Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[CarlaB]

Are they still on schedule? Sounds like they've made some good progress if all the cabinets are in--that means the floor is done, too--right?

Right, the floor is in, the drywall, electric, and rough in plumbing done ... the cabinets are set/hung, but not trimmed (crown molding, etc.). We got granite counters, so now we wait for them to be fabricated because they can't measure till the cabinets are set ... and not much gets done other than the trimming .... maybe the painting.

Once the counters are in, then the tile backsplash, so we're on schedule. Two and a half weeks (from Wed.) for the counters.

[melmak5]

Rachel, CarlaB & NoGluGirl (and all others who think about my insides)

I do think that this is more of a disease/bacteria/parasite thing... even more so after my "normal" barium swallow.

(The procedure went fine, I will have the formal results in a day or two, but I am assuming they wouldn't send me home if they saw something drastic. My insides are really sore and did not like said periodic element)

The allergist brought up an interesting point...

Maybe all of this started with mono

An enlarged spleen can put pressure on everything else and may have been the cause of the regurgitation back in April and things have just kept overlapping and since there isn't ONE source for everything, and people are only looking for one thing, I still cannot get to the bottom of anything.

The Chinese herbalist gave me some rather tough love yesterday saying that I need to be eating more foods more often or things are going to get worse, fast. (She and the allergist don't know why I am not anemic by now)

She said that if you stop eating a food, over time, your body stops producing the enzymes to break it down and it can take a while for your body to be able to tolerate the food. She said to start small and slow but to try to vary my diet as much as possible. More than that, she stressed that I need to eat more often. (I don't eat while I am at work because the pain is too much) She said that this could be the reason for all of my dizzy spells.

I promised to at least try. I am a little nervous, but I kind of feel like I am a rat, never eating more than a nibble of a lot of different things. Look at those guys... they can survive almost ANYTHING.

I do think the fact that I have some energy this week over last is due in part to the baby formula. So it makes sense if I can get a more varied source of vitamins/nutrients hopefully things will keep getting better. And if I do eat something that doesn't agree with me, hopefully it will be in such a small quantity it won't do as much damage. Bonus, maybe I can get my metabolism back to a normal rate if I can work up to eating more than one meal a day!

I still think it is not unreasonable to demand another bacterial overgrowth study to see if that is the reason for all of this nonsense. And/or find a new GI doctor, ugh.

[melmak5]

Also, the rectal bleeding has stopped (even with all the constipation) so I am wondering if three weeks ago I was in fact "glutened" which would explain the blood work, digestion worsening and the emotional/mental drama.

Its just weird about the regurgitation/acid reflux. It seems like a non-classic sypmtom, not that its impossible, its just confusing.

PS - If this is true, I am going to seriously kill one of my roommate. Grab a shovel and the Sicilian side of me will take over.

[AndreaB]

Is it just me, or does it feel strange without Donna? She is on the cruise, and we are here. I hope she gets to check in at least. The pictures will be nice. I cannot wait to see them!

Yes, it does seem strange without Donna. I think she said she wouln't be able to check in this time.

Yay on your new glasses! Give your eyes time to adjust to them.

Yes, I miss Donna, too. She should be back soon--right? I'm losing track of what day it is lately

We're settling in ok--thanks for asking. We had 2 loads of stuff taken out of the old house early on (a couple of weeks before we moved), so we're getting ready for the next batch. The kitchen is all set up, so that's good. I got up early this morning and I have a loaf of GFP french bread rising right now.

Was it a two week cruise? She's been gone about 1 week.

Kitchen is one of the most important things to have set up. Glad to have you check in, I know you must be busy unpacking and figuring out where you want everything.

Mine is still empty .... cabinets are installed, but still have some trim to be done. Counters are on order, so we're waiting ...

Sounds like things are moving right along and will be done by Thanksgiving.

You alread answered that BTW.

Nope, haven't met any neighbors yet--it's pretty spread out though and our "nextdoor neighbors" are at least an acre away. So different than before....nice, though--more elbow room

It's real nice to have elbow room.

I do think that this is more of a disease/bacteria/parasite thing... even more so after my "normal" barium swallow.

Glad the barium swallow went ok. Also glad to hear you are feeling a bit better this week.

