I was asked my Nicola Whitehill to do my Bio to help spread awareness for Scleroderma as June is Scleroderma month. It took a lot to go through and remember that I have been through a lot! I have learned a lot about my character and my fight to a healthy lifestyle! I have added my Bio so that you too can see that the fight may be hard at times, but it is all worth it! You are worth the fight, so don't ever give up and continue to be your own advocate and you may need to switch doctor's to get the best care for your body! Keep your head up and keep moving forward despite the obstacle that you may be on! God only gives you what He can handle, so put your faith, trust, and hope in Him and ask Him to show you the direction in which He wants you to go! By researching and finding what you are putting in or on your body can help tremendously and help you to use Food as Medicine to help heal your gut!
Name: Kelli Renee’ Schrag, 37 years old
Location: Amarillo, Texas, USA
Diagnosis: Limited (CREST) Scleroderma, Secondary Raynaud’s
Phenomenon, Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease, Triple X Syndrome (47, XXX
Chromosomes)
Year of diagnosis: October 2012, May 2014
Age of diagnosis: 32 years old, 34 years old
Where/who diagnosed
you?
Dr.
Mortansen, Rheumatologist at Via Christi Clinic in Wichita, KS in 2012
(Scleroderma, Secondary Raynaud’s Phenomenon and Dr. Ashima Makol,
Rheumatologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN in 2014 (Limited Scleroderma),
Dr. Robert McBane, Vascular Doctor at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN in 2014
(Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease), Dr. Charles Coddington III,
Endocronologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN in 2014 (Triple X Syndrome: 47,
XXX Chromosomes)
What were your
presenting symptoms?
When
I was a child I had 4 broken arms and in my 20’s I had issues with my bones
fracturing in my feet, rolling of my ankles when walking, and the ball of my
foot hurting when I walked. I remember
during college breaks from 1999-2004 in the winter, I worked in Maintenance and
my hands would turn purple and go numb often.
No one ever seemed too concerned about it, but they would take a long
time to warm back up. I continued
working outside after college until 2010 when I chose to stay at home with my
two children. I remember when working in
the flowerbeds and pulling weeds, my hands would get stiff and I had some
indentions in one of my fingers from writing.
After giving birth to my son in 2008, I had a pinched sciatica nerve and
I began having issues with Carpal Tunnel.
In the winter of 2011, my hands started turning white with no reason or
temperature change. In 2012, after
running in a 5K my sciatica nerve was pinched again. My fingers continued to turn red, white, and
blue into the summer months where they also started going numb and my hands
started swelling were mottled with red and yellow and red surrounding my
cuticles. I had 4 miscarriages from
2007-2012 with 2 healthy pregnancies during that time.
How long did it take for
you to be diagnosed after first symptoms?
Please describe your experience (Did you see GP? Blood Tests, etc?)
2
months and 1 ½ years for being diagnosed
I
never realized what was causing all my symptoms listed above but, after staying
home and not working, I was seeing Dr. Derin Dopps, my Chiropractor in Wichita,
KS in August 2012 and after having 2 miscarriages in a row and my fingers
turning red, white, and blue in the middle of the summer, he recommended I go
to a Rheumatologist as he thought I had Raynaud’s Phenomenon. I scheduled an appointment with my Primary
Care Physician, Dr. Ronald Stevens at Via Christi Clinic in Newton, KS as I had
to have a referral to see Dr. Mortansen, Rheumatologist at Via Christi Clinic
in Wichita, KS. I had to wait 2 months
after this appointment, to get into see Dr. Mortansen. He took 22 vials of blood for lab work and
x-rays of my chest, hands, and feet and the lab work was sent to Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, MN. It took 2 weeks to get my
results back from Dr. Mortansen and the lab results showed Scleroderma and
Secondary Raynaud’s Phenomenon. His
office sent me a pamphlet of information on Scleroderma and in the pamphlet it
had recommendations to have an Echocardiogram done annually. There was no follow up. I was just told to watch for symptoms, but I
wasn’t positive what symptoms I should be looking for as it was all a shock to
me with no added information. I was left
with nothing and that resulted in my checking the internet for answers which is
where I found that most people don’t live past 40 years old when they have
