Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[AndreaB]

I went to the compounding place yesterday and they said I better check with insurance first....to make sure they cover the meds. So I did that today (well ok...my mom did it ). I went back to get it filled and they're not gonna have it ready till monday.

I bet its the same exact stuff....just being put into capsules.

I'm gonna bring it with me on Monday and ask them if its the same stuff.

I can't believe the cost difference on this stuff!!! And waiting until Monday.

I'll be curious as to what the pharmacist says.....if anything.

Maybe you can go enjoy your movie after all.

[Anonymousgurl]

Dear peacenlove_girl17,

I am surprised I survived those pills! LOL! I do not have a clue what to do with the bloating issue. No matter what, it seems to be awful. I tried giving up diet soda ( I only used to drink one daily) but that did not make a difference. I am like you, I just wear baggy clothes. Everything feels so tight! It is so uncomfortable! I feel like someone took an airhose, stuck it up my butt, and inflated me! (Feel free to laugh.) Of course, it would help if I did not have a period all the time, off and on, every freakin' day! Doing Pilates a few days a week does help, though. I have been so sick lately, I just have not been able to do it. I barely have to energy to brush my teeth. Doing the dishes is a herculean effort much of the time. I know eating foods like asparagus and cucumber can help the bloat. That yeast controlling diet is something I will have to ease into. Do you really have to give up coffee? It is like my best friend. Without it, I am useless. I have decreased my sugar intake, though. The next few days will be hard, because of all the rain. I hurt so bad and just want to curl up in a ball and not move. I force myself to, though. If you give in to the Fibromyalgia, it only gets worse.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

Oh gosh, i haven't had a soda in....hmmm....2 years? EVERYTHING i eat is organic, plus NOTHING I eat has ANY refined sugar. That helps with the bloating a bit. I just can't seem to stop eating fruit. LoL. Natural sugars cause bloating too when you have yeast problems...and i Know i for sure do! HAHAHAHA I love the "hose in the butt" analogy. That's EXACTLY what it feels like. It's just so akward because im underweight and my clothes are so baggy...I have that mary-kate olsen look goin on! Not-so-cute. LoL. Well hang in there ok?? I hope you get the energy to do pilates again soon! I know walking on my treadmill sometimes helps. Do you think doing crunches would help us? I want my stomach to be flat againnnnn stop the bloatinggggg....

[dlp252]

Well, had my second BioSET treatment today. Today was acids and protein metoblism. I had it wrong last week, they only treated the *level 1 components, enzymes* and some other stuff I don't recognize and sugars.

I had to chuckle cuz I asked the girl if they retest to see if it *holds*, she said no, it clears. I'm thinking, um how do you know if it clears if you don't retest, lol. I'm still going on faith here.

[CarlaB]

I am curious like Rachel to know what were in your panels? I can get a Western Blot here in Canada and our insurance will pay for it, but is it the same one as IgeniX offers or is their's different do you think? Any care or drugs that I may need to deal with this is covered by our insurance so I'm thankful for that. Plus we also have what we call "extended medical"-an extension to cover off even more things not covered by our regular insurance. I could probably order the panels from IgeniX and our extended would cover it...I'll have to see.

Here's what it had: Lyme IFA A/M/G, Western Blot IGM, Western Blot IGG, Multiplex PCR- genomic, Multiplex PCR- plasmid, and a courtesy PCR at no cost.

I don't know what all that stuff is ... but I've read that Igenex's Western Blots are more accurate than others. If there's no cost to get a regular Western Blot where you are, I'd certainly try it. If it comes out negative, then I'd get it done by Igenex.

I had my worst herxing day yet, today. Muscle aches, and I feel like my head is going to explode because there's a war going on in there. It's not so much a headache ... emotions are all over the place, too.

[CarlaB]

Rachel, they'd have to have a very solid explanation of what's different for me to pay that much at a compounding pharmacy. Be sure you check it out, even if you're suffering from Lyme brain that day.