I agree on eating more regularly. Hope the variety will do ok for you.

MIA!

How are you doing this week?

[covsooze]

Hi Kristina

Good to hear you survived the test. The regurgitation/ reflux thing is actually a fairly common symptom of glutening - a lot of people have mentioned it here and I'm definitely one that has that effect. It's what landed me in the ED when I eventually was diagnosed.

I also think that mono is often a trigger for coeliac and the 'maladapelted mileu' that Rachel was talking about a while back. I'm convinced that my health started going down hill when I had mono when I was 18. Look at it this way, at least with you they caught it quick, so hopefully you won't have years and years of damage to contend with.

I've not had chance to catch up with all the posts recently....Andrea, how are you and the kids?

Susie x

[confusedks]

Carla,

Thank you for all the info. I tend to agree that she didn't seem like she wanted to return to normalcy. I want to go to college and live a normal life! I can't and WON'T believe that I will need to completely change my life forever because of this. How long did it take you to get your Igenex lab reports back?

At this point, I am not too worried about abx, because I have tried lots of supplements (well, probably not as many as you...lol) and my body seems to not respond to them as well as it could. The only reason I was saying IV abx, is because that's what we were told I could handle and not have a (hives) reaction to.

Do you follow the Cowden protocol? What is a good book to read to start to learn the basics of Lyme...one equivalent to gluten-free for Dummies by Danna Korn, but for Lyme. The LLMD I am going to see does herbal, oral abx and IV abx so hopefully if we need to he can integrate abx and supplements/herbs. I have another random question, what would you do if for some reason you had a reaction to abx and needed to go to your Dr. where you live? What would they say/do about your abx? Does your regular Dr. know about your Lyme?

Sorry I have so many questions, but I really appreciate your answers and time Carla.

Thank you!

Kassandra

[covsooze]

Kristina, I thought of something. Sorry if it's been mentioned before. Have you been checked for a hiatal (sp?) hernia? That can cause reflux problems too. I've got a small one and it definitely adds to my pain. They're very common.

[confusedks]

Can't remember who asked... but I have NOT been to a GI Dr. My GP is the one who told me to go on a gluten-free diet because my grandma was dx'd and I have the gene. I was then going to go to a GI, but I was hospitalized and time has just kind of slipped away from us. I think it is a good idea to have a end/col. to make sure nothing else is going on.

Today I have started to have MAJOR D. It almost stopped me from going to school, but I went and had to come home because it got so bad. UGH! It worsens when I eat. Maybe we'll make some chicken noodle soup tonite.

Kassandra

[AndreaB]

....Andrea, how are you and the kids?

We are hanging in there. My recent dilemna is whether to continue to charge the toxin binders. I really don't want to but at the same time don't want to be without the binders for the family. That's the only thing we'll be able to stay on once everything else runs out.

I've heard/read so much about this country heading into a recession that I'm a little more concerned about trying to pay credit down instead of charging up all the time. As things continue to go downhill, hubby's miles would also decrease.

I guess I need to email Dr E and see if we'll lose everything we've tried to do if we can't even stay on toxin binders. I've been wrestling with this for a couple weeks now. The current thought is to get some more toxin binders to last a couple months and reassess.

Then, next year we'll only be able to do the one ASYRA session with her and back to only toxin binders. I suppose it's better than nothing but I have to wonder if it'd be to our benefit to go off of everything once we run out of what we have and focus on bills and pick up treatments again in a couple years.

I'm just afraid of all the intolerances getting worse again, especially with Talitha if we go off of everything.

Plus, I'm planning on having my teeth done next year and I've got to be on toxin binders and support going through that at least. I've thought about delaying that another year but I really don't want to. The dentist I'm planning on going to isn't getting any younger and I'm not comfortable with having this metal in my mouth anymore.

I'm open to any opinions from everyone.

[AndreaB]

Can't remember who asked... but I have NOT been to a GI Dr. My GP is the one who told me to go on a gluten-free diet because my grandma was dx'd and I have the gene. I was then going to go to a GI, but I was hospitalized and time has just kind of slipped away from us. I think it is a good idea to have a end/col. to make sure nothing else is going on.

