A Diagnosis

Red Blood Cells

I saw my doc today for the low down on my labs. It’s not really very good. BUT I believe that I will defeat this crap, one way or another. “His grace is sufficient for me. When I am weak then I am strong. His power is made perfect in weakness.”~The Apostle Paul of Tarsus

He ran a test called, Coomb’s. It came back positive. Basically, I have what’s called Hemolytic Anemia. It’s an auto-immune issue. I have some “unknown” antibodies that are attacking my red blood cells and blasting them to smithereens. Mine don’t look anything like the picture above. Mine have a zillion foreign antibodies attacking. Then my liver can’t handle the load of crap that I’m sending it and it can’t carry the dead red blood cells out of my body fast enough so then my bilirubin shoots up. I think that’s about it. But basically my red blood cells are being destroyed at a rapid rate. And due to this my LDH is high which indicates damage to my internal tissues and organs.

My doc hasn’t seen anyone with this since he did his residency 5 years ago. He was totally blown away. It’s possible that I was reinfected in June when I had another deer tick. But no one really knows. He does know that in 2005 my CBC was completely normal. And in 2005 I thought death was knocking. So, he was greatly encouraged that this is a relatively new problem.

Good news is that my work on building hemoglobin is working. I went from 26 to 30. He really was pleased with that and couldn’t tell me enough how wonderful that was. I have to get it to 34. So, for now, we’re running tests every 3 weeks to monitor my RBC. I’m continuing with my detox protocol of coffee enemas, 1200 mg milk thistle, my molasses and yellow dock, dandelion root concoction, rifing and adding Artemisiae back in.

He doesn’t think it’s Bartonella as much as he thinks it’s Babesia. That’s why he thinks I’ve been reinfected. All the research he did and what could be connected to the Hemolytic Anemia is Babesia. Some of the best information out there for us on these diseases is on veterinary sites.

So for now, I’ll keep plugging away at it. Hey, lets be positive, now if you have these same labs come back at least you can suggest this to your doc. Part of solving this puzzle is finding all the pieces. Boy I wish I could get those corners. My doc explained to me about T1 and T2. These infections are sooooo intelligent that they’ve figured out if they can get the immune system to attack itself then it’s not attacking it. I’m sorry I can’t even communicate it back to you. It’s all very confusing, especially when it’s you. He writes it all down for me because he knows I’m going to research it and find more answers. I love my doc. He’s so compassionate and caring.

Well, it’s not like I haven’t had Babesia before. But it sure is a hard one to kill. I’ll be ordering more Artemisiae from Hepapro which in my opinion is the best on the market. Bryan Rosner even mentions it in his book, The Top 10 Lyme Disease Treatments.  Bartonella is still very active and I’m hitting it with the rife machine. It’s definitely connected to my back going out on me. But the area of my spleen is connected to all of this other stuff. So, we’re running a sonogram of my spleen to see if it is in fact enlarged. Which would make complete sense considering.

Don’t give up hope. I believe this is just one more hurdle to jump over. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Remember that. When you think you can’t go any further, you can. Take a rest and continue the fight. Never, never, never give up!

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13

Pineapple Chutney

Nourishing Traditions Pineapple Chutney

I have an appointment to see my doc today on the eve of my 50th birthday. I hope he has some good b-day news for me on my new labs. Since I got the first report that my labs weren’t looking so hot, I began focusing on what I knew.

I’m severely anemic, my liver enzymes are high and my bilirubin is high. All of this points to Bartonella. I’ll see what he thinks. But since this is what I know, I decided to focus more of my diet on these lab results. It can’t hurt.

As I’ve told you, according to G. S. Whipple a Nobel-prize winner, apricots are as “equal to liver in hemoglobin regeneration.” My apricot butter has been a really great treat on my sourdough toast or in my yogurt. But, I like to spread my nutrient dense foods around. And I enjoy adding as many new lacto-fermented foods as I can.

However, I’m still eating liver. In fact this AM, I juiced some grassfed raw liver in my carrot juice. Dr. Max Gerson is known to have used this remedy to heal cancer patients. I of course would never do this unless I knew the source of my liver and knew it had been frozen for at least 14 days to kill any parasites. At least that’s what is recommended. Funny thing is, I didn’t taste it at all. I’m not sure how much I got, and if my juicer does the best job of getting all the goodness out of it, but I figured, what the heck! I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!!!! 😀

According to Sally Fallon, pineapple is high in fiber and contains carotenoids, B-complex vitamins and vitamin C. Professor Francisco Villaroel of Bolivia, claims pineapple to be a powerful remedy for chest ailments, jaundice, arteriosclerosis, anemia and cerebral problems, such as neurasthenia, melancholia, and loss of memory.

