Fibro Fatigue

 I have started a new blog to share more about my life post-fibromyalgia: The Caring Carnivore. There you will find some of my latest recipes for eating an animal-based diet. Check it out at thecaringcarnivore.com. See you there :)

 Wow. It's June 2022, and so much has happened with my health in the last five months. Here's an update. About three years ago, I switched to a new naturopathic doctor, and she tested me with the Organic Acids Test (OAT). I was dealing with unexplained weight gain and a swelling belly. The test showed two things: 1. candida overgrowth in the gut, and 2. oxalate overload in the gut. A light dawned for me, that even though I had somewhat controlled the candida with Hydrogen Peroxide drinks on an empty stomach, it wouldn't kill it in the gut, and that's where it was hiding!                 The oxalate issue was something brand new to me. My ND had me try to reduce my oxalate intake in my food, but she was searching online as much as I was for what foods to avoid. I did stop eating spinach and a few other foods for awhile, to no effect. However, I did take oregano drops in a capsule for the candida, and after a few weeks my weight and g...

It is such a challenge to sleep with burning feet. With the need to keep them uncovered comes the problem of keeping the rest of me warm enough to sleep. I have tried many ridiculous-looking arrangements, with limited results. I even had my ankles in cardboard or foam "stocks" to protect my body from the fan blowing on my feet. It worked only a little bit. I finally gave up on that. The best fix is using Lyrica to drug me through the night--which makes me dizzy, and when severe causes nausea, and then I'm really incapacitated. And when I don't sleep, my muscle fatigue and cramping and fibro symptoms escalate. Last night my husband scolded me for soaking my feet in ice water before bedtime. "Are you keeping track of how long you are soaking in water? Are there ice cubes in there? Are you getting addicted to ice again?" I held my tongue; he was just trying to help; I said, "I know." It's so hard to know where to draw the line. I still have the ...

So last November I had a heavy metals test done and found I was at 12 times normal levels of lead. How and where did i get exposed? Probably from the first house we bought that we repainted inside and out twenty years ago--when I got sick, and have been ever since. I am chelating the lead out with IV and oral chelators. It has been nearly six months, and I'm still waiting for results. My feet are my hardest trial, but I suffer pain all over. My stomach gets crampy, my diaphragmatic muscles aaaache, my left arm and back hurts. Still, I lift it all up to Christ, who suffered along with me. I still get out while it's cool in the mornings and inspect the garden, putzing around and planning for the future. We had several trees cut down by the road crews this week, and I am jazzed about converting that stretch of land in berry bushes and nice fencing. Of course, I can't do it myself, and my husband isn't jazzed about it, so we'll see what I can arrange, or afford. P.S. ...

I had a phone consultation with Dr. Cohen. He told me if the magnesium hadn't worked by then, it was not going to work at all; nor would most other vasodilators. He encouraged me to keep using the Lyrica up to 450mg a day. I found it discouraging, but he said there are still a lot of other drug possibilities. he suggested a couple of non-prescription natural things to do, but they didn't work. My np is holding off on trying the prescription suggestions, all of which would not get to the root cause, which is my fibromyalgia. I presume that the muscle walls of my blood vessels are in spasm, sending mixed messages to my autonomic nervous system to think I have a blood flow deficiency in my feet, and it is overcompensating by dilating the capillaries there. The resultant blood engorgement creates sensitivity to ambient heat, swelling and heat from inside out. The feet can look alarmingly bad. It feels like they are on fire. In the meantime, I asked my np to test me for heavy me...