I was talking to my friend who also has Lyme and sees Dr. H. She started on antibiotics two weeks ago. It was nice talking to someone else who understood my getting lost in conversation! That's one problem we don't have here where everything is in writing, but in "real" life, I have trouble remembering what I was talking about ... I know everyone does that, but this is more severe and more noticeable ...

She discovered her Lyme because her daughter started having seizures last summer. Children's Hospital told them it was psychosomatic (boy, can I relate!). They live out in the country, and a neighbor's friend called and said she had heard that their daughter had had seizures. She said her child had been bitten by a tick at the neighbors, which gave her Lyme, and gave them the number to go see Dr. J in New Haven (the same Dr. J. who's in court battling for his medical license). Well, Dr. J. said their daughter had to have been born with Lyme to have it this badly and started asking about my friend's health. He said he could not diagnose her because he's a pediatritian, but she should go see Dr. H. So she did, and she has it, too. She was diagnosed two weeks before I got my Igenex test done!! I didn't know until after I got my test done that she had been tested, which was funny because we had been comparing notes on our health three years earlier because we had so many similar complaints ... and here we got diagnosed independently of each other with the same thing, two weeks apart!

[miamia]

Rachel-

I know with certain meds it makes sense to get them compunded becaus eyou know there is no extra cr*p added but I am not sure the story with Nystatin. I still have some in my fridge too- but its a few years old. Why do we keep these things? I have shelves full of supplements its really scary I wait til they expire and then throw them away but if they are still good I keep them its kind of ridiculous.

Since you are planning on taking nyastain for a while you should definitly find out whthre or not it matters if you get it compounde because you will save a whoe lot of money and time if it dosen't matter.

Miamia

[happygirl]

x

[Rachel--24]

Rachel, they'd have to have a very solid explanation of what's different for me to pay that much at a compounding pharmacy. Be sure you check it out, even if you're suffering from Lyme brain that day.

Carla....they actually arent charging more for the Nystatin. I've seen the price for the stuff I was getting at the regular pharmacy and it was just as high.

The difference is that my co-pay is higher for the compounded stuff and I have to pay full price and then deal with insurance to get reimbursed.

If its the same exact stuff why should I pay more and have extra paperwork to deal with??

[Rachel--24]

Rachel-

I know with certain meds it makes sense to get them compunded becaus eyou know there is no extra cr*p added but I am not sure the story with Nystatin.

I'm thinking since its the oral powder we're talking about....its just plain nystatin...there shouldnt be added stuff in the Nystatin I got previously. Thats why I'm thinking its the same stuff.

The tablets and liquid suspension are probably a different story.

[Rachel--24]

I can get a Western Blot here in Canada and our insurance will pay for it, but is it the same one as IgeniX offers or is their's different do you think?

The difference is that IgeniX Western Blots are the most sensitive you can get. Even though other labs such as Quest do Western Blots they arent nearly as sensitive. IgeniX is a specialty lab...they specialize in tick-borne diseases and they have improved methods of testing for Lyme.

Alot of people will repeatedly test negative in other labs and then finally get a positive when they use IgeniX. Its just a better lab for Lyme testing.

Like Carla said...if you can get a Western Blot that is paid for by insurance why not go for it. Just understand that a negative doesnt really mean much.

[diamondheart]

I had to chuckle cuz I asked the girl if they retest to see if it *holds*, she said no, it clears. I'm thinking, um how do you know if it clears if you don't retest, lol. I'm still going on faith here.

My doc always retested everything. Clear/hold, whatever! Sheesh!

I had a disaster experience at a restaurant last night. I was majorly PMSing , though I didn't know until today when Aunt Flo came. Anyhoo, went to a restaurant that had a "gluten-free" menu. DH said, they pamper you tonight, and I said, yeah, right . On the gluten free menu, they had something on the back that you would have missed if you didn't go that far to read it that said all their non-gluten foods were fried with the gluten foods .

