Doctor's Visit Report (8/27)

Dear Praying Friends,

Thank you so much for praying for our trip! I guess it went pretty well. I was very tired by the time we arrived in Flint (I know I used to get up at 3 every day, but now I like my sleep!) and had the beginnings of another encounter with Horace.

My two-and-a-half hour appointment began with an extensive review of my previous medical history. Thankfully most of that was already written down, so Dr. Conley read aloud to himself, asking a few questions as he went, and I just sat back and relaxed. For once, a doctor took me seriously when I told them I thought I had chronic fatigue and didn't say, "Oh, well let's try this first," or "Have you thought about this other illness or that organ having something wrong?" I really appreciated that I didn't have to prove that I had chronic fatigue; Dr. Conley could see that I do.

At the end of reading my case, Dr. Conley said, "Pretty straightforward!" and then muttered, "knock on wood" as he rapped twice on his desk. He began to assure me that I would get better - that he knew how to treat what was going on, and that there were many things that could be done to help me. I was glad. He gave us hope. Since I have been on before and responded so well to Valtrex, an antiviral drug which helps suppress the EBV, he ordered a prescription for that. A second positive response to Valtrex will not only help my body get back on its feet, but will also help 'buy time' while we wait on the results of some other tests to see what they reveal about the functionality of my body, even down to a cellular level. He put me on a few other prescriptions/supplements (potassium, calcium, lysine) and ordered a bunch of bloodwork and a few other lab kits.

Then he began flipping past the actual story of my illness, reviewed the family medical history, and then started looking more deeply at some of my symptoms. I made sure that I had recorded incidents of 'paralysis' such as this one and told him about others. At this point, he became very serious. So the new name for my episodes of what-seems-like-paralysis-but-is-not is 'spasms.' For these, Dr. Conley thinks I should see a neurologist. Since he's the third doc who has said this, I think this time we might actually make an appointment and go through with it. Please be in prayer for me as I try to find one today; one that accepts our insurance would be grand.

By the time the appointment was over and we were driving south the the Detroit area to stay with friends I had to cover my eyes with a sweater because my sensitivities to light had sky rocketed. By 9 o'clock I was sound asleep, and I slept for 12 hours and yet still woke up with ugly Horace there. God provided in a funny way for something to help Horace behave himself yesterday during our drive back. Our host heard about my sensitivities to light and found an old pair of welding glasses he wasn't using anymore. Surprisingly, they fit over my glasses. They turn the world so green you would think you were in the Emerald City, and they weren't the prettiest things in the world, but, hey! they kept my headache from getting any worse and I wasn't stuck underneath a sweater the whole way home!

Good news: my follow-up appointment in one month will be over the phone, so no long drive to Flint next month!

If you have any further questions about the appointment or the details of what the doc said, feel free to comment or shoot me an e-mail.

Blessings,
~Camille