have been on the down low...

I haven't posted in a while because I was waiting to go to my new doctor. Yep, another new one, but this time I'm changing course a bit.

Today I saw Dr. Flowers - an MD who is certified in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. I finally feel like I found a doctor who has the same healing philosophy as me and I am relieved.

Dr. F is quite a character, and a talker :) My appointment today was over 3 hours long - a full health history, lots of discussion of the details of what's going on with me physically and mentally, and a full exam. He is going to do a multitude of tests, including allergy testing for a huge list of foods and chemicals, to see if we can determine what is making my immune system go all wacky.

For the first time in my life I feel like I am going on faith. Faith that this style of medicine, although not a mainstream, traditional approach, is the right path for me. There won't be a magic pill to fix the problem, I'm sure there will be lifestyle changes involved, but it will all be for the better.

I have another appointment in a couple weeks to have blood taken for the main allergy test. After all the results come in, Dr. F will go over the data, and then we will have an appointment to discuss treatment.

Seeking alternative treatment for lupus causes a lot of people to freak out a bit. In my opinion, if I can find a treatment that will not require me to be on medication for the rest of my life, I will be so relieved. If the alternative treatment doesn't work, I will most likely go back on the meds, and the only risk will have been experiencing a few months of additional pain. Being that I've had pain for a good part of my life anyway, this risk is acceptable to me.

Wish me luck on this new leg of my journey to better health! I'll keep you posted...