Sounds like it would be good to rule everything out. Is your mom willing to do both the GI and the LLMD?

Sorry you're having such a rough day today. You need a break.

[CarlaB]

Kassandra, oh yeah, forgot about the abx problems.

IGeneX takes about two weeks.

My LLMD sends updates to my local doctor on all my appts. I have not personally contacted my local doctor since she told me I didn't have Lyme even with a test, but I let the LLMD send her the reports anyway. I figure she's getting educated, plus I'm supposed to have a local MD, so at least she will know what's going on if I do need her.

If I did have a reaction to the abx, I would first call my LLMD's emergency number. If I need to see someone locally, it would probably be at the walk-in clinic. It's not like you can call a doctor and get in immediately anyway, so for an emergency reaction, it would either be the ER or the walk-in clinic. I'm sure I'd have to ignore their ignorance to get treated for my reaction. So far, so good though .... I haven't needed that.

If I get IV, I will have to find someone local willing to treat me. I'll probably look to LN for advice if my local MD doesn't want to help.

I have my monthly blood work done at a local walk-in urgent care clinic.

I guess I never realized you were never tested for celiac disease. Thirty percent of the population carries the gene, but only one percent has celiac disease, so just because you carry the gene does not mean you have it. You may end up like me and have GI issues as a result of Lyme.

I have JUST started the Cowden herbs, limited Cowden, not the full protocol. The herbs are available from Nutramedix.com, and they have some info about the Cowden protocol. It would not hurt you to take the herbs before testing .... but they're not cheap, so you may not want to take them if you don't need them.

I started three drops of Samento last night. My LLMD has me on Samento, Cumanda, Parsley, and Burbur. I haven't received the other herbs yet, and wanted to phase them in anyway, so I just started the Samento last night.

Sorry about the D.

[jerseyangel]

Sorry you're having such a rough day today. You need a break.

I agree--you both need a break, Kassandra and Andrea. I wish I had some good, usable advice for you. I'm just not as up on Lyme treatments and alternative medicine as some of the others here.

I am keeping you both in my prayers--Kassandra, I'm following your story and I truly hope something comes clear soon.

Andrea--I don't know what to say--I definately would speak to Dr. E and find out if you can effectively take a break from the treatments without losing ground. I would think (and this is only my best guess) that if you had to suspend treatments, as long as you did everything else you could do, you shouln't lose what headway you have made. You have so much more information now, so I think you should be ok

You know how to get a hold of me if you want to talk.

[jerseyangel]

You know how to get a hold of me if you want to talk.

Actually, you don't

I'm PM'ing you my new email and phone #.

[melmak5]

covsooze - Thanks for the thought.

I have been palpated by over 10 doctors and none have found a hernia. Is that something that would show on a barium swallow? I am assuming the pain would get worse over time?

My money is on the bacteria not being gone. I wish I could tolerate a probiotic of some sort to try to balance things out.

[CarlaB]

My money is on the bacteria not being gone. I wish I could tolerate a probiotic of some sort to try to balance things out.

Mine, too.

Can you tolerate one or a half drop of oregano oil? A tiny amount of something that moves you in the right direction? Maybe a small portion of probiotics (not a full capsule)?

I had severe stomach pain when I would eat, too. I could tolerate smoothies -- whey/fruit .... so I'd have one for breakfast. I'd also eat the fudge recipe I've posted with no problem. Also, decaf organic lattes .... I'd try to put off eating "solid" food as long as possible in a day ... I did okay this way. I was eating about 1000 calories per day in a fluid form.

It's different though, for everyone. You have to find what works for you and causes the least pain.

I know that when I got the Bartonella (a bacteria) out of my gut I was fine, so I tend to agree that it's bacterial/yeast ... that's why I'm wondering about oregano oil .... maybe put ONE drop in a glass and split into four doses to take over four days ... so, 1/4 of a drop to see if you can tolerate it?

Just throwing ideas out there.

[melmak5]

I think thats a good point, trying a little to start.

How were you diagnosed with what bacteria and how do you know its gone? (If you don't mind me asking)

Mine, too.

Can you tolerate one or a half drop of oregano oil? A tiny amount of something that moves you in the right direction? Maybe a small portion of probiotics (not a full capsule)?

