Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Mia,

It is great to hear from you! We were wondering how you have been! I am glad to hear about your chelation being easier to deal with now that you have the colonics. The fillings being removed probably helped a lot. I am glad it went so smoothly!

Dear Donna,

I do not think Swarovski is the same as quartz. Go to Isis Books and Gifts Online. You can get a small quartz chrystal for $3. Using them for magical purposes is important, so when I need to get a gemstone, this is where I go! Or, if you prefer spending a bit more for a bracelet, The Pyramid Collection has a beautiful one for about $25.

CSM is something I am going to keep in mind, too. That is worth a try! I cannot help but be exposed to mold right now, either. I can minimize my exposure in some ways, but it is not completely avoidable. Maybe I will be able to get out on my own so I can get away from this house. My grandfather always has believed the house was making us ill.

Dear Susie,

A detonating digestive tract is not a good thing! Scatological terror comes to mind. You can also call it explosive excrement, torpedo tirds, or scary scat. No matter what you refer to it as, it is bad news! Anything that helps avoid it is good.

Good job for getting back on the wagon! We are all proud of you! Nine vials of blood! The most I ever had taken was seven! You probably needed the iron in that steak after that!

Sincerely,

Jin

[tom]

. . . . I know I have been exposed to mercury. Although no fillings are present, other factors are involved. Consuming a lot of tuna and salmon is one.

Heyyyyyy! Salmon is one of the best fish in a non-mercury sense!!

Well, wild salmon is anyway.

I sure won't vouch for that farmed stuff.

[Rachel--24]

Rachel-

you gotta tell me what got your bowels moving!!!

Hi Mia

It was Vitamin C and Magnesium. The Dr. wanted me taking these until I got loose stools. The first brand of Vitamin C didnt work for me because I was taking massive amounts and still....nothing was happening. Unfortunately at that time I was only testing well for that brand and not able to take any of the others.

After a couple detoxes I tested well for the vitamin C that I'm taking now. The first day I took it I started having bm's.....and I'm not taking such huge doses of it.

So its vitamin C and magnesium + lots of water.

Good luck with your chelation today....glad you got the fillings out!

[tom]

I notice that I'm very social at work lately....the most talkative I've been since getting sick. . . .

. . . . . My mom says she notices that I'm laughing alot now....whereas before I wasn't so cheerful.

Ohhhhhhh yeah, I like the sound of THAT!!

[AndreaB]

today i ahve chelation it is my 9th so after my next one next week i will redo the test and see waht the changes are I am looking forward to this!!! Having the colonics right after has definitly helped to be able to tolerate the chealtion.

I did get my fillings removed it was very easy (I just had 2 small ones) .

I am on a mediciene for parasites and worms in addition to theblack walnut i was already taking. I started it yeturday. I have taken it before but only for three day periods this time i am going on it for 2 weeks but at a smaller dose - 2 a day as opposed to 3 . I am a little nervous about the 2 week thing but I am hoping i will be ok.

Thanks for the update Mia. Glad to hear that the chelation has been better since starting colonics.

Hope the worm meds go ok for you.

And yep, I was in the living room...my doctor just warned me that until I get the carpet taken out I shouldn't spend a lot of time in the living room, but that's nearly impossible. I'm going to ask him or one of the other doctors I see about CSM...Carla is taking that I think...can't remember how to spell it though, lol. It's mentioned in Mold Warriors as something to take if you are constantly being exposed to the mold. It's a cholesterol med, but somehow it helps with the toxic mold thing. Realistically, it may be several more months before I can even THINK of ripping out the carpet, so the med would help in the meantime.

Sometimes I wonder if these doctors think we are made of money. The med may not be a bad idea.

[Rachel--24]

Donna,

Cholestyramine (CSM) works great for mold toxins. I was tested for it at my first ART session and I tested well for it....it was recommended for me but I never did take it.

I'm still wanting to take it for the mold toxins since thats one of my main issues....I've been kind of holding off on it for my next visit with Amy. I wanna have her retest it.....I think it could help me alot.

Heres the results of a study for mold toxin binders.

