Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[dlp252]

Hum Peace...I'm not sure what else. Definitely low body weight and low body fat can cause it. I know some athlete's lose theirs, but I think those are the extreme cases. Unless you are working out several hours a day, I don't think that'd be it.

The only other thing I can think of is maybe your hormones are out of whack somehow. Medications?? I don't know. Have you seen a doctor about it?

[Mango04]

Hi Peace - Yeah that happened to me once for about six months. A year and a half is a long time though. It happened to me when I started eating lots and lots of soy (which I'm allergic to and now avoid). When I saw my doctor about it she just put me on a low dose bc pill, which worked, but I never really knew exactly what the problem was. I've heard cysts can be a cause...

[Rachel--24]

We did the wheat panel last night at BioSET which I thought was kind of lame at first...mainly cuz I'm not gonna eat it. I wanted to be cleared for foods that I *can* eat.

So the first half of the panel was all enzymes...the enzymes used in breaking down and digesting gliadin. The second half was all the stuff in food which contains wheat/gluten.

I actually wasnt even paying attention during the first half of testing because inside I was kind of moping and I didnt have the interest that I normally have.

So I reacted to half of the enzymes. They always write down the percentage on my chart...so 50% on the wheat enzymes. Then we moved to the actual "poisons". Ok....so I totally flunked the test. I got 100% on wheat.

I know..I know....it shouldnt be a shock but I wasnt expecting to do as bad as I did....especially since I havent even had any wheat in soooo long. I guess the immune system doesnt forget???

I had told the lady before we started that I'm just gonna stay gluten free because of my test results (Enterolab) and having positive tTG. When I wasnt doing well on the wheats she was like "Wow...you really knew that your body doesnt like wheat."

Well actually nooo....cuz I've never done a gluten challenge.

So I guess I wasnt *totally* sure....I just have my Enterolab results and since nothing is published yet...I sometimes get doubtful.

I had strong reactions to the wheat...especially the wheat flour. When I touched the wheat flour it was just as bad as when I touched Candida Albicans. The computer makes that "dead" sound and the bar hardly goes up at all.

Donna, you will know what I mean about the "sounds" after tomorrow. Hopefully you wont get so many dull readings like I do.

So the last vial on the panel wasnt wheat.....it was oats. I guess it was included in the panel for obvious reasons. So....check this out...I didnt react to OATS!!

That really woke me up. I guess I almost expect to react to *everything* at this point. So in my mind I'm thinking I must seriously have a problem with gluten because I reacted to the entire panel except the oats.

I was just sitting there kind of stunned. The lady was like "Ummm....I guess you're left with oats?? Can you eat oats??"

I was like "NOOO.... they are contaminated with GLUTEN."

I would totally order myself some pure oats right now if it werent for the candida and mold issues.

What do you guys think about this?? Do you think there is significance in the fact that I *didn't* react to oats?? I started wondering about my positive tTG and the fact that my gut is pretty much a mess and I have candida like nobody's business.....and could gluten have had a part in all this??

Obviously there are other factors but I wonder how I would have done on this same test *before* I got sick?? I dont know if gluten was always an issue or if it just became a problem because candida punched holes all through my gut and gluten leaked out.....triggering the immune response??

It just freaks me out that I didnt react to the oats....especially since I love Oats and ate them constantly....up until the day I changed my diet.

So she puts all the problematic vials into the glass jar and whats left in the tray is half of the enzymes and one vial of oats on the other side. She says...."Well its not an issue of enzymes because you have plenty of enzymes left."

So....its obviously an immune response and not because I lack enzymes.

Then she starts testing my body systems against the wheat in the jar to see what parts of my body are weakened or affected by the wheat. OMG...so many things popped up...I couldnt even begin to remember them all.

I think it was more stuff then I saw on any other treatment....it was definately up there. I cant remember most of what showed up because alot of the stuff is foreign to me. Like "Thymus"...I have no idea what that is but the wheat was really weakening it. I've seen thymus show up in tests for other stuff too but it was really strong reaction with the wheat.

My hormones were affected. I'm pretty sure my hormones shows up in almost *all* the tests. My hormones are so screwed up by all of these things.

My stomach showed up...that one shows up alot too. My small intestine *never* shows up but my large intestine does. I wonder what that means??