I ordered the curry, thinking that would be safe. They gave me pappadams, but they were fried with the gluten foods . The waitress said that they filter their oil twice a day. I wanted to say, if you put poision in your oil, then filtered it, would you eat anything cooked with it? The waitress didn't get it.

Then they served my curry with pita bread (insert bang head smilie here). I was like, what is this?? They took it off, and scraped the food it was touching, but when they returned, I looked at it and could only think, will I get glutened if I eat this? I started to cry . It didn't help that DH went to Dr. F that day, and found out he doesn't react to any foods. Misery loves company, but I guess he won't be mine. I went to the bathroom to cry, and DH complained to the waitress. I don't think they really understood, even though they are supposedly some hoidy-toidy, organic, upscale restaurant in town. My evening went from bad to worse. Sometimes, I just want to be normal, or go crawl under a rock .

Claire

[Rachel--24]

Then they served my curry with pita bread (insert bang head smilie here). I was like, what is this?? They took it off, and scraped the food it was touching, but when they returned, I looked at it and could only think, will I get glutened if I eat this? I started to cry . It didn't help that DH went to Dr. F that day, and found out he doesn't react to any foods. Misery loves company, but I guess he won't be mine. I went to the bathroom to cry, and DH complained to the waitress. I don't think they really understood, even though they are supposedly some hoidy-toidy, organic, upscale restaurant in town. My evening went from bad to worse. Sometimes, I just want to be normal, or go crawl under a rock .

Maddening!! (yes, we really need a bang head emoticon for moments such as these!)

I'm sorry you had to go through all that Claire....especially while PMS'ing. I'm sure I would have been crying in the restroom too.

DH didnt react to *any* foods!

Wow...I'm like in total shock to hear that there are actually people out there who can eat whatever they want.

I guess I forgot that I used to be one of those people!

[Rachel--24]

I had to chuckle cuz I asked the girl if they retest to see if it *holds*, she said no, it clears. I'm thinking, um how do you know if it clears if you don't retest, lol. I'm still going on faith here.

Donna, I bet I can guess who did your treatment.

Yeah...I'm pretty sure that I might be "clearing" my treatments but I can pretty much *guarantee* that they arent holding. Sooooo....I think whats the point??? I think my Dr. is right that my body is too toxic and the infections are gonna keep these treatments from holding.

You're not as bad off as I am so it might not be the case for you....especially since you just treated the H.Pylori and Klebsiella. If you have bad yeast...that could still cause you to re-sensitize...I would think.

Is HN gonna retest you to see if the infections are gone??

I think that instead of moving forward with different panels....the practitioners should check to make sure the stuff they've cleared has held. If not.....obviously there is a problem.

They should re-check every treatment a week or so later...of course this would take up more time but hey...the treatments arent cheap so we should at least have the satisfaction of knowing if they're actually working or not!

Sooo...I have like 8 treatments left and if nothings changed I'm not gonna continue. I'll be better off going back later when I have the yeast better under control and can see if the treatments are helping.

Right now my system is so messed up.....If I happened to hold a few things from a treatment...big deal cuz I wont really notice a difference with the gazzillion other things going on.

We'll see what happens when I start treating yeast and clearing foods. I might not be feeling improvement because we havent even touched on foods yet...except wheat....which I'm not eating anyway. I just dont wanna start with those treatments until I feel like the yeast isnt so "out of control".

[AndreaB]

Claire,

I'm sorry about the super messed up dining experience you had last night.

That's another reason we stay home. Eating out is at my mom's occasionally since she's a great cook. Just have to make sure she's not serving anything with gluten. She did good for Christmas though.

