Poop

Posted on April 27, 2015 by erinparker75

Saw a new doctor last week. I feel like I’ve run my course with Mathias. Every time I go with the same old symptoms (anxiety/insomnia) he just throws a new Rx at me and says he doesn’t know what else to do. It’s sad for me, but I appreciate his honesty, because that means it’s time to move on and find a new route.

Enter Dr. Ginsberg, via my sister in law. She’s a gyno, but specializes in hormone balancing combined with nutrition, so she really gets how the gut is the epicenter of everything in the body.

I meet with her and a nutritionist for my first visit. 8 vials of blood and 2.5 hours later I walk out with no answers other than my GI is wrecked and my hormones are wandering around like assholes, disregarding their purpose and ruining my life. Things I already know.

4 days later I returned with a urine specimen and they took 4 more vials of blood. The nurse got the vein the first time, each time, which is a huge win for me.

THIS week, I get to do a 3 day stool specimen test. Yep. You should see this elaborate test kit they gave me. I’m surprised it didn’t include a hazmat suit. I get to poop in a tray (a tray!), then scoop my poop into little prescription bottles filled with liquid. There are skull and cross bones signs all over the bottles, warning you not to drink them. Uh, warning unnecessary guys. Really. Then I REFRIGERATE my specimens. Oh and I’m temping this week, so I get to do all of this in the office bathroom and then hide it under my desk. Once that’s done I ship it via FedEx….???

Anywho, this doctor is of the same vein as my current GI in that she says my gut is totes screwed and the cause of my current anguish. She’s also the first doctor to dig a little deeper into my anxiety. “Are you anxious like someone is coming to kill you and you’re afraid? Or is it more like hyperactivity?” No one has asked me that before. It’s definitely hyperactivity – I can’t sit still. Meanwhile, my brain has tucked itself in for the night, which leaves me with just enough power to watch Netflix. Tina Fey never gets old.

I have my follow up May 28. 432 weeks later, it seems. Guess it takes that long to get the test results back. Like I said, it wasn’t anything I haven’t heard before about my complicated case, but seems like a new approach. We’ll see. This shit ain’t cheap, either. Right out of the gate put me $600 in the hole. Nothing like a chronic disease to drain the ol’ bank account. Plus, the urine and stool tests were each around $150, not to mention what future costs I will incur. Worth it.

They also emphasized how gluten is the enemy because your body will attack gluten and your thyroid at the same time because they look identical. This causes a hell of a lot of confusion and, autoimmune disease if you’re lucky. My thyroid antibodies are 28, when they are supposed to be <20. My fasting glucose is high, but then it tapers out pretty evenly so they aren’t so positive that I have an insulin sensitivity.  I’m sure a new diet will be in the works as the previous one I was going off of was compiled at the height of Belinda Carlisle’s career. For now – no cheese or gluten. Except when dining at French or Spanish restaurants. I mean, I’m not a barbarian.

If you want further information – here is the website: Women’s Specialty Healthcare

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6 Responses to Poop

  1. A says:
    April 27, 2015 at 10:22

    Can I ask why you’re seeing a new GI? I am also going for a second opinion (one that’s not 3.5 hours away) after I figured out that our Gi and our surgeon don’t seem to actually be coferring about my case. When I saw our surgeon again for my upcoming lap, I got a hinky feeling about him too… Not a good feeling when the guy is about to cut me open…

    Reply
    • erinparker75 says:
      April 27, 2015 at 10:53

      definitely not a good feeling…and maybe reconsider your surgeon? who is it? i’m actually seeing a gyno, not a GI, but she specializes in integrative medicine and knows a ton about the gut and how its the center point of the body. she works with nutritionists as well so its a really comprehensive treatment. my current GI’s response has just been to try a new drug every time i see him. no drawing blood, no conducting other tests…so i just feel like i’ve run my course with him. i can email you the new dr info if you like?

      Reply
  2. Donna Cockrell Thorwaldson says:
    April 27, 2015 at 22:46

    You don’t know me, but you know my brother, Larry and his wife Martha. He told me about your blog and everything you’ve been through. Erin, I feel like you’re definitely on the right track. My daugher has spent a lifetime of misery, suffering from constipation, anxiety, depression, fatigue and endless hours of sleep that did not provide the restorative rest her body needed. Doctor after doctor after doctor ran tests from their standard AMA toolbox that yielded absolutely nothing other than a low thyroid issue. It wasn’t until we ran across a functional medicine nurse practitioner who looked “outside the box” that we started getting answers; severe food allergies, leaky gut, hormonal imbalances and some genetic issues to name a few. It’s been a process but she has made great improvement with still more to go. Unfortunately, like you said, it gets very expensive since most of it is not covered by insurance. But at that point, it doesn’t matter. If only we had gotten our answers over a decade ago when we first started looking! Keep looking until you get yours.

    Reply
    • erinparker75 says:
      April 28, 2015 at 08:49

      Hi Donna, isn’t it so disheartening it took this long to find a diagnosis for her?! Leaky gut causes so many health issues, not to mention the other things she is suffering with. I think all the time about how much better I would be today if I had known about endo 10 years ago. I’ve made great improvements since, say, 6 months ago, but overall I’m still not anywhere close to being well, so I understand how your daughter feels. How wonderful to finally have answers though, because then you can start tackling the problem. It’s so frustrating to feel this way, and have every doctor tell you there isn’t anything wrong with you. Thank you for reading! Maybe share with your daughter too. It always helps me to know I’m not alone in this, so maybe it will help her too.

      Reply
  3. Mandyland says:
    June 27, 2016 at 18:26

    Hello Erin,
    Came across your blog and coincidentally, I am a patient of both Mathias and Dr Ginsberg. I have been on the Mathias regimen for some time. My most recent visit to Ginsberg I left with the “poo kit” as well. I have not yet followed through with collecting my specimens for send off. I am still building up the courage and trying to let go of some pride to do so. I am curious as to whether you received helpful results from the study of your specimen?
    Mandy

    Reply
    • erinparker75 says:
      June 28, 2016 at 13:25

      Hi Mandy!
      Yes the results were really interesting, the most important one showing that my body was absorbing almost zero nutrients…all food was just passing straight through me. That showed them how damaged my GI was and they put me on an even stricter diet than the one Mathias has. Most importantly, no gluten, dairy, sugar or alcohol. It was tough, but within a month I was way better!!! So do it!!! It provides such great info about your body. How did you find Dr Ginsberg?

      Reply

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