Stones, Bones, and Emotional Overtones – Dwan’s Health Journey of 2020

July 28, 2020

SO THIS IS HAPPENING: Many of you know I was diagnosed with RA last year. The past several months I have been feeling very poorly. Long and short..Due to some great doctors, I am now having parathyroid surgery next week! My calcium numbers are thru the roof and I am experiencing EVERY side effect. The worst being mental confusion, deep depression, and extreme fatigue. The struggle is real.

August 5, 2020

Fun day today: sonogram of my throat, bone density scan and the super cool MRI. I meet the surgeon tomorrow to confirm hyper-parathroid and im off to the races! Honestly, the MRI machine was a bit unnerving..haha. Its LOUD and tight quarters..lol. I have a clearer understanding of my PTH numbers and am ready to feel normal again! It is truly shocking how many people I talk to that haven’t seen a doctor in years!!!

August 6, 2020

So… this guy is operating on me Wednesday!! I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about anything! Hyper-parathroidism is the absolute worst!

August 10, 2020

Fun start to my day.

My first steroid shot in my hip. Not only am I falling apart from hyper-parathroid…my hip is shot..haha. The joys of life. Keeping a great attitude is paramount! I’m happy we live in a time where all this great medication is available…otherwise I’d be a limping, crazy lady!

August 11. 2020

Got my mandatory COVID test done today. Geesh..she pushed that Q-Tip out the top of my head..lol.

Parathyroid surgery tomorrow..whoop whoop.

August 12, 2020

I feel like a pirate..haha. Feeling good and looking forward to feeling sane. I have the best caretaker.. Ayla DB.

August 15, 2020

Anyone feeling queasy today? Let me help you with that…haha. It sure looks worse than it is. Because of your

amazing prayers and Gods mercy..I’m feeling really good today! Ready to get podcasting underway again!!! Doc says I still need another week.

August 21, 2020

HERE IS MY FINAL UPDATE:

First, I want to thank each and every one of you for all of the prayers during my health crisis.

Second, I want to thank Dr John Wideroff, of Boca Raton, for giving me my life back.

I had surgery last Wednesday to have a parathyroid removed. 48 hours later (on Friday) I felt a sudden wave of clarity come over me and I knew I had my miracle! We haven’t spoke of it yet because after well over FIVE years of struggling, it seemed to good to be true! I was healed!

Here is what a high calcium count and a bad parathyroid WILL do to you. Take a minute and read this and see if you see yourself here.

My calcium number became high years ago. My doctor told me (like 99% of doctors do) that we would “keep an eye on it.” It was in the high 9’s. Then it was 10.0, then it would be 9.9 the next time, then 10.5, then 10.3. It bounced around. This ENTIRE time I was fighting parathyroid disease and had no idea.

Soon I started feeling mentally off, depressed, unable to concentrate, fatigued, my body hurt, and I felt over-all unhappiness. I would spend days in bed and then have days of extreme alertness. I thought I had Bipolar, I was told it was in my head, I was told to suck it up, I was offered anti-depressants, I thought I was going crazy.

The “brain fog”

This was the hardest for me as I teach real estate investing and podcast and struggled to remember things embedded in my brain.

I knew deep down that something else was wrong so I tried everything I could find on the Internet. Thinking, like most of us creeping up on 60, that it was just part of getting older. I read EVERYTHING about how to feel better. Diet changes, supplements to increase dopamine and serotonin, yoga..you name it I did it.

Every year i was feeling worse and worse.

When I was diagnosed with RA (Rheumatoid) last year I was relieved because I thought that was why I had been feeling so crappy. My new RA doctor ran all the tests, seeing my calcium was slightly high, but also with the mindset of keeping an eye on it. I began steroids, RA treatments, and mentally and physically I was feeling worse by the month.

Fast forward to COVID. I was in my second home in Florida when the lockdown started and had to find a Rheumatoid doctor here. Keep in mind we are in a pandemic and I need a Rheumatologist to take me as a NEW patient.

Dr Marc Hirsh noticed my high calcium and ran OTHER tests checking for a PTH (parathyroid hormone) and that is when it all happened. A high PTH along with high calcium shows parathyroid disease. My PTH was not high enough (it was 30) but he said all of my symptoms sounded like parathyroid disease.

He kept running blood tests and in a matter of SIX weeks (during June and July) my PTH went from 30 to 60 to 136 and my calcium went to 11.4! This is a deadly combination.

He called immediately and scheduled me with an Endocrinologist who after ONE blood test confirmed I had parathyroid. That was July 22nd. From July 22nd until my surgery on August 12th my system completely crashed.

I became unable to function mentally

Ayla had to come stay in the house with me because I was totally out of it mentally. I could not focus, the anxiety was relentless, days with no sleep, so confused that I could not carry on a conversation…it was BAD and I was very sick.

The more I read, the more upset I became because these symptoms have been creeping up on me for YEARS – which is what happens. I was misdiagnosed – as are MOST people who have this.

This happens to 1 in 100 people!

It is common and one of the most overlooked illnesses. When your calcium is TOO high, your body dumps it into your blood stream which is why, over time, you become systemically ill. You are poisoning yourself!

Many people get diagnosed with dementia or mental illness before the doctors ever discover what the real problem is OR they develop kidney stones and weak bone density. Only then is it typically found!

The surgeon says they have a saying – Stones, Bones, and Mental Overtones! Lol. Once you have ALL three they dig deeper. I only had “mental overtones” so no one was digging.

By the grace of GOD

I have no kidney stones and my bones are fine. Trust me, I did a TON of tests before they cut me open. I am one of the lucky people who came out of this with no permanent physical damage.

Through this, I also came out with a SOLID understanding of what is called “silent diseases” where you LOOK fine, but are literally dying inside. I felt like the life was being sucked out of me more and more each year!

I had the surgery and 48 hours later my calcium leveled out and my mind came screaming back to me! ALL of the symptoms went away – the brain fog lifted first, no more anxiety, no bone and muscle pain, no more confusion, no more depression, no sadness, no fatigue..NOTHING!

I feel like a million bucks, and am so grateful to GOD. I know many ask for miracles and I am so thankful GOD granted one to me!!

If you feel mentally or physically OFF – please get a FULL blood panel done!! If your blood work shows ANY elevation in calcium or PTH, do not wait and see! You are on a downward spiral that you may not survive!!!

I will make certain that I tell this story from the mountain tops to help others who suffered so needlessly like I did.

BE KIND TO YOUR MIND BECAUSE I PROMISE YOU THAT YOU WILL MISS IT WHEN IT IS GONE!!!

Please take your health serious. I am STUNNED at the amount of people who haven’t seen a doctor in years, yet complain of feeling unwell. People avoid doctors because they are afraid of bad news. This piece of “bad news” saved my life!

Thank you Jesus! The healer of all healers!

BTW – during all of this I started a brand new podcast business, bought 14 buildings in Iowa, opened a boutique, an antique mall, tried to be a wife, mother, friend, and grandmother. Traveled, spoke on stages, and did my best to maintain my life. My family covered for me a LOT!

When I say the STRUGGLE IS REAL – I mean it!