Scleroderma. I had lost hope and became
very stressed with no information given to me following the diagnosis. The Digital Tip Ulcers with basal line hemorrhages
on my cuticles and fingernails started in January 2013, shortly after being
diagnosed. I began seeing Dr. Brett Nedich, a new Primary
Care Physician and Dr. Mortansen for these ulcers. The ulcers took 6 months to heal and 3 months
later I had another one. Dr. Mortansen
recommended that I not eat cold foods, such as ice cream in fear it would cause
Esophageal issues down the road and to wear warm gloves to keep my hands warm
to help prevent the ulcers. After having
several digital tip ulcers for the following year and a half, I began to get
hopeless and depressed. The pain from
the ulcers was excruciating and I wanted to just quit living. I reached out to my family, friends, and most
of all God and I began seeing things in a new light and seeking out other
doctors with a holistic approach, using food as medicine. In 2014, I began seeing a Nutritionist and in
May of 2014, I went to see Dr. Jeffrey Davis at Prairie Health & Wellness
in Wichita, KS as he was a holistic medicine doctor and he referred me to Mayo
Clinic in Rochester, MN. At Mayo Clinic,
I saw a Rheumatologist, Dr. Ashima Makol and she did several blood tests
including an ANA Centromere Test and she diagnosed me with Limited (CREST)
Scleroderma. I also saw Dr. Robert
McBane, a Vascular Doctor at Mayo Clinic who did a Vascular Study and diagnosed
me with Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease, and Dr. Charles Coddington, an Endocrinologist,
at Mayo Clinic who did Genetic Testing on me and diagnosed me with Triple X
Syndrome (47, XXX Syndrome), which may have been the cause of the 4
miscarriages.
Current Reality:
Please describe your
current symptom involvement and management, including any treatments you’re
taking and have taken.
I
currently have no digital tip ulcers, only scarring on 3 of my fingers from old
ulcers. I have decreased taking LDN (Low
Dose Naltrexone) to 2.25mg from 4.5mg as my doctor would like to see how I do
off of the medicine. I started the LDN
in February 2016 gradually to help with my symptoms, which has helped
tremendously. Once I started taking the
LDN, I began to notice I could do a lot more with my hands! I was able to actually use my hands, do
office work, close my fist, type, write, meal prep, cook volunteer, hold a book
without my hands falling asleep, and lots more!
I use an Infrared Sauna daily for 30-45 minutes to help my body to
detoxify and to heal. I have a spot on
one finger that I am concerned about developing into an ulcer, but it is going
away with the use of the Infrared Sauna.
I am doing an Elimination Diet currently to rid my body of added toxins,
as I have become very sensitive to many different foods that I eat and
ingredients that touch my skin. I am
allergic to Wheat, Gluten, Dairy, Chicken, Onions, Candida, Eggs, Corn, Tomato,
and many other things. Histamine foods
cause a lot of bloating and inflammation within my digestive tract. I get constipated and have hemorrhoids when
certain foods are eaten. It is hard to
stick with a diet when I never know what may cause an issue with my body. My hands tend to swell and are always mottled
with red and yellowing in color, my fingers are red around my fingertips and
cuticle area. I drink Zeal by Zurvita as
a supplement to help provide my body the antioxidants and nutrients it needs
and Vegan Shakeology by Beachbody to provide my body with a protein and
additional antioxidants and nutrients that my body is unable to get from having
so many allergy sensitivities. I take 2
Tbsp of BRAGGS Apple Cider Vinegar, 4 oz water, ½ squeezed lemon juice, and 1
Tbsp Honey 2-3 times a day to help my digestive issues. I take a Probiotic with 100 billion Live
Cultures and 16 strains of bacteria, 3g of Krill Oil to get my Omega 3’s to
help with joint pain, Vitamin E to help get healthy fats in my body, DHist to
help with allergies, 120 mg Gingko biloba to help with the Raynaud’s
Phenomenon, Strontium citrate to help with bone health due to significant bone loss
in my lower mandible due to being allergic to the metal oral implants I had
placed in my mouth in 2006, and Vegan Vitamin K2 to help with bone health as
well. My mouth used to be very dry and
now it is moist after have the metal in my mouth removed from the oral
implants, screw, and crowns. I have had
the following annual tests done, since being diagnosed in 2012, Pulmonary
Function Tests to check my lungs, Echocardiograms to check for blockages in my
heart, and Chest X-rays to check for blockages.
