My visit with The Matrix

[dpk20x]

So last week I had my first appointment with Shawn, aka The Matrix, and Dr Michael Overbeck at their office just outside of Philadelphia. To be perfectly honest I didn't know very much at all about either Shawn or Dr. Overbeck prior to scheduling this appointment. All I really knew was that pretty much everyone on this board was seeking Shawn's advice and it seemed like he really knew what he was talking about. And the other thing that caught my attention was the fact that Shawn had dealt with his own health scare ... it sounded like he could empathize with what I'm going through right now because he's been in my shoes before ... unlike the few docs I went to in the past who took a half ass look at my case, ran a few meaningless tests and when they came back in the 'normal' range told me that I'm perfectly healthy. So I decided to take a chance on Shawn and Dr. Overbeck and set up an appointment. I mean what the hell, why not?!! I only ended up paying a $30 copay and Philly is a quick 300 mile drive from my house.

Looking back on it I'm very glad I made the decision to see Shawn and the good doc (although I still reserve my right for final judgment :wave2 . The two seemed genuinly interested in trying to find out what is going on and why I'm not feeling well. I spent about the first hour or so with Shawn as we discussed my past and tried to find possible explanations as to what might be causing my symptoms. Then Dr Overbeck introduced himself and we all talked a little more about my case. We talked about my insurance and my lab coverage, and discussed what sort of testing I could afford at the moment. The entire appointment lasted about 2 hours. I left Philly feeling confident that Shawn and Dr. Overbeck will do their best so that I can feel well again.

Tomorrow I go in for my first set of labs. After the results come back Shawn and Dr O will review them and figure out what needs to happen next. Everything else is gonna be orchestrated over the phone so there will be no need for me to make another 5 hour drive to Philly. I will keep you all updated on my progress and if anyone has any questions feel free ask.

 

[bluerocket]

Thanks for letting us in on your situation ... hope they can figure things out right away for you ....

 

[DragonRider]

I don't know Shawn, but I've been reading his posts for years and it's obvious he cares enough to do something very few medical professionals do, take the extra step. It's great to see his patients come here and report the time and detail he invests whether that results in a total fix or not.

 

[The Matrix]

We are all here to Learn and share our experience. As any health professional all we can do is our best. As with anything there are no guarantees. Each case can be a challenge, but as with each new case we are constantly learning. If we do not know the answers I have come across some of the best minds in specialized areas of medicine who do. I.am helping along with the help of local drs to create a virtual medical community online to where any Dr with an issue can get feedback from another Dr who may know the answer. It wil be a great tool allowing for better patient care. One thing people have to remember I took years to get where you are and it will take time to get back to balance. I want to note I.am not a medical Dr but a person who has been through a lot over the Years when it comes.to health. I work as a medical consultant to health professionals who need help on complex cases or need some guidrnce on where to look next. I am an educator presenting facts to the Dr to allow them to make the proper treatment protocol. I work with different drs in across the USA. I also have clients across the world.

 

[ambulldog]

i dont know shawn either. but i believe hes about as knowledgable as anyone i know on the topic of hrt. i always go to him with questions or concerns that i feel im unable to make a decision on my own. hes always willing to answer and help everyone on the board. definitely a stand up guy. eventually ill get involved with him. but for now my aa clinic just makes things so ez. but aa clinics in general are a business looking to make money with your well being placing maybe 3rd or 4th on the priority list. obviously matrix does not operate like that

 

[dpk20x]

Thanks for letting us in on your situation ... hope they can figure things out right away for you ....

Yeah that would be nice but realistically I imagine this is gonna be more of a slow and steady process but I have a lot of trust that Shawn and Dr Overbeck will find out what's wrong with me.

 

[The Matrix]

This is going to be a process. It did not happened over night and will not get resolved over night. It is a very complex case involving multiple layers which need to be done over time. People complain about it's been a year and still not better. It took me 3 years to heal adrenals but things got better over time. If you want instant results then we will not be a good match. We are very detailed and work together with patient. If the patient has information or research with new findings to the case then we will incorporate it into their therapy if it is medical validated

 

[dpk20x]

I don't know Shawn, but I've been reading his posts for years and it's obvious he cares enough to do something very few medical professionals do, take the extra step. It's great to see his patients come here and report the time and detail he invests whether that results in a total fix or not.

