kyeleigh's story

When you see yourself deteriorating before your own eyes due to unexplainable medical symptoms you are at a loss of what to do.  I had been injured in a bizarre ulnar nerve accident.  With that injury came a barrage of unexplainable symptoms that no physician could understand or explain.  My parents and I spent hours and hours using “Dr. Google”, consulting all of the area’s best experts, and making many trips to the emergency room all in an effort to explain why I had symptoms that caused uncontrollable shaking and palsy in my arms and legs, an accelerated heart rate, vomiting, headache, dramatic weight loss, a bloated stomach, severe rashes and cracked lips.  I looked like a walking medical paper of rare and unexplainable diseases!  I even suggested that we contact Mystery Diagnosis!  

I had 147 medical claims after the first year of my injury and unexplainable medical symptoms.  The second year was just like the first.  I was already at 95 medical claims and counting before my nerve injury physician said to us….”Well, I have heard of this doctor that is in Fort Wayne and I have heard that he is about holistic medicine.   I don’t know him but I think he would be worth a try as I have heard some good things about him helping people that can’t find answers”.   Since I had been to Indianapolis, Michigan, several neurologists, countless emergency room visits, and every specialist that any of them could think of…my parents and I were hopeful that maybe he was the one that could help us. 

When I met Dr. Gladd my first thought was…this is going to be different.  This physician actually sat down and listened to an overview of what I had been experiencing.  He looked at me and said, “Okay…Let’s start with your birth!”  He was the first physician to listen to me without a "you might be a faker" look in his eye.  Dr. Gladd actually went through each year of my life, listened, took notes, and was genuinely interested in ALL of the details and not a simple glossing over.  After going through my complete medical history, Dr. Gladd said that he believed that he knew what the symptoms were from.  I was so relieved to have someone actually tell myself and my parents that he really thought he understood the complexity of the situation and that he actually had a hunch about what I was experiencing.  And so he proceeded to tell us about gluten intolerance and celiac’s disease, a diagnosis we had never heard.  I was happy though, there was a reason!  He proceeded to explain how the traumatic injury that my body had experienced could have likely heightened this problem in my system.   And so he requested another blood test.  However, this time he ran it for the right reasons.  When we returned for the results I was told that I did indeed have an issue with gluten intolerance and celiac’s disease.  He explained that while it may be tough to give up gluten that doing so would make an amazing difference in my health.  And so, the day before Thanksgiving 2009 I went gluten free.  Sounds crazy but I was willing to do anything to get better.  I have had some pauses along the way from accidental contamination which brought symptoms back (and confirmed in my mind he was right) but nothing like the two years of medical terror I had experienced.  For the record, I NEVER “cheat” or compromise on gluten free knowing that even just a little bit will make me ill.   Dr. Gladd also recommended a physical therapist that could help with getting me more relief from my nerve injury by using myofascial release, something, no other physical therapist had tried.  And amazingly it worked.  

Dr. Gladd was able to take a girl like me that was diminishing before everyone’s eyes and turn me into someone that was on the road to recovery.  This past November I went back for my two-year checkup.  And believe it or not…the last two years I have had ZERO claims on insurance due to my illness and I am on NO medication.  Once gluten was eliminated from my diet all of my bizarre symptoms simply disappeared.  I was a completely different person.  And to think that before we met Dr. Gladd we had physicians that wanted to: put me on anti-seizure medication, morphine, have me physiologically tested, put me on an anti-depressant, go through a spinal tap, tell me they think I have some rare disorder that they can’t identify, or just have me live with it.  I wrote this to tell others that you do not have to “just live with it”.  I share my story knowing that while you may not have something as extreme as what I experienced, sit down and talk to Dr. Gladd.  You will be amazed when you do.  

KyeLeigh 

greg's story

Walking into GladdMD’s office was a bit disorientating. Rather than the usual carpeted lobby with sterile office furniture, I was greeted by a liquid-sheen black concrete floor that caused me to jump back because I thought it was freshly mopped, and classy, contemporary furniture. Instead of a low counter staffed by an overweight nurse/receptionist in a over-laundered smock, the reception area had all the feel of a quality hotel with friendly, attractive hostesses. 

