Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[mftnchn]

I've been going through a rough time the last couple days.

Andrea, I hope things get better soon.

Lisa, have you increased your magnesium? My doc told me to try increasing it every 3-4 days until it works. Maybe this preparation blocks magnesium absorption??

Sherry

[mftnchn]

Lisa and Andrea both, sorry about the C and all the discomfort

Lisa, if this came on after the zeolite I guess I would tend to suspect that I don't know anything about it to say really. Can you contact your Dr about it? If mag and C isn't working try lemon juice in warm to hot water.

Andrea, you need to take care of yourself!!!! You can't take care of everyone else when you aren't in good health

If you've been having more dairy in your diet that can be very binding/constipating, and then not a lot of fiber to move it through could be the source of pain

Hope the magnesium helps

I agree with this, just think you can increase both the C and Mag until it works.

Andrea--yes to this! Please take care of yourself. Could you do some legumes? They are cheap, high fiber and filling. Lentils maybe? Pacific brand has this wonderful red lentil curry soup, and it was so good I have looked for a few recipes. I haven't found red lentils here yet but when I do I want to try this.

Sherry

[mftnchn]

Ambien is no longer working!!!! It makes me feel loopy, but still wide awake! I'm glad I'm going to see Dr H this weekend, so we can figure out what the next best sleep med would be.

Kassandra, the Travacor that I am taking (neurotransmitter support) is REALLY helping with my sleep. Maybe that is something that can be tried or those levels checked.

Carla, glad you figured out why you are seeing things. Amazing you still have stuff after two rounds of humaworm. I need to think about doing this again, but maybe I'll wait until I get to the US in June.

Sherry

[Rachel--24]

Kassandra (and anyone else with insomnia)...have you had a red blood cell test to check the mineral balances?

Certain deficiencies can cause insomnia. Copper imbalance is common in chronic illness and also a cause for insomnia.

If it was something like this causing the sleep problems it might be better to correct the imbalance itself rather than having to take the meds. Correcting imbalances will help your body in other areas as well.

Vegans and vegetarians often eat soy products to boost their protein intake. Yet Reist, who treats Lyme patients in her Pennsylvania clinic, worries that the patients who eat soy may risk getting too much copper in their diets. Soy is high in copper, and evidence suggests that patients trying to heal from Lyme must also get rid of an overload of metals, including copper, mercury, lead and aluminum. She asks her patients to consider eating animal protein such as eggs, fish or whey while fighting Lyme.

If you have copper deficiency (because you cant utilize the copper)...it will tend to accumulate in tissue. If this is the case eating foods high in copper can also worsen the symptoms...including insomnia. Copper is a stimulant so it can cause the mind to start racing at night when you'd be trying to fall asleep. It can keep you up awake at night and tired in the morning.

I think most of us stay away from soy but there are lots of foods high in copper...also alot of us take supplements which contain copper as well.

It might be worth checking out.

Heres some foods high in copper

All legumes

Chocolate

Organ meats

Poultry

Lamb

Nuts

Seeds

Leafy greens

Oysters

Whole grains

Shellfish

Fruits

Dried beans

Theres alot of symptoms caused by copper imbalance....but its strongly associated with certain things like insomnia, adrenal fatigue and yeast.

[CarlaB]

Thank you for the info Rachel. I haven't had that test ..... my insomnia was better until I started the doxycycline a week ago. I had been sleeping through the night every night with only a half Ambien. I'm hoping I'll get back to that after this herx.

Now, if it were copper, what's the solution? I don't eat many of those foods and I do eat animal protein - whey, meat, and eggs.

Wouldn't copper have shown up in the hair analysis?

[Rachel--24]

I didnt get to start my chelation yesterday.

I was pretty much at the end of my cold but then on Monday it came back. I guess it was my own fault because I sometimes forget that I'm sick and go overboard with stuff.

I saw some cake in the breakroom at work.

I always know theres a risk of reaction when I eat stuff but its usually nothing I cant handle. I have no idea what was in the cake....all I know is it tasted good and I ate alot.

