Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[AndreaB]

My allergist had me check pulses when I have done food testing in the past. I would take a baseline pulse just before eating food I was challenging, as well as record baseline symptoms. Then check every 15 minutes.

That sounds easier than what I posted, for the children anyway. I can't imagine trying to keep them relatively quiet for 1 1/2 hours after every meal. Their typical favorite thing to do is run around the house (on the inside) after dinner.

Dr. E wants us to move off of the fish oils when we run out and onto YES supplements. I can post the website if anyone is interested. Supposed to be much better than the fish oils.

[aprilh]

That sounds easier than what I posted, for the children anyway. I can't imagine trying to keep them relatively quiet for 1 1/2 hours after every meal. Their typical favorite thing to do is run around the house (on the inside) after dinner.

Dr. E wants us to move off of the fish oils when we run out and onto YES supplements. I can post the website if anyone is interested. Supposed to be much better than the fish oils.

I would like to see about the YES supplements.....YES!

[AndreaB]

I would like to see about the YES supplements.....YES!

Open Original Shared Link

[aprilh]

Thought i would post the results of my recent testing and the dr visit today. I don't know if I am more confused or less

DMSA challenge Urinalysis 12 hour:

Only metals above reference range were Lead, Mercury and Bismuth. Does this mean some of my attempts at detox actually worked? Who knows since i was never tested before. BUT I had to have more metals than that considering the kids high metals.

Red Blood Cell Elements:

calcium, copper, manganese, boron, vanadium, and molybdenum were all a little low. Nothing crazy though.

Cholestorel was still high BUT had come down from last time. Thyroid levels were all normal ( not surprised since I take iodine)

The lyme test was not back yet.

The dr. still thinks we have been exposed to chlorinating pesticides and wants to do a fat biopsy. My general rule of thumb is not not ever let anyone cut on me...but I am wondering if I "take it for the team", maybe it will help with my daughter's early puberty. He said pesticides can contribute to percocious puberty, hormonal imbalances, weight loss and cancer.

The thing is the best way to detox these pesticides is through Infared Sauna. He is going to put one in his practice and thought it would be a good idea to have one at home. He said the kids could do it in small doses. And we should do this for the rest of our lives. Plus he adds some other nutritional stuff that helps detox. Basically it gets stored in your fat cells.

He recommended DMSA oral chelation with L Glycine, UrocitK, and mineral support. That dmps acutally works better on mercury and dmsa does good with other metals. He did say that mercury could be hidden at this point and I could do a test for the AEOP genetics???? Or I could do the dmsa for a while then retest.

I told him about my recent symptoms and that I have been trying to do the sauna. He said I could just be feeling bad from detoxing from sauna that detoxing generally doesn't make people feel good.

So many options and I don't know what to do!!! Any comments or advice would be greatly appreciated!!

April

[ShadowSwallow]

Rachel,

Amazing news about the coffee!!! :D

Lisa,

Congrats on your coffee "experience."

Everyone,

I saw my allergist today, and we talked about Lyme and doing a provoked urine collection (or whatever you call it! ) to get a baseline for metals. He also ordered some blood work to test for toxicity (from Lyme and mold). I think it went really well, and I can't wait until I see the LLMD on the 14th. I've started onto my good weeks, too, so I can't imagine why just two days ago I was so desperate about finding out what is wrong with me. Yay for a selective memory! :lol:

Also, we took my pulse at the office today, it was 60.

[Rachel--24]

Rachel

Patti....I LOVE your new pic. You look great!

I'm still smiling about having starbucks today. It really makes it seem possible that one day I'll actually be posting about a Big-Mac.

I'm really not gonna go back to my old eating habits...eventually when I can tolerate more healthy foods I'll start adding those in.

My body is so backwards!

[Rachel--24]

What a coicidence, today you tried coffee by drinking it and I tried coffee by sucking it up my butt.

I don't call it starbucks. I call it fourbucks because their coffee is about as much as my car insurance.

Yeah I can't do this everyday as well, it wasn't a nice treat for me and I feel eeekkk....

My butt drank all of it too, but nope I sure didn't get a smile on my face.

LMAO!!

Lisa....OMG...you totally cracked me up!!

Sorry your e-coffee wasnt all that pleasant. I cant say that it was one of my most favorite things to do either.

Yeah....I gotta tell you....its SOOOOOO much more enjoyable trying my coffee standing up!

I think I actually get more symptoms from e-coffee than I got from my starbucks today!

[Rachel--24]

DMSA challenge Urinalysis 12 hour:

Only metals above reference range were Lead, Mercury and Bismuth. Does this mean some of my attempts at detox actually worked? Who knows since i was never tested before. BUT I had to have more metals than that considering the kids high metals.