I had severe stomach pain when I would eat, too. I could tolerate smoothies -- whey/fruit .... so I'd have one for breakfast. I'd also eat the fudge recipe I've posted with no problem. Also, decaf organic lattes .... I'd try to put off eating "solid" food as long as possible in a day ... I did okay this way. I was eating about 1000 calories per day in a fluid form.

It's different though, for everyone. You have to find what works for you and causes the least pain.

I know that when I got the Bartonella (a bacteria) out of my gut I was fine, so I tend to agree that it's bacterial/yeast ... that's why I'm wondering about oregano oil .... maybe put ONE drop in a glass and split into four doses to take over four days ... so, 1/4 of a drop to see if you can tolerate it?

Just throwing ideas out there.

[CarlaB]

For the Klebsiella and Citrobacter overgrowth it was a Doctor's Data three day stool collection for bacteria and parasites.

Bartonella, a coinfection of Lyme, also causes GI symptoms. I was clinically diagnosed with this based on my history of Lyme Disease, my response to a specific abx, and clinical symptoms.

I was taking oregano oil, Uva Ursi, and Plant tannins (www.intensivenutrition.com), plus massive probiotics for the bacterial overgrowth. It helped my diarrhea, but I still had food intolerances and stomach pain after eating. It was when I treated the Bartonella, which I am still treating, that the pain and intolerances went away.

I don't think they'll retest me to see if it's gone, we'll just go by symptoms. Right now, aside from treating Lyme/Bart, I am taking massive probiotics. I've been able to stop the other herbs and not have a return of symptoms.

On the occassion I do get a stomach ache, I put about 30 drops of peppermint oil (medicinal) in water and it helps pretty quickly.

[melmak5]

I should have known than to think stool samples were a thing of my past.

Nothing is funnier than carrying around your own poop (outside your body), nothing.

Thank you for the information

[CarlaB]

I should have known than to think stool samples were a thing of my past.

Nothing is funnier than carrying around your own poop (outside your body), nothing.

Thank you for the information

Yeah, this testing makes Enterolab seem like a walk in the park .... you have to scoop it into little vials of liquid and mix it ... for three days ...

[confusedks]

Yeah, this testing makes Enterolab seem like a walk in the park .... you have to scoop it into little vials of liquid and mix it ... for three days ...

EWWWW! That does make Enterolab a walk in the park! The worst part was FREEZING it!!!

LOL!

Kassandra

BTW, Krisitna...your posts always make me laugh!

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Patti,

I am glad you are already adjusting to your new home! Baking bread surely makes it smell more like one! I wish I could have French Bread, it sounds so good! Unfortunately, the GFP uses yeast. I wonder if there is a kind they make without it?

It is probably nice to not have neighbors right on top of your property. Having more land between houses can be good. We are out in the county, but the houses are close together. At least our air is cleaner out here. In the city, it is quite poor I am sure.

Donna has not been gone all that long, but it seems like forever! I miss our Smiley Spice! She has been gone since the 28th. The cruise is ten days long, I think. For us, that is a long time!

My new glasses are great! I have not really had to adjust at all. My vision is so much better now! Some of the reason I was feeling dizzy was my left eye had gotten worse. That messes up your depth perception, and can throw you off balance.

Can you believe my father is complaining that my frames were too expensive at $179? Apparently, he has not looked at prices on glasses and frames recently. For Gucci, that is an incredible price! Incidentally, guess who has gotten more pens off of E-Bay? You guessed it! Why is it okay for him to spend $40 on a pen just because it normally sells for $100, when I am not allowed to even get supplements or healthfood I need?

Dear Carla,

Your new supplements sound promising. I will be anxious to hear if they help. Bart is so tough to treat! I am glad your doctor has knowledge about Lyme and co-infections. So many doctors have no idea what their patients go through.

His experience having the illness himself makes him a wonderful physician to have! I hope I could be so fortunate as to find such a doctor. Maybe my doctor can figure something out. Meanwhile, it is up to me to do all I can. Every little bit helps!

