A New Path without Medication....

During this time, I had begun some research on alternative medicine when my 14 year old (at the time) daughter was diagnosed with a thyroid nodule.  While one of the two specialists we were seeing recommended removal of one lobe of her thyroid, the other had a "wait and see if it grows" course of treatment.  I wanted to get another opinion, one from a less traditional outlook of drugs or surgery.  I remember a group of traditionally trained physicians who practice holistic medicine, introduced to me a few years back via a hair dresser.

I found their blog online and began reading.  I bought some of their books online about the thyroid, iodine, etc.  Eventually, I made a phone call to make an appointment for my daughter and myself.  When I called in early January, I was told that the doctors were not accepting any new patients until June 1st.  So I spent the next 6 months reading everything I could get my hands on about this group and their writings.

June 1st finally came and I tried calling their number at least 50 times that morning and got nothing but a busy signal....remember those?  So, I decided to make the drive to the practice in West Bloomfield.  I showed up at their door at about 11:00am and walked in.  I was directed to their appointment center in the back.  There, I was able to make an appointment for my daughter and myself....but not until October.

All I can say is that it was well worth the wait....especially for me.  Dr. Nusbaum sat and listed to the symptoms, asked a lot of questions and seemed genuinely concerned.  Our next step was to get a complete....and when I say complete, I mean complete body chemistry workup.  There were at least 12 vials of blood taken as well as a hair sample.

I came back in two months, which gave the lab plenty of time get results back to the doctor.  Some of the levels he tested for had to go to special labs in California.  What  my results showed was a deficiency in D, magnesium, B complex, B12, particularly, as well as a relatively high level of inflammation.  What I was sent home with was a Systemic Enzyme taken twice a day, daily doses of Vitamin C, concentrated Vitamin D, B12 injections once a day for 2 weeks (then every other day for 2 weeks, then 2 times a week), finally I took 200mg of Magnesium every night before bedtime as a sleep aid.

What I found was when I finally got the rest I needed, I was able to function a lot better.  After about 2 weeks of the vitamin and mineral supplementation and B12 injections, my fuzzy headedness went away, I was finally sleeping (not waking up at 3am every morning unable to get back to sleep), muscle and joint aches also diminished.  I'm a believer in the Center For Holistic Medicine's approach and believe that it has changed my life!

Maneuvering through this Journey of Peri-Menopause to Menopause with a Holistic Approach

And So It Begins.....

This January I turned 51.  Up to this point, my life was pretty much normal for a single mom of two teenagers. Busier than I chose to be, but with doing it all on my own, there wasn't another option.  It was this first month of the year that I paused.

I wondered if this could be it, but not too hopeful.  I had yet to experience any of those dreadful sounding hot flashes or mood swings that I've heard so much about.  This pause didn't last long, because the next month brought my old friend back for a brief visit.  And so, it begins........

Over the next couple of months, life got strange.  I began not feeling like myself and it scared me.  What concerned me the most was my blood pressure spiking, something I had never experienced.  Along with this increase in blood pressure, I began feeling overwhelmed, a tightness in the center of my chest, fuzzy headed, mild heart palpatations, pounding heart beat at night, exhaused, and unable to stay asleep each night.  I literally felt like I was losing my mind.  Then something happened that I was unprepared for......I began having what felt like panic attacks during my work day while I was driving from account to account as well as waking up in the middle of the night, finding it difficult to breathe.

After a couple of emergency room visits, stress test, 24 hour holter monitor test, complete blood work up, it appeared that it was all in my mind. Or, so I interpreted from the lack of treatment options given to me. To help me cope with these symptoms, my doctor prescribed Xanax.  But for anyone who knew me very well, this was not okay with me.  I don't like taking any kind of medicine, not even vitamins....and if I did have to take cold medication or anything like that, it was half an adult dose at the most.

So, reluctantly, when feeling that heaviness in my chest, I would try a reduced dose of what the doctor prescribed....and found relief.  But this would be no way to live acceptable to me, so I sought a different path.