I’m a busy man, hence I was not looking forward to be kept waiting for the doctor. To me an appointment time is a contract meant to be kept. To my further surprise, Dr. Gladd himself  – not a harried nurse –  strode up to me at precisely the minute of my appointment. I was so stunned I shook his hand while rooted in my chair. After the greeting, we convened in Dr. Gladd’s office, a doctor’s office like none I’d ever seen. No examining table. No box for sharps. No cabinets for storing terrifying devices. No box of rubber gloves. Just an IKEA desk and credenza, a small filing cabinet, two contemporary chairs, and an Apple computer with an impressive monitor. 

For the next 45 minutes I learned more about my health and how nutrition affects it than from any doctor in my 35 adult years. Blood test data replaced knee taps, ear searches, and tongue depressants. And did I mention, no rubber gloves!

This was the most enlightening and empowering appointment with a health professional I’ve ever had.  It is so enlightening and invigorating to understand what my core health issues are – as opposed to labeling (and treating) symptoms – and what my body needs to heal itself… GladdMD did that for me! 

Greg

michele's story

I have been seeing Dr. Gladd for a little over two years. My health before seeing him was horrendous. I tried listening to doctors, stay on their diets and take all the medications to stabilize all the chronic problems I had. Well nothing ever worked or corrected. I was told I had to take meds the rest of my life and I would get worse. At my last primary care doctor appt. almost three years ago my body was so messed up I screamed at the doctor to stop the meds and figure out what was causing my severe illness and 24/7 pain throughout my body. She said she did not want to treat me and I needed to be on antidepressants. I walked out of her office and never looked back.

The staff at the Health Food Shoppe mentioned Dr. Gladd when I went to pick up vitamins from them. I did not care to take meds anymore, but needed to take thyroid medication for I had my thyroid removed in 1983. I contacted Dr. Gladd's office and had the patient forms sent to me. It took 4 months to get into see him and I was nervous, since the horrid office call I had with the last doctor. Doctor Gladd was so patient, informative, spending 1 1/2 hours with me on my history. He knew right away what was wrong---I had malabsorption syndrome with lots of food intolerances (gluten, dairy, corn, meat, potatoes,oatmeal).

Once I got off these foods and all processed foods my body stopped hurting and I kept the 100 lbs. off that I lost (took 20 years to get off). I went on compounded thyroid med ( totally turned my health around for the better) and still stayed on others meds till the inflammation in my body went to below normal. I now am off all meds except for the thyroid. I take the vitamins and supplements Dr. Gladd recommended and stay off of the food proteins causing all the problems. Yes it is hard to eat out for I am vegetarian, gluten/corn/dairy/potato/oatmeal free, but it can be done. Whole foods is the way to go and I enjoy finding new ways to eat veggies, fruit, seeds, nuts, brown rice. You may not see big changes on the outside, but the inside is 90% better, when my system was tanked out and so below normal.

Thank you so much for caring to help people find the true cause of our health problems--the contamination of foods and what happens when we eat foods. They sure do not teach this to future doctors in medical schools.

Michele

tania's story

I’ve had health issues all my life it seems like.  More recently in the last 4 years they have gotten much much worse.  Last fall my cousin told me about Dr. Gladd’s office.  So I went to an appointment where I first met with Neely Gladd.  She did an extensive past history intake.  I felt like she wanted to know every detail that I could tell her so that she could help me that much more.  My mom and cousin had gone with me and we all asked questions and she answered each question with a lot of patience and understanding.  

For the first time in years I felt like I had someone that was listening to my health concerns not just taking in the facts and making determinations without more facts.  I have been overweight all my life, in the last few years it has gotten severly worse.  Most of the time I feel as though physicians look at me and assume that I don’t care about my health and I’m lazy.  Neely really heard me so in addition to the basic test needed to find out what vitamins or supplements I needed she also did another test.  When I returned for my test results I was informed that I had a hypothyroid issue.  As much as I don’t like to be on yet another medicine, the relief I felt was amazing!  