[CarlaB]

Claire, sorry it went so badly at the restaurant. I can't believe they claim to have a gluten-free menu yet fry everything in the same oil as the gluten ... and the pitas on your food! If it's a local place, maybe it would be worth having the local celiac group talk with them about it, then it's an "official" representation of celiac rather than a single customer. Not to mention, everyone in the local group would probably like to know that place isn't really safe.

There are actually only a handful of restaurants I'll even go to ... that one would not be on my list!!

[dlp252]

My doc always retested everything. Clear/hold, whatever! Sheesh!

Sheesh is right, lol. I'm so sorry you had such a heinous experience at that restaurant...truly frustrating!!!

Donna, I bet I can guess who did your treatment.

Yeah...I'm pretty sure that I might be "clearing" my treatments but I can pretty much *guarantee* that they arent holding. Sooooo....I think whats the point??? I think my Dr. is right that my body is too toxic and the infections are gonna keep these treatments from holding.

You're not as bad off as I am so it might not be the case for you....especially since you just treated the H.Pylori and Klebsiella. If you have bad yeast...that could still cause you to re-sensitize...I would think.

Is HN gonna retest you to see if the infections are gone??

I think that instead of moving forward with different panels....the practitioners should check to make sure the stuff they've cleared has held. If not.....obviously there is a problem.

They should re-check every treatment a week or so later...of course this would take up more time but hey...the treatments arent cheap so we should at least have the satisfaction of knowing if they're actually working or not!

Sooo...I have like 8 treatments left and if nothings changed I'm not gonna continue. I'll be better off going back later when I have the yeast better under control and can see if the treatments are helping.

Right now my system is so messed up.....If I happened to hold a few things from a treatment...big deal cuz I wont really notice a difference with the gazzillion other things going on.

We'll see what happens when I start treating yeast and clearing foods. I might not be feeling improvement because we havent even touched on foods yet...except wheat....which I'm not eating anyway. I just dont wanna start with those treatments until I feel like the yeast isnt so "out of control".

I was a 7 on the toxic scale when they tested me last week. They consider that pretty toxic, but I think you were higher right?

Yep, I thought you might guess who did my treatment, lol. I still have bad yeast though because candida came up big time on the BioSET testing unless the testing also picks up past infections. The BioSET test was after I had finished the antibiotics, but only by 3 days I guess.

The HN doctors will retest I think. I'm pretty sure Dr. Rick said they would retest at some point when I met with him a to start the antibiotics. They probably won't retest until after the 30 days of probiotics and prilosec...about 2-3 more weeks.

I'm also thinking very similarly to you about the BioSET treatments...if they aren't going to hold, what's the point.

*****

I forgot one interesting thing about yesterday's appointment. She was treating for acids and protein metobalism, so she was going through a bunch of vials to see what I reacted to and what it was affecting, and I'm not sure why this particular panel was used, but one that I reacted to was "BUG BITE", lol. She asked if I had been bitten lately, and I said no, then she said it could be dust mites... HUH, lol. If that's the case then "bug bite" will never get cleared. The only thing probably worse in my house than mold is dust mites.

[Rachel--24]

I was a 7 on the toxic scale when they tested me last week. They consider that pretty toxic, but I think you were higher right?

Yeah...I was at 11

It makes me wonder how high my number before I made diet changes....

I think they said ideally the number should be under 7...it *should* be closer to 0...but yeah...is that really even possible?? Hello...we're surrounded by toxins.

She said she wanted me to go down to 7....so I guess if I got to where you're at right now...I'd be alot better off.

Wanna trade???

but one that I reacted to was "BUG BITE", lol. She asked if I had been bitten lately, and I said no, then she said it could be dust mites... HUH, lol.

She says some pretty random things and yeah...I'm like WHAAAA???

I dont really ask her any questions because even though shes really nice and tries really hard....I dont think she knows much.

I think maybe she is still in the "learning" phase.

Unfortunately, she ends up doing my treatment about 50% of the time.

Hmmm...maybe I should find out her schedule and switch my days.

