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Healthy Returns

By swollenmystery On July 15, 2010 · Add Comment

It’s been awhile since the last post. Because it’s summer? Because I’ve been out of town almost every weekend for the past few months? Or maybe I’m just tired. Excuses aside, there is one big reason. My recurring knee inflammation has improved significantly. Sure they do still swell up from time to time, but I’ve finally found some relief. Last week I finally finished 6 months of physical and aqua therapy with the reassurance that I’ve gained strength in my legs for every test. I couldn’t be more excited. While I still can’t run or fully flex my legs (sitting on the floor cross-legged is completely out of the question), I can move around more freely, get outside and wash the car, walk up and down stairs normally, and though it may sound crazy, get up out of a chair or off the sofa without using my arms. Indeed, it has been a tough journey getting to this point. I feel much more energy and have gained a few much need pounds again. My rheumatologist in Iowa City has been extremely helpful, courteous and caring. While I continue my search for a complete diagnosis, all the docs will say at this point is “inflammatory arthritis”. Could it be early signs of ankylosing spondylitis or something more serious? It’s possible. At least I now know that with a little help from some medication with less side effects I can exercise enough to gain some strength once again. For now [...]

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Time to Get Rid of These Melons!

By swollenmystery On March 29, 2010 · 2 Comments

For the longest time I’ve had so much fluid on top of each of my knees it felt like I was storing large melons under my skin. Nothing had been working so I decided to search out a new physician. Last weekend I had the chance to meet with a rheumatologist at the University of Iowa clinics. Armored with a stack of medical records and labs an inch thick, complete spreadsheet of my medical history, daily log of every food I’ve consumed, daily pain and inflammation notes for the past 8 months, and a few x-rays and MRI results, my wife and I set off on a new journey to find some answers. I can’t thank my loving wife enough for organizing all my records and documenting so diligently. To my surprise we had a great experience with the specialists at the University of Iowa. Both our resident and rhuematologist took special care to study my records and history beforehand and genuinely took an interest in my puzzling case. They spent 3 hours with us, testing, asking questions and analyzing fluid from my knees during the visit. Over the next several months I will be trying a few new prescriptions (sulfasalazine, low-dose predinsone, hydroxychloroquine), thankfully with less severe side effects to see if my swelling will subside. After draining the fluid from my effusions, the docs gave me a cortisone injection in both knees. Needless to say they’ve felt so much better ever since. My right knee is [...]

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Aqua Therapy

By swollenmystery On February 16, 2010 · Add Comment

Last week I began a program at the the new local YMCA Healthy Living Center in Clive, Iowa. I thought it was time to do something about my leg atrophy and overall lower body muscle weakness from the past year and a half of not working out due to chronic knee inflammation. After meeting with a physical therapist, I decided to start the recovery program for 3 days each week. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice, helpful and concerned the therapists were and the facilities at the new Y are quite nice. Each session I work with the physical therapist in the aqua therapy pool, doing various exercises to re-strengthen my legs. We usually start with leg raises, step-ups and bicycle kicking and move to walking and even full jogging on the underwater treadmill. At first it was difficult getting used to balancing my semi-buoyant body weight under water, but after a few minutes it felt just like old times! Jogging under water is quite an experience and felt so great since I could feel like running without the heavy impact of my own weight under normal gravity. In my last session I was able to do a sort of sprinting technique against a heavy current. It felt so good to actually feel my leg muscles working instead of my joints. I’m looking forward to continuing the therapy sessions for at least several weeks. I’m hopeful that I will regain the strength I once lost without [...]

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About Me

I'm a freelance web designer with a background in graphic design. I'm also a part-time nutrition student. When I'm not creating or designing, I'm studying nutrition. When I'm not doing either of those I'm usually eating or talking about food. I've been interested in health and fitness for a long time but it wasn't until I became seriously ill with a mysterious chronic autoimmune condition in my early 30s that I realized how intricate and complex the human body is.

Along my journey to healing from chronic illness and Lyme disease, I discovered that eating healthier has improved my life the most. This blog is not just a journal of my progress but is also intended to help anyone that might be suffering from an autoimmune illness. My goal is to learn how to support the body's natural healing process holistically so that it has the resources to fight off illness the way it was designed. As I learn more every day, I write about my journey here at Diagnosis Unsolved. Read more about how all this started and my story here.
-Brad Linberg-
Now Reading
Planned books:
- The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food by Kaayla T. Daniel
- Recipes for Repair: A Lyme Disease Cookbook by Gail Piazza, Laura Piazza
Current books:
- Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price
- Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World by Joel Salatin
- The Salt/C Plus Protocol for Lyme Infection by M. Fett
- Seamus Mullen’s Hero Food: How Cooking with Delicious Things Can Make Us Feel Better by Seamus Mullen
- The Candida Cure: Yeast, Fungus by Ann Boroch
Recent books:
- The World’s Healthiest Foods, Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating by George Mateljan
- Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dict by Sally Fallon, Mary Enig
- Accidental Cure: Extraordinary Medicine for Extraordinary Patients by Simon Yu
- Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic by Pamela Weintraub
- The Top 10 Lyme Disease Treatments: Defeat Lyme Disease with the Best of Conventional and Alternativ by Bryan Rosner
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Healthy Returns

Time to Get Rid of These Melons!

Aqua Therapy

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Healthy Returns

Time to Get Rid of These Melons!

Aqua Therapy

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Archives

Good Sites about Health, Lyme and Living

About Me

Now Reading

Planned books:

Current books:

Recent books:

Lime Disease – Story of Recovery