Then a whole list of other things that I wasnt sure about as far as what function they have in the body. Just alot of stuff affected by wheat.

She told me that I'm smart to stay away from wheat because my body REALLY does not like it at all and its a good idea for me to just stay on my diet.

So the most shocking of all was that FIBROID showed up.

I hadnt seen that show up with anything before and this time it showed up....on the wheat treatment.

The lady stopped and said "Fibroid??" I told her " Hey....I have a fibroid"

She asked me about the fibroid...and about how big it is. I told her they said it was small when they saw it about 6 months ago. I told her I had a cyst on my ovary too....that at first it was big but then it started getting smaller.

She said we would see if my ovaries showed up in the test but it didnt....my ovaries were fine with the wheat test.

She said to not eat wheat because it *may* cause my fibroid to grow.

Do you guys think gluten could have caused my fibroid???

Could I continue getting them if I wasnt gluten-free???

Rememeber when I was having all that "ovary pain". It was bothering me everyday and sometimes really hurting to where it felt like I couldnt walk cuz something was pinching me. It was the same time when the OBGYN saw the craziness in my intestines....the "alien baby" wreaking havoc inside me. All that was going on at the same time.

Also you guys might recall that I kept eating those freakin Edward and Sons rice crackers during that time. Everytime I started eating them I was getting mouth blisters, loose stools and those pains in my ovary area...on both sides. I remember we were specualting that it could be a CC issue because of the warning on the package about wheat.

Do you guys think that gluten could have caused those pains?? They said my fibroid was on my uterus....I think?? I cant remember now but for sure the pains were below my belly button but not in the middle....it was off to the side a little.

The thing is that I havent had the pain AT ALL in the past 3 or 4 months since I dont eat questionable stuff and I stick to my "safe" foods. That pain was caused by something I was eating but it was hurting me in that area where I thought maybe my ovaries were being crushed by my intestines or something.

So...maybe the OBGYN who saw my intestines doing all that crazy stuff on ultrasound was actually witnessing a glutening from the "inside"....as it was happenning?? Do you guys remember talking about this and wondering if thats what it was and if it was possible??

With my gut being so leaky from the candida it seems like a little cc might have a big reaction in my body if gluten is a serious issue for me.

What do you guys think about this?? I'm pretty freaked out by it actually.

They always test my brain before I go into the treatment room....to make sure I can handle the "load" and that my body will accept the treatment. I ususally do very well with a strong response and they always say I do great. I can hear the sound and its always strong.

When I did the yeast/mycotoxin/mold stuff I wasnt handling it as well. Those things really weakened me and dragged down my energy. It was the same thing with the wheat last night. I wasnt sure if I could handle the treatment because the sound was really weak and the bar wasnt going up very high.

The lady was all "Wow...what happened to your energy???"

I was thinking....."Ummmm....hello....WHEAT!!

She said "Look at what happened to your energy......when you came in tonight you were at 71 but now you're barely making it to 36."

She said the wheat was really bringing me down....it cut my energy in half.

It was just as evil as the candida.

So anyways...I'm going to see what happens with the other food panels before I come to any definate conclusions about the wheat panel. If they arent as severe as this one was then I will most definately stay gluten-free no matter what and I wont assume this is something that can be fixed by healing my gut.

If the other panels are just as severe and I'm reacting 100% with alot of body systems being affected then I wont be so sure gluten is causing more damage than other foods that are passing through my gut. I'll have to wait and see what the next tests say.

So while I was in the treatment room I guess she explained everything to Anna and when I came out Anna said she wanted to start me on these drops that will help all areas of the body detox but also help get rid of fibroids. The only thing is they are alchol based so she said I need to put the drops in water and let them sit all night so that the alcohol will evaporate and then I can drink it in the morning.

Does alcohol really evaporate when it sits out in water??

So what happens to the other stuff....the "good" stuff??? Does it stay intact in the water while the alcohol disappears?? I'm scared of stuff that contains alcohol because it causes reactions.

She also said I should be taking enzymes with my meal and I should start trying to do that. Another thing I'm scared of.

She gave me a handful of her own enzymes and told me to try one a day and see how I do.

Thats about it....that and the stuff about pH. I dont know which food panel is next but I'll find out on Tuesday.

