made it into his office at 11:00 a.m.

TAKEN FROM MY LETTER TO MY ATTORNEY AFTER MY VISIT:

I was told by Dr. ____ that he had a fan in his office and we were located near an exit door and the door could be opened if we needed to bring in air or we could go outside. I was becoming hoarse and told the doctor that as long as the symptoms didn’t get any worse I would stay inside.

Dr. ____  asked me to give him a history and I began the story of everything beginning my first day of work in May 1999. I talked about surgeries, osteomyelitis (bone infections), mold testing of the office, my testings, my reactions and my seizure like reactions. He had me explain what a reaction was like and I explained that I first get hoarse, then have spasms in my throat and then cannot breathe and my body goes as stiff as a board then when the spasm ends, I gasp for air and my body begins to go into tremors. I became emotional as I explained an anaphylactic reaction I had in June 2001 from a reaction to an IV of Primaxin.  I was alone and I could not see, had difficulty walking to the phone ad then fell on the coffee table and was not able to lift my arm to get the phone and when I finally was able to get the phone I could not see the key pad. Dr. _____  then said that if it was too difficult he would just get the rest of the information from my files.  (So why couldn’t he have just done it anyway instead of putting me through all that?)

The last complaint that I had listed was that I felt like I was suffering the “girl in the bubble” syndrome.  The doctor’s response was that he had difficulty walking past the perfume counters in stores and had a mild sense of how I must feel.  (Give me a break here.  He had no clue.)

Dr.  ____ then informed me he would be dictating a summary in my presence.  Dr. ___ then said that there would be a brief physical exam and we could leave…..My husband and I followed him to an exam room in the far end of the building.  I made a comment that there was no carpeting to bother me in there.  He asked me to remove my outer garments and put on an exam gown.  I asked if he had a paper gown because the cloth gown was too scented…..so I managed with paper exam cloths and wrapped two of them around me….First he took my blood pressure and pulse.  He then examined my lymph nodes.  He asked me to lie down.  I began to tremor slightly on my right side and at first thought it was just because I was cold…….The tremors became worse and I was beginning to feel disconnected.  My husband asked me if I was alright and I had a difficult time answering him.  Dr.____ asked if I was alright and I had a difficult time answering him.  I told him there was mold in the office.  He looked up and said it was possibly the ceiling.  I looked up and noticed a great deal of water spotting on the ceiling tiles.

…He directed me to a nearby exit.  My husband helped me dress and I walked outside in a rush without putting on my shoes…….When Dr. ____ came out he said, “You have had these many times.”  I replied that I had.  He asked if there was anything he could do….I took my shot and Dr. ____ said that he would be in the office if we needed him.

I began to cry.  My clothes were contaminated.  I could not afford to keep this up.  I couldn’t just go out and buy a new jacket, clothes and shoes….Before Dr.____ returned to his office he said that if I had any more appointments like this, I should demand that I be seen at home in my safe environment.

….I then went to my bed to lie down.  I felt like I had the flu.  I spent the entire evening in bed…..everything ached and I was having a lot of brain fog and disconnection….

Before you say, “It sounds like he has an understanding and is sympathetic to this poor woman”, wait until you read my response to his report in the next post.  A side note is that when I searched the doctor’s name so I could verify the distance from my house to the office, I discovered that he passed in January of 2012.

 

Bring on the probiotics!

Well today I saw my ENT.  This wonderful doctor has been treating me since the beginning of my ordeal.  He put me on thyroid medication despite my levels being in the normal range because nothing else was getting rid of the swelling and as he said, “How do we know that this number is your normal?” He is the only doctor who offered to give me the IV’s I need to help fight all that goes on in my body.  He is the only one who knows that I am not the “normal” patient and thus does not treat me like a “normal” patient.

And today despite knowing that antibiotics are not good for me or that I only have one truly safe one that I don’t react to, he truly felt that I needed to take one.  The only antibiotic that I haven’t reacted to is Omnicef.  It has been quite some time since I have needed one but here I am taking it.  Soooo – bring on the probiotics.  I don’t dare take this medication without plenty of probiotics even though I am on an antifungal.

I respect my doctor because he does not prescribe medications unless he feels there are no other options.  I have tried the silver, I have tried grapefruit seed extract and I irrigate.  I have immotile cillia and sometimes no matter how much I irrigate the infection just begins and takes over.  The mold exposure and fungal infection has left my sinuses very vulnerable.  My face feels like it has been hit by a MAC truck.  The trigeminal neuralgia on the left side of my face was so bad yesterday (and helped with acupuncture to reduce the severity) but still I had pain in my ear.  The magnesium, glutathione and Vitamin C IV helped with the neuralgia but my maxillary sinuses still hurt.

Dr. Spitzer (have permission to use his name in my book so I feel free to use it here) thank you for being my doctor and not ever for one minute thinking I am crazy and for thinking and working “outside the box” in treating me.  And thank you for fighting so hard for me in my battle to prove my work injury and fighting for me with the insurance carriers.