It’s also rich in manganese, which is necessary for strong bones and a strong nervous system. The manganese in pineapple is a particularly absorbent source.

To me, it sounded like another good choice for what ales me. If nothing else, I found another amazingly delish recipe from Nourishing Traditions. I was a bit leary, since cilantro isn’t necessarily my favorite. I thought, oh yum, pineapple salsa! But, it’s not at all like salsa. It’s very very good. Just a hint of salty and sour and just a hint of the sweet pineapple remaining.

Here’s what’s in it: pineapple, cilantro, ginger, lime juice, salt, whey and water. If you don’t have a copy of NT, you really need one. I believe that our food can be our medicine. And if it’s prepared in the proper ways, then it’s more nutrient dense and absorbable to our delicate systems.

Good News

Liver with Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

I cooked up extra beef liver the other day and I found a really good recipe in Nourishing Traditions.  If you don’t have a copy of NT, I pretty much improvised as usual.  Here’s how I did it.  I sliced my leftover beef liver into bite size pieces.  I heated a cast iron skillet with lard and cooked one medium onion until it started to soften.  Then I added the liver that had been floured and cooked previously.  Heat for a short time, just to warm.  Then I added a dash or two of balsamic vinegar, 1/4 C beef stock and I sprinkled some arrowroot on top. Stir it all together and allow to thicken slightly.  I added some leftover carrots from last nights pot roast.  The carrots really gave it a nice flavor.

I’m still not a BIG fan of liver.  It’s something I’m tolerating right now because I have to.

I did find some really great info in Nourishing Traditions this AM.

“According to Professor Francisco Villaroel of Bolivia, pinapple is a powerful remedy for ….anemia.”

Better than that….Apricots are especially rich in iron.  And get this….have I got your attention????

‘Nobel-prize winner G. S. Whipple praised the apricot as “equal to liver in hemoglobin regeneration.”‘

WOW!!!!! That is amazingly good news!

Most of us with Lyme Disease have at least one if not multiple co-infections.  If you have Bartonella, be aware that it infects your red blood cells, and more spefically, your bone marrow.  Red Blood cells are made in your bone marrow.  So don’t wait, until you are severely anemic, start now to enrich your diet with iron rich foods.  Always choose a variety of foods to get a broad spectrum of nutrients.

Photo Credit: link to original artist

One Amazing Food!

(chicken liver mousse-this was fabulous!)

(see recipe below)

I’ve never been a huge fan of liver. However, since my recent diagnosis of severe anemia, I realize that liver is my friend. I found this amazing story on the WAPF site. Links are given if you’d like to see the entire article by Lynn Razaitis.

A CURE FOR ANEMIA

Pernicious anemia is a debilitating disease caused by B12 deficiency. Until 1926, the only treatment for the disease was blood transfusions. Shortly thereafter, Drs. Whipple, Murphy and Minot received the Nobel Price for their discovery of liver therapy for the disease. Dr. William P. Murphy recalls the discovery of the therapy:

“Dr. George Whipple of the University of Rochester had demonstrated that liver caused a rapid replacement of blood in dogs made anemic by bleeding. From his idea, we proposed that liver might be useful in treating pernicious anemia, even though this anemia was totally different from the one induced in dogs.

“With these observations, it became important to prove the efficacy of liver. But in those days, getting permission to do studies was not such an easy matter. The chief physician of Peter Bent Brigham Hospital was quite skeptical, but gave me permission with the understanding that a transfusion would never be withheld from a patient who needed one.

“I started one of my patients on liver therapy. This patient, a man in his forties, was critically ill and partially comatose. In spite of his condition, I was able to explain to him that liver might be distinctly useful to him. We found that if a patient were fed half a pound of liver per day, it would take about five days to show an increase in red blood count.

“But this man seemed more ill on the fifth day. According to the policy laid down, my patient was a candidate for a transfusion. I stayed up very late that night trying to decide to give him the liver. It was a miserable night, but around midnight I noticed that his red blood cell count had increased slightly. That gave me courage to go on with the liver. When I saw his blood count go up, I went home and collapsed into bed, slept very poorly and was back at the hospital at seven o’clock the next morning.

“I approached his room with fear and trembling, and cautiously peaked around the corner to see if he was still alive. To my great surprise and relief he sat up in bed and cheerfully asked, “What time is breakfast?” His blood count was at the maximum and he not only survived but lived many years. With that success, the staff became cooperative.

“Later, patients didn’t have to choke down liver but could receive extracts and still later, vitamin B12. . .”