Metals tend to come out in certain order...one urine analysis wont likely tell the whole story. If you have a heavy mercury burden you may have other metals which arent showing up yet. The body gets rid of the other metals much easier once mercury is addressed. Its not easy to detox metals (or anything else) as long as mercury is still an issue.

9 toxic metals showed up in my first challenge but I feel very strongly that the results would have looked different had I done DMSA. I think results vary depending on the type of chelator used.

As you go through chelation....and if its working for you...I would suspect that other metals may show up later on. Also mercury does hide. Alot of people have very little or none at all showing up in the first challenge....even when the body burden is very high.

The way I look at is that the priority is getting the mercury out since thats the one which tends to trap all other metals in the body. Once mercury is out the others will follow. If mercury stops showing up in urinalysis it doesnt always mean that you're done...it really does hide well and many times other chelators need to be used to continue moving it out. Either that or certain issues or infections need to be dealt with before chelation can continue successfully.

[Rachel--24]

I've started onto my good weeks, too, so I can't imagine why just two days ago I was so desperate about finding out what is wrong with me. Yay for a selective memory! :lol:

Birdy,

I can sooooo relate to this!

I look forward to hearing about your appt. with the LLMD...only 2 more weeks!

Andrea,

Sorry that you're having these new symptoms to deal with.

I hope you can get it figured out with the coco test.

I'm behind on posts and I know its been more than a couple weeks since I've called. Hopefully I can talk to you this weekend.

[AndreaB]

I'm behind on posts and I know its been more than a couple weeks since I've called. Hopefully I can talk to you this weekend.

I'll look forward to hearing from you if you're able to call.

[miamia]

We've all been there ..... when is your appt. with the LLMD?

No, not weird .... well maybe ... at the very least you and Kassandra both are weird, it's been longer than that for her.

My night sweats greatly diminished with babs treatment, then went away completely with bart treatment. I think activity does help, though some days it's excruciating to move.

Yay on the gardenia! I love flowers. I have perennials planted all over my flower beds. I guess I might see the crocus in a couple weeks. (I know, not perennials, they're bulbs, I like them, too).

I think it sounds like a herx. I would feel bad, then get even worse, then get back to just bad, but not as bad as the bad before the worse, if that makes sense.

I'm sure your doctor has an emergency number .... if you need to talk, you need to talk. Someone should be available.

I would up the detox -- epsom salt baths, LOTS of water, put lemon/lime in the water ... some people get great relief from putting a whole lemon in a cup of water. I've drank several glasses in a row like that. Coffee enemas REALLY help me when I'm like that.

I wouldn't stop taking it, but if you absolutely have to take less and more detox doesn't help, then break a pill in half and take half. You don't want it to get completely out of your system and create resistance just when you're flaring from it. You probably have a lot of active bugs right now that are dying. You need to detox them out of you and you will feel better when it passes.

I took some Vicodin I had left over from something else several times when I was on Levaquin. The good news is, after the six weeks mark, I started seeing significant improvement from it. The pain was intense. Epsom salt baths helped about as much as the Vicodin.

Carla-

thanks for the advice. I am not sure what to do. I emailed my doc and he got back to me. He said if i absolutley need to stop I could til the end of this week and then we would talk.

What were your worst symptoms when you were on the levaquin? I have to start doing my epsom salt baths again. I did have a foot bath yesturday and slept with lots of castor oil on my very bloated belly!!!

I actually have to stop for 2 days because I have my colonoscopy and endoscopy on Friday. I am alittle anxious, not nervous, just want to get the whole thing over with. I am mainly just stressed about the prep, (fasting, drinking gross stuff, etc.)

[miamia]

Andrea-

I was worried about you, you ahve not been posting as much. I am so sorry to hear you are not feeling well. Hopefully the new testing will shed some light on whats going on. I hope you are feeling better.

Rachel-

Congrats on the coffee!!!!!!!!!

Julie-

I did send you a PM the other day. I will probably send you another one though

Oh Foot pain is a definite symptom of mine. I get it on the bottom of my feet and mainly on the right foot. It is a definite symptom of bart. Some days it is much worse than usual and usuallly it is worse in the mornings.

Oh i had a provked test done with my last chealtion and the results are in so i am hoping to be able to get them today when i go in for chealtion.

I feel like i am entering a war today- I have chelation adn colon therapy, tomorrow I have prep day and friday i have endoscopy/ colonoscopy . I think i really would like to fast forward to Saturday.

[CarlaB]

The thing is the best way to detox these pesticides is through Infared Sauna.

I would spend my money on the sauna instead of the fat biopsy. There is no way I would let him cut on me to find out if I had pesticides. NO WAY! You do what you think is right, but .... since you wanted opinions ....

The sauna is good for so much more than *just* pesticides. Google FIR sauna, and you will WANT one! I have a big, three person model that was kind of expensive .... www.sunlightsaunas.com ..... Rachel has the other end of the spectrum, a portable one she can move back and forth between home and her mom's .... I think it was about $300.

