In case I haven't shared this before, I am a disabled mom to four terrific kids who each have a chronic illness and 3/4 have special needs. (The youngest is still very young and the special needs that run in our family tend to rear their heads when kids are a bit older.) I homeschool and have the priveledge to see the strides our kids make every day.
For the past four to five years my hubby and I have been in many doctors' offices, and I have had many tests run to figure out what is causing my disability; but no one has been able to figure it out. I even tried to be seen by the Mayo Clinic, but they refused to see me. So yesterday, my husband and I tried a new route; functional medicine. These doctors are medical doctors (MDs or DOs), but look at medicine from a different point of view. They look at the body as a whole instead of different parts, and they tend to work from a nutritional point instead of a pharmaceutical point.
After sharing my "story" with the doctor, she shared with us that my story is different than any other she has heard and my symptoms we quite different too. She gave us the names of supplements I should add to my diet (fish oil, a special kind of B vitamin, vitamin D (which I've been taking for a few years)) and wants me to start with the comprehensive elimination diet. Since I've already been gluten and dairy free for about three years, she's not sure how well the diet will work for me; but our decision was that I wasn't strict enough with the gluten free diet and that I need to be more vigilant.
The elimination diet is scary for me. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, some lean meats, and absolutely NO gluten, dairy (which for me means cutting out the butter) and eggs. It is definitely healthier than I've ever eaten before, but it's also way more expensive. That's where my fear comes in, if we spend all this money on buying the supplements and produce, what if we can't pay our bills or buy the kids the clothes they need, or get the kids into activities they should/need to participate in!!!!! My momma heart is having trouble to thinking about all this, let alone actually giving it a try.
Granted, the elimination diet itself is only about four weeks, before you start adding food (one food at a time) back into the diet. The diet has been successful for many, including a friend of mine. The part that gets me is the whole, you are probably sensitive to some kind of gluten and need to be strictly gluten free for at least six months to know. No cheating at all, even accidentally, or the six months, starts over.
There are some tests she would like to run, but she's not sure if my insurance will pay for them. (Insurance makes way more money off of sick people than they do healthy!) She'll be calling me soon to let me know.
So my hubby and I are up in the air with this. We both want and need for me to get better, but is it going to be financially responsible to our family to spend even more money on food. I don't know, but I guess it's something we have to figure out.
What would you do?
(By the way, the elimination diet is because of the belief and research that has been done that shows many times our health starts in our gut. If we can get our gut healthy, we will be healthy. That goes for all body systems and even mental disorders.)
This is a copy of the comprehensive elimination diet that is identical to the one my doctor gave me. Comprehensive Elimination Diet
Want to know more about functional medicine.
