Medical Fund for Nita

In early September 2015, during my final year at college, a prescription medication error left me completely crippled. The drugs my doctor gave chelated most of the vitamins and minerals from my body while simultaneously killing nearly all of my gut microflora (I was left with less than 2% the biodiversity of the average American), causing extensive damage to my central nervous, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, endocrine, cardiac, immune, pulmonary, and lymphatic systems. In the months afterward, I developed epilepsy, mastocytosis, sarcopenia, small fiber peripheral neuropathy, QT prolongation, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, mitochondrial dysfunction, hypothyroidism, fasting and post-prandial hyperglycemia, anemia, beriberi, iritis, candidiasis, bacterial vaginosis, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth & postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

Oftentimes, I would stop breathing while unconscious and sometimes lose my pulse. For months, I could not communicate with my family and had very little voluntary control over my muscles. During fainting spells, I sustained multiple injuries to my head, neck, shoulders, and hips. Because of the numerous allergies I developed and the severe gut dysbiosis, I could hardly absorb any nutrients from food and have literally been starving to death. I have become so malnourished that my ribs and backbone vertebrae are completely visible. As of now, I remain largely bedridden and confined indoors due to severe allergies and compromised immunity.

In mid-October 2016, we began microbiome reconstitution to rebuild my gut microflora in order to restore normal immune function and allow proper nutrient absorption. Microbes are involved in a vast array of diverse functions in the host: metabolism; nutrient, water, and electrolyte absorption; production of vitamins, neurotransmitters, and short chain fatty acids; mucus secretion; prevention of bacterial infections; training the immune system to discriminate between self and non-self; and many other processes. Microbial dysbiosis is implicated in the development of diabetes, improper immune system signaling, autoimmune diseases, and allergies. Reaching our goal will allow us to continue treatment for another two months. We appreciate your help more than we can say.

---------------------------------------------

More detailed medical history:

My lab work revealed low gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), low cortisol, low progesterone, low secretory IgA (sIgA), elevated basophils, elevated liver enzymes AST/ALT, elevated CH50, elevated myeloperoxidase, elevated fasting insulin, elevated prothrombin time, elevated fecal calprotectin, positive speckled ANA with a titer of 1:1280, positive rheumatoid factor IgM autoantibodies, positive anticardiolipin IgG autoantibodies, and deficiencies in potassium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron, iodine, selenium, glutathione, ubiquinone, cholesterol, vitamin A, vitamin D, B1, B3, & B12, and new allergies to dust, dander, pollen, grass, oak, elm, hickory, latex, wheat, avocados, bananas, cucumbers, & dairy. I have also been battling infections from Citrobacter freundii, Candida albicans, Gardnerella vaginalis, Megasphaera Type 1 and Type 2, alpha hemolytic strep, and beta strep.

For the past sixteen months, I have endured fainting spells (sometimes 8-10 episodes a day), vertigo, clonic seizures and tremors (during which my BP would shoot up to 140/90 and pulse as high as 150), atonic seizures, tinnitus and hearing loss, intracranial hypertension, severe pounding headaches, brain fog, memory loss, dysautonomia, muscle atrophy, debilitating fatigue, bradycardia, low BP (hovered around 82/50 for several months), secondary menorrhea, ear infections, dysphagia, large visible lump in throat, profuse sweating, constant low-grade fevers of 101-102 degrees Fahrenheit, insomnia, bone, tendon, and joint pain, redness and swelling in my palms, feet, knees, elbows, and hips, hair loss/balding, malar rash, angular cheilitis, seborrheic dermatitis, dry eye, blurry vision, photosensitivity and eye pain (for several months I stayed in a completely darkened room and couldn’t tolerate any light), difficulty breathing, severe reflux and vomiting, abdominal swelling and stomach dissension, rectal bleeding, bleeding gums, mouth ulcers, thrush, steatorrhea, watery diarrhea, weight loss of 35 pounds, nutrient malabsorption, dehydration despite high fluid intake, and inflammation in response to sugars (glucose, sucrose, fructose, lactose, etc).