For those who want to prevent pernicious anemia from ever occurring, the best course of action is to eat liver once a week, as our ancestors usually did.

~~~

I also found this great new recipe on the same site at WAPF. It sounds really yummy. I’ll use cream instead of sour cream (just because that’s what I have on hand). Plus I also read another recipe using bacon! That sounds good too.

Liver with Sour Cream

Serves 4

2 1/2 pounds liver (calf, pork or beef), sliced
2 onions, chopped
1 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter
2 cup beef stock
2 tablespoons dill, freshly chopped
2 tablespoons unbleached white flour
sea salt and pepper to taste

Wash, pat dry, and sprinkle each piece of liver with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, fry on each side in butter and remove. Sauté the onions until golden brown and then layer both liver and onions in a deep pot. Deglaze the pan with beef stock, stir well and add the sour cream, stir, then add to the liver and onions. Mix well and cover. Cook slowly over low-heat for 20 minutes. Uncover, stir well, re-cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove liver from pot, arrange on individual plates and pour sauce over the slices. Sprinkle with the dill. This is very good when served with boiled or fried potatoes or rice.

~~~

Here is another great recipe from my friend Ann Marie. I made it w/o the cognac. Mine is photoed above and it is delicious!!! I’m wondering if it would be as good with beef liver.

Balthazar’s Chicken Liver Mousse

1 pound chicken livers
1/2 pound plus 4 TBS butter, melted
1 egg
2 tsp salt
Pinch of quatre-epices (equal parts nutmeg, allspice, cloves and cinnamon)
Pinch of freshly ground white pepper
2 TBS Cognac

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Brush 6 4-oz ramekins with the 4 TBS melted butter.
3. Process the chicken livers, egg, salt, quatre-epices, pepper, and Cognac in a food processor. (I left out the Cognac, since I wanted to feed this to Kate. I didn’t have any white pepper so I used black pepper instead. And I used freshly grated nutmeg, only because I happen to have whole nutmegs and a nutmeg grater.)
4. With the food processor running, slowly add the 1/2 pound of melted butter. Blend for 15 seconds.
5. Pour the mixture into the ramekins, filling 3/4 of the way.
5. Set the ramekins in a baking dish and fill the baking dish with water to half the height of the ramekins.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.
7. Let the ramekins cool, and then refrigerate until needed.
8. Run a warm knife around the edge of each ramekin, cover with a plate, and invert.
9. Serve chilled (we ate it room temp) with baguette toasts.

~~~

We aren’t sure yet, why I am severely anemic, but in my opinion it matters not. Not that it doesn’t matter, we will get to the bottom of it, but I mean, eating liver. I will up my liver intake to fit the doctors experiment in the above story. Oh boy, 1/2 lb liver a day!!!!! Man, I think I’ll go through a bunch of my 100 onions, plus all that liver from our steer. If I have to eat liver, I’d rather have chicken livers, BUT you guessed it….beef liver is the better! Look at this chart. It’s amazing! Look at the Vit A! Look at the Selenium! Look at that Potassium…it’s better than a banana!  Just look at the amazing nutrients…this for sure is a nutrient dense food if I ever saw one!!!!

Liver Comparison Chart

From: Nutrition Almanac, by John D. Kirschmann

	Beef	Lamb	Veal	Chicken	Duck	Goose	Turkey
Amount	1lb	1lb	1lb	1	1	1	1
Weight: gm	454	454	454	32	44	94	102
Vitamin A	199130	229070	102060	6576	17559	29138	18403
Vitamin B1	1.16	1.81	.9	.044	–	.528	.062
Vitamin B2	14.79	14.9	12.3	.628	–	.838	2.21
Vitamin B6	14	1.36	3.04	.24	–	.72	.78
Vitamin B12	363	472	272	7.35	23.7	–	64.6
Biotin	454	454	–	–	–	–	–
Niacin	61.6	76.5	51.8	2.96	–	6.11	10.35
Pantothen Acid	35	32.7	36.3	1.98	–	–	7.81
Folic Acid	.99	.99	–	236	–	–	752
Vitamin C	140	152	161	10.8	–	–	4.6
Vitamin E	6.36	–	–	–	–	–	–
Calcium	36	45	36	3	5	40	7
Copper	12.7	25	36	.126	2.62	7.07	.512
Iron	29.5	49.4	39.9	2.74	13.4	–	11
Magnesium	59	64	73	6	–	23	21
Manganese	1.23	1.04	–	.083	–	–	.294
Phosphorus	1597	1583	1510	87	118	245	319
Potassium	1275	916	1275	73	–	216	303
Selenium	206	–	–	–	–	–	–
Sodium	617	236	331	25	–	132	98
Zinc	17	–	17	.98	–	–	2.53
Total Fat	17.5	19.6	21.3	1.23	2.04	4.03	4.05
Saturated Fat	6.8	6.9	–	42	.63	1.49	1.28
Unsaturated Fat	5	6.63	–	.5	.59	1	1.73
Cholesterol	1360	1361	1361	140	227	–	475