Danella Carpenter

          For most of my life I was what I considered healthy,
 full of energy, and athletic.  In 2004, I started noticing a decline in my health. I would come down with a cold, and it seemed to never completely go away, which lead to one antibiotic after another.  I developed sporadic rashes, but the cause was never determined. Sleeping patterns changed and I would start feeling overwhelmed by everyday tasks.
                    Through the course of events, my doctor would continue to address the symptoms, but the underlying problem was never found.  Then, he began to recognize a pattern that he felt resembled Lyme’s Disease.  In 2006, my doctor ran a Lyme test, which came back with some of my numbers questionable but because the test was inconclusive he continued to only address the symptoms. 
                It was then that we began researching Lyme’s Disease and my symptoms began to make more sense to me. I remembered years ago being bit by several ticks while camping. I started digging deeper in my research, and talking to others that had been suffering with this devastating disease.  My decline in my health continued, I started experiencing memory loss, feeling more detached, speech patterns changed, stomach issues, joint pain, allergic reactions to food, and blacking out. 
                In 2008, my doctor decided to run different Lyme related tests, the CD-57, Ca4/Ca3, and Western Blot.  It was then that he determined, between my symptoms and the test numbers, I had Lyme’s Disease.  He immediately started me on a series of antibiotics, but this course of action only caused my symptoms to become worse.  I couldn’t eat; drink, or walk across the room, depression and anxiety set in, and my breathing became labored.  My whole body was breaking down.  If it hadn’t been for my strong faith, believing that my God would get me through this, I don’t think I would have been able to go on much longer.
                After 4 months of antibiotic treatments and my health declining, my doctor agreed that we should take another course of action.  My husband and I were praying and researching other alternative treatments, when we came across Sierra Integrative Medical Clinic for the first time.  My daughter decided to attend Kansas City Christian High School; it was there that my husband met Lisa Cowen.  Cash had shared with her the struggle I was having with Lyme’s Disease, and she told him that she had Lyme 10 years ago, and Sierra Integrative Medical Clinic was the reason she was alive today.  She gave us a pamphlet from the clinic, and it was there that we had a chance to read her testimony, Randy Travis’s, and the testimonies of many others. 
               
We both felt this was the better way to go, a more holistic approach.  Dr. Fong ran numerous tests which included, toxin testing, heavy metal testing, food allergies and many others. He would explain in detail what my test results showed, and what he believed would be the best form of treatment to get me healthy again.  The staff and doctor’s are very warm and loving towards each patient.  I could see that they truly cared about restoring the lives of each person they treated.  It was amazing for me to see so many people from different parts of the world and different languages, come together to encourage and uplift each other.
The natural form of treatment the clinic used made logical sense to me.  They are able to spend the adequate amount of detailed time with each patient, and heal the body as a whole, not just symptoms and not just the Lyme. When a person has been dealing with chronic Lyme, you need to heal the whole body.  It has not been proven that a person can fully be healed from Lyme’s Disease, because it can burrow into your bones, and deep into scar tissue. So if you just kill off the Lyme, chances are your body would not be healthy enough to kill off any that may come out in the future.
                When I started my immune system numbers were in the mid 40’s, now after 5 weeks of treatment my numbers continue to rise.  I am currently at 170.  Normal range for a person who has had Lyme’s disease is 200-300, so I am well on my way!  I went back to Sierra several months after my treatment to get my allergies re-checked.  I decided to have my blood checked to see if any Lyme had come out since I had been gone, still no trace of Lyme!
I feel better than I have in years.  I have energy, I can think clearly again, and my body continues to feel stronger each day.  I thank God and Sierra Integrative Medical Clinic for giving me my life back.  Now that my treatment is over, it’s up to me, to stay healthy, exercise and eat right.  But most of all take what I have learned about the realities of Lyme’s Disease and use my story to help others.

Thank you Sierra Integrative Medical Clinic,
Danella Carpenter