[diamondheart]

Thanks everyone for your replies after the restaurant fiasco . It helps that you all know what it's like!

Claire, sorry it went so badly at the restaurant. I can't believe they claim to have a gluten-free menu yet fry everything in the same oil as the gluten ... and the pitas on your food! If it's a local place, maybe it would be worth having the local celiac group talk with them about it, then it's an "official" representation of celiac rather than a single customer. Not to mention, everyone in the local group would probably like to know that place isn't really safe.

I actually recommended to our local celiac group to put this restaurant on their list. I'm gonna un-recommend them ! Carla, I don't know if our local group does this, but I'll ask.

Sooo...I have like 8 treatments left and if nothings changed I'm not gonna continue. I'll be better off going back later when I have the yeast better under control and can see if the treatments are helping.

Right now my system is so messed up.....If I happened to hold a few things from a treatment...big deal cuz I wont really notice a difference with the gazzillion other things going on.

This makes total sense to me. I think I still have unwelcome critters in my digestive system that are still screwing everything up. I've been thinking that maybe I shouldn't add the foods back in I was cleared for until my freeloaders are gone and my intestines heal. I thought about going back to SCD today, but couldn't bear to. That was the most restricted diet I was on. I was hungry ALL the time AND losing weight .

DH also has some interesting unwelcome hitchhikers in his intestines. He has Saprophytic fungi . I haven't had a chance to research it yet, but doesn't saprophytic mean it lives on dead things? He also has C. difficile. Rachel, didn't you have this at one point? If you did, how did you get rid of it? Get this - info from his lab results:

C. difficile spores are isolated frequently from hands and stools of hospital staff.

and,

In a study, 21% of preadmittance patients became positive after stay.

We think DH may have gotten it when he was in the hospital 2 1/2 years ago!! His SIgA was even lower than mine, so he must have been fighting this thing off for some time. I'm not sure if I was tested for it or not, so I'm going to look into it. I would think I could very well get it from DH if it has a spore form. Or, I could have gotten it when I was in the hospital for my outpatient surgery. I am so ready to eject my unwanted visitors. As someone I know says, "an empty house is better than bad tenants" .

Claire

[dlp252]

She said she wanted me to go down to 7....so I guess if I got to where you're at right now...I'd be alot better off.

Wanna trade???

Okay, I'm pretty well off then, I think I'll keep my 7, but would gladly give you a copy of mine, lol.

She says some pretty random things and yeah...I'm like WHAAAA???

I dont really ask her any questions because even though shes really nice and tries really hard....I dont think she knows much.

I think maybe she is still in the "learning" phase.

Unfortunately, she ends up doing my treatment about 50% of the time.

Hmmm...maybe I should find out her schedule and switch my days.

Don't pick Saturdays, lol.

[happygirl]

Just popping in to say hello, and that I hope everyone is doing well. Seems like a good time to hang out in the quiet and safe place of Rachelville

[LL04]

Hi, Lauralee,

Sounds like you are doing everything right, especially the not being up to date on vaccines!!! (I'm not anti-vaccine, I just think injecting a baby with 26 of them by the time he is 18 months old is insane.) You do know that, even if you are registering for kindergarten, you can continue to hold off and still send your kids to school, right? At least, in most states, you can do so, but as far as I can tell, the media is controlled by the pharm lobby,s o every year we hear that they can't go to school without their shots, and that is a BIG FAT LIE. You can request an MMR titer, which will show if your kids have an appropriate immune response, and if they do, they don't need the second shot. The second shot is only given because 5% don't mount an immune response to the first one, and the pharm companies don't make any money off of the blood draws.

I don't know if this will work for you or even if it is any different from what you are already doing, but I go all out with chicken soup (with lots of ginger and garlic), ginger tea, hot lemonade, and diluted orange juice when my kids get colds, and it does seem to wipe it out pretty quickly. I tell them they are peeing the germs down the toilet,a nd they get a kick out of that.

