I’ve still been having minimal symptoms again this week.

I heard some music – the “radio DJ” I call it, the other week while at my parents house.

But since then, I’ve just been listening to the birds.

It’s been nice.

Really nice.

I cried about it in therapy this week.

I can’t believe the high doses of Niacin and Vitamin C have helped take away my symptoms so much.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still on the Paliperidone too.

It’s just that the Niacin and Vitamin C are helping more than the antipsychotics do. 

It’s fucking mindblowing really.

I did a DNA test through MyHeritage last month and finally got the results back on Wednesday this week.

I’ve been doing research ever since.

I’ve run the raw data through two other sites to analyze it, and they brought back my genetic health issues and risks.

I’m at genetic “high risk”, have “associations” and am “pathogenic” for quite a few things.

Some surprising, some extremely, extremely validating.

Between the two sites I had over six genetic “pathogenic” and “high risk” factors for schizophrenia, and I had three for bipolar disorder, and these were just the start.

Which, obviously, the two of these were not that surprising.

They were more validating than anything.

The curious thing was though, that I have the genetic markers for juvenile onset of schizophrenia.

Because it did start earlier for me than most people with schizophrenia, around age 15.

Most folks start to have symptoms between ages 18-25 or so.

So that was another validating find, for sure.

But the one thing I couldn’t find is if I have a genetic Vitamin B3 (Niacin) deficiency.

The only vitamin deficiency it had was for Vitamin D, which I do have “high risk” for, and I do in fact, have a deficiency of.

I’ve had to take supplemental Vitamin D for years and years now, and still have to take it.

There is an additional report I can do to find out if I have a genetic deficiency for Niacin.

But it’s $59, and the way that I’ve responded to Niacin really gives me all the answers I need honestly.

So I’m forgoing that for the time being.

Even though it is super curious.

Maybe if I get a wild hair up my ass in the next few months I’ll run the report, but for right now I’m not going to.

There were many other things I was “pathogenic” and had “associations” for.

The most surprising for me honestly was Rheumatoid Arthritis.

I have over eight genetic markers for RA between the two sites, and one was the highest of the “high risk” it can go, meaning that it’s most likely for me to have.

I mean, I know I’ve been diagnosed with this previously for about a decade or so, and I currently am diagnosed with it, but I’ve always been seronegative, meaning I don’t have the specific RA gene that the doctor’s test for – whichever one that is.

I am “benign” to one RA gene that I found.

Which is probably the one that they test for.

But seemingly all of the other RA genes I was either “pathogenic” for, had “associations” for or was at “high risk” of. 

I do know that the test that the doctors use is very restricted and limited, and I’ve heard it only catches about 30-40% of those with RA.

So it’s really not that great of a marker.

Because that gene that puts me at the greatest risk is pretty much a definitive marker that I do in fact have it.

And then the slew of another dozen or so genes line up behind it, and I can’t help but think that my denial of having RA needs to move to acceptance.

I have to respect what the data is telling me.

Another surprising one – but not really if y’all read my last post – about me accidentally eating gluten…

I tested positive, and “pathogenic” for over four of the Celiac’s Disease markers, and I have the DQ2.2 haplotype.

After my last round with gluten last week, I’m going to take this to heart and not eat gluten again. 

That was a fucking miserable experience.

Terrible.

I have to be very careful while eating out too, because that’s how I accidentally ate gluten last week in the first place.

The waitstaff assured me it was a gluten free bun on my burger, and it was not, and I paid for it for over a week.

I was in and out of the bathroom with horrible diarrhea for three and a half days.

I had horrible joint pain and fogginess.

I found myself lethargic and in incredible amounts of pain.

It felt like my insides wanted to come out of me.

I’m just now starting to feel a bit better and I ate gluten ten days ago.

My joint pain is starting to settle down a bit.

But my insides still don’t really feel right and I’m still rather fatigued from it.

I’ve been napping this week and since I cut out gluten I haven’t had the urge to nap.

So, I don’t really have any doubt that I have Celiac Disease. 

My overall autoimmune markers were “pathogenic”, had “associations” and were “high risk” all over the place.

I am now convinced that I do in fact, have something going on with my immune system.

My functional medicine doctor/nutritionist has told me this already when she did a full blood work panel.

She said I have the tell tale markers for autoimmune disorders, she just couldn’t specify which ones at that point in time.