All tests have been normal with a small blockage in my chest. I had oral surgery in March 2017 to remove my
oral implants, a partial screw that had broke when the oral surgeon was trying
to remove it in June 2016, and crowns of 5 teeth in my lower mandible that were
placed in 2006, due to a metal allergy to Titanium dioxide, Titanium sulfate,
and Vanadium that I was tested for in November and December of 2016 with
Neuroscience Pharmasan Labs MELISA Metal Allergy Blood Tests by my Primary Care
Physician, Dr. Eric Ehle. My hair has
been falling out a lot which may be due to detoxification of the oral surgery
and the metals, but I’m not sure. I have
varicose veins on my right leg and ankle that can become painful and swollen at
times when I walk and sit for long periods of time. I have red dots on my face, which could be
Telangiectasia. I have low back pain,
shoulder, and neck pain a lot, which I see my Dr. Eric Ehle for and he does
chiropractic work on me and acupuncture.
I have Raynaud’s Phenomenon some and wear mittens almost year
round. I have vertical ridges and very
small moons on my fingernails. My house
is kept at 75 degrees, if it is below 73 degrees inside or outside, I get too
cold and have to dress like it is freezing outside. I am currently seeing Dr. Ehle as my Primary
Care Physician and his Nutritionist in his office to help me figure out what
foods would help me to absorb more nutrients and which ones to get rid of to
heal my gut. I no longer take the
Tracleer as it was recommended by my Primary Care Physician to remove it before
my oral surgery. I noticed no difference
in removing the Tracleer and my current condition remained well. I have since had the Paraguard Copper IUD
removed that I had placed for taking the Tracleer medication to prevent
pregnancy and birth defects and I no longer have to have monthly liver function
tests or pregnancy tests. After stopping
the Tracleer, I did not have my menstrual cycle for 51 days, and I had done a
pregnancy test 1 month following stopping the medication, and the test was
negative, so my body may have just been adjusting to the medication not being
taken. I still am very careful with what
I put on my body as I develop hives easily if I have an allergy to certain
ingredients, especially alcohol, latex, grape seed oil, and rosemary extract. I have more energy than before and am able to
exercise more. My face structure has
changed, since having the oral surgery in a good way as my jaw line looks
straight and not slanted. I don’t wear
my mittens as much as I used to and my nails are growing and I am able to continue
volunteering at the school my kids attend and the church we attend. I have had several doctors and specialists
since 2012 and have become my own advocate in trying to find the best person to
care for me. I have currently found that
with my current primary care physician, Dr. Eric Ehle, Well Life Family
Medicine in Amarillo, TX, and by the grace of God to get me through this fight! In June 2015, I started a Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/healinglovingsclerodermawithrealfood/
with Nicola Whitehill as an Admin and my blog http://healinglovingsclerodermawithrealfood.blogspot.com/2016/04/healingloving-scleroderma-with-real-food.html
to help keep others informed about my health and to help them to also use
food as medicine, and help them to continue fighting and being their own
advocates in this fight for a cure for Scleroderma! I would like to incorporate juicing and bone broth
into my diet to help heal my gut! And I am
excited to see what my body does as I continue to heal after the oral surgery I
had in March of 2017. I haven’t been able
to work since 2013, when I got the digital tip ulcers, but I would like to look
into it.
I
would not have been able to type this or write with my hands between 2013 and
2016 due to the digital tip ulcers I was getting. Here is what happened during
that time. In 2013, when the digital tip
ulcers started, I began seeing Dr. Brett Nedich as my primary care physician
and he had no clue what to do about the digital tip ulcers and found pictures
on the internet to show me what they could be.
He referred me to a vascular doctor to have an Echocardiogram done and
after the test came back normal, he had me have a Transesophigial
Echocardiogram (TEE) Test done to check my heart for blockages. There were no signs of a blockage to cause
the digital tip ulcers. My
rheumatologist, Dr. Mortansen recommended that I use Nitrobid for my hands to
improve circulation and to take Slo-Niacin to help me to stay warm with the
side effects of hot flashes, they were not very pleasant. I stopped the Slo-Niacin, but continued to
use the Nitrobid. My rheumatologist also
had me take 80 mg aspirin and Amlopedine daily.
