Main Concern(s): Pleurisy, IVF Support

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S. C

 

Aaron Li Balance Method
Main concerns: Pleurisy, IVF Support
Patient: 43 years old, female, Michigan
Practitioner: Aaron Li

Patient History:

 

Patient has been dealing with pleuritis (inflammation of the lining of the lungs). On the worst days she scales the pain a 7 out of 10. She has been taking anti-inflammatory medication and Vicodin to manage the constant pain, but does not provide a lot of relief. Lying down and taking deep breaths aggravates the discomfort.

 

She is also going through chemotherapy for GTD and is dealing with infertility.  She has been working limited hours, and also has been limiting her ability to do household chores. She has not been able to partake in her hobbies such as yoga and running. She feels her life has been revolving around chemotherapy. She has also been visiting a functional medicine clinic to deal with her condition. She eventually hopes to have a child but is concerned about age being an obstacle. She also deals with Hashimoto’s disease, cold hands and feet, Reynold’s syndrome, dry hair, and dry eyes.
 

Initial exam:

Patient explains that the cancer was found in the placenta while pregnant.. She feels pain in her rib cage as well as her shoulder which is worse at night and can only be better once she stands up for 20 to 30 minutes. She has trouble with deep breathing, and can only take shallow breaths. She can not do yoga, run, or walk much and needs to be laying down. Her sleep has felt off within the past weeks.

 

One month into treatment she no longer feels like she now only wakes up once while sleeping.  Her pain is gone and everything feels much more normal. She has her first menstrual cycle since her chemotherapy which was described as heavy, spotting, dark red. Patient is holding off on fertility treatment until December.

 

Four months into her treatment she notices less spotting.  Her libido is better and pulse also feels better. Overall, she feels better.  Working on k3 pulses. Work on getting herbs to take. 

 

Five months into treatment she has been sleeping much better.  Exercising on the treadmill for 20 to 30 minutes helps. Her bowel movements have been regular. She has no trouble falling asleep, but still wakes up at least once a night, and often wakes up around 2 to 4 AM to use the restroom.  Her menstrual cycle quality is improving. Quality menses, darker red, 2 days, to brown, then spotting. In the past it started with brown then dark red. From dark to more egg white. 

 

Six months into treatment. Her menstrual cycles are short. Short cycle, pretty much red, looks a little purple, (dark) no brown. A lot last couple ,on this, more egg white. K3 pulse is good.
 

Eleven months into the treatment, she no longer wakes up at night and sleeps all the way through.  Her energy also feels better, even in the evenings. She feels she can get more little tasks done. Her bowel movements have been regular.  Her mood has improved immensely, although she still feels days when she has no mental energy. Although she is not completely sure of when the egg transfer will be, she hopes to have it within the next few months. 

She would like to continue to improve her energy levels and hopes to be able to stay motivated by keeping a workout routine with running, which does help. According to her functional medicine practitioner her TSH levels are normal, although thyroid antibodies are high, but overall her thyroid is also improving. 

 

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Conclusion:

Patient has been able to recover from the pain of pleurisy very quickly, and her physical condition is no longer in the way of implementing physical exercise into her routine. Her menstrual cycle has also steadily improved over the course of her treatment, as well as her sleep. She is now on a monthly maintenance routine to continue her healing journey.