Yeah he definitely takes that extra step and its refreshing to have someone who listens to the problems you are having and who is willing to work with you to overcome these obstacles you might be having. I was fortunate to find this forum not too long ago .. if I didn't who knows how much time I could have wasted searching for a good physician. The endo I went to before this was a complete fool. I told him that I feel tired all the time. I told him that i had been taking upwards of 1500-2000mg of caffeine to make it through an 8 hour work day. He said, 'that's a lot, you should try to cut back some.' .... no **** doc. He didn't mention anything about my adrenal glands, felt no need to check my cortisol levels. Basically he checked my total test, E2, TSH, and T4 and when everything came back within range he gave me a clean bill of health and moved on to his next patient and I'm sure he's forgotten all about me by now.

 

[dpk20x]

i dont know shawn either. but i believe hes about as knowledgable as anyone i know on the topic of hrt. i always go to him with questions or concerns that i feel im unable to make a decision on my own. hes always willing to answer and help everyone on the board. definitely a stand up guy. eventually ill get involved with him. but for now my aa clinic just makes things so ez. but aa clinics in general are a business looking to make money with your well being placing maybe 3rd or 4th on the priority list. obviously matrix does not operate like that

Yeah he's def not in it to make a quick buck. You can tell he emphasizes the patient's well being above all else.

 

[dpk20x]

This is going to be a process. It did not happened over night and will not get resolved over night. It is a very complex case involving multiple layers which need to be done over time. People complain about it's been a year and still not better. It took me 3 years to heal adrenals but things got better over time. If you want instant results then we will not be a good match. We are very detailed and work together with patient. If the patient has information or research with new findings to the case then we will incorporate it into their therapy if it is medical validated

Three years?!!! I was kinda hoping I'd be good to go in a couple weeks!!!

Good news Shawn I made it through the whole week at only 800 mg caffeine per day! I have a feeling next week at 600 is gonna be pretty tough but fortunately i work a job where I can take many naps.

 

[The Matrix]

Three years?!!! I was kinda hoping I'd be good to go in a couple weeks!!!

Good news Shawn I made it through the whole week at only 800 mg caffeine per day! I have a feeling next week at 600 is gonna be pretty tough but fortunately i work a job where I can take many naps.

Keep a positive out look and the mind has a very powerful effect. Keep this for tracking progress and not personalized protocol. The hard work is all up to you. We are just the messenger. This thread is about your progression due to forum rules I do not want to violate them.

 

[dpk20x]

Sorry guess I got a little sidetracked there.

Anyways in addition to my constant fatigue which I combat with heavy stim use, I've also been suffering with depression and social anxiety for the past 15 years. I've tried pretty much OTC remedy and quite a few ssris to eliminate these symptoms with little success.

First step towards my recovery is going to be healing my overworked adrenal glands so I've been slowly tapering off on my caffeine usage by 200 mg per week. This week I'm trying to make it by on only 600 mg per day. So far I've been able to make it through fairly easily however I have still felt quite a bit of anxiety throughout the day. I was hoping that by reducing my stim usage I would also lower my anxiety but so far that doesn't seem to be the case. After work I have been crashing and taking longer than normal naps around 5pm .. Yesterday I didn't wake up until nearly 8 and could not fall asleep again till maybe 1 or 2 am. I usually wake up by 6 am to get ready for work so as u can see im trapped in this perpetual cycle.

Good news is that my first set of labs are starting to come in, hopefully Shawn and dr overbeck will start to unravel this mystery

 

[The Matrix]

This is a multi facet health issue which has been going on for 10 or more years most likely. You are not working with just us but also a team of the top researchers in specialized areas. To ask a some one for help is not a sign of weakness like a lot of medical professionals think. If you do not know something its an opportunity to learn something new. You have to look at it as a journey and bringing your mind, body and spirit back into balance.

Sorry guess I got a little sidetracked there.

Anyways in addition to my constant fatigue which I combat with heavy stim use, I've also been suffering with depression and social anxiety for the past 15 years. I've tried pretty much OTC remedy and quite a few ssris to eliminate these symptoms with little success.

First step towards my recovery is going to be healing my overworked adrenal glands so I've been slowly tapering off on my caffeine usage by 200 mg per week. This week I'm trying to make it by on only 600 mg per day. So far I've been able to make it through fairly easily however I have still felt quite a bit of anxiety throughout the day. I was hoping that by reducing my stim usage I would also lower my anxiety but so far that doesn't seem to be the case. After work I have been crashing and taking longer than normal naps around 5pm .. Yesterday I didn't wake up until nearly 8 and could not fall asleep again till maybe 1 or 2 am. I usually wake up by 6 am to get ready for work so as u can see im trapped in this perpetual cycle.