I'm still smiling about having starbucks today. It really makes it seem possible that one day I'll actually be posting about a Big-Mac.

Rachel, I can't help but think that if we looked at the ingredient list for a Big Mac and for a Frapp, that the Big Mac would be no worse than the Frapp. I can't believe I'm encouraging you, LOL, but I just don't see how it's worse!!!! The sugar alone in the Frapp is horrible! What's in the Big Mac? White flour???? Cheap beef??? (I had one Sunday ... I seldom eat garbage like that! ).

Carla-

thanks for the advice. I am not sure what to do. I emailed my doc and he got back to me. He said if i absolutley need to stop I could til the end of this week and then we would talk.

What were your worst symptoms when you were on the levaquin? I have to start doing my epsom salt baths again. I did have a foot bath yesturday and slept with lots of castor oil on my very bloated belly!!!

I actually have to stop for 2 days because I have my colonoscopy and endoscopy on Friday. I am alittle anxious, not nervous, just want to get the whole thing over with. I am mainly just stressed about the prep, (fasting, drinking gross stuff, etc.)

Miamia, by the time I was on Levaquin I had been on hard abx for months ..... the worst symptoms I ever had on abx were that I couldn't walk to the bathroom without help because I was so weak and dizzy. I lied in bed all day and barely cared whether I was alive or not .... I barely related to the fact that the world or anyone in it existed.

On the Levaquin specifically, I remember pain. I didn't have as much pain prior to the Levaquin, so I'm thinking it was from stirring up the bart. I was of the opinion that I didn't want to cut back because I would kill fewer bugs if I did.

But, you can't kill yourself either. I'm thinking that the two days you have to cut it out for the prep will most likely give you the relief you need.

I just pushed through it. I know some are of the opinion that you cut back because there's no point in stirring up more toxins than you get rid of .... but I was of the opinion that I need to kill the bugs while they're active, and worry about detox during the die off and after when things have settled down.

That being said, there were two times, not with the Levaquin, but with the other meds, that I skipped one dose. Just skipping one dose was enough to give me the extra time to detox. Not that I felt better in that time .... but on the other hand, I didn't let as much of the medicine get out of my system. It builds up .... so stopping one dose just lowers the levels of the drug a little .... if you stop, then it takes you a few days to build it back up.

It's not easy .... see if the epsom salt baths help. Levaquin is what pushed me into trying the baths!!!

[aprilh]

I would spend my money on the sauna instead of the fat biopsy. There is no way I would let him cut on me to find out if I had pesticides. NO WAY! You do what you think is right, but .... since you wanted opinions ....

The sauna is good for so much more than *just* pesticides. Google FIR sauna, and you will WANT one! I have a big, three person model that was kind of expensive .... www.sunlightsaunas.com ..... Rachel has the other end of the spectrum, a portable one she can move back and forth between home and her mom's .... I think it was about $300.

Thanks for being honest! That is what I need right now. I think to myself, what will the fat biopsy change in terms of treatment? I will still need to do the FIR Sauna and he said some "nutritional support" which maybe I can figure out on my own. So, by cutting on me, it really doesn't change much. It only *proves* that I have pesticides.

Today I plan to research saunas. We don't have room right now for a big one, but when my hubby moves the shop out of the basement we can install a larger one in there. He might could build something....

The chlorinating pesticides I think definately is an issue along with metals. That is probably why I feel better when I go to the sauna, I am sweating it out of my fat cells.

So by getting the FIR sauna, not only will i be able to get the pesticides out, but it should help with detoxing metals.

Rachel,

I was surprised that my other metals were not stronger. Considering my little boy pee'd out off the chart levels of arsenic, cadmium, bismuth, tungsten with UNPROVOKED! And it could be what you are saying - that the mercury is *hiding* those. Or could it be that my chelating efforts so far have worked? I guess I would only know if I did some dmsa for a while and retested.

His protocol was to do dmsa for 3 days on, 11 days off for about 8 weeks i think, then retest. Has anyone used dmsa like this?

What do you think about the DMSA oral chelation therapy?

April

[CarlaB]

April, I have Sunlight Sauna three person one. It's made without glue (which you want so you don't have additional toxins). It's so easy to buy the premade one, I can't say I'd build my own. But you do have to have some room for it .... but less than you'd think.

My LLMD has me taking one every day now. I was supposed to be before, but I'd skip some days. Now he really wants me focusing on detoxing .... he says it seems that's what my body's asking for.

Here .... I'm doing you a favor ... you are toxic in pesticides ... you are now diagnosed . I say this with certainty as we ALL are!!

I don't know much about chelation .... I used Detoxamin (EDTA suppositories) as I was toxic in lead. I also took ALA and NAC.