I'd love some feedback about the wheat/gluten stuff....and if anyone thinks it could have caused my fibroid??

[AndreaB]

Rachel,

I'm starting to believe most things wrong with our body are foods or chemical (from food or manmade). I wouldn't be surprised if the gluten caused your fibroid. Whether it will go away. Don't know. I assume not since Patti just had surgery for hers, but maybe other foods were contributing once the gluten had started the process. It may be that various foods affect various parts of our bodies. Since we are all different the same food would more than likely affect a different part of our body. I'm just thinking out loud. I have no concrete evidence.

You've learned so much about chemicals/food and your body. This seems to fit in with that. Gluten is poison.

Yay for the oats. You can get the gluten free oats once your cleared of molds (was there something aside from molds?). We've had gluten-free oats recently, I've missed them too.

I'll be looking forward to future food panels and what you have to say. I'm so interested in this.

Donna,

Is it tomorrow yet? Can't wait to hear (read) what you have to say after tomorrow. Try not to get too involved in the gaming system so you can come home and tell us all about your appointment.

[dlp252]

Wow Rachel, very freaky!

At first my fibroids hurt mainly on one side, then as they got bigger the pain was all over. I felt EXACTLY like my organs were being crushed by the fibroids!

I don't know if gluten can cause them. I did a lot of reading and research when I found out I had them, but can't remember much about that now. Stupid brain fog, stupid fatigue! It seems there was some connection with food and/or environment in at least some cases, but I just can't remember. I remember thinking that the reason I got mine was because I ate "X". I think I deleted all my bookmarks, but if I can find anything I'll post it.

I'll bet that alien baby WAS a glutening. If you react so strongly (machine wise, lol) to the gluten/wheat stuff in glass vials, just imagine what a little bit of cross contamination could do inside you!

I'm anxious to see about foods, but I guess I have a long wait before I get to that happy place. I LOVE oats and would eat a bunch, but I'm afraid to because that was the ONLY food that showed a reaction on my allergy testing last year (skin scratch, so may not be 100% accurate anyway). It will be interesting to see what comes up food wise with the machine.

And, I think she may be right about the alcohol. I have three drops (all in alcohol) I'm taking from the HN doctors and all of them say if it burns to dilute with a couple of drops of water, but they don't say to leave it overnight...maybe because you react so strongly...

[dlp252]

Donna,

Is it tomorrow yet? Can't wait to hear (read) what you have to say after tomorrow. Try not to get too involved in the gaming system so you can come home and tell us all about your appointment.

Not yet, lol. Holy suitcase batman, I have to remember to take ALL my medications. That's going to be fun, lol.

[Rachel--24]

Rachel- I bet our BioSET ladies know eachother! Mine traveled with Ellen Cutler as well, and she's also based out of the bay area (I'm assuming yours is too?). That's funny, and kind of ironic.

Yeah....they probably *do* know each other!! Anna told me that there are only a couple other people who are practicing the same stuff as far as treating the detox pathways and such. I believe she said they were all here in CA. She said the other Bioset practitioners basically only treat the food sensitivities and stuff like that. You said that your lady does the pathways.....so I'm sure they must know each other...and we are both here in Northern CA. COOL.

About your question....its not awkward or random here at all....we've talked about this stuff before and there are no questions that are too awkward for us.

This never happened to me....well one time I was late about 3 weeks which was totally unlike me but its not the same as not getting it at all. I think it definately has to do with weight, malabsorption, things like that. It could also be thyroid related so you should get that checked too. Are you anemic?? I think that might be something that could cause it as well.

I dont know if you fel comfortable posting this question on the board but I bet there would be alot of people who could give you their input. I know I've seen alot of people post about this in the past....so definately its happened to people from the weightloss. I'm positive it will come back when you get better.

[Rachel--24]

At first my fibroids hurt mainly on one side, then as they got bigger the pain was all over. I felt EXACTLY like my organs were being crushed by the fibroids!

I'll bet that alien baby WAS a glutening. If you react so strongly (machine wise, lol) to the gluten/wheat stuff in glass vials, just imagine what a little bit of cross contamination could do inside you!

Donna....when all that was happenning I wasnt really convinced it was caused by food but now thinking back...it wasnt happenning *before* I ate the crackers and it isnt happenning now.

