There’s something wrong with Brad! 9

We got some good news– there’s something wrong with Brad! For so long, all of Brad’s test results have come back normal, which is really really frustrating when you are as sick as he is. Today we got some results that indicate something is (detectably) wrong! This is a cause to celebrate for us!

Brad’s Chronic Fatigue Syndrome specialist had to leave the practice to take care of her ill father. Today we got the results in the mail of the testing she did, as well as follow up appointments with another specialist in the practice (next one in December!). Without telling you all the details of his results, I will try to summarize the impacts of what we are able to discover.

He had some genetic testing done that indicated he has alleles associated with mold and biotoxin susceptibility. One of these alleles is also associated with CFS, and one can be associated with gluten sensitivity. These alleles indicate that something is wrong with his immune system– the proteins that make up the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) which are responsible for immune system function are not normal for Brad.

There is also some indication that while his thyroid is producing T4, it is not being made into T3, so he may be suffering from thyroid issues. This would be one explanation for his low energy levels.

He also has low levels of MSH which is a hormone that is a building block for a lot of other hormones, and high levels of leptin. This causes major disruption, including poor sleep, strange pains, and gluten sensitivity (all three of which Brad has). These results can be explained well in this article: https://www.biotoxinhelp.com/cirs-and-low-msh.html

The final major thing is that they did a nasal swab and grew what they found living in there. They found MARCoNS which are antibiotic resistant staph bacteria. These could be re-infecting Brad with biotoxins that he is sensitive to.

So basically all these results mean that SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH BRAD!!! Not nothing, but something! These results support the two diagnoses that Brad has. He has ME/CFS which stands for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. He also has CIRS which stands for Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome.

The other good thing is that some of these things can be TREATED! There are antibiotics for the MARCoNS, there are T3 medications for thyroid. We are already on supplements to help with his immune system function, though we aren’t sure if they are working or not. We will talk with his new doctor in December to see about getting some treatment.

And just for fun, here’s a picture of Brad all dressed up yesterday with a huge smile on his face– because that is how he is feeling right now. He is wearing a black fedora with a pin on it that has a skull, bat wings, and a large triangular black stone. He has on a red blazer, a silver and black vest, a silver tie, and a maroon shirt. On his lapel is a brooch that has a fairy sitting on a skull.