Comparing the Mold Toxin Binders

Cholestyramine showed the best adsorption capacity. It was quite effective at 85% absorption.

Activated Carbon had the second best mold toxin absorption at 62%.

Bentonite clay adsorbed minimally. Even when the amount of toxin load in the water was reduced to a low load of only 13 microg/ml, the Bentonite clay still only bound 12% of the toxin.

Celite was not effective even at the lowest tested FB1 concentration of 3.2 microg/ml.

[confusedks]

Hello all,

I go tomorrow to Dr. Matt Van Benschoten. He actually got me in even though there is about a 4 month long waiting list. I'm very happy. I had a really hard night last night because of school, but I'm doing WAY better now! I had a semi-decent day energy wise, but I can't wait to see what the Doctor says tomorrow. I am going to ask him about Lyme and see what he says. He is truly amazing, people fly in from all over the world to see him...sounds like the LLMD Carla sees.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Kassandra

[dlp252]

Thanks for the info Rachel!!! That does it...I'm asking whichever doctor I see first, lol. Realistically Dr. Rick probably wouldn't know much about it nor want to prescribe, but I think Dr. Carrie told me about some med and I'll be she might be willing. I don't see Dr. S until December. I don't know if Anna can prescribe.

Kassandra!!! Yay!!! I'm so excited that you got in so early!!!! A really good sign is when people fly in to see the doctor, lol.

Okay Jin - I'll look for the real crystal, lol.

Yay to Susie for getting back on the diet! I'm not fully convinced what I've been going through the last week wasn't in some small way related to following the diet. Except for the cashews, I've been good.

[AndreaB]

He is truly amazing, people fly in from all over the world to see him...sounds like the LLMD Carla sees.

This sounds like a promising doctor......can't wait to hear about your appointment.

Glad you had a better day today.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Rachel,

When do you see Dr. Amy again? The last time you mentioned it, there was no exact date set for her arrival yet. I am nervous about any type of pill. If it could help, that would be great! I say go for it! Exposure to mold is almost completely unavoidable unless you live in a bubble. I certainly react badly to it.

Thank you for the information on mold binding agents! The CSM may be very helpful for many of us. I have a bad feeling we have toxic mold in the house. My father lives in another universe called La-La Land. He refused to believe toxic mold exists, especially in our home. He also refuses to believe he could be a Celiac.

Dear tom,

I do not think the salmon I got was wild. I always had to get the canned kind. I especially like that fatty skin part!

The farmed kind is probably just about all we get around here. We cannot afford the fancy smoked stuff they sell. Making your own is difficult, because it is so easy to dry out fish.

Dear Andrea,

I agree that doctors seem to assume money just drops in your lap whenever you need it. How absurd is that?

Are they new to the planet or something? Of course, whether they actually do you any good or not, they get paid. Why would they give a crap?

Dear Donna,

Yes, find the real chrystal! Substitutions are not helpful for this type of thing. Gemstones all have their own unique properties. Some attract money, others health or love. Others increase psychic awareness and abilities.

It could be die-off you have been experiencing. It is difficult to say. Cashews might be the trouble, but if you had problems before eating them, then they are not as likely to be the source of the problems. There are a lot of factors. Hopefully, you will feel more like yourself again soon!

Dear Kassandra,

I am so excited for you! We will be anxious to hear how the meeting with your new doctor goes! He may very well solve your trouble. This one sounds like a good physician. People going to see him from so far away is a wonderful sign!

I am glad you had a better day yesterday. You will have ups and downs recovering from Celiac. This is normal. There are many things you have to deal with. Just take it one step at a time!

Dear Everyone,

I have some shocking and exciting news. I am afraid to give my hopes up, but my mom and brother finally seem to be coming around about Celiac now. My brother went to the doctor yesterday, and told him how we had been talking about him possibly being Celiac due to my having it. The doctor he sees is the one I used to go to before switching doctors last year. He told him to talk to me about it! Now my mother is finally beginning to realize she may have it!