I guess it did happen occassionally over the past couple years but not on a consistant day to day basis like it was during that time....when I was Racheling those stupid crackers.

I dont know if it was happenning before I went gluten-free because I was just so sick the first 2 years that I hurt *everywhere*.

I almost want to test out the crackers again to see if the pain comes back.....but I wont. No more of those kinds of "experiments" for me. I still have 2 packages of crackers but I havent even been tempted to eat them at all. I bet you anything the random times that I was getting those pains it was from CC and then when I kept eating those crackers it was really causing problems because I did it for weeks. I ate ALOT of those crackers.

Yup....I really think that lady may have witnessed the effects of a glutening on that ultrasound. It was so bad that she couldnt even *see* my ovaries and I had to go back for another ultrasound and the second time all was normal....there was no alien baby.

I think the BioSET people maybe dont know that buckwheat is not actually wheat.

They had it on the panel...I wanted to tell her that it didnt belong there...thats its a freakin berry.

Anyways.....I get bad reactions to buckwheat and I cant eat it. I reacted to it in the test so whatever...I guess it got cleared with the wheats instead of the berries.

I keep thinking about how bad I had that pain....I bet you it was not my ovaries at all...it was probably the fibroid acting up because I was glutening myself like crazy. I was eating like one whole package of crackers on my lunch break.

I would have *never* eaten something that had that warning on it in the past but during that time I was really doubting gluten as being a big problem so I just ignored the "shared equipment" warning.

It seems obvious to me now.....how come it didnt at the time?? Maybe I was focusing more on Auxigro??

I dont know how long till you get to do foods....it all depends on how many problems you have show up in your initial testing. I had alot of problems so it took me a long time to get to foods.

I'm jealous that you get to go to BioSET tomorrow.

[AndreaB]

Rachel,

How about throwing out those crackers just in case you ever get the idea to eat them again. No point in having them if you aren't going to eat them.

Oh, and couldn't you warm up your ice cream in a pan instead of the microwave? It really doesn't take that long.

[Rachel--24]

Oh, and couldn't you warm up your ice cream in a pan instead of the microwave? It really doesn't take that long.

Yeah....I could do that. I've been heating up my applesauce in the microwave too but I'm thinking of using a pot instead. Its not as convenient but its not soooo terrible....I'm sure I could do it.

I also cook my potatoes in the microwave....so yeah....3 out of 5 foods go in the microwave.

I can boil the potatoes but it takes like 20 minutes longer.

[Rachel--24]

How about throwing out those crackers just in case you ever get the idea to eat them again. No point in having them if you aren't going to eat them.

Yeah...I might be really tempted to do an experiment one day. Right now I have fear in me...but if that dissapates...who knows what I might do.

I think more toward the beginning of this thread I was doing lots of experiments on myself....trying to figure stuff out. I'm kind of glad I've gone into a new phase....the BioSET testing is alot safer....and with better results.

[Rachel--24]

Does anyone know if immediately after the endoscopy the GI has the pictures from the procedure available to him?? Are there pictures??

The reason I'm asking is because when I woke up from my endoscopy I could *swear* the first thing I saw was the GI standing next to me with the pictures in his hand. The pictures were in his hand so they were eye level for me and when I looked over I could swear I saw "white" all over my intestines....and the first thing that came into my mind was YEAST....that I have major yeast.

I've heard of people having visible yeast in their GI tract as well as in their esophagus. I was totally drugged up so after the procedure I couldnt say anything that made sense......but I remember thinking that we would talk about it at my follow up....and I would see the pictures.

I never saw any pictures so then I wondered if maybe I "dreamt" the whole thing?? Maybe there are no pictures?? I didnt wanna seem like a total idiot so I just never brought it up.

I told my mom about it and she said I probably imagined it because I was always paranoid about yeast.

I just dont know.....what if there really are pics showing a massive yeast overgrowth and the Dr. never even told me anything about it??? It wouldnt surprise me one bit.

Should there be pictures after the procedure or was I dreaming??

[happygirl]

x

[Rachel--24]

I wouldn't be surprised if the gluten caused your fibroid. Whether it will go away. Don't know. I assume not since Patti just had surgery for hers, but maybe other foods were contributing once the gluten had started the process.