Now I'm taking NAC, ALA and Zeolite.

[dlp252]

I have a lot of pain on the bottom of my feet in general, anyone else experiencing this?

Donna, I was going to ask a couple days ago about the breast pain? Still experiencing it? Did you get an appt set up?

I didn't contact the doctor yet. I'm doing a trial off caffeine this week to see if that helps, although I just recently started drinking coffee again, and I've had the pain before that I think, but I'm pretty sure it will be suggested, so I'm doing it so I can say I tried it. Yep, still having it.

I have pain in the bottom of my right foot. The big toe area...the whole big toe area, not just the toe. It gets really bad sometimes and other times hardly noticable. Someone mentioned gout to me, but I looked that up and it doesn't match the symptoms.

BUT...I had a Starbucks caramel frappacino this morning!

Wow. Glad I was sitting down for this one, lol!!! That's amazing! I've been having some Starbucks once in a while, but I have it with soy milk (not the best thing in the world, but the regular milk would kill me and soy just mames me for a while )

What a coicidence, today you tried coffee by drinking it and I tried coffee by sucking it up my butt.

I don't call it starbucks. I call it fourbucks because their coffee is about as much as my car insurance.

Julie, I am taking the same brand of pectin as you are, so I'd love the info about where to buy it more cheaply online.

Did you mean me? Is it Dee Cee labs?

If so order it from Amazon (not directly from the Amazon Seller) at Open Original Shared Link

I looked at the Seller's website and it's a lot more expensive from them directly. You may have gotten a pretty good deal from Dr. E because I think she might use the same source. I emailed this info to Scott, who I'm sure shared the info with Dr. E or Dr. Amy. Anyway, this is for a 16 oz jar, and I was paying $180 at my doctor's office so this is a big savings even with shipping. I think my doctor's office may even be ordering from here now, lol.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Carla,

So, has your herx showed up? Or, are you still waiting for it? The milder meds might be helping. We all cannot wait to hear more about it. I have to watch my activity level as well. Overdoing it will make me very ill. GSE is good for a lot of things, but the cystic form of Lyme can be very problematic.

Being on Levaquin sounded miserable! Six weeks of that would really be rough. Nausea is the most difficult to deal with. I have that all the time anymore. I would not want to take Levaquin unless it was absolutely necessary. If there is any way I could do the herbal protocol instead, I think I would.

Yesterday sounded like a good day for you! You sure were busy! Working out, playing racquetball, and lifting weights are all things normal people do. I cannot wait until I can do things normal people do! I am so tired of not being able to do anything or enjoy anything.

You got to eat a Big Mac?! Oh, I miss them. I always got super-sized fries, too. I still would if I could eat them and they had them! Even worse, I do not care how bad it is! Once in a while should not kill you.

Dear Susie,

Histamines seem to be everywhere. I have never done a histamine-free diet. Do you have a link about that? Maybe it is worth a try. One histamine I cannot get rid of is Dart! There is no way I could get rid of my Scare Bear! I call him that, because he runs from the slightest noise.

I have allergies like that. I break out in splotches all the time on my neck and chest. There is no telling what causes them. It could be anything! I am allergic to mold, dust, dustmites, you name it! Dyes are another issue for me.

I get sneezing fits when I take a shower a lot. Mold is all over the place in the shower. I try to get rid of it, but on the sliding door, it is difficult to remove. I am not sure what would help. So many things have not done anything to it.

That is awful about the oral reaction to lemon juice. I have an idea of what might have caused it. If you had the lemon for very long, it might have been a mold reaction. Mold grows on fruit rapidly. They need to be very fresh. Usually, I do alright as long as the lemon is not more than a few days old and has been refrigerated.

Adrenals can ruin a lot of things. Hormones are all related to a point. The adrenals most likely did contribute to the miscarriages. Thyroid issues tend to be a cause of menstrual problems. It is amazing how all of these things are intertwined.

Sorry to hear the chocolate made you sick and depressed. I gave up dairy and chocolate for six weeks. No change for the better occurred at all. I figure I can go ahead and treat myself to a little something for Valentine's Day. It is best for me not to keep them in the house, or I will eat them constantly.

I am happy to hear you got off of the codeine. It is not surprising you felt odd on it. Afterall, it is an opiate. I do not take codeine often. When I got Bronchitis I used to take it to ease my cough, but the bad thing was I often got C on it. My mother is allergic to codeine, and it makes her sick to her stomach and she hallucinates.

Dear Kassandra,

ART and ASYRA seem like good options. I do not want to do anything that is not reliable. ELISA is not that accurate. There has been a lot of people saying it is not that dependable. I prefer to do something that is going to pinpoint things and scratch testing certainly did not help much. That method tells you if you have a skin reaction only to certain allergens, not intestinal allergies or other forms of them.