So far so good! My burning feet have not worsened as I have been titrating up on magnesium. The more I read about magnesium, the more hopeful I am that it is the answer to my problems. How many other fibromyalgics out there are magnesium deficient and don't know it??? I read now that many fmers respond well to magnesium malate, according to a double-blind placebo study. So I have ordered some online. Right now I am using IV-grade MgSO4 and taking it orally. But it is $10 a bottle, and I will soon be using a whole bottle a day. So hopefully I will be able to go to an oral product and do alright. I have learned so much about the intricacies of calcium with magnesium lately. Go here for a very good article on the Role of Magnesium in Fibromyalgia. <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7412919396529588"      crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

Yes, I got addicted to ice on my feet. The more I used ice, the more my body turned on the heat and the more ice I needed. I didn't realize it until my new naturopath told me she suspected it. It was four days of hell getting off the ice, using narcotics, but well worth it. Now I just use a little saline-water spray and fans, and am on Lyrica, which has been a miracle pain-reliever for me. My fibro pain is minimal. Ellen is now trying to treat me with high doses of IV-grade magnesium, on the hunch that I am severely deficient. This may treat BOTH my erythromelalgia and fibromyalgia. I have learned that it is very hard to get up to a therapeutic dose of Magnesium because most otc forms cause diarrhea. I will see how it goes. Once again I'm hopeful, but not holding my breath. <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7412919396529588"      crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

No, the cholestyramine did not do the trick for me. I'm not surprised. Since then I have had all of my mercury fillings removed to be replaced with specially-chosen resins that are biocompatible for me. I had a biocompatibility test done, and the dentist, Dr. Robbins of Ashland, Oregon, used the test results to choose which resin to use. He is specially skilled in amalgam removal and I highly recommend him. I bought a bottle of detox capsules from him to use afterwards. It took four trips to his office to have the work completed. I had seven molars with amalgam fillings, usually multiple fillings in each molar. It was expensive, but I'm glad I did it, just to rule out the possibility that it was affecting my health. Have my fibro symptoms improved after the dental work? No. It has been two months since it was completed. I suppose I could still be detoxing, but it's hard to tell. I will ask my provider to test my blood for heavy metals the next time I visit her. My feet h...

So I am on to another possible cure, using cholestyramine. My provider pointed me to chronicneurotoxins.com where the research of Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker lends information on the treatment as well as an online vision test for neurotoxins. A wide variety of chronically-ill patients have tested positive and been succesfully treated for neurotoxicity. I took the online test and tested positive. So I am taking cholestyramine now. I have never seen such fast results from a test I could pay for and take online. It seems to good to be true, but I will give it another try. Hope springs eternal!  I had been following the herbal detoxification I bought last week, and for the third time I was violently ill from the attempt. So I had just been wondering if the medical community had come up with SOMETHING to detoxify the body, when I heard from my provider about this drug. Cholestyramine causes the bile acids to be excreted rather than circulated back to the liver for remanufacturing bile. This i...

I think it worked: the OxyFlush product from Phoenix Nutritionals, developed by Dr. Whiting, has removed my candida-related symptoms! I drank the bottles of OxyAloe for the last eight weeks, carefully following the instructions but reducing the frequency to twice a day when I sensed a general weakening during the treatment. During the last two weeks I have cautiously re-introduced carbs and natural sugars into my diet. I am overjoyed to say I have not had ANY RECURRENCE OF SYMPTOMS (rashy-itchy skin, vaginitis, etc.) This is a major breakthrough for me. I have spent the last four or five years trying to control this scourge, and now I believe I have conquered it! I want to tell the whole world and the millions of women who struggle with this problem. OxyAloe comes in a liquid form, and is very palatable, even though its main ingredient is hydrogen peroxide. It tastes like berry flavor, and can be kept at room temperature, but you can refrigerate it if you prefer to drink it chilled. Th...

Much has happened since my last post in April. Time flies even when I am not having fun! I have visited a podiatrist twice now. He told me I have athlete's foot (tinea pedis) in three toenails; the pinky-toes and the next-smallest toe on the right. He started my on a three-month dose of Lamasil oral and said to use both Lamasil (drug name terbinafine)and Nystatin topically. (I later discovered I need a prescription for the Nystatin topical, which he gave me at the second visit). After a month, the skin breakage was healed completely and the skin was tougher. What a relief! However, the redness-burning-swelling in the feet has not gone away. On my second visit to him, he thought the swelling may be caused by lupus and said he wanted to refer me to a neurologist for nerve-muscle tests and that I should start shopping for a rheumatologist. This was not what I wanted to hear. I had gone that route eighteen and twenty-two years ago, having all the tests one with negative results, an...