I am quite giddy at the moment! One thing I do not agree with is the doctor telling him to not give up gluten completely. Like many physicians, he does know that much about Celiac. Chad went to the healthfood store and got some gluten-free stuff. He found the Kinnickinnick completely disgusting, but said some of the other stuff was really great. He is luckier than me, because he can have yeast. I told him I am sure one of my buddies on here could tell me about some good bread he would like.

Sincerely,

Jin

[dlp252]

Sorry Jin, can't help with the bread recommendations, lol. Great that your mom and brother might be coming around!

Okay, so this morning I decided to search for cholestyramine and see what side affects are associated with taking it (the usual suspects, lol)...but I found this and thought it was interesting:

GENERIC NAME: cholestyramine

BRAND NAME: Questran, Questran Light

DRUG CLASS AND MECHANISM: Cholestyramine is an oral medication that reduces the levels of cholesterol in the blood and improves the itching associated with liver disease.

Cholesterol that is ingested or manufactured in the body is eliminated primarily by conversion to bile acids in the liver and excretion in bile. The bile enters the intestine, and most of the bile acids are reabsorbed from the intestine. These reabsorbed bile acids are removed from the blood by the liver and excreted again into bile. Thus, bile acids re-circulate in the body. Cholestyramine binds to bile acids in the intestine. This prevents their absorption, and the cholestyramine/bile acid complexes are eliminated in the stool. As a result, the body loses bile acids. To compensate for this loss, the liver increases the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids. The conversion of cholesterol to bile acids reduces the cholesterol in the body, and the levels of cholesterol drop in the blood.

One of the most troubling symptoms in patients with liver and biliary disease is itching. The itching is believed to be the result of accumulation of bile acids in the skin due to the inability of the liver or bile ducts to eliminate bile acids normally. By binding bile acids in the intestines and preventing their absorption, cholestyramine hastens the elimination of bile acids from the body and skin, and the itching improves.

Cholestyramine also binds some drugs in the intestine, preventing their absorption and hastening their elimination. Therefore, cholestyramine is useful in some situations in which there has been an overdose of drugs.

I bolded that part that really interested me. I've had horrible itching on my legs for years and of course last year had the issue with my bile ducts, so I'm wondering if some of that itching isn't related to the liver in my case. I already know that the liver is sort of overloaded...maybe this would help take away some of the itching too, lol.

[AndreaB]

I am afraid to give my hopes up, but my mom and brother finally seem to be coming around about Celiac now. My brother went to the doctor yesterday, and told him how we had been talking about him possibly being Celiac due to my having it. The doctor he sees is the one I used to go to before switching doctors last year. He told him to talk to me about it! Now my mother is finally beginning to realize she may have it!

That's good news Jin!

I've had horrible itching on my legs for years and of course last year had the issue with my bile ducts, so I'm wondering if some of that itching isn't related to the liver in my case. I already know that the liver is sort of overloaded...maybe this would help take away some of the itching too, lol.

Sounds like it may be beneficial for a trial with you.

[covsooze]

Hi Kassandra

That's great about your new doctor Can't wait to hear about the appointment.

Jin, that's great about your family (well, not great that they might have celiac disease but great they're getting out of that denial place). Me and my sister, who also has it, are convinced my dad has it. He had one negative blood test and is convinced that shows he doesn't so won't get anymore tests. It's so frustrating to see people you love suffering when they could do something about it. I hope you manage to sort them out with the no gluten at all bit.

Donna, can you stomach nut butters? I've bought some almond butter and seem to be OK with it in small amounts.

Well, I'm pleased to say I'm still on track with the diet and my skin is amazing Even my heels, which have always been cracked up (like their owner lol!) are almost like 'new'. I slow cooked garlic roast chicken for dinner and used the stock with gluten-free flour to make gravy. I've not had gravy so far on the diet as they all have the wrong things in. It was awesome

Had prayer ministry this morning for the miscarriages this morning. That was awesomw too Feeling much better about things now. I will be having prayer about my health issues too in a couple of weeks time.

Susie

[dlp252]

Susie, I can do cashew butter still I think. Almond is iffy...I think I've started reacting to it.