Andrea,

Do you know if Patti ever tried any natural remedies to get rid of the fibroids?? I think they can probably go away since stuff can heal if you do the right things....but yeah....we dont always know what the "right" things are.

Who knows....maybe gluten could have caused her fibroids too?? I think she only got diagnosed with Celiac last year so she could have already had the fibroids from eating gluten pre-diagnosis. I was only sick for maybe 2 years before I stopped eating gluten but maybe if I didnt stop I would get more fibroids???

The only reason I would want to eat the crackers would be to see if that pain came back (and I'm sure it would) and then try to find out if the pain is from the fibroid. But I'm not sure how to go about figuring out if its the fibroid or not??

[Rachel--24]

Rachel, it varies about the pictures. The report I got from one of my endoscopies had color pictures on it (I walked out with about five pictures) but other times I haven't had that. So yes, it is entirely possible

Thanks Laura!

So maybe I didnt fabricate the whole thing afterall.

I *totally* want to see the pictures if they exist...should they still be in my file or something?? I wonder if my new Dr. can request them....or any of the other stuff I've had done?? I dont think I was dreaming...I think I woke up for a second and I saw them.

Of course...I could have imagined that there was yeast all over my intestines...but I dont think I imagined the pictures themselves.

I cant wait to hear about your appointment.....glad it went well. How great to sit out on the porch and feel normal...it sounds like you had a good night.

[AndreaB]

Laura,

Can't wait to hear about your appointment. Now I have two appointments to look forward to tomorrow (postings that is ) Glad you had some fun time out in the beautiful weather.

Rachel,

They should have everything in your file, including pictures.

[dlp252]

Does anyone know if immediately after the endoscopy the GI has the pictures from the procedure available to him?? Are there pictures??

The reason I'm asking is because when I woke up from my endoscopy I could *swear* the first thing I saw was the GI standing next to me with the pictures in his hand. The pictures were in his hand so they were eye level for me and when I looked over I could swear I saw "white" all over my intestines....and the first thing that came into my mind was YEAST....that I have major yeast.

I've heard of people having visible yeast in their GI tract as well as in their esophagus. I was totally drugged up so after the procedure I couldnt say anything that made sense......but I remember thinking that we would talk about it at my follow up....and I would see the pictures.

I never saw any pictures so then I wondered if maybe I "dreamt" the whole thing?? Maybe there are no pictures?? I didnt wanna seem like a total idiot so I just never brought it up.

I told my mom about it and she said I probably imagined it because I was always paranoid about yeast.

I just dont know.....what if there really are pics showing a massive yeast overgrowth and the Dr. never even told me anything about it??? It wouldnt surprise me one bit.

Should there be pictures after the procedure or was I dreaming??

I think your scope was done by Dr. R at Camino, correct? If so, then yes there are pictures. I got pictures of all three of my scopes, and they gave them to me right there in the recovery room. The first scope I also had a colonoscopy, and got pictures of both. I don't remember what they said about the pictures, but my mom did, and Dr. R went over them at our follow-up, but it was probably a priority for him back then because I had that stupid growth on my bile/pancreatic duct...also had a stomach polyp etc. So yours may not have had anything that HE thought was significant. For instance, I had some damage to the bottom of my esophagus, which he barely mentioned...he was really just more interested in the growth...

[dlp252]

Thanks Laura!

So maybe I didnt fabricate the whole thing afterall.

I *totally* want to see the pictures if they exist...should they still be in my file or something?? I wonder if my new Dr. can request them....or any of the other stuff I've had done?? I dont think I was dreaming...I think I woke up for a second and I saw them.

Of course...I could have imagined that there was yeast all over my intestines...but I dont think I imagined the pictures themselves.

I cant wait to hear about your appointment.....glad it went well. How great to sit out on the porch and feel normal...it sounds like you had a good night.

I'll bet you could call the office and get copies of the pictures or at least ask if they exist. Although, I did call and ask for copies of the pathology report, and I'm not sure I ever got those, lol. I think I got one, but didn't get the other. Hum, maybe I need to call again. I want to see for myself what Stanford had to say, lol.

[nikki-uk]

OMG...so many things popped up...I couldnt even begin to remember them all.

I think it was more stuff then I saw on any other treatment....it was definately up there. I cant remember most of what showed up because alot of the stuff is foreign to me. Like "Thymus"...I have no idea what that is but the wheat was really weakening it. I've seen thymus show up in tests for other stuff too but it was really strong reaction with the wheat.

