An Interesting Appointment

Yesterday I had my first appointment at the chiropractic/alternative medicine clinic I found. I was really impressed with the whole experience.

I filled out a very detailed questionnaire, on body/pain stuff, history, head-to-toe symptoms, dietary habits, cravings - you name it. I am not exaggerating - it was a total of 25 to 30 pages of info.

Then I sat down with the doctor and we reviewed the whole thing. We spoke - and she LISTENED to me - for an hour and a half. I have never felt so listened to and understood by a medical professional in my life. We talked about me as a whole person - not just a sore back or an upset stomach, or a stressed-out woman. I expressed my concern about being on so many prescription meds, and she agreed with me. She didn't tell me to stop taking anything - that would have been a warning flag for me. But she really listened to my concerns, and I felt that she was looking at my symptoms as a whole.

She was very concerned about my repeated bouts of shingles last year, and while she agreed that the stress in my life undoubtedly brought it on, she was concerned that nothing had been done to address my out-of-whack immune system.

I've done a lot of research about fibromyalgia since last October, and everything she said rang true with the information I have found and my experience of the disease. I've decided that I am going to work with her, and since my biggest problem is fatigue, lack of restorative sleep, and absence of energy, we are going to address those issues first. She believes that I can see good improvement with proper diet modification, homeopathic remedies and nutritional supplements, if required. A side benefit of modifying my diet will be weight loss (yay!).

I had already been working on giving up caffeine, weaning myself off coffee for the umpteenth time, and she said that was probably the single best thing I could do to help myself. Although I'm dragging right now as my body adjusts, I know I'll be better off soon.

Anyway, I am feeling very positive that I can take steps to improve my health and have the energy to lead the life I want to lead. I don't feel helpless anymore. It's a great improvement.