I continued to get ulcers that lasted 6 months and would return on
another finger 3 months after that and I had to stop my small home business selling
Premier Designs Jewelry as I was homebound due to the weather and the pain in my
hands. I wanted more answers about why
my body was continually getting the digital tip ulcers. After being severely depressed and stressed
and almost committing suicide, I found support from my husband, family, friends
and especially God. I realized this
fight was more than I could handle and I needed to put my complete faith,
trust, and hope in God to get me through it.
After I made that decision, I began seeing things in a whole new light!
In
2014, I began seeing a Nutritionist, Dr. Patrick Garrett in Newton, KS. He helped me understand why my body may be
doing some of the things it was and we found more sensitivities that my body
had towards food and things I applied to my skin. In March 2014, I had a Comprehensive Food
Panel done called an IgG ELISA blood test to check what foods caused the
highest amount of inflammation in my body.
I was using MediHoney on the digital tip ulcer as it was recommended to
use Manuka Honey as a healthy alternative to healing wounds. I also stopped seeing my primary care
physician and I began seeing a Holistic Medicine Doctor, Dr. Jeffrey Davis at
Prairie Health & Wellness in Wichita, KS, and he became my Primary Care
Physician. He referred me to Mayo Clinic
to get further diagnosed. Dr. Robert
McBane, is my Vascular Doctor at Mayo Clinic and after doing a vascular study, they
diagnosed me with Peripheral Occlusive Arterial Disease of the Upper
Extremities due to a blockage in my right pointer finger where my fingertip was
permanently purple from the lack of blood flow.
Dr. McBane took a conservative approach to start with by prescribing an
Intermittent Arterial Compression Pump to help pump oxygen into my arms and
provides blood flow to help my hands to heal from the digital tip ulcers. I was to wear the cuffs and run the pump for
8 hours/day when I had the ulcers and 4 hours/day for 3-6 months without the
ulcers. Dr. Ashima Makol, Rheumatologist
at Mayo Clinic, had me switch to taking Nifedopine instead of Amlopedine, as it
wasn’t working. Dr. McBane also
recommended that I use Iodosorb for the digital tip ulcer to debride the
wounds. Iodosorb was $60 a tube and
insurance would not pay for it, so I never used it during the time I had this
digital tip ulcer. While I was at Mayo
Clinic, I saw an Endocrinologist to do genetic testing to see why I’ve had so
many miscarriages, 4 total and why I’ve had 2 healthy pregnancies during that
time. It was found that I have Triple X
Syndrome (47 chromosomes, XXX Syndrome), which could be the cause of the
miscarriages. After leaving Mayo Clinic
and continuing the usage of the Intermittent Arterial Compression Pump, the
digital tip ulcer began healing. I
continued the pump after the healing of the digital tip ulcer as recommended. I had trouble with insurance covering the
Intermittent Arterial Compression Pump as it was seen as experimental. The stress of that and all that was going on
created another digital tip ulcer and it was recommended that I see Dr. Shirley
Wang, a Rheumatologist in Wichita, KS.
She recommended that I take Plaquenil, but I did not take the medicine
as my primary care physician didn’t recommend it as it was just covering up the
symptom of inflammation and there were ways to address that besides using a
medicine as a band aid for the symptom. I had allergy testing done by Dr. Jeffrey
Davis to determine what foods I needed to stay away from as well. Dr. Shirley Wang recommended that I take
Sildenafil (aka Viagra), which I did take, but I didn’t notice a
difference. I began seeing a hand doctor
as well in Wichita, KS and it was recommended that I not go outside if the
temperature was below 40 degrees and to keep my body covered as I could risk
losing my fingers or toes from gangrene.
I had not had any issues with digital ulcers on my toes, but I’ve had
issues with cold feet and mottled yellow and red colors on the bottoms of my
feet. I researched the medicine
Tracleer, also known as Bosentan, and found that it could be taken to prevent
digital tip ulcers. After lots of
paperwork and having an IUD placed as a requirement for taking the medicine,
Dr. Shirley Wang prescribed the medicine to me.
In
January 2015, I had severe pain in my Left ring finger and both hands turned
grey and white in color and I went to the Emergency Room where they gave me
Morphine for the pain which didn’t even touch it with the first dose and had to
give a second dose to take the pain away.
Dr. Shirley Wang, my Rheumatologist, sent me in for a bone scan where it
was determined that I had Osteomelytis, a bone infection, in my finger. They put me on 6 weeks of IV antibiotics that
I gave myself at home through a PICC Line that they put in my upper Right
arm. I went in weekly to have it checked
and to have the bandage changed. Then I
continued with 3 weeks of oral antibiotics.
