Dr Fred Hui was helpful in that he would listen and try to help as he could. There is not a lot to be done during detox. Take the supplements and wait. Everyone gets worse before they get better. Maybe not little kids, so much.
In November, I was coming out of the dump phase and had great expectations that the worst was behind me. I had not had a pay cheque for months and had lots of travelling, hotels, treatments for the adrenals and tons of supplements. It was all very expensive.
I chewed through some of the retirement fund and had to return to work. But I also wanted to go back. Firstly, I liked my job and secondly, I knew that my brain-fog responded to the norepinephrine system being pushed. If I was interested in something the brain-fog eased up.
I was always interested in work and so there was hope. Thirdly, at some point everyone with Chronic Illness needs to accept certain residual symptoms and just get on in life and I was hoping that focusing on other people's problems would take my mind off my own.
At this point in time, November 2011, I could walk about 1/4 of a mile and then would have to rest. I could not walk the length of our small town mall. I could walk longer than I could stand. Standing in line at a checkout or bank was torture.
If you have never had Orthostatic Intolerance or OI, it is a hard one to describe. There is a sort of malaise and my brain would completely fog in, I would feel a growing sense of anxiety and would obsess about sitting down. I just had to sit and sit now! When unable to for whatever reason, this would contribute to a crash and as I said, it would take days to recover.
I was not cognitively sound but a couple of people that worked in my area were not extremely productive, nor resourceful, and I thought that I could likely function as well as they did.
Anyway, November 19th I met Dr Anderson and the meeting went very well. Here was an Occupational Dr who must have learned something about chronic mercury toxicity. And he seemed to understand when I told him about CFS.
He said that he was going to send me for testing and I couldn't have been happier. Finally, some investigative work. I told him that I would need to be tested and then to be seen 2 days later when the Post Exertional Malaise kicked in.
The next week I met with physio and did some basic tests. Could I pick up a 25 lb box and could I mount 2 flights of stairs? Very basic stuff and I did not know how any real data could be pulled from testing like this.
Still, it would be enough. Even attending appointments was enough to trigger fatigue and at the end of the session I said, "See you in two days".
I was told that "no" the testing was complete. The light turned on. This was not testing to see what was wrong with me, it was a standard "Return to Work" test. I told them that regardless I was coming back in 2 days to be seen.
Two days later, I was there. I had a Fatigue Event and although it was not a severe one, anyone watching me trying to get up some stairs would be able to notice the difference. But no one would see me. The test was over and I was "fit" to return to work.
I called the College of Nurses and was told that under no circumstances was I to put patients at risk and that I would be held accountable should this occur. Clear enough.
What wasn't clear was: a) whether being in a stimulating environment and away from my computer and self-investigations would improve things and b) would my training take over should any emergencies arise?
I will end this part by saying that I hated Dr Anderson. In my mind, he knew about mercury and CFS and instead of being a Dr and looking out for the health of his fellow human beings, he was forcing people back to work and only a heartbeat was necessary.
Any hope was lost. I was returning to work sick.
In November, I was coming out of the dump phase and had great expectations that the worst was behind me. I had not had a pay cheque for months and had lots of travelling, hotels, treatments for the adrenals and tons of supplements. It was all very expensive.
I chewed through some of the retirement fund and had to return to work. But I also wanted to go back. Firstly, I liked my job and secondly, I knew that my brain-fog responded to the norepinephrine system being pushed. If I was interested in something the brain-fog eased up.
I was always interested in work and so there was hope. Thirdly, at some point everyone with Chronic Illness needs to accept certain residual symptoms and just get on in life and I was hoping that focusing on other people's problems would take my mind off my own.
At this point in time, November 2011, I could walk about 1/4 of a mile and then would have to rest. I could not walk the length of our small town mall. I could walk longer than I could stand. Standing in line at a checkout or bank was torture.
If you have never had Orthostatic Intolerance or OI, it is a hard one to describe. There is a sort of malaise and my brain would completely fog in, I would feel a growing sense of anxiety and would obsess about sitting down. I just had to sit and sit now! When unable to for whatever reason, this would contribute to a crash and as I said, it would take days to recover.
I was not cognitively sound but a couple of people that worked in my area were not extremely productive, nor resourceful, and I thought that I could likely function as well as they did.
Anyway, November 19th I met Dr Anderson and the meeting went very well. Here was an Occupational Dr who must have learned something about chronic mercury toxicity. And he seemed to understand when I told him about CFS.
He said that he was going to send me for testing and I couldn't have been happier. Finally, some investigative work. I told him that I would need to be tested and then to be seen 2 days later when the Post Exertional Malaise kicked in.
The next week I met with physio and did some basic tests. Could I pick up a 25 lb box and could I mount 2 flights of stairs? Very basic stuff and I did not know how any real data could be pulled from testing like this.
Still, it would be enough. Even attending appointments was enough to trigger fatigue and at the end of the session I said, "See you in two days".
I was told that "no" the testing was complete. The light turned on. This was not testing to see what was wrong with me, it was a standard "Return to Work" test. I told them that regardless I was coming back in 2 days to be seen.
Two days later, I was there. I had a Fatigue Event and although it was not a severe one, anyone watching me trying to get up some stairs would be able to notice the difference. But no one would see me. The test was over and I was "fit" to return to work.
I called the College of Nurses and was told that under no circumstances was I to put patients at risk and that I would be held accountable should this occur. Clear enough.
What wasn't clear was: a) whether being in a stimulating environment and away from my computer and self-investigations would improve things and b) would my training take over should any emergencies arise?
I will end this part by saying that I hated Dr Anderson. In my mind, he knew about mercury and CFS and instead of being a Dr and looking out for the health of his fellow human beings, he was forcing people back to work and only a heartbeat was necessary.
Any hope was lost. I was returning to work sick.
