Last Saturday’s Medical Appointment was postponed to Wednesday due to an unforseen event.
I felt like it had been very long since I saw Dr TL last time, and was strangely feeling nervous. When he noticed me in the waiting room, he gave me a nod. And just like that, everything felt normal again.
Swine flu fear was already here. I believe doctors were instructed by the government how they approach the flu. There were signs for the patients who present flu-like symptoms. At the reception, there was a confused couple exchanging questions with the receptionist and the Chemist attendant about getting a flu shot. One of them is over 65 and he can get the shot for free from the stock of the Medical Centre. The other one is not 65 yet, so she had to purchase the vaccine from the Chemist and bring it to a doctor or a nurse to give the injection.
Dr TL called me. Then once we are in his office, he called me again with my Japanese name. Then, he remembered my maiden name. He knows quite a lot about me by now, so I cannot hide from him physically and mentally.
Then, he asked if I was staying away from Mexicans. I felt it was a silly question to a housebound patient. Then, he tossed me a question if computer could transmit virus to human. I thought about it sometimes, although it is very unlikely. I hope I don’t hear news about computer flu virus at all. If I cannot use computer and internet, my little quality in life will all be vanished, and quite honest, I don’t know how I could survive. Although it may sound like I’m an computer addict, I’m not. Or, am I?
Before we got on to usual checkups, he asked me if I present any fibromyalgia symptoms. Then, he answered by himself that I don’t have much pain. We had this discussion many times. I knew he was onto something. His eyes were twinkling. He went on explaining there was some treatment proven to be beneficial for fibromyalgia. Last time, he had a news about anti-seizure medicine. As soon as he mentioned the name “Naltrexone” my eye twinkled. (I had been trying very hard to remember Naltrexone prior to the meeting.) I was so excited that I would have jumped up on him and kissed him if I could. Because I knew he was talking about Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and I was going to ask him about it. It was hard to sit still while he was explaining Naltrexone is normally used for heroin addicts and alcoholics. Naltrexone blocks heroin receptor in the brain. When a doctor administers it to an acute heroin toxication at hospital, the addict usually get really mad at the doctor because the addict just wasted $150 heroin hit to the medicine. In some case, it causes sudden unconsciousness to the patient. So it could be dangerous driving while the addicts are treated with Naltrexone.
When a very low dose of Naltrexon is used for fibromyalgia patient, their symptoms can be stopped or minimised. And it was the latest research result regarding to LDN.
When I had the opportunity, I told him that I was going to ask him about LDN today. Well, I was going to just ask if he heard about it at the end of the meeting. I didn’t expect him to know about it or even suggest it. Since the attempt of CAP (Combined Antibiotic Protocol) didn’t work out for me, I’m a little discouraged to suggest a new treatment.
He knew it was only effective for fibromyalgia, so I informed him that it is said to be effective for ME/CFS as well. Then, he was an action man. He phoned our local Chemist and inquired about “compounding pharmacist”. He phoned the number. While it was dialling, he explained he was going to find a price for me. On the computer screen, Naltrexone was ready to be prescribed, but it was 50 mg. He asked if I knew the dose. I explained that it would be 1/10 of the dose for heroin addicts, but the people who are sensitive to medicine needs to start even lower than that. I noticed 3 mg at websites. I also explained that there isn’t much side affect, except for vivid dreams. Some MS patients experience pseudo relapse. However, progressive MS patient stops progressing, and some symptoms reversed. Because I share similar symptoms with MS, it certainly gave me hope that this might work for me. At the same time, I am telling myself that this wouldn’t do anything for me, therefore, don’t hold my breath…
Dr TL quickly complimented that I had done well on homework. Since nobody answered the phone, he got on to google and searched for the compounding pharmacist, but somehow none of them answered. He assured me that we will find out about it.
Here is the plan. I will find out compounding pharmacist and LDN dose. He explained that the LDN is not on PBS, and it doesn’t come in a packet. Therefore, I need a compounding pharmacist to prepare the medicine for me. The compounding pharmacist usually charges by hour and material. However, as far as compounding goes, LDN would be the cheapest kind. We believed I could afford it. (Well, it will come out from my little savings.) Then, he will monitor me that I am not getting poisoned by the treatment. Unlike some doctors, my doctor doesn’t want to poison his patients.
Before I realised, the tide has changed again. Dr TL was excited as well, and he cheekily mentioned that I could go back to work. I replied that even part-time would be great. When I calmed down and read some more information on internet, I realised this may not be the case. Many people who experienced significant improvement are also on other medications as well. So it could be the combination effect that made the significant improvement. However, improved fatigue level, improved cognitive function, and improved energy level will improve quality in my life for sure. Improved quality in life means less depression. So it will worth a try. At the moment, I don’t know what to expect. So I just go with the flow as usual.
My understanding is that LDN stops endorphin production for few hours while we sleep. So our body will start producing more endorphin during the day. Endorphin is natural pain killer, happiness provider, and immune system booster. Since we use negligible amount of Naltrexone, there won’t be any significant side affect.
From the official website of the Low Dose Naltrexone, the treatment is effective for the conditions of HIV/AIDS, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and central nervous system disorders. The list of conditions that LDN may be effective is as follows.
