If yall have been following my journey via Instagram ( www.instagram.com/tori.caves ) you've seen that I had been dealing with a strange onset of fatigue back in June/July 2020. I was running a nice amount of mileage as I had hired a run coach January 2020 to prepare myself for a Boston Qualifying time at the end of that year.
I started to realize easy runs felt hard, I couldn't recover after any type of run, and I just couldn't keep up with my prescribed mileage any more. It was so strange because right before all of this started to happen, I was really starting to see results in my times and was feeling GREAT.
As I searched for answers, doctors kept pushing me along because they didn't think I had anything worth taking a deeper look at. It was a very trying and frustrating few months for myself and my family. I know I am not the only one who has experienced this too.. So if this is resonating with you. KEEP PRESSING ON!
I was trying everything I could think of to help. I cut out all alcohol, went straight up vegan, and started taking supplements I had researched that could help.. I was never really into multivitamins and supplements (whoops).
I started taking:
Mary Ruth Organics Mulit Vitamin
In my initial blood work I had extremely high EBV count but a negative mono test as well as a positive ANA test (general autoimmune test). I had no vitamin deficiencies or any other red flags. I also had a negative COVID antibody test.
From what the doctors said, my EBV was so high because I had previously had active EBV 10 years ago (which I already knew because I dealt with a short spurt of fatigue then as well) All of my vitamins at the time of testing were all normal as well. So based off these results, the specialists (beginning with the Immunologist) thought I just had reactivated the EBV from some sort of stress. But they never really dug further into that high EBV count or tested other EBV related things through blood work (something that was actually possible, but they didnt bother doing)
After 3 visits with the immunologist via Facetime (it was a joke) & about $600 later, the Immunologist eventually pushed me along to an Infectious Disease doctor because he "had no other ideas or advice to give me other than drink plenty of water & exercise at least 30 minutes a day". He also said He refused to test me for autoimmune disorders (even though my ANA test was positive) because he didn't have any concern about that... No regard whatsoever about my positive ANA and digging deeper into what that meant.
"Are you serious?" I thought. All this time I had been explaining to him that I am a marathon runner and suddenly now cant get out of bed.. Must have somehow must've slipped his mind because he recommended I "exercise more and drink more water"..... That is actually insulting, sir.
So to the Infectious Disease doctor I went... Which sorta makes sense because I was convinced I had Chronic Epstein Barr by this time since my EBV count was SO high. All I will say about that visit is that it was the exact time I completely lost hope in the medical field all together. I was so defeated and started to think this was just going to be my life..
My sweet friends, Bryce and Jordan, told me about a place in Coppell, Tx that did extensive blood work and would advocate for the patients until they found answers. This facility also approaches health in a more "homeopathic" way BUT is not totally against western medication.
Uhm ok where do I sign.
So I started to research the facility. It is called Life Stream Med . It is a Functional Medicine Facility which means they take a more natural approach to healing through diet, lifestyle, and medicine at last resort. Which I'm totally about and firmly believe in the power of healing through food & lifestyle, but I also firmly believe that the good Lord placed people into the world to practice Western Medication should we absolutely need it.
I was obviously still a little skeptical about it because at this point I was so done with everyone and everything..
I ended up making an appointment for their Firstline Therapy service. I went for my first visit Jan 2021 and they did an extensive blood panel and talked about options they had based on my results. When I say extensive I mean the results were at least 8 pages worth. It was AWESOME.
Turns out.... I have TWO autoimmune disorders. Hashimotos and Sjogren's Syndrome . And to think this "highly rated" Dallas Immunologist discounted every concern I had about Autoimmune disorders... UGH!
I also had vitamin deficiencies out the wahzoo ( I dont recommend being vegan yall sorry) as well as other out-of-normal-ranged things. My vitamin deficiencies stemmed from the Vegan diet I swiftly took upon myself at the beginning of this journey. I am not here to dispute the vegan diet but it definitely has to be practiced in a meticulous way and I clearly did not do it correctly!
Life Stream Med gave me a PLAN to conquer all of my vitamin deficiencies and autoimmune disorders. They gave me a huge packet of paperwork to take home along with my results. They also are readily available for questions and concerns. NO CALL CENTER hallelujah!
They gave me exact supplements to take and how to take of them (like Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Iron, etc) as well as recommended starting the Autoimmune Protocol Diet. I use recipes from Unbound Wellness for this because her stuff is delicious and makes the elimination diet ENJOYABLE. Lastly, they recommended a medicine I could try if I wanted to that they thought would be very beneficial. I loved that it wasnt the first and most important advice they gave me. They truly care about me healing and getting back to my normal life.
I was happy to finally have answers and have all my suffering justified, but also upset that it took so long to get answers and find someone to advocate for me.
I am still doing the AIP diet and have SO much more energy now. I still have hard days, but they are way fewer than before. I am so thankful I can now breathe and start this healing process.
I truly believe in trusting your gut when you dont think doctors are doing enough for you. Advocate for yourself and find a medical team who will advocate for you!!!
I highly recommend Life Stream in Coppell, Tx for anyone who feels like they are not getting the answers they need and deserve!
Yay for functional medicine practices!!! I too battle Hashi’s and was so thankful to find that functional med docs actually listened to ME, my symptoms, what I know to be ‘not normal for ME’. I too tend to run low on D and Iron and have to keep my gluten low and such, but my antibodies have come down year after year now and I feel awesome…and when I hit a bump, they listen, run tests and regroup. 22 yrs with Hashi’s and I’ll be running a marathon again at age 50 in March. You can live long and well!! Glad you found a tribe to help you thrive!
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