So yeah....I'm thinking maybe a high amount of sulfites in that cake because I got a pretty huge reaction. Within the first half hour I got all the symptoms I'd get from chemicals like sulfites....then the next half hour my cold came back full force. I couldnt really tell what was from the reaction and what was actually my cold getting worse but the whole thing REALLY sucked!

I think the reaction stressed my system enough that the whole thing blew up. Tuesday was the worst day I've had. I took yesterday and today off but I've been much better. I felt pretty good yesterday in comparison to Tuesday. I still have symptoms from the reaction but the cold seems to be going away again.

My friends having a pool party on Saturday...I'm definately not taking anymore risks with "mystery" cakes....at least not until AFTER the party.

I wont be swimming or hot tubbing because of the chlorine but its still gonna be fun.

Yeah....I'll totally avoid the chlorine but then eat large amounts of cake with no access to the ingredient list.

Anyways...they wouldnt give me any DMPS while I still have a virus. I'm rescheduled for Tuesday. They said the detoxification from DMPS could worsen the virus so if I'm still not over the cold by Tuesday I'll have to reschedule again.

They also put off my porphyrin test until the virus is gone.

So I got nothing at my appt. yesterday....nothing but a Dr.'s note excusing me from work.

Donna, for future reference: You dont have to pay the fine for missing an IV if you're sick on the day of the IV. I was there but they didnt want to give me the IV....so even though it got wasted she said it was "legal".

[Rachel--24]

Now, if it were copper, what's the solution? I don't eat many of those foods and I do eat animal protein - whey, meat, and eggs.

I dont know if you'd have a problem with copper since yeast has never been an issue for you??

I still think its good for all of us to have the RBC to check the mineral status. I think I also read that an imbalance of magnesium and calcium can also cause trouble falling asleep.

Copper can be chelated with penicillamine...a strong chelator of copper. I'm using DMPS because it works on copper and I still have the other metals which need to come out as well.

You can also correct the imbalance by taking minerals which drive copper levels down...usually zinc and/or molybdenum. I think its a slower process that way but maybe safer for some.

You dont want any mineral to be too high because it throws the other minerals off. Copper is the one that tends to show up high but you dont want to make any of the others too high in the process of bringing the copper down.

You would also want to avoid copper in all supplements and limit intake of high copper foods if the copper is too high.

I've actually been wondering if copper imbalance was already present long before I got sick and maybe a contributer to the build-up of additional toxins. It puts a burden on the liver.

I had some symptoms of high copper...like the mind racing, insomnia, anxiety, hairloss and palipitations prior to getting sick but those are all associated with hyperthyroid (which I had) and the symptoms only appeared during high stress and always cleared up with treatment or when the stress was gone.

But then I read that high copper is associated with thyroid problems including hyperthyroidism. So I dunno.

Wouldn't copper have shown up in the hair analysis?

Sometimes yes and sometimes no...I think thats why the RBC is more accurate....because its looking at whats in the cells. I read that excess copper is often deep in the organ tissue and other body tissue and not necessarily showing up in hair or blood serum. Obviously if it does show up in these tests then you'd know for sure.

Blood, urine and even hair analysis may not reveal copper toxicity directly. Copper is stored mainly in the brain, liver and other organs, not in the blood or urine.

It is possible to become copper-toxic or copper-deficient, and there is a condition called biounavailable copper. In the latter, copper is present, but cannot be utilized. Toxicity and biounavailability are seen most often.

It seems like its more common to be toxic from copper because of biounavailability. The copper is there (in large amounts) but still not getting to where it needs to go. Its not getting utilized.

[AndreaB]

Andrea--yes to this! Please take care of yourself. Could you do some legumes? They are cheap, high fiber and filling. Lentils maybe? Pacific brand has this wonderful red lentil curry soup, and it was so good I have looked for a few recipes. I haven't found red lentils here yet but when I do I want to try this.

I do have legumes occasionaly....I'll have to look into that.

Yeah....I'll totally avoid the chlorine but then eat large amounts of cake with no access to the ingredient list.

[CarlaB]

True, I don't have trouble with candida .... it's a mystery why not! But then again, I've had an awareness of candida issues since 1991 and have not eaten a lot of sugar along with eating/supplementing candida "enemies" like garlic, coconut oil, etc.