Cancers:
- Bladder Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Carcinoid
- Colon & Rectal Cancer
- Glioblastoma
- Liver Cancer
- Lung Cancer (Non-Small Cell)
- Lymphocytic Leukemia (chronic)
- Lymphoma (Hodgkin’s and Non-Hodgkin’s)
- Malignant Melanoma
- Multiple Myeloma
- Neuroblastoma
- Ovarian Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Prostate Cancer (untreated)
- Renal Cell Carcinoma
- Throat Cancer
- Uterine Cancer
Other Diseases:
- ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Behcet’s Disease
- Celiac Disease
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- CREST syndrome
- Crohn’s Disease
- Emphysema (COPD)
- Endometriosis
- Fibromyalgia
- HIV/AIDS
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Pemphigoid
- Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS)
- Psoriasis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Sarcoidosis
- Scleroderma
- Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS)
- Systemic Lupus (SLE)
- Transverse Myelitis
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Wegener’s Granulomatosis
I am once again very proud of my doctor. And I want to show him off to the world. As usual, he only said, “I like challenges.” and “I’m open-minded.” He probably knows it is the best treatment for my depression as well; giving me a hope.
We moved on and went through the usual checkups. He joked he could hear dogs in my heart. It is because I love dogs.
He examined the record of Spirometer/PFM and fatigue from home. He agreed with me that there is no consistency between fatigue and lung capacity. Flare ups and payback may have something to do with it, yet, the number is all over the place. However, he commented that having the level of fatigue I have for all day is very bad.
While we were checking pre and post Ventoline Spirometer/PFM, he made me laugh. Everytime I laughed, I felt the depression in me was slowly melting away.
We decided to introduce Asmol/Ventoline twice a day, instead of every 4 hours. This would be good to see if I’m still having the effect of Tachyphylaxia or not.
We also chatted about swain flu and about nature. It was interesting to hear about nature by a doctor’s point of view. He doesn’t welcome nature with open arms. Nature causes bad weather and disasters. Nature also creates and spreads viruses and diseases. He wasn’t being pessimistic, but was widening my view. Nothing is bad or good. Like yin and yang. Everything has good and bad. And I would say everything needs to be balanced. He recapped his point that I need to be cautious. I think he gave me the advice as a friend, not as a doctor.
I thought I was his last patient for the day. When he opened the door, there were few more patients waiting. He told me to stay away from the Mexicans. I told him he didn’t have to worry about it. I saw he raised his eyebrow. I’m basically stuck in my place and hardly interact with people. If the swine flu arrives in my area, there won’t be any chance for me to avoid it even I’m housebound, as I seem to catch viruses in the air while I’m staying at home. But the situation is not that bad here, yet.
~ * ~
Some useful LDN information.
The Low Dose Naltrexon
You Tube: LDN on News
Fiikus: LDN
Blog: LDN journal
Blog: Learning to Live with CFS
And there is always Google. 
Posted in Depression, Doctors, ME/CFS, MS Tagged: LDN
Last Saturday’s Medical Appointment was postponed to Wednesday due to an unforseen event.
I felt like it had been very long since I saw Dr TL last time, and was strangely feeling nervous. When he noticed me in the waiting room, he gave me a nod. And just like that, everything felt normal again.
Swine flu fear was already here. I believe doctors were instructed by the government how they approach the flu. There were signs for the patients who present flu-like symptoms. At the reception, there was a confused couple exchanging questions with the receptionist and the Chemist attendant about getting a flu shot. One of them is over 65 and he can get the shot for free from the stock of the Medical Centre. The other one is not 65 yet, so she had to purchase the vaccine from the Chemist and bring it to a doctor or a nurse to give the injection.
Dr TL called me. Then once we are in his office, he called me again with my Japanese name. Then, he remembered my maiden name. He knows quite a lot about me by now, so I cannot hide from him physically and mentally.
Then, he asked if I was staying away from Mexicans. I felt it was a silly question to a housebound patient. Then, he tossed me a question if computer could transmit virus to human. I thought about it sometimes, although it is very unlikely. I hope I don’t hear news about computer flu virus at all. If I cannot use computer and internet, my little quality in life will all be vanished, and quite honest, I don’t know how I could survive. Although it may sound like I’m an computer addict, I’m not. Or, am I?
Before we got on to usual checkups, he asked me if I present any fibromyalgia symptoms. Then, he answered by himself that I don’t have much pain. We had this discussion many times. I knew he was onto something. His eyes were twinkling. He went on explaining there was some treatment proven to be beneficial for fibromyalgia. Last time, he had a news about anti-seizure medicine. As soon as he mentioned the name “Naltrexone” my eye twinkled. (I had been trying very hard to remember Naltrexone prior to the meeting.) I was so excited that I would have jumped up on him and kissed him if I could. Because I knew he was talking about Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and I was going to ask him about it. It was hard to sit still while he was explaining Naltrexone is normally used for heroin addicts and alcoholics. Naltrexone blocks heroin receptor in the brain. When a doctor administers it to an acute heroin toxication at hospital, the addict usually get really mad at the doctor because the addict just wasted $150 heroin hit to the medicine. In some case, it causes sudden unconsciousness to the patient. So it could be dangerous driving while the addicts are treated with Naltrexone.