I agree that abx are necessary for the treatment of certain infections. I know that the Candida was caused by me being on so many of them for all of these years, but it saved my life from pneumonia and bronchitis. In a normal system, that probably would not have led to the overgrowth of yeast. Obviously, as a Celiac, my body was impaired immune system-wise.

Then you add all of those steroids and birth control for asthma and cysts, and that really caused trouble.

I would hope I could use an herbal protocol, due to the Candida. The great thing is, oil of oregano can fight both yeast, viruses, and bacteria! There is a good place to start. All I know is, my problems came back after that course of Flagyl I did a year ago. Although I was not at 100 percent, I was able to get out and function for the first time in years after going gluten-free. In middle of October, I caught a stomach virus that took me three weeks to recover from. Just as I was getting back to how I well I had been doing, the Flagyl ruined it.

We were told for as long as I can remember about the big quake being due. I am not sure if they counted the 2002 June quake. I believe it was the 2nd or the 5th. The trimmers were in March or April. Is Cincinnati impacted by the New Madrid fault? I know Bloomington was.

Living where we do, it was very close to the epicenter of the 2002 quake. I think we are between 5 and 10 miles south of the actual location where the epicenter had been. For a week, I had trouble sleeping. You always worry another one is coming after that! Everything was fine except for a few really weak aftershocks.

How great that your kitchen will be ready by Thanksgiving! You are probably relieved. I know you were worried about that.

Everything sounds so beautiful! You will have to show us pics once it is finished!

Enterolab at least is a good lab. The effort is worthwhile with those tests. I am aware many labs for bloodwork are not accurate. Stool tests particularly worry me. Doctor's Data is seeming pretty reliable, and that is what my doctor wanted to test me with. I just could not afford it. I still have the kit.

Thank you for mentioning what you took for the bacterial dysbiosis. I was going to ask you what all you took again. You saved me the trouble! I looked up VSL#3 the other day, and was horrified by the price. That is not affordable. I am lucky to get my father to buy me food, and I practically have to argue why I need that. Most morons know it is for eating, but not him!

It appears most of the dysbiosis was in your colon. Did you get pain in your lower abdomen? It feels like gas, but does not go away? I have been having trouble with that more lately. At first I thought it was the melon seed flour in the rice cakes I was eating, or maybe eating too much fat. Now I am thinking it is something else. My lower back hurts a lot as well.

Dear Andrea,

My eyes are doing pretty well with my new glasses. The old ones may not have been right in the first place. I had them for two or three years, and the walls still looked bowed out when I wore them. That should have stopped after a while.

I think they may have had the wrong prescription in those!

The fear of recession is a major concern for everyone right now. I read on Yahoo Finance that inflation is becoming severe on the most basic items lately. Gas is a more frequently discussed topic, but did you know milk has gone up 23.1 percent, and eggs are 44 percent more in price than they had been? So, even people who are not on special diets like us are feeling the pinch. Hopefully, this will be temporary.

Donna left Sunday of last week. She has already been gone a week! Is the cruise ten days long? That is what I thought she had said. I cannot wait to see the pics Donna took!

I know how worried you are about the children and treatments. Affording these things is difficult. When you have a limited income, that makes things difficult. You know, you could do SMC. My business has not gotten going much because I have not been able to approach many people. If you want more information, I can give it to you. I am going to approach some local shops for the holiday season and try to subwholesale.

Dear Kristina,

Are you and I living in the same body? Reflux has been a huge problem for me more recently again. I get glutened periodically, and I can bet that has something to do with it. I also get worse reflux when I have lactose. There is a threshold I cannot cross. If so, I get as ill as if I were glutened. I believe the dairy in the baby formula is aggravating the situation.

As far as roommates go, maybe you should let your Sicilian side come out. Let's just say I have been tempted to chop off people's fingers at times. My parents finger everything! I hate that! It is not just because of cc, but it is gross anyway. I am like a little female Tony Soprano, and it is kind of scary!

I am glad your barium swallow went well. I hated doing that procedure! That stuff is nasty. Also, you can get glutened by it. I just found that out the other week from someone on here.

The bright side is, you will know what is not making you ill, like a hernia.

I had a gallstone show in mine, but the idiot doctor missed it because she was convinced from day one that I was nuts. To this day, I cannot promise that I will not squeeze her neck until her head pops off if I see her again! Yes, and I mean this in the cuddliest way possible. Okay, not really. I just wanted to practice on what to say to the police in case she joined "witness protection" like other people on the Sopranos.