My insomnia is directly related to how many Lyme symptoms I'm having.

I've been pretty upset by the herx that the doxy has caused. I was thinking that it meant the bugs had really taken over again. Then I got to thinking, Tindamax, a cyst buster, used to do this to me, too. So, perhaps the break from abx for a few weeks let the borrelia come out of the cyst form and now I'm getting the buggers.

I started herxing on day 4 of doxy, which is the "normal" day that a lot of people start herxing. My regular herx isn't due till Sunday .... I hope it's not as bad as this one and I hope this one does not continue till then!

I got so sick of my fever that I had a chocolate malt for dinner last night. A large one from Steak and Shake. Adam went and got it for me because I wasn't up to leaving the house .... I don't remember the last time I washed my hair, LOL (Sat. maybe?) ... it's getting washed today no matter how bad I feel. Anyway, Adam came home with shakes for everyone and said, "Shakes for dinner!" The kids were happy.

Except for the sugar rush, which I offset by drinking some whey so I wouldn't have such a bad hypoglycemic crash, I felt better after my shake.

Morgan comes home for the summer Saturday. Saturday is also her 20th birthday! I can't believe I have a kid who is PAST being a teenager!!!

[dlp252]

Well I still have insomnia. It was getting better and now lately I've been having problems again. I was just retested for neurotransmitters, but haven't got the results back yet.

I think I may ask Dr. S about that blood test when I see him. I had the minerals/metals evaluation, but that was hair and not my head hair either, lol...my copper was 23 and the reference range was 9.0-24, so it was pretty high, but not over the upper number.

Out of that list of foods I eat:

Chocolate (1 tablespoon, pure unsweetened cocoa, and not everyday)

Poultry (lots of turkey and maybe chicken twice a week)

Nuts (mostly cashew butter)

Leafy greens

and sometimes a few frozen blueberries

[Rachel--24]

Well I still have insomnia. It was getting better and now lately I've been having problems again. I was just retested for neurotransmitters, but haven't got the results back yet.

Sorry the insomnia is back.

Yeah...I'm sure Dr. S. would be happy to order the test for you. Interestingly copper also affects the neurotransmitters.

Copper stimulates production of the neurotransmitters epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine. It is also required for monoamine oxidase, an enzyme related to serotonin production.

More and more it makes me wonder if I might have already had copper imbalance at the time that I went over the edge.

[AndreaB]

Donna,

How long til you get your results back?

Let us know what Dr S says.

Hope you can get this figured out and be sleeping better soon.

[aprilh]

I've been going through a rough time the last couple days. I don't know if C started the downward spiral again, but I've had bad abdominal pain. I'm hoping it's nothing more than C as we don't have insurance and we really don't have the funds to have anything checked out. I do feel a little better today but still in lots of pain. :(

Hubby won't be home til late tonight so I'm on my own with getting the kids to bed. I crashed on the couch around 8 last night and woke up and went to bed around 10. Hubby was home last night to take care of everything, which was nice.

I don't really take care of myself and haven't been eating my fruits/veggies. I prefer to save the fruit for the rest of the family. I think lack of fiber on top of running out of Magnesium last Thursday made things worse again. I've got the Magnesium again so I'm hoping this will clear itself in a couple days.

Right now, it hurts to eat too.

Andrea, Yes you have to take care of yourself so you can take care of the kids and hubby. I run into this problem all the time. I focus on them so much, I have to let myself go more.

Last week and 1/2 I had the abdominal pain problem. I think it was a virus going around. I took extra probiotics (human strain!!) and that seemed to take care of it.

Thank you for the info Rachel. I haven't had that test ..... my insomnia was better until I started the doxycycline a week ago. I had been sleeping through the night every night with only a half Ambien. I'm hoping I'll get back to that after this herx.

Now, if it were copper, what's the solution? I don't eat many of those foods and I do eat animal protein - whey, meat, and eggs.

Wouldn't copper have shown up in the hair analysis?

I take approximately 15mg of zinc to balance copper. Both the kids copper levels were raised so I am sure mine were too (before testing days).