For someone like me without any insurance, Zith and Mepron are both impossible to obtain. The cost of medication is scary. It only gets worse, too. One thing is that many people do not know is, having insurance can actually cost them more than not having it. You see, they are allowed to charge you more whenever you have insurance. So, you may pay much more for a drug than someone else just because you are using your insurance.

SIBO is a good possibility for me, too. I know something bacterial is going on. I feel awful much of the time. Whether or not it is actually another term for Candida, I do not know. SIBO seems to be related to bacterial infections only.

I am like you are, where I can hardly drink or eat anything. Drinking much is difficult. If I drink more than a few sips at a time, it makes me feel sick. I get reflux. I have to sip all day.

Foot pain is something I have had for a while. I was told it was Fibromyalgia. Bart is a good possibility for me, considering the gastrointestinal distress. I just wonder if I will ever get to be diagnosed and treated. Right now, I just feel like I am waiting to die.

I am jealous of Rachel, too! Having anything with lactose without becoming violently ill would be nice. I can eat chocolate, but it must have a small enough amount I do not react. At least now I do not want near as much chocolate as I used to. Right now I am hormonal, so that is why I have wanted it so bad lately.

Dear Andrea,

ASYRA is very thorough. I am amazed by all it picks up. ELISA has had some fairly bad reviews. Accuracy is pretty lousy with it compared to the other techniques. When you have a limited amount of money, you definitely want to go with the most accurate and cost-effective test. There is no point in getting a test done that will not show what you are allergic to.

ART sounds great. BioSet would be nice to do. No one near us does it. Tennessee is the closest place with a practitioner. I wish I lived in New York or California where these things are more widely available.

Thank you for the Coca Food Allergy Test information! I have it saved in a document now. This is interesting. There are times my heart races, and sometimes it is when I have a reaction where I feel like I have been glutened. A rotation diet is probably going to be the only way to identify anything right now.

It might be your ovaries causing the abdominal pain. I get that, too. This worries me, because I hope I do not have cysts again. The symptoms you are describing with the period being off may indicate cysts. Another indication is abdominal bloating, as well as the cold and hot flashes you described.

I appreciate the YES supplement link and information! These look like good stuff. I do not want to get any bad supplements when I am able to get some. I know everyone on here has good references. No one knows better than the OMG Thread!

Dear Lisa,

I am sorry you had a rough day the other day. None of that sounded like fun at all! The flu-like symptoms are likely from the detoxing. It can make you feel really bad. Just take it easy.

I wish I could have seen the article in Parade. Autism is often treated with only traditional medication, or not at all. Most people refuse to accept the truth. Mercury poisoning is a leading cause of Alzheimer's, but so many doctors and other people refuse to believe it. I would do anything to have my grandmother back, no matter how much it cost if I had money.

Did you notice a difference with your "Fourbucks"? I have to agree it would be more pleasant going in the other end. Your post really made me laugh. Are you a Sagittarian? I always say stuff like that, too! Holding back is not a Sagittarian's strong suit, as I always manage to prove.

Those people at the library sound gross! I cannot stand unclean anything. Although I admit to being OCD, what is it with people not washing their hands? You would be surprised how many people do not wash their hands after going to the bathroom. Talk about disgusting!

I was told before that coffee can cause breast pain by a doctor. Mind you, this doctor was as dumb as they come. However, articles often site that as a cause. My pain seems to be primarily in my chest and lymph nodes. The breast pain is typical this time of month for me, but the rest of the time it is not normally as bothersome.

Dear Rpm999,

Pelvic pain is something I have had more lately. I think cysts are a possibility. Ovarian cysts can really cause a nasty sensation in your abdomen. I have had them in the past. The major concern is, if the shot is not working anymore, then what?

Anxiety and crying does tend to accompany a herx. Your body is trying to release something. What you said makes perfect sense. I think you figured it out! If you have metals, the iodine may have set off something. Do you have any metal amalgams?

Having to go to the bathroom a lot is often caused by your body trying to flush out stuff through the kidneys. If the urine is foul smelling, you really should get checked for kidney problems. This does not sound good. Have you had a full work-up recently? They normally take blood for your kidneys, liver, and a number of other things to rule out some other serious causes of illness.

You are right. The radioactive dye they use for the CT is iodine. I remember when I had it done that is what they told me. It did not hurt me any that I know of. That was 8 years ago, though. Colonoscopies and endoscopies were very hard on me.

Dear April,

Water is good to cleanse the system. I am going to try drinking some Pedialyte and see if I feel better. I know an electrolyte imbalance is a possibility for me. Anything that helps a little bit is good. With liver issues, water is very helpful.