Here's some info about the Open Original Shared Link.

[diamondheart]

Andrea,

Do you know if Patti ever tried any natural remedies to get rid of the fibroids?? I think they can probably go away since stuff can heal if you do the right things....but yeah....we dont always know what the "right" things are.

Who knows....maybe gluten could have caused her fibroids too?? I think she only got diagnosed with Celiac last year so she could have already had the fibroids from eating gluten pre-diagnosis. I was only sick for maybe 2 years before I stopped eating gluten but maybe if I didnt stop I would get more fibroids???

I don't know about Patti, but I tried all kinds of natural treatments to get rid of my fibroids. I even flew to NYC from Colorado to see Dr. Warshowsky, who wrote the book "Healing Fibroids, A Doctor's Guide to a Natural Cure". I think overall it's a very good book, and he is a good doctor. He specializes in holistic gynecology. Before I saw him, I was doing intensive holistic healing for 5 months, and I still don't know if my fibroids shrank any. I took out every food from my diet that my acupuncturist told me I was reacting to, including gluten, dairy, and corn. I was doing Chinese herbs, western herbs, enzymes to dissolve the fibroids, acupuncture, Maya abdominal massage; you name it, I tried it. Dr. Warshowsky told me it would take years to get rid of my fibroids naturally, because of the mass I was dealing with, and I didn't have years. I saw him almost exactly a year ago, and afterwards, I knew I was going to have to have surgery if I was going to get pregnant before my clock stops ticking. It was worth my peace of mind to go see him, because I was VERY reluctant to have surgery.

I don't think gluten causes fibroids. I think leaky gut can be a contributing factor to fibroids, which can be caused by celiac disease or gluten intolerance. No one knows what causes fibroids. What is known is that imbalances in estrogen or progesterone contribute to fibroid growth. What's happening in your gut can effect these hormones. I learned more about this in my appointment yesterday with Open Original Shared Link, my new acupuncturist and BioSET guy. I've posted the link to Dr. F's article on lOpen Original Shared Link before. It's a long article, but worth the read. Here are some relavent excerpts:

Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS) is a major cause of disease and dysfunction in modern

society, and in my practice accounts for at least 50% of chronic complaints, as

confirmed by laboratory tests.

What modern event allowed such a break-down? Primarily it has been antibiotics,

secondarily non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The first antibiotic,

penicillin, did not enter mainstream health care until 1939. Since the 50s and 60s,

antibiotic use has been frantically prescribed for every infection and inflammation,

particularly pediatric ear infection, bronchitis, and sore throat. It is sadly ironic that

most of these infections are viral in nature, and not only are the antibiotics damaging,

but they are ultimately unnecessary. Antibiotics should be considered a hospitalization

level medicine, when bacteria have entered the blood, bone, or organ.

NSAIDs are commonly taken for various pains, and include ibuprofen (Motrin,

Advil). They are quite damaging to the small intestine mucosa lining.

I can attest to the intestinal damage that ibuprofen causes because I took massive quantities after my fibroid surgery to avoid the other nasty side effects of heavy duty pain killers. My digestive problems got worse after my surgery.

Beneficial bacteria also break down hormone secretions that are discharged from the

liver to the small intestine. If you lack the bacteria to break down estrogen and the

intestinal permeability has been altered, the patient is now reabsorbing estrogens in

their original state. The body will deposit these in estrogen sensitive areas such as the

breast, uterus, or ovaries, contributing, if not causing, fibroids and tumors. The same

scenario is responsible for premenstrual syndrome as well.

Of course, this last part really caught my eye when I read it, and was the main reason I started working with Dr. F.

Based on the female hormone panel results I got back yesterday, my main problem right now is an imbalance in my adrenal glands. Imbalances in cortisol are causing imbalances in my female hormones. I'm simplifying the information because I got a lot of results back. Dr. F told me you have to fix 4 things to fix the imbalances in the female hormones:

1) Guts

2) Adrenals

3) Liver

4) Dysbiosis

Ok, so raise your hand if you have one or more problems in these areas. I think I'm seeing a lot of hands. I have problems with all four of them, though it appears we have taken care of the last one, bacterial dysbiosis. He also told me that if you are having problems with your guts, it stresses your adrenals. If your adrenals are imbalanced, that can affect your cortisol, which affects your female hormones. If your female hormones are out of balance, that can contribute to fibroids. So, you see, it's all related. If it was as simple as just cutting out gluten, I think a lot of us would have been better by now.

