Newly diagnosed illnesses bring total to seven

So, for the last decade(+), I have had so little energy. It's been frustrating to try to explain to friends, acquaintances, and even doctors, and to know that they just don't get it. Few people understand what my physical limitations are and how that affects the rest of my life. It's disheartening to be 28 years old, look like I'm 17, and feel like I'm 78. I am thrilled to finally be able to point to some concrete evidence that explains why I am always exhausted, and that the exhaustion is exceedingly beyond what most young mothers experience.

My lab results finally came back last week, and I had a follow-up visit with Dr. Salvato yesterday. In addition to the three chronic autoimmune diseases I was already aware of (diabetes, hypothyroidism, and adrenal fatigue), I also have the following conditions: three highly active chronic viral infections, each of which would have qualified me on its own to be diagnosed with chronic fatitgue syndrome (EBV, CMV, and HHV-6). The doctor said its like my body has mono and the flu 24/7, and that it's likely been that way for all these years. Even more significantly, I also have an ATP deficiency of 40% (normal is 30; mine is 18). For those unfamiliar with ATP, one of the doctor's handouts described it this way: "ATP is the universal energy source of the body, in the same way that electriciy is the univeral energy source for a computer."

So, considering all this, is it any wonder that I can't function like a normal person, that I never have enough energy to complete basic household tasks (much less have time or energy to maintain relationships), why I was never able to be gainfully employed more than five or ten hours a week (unless you count my two-week subbing I did for a biligual third-grade class four years ago), and that I feel like I'm constantly on the verge of a major meltdown? My mom says it's really quite amazing that I am even functioning at the level I am, and I agree.

The doctor prescribed glutathione/ATP shots, even though my glutathione level came out in the normal range. She said that her patients have had more success with these shots than with the ATP pills alone, and that you can't have too much glutathione anyway. So I have to have one shot a week for six weeks, and then she will reevaluate my blood levels, along with how I'm feeling, before prescribing anything else. She said that the supplemental ATP should improve every one of my other conditions...not cure anything, but at least make them less severe.

I am grateful for this seemingly simple solution, but I'm not assuming that it will be a quick fix and that I won't need anything else. The reverse T3 test that my doctor ordered was somehow not taken by the lab when it should have been (at the same time as everything else that was tested), so I had to get my blood drawn again yesterday. I think it very likely that my doctor will end up changing my thyroid medicine, and I'm guessing I will eventually have to have more than just the ATP to fix everything else. But I am still excited about the breakthrough of having identified more problems that need to be addressed. Maybe now I will be better understood.

I do want to say how incredibly grateful I am for my husband, who has not only understood my limitations since early in our marriage, but who has poured himself out to serve me and take care of me and our daughter and our house, at the expense of his own need for solitude and relaxation. I know that this situation is wearing on him, but he has held up so well, by God's grace. As you pray for me, please pray for him, too.

I would also like to thank my mom for developing my interest in medicine, for teaching me to pay attention to my body, to ask questions when I don't understand (although she might argue I was born with that trait), and to be my own health advocate and not to accept apathy from any medical professional. She has been a wonderful listener when no one else listens.

And thanks to my friends who have asked "How are you doing?" with sincere interest and patiently listened to my answers; especially my cousin Heather, who shares many of my ailments, and Laura, who referred me to this helpful doctor. And thanks to my friends who have upheld me in prayer, and have pursued friendship with me even though they know I cannot give much back right now; especially Susan and Tricia, for the meals they have provided for us. I don't know what I would do without God's grace manifested through all these people!