Any possibility she is allergic to down, feathers, or whatever her sheets are washed in? (I'm grasping at straws here.)

I'm glad somebody else out there got rid of their humidifier--I keep getting lectures as to how my children need one, but I swear it always made their colds worse, and, since we got rid of it, things have been MUCH better around here!

Actually my youngest son is in Kindergarten right now and he still hasn't had his 4-6 year vaccination either. I'm not in that great of a hurry for either of them. I read an article when sickie finger-licker was young about vaccinations not being mandatory. They sure make it look that way though don't they....scare tactics is all it amounts to. I do chicken soup too and hot tea with lemon. I'm not sure what sickie finger-licker got but she's recovered and will be going to school tomorrow. I don't think it is feathers because she was this way when she slept in a synthetic comforter, we switched to feathers a year ago. As for laundry detergent...well I don't know?? I switch detergents often, whatever I feel like picking up at the time I'm shopping...is there a non-allergenic detergent I should try? I read many articles on the bad things about humidifiers when SF-L was young and also, my son's pediatrician told me to get rid of it as well. The thing that's worst about it is that you are using it to help them breathe better but it actually promotes the growth of MOLD and so you use it more because they still can't breathe great, but in the end, it's not really the cold but the mold that is continuing the breathing problem. You can't understand why they're not getting better, so you keep on using it and....well you get the picture.

Here's what it had: Lyme IFA A/M/G, Western Blot IGM, Western Blot IGG, Multiplex PCR- genomic, Multiplex PCR- plasmid, and a courtesy PCR at no cost.

I don't know what all that stuff is ... but I've read that Igenex's Western Blots are more accurate than others. If there's no cost to get a regular Western Blot where you are, I'd certainly try it. If it comes out negative, then I'd get it done by Igenex.

I had my worst herxing day yet, today. Muscle aches, and I feel like my head is going to explode because there's a war going on in there. It's not so much a headache ... emotions are all over the place, too.

The difference is that IgeniX Western Blots are the most sensitive you can get. Even though other labs such as Quest do Western Blots they arent nearly as sensitive. IgeniX is a specialty lab...they specialize in tick-borne diseases and they have improved methods of testing for Lyme.

Alot of people will repeatedly test negative in other labs and then finally get a positive when they use IgeniX. Its just a better lab for Lyme testing.

Like Carla said...if you can get a Western Blot that is paid for by insurance why not go for it. Just understand that a negative doesnt really mean much.

I agree with you both. We'll go freebie first and then if I get a negative I will order the full meal deal and see what happens. I sure hope you start feeling better soon Carla

I had a disaster experience at a restaurant last night. I was majorly PMSing , though I didn't know until today when Aunt Flo came.

Sometimes, I just want to be normal, or go crawl under a rock .

"Aunt Flo" I haven't heard that in years!!! As for your restaurant experience, that's terrible!!!! I'm so sorry that happened. That story tugged at my heart when you said you'd cried. I sooooo feel for you and like everyone else here I can totally relate. I never dine out but everytime we treat the kids out or we have friends over and end up going out...I can't tell you how hard it is. I feel like crying everytime. Everyone sitting around, laughing having a good time and filling their faces with stuff I can only smell and look at. Then out comes the piece de resistance...the BIG, HUGE chocolate, caramel, cookie wafer, something or other dessert that everyone gets a spoon for and digs into. And there I sit with a big, fat fake smile on my face while underneath it's all I can do not to scream I enjoy seeing my kids enjoying themselves but it is soooo hard to sit there smell everything, see everything and not be able to eat even one crumb!! My sickie-finger licker is such a tender heart and everytime we go out she always says to me that she won't eat because it's not fair to me. For Christmas she asked Santa for world peace and for me to get better so that I could enjoy all the food she does like I used to! What a sweetheart! Whenever I feel really bad she's always there for me. She's an old soul and really understands...I'm so lucky!

