Slow progress

This week I have been hanging on by a thread. I started getting a cold two Sunday's ago and I have been having symptoms every day since. Sore throats some days while other days I'm coughing and other days I have a runny nose. Between my High Dose Vitamin C IV's and Glutathione IV's and Dioxychlor drops, I have managed to keep my lousy feeling to a minimum. However today I feel pretty awful. I am hoping that my Glutathione IV today will help give me a boost to survive this weekend.

I got back my blood work today. I get blood work done after every doctor's visit and occasionally when I request it in between check-ups. We like to see how my White Blood Cells are doing and are also paying close attention to a couple of other things as well. A few important numbers for my lab work is the AST and ALT numbers (Liver Panel). About 3 years ago, those numbers were extremely high. It was important for those numbers to drop to a normal level. So when I began working with my Lyme phsyician, it was important for us to keep those numbers in mind.

I never wanted a treatment that would affect my liver since I have had high liver panels in the past. Normal levels are between 0 and 40. If it's on the upper end, then it causes concern. However, concerns aren't really raised for "normal" physicians until it goes over 40. May of this year my numbers were 14 and 8 respectively. Those are both very good numbers. Both numbers in July were increased, but nothing to be concerned over. This last test showed another increase, but again the numbers are now only both 18. So I'm sure that my physician won't be worried about those numbers at all.

A couple of other tests that we have been worried about are my vitamin D levels and my Cortisol levels. In July, I was tested and I had a level of 17. My Nurse told me today that they prefer numbers in the 50's and 60's. So upon this, I started some more Vitamin D supplements. I was retested in October and showed an improvement, but I still have defiencies. My new numbers are at 31. The low end of normal is 32, but my nurse wants my number to be at least 50. So I am sure when I go back to my follow up appointment, I'll have to increase my Vitamin D again. I hate being outdoors .. wonder why I have a Vitamin D deficiency.

So when I started treatment, my Cortisol was at a 13 first thing in the morning. I still don't know a lot about Cortisol, but I was told today that numbers should be at least 15 in the morning for women my age. So 13 was close, but by May of this year my cortisol level had dropped to 7.5. That's a huge drop when we're talking about such small numbers. It has slowly rised since May, but we're talking about a small rise from 7.5 to 9.5. TWO WHOLE POINTS. So I suspect that I will have to go on some kind of Addrenal support when I go back to the physician in the middle of May.

I'm trying to not be disappointed because I have shown improvements, but it's still a little frustrating that I have done all this work and I only improved marginally. I leave on Friday to go to the campus of Western Carolina. I can't wait to soak myself in the mountain air. I get my blood rested on Monday. How much you wanna bet my vitamin D is going to be UP because I'll be outside all day on Saturday? I bet you 330 points that my numbers will be up (why 330 .. because that was the miles it took to get to Western from my parent's house when I was in college).