Dr. F said that my problems are fixable . Personally, I think the adrenals are going to be the hardest to fix. My other acupuncturist said to me once, "I just have to tell some of my patients that they have to stop working if they want to get pregnant" . I told her that if that statement came with a $50k check every year, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Anyhoo, the one surprising thing about my test results were that my testosterone was really high. Normal is 8-20 pg/ml. Mine is over 200 pg/ml !! He said that was probably due to a cortisol imbalance. There was a note on the results that said "elevated testosterone in women is suggestive of ovarian cysts", but I had an ultrasound done recently, and my ovaries didn't show any cysts.

Dr. F also gave me this cool flowchart of how hormone imbalances cause other problems. I wish I had a link to this, but I don't. Elevated cortisol can cause increased intestinal permeability! I think you can have elevated cortisol before your adrenals get exhausted.

I'll save for another post my BioSET treatment from yesterday. Whew, I need a break!

Claire

[Judyin Philly]

TOTALLY OFF TOPIC HERE--

BUT I HEARD FROM EVIE LAST NITE AS SHE'S DOING MUCH BETTER WITH THE 'D' ISSUE AND SHE GOT OUT TO VISIT A NEIGHBOR AND 'TALKED GARDENING' WAY TO GO EVIE... SHE EVEN HAS 2 tulips up + hyacinths!! IN BLOOM....WOW

NOW IF WE CAN HEAR NEWS ON PATTI...WE'LL BE IN GOOD SHAPE..

CONGRATS TO THE REST OF YOU OUT THERE PLUGGING ON 'FINDING ANSWERS'

WOW RACHEL, I'M SO FASCINATED IN WHAT YOUR FINDING OUT.

HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE.

LOVE

JUDY

[AndreaB]

Claire,

Thanks for posting that info. All very interesting. I haven't had any testing done of that sort....just dealing with minor intolerances and hoping they don't get worse. Looking forward to your next post as well.

Judy,

Thanks for the update on Evie. Yay!

Nikki,

Thanks for the link on the thymus. Never heard of it but it sounds very important.

[CarlaB]

Wow, you all have been busy here!!

Peace, amenorrhea (lack of periods) is common in someone who's lost a lot of weight. At your height, you still are underweight, so it could be caused by your weight being low. Estrogen is fat soluble, so if you don't have enough body fat (or have too much) you can stop having periods.

Claire, interesting info. I think many of us with chronic illness have adrenal fatigue. I've been diagnosed with it ... I think that if we address the cause of our illness, the adrenal fatigue may work itself out. Our illness affects our whole system.

I know absolutely nothing about fibroids ... could they be caused by an inability for the body to detox? Could they be the body's way of handling toxins -- put it in a place where it will affect the body the least?

Rachel, I bet wheat plays a part. I think all of this fits together like a puzzle. Why would some people be able to have the Lyme bacteria, and fight it off enough to never get sick? Why do some people have the celiac gene and never develop the disease. Why do most dentists never have mercury symptoms (interesting thread on this on Lymenet)? For some reason, maybe it was just too many things happening at once, or too much stress so our body's couldn't handle the load ... for some reason, some of us develop illness from the same things everyone else fights off. Maybe the last thing is just like the "last straw".

I think that staying away from gluten is keeping a few of those "straws" away. No sense in building up enough problems to break down again. We know we have chronic illness and have to fight it away every way we can. We'll always need to get enough rest, avoid gluten, exercise, no (or maybe someday minimal) alcohol and sugar, etc.

As far as oats, when I did the anti-candida diet before I was gluten free, I worked out so much and was only getting carbs from veggies, so I ate a bowl of oatmeal twice per week. I found that if I didn't, I would feel sickly. I needed the little bit of carbs. I wasn't eating potatoes at the time because I thought that oats were a better source of carbs ... I still do -- they have better fiber.