[NoGluGirl]

I'm not sure if prilosec or prevacid actually kill the pylori, I think they're prescribed to heal the stomach/esophagus, at least that's what I was thinking in my brain fogged brain, lol. I took Prevacid along with amoxycilin and clarithromycin and Pepto for 14 days, then he switched me to prilosec and the probiotics both of which I'll have to take for 30 days. Yep, I'm pretty sure I also have a thyroid problem and am a little shocked that the doctors who checked my adrenals didn't also check the thyroid. The BioSET lady is actually the one who is having me test the thyroid, lol.

Dear dlp252,

My Thyroid was fast at first, then it got too slow after going on Levothyroxine. What it does is a small dose of Thyroid medication tricks it into slowing down. The problem was, then it got too slow! Either way, I gained weight, which sucked and is unfair. Only I would gain weight when I am supposed to lose it! I could not tolerate the high dose of Thyroid medication they gave me to rev it up again. It made me shake all over, my heart was always pounding, and I could hardly sleep. Even worse, I had not lost any weight! So, I decided to take a dietary and herbal approach. Certain foods slow thyroid function down, like sugar, refined carbs, broccoli, and peaches. Who would have thought? Peanuts were another on the list I think. So, I decided to see about supplements. I tried to cut out transfats as well. There was an article in Women's World about Virgin Coconut Oil and Rosemary Leaf Extract. So, I got some. Without even changing my diet much, it did the trick! I began having more energy and losing weight within a couple of weeks! Solaray is the only one who makes Rosemary leaf extract. Also, Ashwaghanda (Indian Ginseng) was recommended. You take both once daily. Then, you can take between 2 and 3 Tablespoons of the Coconut Oil a day. I had to go a little less because I had my gallbladder out and have to restrict my fat. It is not surprising the doctor missed it. They miss a lot. You know in the Women's World article it said that 50 percent of the blood tests are borderline or slightly low Thyroid function, but women are told by doctors that they are normal. The BioSET lady seems to have a better grip on things! LOL!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[NoGluGirl]

Oh gosh, i haven't had a soda in....hmmm....2 years? EVERYTHING i eat is organic, plus NOTHING I eat has ANY refined sugar. That helps with the bloating a bit. I just can't seem to stop eating fruit. LoL. Natural sugars cause bloating too when you have yeast problems...and i Know i for sure do! HAHAHAHA I love the "hose in the butt" analogy. That's EXACTLY what it feels like. It's just so akward because im underweight and my clothes are so baggy...I have that mary-kate olsen look goin on! Not-so-cute. LoL. Well hang in there ok?? I hope you get the energy to do pilates again soon! I know walking on my treadmill sometimes helps. Do you think doing crunches would help us? I want my stomach to be flat againnnnn stop the bloatinggggg....

Dear peacenlove_girl17,

For a while, I was very underweight and just kept losing weight. But after I did the Helidac therapy about 3 years ago, losing weight has become a lot harder. I wish I could afford to go organic. Unfortunately, it is unaffordable at the moment. I got some organic tamari, and it is so good! It is so much better than anything I have ever tasted before! My dad tasted it, and he was pleasantly surprised. I have always been more of a health foodie than everyone else in the family. The "hose in butt" analogy was the best way I could describe it! LOL! I understand the feeling out of porportion. As you said, it is not good to have that Mary - Kate Olsen thing going. Between her and Nicole Richie, good grief! They look worse than ET! (No offense to ET, but I was always more of a Gremlins kind of girl.) I am going to keep hangin' on. Part of the problem I think is the house has bad feng shui. Both of my parents are so sloppy, and everything is everywhere! They have been married for 33 years, and things are piling up. There is just nowhere to put anything anymore! Crunches are something I tried, but it did not help much, if at all. The Pilates helped more. I lost 6 inches in my hips and 4.5 in my waist when I was doing them! Nothing worked that fast before either! It is probably all back now, though. When you are nauseated off and on, it is difficult to workout. Stopping the bloating is hard. The fruit is probably the trouble. Candida thrives on so many things. I wrote an essay on it last year for school. Fruit is hard to give up, because it has natural sugar you crave. Having low blood sugar like I do (which is common with Candida) makes you desperate for it.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

P.S. According to research, you are supposed to keep your daily carbohydrate intake between 60 and 80 carbs a day to kill it off. Have you read "The Yeast Syndrome?"