Good news is that my first set of labs are starting to come in, hopefully Shawn and dr overbeck will start to unravel this mystery

 

[dpk20x]

first pieces of the puzzle are starting to come in ... results from my 24 hour saliva diurnal cortisol test

morning 6.7 ng/ml (range 3.7 - 9.5)

noon 1.3 ng/ml (range 1.2 - 3.0)

evening 1.7 ng/ml (range 0.6 - 1.9)

night 0.4 ng/ml (range 0.4 - 1.0)


Guess nothing is technically out of range but there is definitely some abnormal fluctuations between my noon and evening levels. And I find it interesting that my noon time level fell in the low-normal range just because at that time I probably had taken anywhere from 400 to 600 mg of caffeine which we know raises cortisol levels but to what extent and how soon I'm not sure. So maybe my levels would be even lower had I not taken any caffeine?

Also this week I have successfully been able to reduce my caffeine intake to 400 mg spread throughout the day just by taking a few nutritional supplements that Shawn recommended. This is huge for me because only a few months ago it was taking me an entire rockstar with an additional 200 mg caffeine just to survive my drive into work.

 

[The Matrix]

When people take a mess load of caffeine there body because immune to it resulting in the not affecting biochemistry one bit. These results are not suprising. Now if a person was to start taking caffeine like this and then take the test then yes they can be elevated. Most likely your receptors are saturated resulting in no cortisol response. Bro, in this case we take little baby steps instead of huge leaps. Consider this a major accomplishment on your journey to getting your life back. One has to remember some time the road may not be as smooth as we want and there will be bumps in the road along the way, but if you hang in there its just a temporary set back. Congratulations once again..

 

[bomb402]

lol how about you test his shbg, e2, free test, and total testosterone, igf-1, thyroid, and make sure he's sleeping good since he obviously has energy issues from low T.

 

[The Matrix]

lol how about you test his shbg, e2, free test, and total testosterone, igf-1, thyroid, and make sure he's sleeping good since he obviously has energy issues from low T.

Proper testing is not a problem. The lab loves us when they end up taking 15-20 vials of blood. We have the most comprehensive testing out there and even run test no other medical professionals run. The picture is much more complicated then just hormones like people think. People wonder why they are not feeling better because dr's look at just 25% of the total puzzle. Results are trickling in and the picture is starting to come together from a clinical side.

 

[dpk20x]

Results are in. Despite heavy nonstop stimulant abuse for the last few years my adrenals actually look pretty good. My thyroid isn't too bad either. My neurotransmitters also look ok. So I guess years of feeling depressed and anxious comes down to a depletion of a few key vitamins and minerals in my body. Shawn came up w comprehensive supplement list to help bring my levels up to normal and we plan to redo bloodwork in another few weeks.

 

[DragonRider]

Sounds very encouraging.

 

[The Matrix]

Sounds very encouraging.

Caffeine over time will cause irritation to the intestinal wall resulting in malabsorption of some nutrients. Note that these deficiency where not just some randomized finding, but had clinical validation behind them. We will remeasure levels in 4-5 weeks to see where the changes are. When brining people down off of stimulants you need to have the proper back bone in order to come off of. People above Washington DC are more likely to be vitamin D deficient which can cause a hosts of problems itself. Proper vitaminD levels are needed for proper transmission of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. When coming up with a list of recommendation and supplements there are supported by medical neccessity not just "for the hell of it" approach. Surprising your adrenal where in check as well as other things which was good to see.

Before pulling the rug out from him from stimulants, we need to support his neurotransmitters by proper nutritional support of which was nutritoinal deficiency was identified. One can see the logic which is used when tapering off stimulants in order to prevent crashing. The whole procedute should take about 6-8 weeks to complete in a smooth transition.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19500655

 

[dpk20x]

Meant to ask you the other day, since you say my neurotransmitter levels are ok, does that mean my natural serotonin levels are good or are my are they ok because I'm taking paxil?

 

[The Matrix]

Meant to ask you the other day, since you say my neurotransmitter levels are ok, does that mean my natural serotonin levels are good or are my are they ok because I'm taking paxil?

We looked at catecholamines. If you are on paxil then putting a little cleaner oil (5 htp) in it will help out. If your cats are normal then you serotonin needs to be in check. After we get everything in check, we may start to taper on paxil and get your off it. If you are vitamin D deficeint then you are most likely serotonin deficient. See why drugs are just a bandaid effects because drs are lazy to look for reasons why.

