MY RA TREATMENT WITH ANITBIOTIC THERAPY AND ACUPUNCTURE

[alicer]

My RA journey began long before I was diagnosed. In December of 08 I was in a motor vehicle accident which left me with much needed surgery on my right shoulder. Seems I had massive damage done to it. Feb 09 comes along with some surgery and then the usual PT to rehab. All during my PT, my wrists and hands were constantly hurting. Then in October 09, I came down with a wonderful case of Strep Throat. Was in bed for 2 days before I finally went to see a physician. Cocktail shot and I was good to go in a few days. Then it all really started getting bad. I think the Strep throat was the catalyst for all this. By Christmas, my hands were swelling every day in the morning so badly that my husband had to put the toothpaste on my brush and help me dress, Within about 3 to 4 hours the swelling was somewhat gone that I could do my work at my keyboard and dreaded going home because I knew it would start all over again when I went to bed. And bed was as soon as I could finish eating and drag myself there as I had no energy and the pain was awful. In January I went to see my surgeon really sure that my symptoms were related to a surgery issue, lack of circulation etc. Well, seems his family has a history of RA and he told me that is what he suspected so he wrote a script and I had the bloodwork done and the rest is my new life.

First my surgeon sent me to see a Rheumotologist which took a month to get to see. I wasn’t impressed with him and didn’t care for his manner, his attitude or his plan. Shortly after my surgeon told me about my testing positive with RA, I started talking and reading and digging for information. It was scary at first and then my sister told me about the book Dr. Browne wrote. I bought it, read it once and then again before I went to the see RA doctor. The RA doc wanted to put me on methotextrate or put me in a blind study. When I asked him about curing this he almost laughed at me. He gave me the ususal, no cure, never not take meds, only gets worse if you don’t do what he says to do and so on. I told him I wanted time to think about it all. A week later I went in to see him and told him I wanted to take Doxycycline instead of what he wanted. He did laugh then but agreed to humor me. I got a script for oral 100mg doxycycline for 3 months. I planned to use him for my meds until I could find a GP who would be willing to work with me on my plan. Also at the beginning of all of this new found mess in my life, a wonderful woman I worship with told me about her Lupus/Fibromyalgia that she suffers with but is on no meds and in no pain. She treats with an acupuncturist. So I decided to do both and see where it would take me. My husband was skeptical at first but said that if it was what I wanted to do he was behind me. He knows the pain that I have suffered last winter. Dr. Ly my acupunctuist told me on my first visit to see him that I got sick because of diet, stress and life style. I needed to change all three and he and I slowly over time would do that. So it began on March 15, 2010.

8 months later, I sit here now and type this with no pain and little swelling. I started on the antibiotic taking one a day at 100 mg. I also started doing acupuncture twice a week for 3 weeks and once a week after that. I am now down to every 2 weeks or so depending on my schedule. I fully believe that the acupuncture helped with the pain while beginning this antibiotic therapy and detoxing. I have found a physician who is working with me and my bloodwork came back this past week in really good shape. My RA level on the first test with my surgeon was 44. With the RA doc it was up to 66 in Feb 2010. Last week my RA level is still at 66 which means it is no longer progressing and once I get thru this winter I will beat this. I have changed my life completely. I eat healthy..mostly alkaline foods and very little acidic. No pork, no milk products, no sugars, no cola’s, only tea and decaf coffee and water. lots of water…I started out weighing 176 pounds and now weigh 127 today. I take supplements and vitamins and I make sure I destress with walking or music or just saying no to things. But the food change has been the most important thing to change. Cancer cells love sugar and an unoxygenated system. All the foods we eat are full of toxins and our body can only get rid of so much at a time. Thus we get sick. I never not think about what I put in my mouth. I do eat some things I still enjoy but not alot or very often. I stay away from white potatoes and tomatos as they really cause me to have imflamation.
Each new day is a gift and I am taking it one day at a time and hope that I can help someone else who has had to begin this same journey. Will keep my post updated.

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