Third Session

I had my third acupuncture session. I'm getting familiar with the procedure. You change into the gown. She asks how I'm doing. They stimulate the neck, spine with an apparatus, sort of a primer for the needles. She massages/presses my neck. She pressed my neck and said the right side hurt and it really did. I turned on my left side, and this time she did a lot of needles, well...at least more than before. She said today she would work on hormones. I thought that was what she said on Wed.

The needles hurt this time. Usually, I don't feel anything. It feels like a sharp pencil lightly touching the skin, and when it's in, I don't feel anything. This time, I could feel the needle go in...some points were more pronounced than others. Once in, after a moment, I felt nothing. The points on my neck, however, I could feel it. It wasn't a sharp pain, but an unnerving sensation.

The rest of the day, I swear I feel something. My neck continues to itch, but in a different pattern. It's not hot, but it itches. I feel parts of my body tingle in a specific point, not like when your foot is asleep. But, an odd sensation in a specific area. I've had the sensation before, but this time, it's more, all over. It's not pain, it's just that I feel it.

The doctor said I was responding well to the treatment. I hope she is right. When I tell friends, (especially those in the medical field), that I'm going to an acupuncturist, I get the kind but skeptical looks. I'm told to trust drugs, they're really safe. I feel bad that I just don't believe in drugs, even though they are good friends. I know the drugs work, but if I can avoid having to take them, then I think that is worth pursuing.

Another Acupuncture Session

I really hope the acupuncture works. The doctor asks me how I feel...like I was supposed to suddenly feel better, notice any instant relief? I don't know...I told her "it's fine", and she responded that sometimes for migranes, people notice instant results, but for mine, it takes longer..uh oh...I've had two sessions. It don't hurt. It's just time consuming and money.

I could feel the rash today. I can feel it come back, but it's not as strong as in the past. But still, I just want it to go away completely. $75 per session. It's not cheap because you need multiple sessions. It adds up.

Follow Up

I'd pretty much given up on Dr. Swilling. His office called again reminding me about the lechtin that they had ordered for me. Then his office called again and I was told he wanted to speak with me. So, he remembered and did follow up with me. I told him they were suspecting it was autoimmune. He warned me to stay off of steroids. He reminded me of the discussion about catabolic cells, the theory behind the condition. I said I'd schedule a follow up after I had a chance to meet with my doctor. I don't think I want to see him again, but I would like him to email me back.

The fortified drink gets very bitter after a day. I think it's making me gain weight. It's either that or the lack of exercise I'm getting because I've been afraid to exercise.

Acupuncturist

I had an appointment with an acupuncturist. She was recommended by a friend who has been satisfied with her treatment. She's also a MD and practices integrative medicine. What's good about the meeting was she was able to explain the chinese medicine ways in terms I could follow. The first acupuncturist could only say i was sick, very sick...which is not comforting to hear at all. This time, Dr. Li, was able to relate the autoimmune condition in terms of chinese medicine. She looked at my lab work and concluded I have an autoimmune condition. She didn't have an explanation or cause, and said it can be multiple triggers. The goal is to keep it at bay, in check, not let it out of control. She wanted me to have some xrays taken of my neck and back to check the alignment. Its not essential, and is more of an illustrative tool. Problem is my insurance isn't covering this so it would have to be out of pocket. There is also a urinary follow up she wants done. I don't sense any urinary tract problems so I'm not as concerned. I made my first acupuncture appointment. Scheduled it right after the Rhuematologist appointment.

Meanwhile, my neck rash continues to get better. Everyone tells me it looks normal.Just these past few days, it's gotten much better. My eyes were itchy and flaky and red last week. Since this week, it's been good, almost smooth. There is some roughness. The neck is soft and supple, with just a bit of texture. No heat emanating so that encourages me.

I'm even debating whether I need the acupuncture. She wants to start me with one course, which is 10 sessions, 2 times a week to start. When she saw the ANA number she gasped and said it was high. She told me not to be in the sun long and to get a wide hat covering my shoulders. I mean, really? I've been in the sun a lot, all day and I don't think it's made the condition worse. Who knows though about a delayed reaction.

Since this has been going on for 8 or more months now, I feel like I do need to go through with it, to do whatever I can to keep the condition at bay and be normal.

Lab Tests

I called for an appointment with the Rheumatologist and she is on vacation so can't meet with her for a couple weeks. In the mean time, I went ahead and picked up a copy of the lab results. Mostly everything is within the normal range which is good. My ANA titer levels are still high but not as high as before. The pattern is different, so not sure if that means anything.

In the mean time, I have been getting better. I am staying on an extreme healthy diet. I'm reducing all the "bad" foods, grains, dairy (except the raw milk fortified drink), meat, trying to stay with the whole vegetables as much as possible. It's really hard to do, hard to get enough calories with fresh vegetables only. You can eat a huge bowl of lettuce, but you get hungry a short while later.

Appointment

I gave yet another history of my condition to the Rheumatologist. She was really patient and willing to listen. She said that my symptoms don't fit a typical lupus pattern. She will order the tests to see what they say and go from there. So, need to give more blood, wait a few days, and hopefully it will come back healthy and normal.

Rheumatolgist

I have my Rheumatologist appointment this morning in a few hours. I am eager to see what she says. Been worried because my rash was getting better but I can feel it coming back. I can feel the heat in my neck, my eyes starting to itch. What really worries is that I'm itching in other places. My behind the arms, knees, shoulder, back/bottom are starting to itch. It's not the same itch/rash as my neck. There's no heat or redness...the only redness is from the scratching...unlike the neck which has it's own pattern independent of the scratching.

I was happy my PCP doctor was able to get me an appointment. The Rheumatologist doctor wasn't taking appointments until September, and that is way too long.

I have to remind myself of patience. Should have an inspirational quote, or moment of gratitude for what I do have.