Prayer is amazing...I have the whole church praying for me this week for the mold and financial situation. Makes a big difference.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Andrea, Susie, and Donna,

I know, I am amazed! This is a huge departure as to where I was trying to explain it to them before. Trying to get others to understand why they could have it while they are trying to convince you (or maybe themselves) that there is no way they could possibly be Celiac it extremely trying. I hope to find a good gluten-free bread for my brother. He does not cook, so I will probably have to help him out there. I would bake him a pie or cake every week as long as it helps him go gluten-free!

Dear Donna,

I am sure someone can point me in the right direction for the bread! At least my brother can eat yeast, unlike me.

Meanwhile, your situation likely does have stress involving the liver. Technically, any stress on one part of a system has an effect on the other organs in that system. So, stress on the gallbladder or bile ducts would very likely cause liver problems.

I am glad you looked up CSM! I wonder if it could help me. Binding molds is one thing, but I think it may help me for another reason on top of that. My gallbladder being removed makes digesting fat difficult. Maybe it could help with that. This could be contributing to my stomach issues.

Prayer is helpful. So is meditation. Spells are like my prayers. They soothe the soul. It needs nurturing as does the body.

Almond butter may be a problem for you. I seem to be reacting to everything now. I do not know if it is yeast, or a combination of additional food intolerances due to Leaky-Gut, or Lyme. Everything is complex with me. At least I know how to at least begin helping my adrenals.

Dear Susie,

Prayer is good for so much! Your health and anything else can be greatly helped. I am glad you feel lighter now. God eases the burden. He takes on our pain.

What wonderful news you are doing so well on your diet! My skin is badly broken out on my face, back, neck, nape, and even some on my scalp. I am beginning to wonder if it is DH and not acne. I have very oily skin, but I do not think acne is supposed to itch and burn. Sometimes I actually scratch it until it bleeds. Then, the scabs itch!

Sincerely,

Jin

[ami27]

I am home and amalgam free I spent 2 hours at the dentist and then 3 hours at the doctor's office. A whole day of it. I'm kinda wiped out, but excited at the same time. The results of all the tests (as they summed it up) are that I have been living on no hormones and adrenaline. The heavy metal test showed that several are elevated, mercury, lead and bismuth. Bismuth was off the chart. They said their not sure what impact this has on the body, but it's found in cheap lipsticks and Peptobismal. Sooo looks like I need to find a new brand of lipstick. They gave me some bio-identical hormones (estrogen & progesterone) to use. Also, gave me some cortisone for my adrenal fatigue. They also changed my thyroid meds. I was taking Armour. I'm hyper-converting T4 to T3...I think that's it. Once again I got information overload. But, they have a compounding pharmacy in their clinic so they compounded what I need for my thyroid. I had a 2 hour IV which had Vit C, DMPS, Calcium EDTA and maybe other stuff for chelation. They want me to have 5 more IV's. Optimally, one every other week. It's over $300 for each one so I'm not sure about that...I'll have to see. I'm supposed to be retested after the last IV to determine the heavy metal levels and to see how my adrenals, hormones and thyroid are doing. They said all of this could be out of balance from the heavy metals. So we'll see. I'm relieved that the amalgams are out and I'm hopeful that this will get me back on track. You all here have helped me too by freely sharing your stories and information.

Ami

[confusedks]

Hello everyone,

So, I went to the doctor today and GOOD and bad news!!!!! Well, the way he does it, is he has little vials type things with herbs in them. Then he does muscle testing and sees how you react to the herbs. He is amazing...it's a little hard to explain exactly how he does it. After about 30 min. of him testing me and changing the herbs, then testing me again and changing the herbs, he finally figured out what is wrong. Ready????????? I DON"T have Candida (he thinks Candida is a band-aid, not a root problem) and instead I have such a severe bacterial sinus infection that nasal leakage (can't remember what he called it) is dripping into my small intestine.