I can see why you would worry about the spleen. I think it is part of the detoxing and infection fighting system. Mono is a good possible source of issues. If something stays in your system for a long time, damage can occur. I will poke around and see about long-term problems caused by Mono.

Those dizzy spells are caused by low blood sugar. I have them, too. I have to eat every four hours, or I start shaking and sweating, and getting dizzy. Your heart probably pounds as well. Fifteen grams of carbs is reasonable for a boost in blood sugar. This is equivalent to half a potato. Eating carbs with protein and fat helps prevent a dramatic drop in glucose after a couple of hours.

ROTFLMAO! Carrying around your poo is kind of weird. Despite this, it is hilarious! There is always irony. Without irony, life would be no fun, because you could not use it to laugh at celebrities. Here is something you would enjoy immensely, as you are marvelously morbid like me! Go to

and have a great laugh!

Dear Kassandra,

I will be anxious to hear about your Lyme bloodwork! The blood draw is Monday, which is a good day for it. I think they airlift it so the blood sample stays fresh. Stale blood is not useful for tests. Accuracy depends on this. We will keep our fingers crossed for you!

I am sorry to hear about the D yesterday. That was a typical part of my life in high school, too. What is worse is no one was understanding about it. When I was in driving school, it was so humiliating to deal with the jokes and having to explain it.

Celiacs tend to be caught in those situations frequently before diagnosis.

If you want to do a colonoscopy, go for it! I will never do it again if I do not have to. My experience was not pleasant. The endoscopy and intercolisis were miserable as well. They drug you way too heavily. I hated feeling like that. When your body is in an already frail state, it can make things worse, too. Testing is hard on your body.

My experience was not as bad as my brother's. He had one several years after I did. The idiot GI who did his test literally jerked him around with the scope in him, and he literally felt bruised afterwards. Chad felt the guy moving the scope around, which should not have happened. They must not have numbed him enough, and he was very sick afterwards. Like me, he will not do that again!

Stool tests are gross. I hate doing them. The last time I did one for h. pylori, the sample had to be stored in the fridge.

I have never looked at the refrigerator door the same way since! As stupid as it may sound, I actually sometimes think it will be there! You know, the phantom poop!

Dear Sherry,

I agree bread is a wonderful way to break in a home! God I wish I could have a big, buttery roll right now! Unfortunately, my pill-popping mother used my Smart Balance, so now I have nothing to put on my pancakes, biscuits, or baked potatoes. She contaminated it with her spoon, which I had to explain to her for the trillionth time in a week why I cannot use it now. Why do I talk to these people at all?

Dear Susie,

Reflux is a problem for me as well. Candida contributes to it, too. Getting glutened and having yeast really bothers it. As long as I am on time with my Prilosec, it is minimal. I cannot drink a whole lot at once, and I do not tolerate lactose either.

Except, I have noticed that fudge and candies, as well as some other milk containing foods do not tend to aggravate my system.

Well, I was on another Celiac site, and it said something about what has puzzled me since last year. My doctor might be interested in what I found. She was unable to answer why I could tolerate milk containing foods that were heated or baked, but not others. According to this site, it said there are numerous proteins Celiacs can be reactive to aside from casein. Some are destroyed with heat! I can look the site up and post a link if you like. The site talks about other food sensitivities like MSG, too.

I began drinking lemon water the other day. I have felt a bit better! It is one of five or six things I can do that is inexpensive for detox. Are you thirstier when you drink it? That must be my body telling me I need it. Getting some PH strips might be a good idea. Healthfood stores and pharmacies carry them.

Dear Rachel,

I hope you had a pink day today! I do not have much in terms of that. I have a sweatshirt, a pair of velvety pants, and a knit tunic, but that is all. I have a hat, though. Maybe I should get a pashmina or something? Oh, and there is that wonderful soft pink sweater that Dart loves.