When a very low dose of Naltrexon is used for fibromyalgia patient, their symptoms can be stopped or minimised. And it was the latest research result regarding to LDN.
When I had the opportunity, I told him that I was going to ask him about LDN today. Well, I was going to just ask if he heard about it at the end of the meeting. I didn’t expect him to know about it or even suggest it. Since the attempt of CAP (Combined Antibiotic Protocol) didn’t work out for me, I’m a little discouraged to suggest a new treatment.
He knew it was only effective for fibromyalgia, so I informed him that it is said to be effective for ME/CFS as well. Then, he was an action man. He phoned our local Chemist and inquired about “compounding pharmacist”. He phoned the number. While it was dialling, he explained he was going to find a price for me. On the computer screen, Naltrexone was ready to be prescribed, but it was 50 mg. He asked if I knew the dose. I explained that it would be 1/10 of the dose for heroin addicts, but the people who are sensitive to medicine needs to start even lower than that. I noticed 3 mg at websites. I also explained that there isn’t much side affect, except for vivid dreams. Some MS patients experience pseudo relapse. However, progressive MS patient stops progressing, and some symptoms reversed. Because I share similar symptoms with MS, it certainly gave me hope that this might work for me. At the same time, I am telling myself that this wouldn’t do anything for me, therefore, don’t hold my breath…
Dr TL quickly complimented that I had done well on homework. Since nobody answered the phone, he got on to google and searched for the compounding pharmacist, but somehow none of them answered. He assured me that we will find out about it.
Here is the plan. I will find out compounding pharmacist and LDN dose. He explained that the LDN is not on PBS, and it doesn’t come in a packet. Therefore, I need a compounding pharmacist to prepare the medicine for me. The compounding pharmacist usually charges by hour and material. However, as far as compounding goes, LDN would be the cheapest kind. We believed I could afford it. (Well, it will come out from my little savings.) Then, he will monitor me that I am not getting poisoned by the treatment. Unlike some doctors, my doctor doesn’t want to poison his patients.
Before I realised, the tide has changed again. Dr TL was excited as well, and he cheekily mentioned that I could go back to work. I replied that even part-time would be great. When I calmed down and read some more information on internet, I realised this may not be the case. Many people who experienced significant improvement are also on other medications as well. So it could be the combination effect that made the significant improvement. However, improved fatigue level, improved cognitive function, and improved energy level will improve quality in my life for sure. Improved quality in life means less depression. So it will worth a try. At the moment, I don’t know what to expect. So I just go with the flow as usual.
My understanding is that LDN stops endorphin production for few hours while we sleep. So our body will start producing more endorphin during the day. Endorphin is natural pain killer, happiness provider, and immune system booster. Since we use negligible amount of Naltrexone, there won’t be any significant side affect.
From the official website of the Low Dose Naltrexone, the treatment is effective for the conditions of HIV/AIDS, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and central nervous system disorders. The list of conditions that LDN may be effective is as follows.
Cancers:
Other Diseases:
I am once again very proud of my doctor. And I want to show him off to the world. As usual, he only said, “I like challenges.” and “I’m open-minded.” He probably knows it is the best treatment for my depression as well; giving me a hope.
We moved on and went through the usual checkups. He joked he could hear dogs in my heart. It is because I love dogs.
He examined the record of Spirometer/PFM and fatigue from home. He agreed with me that there is no consistency between fatigue and lung capacity. Flare ups and payback may have something to do with it, yet, the number is all over the place. However, he commented that having the level of fatigue I have for all day is very bad.
While we were checking pre and post Ventoline Spirometer/PFM, he made me laugh. Everytime I laughed, I felt the depression in me was slowly melting away.
We decided to introduce Asmol/Ventoline twice a day, instead of every 4 hours. This would be good to see if I’m still having the effect of Tachyphylaxia or not.
We also chatted about swain flu and about nature. It was interesting to hear about nature by a doctor’s point of view. He doesn’t welcome nature with open arms. Nature causes bad weather and disasters. Nature also creates and spreads viruses and diseases. He wasn’t being pessimistic, but was widening my view. Nothing is bad or good. Like yin and yang. Everything has good and bad. And I would say everything needs to be balanced. He recapped his point that I need to be cautious. I think he gave me the advice as a friend, not as a doctor.
I thought I was his last patient for the day. When he opened the door, there were few more patients waiting. He told me to stay away from the Mexicans. I told him he didn’t have to worry about it. I saw he raised his eyebrow. I’m basically stuck in my place and hardly interact with people. If the swine flu arrives in my area, there won’t be any chance for me to avoid it even I’m housebound, as I seem to catch viruses in the air while I’m staying at home. But the situation is not that bad here, yet.
~ * ~
Some useful LDN information.
The Low Dose Naltrexon
You Tube: LDN on News
Fiikus: LDN
Blog: LDN journal
Blog: Learning to Live with CFS
And there is always Google.
Posted in Depression, Doctors, ME/CFS, MS Tagged: LDN