Matt’s Functional Medicine Doctor Visit And Thoughts On The Sunroom Remodel

Matt’s appointment with the functional medicine doctor yesterday was really good, but Matt initially left that appointment feeling disappointed. The bottom line is that after spending about an hour with us, she believes that Matt needs more specialized care than she’s able to provide.

Overall, I was very impressed with this doctor, and if you’re in the Waco area and have been wanting a doctor who will really try to get to the root of your medical/physical problem rather than just prescribing pharmaceuticals to deal with symptoms, I would highly recommend her. I loved how patient she was, and she spent so much time with us (over an hour) asking all kinds of questions and never making us feel rushed. But after gathering all of the information and hearing about the progression of Matt’s M.S. over the last 22 years, she decided to refer us to a functional neurologist for a more specialized approach in dealing specifically with Matt’s M.S.

That means that our appointment yesterday didn’t go like Matt had hoped. He was really excited about going yesterday and getting started on all kinds of testing — an extensive blood panel, an environmental toxins test, gut biome testings, and all the other special things that functional doctors do. So leaving without those things, and with nothing but a referral to another doctor, was really disappointing for him. I could see the disappointment on his face when we left. It kind of broke my heart for him.

But after we got home and talked through it, he rebounded pretty quickly. After spending so much time with this functional medicine doctor, I trust her, which means that I also trust her recommendations. She told us that the whole reason she got into functional medicine in the first place is because she had her own health problems when she was younger that made her life miserable, and yet, doctors couldn’t (or wouldn’t) figure out the root problem. They would just do standard testing, tell her that her tests results looked good and there was nothing wrong with her, and send her on her way, still feeling terrible. It wasn’t until she turned to functional medicine that she finally found answers and got her health back.

So at this point, we’re waiting for a contact from the functional neurologist. She is going to call that functional neurologist today and speak with her about Matt, and she said we should hear from her by Monday. So I’m hoping we can get that ball rolling next week.

To be honest, I had never even heard of a functional neurologist before yesterday. I didn’t know such a person even existed. Unfortunately, that neurologist isn’t in Waco, so we’ll have to travel to Austin (about 90 minutes south of us) at least once, but after that, I believe she does telemedicine. She can also work hand-in-hand with the functional medicine doctor that we met with yesterday so that any specialized testing she wants Matt to have can be done locally. And she can work with Matt’s regular doctor for more standard testing done locally as well.

But speaking of that, the functional medicine doctor yesterday suggested that Matt start seeing a new doctor for general care, and she recommended a specific D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) instead of the M.D. he’s seen in the past. D.O.’s are trained in everything an M.D. is trained in, but they take a more holistic approach to treatment, and this particular one works with a lot of the same patients that the functional medicine doctor from yesterday works with.

So this will be a team approach. And it will also be expensive. We were prepared to lay down a lot of cash for a functional medicine doctor (they generally don’t take insurance), so I can’t even imagine how much a functional neurologist is going to cost.

That means that our sunroom project is on hold indefinitely. Matt’s health is obviously more important, and since we don’t have unlimited resources, we’re going to have see how much all of this is going to cost before we start spending $40,000 on Phase 1 of the sunroom project. Of course, that’s a little disappointing, but I can’t be too disappointed. Having more pretty rooms in our house isn’t nearly as important as Matt’s health and wellbeing.

So next year might be interesting around the blog. I was expecting our big sunroom remodel to be the big project for next year, but it might have to be pushed back depending on how much all of this will cost us out-of-pocket. The doctor yesterday also mentioned something about a hyperbaric chamber treatment that she’d love to see Matt get somewhere in Dallas, and she specifically mentioned that it’s expensive and not covered by insurance. And she recommended something called a SPECT scan at a place in Dallas called Amen Clinic, and she made a point of telling us that that is VERY expensive. *Sigh* So this could be quite the adventure we’re embarking on.

Anyway, that’s what we came away with from yesterday’s appointment. I’ll continue to keep y’all posted, and just know that next year might look very different on the blog than what I had imagined. By the beginning of the year, all of the rooms (except the sunroom) inside our house will be finished, so I might spend all of next year working on some outdoor projects and making good use of my studio by doing some fun, smaller projects. But regardless of the direction, I will keep creating, making, building, and sharing. Whether it’s a big remodeling project or a small art project, I will always need creativity in my life, and I’ll keep sharing as long as people are interested.