Apparently I'm still having a malabsorption problem and am anemic...no surprise! I was starting to have GI symptoms like before Celiac. He said that there is also a TON of bacteria in my uterus and ovaries, hence the never ending periods. He said that once we kill the bacteria with the herbs, this stuff will go away. He also said my body is attacking all foods I put in it, hence the constant GI yuckiness. He said the acid reflux will go away also. Also, I will stop craving sugar because once we kill the bacteria all over my poor body, I won't have an interest. I guess in this aspect it is like Candida. I have to take a saline solution nasal spray before I take the herbs and then eat. I am so relieved...at first he was very confused, but then he started to seem like he was starting to get it. it was funny because my mom was joking, "you're going to be so easy compared to the cancer cases, etc." but I ended up being with him for an hour. Almost the entire time he wasn't talking and kept going back and forth with the computer (he has a special herb database that he has created). It was very interesting. Also, I go back to see him in January and he said I should be able to go off the pill with no problems, but until then, he said it's not hurting me. Thank god!

I was thinking of you all when I was in there. I wish you could all go see him! He was amazing!!! He also put some anti-infflamatory herbs in my mix, so it should help with the back pain. I am so happy I got in to see him...I can't even tell you. And he said becaues of the nasal spray, I won't have any detox symptoms, because when you don't take it and you have a sinus infection, you take the herbs and it kills the bacteria, but then it just releases them into your body and they have nowhere to go, but the nasal spray will stop that! Yay!!!

Thank you all for listening to me whine the past weeks...I am so thankful.

Kassandra

[AndreaB]

I am home and amalgam free

YAY!!!!

Sounds like a good, but tiring day. I'll be looking for updates from you. Maybe you could try to work out one IV a month instead of two?

So, I went to the doctor today and GOOD and bad news!!!!!

YAY for you too!!!!

I'm glad you got some answers. You should be feeling much better by the end of the year then?

[confusedks]

Andrea,

He said I should be feeling better within 24-48 hours. Not 100% but a lot better, and if not, double or even triple the dose that he gave me.

We'll see.

Kassandra

[tom]

I go tomorrow to Dr. Matt Van Benschoten. He actually got me in even though there is about a 4 month long waiting list. I'm very happy.

Yay Kassandra!!

. . . . . . .I have some shocking and exciting news. I am afraid to give my hopes up, but my mom and brother finally seem to be coming around about Celiac now.

Whoa JIN!!! That IS shocking!!!!

(And fantastic!)

I told him I am sure one of my buddies on here could tell me about some good bread he would like.

I just about gave up on bread until my sister made a loaf for me during a visit. Ohhhhhh it was so good . . .

Just a Bob's Red Mill mix. I bought a bread machine w/in days of returning home.

(Of course all of this was well before I found out about candida etc)

Fresh bread pwnage! Even little kids preferred it over gluteny bread by far.

I'd even make stupid mistakes and it still turned out great every time.

I bet you'd make it as good the old-fashioned way.

Donna! That itch is history! <crossed fingers>

Well, I'm pleased to say I'm still on track with the diet and my skin is amazing Even my heels, which have always been cracked up (like their owner lol!) are almost like 'new'.

It is incredible how many 'little' things get better once on the right track!

I slow cooked garlic roast chicken for dinner and used the stock with gluten-free flour to make gravy. I've not had gravy so far on the diet as they all have the wrong things in. It was awesome

<drool>

I am home and amalgam free I spent 2 hours at the dentist and then 3 hours at the doctor's office. A whole day of it. I'm kinda wiped out, but excited at the same time. . . .

. . . . But, they have a compounding pharmacy in their clinic so they compounded what I need for my thyroid.

Woohoo Ami! "Wiped out but excited" sounds like a productive day!

Is "compounding pharmacy in their clinic" as rare as it sounds to me? What a great setup tho.

...I am so thankful.

Yay Kassandra!

It's great to see you get answers and a plan!!

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Ami,

This is great news! I was wondering when you would get the amalgams out and feel better. It is normal to be tired afterwards. The IVs are expensive! If necessary, they are worth the money when you have it. I could see why you could not afford them. Insurance does not normally pay for that type of thing.

Five hours is a full day! I would have been thoroughly exhausted. Just going to a doctor's appointment or out to the store for a couple of hours wears me out for the rest of the day. I am glad to hear things went smoothly for you. Chelation will really help get those nasty mercury particles out and repair your system!