I know my liver is loaded up with stuff. Not having a gallbladder probably does not help. I hope I do not have a bile duct stone, but it could be. All of the digestive issues seem a bit too familiar. If they went in there and did not flush the duct out while they removed it, that might explain a lot.

I did not know iodine would cause detox symptoms in people who have metals. That is interesting. I never would have known that. I reacted fine to the iodine. Barium does not set well, though.

It is difficult to say which option is best with the metals. Each challenge has its good and bad points. DMPS might be a the best one if it does better at pulling mercury out. As Rachel said, it tends to hide. Without treating it, some of these other metals stick around causing more trouble.

The fat biopsy does sound scary. However, if you want to do it and think it could help your child, go for it! Whatever you feel is right is what you should do. Those chlorine chemicals are lousy to be exposed to. Chlorine in gas form is really dangerous, too.

Detoxing with the sauna will help. This does make people feel rough. Once you start moving the toxins out, you will notice a difference. My low blood pressure makes it difficult for me to stay in heat. Having a hyper thyroid also causes sensitivity to heat, making me feel faint if I get hot.

Your minerals being low could indicate something. Is it how much you excreted? If so, that means you are absorbing your nutrients. Excreting a lot of calcium is a bad sign. Metals tend to skew these results when they are present.

Dear Sherry,

I will be sure to PM you my e-mail address soon. I have already sent out 5 or 6 PMs today! Maybe I can send you some artwork after I get your e-mail. You never got to see any of my drawings yet. I just sent some to Kristina yesterday.

Using e-coffee probably is an art! The set-up is a bit extreme. I do not know if I could do one of those. My mother used to have to give me Fleets when I was a kid. Those were not fun.

I have heel pain that is bad if I stand for more than 10 minutes. Fibromyalgia is said to cause this. Now that I know about Bart and how Lyme is related to Fibromyalgia, I have to wonder. Next week is when I will have to get my test done. I have to deposit my Christmas money into my parents' bank account because I do not have one of my own.

Bananas are something a number of people do not tolerate. I know they cause a lot of people acid reflux because of the seeds. Something I read said that people who are allergic to latex should avoid bananas. They have an identical protein that can cause a severe reaction. It is the same for tomatoes and aspirin. How weird is that?

I am glad you are feeling a little better. That Levaquin can be really miserable. I am scared of taking something like that. My system is like Mia's. It rarely likes food, why would it tolerate a drug?

Dear Mia,

I hate to hear you are having such a rough time. Nausea is the worst! At least you got a hold of your doctor. Stopping until the weekend might be a good idea. Your body may just need a break.

It is understandable you are anxious about the Colonoscopy/Endo. Most people do get like that. I will not do those again. Doing the prep and everything was a huge pain in the butt. I barely could stand it, and those idiots nearly killed me up there at IU Med!

I hope chelation goes well for you today! Another provoked urine test might show more metals being moved out! We will all keep our fingers crossed. Right now, focusing on the testing being done Friday is necessary. Know that all of us are sending positive energy your way!

Dear Nyxie63,

Who is not irritable when that fun time of month comes around? You probably are relieved your period came, though. Mine is off and on all the time. Fatigue is typical when you have Aunt Flo visiting. Many women are exhausted during that time.

At least the body pain is improving! I am glad to hear that! I do okay somedays, other days I do not. Rain always makes it worse. Too much activity aggravated it, too.

Life without coffee would be awful! I tried to switch to green tea, but it is not the same. I do not get the buzz. I have to have my coffee! I know it is bad for my adrenals, but it is the only way I can get going!

It would be great if you could send us a picture of your flower once it blooms! I am allergic to pollen, so having flowers indoors would not be a good idea for me. Even so, I have gotten some from the store and been okay. I wonder what that means? Is it just certain flowers?

Dear Patti,

What happened to you is similar to what happened to me. The first couple of months gluten-free, I did great. Then, after a course of antibiotics, I was as sick as before. It is so depressing. I worry I never will feel good.

SIBO is something I wonder about. Bacterial issues do seem to be related to the issues I have. I felt less nauseated on the abx, but had really soft, clay-like stools that were very strong smelling. I worry constantly that nothing will fix this. I know I need to do more abx, because I still seem to have an infection in my jaw from that molar I had extracted.

ELISA has had a lot of unfavorable reviews. An elimination diet is worth a try. My brother is doing better than I am. He does not eat corn in cereals, chips, or popped. Maybe that is what the trouble is? I just do not know.

Dear moldlady,

I have heard about warm lemon water for cleansing the kidneys and liver. They said lemonade is also good for kidney stones. My worry is actually a gallstone in the bile duct. Mine was removed in 2003, but I wonder if something is wrong there. It goes numb and hurts in that spot.

Dear Rachel,

That Caramel Frapp sounds so good! I am so glad you got to enjoy it! Plus, no severe reaction! Before you know it, that Big Mac will be in your hands. Oh, take a bite for me and savor it! Like you, I prefer to enjoy my coffee standing up!

