I've always considered myself more on the side of natural medicine instead of modern medicine. I try everything I can on my own before going in.
But yesterday was my first actual experience with a Naturopathic Doctor, and let me tell you, it is an eye opening, potentially life changing experience.
Before you go to the appointment, they want to know everything about you. The stuff I filled out was more detailed than any other medical history form I have ever done.
Honestly I started to get a small complex about it as it red flagged things I didn't even know were problems. Being clumsy and dropping things frequently your entire life? Yeah, that's a sign of nuerological issues. Oh gods, muh brain is broken?! Yeah, I guess I already knew that.
It kind of felt like a waste of my time. Doctors don't read those things anyway and loads of it have nothing to do with why I was going. Foot pain. Why do you need you ask about my bladder or if my grandma had Lupus to help with my Plantar fasciitis?
They wanted a complete list of every supplement I was on, a complete list of every therapy and pain relief I had tried including when I took those pain relief options. And then a blow by blow of when different pains began.
I'm not kidding when I tell you I spent 2 hours on this damned thing. More on that later.
Bye bye, Duluth!
Josie (my friend) drove me four hours to get to this place, insisting that the woman is incredible, the best doctor she has ever seen. I love Josie, and she has been bothering me to go for months, plus she paid for the entire thing. So I went.
We talked politics and religion and education, all that stuff you're not "supposed" to talk about on the way. I haven't left the City in over 6 months, so it went pretty quickly for me. I saw so many wild friends! 😄
We got to the office and as soon as you walk in it is different than any other doctor. The moment you walk in.
There is mood music, it smells nice, there are interesting plants everywhere and the waitingroom? Yeah, there are THREE chairs. No crowd of people anxiously and impatiently waiting to be seen. It was calm.
The woman greeted us, showed us where the restroom was and handed me MORE FORMS to fill out.
Because Naturopath doctors DO read your shit. Based on what she read, she wanted to know more about some specific stuff.
The test was and indicator test for Lyme's Disease. If you score 46 or above on this 6 page long questionnaire, you are of a high likelihood to test positive for Lyme. I scored a 48. Hmmm.
Her reasoning for questioning Lyme is that steroids will make symptoms worse. I started Prednisone in mid-June. I moved from a one foot cripple to a two foot cripple in the third week of June.
So, this is kept on the burner to consider. I have basically lived my life entire outdoors in a state over-freaking-run by ticks, including Deer Ticks. So, it isn't entirely impossible.
Then she busts out this little machine. Every cell in your body runs on it's own frequency based on what kind of tissue it is. Over the years science has figured out the frequency for every type of tissue.
I have worked as a CNA/HHA so I have hands-on experience with working a STIM. I have seen the positive results first hand on patients with Devic's Disease, back pain, ALS etc.
So, while I was open to it, I did not see STIM as something that would help my feet. This, is not however, a STIM. It is tuned to the frequencies of the specific cells that need help.
There is a lot of support in the medical community for Frequency Microcurrent technology, and Plantar Faciitis is one of the specific cases stated for healing.
She put silicone pads under my feet with a silicone gel as the conduit and then hooked wires from the machine to each pad, two positive, two negative, like I'm a car battery about to be recharged.
I am assured that most people feel absolutely nothing during the "program". I am apparently not most people, I felt it moments after she turned it on. I felt the current, and I felt muscle response in my feet.
Let me stress that it did not hurt. The current felt like a tingling, a vibration that did not tickle. A couple of times my muscle reaction was painful, just a few throbs and then back to submission, with my every day pain level being immense, it was nothing to me.
The program lasted for 16 minutes. When it ended Josie and the doctor looked at me expectantly and I couldn't give any immediate answer. I stood up to immediate pain in a place behind my ankle bone that has only started bothering me in the past couple of weeks.
But, this is so normal for me, pain upon standing that I gave it a little time, flexed my foot, walked a bit.
After 16 minutes of this program, I was able to stand flat footed on both of my feet for the first time in 10 months. Feet flat on the floor, evenly baring my weight, with mild discomfort, but no pain.
