A bit more about my Chronic Illness - the cost and more info

Please refer to previous posts for details of my chronic illness saga.
My body is still going through a detox as evidenced by my mottled skin on the thighs.  But, I still feel amazing and my energy is great.  I am now back to dancing and have picked up pilates and yoga to regain the strength I lost due to inactivity.
thigh
the shadow is from my camera
The other topic I wanted to mention is the cost so far for all  treatment.  None of the alternative treatment is covered by insurance except for the initial examination by my alternative MD.

But first, the total cost and then my costs after insurance.
emergency room 2 visits  - $15,000.
blood tests - $1620
doctor visits - $250
mouth infection and root canal - $1622
total = $18,492
my costs after insurance for all of the above = $5029
I didn't include the cost of medications.  None of these costs went towards treating what the underlying problems I was experiencing.

Alternative medicine that cured me: $1600 for the 2 laser detox treatment and LDM-100 cleanse and assorted supplements.

My internal medicine doctor diagnosed me as having "general inflammation" which was true enough.  His recommendation was to eat a gluten-free diet and take ibuprofen whenever necessary.  Another doctor informally (i wasn't seeing her for my symptoms but for something else) suggested possibly rheumatoid arthritis or polymyalgia rheumatica which put me on the path to researching these two diseases.  In the case of polymyalgia rheumatica, the treatment was simple - taking prednisone for 6 months.  A visit to my acupuncturist suggested that maybe I had chronic fatigue syndrome which she had also suffered from but was cured.    There is no Western medicine cure for chronic fatigue (treatment included taking anti-depressants but that is no longer recommended) so I felt a little hopeless.  She recommended seeing this alternative MD who helped her immensely.  I did and as I chronicled, I am cured.

So, did I have chronic fatigue syndrome?
My symptoms were: 1.)  pain everywhere, joints, muscles  2.) fatigue  3.)  depression  4.)  brain fog The fatigue, depression and brain fog were more debilitating  than the pain  5.)  no matter how much slept, I got, I never felt rested.  6.) migraine headaches  These are the classic symptoms and there is some overlap with fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and polymyalgia rheumatica.
According to books I've read, I can't be diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome unless I've had the symptoms for 6 months.  I was not going to wait and suffer for 6 months before getting treatment!

I've borrowed many books from the library and bless our public libraries for being there.   Another book that I found very helpful in explaining some of the alternative treatments and diagnoses is "Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia & Lyme Disease" by Burton Goldberg and Larry Trivieri, Jr.
I wish I read this book first because it has much good information regarding detoxification.  The explanations are invaluable and the book presents a full spectrum of alternatives and resources.  Now that I am cured, I haven't bothered reading it cover to cover like the other books.

The LDM-100 is the plant extract I took that resulted in the major detoxification of my body.  I read on the Internet that drops of LDM-100 will also remove skin tags.  Now that most of the rash on my body has disappeared, I thought I would try it on the one skin tag on my neck.  I put on  a drop 3-4 times a day and by the 3 rd day, I noticed the change in color of the skin tag perhaps indicating it was getting ready to fall off.  However, I now have a red rash around the skin tag and all over my face!  I thought that at such a low dose, I would be fine but apparently not.

Beware the power of LDM-100!

Now, of course, whenever someone says they are suffering from inflammation, fatigue,  body pain etc... I tell them about my miraculous experience.  But, I must be a terrible salesperson because no one seems to be interested in this particular cure.  They would rather take steroids, ibuprofen, or other pain medicines (opioid epidemic anyone?)  and listen to their Western medicine doctor.  Western medicine has failed us when it comes to chronic diseases, in particular, chronic fatigue syndrome and related problems.  But great for acute problems like traumatic injuries.

Another book that I've been reading is "The Plant Paradox" by Steven R. Gundry, MD.

Now that the worst is over, I want to make sure I avoid inflammation  by eating right.  This book addresses the kinds of food that causes inflammation and it's not just gluten.   I know, another diet book in a sea of diet books (cue: rolling of eyes)!  However, I can start with some of the ideas in the book.  The emphasis is about  keeping our microbiome healthy.  As a former microbiologist, this idea resonates with me.

I will be meeting with my alternative MD next week.  And, I will post any new developments.  Thanks for hanging out with me and my saga.

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