I am glad you are not going to go completely crazy with the unhealthy stuff. Let me just say, I probably would not be as good. There are so many good treats out there! If I got to go back to eating gluten again, that would be something. It is doubtful, though. In case I cannot, I am sure I could invent stuff just like those goodies, but gluten-free!

Mercury is notorious for hiding. It can be anywhere. There are so many places in the body it can be in.

Certain issues actually prevent it from being revealed in testing. Removing other factors has to happen first.

I am not surprised that the first metals test is not very accurate. Mercury is covered up easily. The immune system can be overloaded with Candida. Copper, Aluminum, Cadmium, Lead, and so many others cause problems. You have to go about this so carefully!

Dear Donna,

Well, you know what you have done now. I am going to have to get some EM make-up! Did you get the small or large ones? How long do you think they last? I think I can only afford the small ones.

I have acne, so getting rid of that would be nice. A lot of the kind in the stores clog your pores. Being so oily is really problematic. I may get one of their soaps, the lip conditioner, and blotting cloths. They are good deals.

My mother has thought about getting the bladder surgery that is like the sandbagging technique. I can see why anyone would want to end that. Right now, she wears those Poise pads, but frankly, I do not see how they can protect someone with a bladder control issue. They cannot even defend against my menstrual flow! I do not even have heavy bleeding like I used to.

I love my coffee! It is important for me to use 2 Sweet'n Low packets. That is normally all I have of artificial sweeteners a day. Sometimes I drink Diet Rite, too. I would like to switch to stevia or something like xylitol. I heard Fibromyalgia on top of so many other things can be aggravated by artificial sweeteners.

That is wonderful you got your pectin for less. Trying to save money is important. You must be able to afford what you can when you can. Any way you can get more for the money is worthwhile. I seem to do alright on jelly sweetened with pectin.

Dear Julie,

I thought it was interesting about the hives. You said they are evidence of the body trying to detox? I do not think I ever would have thought of that. I get them all of the time. They pop up out of nowhere! Even more strange, they disappear as quickly as they appear.

Histamines are a major issue to deal with. Triggers are everywhere. In this house, it feels like a fruitless endeavor. I just do not think there is much I can do about it. The dog's hair is all over the place. Between the mold, the dust, and everything else I am allergic to, avoiding them is really not possible.

I never thought about chocolate having a laxative affect. That makes sense. I get sick if I eat too much of it. My body does not respond well to food that is too rich. A little is fine, but too much is bad.

I get foot pain as well. The balls of my feet always hurt if I stand in the shower too long, or anything else for longer than ten minutes. This began some time back. I have no idea what causes it. Bart is something to look into.

Brain fog and fatigue are what I have had more of lately. I do not know what the deal is. Maybe it is related to my hormones. Then again, it could be Lyme. Until I get some testing done, I will not know.

Dear Paula,

That pulsing in your leg could be a lot of things. I get that. It occurs randomly. Nothing particular sets it off. I also get jerking of my muscles when I am trying to sleep. My arm will jerk when I am about to fall asleep.

Dear Birdy,

My pulse was slow when I was younger. I have no clue why. It just was. Now it seems to race a lot. Palpitations are a problem for me.

Your doctor's appointment sounded very thorough. All of that testing is bound to reveal something! Having a plan of action is important. Just focus on one thing at a time. You will get there. We all cannot wait until you see the LLMD in a couple of weeks!

Sincerely,

Jin

[AndreaB]

I feel like i am entering a war today- I have chelation adn colon therapy, tomorrow I have prep day and friday i have endoscopy/ colonoscopy . I think i really would like to fast forward to Saturday.

I don't blame you for wanting to fast forward to Saturday. Hope everything goes smoothly for you the rest of the week.

Jin,

I hope I don't have cysts! I do know that female group came up with ASYRA as an autoimmunity and the reproductive organs came up stressed on the energetic baseline report. I just need to hang in there til Aug/Sept when we plan on going up to Dr E again.

[Green12]

Yeah Sherry, I think you got me confused with Donna on the pectin, my powdered pectin experiment had to be aborted, I couldn't get it down.

For those of you doing detox baths, how long do you stay in??

I can only seem to stand 15 minutes, the most I have done is 20 minutes.

I read on another thread it is suggested you stay in an hour

April, I have a Health Mate Far Infared Sauna.

Rachel, about the Starbucks

Miamia, I know this week is a tough week for you, I'm thinking of you

[dlp252]

Well, you know what you have done now. I am going to have to get some EM make-up! Did you get the small or large ones? How long do you think they last? I think I can only afford the small ones.