Adrenals seem to always be unlucky bystanders. So does the rest of the endocrine system. My Thyroid is off, and my adrenals probably are as well. There are some things I can do on my own. However, I would feel better having a doctor experienced in these matters design a protocol.

Dear Kassandra,

Wow, that is amazing! Who knew a sinus infection could do all of that awful stuff? My aunt was very ill with a sinus infection the other week. She was very weak and could not hardly get out of bed. The thing made her sick to her stomach and gave her a migraine.

It sounds like this doctor has a great plan! I wish I could go see him, too. Those herbs will have you feeling better in no time! That would be terrific if you felt better in a couple of days. Who would have expected a sinus infection to cause the hormonal issues? Thank goodness you do not have Candida!

Dear Andrea,

How are Mitch and the children doing? I am still surprised about Mitch having the bacterial dysbiosis. Of course, I think you mentioned you both had Candida come up in testing, right? That probably is adding to that burden, if not causing it. Mercury also showed up for him, which tends to be present with those suffering from Candida.

Dear tom,

I know, my family coming around is like Osama Bin Laden becoming a priest! You never saw that coming!

Sometimes I think it will disappear. I have heard some good things about Bob's mixes. I do not have a bread machine. However, I could bake it in one of those pans for my brother they have at the store. You can get the pretty inexpensively.

Sincerely,

Jin

[mftnchn]

Wow, lots of good news from people today.

Yay, Kassandra, glad you have some ideas and direction, and will be waiting to hear if you feel better soon. Yay Mia, sounds like there is progress.

Yay, Amy. Keep us posted!

Also, was it you Kassandra or Mia that asked? Anyway, I second Rachel's answer to the elimination issue: Vitamin C and magnesium. I use a buffered C powder than contains magnesium, I used to use a buffered C that was derived from Sago palm. Right now, I use the buffered C powder, then add a 1/2 tsp of pure Vit C crystals. I do this once first thing in the morning, followed by two large glasses of warm water. In the evening I take a dose, then another right at bedtime. Sometimes I can get by with two doses a day, I just go by how soft or loose I am in the morning. The longer I am GFCFSF, I seem to be able to cut back on the amount. I was doing the buffered C plus a big huge dose of magnesium in addition. Now I am about at 1/2 the magnesium I needed earlier.

Oh, I also take a heaping teaspoon of pharmeceutical grade cellulose in the morning with a lot of water. You can get this from a compounding pharmacy, I get mine from my doctor and it is gluten-free.

Also, I used to be able to eat prunes all day and have no impact on me at all. I read on the forum to boil them in water and then eat the softened ones and drink the juice. This did work, in about a hour and a half, I was totally amazed. Maybe you can't eat prunes, but just in case--you could try this too.

[mftnchn]

Donna and Suzie, I second it on the prayer.

Rachel, I read your update with a lot of interest. I do have a question about the mercury: After the chelation, is the goal to not have symptoms break through--as a sign we are doing enough detoxing? And is there a set amount of time after the chelation that the mercury is excreted? I know if it isn't excreted it is reabsorbed and redistributed, which we don't want.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Sherry,

Hi there! How is your trip going? What all have you been doing? Where did you go? I am glad you seem to be doing pretty well. Travel can make things complicated and stressful, but you seem to handle it all very well!

Thank you for the tip on the C. I will keep that in mind. It cannot hurt! I have C off and on. Alfalfa tablets work well, but the ones we get are so difficult to swallow! Even after cutting them into fourths they got stuck in my throat!

Sincerely,

Jin

[covsooze]

Kassandra, that's great news looking forward to seeing how you go on this new regime.

For those suffering from adrenal burnout, what's the best way of dealing with that? I'm sure my adrenals are stressed out. I'm feeling stressed almost all the time now and for no particular regime - just like I can't cope with anything without feeling stressed. Going on this diet seems to have made things worse (at least it hasn't made it better). I know the reasons, apart from the obvious health ones - the miscarriages, DH starting his business, the change of routine with DS starting school. I'm going to try to get some herbal sleeping tablets and hope I'm not allergic to them. I eat throughout the day. What are good supplements for supporting adrenals?

Susie x