lupus sucks.

it's been a rough month and a half.

Lots of pain in the joints, I felt like I had the flu for a week or so in there.

I started an anti-candida diet that is no sugar, no yeast, no fermented stuff...it's a huge pain in the butt, but supposed to help make my gut healthy, which is a foundation for health...so I'm doing my best to stick to it for now.

The circus of doctors that I've seen over the past few years is starting to wear on me. The indecision and inconsistencies I'm running into as I attempt to balance traditional and alternative medical treatments is stressing me out.

I had 2 back-to-back doctor appointments last Monday - one with the natural dermatologist and the other with my new(est) rheumatologist. Somehow my path has ended up with me seeing a rheumatologist in the Bronx...I'm not really sure how that happened, and although I like this rheumy (we'll go with Dr. H for this guy), the inconvenience is just too great. And it's not like he's exactly what I'm looking for, I went to him because Dr. D (natural dermatologist) got a recommendation for him. But this rheumy is not naturally minded, so I'm not sure why the recommendation came about.

The appointments went fine, but I'm starting to run into conflicting opinions between the different doctors and that is a big stress. I really lost it after these appointments, the weight of all of this is really starting to take its toll. After things had a chance to settle in a bit, I felt better, but it is a lot to deal with.

Although I'm starting to feel a bit like a crazy person, hopping from doc to doc, I'm think I'm finally starting to be able to narrow down what I need. And my mom suggested that maybe I won't find the perfect doc, but at least I should find one who I can communicate well with.

So although I can barely believe it myself, I am still looking for one more rheumatologist. One that is familiar with alternative therapies such as acupuncture. I have determined that this is not impossible. There is a rheumatologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC that also does acupuncture, and there are 2 doctors over in Philadelphia that do research on alternative and complimentary medicine in the rheumatology field.

I feel like I got a bit derailed with the last referral, and well, I'll just have to deal with that. It's tricky going to so many people, but the bottom line is I need to find someone who I can work with. And driving to the Bronx for a doctor I don't love is just silly.

I did go to a local acupuncturist this week, and it was a wonderful appointment. It helped push me in the direction of working just a little bit harder to find a rheumatologist who can understand the benefits of the alternative treatments.

...

So, this blog is good for something, if only me getting my thoughts down for myself! I've emailed one of the docs in PA, so wish me luck that she responds with a referral or an offer to treat me herself.

If anyone out there reads this and is interested in talking about alternative therapies and lupus, please feel free to comment so we can chat some more!