Mayo’s Diagnosis
Happy August!!
Hope your summer is going well! Mine has been quite interesting… 🙃
Before I explain everything I just want to make something super clear.
This November will be 3 years since my first symptom. We have had lots of time to adapt and process.
My progression has been SLOW and I STILL HAVE NO PLANS TO RETIRE FROM MASSAGE THERAPY.
Mayo has diagnosed me with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
There are many reasons why I want to continue working for as long as possible and I just have this weird gut feeling that everything is going to work out.
Some would say I'm in denial and that's okay but let me explain what we know.
A genetic test that Mayo did last September came back with a mutation in the SOD1 gene. It was of uncertain significance, meaning some people with the mutation get ALS and some never do.
To make it more interesting, the specialist we saw last week made the comment that the specific mutation within the gene in me has never been seen before which makes things even more uncertain…
The evidence that Mayo has for a diagnosis of a nerve disease (meaning the muscles are not receiving proper nerve signal) includes their in-person assessment, the muscle biopsy from last August, the genetic test of uncertain significance and the most recent EMG. Otherwise nothing else.
In my last post in June I talked about how my husband and I went to a doctor in Missouri who specializes in Lyme disease. Since then we have found positive test results for:
Lyme disease (4 different strains)
low thyroid t3
low testosterone and progesterone
hypercoagulation
low D3
mild anemia
and chronic strep
This is great because no other doctor has looked at these things. There's A LOT of controversy about Lyme, parasites, mold exposure, etc., being the root cause of a lot of diseases like ALS.
The Lyme doctor in Missouri said he's had patients with ALS that got better. No guarantees of course. And according to ALSREVERSALS.COM, there have been 62 confirmed cases of ALS reversals since the 60s.
I'm not saying Mayo is wrong and we did start the process of getting approved by insurance for an experimental ALS treatment called Qalsody.
What I'm really trying to say is there's too many unknowns and we should stay positive. The specialist at Mayo said this isn't like a pregnancy test… lol. They can not say with 100% certainty that this is ALS and because they don't really acknowledge Lyme as a potential cause this is the closest thing they have for a diagnosis.
So I will continue to show up for anyone who still benefits from my massages and will keep you updated on any decline or improvements. 🙂
I've noticed some tiny improvements since starting treatment with the Lyme doctor and we're just getting started.
I come from a family of researchers. We read OBSESSIVELY so there are many things that we have been researching.
For example, a couple days ago I came across a Facebook page where completely paralyzed patients with ALS are experimenting with high doses of magnesium and low doses of progesterone and THEY'RE GETTING BETTER!!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/673879598787987/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT
I want to share a podcast here because the guy who discovered this link between magnesium and progesterone deficiency and ALS believes it may also be the root of many other diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Could it be that simple??
https://youtu.be/wLE-sXi6COU?si=nrzAvd_9pdAZ7TiM
If you would like to support, I'm still taking clients that don't require really deep tissue work. I have 2 openings tomorrow (Tuesday the 5th) at 11:00 and 2:00.
Schedule online here: https://www.vagaro.com/plushsalonandspa2/book-now
Or text me at: 319-483-8089
I also opened an Etsy shop a few months ago and have been slowly adding products for sale.
Check out my shop here: https://dragonflyallee.etsy.com
And lastly, I created my first online course!!
I've been wanting to do this for years and I finally did. 😆
Introducing: Meal Planning For Weight Loss
In this self-guided video course you get over 2 hours of my top tips and tricks for losing weight with food and meal planning.
I show exactly how I planned my days for weight loss and how I kept it off without cravings and lots of willpower.
Willpower only works for a short period of time so we have to be strategic and hack our diet to lose weight and keep it off with the least amount of effort possible. 🧘
That's what this course will teach you.
I'm selling this course for only $37!
BUT if you purchase before August 15th, I'm taking an additional $10 off when you use the coupon code: MEALPLAN10
Get MEAL PLANNING FOR WEIGHT LOSS for only $27 here: https://whitneyowen.thrivecart.com/meal-planning-weightloss/
I know I always say this but I always mean it from the bottom of my heart:
I have the best clients in the world 💜
Thank you for your support,
Whitney Owen, LMT, CHC 🙂