I was also seeing a wound care doctor, Dr. John McEachern in Newton,
KS. They used a pain medicine that they
rubbed on my finger that caused a Raynaud’s attack. They also gave me bandages to use to change
daily called Medipore Tape and Mepilex Bandages to help with the healing of the
digital tip ulcer. After seeing the
wound care doctor, it was too painful for me to allow them to touch my finger
and care for me, so I began my own wound care at home and I bought Iodosorb,
Mepilex Bandages, and Medipore Tape from the website www.allegromedical.com for a fraction
of the cost. During this time the
digital tip ulcer on my finger began to heal although it has left a scar and
all my good and bad bacteria was gone.
So I had to rebuild my immune system from all the antibiotics.
In
June 2015, I started the Facebook page Healing Loving Scleroderma with Real
Food with Nicola Whitehill as my Admin to keep others informed about my health,
inform others about Scleroderma and using Food as Medicine, and helping others
to continue fighting and being their own advocates in this fight to find a cure
for Scleroderma. During this time, I
began Juicing following a 28 day plan by Jason Vale and I continued it for 2
more weeks after the 28 days was complete.
I felt my best during this time, with occasional Raynaud’s
symptoms. The inflammation decreased
significantly and the joint pain was gone!
I felt amazing and my skin looked great!
I was able to exercise and lose weight!
I went to Mayo Clinic for a follow up and the doctor’s told me to keep
doing what I was doing with the juicing.
I had a spectra cell test done to see what nutrients I needed and the
results showed that I wasn’t absorbing the nutrients from all the juice I was
taking in from the fruits and vegetables.
My Primary Care Physician, Dr. Jeffrey Davis recommended several
supplements and that I incorporate more fiber and lean meats in my diet. I continued to juice, but eventually stopped
as it was hard to keep up with the supplementation and the juicing with 2
children and a family as we were preparing to move to Amarillo, TX for a new
job for my husband as we were looking for a place that was warmer than only 3
months out of the year.
In
October of 2015, my family moved to Amarillo, TX and I had developed a digital
tip ulcer when my husband moved here in September 2015. I had trouble getting into see a
Rheumatologist and get established with a new doctor, which was an awful
experience as no one could see me very soon being a transfer and no one in
Kansas knew any doctors that specialized in Scleroderma care. Not having a doctor resulted in me using the
bandages, Iodosorb, and Manuka Honey to do my own wound care at home. I am thankful that changing my bandage and
dressing on my digital tip ulcer twice daily was very beneficial and it healed
in 7 months. It was hard to get a doctor
let alone one, to prescribe the Tracleer medicine, as it wasn’t a medicine the
Rheumatologists here were familiar with.
I was able to continue the Tracleer as it was prescribed from my
Rheumatologist in Wichita, KS and covered under Pathways Insurance. After several months I was able to get into
see a Rheumatologist, Dr. Christopher Wright.
He prescribed Sildenafil (aka Viagra) to help with the Raynaud’s in
March of 2016 and he referred me to Dr. Bruce Baker, a Pulmonologist at the
Diagnostic Clinic in Amarillo, TX to have a Pulmonary Function Test done and to
Dr. Daniel Beggs, a GI Doctor at the Diagnostic Clinic. Dr. Beggs said they could do tests on my GI
Tract and could prescribe antibiotics. I
told him I would like to wait as I didn’t want a band aid to manage a
symptom. Dr. Baker did the tests and was
willing to prescribe the Tracleer for the digital tip ulcers as Tracleer is
normally used for Pulmonary Hypertension.
I had been taking the Tracleer as a way to prevent the digital tip
ulcers. I continued having liver
function tests and pregnancy tests done monthly as Tracleer could cause liver
failure and severe birth defects. My
liver function stayed normal during this time and I did not become pregnant.
In
February 2016, I began taking LDN, Low Dose Naltrexone prescribed by my primary
care doctor in Wichita, KS. I began
looking for a holistic medical doctor that would see me as it wasn’t convenient
having a doctor 6 ½ hours away. I began
seeing Dr. Eric Ehle at Well Life Family Medicine in April of 2016. It has been a relief as I have found someone
that wants to help my body as a whole and not just putting a band aid on the
symptom and taking medicine all my life.