 

[dpk20x]

Quick update. I'm about 3 weeks into my supplement regimen as I try to elevate my vitD and take care of a few other issues. I had a string of 3-4 days last week that were very promising and hopefully an indication of brighter days to come. During those days I was noticeably happier, more social, and didn't experience any of my typical brain fog or anxiety. Everything flowed, everything came naturally, it was a good couple of days. I've since 'crashed' and have not felt quite as well the last few days but I know this is a process and is gonna take time.

 

[The Matrix]

in Chinese medicine you will go up and down but.overtime more their will be more better days then bad. As.mentioned before.it did not happen over night and Will.not get.fixed.over night. We had.people take 2 years but they also.had damage.from 3/4 of life to rebalance. Hang in there..

 

[dpk20x]

So my sleep patterns have gotten way off track the last few weeks. I'm temporarily out of work so I've been sleeping in later and later each morning and consequently staying up to all hours of the night. So waking up around noon or 1 and staying up till 5-6am with a short nap usually taking place around 7pm.

I've gravitated towards this nocturnal schedule for as long as I can remember. I did the same exact thing every single summer vacation since the end of sixth grade. Then whenever school (or work) starts back up I drink as much caffeine as possible to make it through the day.

So I'm just wondering if an underlying sleep disorder could be the root cause of all my problems. Just seems like my biological clock is off and my stim abuse was an unsuccesful attempt to function during normal hours.

 

[The Matrix]

So my sleep patterns have gotten way off track the last few weeks. I'm temporarily out of work so I've been sleeping in later and later each morning and consequently staying up to all hours of the night. So waking up around noon or 1 and staying up till 5-6am with a short nap usually taking place around 7pm.

I've gravitated towards this nocturnal schedule for as long as I can remember. I did the same exact thing every single summer vacation since the end of sixth grade. Then whenever school (or work) starts back up I drink as much caffeine as possible to make it through the day.

So I'm just wondering if an underlying sleep disorder could be the root cause of all my problems. Just seems like my biological clock is off and my stim abuse was an unsuccesful attempt to function during normal hours.

Alteration of Day/night pattern can cause a huge issue. If need we test neurotransmitters at the time you are ready to goto sleep to see where the possible imbalance (cortisol/melatonin) through a simple urine and salvia test. Lets check things deeper and go from there. It might be advisable to get a sleep study done by your primary to rule out this out. You need to slow push back the clock by 1/2 hour each night till you reset the clock. If where comes to worse your primary may prescribe Xyrem to help you reset you biological clock. I have suggested this to Dr's with patients having severe adrenal fatigue. It has help to reset HPTA in many cases.

 

[fanzdslpwr1]

I am know doctor but common sense would be that yea, your sleep patterns are off because you're napping at 7pm. If you want to fall asleep at a normal time then force yourself to stay awake until your desired sleep time.

 

[BlackCoffee]

Matrix, im currently gona undergo the advice of a practitioner in regards to healing my adrenals.
May I ask what you think caused your adrenal fatigue ? for me stimulants did this I think. I could tell because i felt depressed the day after taking the new no xplode numerous times. throughout the 2year recovery did you feel constant progress?

 

[dpk20x]

Alteration of Day/night pattern can cause a huge issue. If need we test neurotransmitters at the time you are ready to goto sleep to see where the possible imbalance (cortisol/melatonin) through a simple urine and salvia test. Lets check things deeper and go from there. It might be advisable to get a sleep study done by your primary to rule out this out. You need to slow push back the clock by 1/2 hour each night till you reset the clock. If where comes to worse your primary may prescribe Xyrem to help you reset you biological clock. I have suggested this to Dr's with patients having severe adrenal fatigue. It has help to reset HPTA in many cases.

I'll try to set something up as soon as possible with my primary but it might have to wait a few months until I start working again. Looking into applying for cobra right now

 

[dpk20x]

Matrix, im currently gona undergo the advice of a practitioner in regards to healing my adrenals.
May I ask what you think caused your adrenal fatigue ? for me stimulants did this I think. I could tell because i felt depressed the day after taking the new no xplode numerous times. throughout the 2year recovery did you feel constant progress?

I'm only a few months into my recovery. I'm still going through ups and downs but I'd say overall I've noticed slow and gradual progress.

I think with myself I turned to stims to compensate for a general lack of energy and over time my tolerance increased so I had to take more and more stims to function.

 

[dpk20x]

I am know doctor but common sense would be that yea, your sleep patterns are off because you're napping at 7pm. If you want to fall asleep at a normal time then force yourself to stay awake until your desired sleep time.

I've been able to power through this uncontrollable urge to nap a few times but still was unable to fall asleep any earlier

 

[dpk20x]

Is there any OTC sleep aids that you could recommend?