Doc Dolly

Well, I've done it.

I've completed my intake as a new patient of integrative/functional medicine at AwareMed Health & Wellness Resource Center and I have my assignments. First I want to share the intake experience that was quite extraordinary.

After completing a bunch of paperwork and attaching my health history and lists of doctors and medications, I was taken to a treatment room by a very capable R.N. It had all the necessary medical equipment yet was also very inviting. It was not 'sterile' in appearance but certainly clean and crisp. She took my temperature, pulse, and blood oxygen levels as well as my blood pressure. I stepped on a very accurate 'old school' weight scale and she noted all in my chart.

Then Dr. Dolly appeared and guided me towards a very comfortable sofa in a serene and stress-free room. No details were spared with the decor to create a calm, inviting space including soft music, lighting, and comfortable pillows. She made sure I was comfortable and sat down next to me. We faced each other. Within five minutes, tears were rolling down my cheeks.

Dr. Dolly has an incredible intuitive 'sense' and, after closing her eyes for a few moments and holding my hands, she asked me a question that drove straight into my core. "What happened to you in the three to five years preceding your cancer and Lupus diagnosis? Something that hurt you very much. Something to do with loss or abandonment." I felt like those Batman cartoon balloons were floating over my head, WHAM. SPLAT. BOOM. And then we talked. Or, I talked and - together - we uncovered the events that I don't tell anyone; experiences that are not even in my book in their totality. Trauma that leads to dis-ease.

After talking for about an hour (and about a half dozen tissues later), Dr. Dolly left the room and returned with her computer. She entered what she had learned about me into a very sophisticated software application she created and my health care plan was hatched. First, an elimination diet for 10 days tailored specifically for me, especially due to the gastroparesis. Second, some lab studies and then treatments that may include certain intravenous drips. There may be supplements in liquid or crushed powder form since I can not swallow well. I'm still making sense of it all. I have about 10 pages detailing Amy's Wellness Mission. Perhaps it is the final medical blueprint for the last third of my life. I sure hope so.

Dr. Dolly's mission is "to ignite the spark of health deep within everyone, and to allow this sparkle of wellness to shine through everyone’s eyes, becoming one with the universe, and aligning body, mind, and spirit,” I am willing to believe; to try to get away from toxic pharmaceuticals as much as possible and take a new journey. I'm so glad she is a certified medical doctor as well as a practicing emergency room physician and oncologist. I feel safe combining the old with the new ... that, in her case, is really just going back to the old. It is traditional yet modern healing and she is a consummate healer.

Or, we shall see. You are on this journey with me - the good, the bad, and the ugly. So hang on because it's going to be quite a ride.

My first steps. TMI?