I've felt pretty good the past few days. I am beginning to wonder if the past six months has been one big herx. I went gluten-free about a year ago, felt pretty good for a couple months, then progressively felt sicker. By July, I was not able to function normally and spent most of the day laying around. So, I kept doing more and more to feel better -- ate healthier, got fresh air and sunshine, went for short walks, etc. The more I did, the sicker I got. Then I got the sauna and got sicker. Then I started the salt/c and got sicker. I started the Samento and initially got sicker. Now I've started artemisia annua for the babesia. The past coupe days I've actually felt NORMAL! Today I'm a little tired and will probably nap, but aside from needing the occassional nap, I feel fine (I still get muscle aches though).

I read on Lymephotos.com that the bacteria will come out any way it can on the salt/c. I seem to have it coming out my skin. I have these bumps on my arms and legs that look like DH actually. I've also seen them on pictures of what bartonella rashes can look like (bart has two kinds of rashes).

My skin is amazingly soft from the saunas. It's like a baby's skin!! Except for the few blistery things ... All the little bumps on the backs of my arms and legs are gone. It's not as dry as it used to be. I stay in it an hour every day!!

[Anonymousgurl]

Wow, you all have been busy here!!

Peace, amenorrhea (lack of periods) is common in someone who's lost a lot of weight. At your height, you still are underweight, so it could be caused by your weight being low. Estrogen is fat soluble, so if you don't have enough body fat (or have too much) you can stop having periods.

Thanks to EVERYONE who responded to my question Haha I know someone mentioned menopause...but I'm only 17. If that is indeed what is really happening, then I've REALLY got some problems! But I think Carla, and everyone else who talked about weight loss is right. I looked up some height and weight charts (which left me confused because they all had conflicting information) and I am still underweight for my height (105 pounds, 5'7) so hopefully as a little more weight comes my period will too. Anyone wanna guess what weight I have to get to, to get it back?

You guys are like my gluten-free, health moms

And Rachel- I say go for it on the oats! My only advice is to have her keep checking them though everytime you go. My bioSET lady says that you can become sensitive to the foods that you eat too often, especially if they exist in a category that contains other foods that you are sensitive to. So when we have a little extra time on some days or if I have a little extra room considering what my body can handle, my BioSET lady checks the common foods that I eat everyday.

[Rachel--24]

I think your scope was done by Dr. R at Camino, correct? If so, then yes there are pictures. I got pictures of all three of my scopes, and they gave them to me right there in the recovery room. The first scope I also had a colonoscopy, and got pictures of both. I don't remember what they said about the pictures, but my mom did, and Dr. R went over them at our follow-up, but it was probably a priority for him back then because I had that stupid growth on my bile/pancreatic duct...also had a stomach polyp etc. So yours may not have had anything that HE thought was significant. For instance, I had some damage to the bottom of my esophagus, which he barely mentioned...he was really just more interested in the growth...

Donna,

I had my scope at Kaiser.

Dr. R did a CT scan barium thing where he saw the ovarian cyst and the impacted stool and then he did the colonoscopy that wasnt 100% because he couldnt get around a sharp turn.

So yeah...I dont trust Kaiser. The GI I saw at Kaiser was in the same office as the Infectious Disease Specialist that I despise.

That would be the guy that totally went off on me for mentioning Candida overgrowth and ridiculed me and refused to test me for Lyme Disease. So yeah....even though the GI Dr. was much nicer...I'm thinking that if he saw a yeast overgrowth on my scope he would dismiss it. I'm sure the Infectious Disease left some wonderful comments in my file about my sanity.

Every Dr. there just wanted me to see a psychiatrist....except the psychiatrist who was the only one with half a brain and could see that something was really wrong. Man...I'm glad those days are over. Kaiser was killing me....it was gonna be a slow and painful death if I didnt escape.

So I'm thinking they arent gonna let me see the pictures if they do show yeast.

And why the heck didnt he let me see the pics in the first place???? It seems like you guys were all given pics...so why wasnt I??? Dr. R. gave me the pics from my colonoscopy but I got nothing from my Endoscopy.

Heck I dont even know if I believe him about the results of my biopsy. He said they were "textbook pefrect". Everything about my scope showed everything was normal. All I remember was thinking "Shouldnt my intestines be nice and pink....why is there white stuff all over?" But of course...I was all drugged and couldnt communicate and I cant know for sure that I know what I saw.