[aprilh]

sherry,

Wonder if I can get travacor online? I am expiramenting on my mom trying some things to help her sleep. She won't go to the ND and spend any money, especially after the fire. She goes to sleep okay but wakes up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep.

I started with magnesium, but it immediately cause D. So maybe she has enough Magn in her body right now. Now I am giving her ginseng for adrenal support. I am trying to figure out what to do next.

Andrea,

You can safely take extra Magnesium until you get loose stools. Then back off from there.

[AndreaB]

I've been pretty upset by the herx that the doxy has caused. I was thinking that it meant the bugs had really taken over again. Then I got to thinking, Tindamax, a cyst buster, used to do this to me, too. So, perhaps the break from abx for a few weeks let the borrelia come out of the cyst form and now I'm getting the buggers.

That would make sense to me.

Anyway, Adam came home with shakes for everyone and said, "Shakes for dinner!" The kids were happy.

That sounds like my kind of occasional dinner!

Morgan comes home for the summer Saturday. Saturday is also her 20th birthday! I can't believe I have a kid who is PAST being a teenager!!!

Summer break already! Happy early b-day to her!

[dlp252]

Wonder if I can get travacor online? I am expiramenting on my mom trying some things to help her sleep. She won't go to the ND and spend any money, especially after the fire. She goes to sleep okay but wakes up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep.

You can, but I think you have to be referred by a practitioner. I can order directly from the company, but they have to have an "order" from my doctor. I am fortunate in that I can buy them locally in two places...my LLMD sells them and my BioSET lady also carries them. I was taking TravaCor but my neurotransmitters shifted a bit, so they had me stop that.

I'm taking CalmPRT, Kavinace, AdreCor (or ExcitaPlus) from this company.

[AndreaB]

You can safely take extra Magnesium until you get loose stools. Then back off from there.

I just took some.

I usually only take one 200 mg capsule at night but had increased to 2 capsules when we got more and I'm thinking of staying there. I just took 2 this morning and will continue til things improve.

I'm also debating primarily being on water or tea at least today because I tend to feel worse if I eat.

[Green12]

Sorry so many are struggling with insomnia I hope you guys are able to fgure out solutions

Thanks Julie and everyone else for your suggestions. Wayne's blisters are not painful, just itchy like hives. He doesn't have any creepy crawly sensations like some with parasites. I did write to Humaworm, I'll see what they say. My hubby is worried it might be skin cancer but I don't think that sounds like what it is. He won't be excited about repeating the Humaworm because it really gave him bad GERD.

Sherry, if it is just toxins trying to get out then anything that would help with that I assume would be good options to try. I had thought of something else in addition to getting acupuncture and an epsom salt bath, but now I am drawing a blank.....

If he does have to repeat the Humaworm, taking charcoal with it might help with the GERD. It has completely taken my GERD away.

I forget what all you have access to there, if acupuncture is even a possibility? I was thinking they might be able to look at it and tell you what it might be?

Keep us posted.

I've been pretty upset by the herx that the doxy has caused. I was thinking that it meant the bugs had really taken over again. Then I got to thinking, Tindamax, a cyst buster, used to do this to me, too. So, perhaps the break from abx for a few weeks let the borrelia come out of the cyst form and now I'm getting the buggers.

I started herxing on day 4 of doxy, which is the "normal" day that a lot of people start herxing. My regular herx isn't due till Sunday .... I hope it's not as bad as this one and I hope this one does not continue till then!

Morgan comes home for the summer Saturday. Saturday is also her 20th birthday! I can't believe I have a kid who is PAST being a teenager!!!

Sorry Carla about this little bump in the road you are experiencing with these symptoms, I hope it doesn't linger and that you get through it quickly!! That makes sense what you propose might be happening with the meds.

Glad you have Adam there and the kids to take care of you in the down times!

This year has flown by. I saw Morgan's birthday reminder on MySpace , it is hard to believe you have a 20 yr old..you surely aren't past your 30s??

Rachel, thanks for the copper info.

That's a bummer you couldn't start your chelation because of your cold, but I am glad they had your best interest in mind there. Get better soon!

