Topic: Playing your own doctor? Treating ones self...
lymielauren28
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13742
posted
Just wondering how many people do this or have done this.
I found a website called Four Corners Pharmacy and I'm seriously considering treating myself.
I can get Flagyl and Zithro and Diflucan and many other abx without a prescription.
I'm sure that there will be naysayers, but the bottom line is that I know my body better than anyone or any doctor. I have been on every combo of abx imaginable and I know what works for me and what doesn't.
Of course I will go to a regular doc every 8 weeks or so to have my liver and kidneys checked and CBC and all that good stuff.
I've also ordered some hh capsules and am going to start that as soon as they get here.
Anybody tried them yet?
My entire protocol is going to be this:
Artemisinin by Nutricology 200 mg/2x a day, 3 weeks on 1 week off for a minimum of 6 months.
HH capsules 3 caps a day for a minimum of 6 months.
Zithromax 250mg 2x a day for three to six months.
Pulsed Flagyl 250mg 2x a day, 10 days on, 20 days off.
Maintenance diflucan as needed - probobly 200 mg every three days while on abx.
Also will begin rifing as soon as I get my machine.
Any and all feedback is welcome - naysayers and all!!!
Lauren
-------------------- "The only way out is through" Posts: 1434 | From mississippi | Registered: Nov 2007
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sparkle7
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10397
posted
I don't have any problems with people self-treating!
I've been to many doctors & most of them do not have a clue... even the good ones are limited.
You know your body best.
I don't think I would self treat with abx but that's just my perogative. I didn't find them to be helpful.
They can be dangerous so you really have to study how to use them correctly. You don't want to drive the infection deeper or create resistance.
Many of us do not have the resources to go to doctors. When I had insurance & I did go to doctors - this is the reason why I was mis-diagnosed for 10+ years in the first place.
So, I don't have a whole lot of faith in them.
You go girl! Good luck with your treatment.
If something isn't working, you can always change it & try something different. You do have to know when to give something time to work, as well.
Some people use ART (I think it Autonomic Response Testing) which may be helpful. I don't know that system so I just use a pendulum. It's not 100% but I do get good results with it.
Some people think it's not scientific but others swear by them. The expensive medical tests I had were inaccurate - so, I might as well have been using a pendulum.
I also have a nice doctor who I can consult with if I have questions. You may want to find a doctor who is willing to answer some questions if you have any.
I go to see him every so often or I can consult with him over the phone since he's a 2 hour drive away. He can order tests for me.
There is actually a website that you can use to order your own tests. You pay the money & go to Quest or someplace. They can draw the blood & send out the test.
They looked at me like I was crazy when I went there but they had to do the test since I had the proper forms...
I don't recall the name of the website but I can search it out of anyone is interested.
Sometimes, you just have to be self-empowered & take matters into your own hands.
Posts: 7772 | From Northeast, again... | Registered: Oct 2006
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lymielauren28
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13742
posted
Thanks Sparkle!
I don't have insurance either and I'm looking at spending about two grand plus to travel out of state, stay in a hotel and pay a doc to prescribe medicine that I can get on my own.
I got online earlier and tallied up the price of everything I need for about three months - the total comes to about seven hundred...so I'd be saving 1300 plus dollars.
Since I've been on almost all the abx at some point or another, I know what I can and can't tolerate and what dosages etc.
For instance, I know that I can't tolerate Levaquin or Cipro.
Minocycline, Flagyl and Zithromax however, I tolerate just fine, and herx strongly on all three usually followed by improvement.
I would LOVE to be able to see an LLMD, but right now I am just financially strapped - can only work a couple of days a week and the money I do make goes to medicine and supplements.
I also have a strong distrust of doctors....not dislike - I just feel that I'm better off following my gut and instinct in this, not having someone else tell me what works and what doesn't - I already know - my body tells me!
Anyone else???
-------------------- "The only way out is through" Posts: 1434 | From mississippi | Registered: Nov 2007
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posted
I am kinda treating myself. I mean I set my treatment (based on my research using various resources) and my family doctor simply writes me a script. He also orders regular monthly blood check to see if nothing hurts me. I have no other choice since the closest LLMD is far, far away.
Anyway I am doing well and at this time I have 60% of good, productive days and symptoms are weaker, pain doesn't interfere with my life. I year ago I had only 2% of good days and lived in constant pain that kept me in bed.
It can be done, I guess.
Posts: 98 | From BC | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
If you're going to do Zithromax, be sure to rule out QT prolongation on an EKG (risk of Long QT Syndrome). In people who have a prolonged QT interval/Long QT Syndrome, Zithromax is one of the high-risk drugs.
You probably don't have it, but if you do, it can cause sudden cardiac death, something nobody wants. So get an EKG and look at the number that says "QTc" and look up the parameters for Long QT online to see if yours is prolonged, as most doctors don't even know what this is.
I don't do HH capsules but take Plum Flower brand Houttuynia, which is really good. I take a scoop of it 3-4 times a day in hot water, sweetened with a little stevia so it tastes better. I often combine it with boneset powder to make a kind of tea, and the combination seems better than either individually.
Good luck!
Posts: 929 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Oct 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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Yes, sad but true. So many have to become their own doctors.
It's good to have a doctor to offer some support with lab work and to answer genetic questions. Some are quite willing to do this although they may not be included to research all about this.
Just a couple thoughts at the moment for anyone all new to this:
As mentioned in the first post: Fungal infection prevention is vital, of course. Probiotics are one help. Other anti-fungals, too. I find Olive Leaf Extract to be of great help.
Be sure to consider your liver at every step. Treatment can be only as good as the liver is able to deal with. Some drugs are harder on the liver than others. Infection is hard on liver, too, so treatment has to be done - just with safety in mind.
Treatment cannot succeed if the liver is overworked (toxins from infections as well as the drugs to treat). The liver can't be forced. Supported, yes; but not forced.
There's way more to this, and you probably know that, for for any new to all this, it is one of the prime rules of treatment that is often overlooked as modern medicine has pretty much ignored this.
How to protect/gently support the liver is an involved process. Milk Thistle is just a beginning, but one of the most important supplements of all.
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