So, on December 13, 2010 Neely set for me a new regimen of supplements and daily diet changes I need to accommodate my food allergies and my new thyroid medicine.  After explaining my test results and the new plan to me in detail she then had me meet with Meghann, the dietician.

Meghann explained to me what I needed to do to go gluten free.  She gave me detailed instructions on the best brands, where to buy them, and what ingredients to avoid.  I must have been looking a little reluctant about the new change because she reassured me it was very easy to do.  She herself was on the same diet and in fact her entire family from her parents to herself.  I felt like at that point, I was in a situation where the people were practicing the healthy lifestyle and not just telling others they should.  It gave me inspiration and motivation to begin my healthy journey.

Today I feel so amazing.  If you looked at a paper file of my health you might not see any improvement just yet but if you ask me for the details you get the whole story.  I have never had this much energy in my life!  I can tell that I’m doing better and I know I will continue to improve and I look forward to getting to health with the help of Dr.Gladd’s staff.

Tania 

sheri's story

Five years ago I had a hysterectomy. It was a very difficult surgery that required two blood transfusions and extensive recovery. Recovery from the surgery was long but the adjustment to having no ovaries and having to use hormones, well that was a whole other issue. I am one of those sensitive to medications so trying to find the right mix was a battle. Tried everything from pills, patches and nothing balanced me. My doctors could not understand which lead me searching on my own to find a doctor that would prescribe compounded bioidentical cream which for a while worked. My symptoms would improve and get worse. Back to the doctor I would go and as always I would get the same response, I’m sorry it’s menopause. 

Come on I am only 44, I should be able to get out of bed and stop gaining WEIGHT. Doctor after doctor and the same result, “sorry its menopause”. REALLY.  This past February, I found a holistic nutritionist from CA that was doing a guided detox so I gave it a try. I went gluten-free, dairy-free and almost sugar free. Within two weeks, I actually could think again and felt like I was actually back in my own body. During this detox, I went to my dentist and learned about Dr. Gladd. I could not believe Fort Wayne had a doctor like Dr. Gladd. So, I had this undeniable urge to set up an appt because I just knew if he couldn’t find anything wrong with me other than “sorry it’s menopause”, well, maybe it was just menopause and I would have to learn to deal. But, honestly, that was not an option for me!

My appt with Dr. Gladd, was very detailed and was not overwhelming. My other doctors have never ordered tests like Dr. Gladd. I know this because I have all of my test results hoping that I could find an answer someday. Three weeks went by after all of my tests were completed, I continued to stay gluten-free, dairy-free and mostly sugar-free. The night before my follow up appointment was horrible. I assumed I would get another “sorry it’s menopause” discussion and a prescription for yet another anti-depressant (which I would not take). 

To my surprise, the follow up appointment was nothing that I had expected or was even prepared for. I was diagnosed with Lupus SLE, Yeast Overgrowth and Trichinosis (if you are like me you have no idea what this is...it is a parasite from under cooked pork). I was in shock. So much so, that I didn’t even thank Dr. Gladd for finally finding what was wrong with me and verifying my symptoms truly wasn’t in my head and it was not “JUST MENOPAUSE”. The shock lasted a few days. My new list of supplements were a bit of a change for me only because I hate pills (and I have to be responsible) but I knew I was going to fight this. I mean five years have passed and probably $15,000 visiting doctor after doctor and test after test. I had a lot invested in trying to find answers, and now I have them. So BRING IT ON, I thought.

It’s only been a little over a month since my follow up visit with Dr. Gladd. I am following my new lifestyle the best I can...yes, I have a couple of off days, but I embrace them and realign until it is more of a habit. I can proudly say that my blood pressure is back to normal and it hasn’t been “my” normal in five years. So, I know I am on the right track and I just need to keep on this road until I am back 100%. Oh, did I mention that I am back into clothes that I have not been able to wear for two years...well I AM!!!! Bye, Bye inflammation!!!

Thank you Dr. Gladd!!!! You have made such a difference in my life!!!!

Sheri