We didn’t get that deep, but we got deep enough where she could see there was an issue.

Another couple of “pathogenic” markers were for lactose intolerance.

No surprise there.

I’ve been dealing with that for about a decade or so now.

It was amazing to me how completely, utterly fucking validating the DNA markers and data is.

So it’s not all in my head – there are systematic reasons for why I’m feeling the way that I do, and why I react the way that I do.

The surprising “high risk” marker – which I had about a half dozen of them, was for Crohn’s Disease.

It’s curious because all of these things – RA, Celiac, Crohn’s, they all seem interrelated to me.

They all have very similar symptoms.

They’re all autoimmune.

They all can cause arthritis, gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue. 

I don’t think I have Crohn’s just because I’m susceptible to it, but it’s something to keep an eye out for if unexplained symptoms start to pop up, ya know?

I wasn’t “pathogenic” for Crohn’s, just a few “high risk”.

So I’ve googled the symptoms and will talk to my doctor about it as well.

Keep an eye out for it.

I had “high risk” and “pathogenic” for several cancers and other issues as well, but all of them run in my family and I’d be surprised if anyone didn’t have things like that pop up.

It’s just stuff to be aware of.

It’s information, ya know?

I’m not gonna sit here and worry about it really.

Cancer is scary, sure, but it’s just nice to know the areas of concern so again, I can keep my eyes on it.

For example, I’m “pathogenic” for breast cancer.

So, I’ll make sure to not slack on my mammograms every year.

I’m not gonna worry about it though. 

The things that really threw me for a loop were the Celiac and the RA genes.

It’s like, I’ve always been in denial that I have RA.

I’ve always don’t that I didn’t have it.

But this is pretty telling that I have some hardcore autoimmune things going on.

I knew I did, deep down.

But I didn’t ever want to admit it.

Another curious find, well, validating and educational find, was that I’m at 4x risk for developing kidney stones over the average person, which I’ve already had twice in my life.

I’m not bragging.

Ha!

It’s just so curious.

Like I said, not surprising, but I’m for sure “pathogenic” for creating too much uric acid.

So they very well may pop up in the future.

Again, something to just be aware of.

Another validating thing was that I’m “pathogenic” for osteoarthritis and early onset, juvenile osteoarthritis.

I had at least a dozen markers for that if not more, I honestly lost count after a while on those, there were so many.

So now I know that not only do I have the RA and the Celiac acting against me in arthritic ways, but I also have straight up Osteoarthritis acting out too.

Answering my “medical mystery” of what the fuck is actually happening?!

I’m so grateful that my functional medicine doctor told me to do the DNA/genetic testing.

It was so eye opening.

It is beyond validating, I still just can’t even believe it.

I feel like I have a new outlook on life.

Like I have answers.

I’m “pathogenic” for congenital hypothyroidism.

But it’s a mutation within the thyroid gland itself, it doesn’t have anything to do with autoimmune or the pituitary gland.

It’s an inability to bind to the TSH within the thyroid gland.

And I found my “pathogenic” gene for my pulmonary valve stenosis that I was born with too.

It was so fascinating to find all of these things.

It’s like I’m able to suddenly look into my body and brain.

Look beyond what’s on the surface.

I even looked up “Peter’s Anomaly” and in the database and I’m fucking “pathogenic” for it.

That’s the congenital eye defect my current optometrist thought I’m dealing with, that I didn’t know the name for.

I’m legally blind in my left eye, and had to have surgery on it to remove this “film” like substance when I was six months old.

Otherwise I would’ve been totally blind in my left eye.

My childhood eye doctor has long since passed, practice I’m sure doesn’t exist anymore, and I have been so curious as to what the name of the defect that I have, and the last couple of decades I have had no answer.

All of the optometrists I’ve seen over the years don’t know what it is that I’m describing when I tell them about the surgery.

They all assume and guess that it’s a cataract, which it wasn’t.

So, this most recent eye doctor I went to, just the other month, told me he thought it was “Peter’s Anomaly”, before confirming it with a five second googling.

So I went home and asked my parents about it, and googled some things myself, and it seemed legit.

It seemed like that was the correct answer finally.

Well, now that I have my DNA data, I know it’s the right answer because I’m 100% “pathogenic” for it.

Holy shit y’all!

This has by far been the most validating week of my life.

-Keren