Good Things Are Brewing

For the next two weeks, I’ll be running on all cylinders. Since January, my health has taken a dip, so my energy reserves are already a bit depleted. My organization will be hosting an audit and I’m the site coordinator, meaning I’ll be on-call from 5AM to 2PM my time for 10 business days straight. I think that’s a daunting request for anyone, but perhaps particularly so for someone facing chronic fatigue.

My day-to-day is structured in and “on-off” manner, where I spend a block of time working and then take a short break. I no longer have the capacity to give an activity 100% focus for eight hours straight, for two consecutive weeks. I’m hoping I can handle it without exhausting my reserves. Energy is a precious resource.

A few weeks ago, we set up our home centrifuge (haha!) and ran mycotoxin labs. Well the results are in and, just as expected–despite being out of the toxic environment for 15 months and on (ungodly expensive) treatment for 24 months, my partner and I have sky-high levels of everything–Satrotoxin, Verrucarin and Verrucarol, Ochratoxin (A and B), T2 Toxin, Vomitoxin aka Deoxynivalenol, Cladosporium toxin (Cladosporium HSP 70), Alternaria toxin (Alternariol), Aspergillus Toxin (Aspergillus hemolysin), Aspergillus Auto-Toxin (Sterigmatocystin), Penicillium Toxin (Mycophenolic acid), Aspergillus/Penicillium Neuro Auto-Toxin (Gliotoxin), and Stachybotrys Toxin (Trichothecene).

While it’s bad news because several are carcinogenic, causing cancers and Alzheimer’s, it’s also good news because this reinforces that mold exposure is indeed the root cause of our ailments. As such, it is fully reversible. If there is early-stage cancer due to mold, the strong anti-fungal will take care of that, as well. We’re on the right path.

Last week, our doctor reviewed our results with the doctor/researcher who developed this particular test. Tomorrow, our doctor will review the results with us. We’ll get our liver enzymes tested and, once we’re cleared, begin the anti-fungal treatment. We’ll be on that treatment for a minimum of 6 months, but up to a year, depending on how quickly we recover. By the end of the year, I may be back to hiking, teaching yoga, driving, and even saying up past 8PM. I’m trying to find the right balance of remaining hopeful and tempering expectations, as I’ve been sorely disappointed far too many times. But, I think this time will be different. I feel it in my gut. This is my golden ticket back to good health.

Rather than a trip to the chocolate factory, my winning include the opportunity to reclaim my body, my mind, and all the capabilities I once took for granted. If all goes well, I’ll be given a new lease on life. And, this time, I won’t take it for granted. I won’t run myself ragged.

Like the drooping poppy, I’ll soon be able to lift my head toward the sun and open up my arms to catch her warming rays.

I may be quiet over the next two weeks, but good things are brewing. I’m sure of it. And I can’t wait to share what we discover.