I started with the sample sizes. You can get a sample kit that has samples of three different foundations, a blush and a concealor. They are small, but the foundation size lasts me about a week and a couple of days or so. The blush lasts longer than that. The sample kit is free, but you'd pay $3.95 shipping. They also have small sizes of most of the minerals, so if you wanted to try something that you can't get in the free kit, they do have small sizes, and sometimes those are larger than the samples. And it's gluten free!

I have acne, so getting rid of that would be nice. A lot of the kind in the stores clog your pores. Being so oily is really problematic. I may get one of their soaps, the lip conditioner, and blotting cloths. They are good deals.

Yeah, I'm prone to break outs too...never had that problem until I got OLD, lol.

My mother has thought about getting the bladder surgery that is like the sandbagging technique. I can see why anyone would want to end that. Right now, she wears those Poise pads, but frankly, I do not see how they can protect someone with a bladder control issue. They cannot even defend against my menstrual flow! I do not even have heavy bleeding like I used to.

I had a sling put in. I worried even then about the compatibility...they use pig whatever...can't be good to have a foreign thing in you like that, but back then I didn't know all the stuff I know now or I might not have done it. I must say though that it worked VERY well, lol.

I love my coffee! It is important for me to use 2 Sweet'n Low packets. That is normally all I have of artificial sweeteners a day. Sometimes I drink Diet Rite, too. I would like to switch to stevia or something like xylitol. I heard Fibromyalgia on top of so many other things can be aggravated by artificial sweeteners.

Funny thing is I actually don't like the taste of coffee by itself...I like the taste of coffee with sweetness, lol. So really, when I crave coffee, it's for the stuff I put in it and the hotness of it, not really the coffee. When I drink coffee I usually get decaf anyway, but I put stuff in it...cocoa powder, sweetener, milk substitute of some kind. When I go to Starbucks I get: Venti (either iced or hot) Decaf Sugar-Free Vanilla Soy Latte. Artificial sweeteners are so bad for so many reasons...best to NOT use any of them, but I have a hard time with that. I use stevia as much as I can, but that just tastes AWFUL in hot things for some reason. Can't do xylitol at all...that sends my digestive system into convulsions.

That is wonderful you got your pectin for less. Trying to save money is important. You must be able to afford what you can when you can. Any way you can get more for the money is worthwhile. I seem to do alright on jelly sweetened with pectin.

Yeah, this stuff is HUGELy expensive and I've been taking it for over a year now, but I've decided that now I shouldn't take it all the time because of the expense. It was originally suggested by one of my HN doctors whilst I was going through my amalgam removal because it is supposed to bind with the metals and she felt that it would bind with whatever got into my system from the removal. I took it for a long time afterwards just because I thought if I was killing off candida, I might need the extra help mopping things up, but I've decided now that I'm just going to rotate it. When I finish this cannister I'll skip a month or two and just take charcoal or something, then go back to this, etc.

The thing I like about it though is that it's good fiber, lol.

[AndreaB]

Yeah, I'm prone to break outs too...never had that problem until I got OLD, lol.

My dentist believes adult acne is from mercury.

[dlp252]

For those of you doing detox baths, how long do you stay in??

I can only seem to stand 15 minutes, the most I have done is 20 minutes.

The longest I've been able to stay in so far is 25 minutes. The average is 15-20 minutes, unless something is going on with my body, and then even 10 minutes may be too long.

[dlp252]

My dentist believes adult acne is from mercury.

Oooh, well that WOULD explain a lot. Wonder if it goes away with chelation... Don't even know why I asked that question since I won't be chelated for a long time, but there...it's out there.

[mftnchn]

That sounds easier than what I posted, for the children anyway. I can't imagine trying to keep them relatively quiet for 1 1/2 hours after every meal. Their typical favorite thing to do is run around the house (on the inside) after dinner.

I think you'd still have to keep them relatively quiet about that long. Maybe set up a plan with them, that includes reading time and special quiet activities for your test day?

Also my allergist said it was normal for only some foods to provoke that response, he explained it but I don't remember a lot of the detail.

I was to track all the symptom changes.

When my kids were little I took them to my allergist (who is also a pediatrician) for testing. It was amazing to see the symptoms that were provoked. My son would get more hyper, once got really angry. My daughter would get tired and withdraw--curl up in a little ball and hide in a corner, also a range of emotional responses.

Sherry

[CarlaB]

Jin, yesterday WAS my monthly flare-up! It only lasted one day, and I got around pretty well. I was really tired in the morning and could have stayed in bed all day ..... I did stay in bed all morning .... and in the afternoon I dragged a little.

Today, I'm back to "normal."

I only last 15-20 minutes in the bath .... I get bored.

I ran a bath for Adam last week when he had a cold and he was in there every bit of an hour! But, he never just sits and relaxes .... for me, with the sauna, enema, baths, etc, I have too much quiet time.