So after a week of trying to get back into my normal routine of working out in the Y pool I am regaining my strength again. I still have skin fissures on my feet from Athlete's Foot, but I am living with it. I am going to soak them daily in hydrogen peroxide for the next two weeks to see if any improvement occurs. I still find antifungal creams OTC and applying cold the two most helpful treatments for my red, swelling feet. I also use New Skin (liquid bandage--just fingernail polish with antiseptic) on the fissures.   I have a home traction unit now from the physical therapy office. I like it! I hope this will spare me in the long run from further compression and impingement in my neck due to an old whiplash injury. P.S. I stopped using the traction unit when it strained my tight neck muscles too much. <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7412919396529588"      crossorigin="anonymous"></script...

I have now weaned off Savella completely, and also dropped my Synthroid from 88micg to 50 micg. I am off iron too, though I should probably have that checked to see if my levels are normal. BUT I have been much more stiff and sore from lack of water exercise, because my feet have been too swollen/cracked to venture into the warm water and exacerbate the problem. It is a conundrum. I have had physical therapy on my neck for a couple of weeks, and it has been very helpful along with the exercises assigned. BUT I tried to detox and liver cleanse by drinking Traditional Medicinals Every Day Detox, doing a coffee enema, and do a liquid fast-diet, and on the fourth day, yesterday, I was in misery with nausea and vomiting. It was perhaps caused by too much toxins hitting my system at once, or was just too nasty in an of itself. It occurred to me that the same thing happened to me years ago when I tried to detox--I was sick as a dog. So what do I conclude? That there is indeed a toxic over...

In the last two months I have revolutionized my eating and cooking habits, and it is having results! I am using a combination of the Body Ecology Diet and Weston Price/Nourishing Traditions-style preparation. My goal has been to eat 66% non-starchy vegetables and more raw/organic food. I feel so much more nourished and stronger! The B.E.D. allows me to eat four grains once again--hurray! I love millet best, with quinoa mixed in. I am experimenting with homemade breads and having a grand time. (No, I'm not kneading the dough--I have a KitchenAid mixer and a breadmaker that makes it possible for me to make the bread. I also use a cheap food processor to grind my soaked whole grains just prior to baking. Thank you, Lord, for such appliances in my kitchen.) I guess I finally became convinced of organic as the way to go after watching the video Food, Inc. You can download it for free from Netflix.com. I highly recommend this movie. I was very skeptical and slow to believe what I was wa...

Oats, Peas, Beans, and Barley Grow, Oats, Peas, Beans, and Barley Grow, Oats, Peas, Beans, and Barley Grow, But better soak them too. :) Are you spending a lot of money on supplements to try and increase your mineral intake? I was until two months ago. I have been battling iron deficiency for years and relied on iron supplements to keep my levels up. Then I discovered I was probably wasting my money on supplements that my body was not even absorbing properly. Sally Fallon's book, Nourishing Traditions, has helped me realize the role that phytic acid plays in inhibiting mineral absorption. Phytates, or phytic acid, are responsible for inhibiting absorption of several essential minerals and is present in most nuts, grains, beans, and cereals. In addition, these foods have enzyme inhibitors that block the essential work of enzymes in breaking down all of our foods into absorbable forms. Usually, one can solve the problem by soaking these foods for 12 hours prior to cooking. The simpl...