After
seeing a new dentist in Amarillo, TX, I was referred to Dr. Aaron Adkins,
D.D.S. in June 2017, who did a deep cleaning on my lower mandible teeth as I
was having severe swelling of my gums and recession of my gums around several
of my teeth and a cold sensation when it was windy outside. During this cleaning they surgically removed
a part of a metal screw that broke in my lower mandible during surgery that was
placed in 2004 from a bone graft that I had done. The bone graft was put in after I had an
aneurismal bone cyst removed that caused significant bone loss and the teeth to
be wholly inside. After the cleaning and
the removal of part of the screw, the swelling returned.
In
August, I stopped taking the Sildenafil as it wasn’t helping prevent the
Raynaud’s attacks and we began trying Acupuncture on my hands and body to help
relieve the symptoms of the Raynaud’s that I was having. In September, I had a bad fall and bruised my
tailbone. The joint pain continued and
it was harder to get out of bed. My
pelvis had to be readjusted with several adjustments by Dr. Eric Ehle and
acupuncture was done to help with the healing.
In
November and December 2016, I had MELISA Metal Allergy Testing done with blood
tests to see if I was allergic to the metal in my oral implants as the swelling
around my gums continued. The MELISA Metal
Allergy Tests showed that I was allergic to Titanium dioxide, Titanium sulfate,
and Vanadium all of which were in the makeup of my oral implants and crowns. My primary care physician, Dr. Eric Ehle and
dentist, Dr. Jack Fong, Amarillo, TX were concerned with my immune system with me
having surgery since my husband and I decided that I should have the metal
removed from my mouth. It was
recommended that I have IV Therapies done 5 times with added supplementation
before and after surgery to help my body to heal after surgery. The IV’s were hard to place for the nurses as
it took 2-3 sticks before they could hit the vein due to my Raynaud’s attacks
during this process, the pain, and my veins rolling on them. They used a small needle as my skin in this
area is tight. Once the IV was placed, I
warmed my body with a warm electric blanket and mittens. Once I was done with the IV supplementation,
my body was warm and I was tired for about 2 days after the IV Therapy. After that my body had adjusted to the
nutrients it was given. I also increased
my supplementation of added nutrients and continued taking Vegan Shakeology to get
the added antioxidants, nutrients, and protein in my diet to prepare my body
for surgery.
In
February 2017, my immune system was not functioning correctly and my primary
care physician, Dr. Eric Ehle did a N.A.E.T. Treatment with Laser Acupuncture and
Auricular Acupuncture to try to desensitize my body from the different
allergies and allergies to the metals.
This procedure began to make me drained and very fatigued. He recommended that I have a GI Stool test
done as I was having GI issues in February 2017, to check for parasites,
pathogens, bacterial flora, and fungi/yeasts.
The results showed that I had a Bacterial Pathogen called Salmonella,
high amounts of normal bacterial flora, called Enterococcus spp. and
Escherichia spp., 2 parasites called Dientamoeba fragilis and Endolimax nana, and
2 types of fungi/yeasts called Candida spp. and Geotrichum spp. The doctor recommended that I take Tanelbit
and Phytostan to get rid of the Candida as that was the main concern at the
time.
In
March 2017, Dr. Bryan Bailey, D.D.S. an Oral Surgeon in Amarillo, TX removed my
4 oral implants, the rest of the screw that was left in my mouth in June 2016,
and the crowns that covered 5 of my front lower teeth. The metals in my mouth had corroded and were
described as if I had a car battery in my mouth with the electrical currents
and saliva. I had significant bone loss
in my lower mandible once again. My
dentist constructed a temporary partial plate made out of nylon and plastic to
see if I noticed a difference after the metal was all removed. I used a homeopathic protocol before and
after surgery to help with pain and used TRF 350 and Strontium to supplement my
body. My body has healed very well and I
have continued supplementation to help build my immune system back up. I also had very dry mouth before this surgery
and now I don’t have dry mouth.
As
of right now, I feel as though I am on the right track to healing and I would
like to see more research being done to use Food as Medicine and more knowledge
from doctor’s as to how to work with those of us that have Scleroderma to
increase our quality of life without giving us another medicine to put a band
aid on the symptom. Help us as patients
learn to manage the symptoms in ways that are beneficial to our bodies as a
whole!