The fascia were loose instead of tightened like a fist in a perpetual cramp. I was so glad the office was not filled with fluorescents, nobody noticed my tears. Or at least they pretended not to.
We sat down and talked. Josie actually purchased one of these machines for herself, and is now letting me borrow it. The doctor programmed it to run for my feet.
She wanted to know how long the relief lasts. If it lasts four hours, use the machine every four hours, if it lasts a day, use it every day.
It lasted 40 minutes. We were still talking when the muscles in my feet tightened back up and the pain started coming back.
She explained that ten months of injury was not going to go away after 16 minutes. She increased the program to go at 20 minute intervals and instructed me to use it the entire trip home.
Then we talked supplements. The magnesium I take is not one that actually gets absorbed. If you are using Magnesium Oxide, finish using it and switch to Magnesium Glycinate.
When in pain and stress, the body goes into a severe magnesium deficiency, which will make my depression worse. Um, yup. And make it harder for tissue repair. I am now on a dosage 3 times the normal amount, and it takes 6 months of this to get to normal levels.
People in Florida are recommended to take 1,000IU of vitamin D. Because of the dramatically less light we have here in Minnesota, we are reccomended to take 5,000IU.
Chronic pain, childbirth and tissue repair needs mean I have a massive difficiency in Vitamin D. I am now on 50,000IU of Vitamin D three days a week for the next month. She says she sees both mood improvement and pain relief with appropriate levels of Vitamin D. I will be tested in a month to see how much has been improved.
She also gave me ChataChola to work on a Gaba deficiency in my brain that yet ANOTHER 10 page questionnaire identified. This will hopefully help with sleep issues, PTSD issues and Depression.
I was diagnosed with Severe Depression Disorder 7 years ago and for 7 years they have treated my Dopamine levels, but she said my Dopamine levels look consistent and the only one out of whack was the Gaba.
She also wants me to start myself and the kids on 3-6-9 oil, cause, veggie lifestyle. And I am to have a green smoothie three days a week. I don't think my budget will allow for that. Lol
All told, this doctor visit took about three hours. The woman was incredibly knowledgable with the subjects we covered and when I mentioned my attempts to use Kratom for pain relief she wrote it down as she'd never heard of it and wanted to research it.
I used the device for two hours of our four hour drive back. The whole time the receptors were on my shins, but I felt it in my feet. Why? Because that's the tissue the frequency is set for!
I was very stiff getting out of the car, but no pain. The most noticable things were that without the pain, I can feel the weakness in my ankles. I have been walking using my calves to yank my feet up and off my heels, so, no proper ankle usage for ten months.
The other noticable thing was, even without the pain, I have a noticable limp.
It is kind of like a kid that gets beat every day. The flinch of expected pain. My body expects the pain and is limping to flinch away from it.
The kids and I sat down and watched a movie together, and I spent one more hour on the machine, #Albus acting like a love starved baby because we had spent the night and day away from him for the first time in his life.
So, what were the results of this? I woke up to use the restroom in the middle of the night, as always. Sat on the edge of the bed in fear, as always. Stood up and limped dramatically, as always.
Discomfort. A bit of swelling. No. Fucking. Pain. More tears.
Same result when I woke up this morning. I did a short 10 minute session this morning before rushing out the door. Today is the real test. I'm back to normal life. An 8 hour work day, on my feet, no break. How will it hold up? I already have some twinges in my heel and a lot of pain in that spot behind my ankle bone.
However, that spot is not part of the plantar fasciitis program, so it is not to be counted in this current experiment. The machine will be tweaked as needed over time.
And, if it gets better for a while and comes back, or if it never moves beyond a few hours of relief we will move forward with testing for Lyme's Disease, still on the burner of consideration.
I finally have answers. I finally have changes. I finally have hope.
What if? What if I work all day, my feet become as unbearable as usual, but I'm able to go home and get relief in just 20 minutes? I've been given hope for a semi-normal life.
Obviously I have a long way to go, strength training my ankles and feet, balance work, walking flat footed makes me feel a bit drunk, lol! But, there's hope.
I love you guys. Thank you 
What gives you hope today?