A pool party? Omgosh I woke up to snow the size of golf balls, spring isn't quite ready to stay here

[AndreaB]

Omgosh I woke up to snow the size of golf balls, spring isn't quite ready to stay here

Don't you just love the warm then cold again weather?

I'm ready for warmer weather already.......not nearly as warm as Rachel likes it though.

[CarlaB]

Glad you have Adam there and the kids to take care of you in the down times!

Adam left town today till Saturday. I'm going to have to peel myself out of bed, get cleaned up and go to the grocery. He said he was going to go yesterday, but he got busy and forgot. I should have gone this morning .... my fever doesn't show up till afternoon.

I guess we can't do milk shakes two nights in a row!

This year has flown by. I saw Morgan's birthday reminder on MySpace , it is hard to believe you have a 20 yr old..you surely aren't past your 30s??

Yeah, way past. I can't believe how old I am!!!

BTW it's 79 degrees here.

[CarlaB]

Check out the article I posted on the Lyme Disease thread. Great news!!!

[Rachel--24]

A pool party? Omgosh I woke up to snow the size of golf balls, spring isn't quite ready to stay here

Omg....as much as I appreciate the beauty of snow...and as much as I love throwing snowballs...

..there is no way I could handle waking up to golf-ball size snowballs in early May!!

I guess thats why I was born in California...God only gives us what he knows we can handle.

Yeah...its still not nearly as warm as I like it. Its still cold here. It'll be somwhere in the 70's on Saturday...which is fine for some...but definately too cold for me.

Sooo..even if I could tolerate the chlorine I'd still be avoiding the pool. I'd be spending my time in the hot tub instead.

[AndreaB]

I guess we can't do milk shakes two nights in a row!

Well, you could.

Yeah...its still not nearly as warm as I like it. Its still cold here. It'll be somwhere in the 70's on Saturday...which is fine for some...but definately too cold for me.

70's I like. Don't forget, us Washingtonians can't deal with heat very well.

[Green12]

Carla, I had to go back to Adam bringing home the chocolate milkshakes, does anyone remember that comedy special Bill Cosby did in the 80s??

It reminded me of that, his wife was tired and needed to rest so she slept in and told him he would have to get the children breakfast, so he came up with chocolate cake, thinking all the food groups were represented. Then all the kids were chanting how great Dad was because he gave them chocolate cake

Also that is interesting you haven't had candida issues Count yourself as a lucky duck in that category at least

Hope you get through getting around and going to the grocery store ok.

Omg....as much as I appreciate the beauty of snow...and as much as I love throwing snowballs...

..there is no way I could handle waking up to golf-ball size snowballs in early May!!

Rachel

We tend to get a couple of spring snows so this isn't that out of the ordinary for us. A couple years ago we had a terrible spring blizzard with a couple of feet, something around there. It was so heavy on the plants, flowers, and trees. The weight did so much damage that not much bloomed that season, which was sad.

Don't worry though, it will be in the 70s and 80s in a couple of days

Your pool party sounds fun, it is quite amazing how far you have come

Yes Andrea, I am so ready for the warm weather to stick around. I might be dreading it though when it gets into the 90s and 100s

[CarlaB]

Well, you could.

Andrea, you're bad spurring me on like that!!! I think I'll get some chicken soup at Whole Foods and have it for dinner. The kids still have plenty of frozen garbage in the freezer from when we were out of town.

Carla, I had to go back to Adam bringing home the chocolate milkshakes, does anyone remember that comedy special Bill Cosby did in the 80s??

It reminded me of that, his wife was tired and needed to rest so she slept in and told him he would have to get the children breakfast, so he came up with chocolate cake, thinking all the food groups were represented. Then all the kids were chanting how great Dad was because he gave them chocolate cake

Yes, I remember that. That's a good argument for being the fun one. And, I think he's right ... all the food groups are represented in chocolate cake .... especially if you eat it with ice cream!

Bill Cosby is coming to IU again next school year .... I think I might have to go .... hmmm, the problem is, Morgan will be in Spain that semester! I was SO sick the day I saw him last time. My stomach cramps were horrible! But I didn't want to leave for even a second, he was so funny.

Rachel, smell a margarita for me at your pool party!!