Prayers and recipes

I recently shared a post about a doctor’s appointment I had before Easter about pain in my hands, specifically my joints. My doctor wanted to do lab work for lupus, gout and rheumatoid arthritis, the latter of which runs in my family. What I’ve kept to myself is that my blood work came back positive for lupus so I was referred to a rheumatologist.

Having type 1 diabetes makes you tough and it makes you an advocate. Before my appointment, I did lots of reading and researching. The joint pain and swelling is the only major symptom of lupus I have, and I don’t have a family history. Plus, one of the medications I currently take can increase the chances of a false positive. The “positive” test means ANAs (antinuclear antibodies) showed up. Additional blood work would be needed to make sure. (Although there is no definitive diagnosis for lupus.)

Yesterday, I saw a rheumatologist so we could get to the bottom of this mess. I went in prepared and well-informed. I had a list of questions for the doctor, and I expected to leave feeling more confident, but also knowing blood work would be needed.

As I talked to the doctor, he mentioned that lupus is an auto-immune disease and I made a joke about how we already know my T-cells suck. He had a confused look on his face so I said, “…because I have type 1 diabetes.” His confused facial expression didn’t change and he said, “Oh, yes. Right.” The hairs on the back of my neck immediately began to rise. Then, he thumbed through my chart and asked, “Have you considered an insulin pump?”

It took every ounce of self-restraint not to say, “I don’t know. Have you considered reading my chart?”

My chart in his hands included three pages, two of which I’d filled out that morning. Diabetes was all over both of them, as well as a list of my three medications — continuous Humalog being one of them. I had talked about diabetes extensively with the nurse prior to the doctor coming in. And I know my files from the previous doctor had been sent over because the nurse mentioned them. I think it’s unacceptable that he not know I had type 1 diabetes, especially considering it is an auto-immune disease and the reason for my appointment regarded another auto-immune disease.

I took a deep breath and tried to continue with the conversation calmly. He wanted to draw more labs, which I expected, and he wanted an X-ray — the fourth one since September. He wanted to put me on an anti-inflammatory medication in the meantime. I expressed my concern at taking medication and asked about dietary changes or other options to alleviate symptoms. He immediately shot down the dietary possibilities saying there was no scientific proof changing my diet would do any good. (Thanks for listening to my concerns doctor).

So that was it. I will wait for my labs to be returned next week. In the meantime, I canceled the anti-inflammatory medicine at my pharmacy. After two weeks of educating myself and praying about what steps to take, I’ve decided to do the unthinkable… (which makes more sense if you know me personally) …I’m going prehistoric.

For the next 14 days (starting this weekend), I will be following a combination of a Paleo/gluten-free diet. There is no evidence this change in diet will harm me. But there is lots of evidence it could help me. I’ve lived with this pain for more than six months, so what’s 14 more days if the dietary changes don’t yield results? Plus, the prescription will still be there two weeks from now.

I feel incredibly strong about this, and it’s something I have prayed over for days. I’m not excited about it (Mostly because I love coffee. And bread. And peanut butter. And mustard. And wine.) but I am peaceful about it. For the next couple of days, I will be researching like crazy for recipes and helpful advice about grocery shopping. My initial thoughts involve how to fix low blood sugars and what to eat in preparation for riding. Suggestions are welcomed!

Whatever the problem with my hands is, I have faith that it will work out for His purpose. While I want definitive answers, they aren’t required because He is in control and He already knows the answers. This whole journey has brought me closer to Him in ways I can’t justly describe, and for that, I am grateful. I’m not scared. I’m not worried. And I certainly don’t feel sorry for myself (which means you can’t either.)

But what I will ask of you, is for prayers and recipes. (In that order.) Keep in mind my love for all things Southern when you send those recipes. Best biscuit recipe wins … well, wins something. I’ll keep you posted. 😉

And for laughs, I will (embarrassingly) admit when I first heard the word lupus, I thought it was the disease Jesus healed in that dude in the Bible. Turns out it was leprosy. Wrong L word. My bad.