I finished a one-year course of ValCyte in October. My provider thought it was enough time, and retested my HHV-6 and EBV antibodies. The test showed I indeed have no current infection of either. So the ValCyte probably worked to rid any such viruses. But--I'm as fibromyalgic as ever. A friend just gave me a new book. The Bible Cure for Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia by Don Colbert, M.D. The doctor seems to agree with my provider on most issues, including naming candidiasis as a major culprit or cause. Indeed, my systemic candida symptoms are worsening. Am using antifungal cream constantly on my swollen, red, itchy, burning feet. The swelling is not just my toes now, but has moved into the pads of my feet. Even in freezing winter temperatures (unseasonably cold for So. Oregon), I am sitting here barefoot as I write. A year ago I would have been donning socks and quilted slippers all day, and kept them on in bed at night. Go figure. After reading the book and sharing its conten...

Here is my present medication and supplement regimen. A.M.: ValCyte NaturThyroid 1.25 grains CandiZyme Multivitamin Iron 120 mg Sabella (antidepressant SNRI) Vit D D-Ribose and Ambrotose Acidophilus (or yogurt) Downed with milk or smoothie P.M.: just before bed ValCyte SeriPhos (reduces cortisol level) - 4 caps Sabella progesterone cream .8 cc cyclobenzaprine 3-4 mg Ambien CR 6.5 mg If I wake before 4am I take another Ambien CR 6.5 mg to get 2-3 more hours of sleep. P.S. June 2022 I take none of these now, and the only supps I take are: calcium and collagen powder and salt. I also take dessicated beef organ capsules. Beef is the best all-around nutrient dense food on the planet. For sleep I am weaning off Flexeril and Lyrica, and taking magnesium powder and ER melatonin. <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7412919396529588"      crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

WOW! I actually made it to Hawaii for a week and back. See more about my trip at my other blog . I actually did better in Hawaii than I have been doing in a long time! Why? It wouldn't have been the heat; the temps in G.P. have actually been higher this summer than it was in HI. (My feet still swelled alot from the heat and I had to keep ice and antifungals on my toes,). I think the main reasons were: 1. I had access to a pool at the hotel and I worked out in the water twice a day (as opposed to my usual 3x a week); 2. I had a good night's sleep every night, no jet lag (who knows why?) 3. my husband was available and very willing to do all the lifting and hauling baggage (bless him); 4. I used wheelchair assistance at all the airport connections. Other factors may include the higher oxygen levels and humidity, the stress-free schedule, and the minimal road travel involved. I do fine on planes; in fact I enjoy riding on them. But I think reasons 1 and 2 are highest on the list. ...

So I saw my N.P. last Thursday and she has taken a fairly new tack. She used to favor alternative therapies, but after being reviewed by the state authorities, I think she's gotten gun-shy and is following the mainstream protocols. She wanted me to try one of the three "new" drugs now FDA-approved for fibromyalgia. All of them, from what I can tell, are not much different from what I've tried through the years. They are all called anti-depressants "but not prescribed to me for depression" (I've heard this before!). The older drugs were called SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). The new one I'm on, Sabella, is an SNRI (Serotonin and Norepinephrin Reuptake Inhibitor. This is based on the theory that FMS is caused by a chemical imbalance in the Central Nervous System, or brain. She said it increases dopamine in the brain. I am skeptical that it will help, but I'll give it a month. I have to titrate to the therapeutic level, and if I go...

Book Review: Waiting For A Miracle by Jan Markell A few years back I read a book on pain that made me mad. It was written by a rheumatologist who claimed to be a Christian, and who proceeded to blame his incompetence at treating fibromyalgics on--you guessed it--his patients. Rheumatologists, in my experience, are notoriously ill-equipped to deal with non-inflammatory pain. This doctor assumed his FMS/CFS patients' pain was in their heads, and he had resorted to using pseudopsychological counseling sessions on them rather than admitting his failure and referring them to someone else. I pitied his poor patients! As for his Christianity, it was syncretistic at best. His most egregrious error was in claiming that pain was a subjective experience, which flies in the face of common-sense medical practice. I was incensed. I have been searching for a good book that would treat the spiritual side of chronic illness properly--without sinking into blame-shifting, self pity or ranting--eve...