Dear Everyone,

I spoke to the hairdresser about my makeover. She said for my mother to bring a snippet with her next Thursday for her to play with. We will see what happens. I just do not want to fry my hair. Lisa also suggested I go to one of the new beauty schools where they know exactly what all is in the Redkin products. Mom has already talked my father into letting me get my hair done, and agrees that I will need new make-up to get my Jen Zen going!

Sincerely,

Jin

P.S. Has anyone heard from Julie, Rinne, Lisa, Ami, Charlie, Judy, Mia, or anyone else we have not seen much of recently?

[CarlaB]

Jin, I don't know if the New Madrid fault affects us here ... I guess if it were a big enough one it would ...

I don't think it was mainly my colon ... I had stomach pain up higher, too. Sometimes it feels gassy, but not always.

The VSL#3 is rather pricey ... I'm seeing if I still get results from taking it every other day rather than every day .... I have tried cutting it out entirely, but can't.

Kristina, my hubby pointed out that carrying your own poop isn't half as funny as walking around in public carrying your dog's poop! Did you ever see Kate and Leopold? I love the scene where the police woman is telling Leopold he has to pick up the poop -- "Is there a law compelling gentlemen to lay hold of canine bowel movements? .... I refuse, respectfully."

[AndreaB]

I know how worried you are about the children and treatments. Affording these things is difficult. When you have a limited income, that makes things difficult.

Dr. E got back to me. The toxin binders are important as well as a couple other things. She thinks we'd lose too much ground going off everything. Once we run out of stuff we have most of it will be discontinued.

I've read about food prices going up but they say that's a small part of the overall picture and won't affect most people.

As far as posters MIA, Julie has not been feeling well and it's too hard to keep up on the thead, Mia's was reading within the last couple days, Judy I think is gone right now, Rinne was reading within the last couple days........that's all I remember.

Glad your new glasses are much better. Those old ones do sound weird.

[confusedks]

Jin,

I have never looked at the freezer the same again!!! LOL!! Nobody used anything from the freezer when my stool test was in there! Maybe I should do that and leave all my gluten-free food in there so nobody will touch it!

Everybody,

I am supposed to be going to a party tonight for a friend. I hate these things because I feel so crappy and I can never eat anything...it's so hard being free of gluten, dairy, soy and nuts!! There is also another party tomorrow night and I have to bring something. I was going to make Namaste Spica Cake muffins with carrots in them, but they are so good...I will eat all of them! I think I am going to just go to the store and get a tray of brownies or something and I'll eat before I go. This is when I have being gluten-free!

Also, what do people suggest as far as preventing getting sick? I think I am coming down with something, but I want to kick it out before it takes me over!!!

I can't afford to get sick right now.

Kassandra

[melmak5]

Kassandra - I am glad you laugh. I was making periodic table of element jokes the day of my barium swallow. No one thought they were as funny as I did. All of this stuff is so invasive and ridiculous, I think laughing is the only way to get through it.

-Stay well hydrated, maybe load up on vitamin C and zinc if you can tolerate those two to ward-off a cold.

Jin - You made me laugh, thank you! I scared the crap out of one of my roommates today when he went to touch something of mine. I said "only if you wash your hands thoroughly FIRST and dry them with a clean towel or a paper towel and touch nothing in between the two actions." He politely asked me if I would do it and share.

-Are you able to keep any dry goods in your room? I know its not fair to have to lug things from you bedroom to the kitchen and back again, but if it keeps you safe and healthy, it might be worth a shot.

I successfully ate fish last night. Not a lot, but its a big step.

Today I am trying a small portion of rice.

Portion size seems to be the key for me, in new things and eating in general. If I eat a handful or less of food at a time I seem to have a better chance of it staying put.

The oregano oil on the other hand... lets just say its worse coming back up than going down and opening the bottle just makes me crave pizza like no ones business.

I have been having dreams about saltine crackers, hot sauce, pizza and beer, that and my teeth cracking and falling out in pieces.

The baby formula does corn and milk bi-products in it. I am trying slowly decrease my intake, but I think its a necessary evil until I can actually eat something close to a balanced meal on a regular basis.

I have been putting off dress shopping for this wedding I have to go to next weekend because my abdominal size has fluctuated SO DRASTICALLY lately that I am fearful of committing to any one size. Why don't they make stylish spandex unitards for those with who are gastrically challenged?