[dlp252]

Dear dlp252,

My Thyroid was fast at first, then it got too slow after going on Levothyroxine. What it does is a small dose of Thyroid medication tricks it into slowing down. The problem was, then it got too slow! Either way, I gained weight, which sucked and is unfair. Only I would gain weight when I am supposed to lose it! I could not tolerate the high dose of Thyroid medication they gave me to rev it up again. It made me shake all over, my heart was always pounding, and I could hardly sleep. Even worse, I had not lost any weight! So, I decided to take a dietary and herbal approach. Certain foods slow thyroid function down, like sugar, refined carbs, broccoli, and peaches. Who would have thought? Peanuts were another on the list I think. So, I decided to see about supplements. I tried to cut out transfats as well. There was an article in Women's World about Virgin Coconut Oil and Rosemary Leaf Extract. So, I got some. Without even changing my diet much, it did the trick! I began having more energy and losing weight within a couple of weeks! Solaray is the only one who makes Rosemary leaf extract. Also, Ashwaghanda (Indian Ginseng) was recommended. You take both once daily. Then, you can take between 2 and 3 Tablespoons of the Coconut Oil a day. I had to go a little less because I had my gallbladder out and have to restrict my fat. It is not surprising the doctor missed it. They miss a lot. You know in the Women's World article it said that 50 percent of the blood tests are borderline or slightly low Thyroid function, but women are told by doctors that they are normal. The BioSET lady seems to have a better grip on things! LOL!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

Thanks for the info NoGluGirl! I've been eating broccoli and peaches, but not huge quantities fortunately...also cut out the peanuts/peanut butter in November so at least I did THAT right, lol. See, I also have a hard time losing weight no matter what I do. The only thing in the past that worked was low carb, but I'm not losing anything now and I'm keeping my carbs/sugars low because of the candida (eating between 50-80 carbs a day).

[NoGluGirl]

Thanks for the info NoGluGirl! I've been eating broccoli and peaches, but not huge quantities fortunately...also cut out the peanuts/peanut butter in November so at least I did THAT right, lol. See, I also have a hard time losing weight no matter what I do. The only thing in the past that worked was low carb, but I'm not losing anything now and I'm keeping my carbs/sugars low because of the candida (eating between 50-80 carbs a day).

Dear dlp252,

I am happy to help in any way I can! Also, avoid items with soy lecithin and soy extracts of any kind, like soybean isolate (in protein powder and a lot of other foods) because it kills the thyroid. Anti-bacterial soap containing triclosan slows it down. Flouridated toothpaste - get rid of it! Flouride is toxic to the thyroid. Flouride is also in tap water a lot. I just remembered these things. I had to cut out peanut butter because I am addicted to it, I cannot stop eating it! I love it! It is high in fat, and hurts me. It does fill me up a long time, but at the cost of being ill, not such a good idea, LOL! I used to be very skinny and all I had to do was cut back on the fat and exercise, and I would lose weight. Only during the past 3 years has it been an issue. You know, maybe your body is stuck in a rut. Perhaps you should try carb cycling. I know how odd that sounds, let me explain. I read how body builders limit their carbs more like every other day so they can get as lean as possible as quickly as they can. They would have fewer carbs one day, then more carbs another day. It is a thought, anyway. Maybe if you try having only 50 or 60 carbs every other day, and 80 carbs the rest of the time, it will help.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl