40 Days of Prayer - Day 23

Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,

For I trust in You;

Teach me the way in which I should walk,

For to You I lift up my soul.

Psalm 143:8 

In the midst of the ups and downs of dealing with my issues, I need these words from Psalm 143.  His lovingkindness in the morning, His new mercies every morning.  Each day is so full of the good and the difficult and I need to put my trust in Him.  Lift up my soul to Him.  Today is no different. :-)  Delightful moments with friends in the fellowship of women, and moments of wondering how to do the next hour.

My back is acting up badly after a fairly decent stretch, and my stomach and foggy head tonight are making it hard to function.  (I've asked Him for the ability to write this post tonight.)  I need His lovingkindness every morning and all day and all night.  I received a note from a dear friend today reminding me that I am His beloved child.  He keeps bringing that up.  And it's good.  I need to be reminded, because I don't appropriate it very well.  That word 'beloved' never ceases to bring tears to my eyes.  "Your beloved needs You now."

To complete the story of yesterday, as I mentioned last night, the doctor visit was wonderful.  Beyond my hopes.  Dr. Matt is an open, kind, smiling person who listens well, is respectful of me and the little knowledge I've accumulated, and is approaching my situation in a manner that I'm very comfortable with.  He loves the Lord, the whole office reflects Jesus, and he prayed with me.  And this is a holistic office.  It's so unusual to find Christians practicing holistic medicine.  And that's two doctors in one week who've prayed with me.  I am so blessed by that.

His take on my situation is that I have multiple chemical sensitivities (I totally concur) and that I am experiencing endocrine insufficiency, which means that  my entire endocrine system (hormone producing glands--pituitary, hypothalmus, pineal, thyroid, adrenals, pancreas & gonads) is struggling.  This makes a whole lot of sense to me.  I have struggles in so many areas affected by these glands, and have for a long time.

I asked him how something like this happens, and his answer is not surprising to me, given my history.

In my case, it started at about 6 weeks of age when my mom introduced solid food, and then weaned me at 6 months.  As we have come to understand, at least a year of breastfeeding, and preferably 18 months, is necessary to adequately develop a child's immune system.  Not given that support, my body didn't know how to deal with irritants and allergens.  I developed food allergies at 18 moths, yeast infections before I was two, and stomach issues from my earliest memory.  Add to that mercury fillings in my teeth in elementary, middle and high school and the toxic load on my body just grew.  In my twenties, my OB/gyn recommended taking the BCP to regulate my periods.  I didn't know any better at that time and was on them for 13 months.  After going off of them, over the next few years I ended up with hypoglycemia, thyroid issues, and candida overgrowth.  All of these things are related to endocrine function. 

So, bringing this to the present, over the past year, my body has been under a great deal of stress from food allergens I had not yet recognized (gluten & dairy), life stress (dealing with my dad), and mold in our home.  The combination of the existent immune issues, my advancing years, and the toxic load has "done me in," so to speak.  In order to pull out of this, there is repair that needs to take place at the cellular level, which will then lay the foundation for healing in the endocrine system.

To start that healing process, he is recommending IV therapies, shots and transdermal creams to supply my body with the needed elements to promote healing.  My gut is not able to process much, so anything taken by mouth is not very effective.

The IV therapy includes introducing two elements that the cells need to be (1) structurally sound (not too rigid or too flaccid) and (2) to communicate adequately with each other.  And major doses of vitamins and minerals.  Yesterday's treatment resulted in better clarity of thought for me, which was awesome.

The shots introduce active forms of the B vitamin family.  The transdermal cream provides DHEA, which is the beginning of support for my adrenals.

And for digestive support he's introducing some high-powered probiotics, pancreatic enzymes and HCl.

From there, we will address the various issues in an order which my body can handle.

I asked about the aspect of exercising, which I have been unable to do for a long time because my back won't stand for it, and  he said that we'd get there.  It would take a couple of months, but we'd get there.  (He's also a personal trainer, which is another answer to prayer.)  This was perhaps the most encouraging aspect of it all.  Two months, just two months, and maybe I'll be able to exercise.  No, I don't like exercising, really, but to have the ability to do it again would be amazing.  Even if it takes 6 months or a year, there is hope.  And hope does not disappoint.

Two toxic loads that need attention are the mold issue in our home and my mercury fillings.  The fillings need to wait until I am stronger.  The mold needs to be addressed ASAP.  Which means moving out of our house somehow.  The Lord is able.  Nothing is too difficult for Him.

I know this is long.  Thanks for hanging in there with me.  If you desire to ask questions, please don't hesitate to write me at my email address listed under the "Contact Us" tab above.  I will respond as I can.

Today's Prayer Requests:

~ Continued perseverance in this time of such severe ups and downs.  I simply never know what I will be able to do on any given day.  Or hour.  :-)

~ The banishment of discouragement.  There is so much hope right now.

~ A new living situation very soon.