I just finished the heavy metal tox screen today. It was a 6 hour test, and I had to take 21 DMSA caplets. I really am surprised I am not feeling as icky as I expected to. In fact, I seem to have a bit less off-balance/dizziness going on than normal, and seem to have a bit of energy. I'm not exactly sure if it was the DMSA, or if it has anything to do with me adding a vitamin B12 spray today. I have so far taken 48 mcg (or 800% rda) of it today, after reading this article and seeing some similarities with my symptoms. I also called my NP and left a message for her regarding it because I couldn't remember if they ever tested my B12 levels. I should hear from her nurse this evening hopefully. If that's the case, I would happily continue to take vitamin B12 in whatever form would be best for me. I of course also looked further into seeing if a deficiency could be caused by toxic metal overload, and yep, there is a correlation. Who knows, with how 'alright' I'm feeling today maybe it's a combination of both the DMSA and adding in the B12 that's helping. I sure wouldn't mind having less off-balance and dizziness going on, that's for sure. Maybe I could actually start driving again!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Waiting...(fingertapping)...
I just saw my NP today for the follow-up after seeing the neurologist. She has decided it's time to pass me off to the naturopath/family doctor at the same clinic as she's at since she feels she's done all she can for me. The only problem is, he doesn't have an opening until March 3rd. It's going to be a long wait. In the meantime, I will be doing another heavy metal test, and those results will come back a month after I send it in, so I'll have those results available when I go and see the naturopath.
A friend of mine has given me the name of another doctor that I might consider going and seeing. This particular doctor was able to heal a friend of my friend's terminal cancer. The only problem is that this doctor is about 90 minutes away, and I would really like for my doctors to be a lot closer from now on. My original naturopathic/napropathic doctor was that far, and it was not easy to go and see him as often as I needed to sometimes. What to do, what to do...I just know I want to get well.
A friend of mine has given me the name of another doctor that I might consider going and seeing. This particular doctor was able to heal a friend of my friend's terminal cancer. The only problem is that this doctor is about 90 minutes away, and I would really like for my doctors to be a lot closer from now on. My original naturopathic/napropathic doctor was that far, and it was not easy to go and see him as often as I needed to sometimes. What to do, what to do...I just know I want to get well.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Well, supposedly it's not in my head...so now the doctors don't have that excuse!
I got word yesterday that my MRI is clean. It's good news since it means no tumors are causing my problems, but bad news since we still don't know what the problem is. I learned from some online research that the MRI should have been done with contrast and wasn't, so there could still be some missing information, like possible infection surrounding the brain or other problems in the head that could be a factor. I don't plan on having another MRI any time soon though, so those questions will have to be left unanswered for a while.
I decided yesterday that I was going to stop the medication...I felt it was not doing the job intended and instead causing other symptoms I wasn't ready to live with. With just two days of being on them, I could feel that I didn't want to deal with the side effects. It just wasn't worth it.
I decided yesterday that I was going to stop the medication...I felt it was not doing the job intended and instead causing other symptoms I wasn't ready to live with. With just two days of being on them, I could feel that I didn't want to deal with the side effects. It just wasn't worth it.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Wow, I can't believe it's been over six months since I posted here last! It's not that my health has been good by any means, but I guess life got so busy I didn't take the time to post all that I've been learning still about heavy metal toxicity. A lot has happened in the last six months, so hopefully I can remember most of it to share with you.
Well, for starters, after 7 years of trusting in my naturopath doctor to help me find healing and good health, I have chosen to move on since I was not getting what I needed from him: answers. I decided to start giving my nurse practitioner the reigns for a while and see if she could help me figure things out. Since I have done that we have worked specifically on the off-balance/dizziness I feel along with the headaches that have been occurring daily now for some time. We started with some physical therapy to try to retrain my eyes to see things properly. That didn't really do anything. Then we tried a CT of my sinuses and a visit to an ENT specialist. He found slight inflamation in the lower left sinus area, but in no way causing the pressure in my upper sinuses to give me the headaches or the vertigo feelings. He had them do several vertigo tests and a hearing test that all came back normal. He then decided I needed more testing with balance specialists. The tests came back with only a 20% difference in balance between the right and the left ear, which is in the normal range, and one technician told me she thought maybe I had vestibular migraines, in which the off-balance and dizziness were my 'aura' before the headache (or sometimes no headache at all). It seemed to sound about right, but then when I chatted with the other technician that following week, he didn't like that diagnosis, but told me he didn't know what it could be. So...I went back to the NP, and she decided to send me to a neurologist. After his initial examination (even before he read any of my paperwork from Balance Solutions) he came to the conclusion it also could be vestibular migraines. He chose to have me get an MRI to rule out anything else, and put me on propranolol er 80mg to see if it would help. The only problem with the meds is that it's also for high blood pressure. I have low blood pressure to begin with, so he was a bit leary about putting me on it. We all had a good laugh when my husband asked the doctor what the side effects are if my blood pressure drops too low, and he said 'dizziness'! Go figure!
As of this writing, I have been on the meds for two days and not liking the way it feels, plus it doesn't seem to be doing anything to my headache. I also think I may have had a negative reaction to the MRI, but I'm not sure, since I could not find any information on it online anywhere. I am also waiting for a call back from the doctor regarding the MRI. If that comes out clean, I've decided I want to ask him if I can do another heavy metal test and round of chelation before we try any other meds. It got me to thinking a little bit more that direction again when the neurologist mentioned that vestibular migraines can be a symptom of MS, and if you've been following my blog at all, you know that I believe strongly that most cases of HMT are misdiagnosed as MS.
I also had some stomach issues back in November that put me in the ER one night, and I'm still trying to figure that one out because I am having residual digestive problems from it. The NP has me taking some acidolphilus supplements to try to correct the situation, but for some reason it's just not going very well. I hope that it settles down, because I will not like the investigative work I'll need to do on that if they need to start doing testing.
I still do have adrenal fatigue, and haven't been able to catch a break on it. Just when I think I'm starting to feel better and have more energy, I'll have a day that I crash and I am so exhausted I don't want to move. I am learning more about it, however, and hope to start really nourishing it soon and get the rest I need.
Well, that's what's been going on with me. I will try to remember to post more on here in the next few days after I hear from the neurologist.
Well, for starters, after 7 years of trusting in my naturopath doctor to help me find healing and good health, I have chosen to move on since I was not getting what I needed from him: answers. I decided to start giving my nurse practitioner the reigns for a while and see if she could help me figure things out. Since I have done that we have worked specifically on the off-balance/dizziness I feel along with the headaches that have been occurring daily now for some time. We started with some physical therapy to try to retrain my eyes to see things properly. That didn't really do anything. Then we tried a CT of my sinuses and a visit to an ENT specialist. He found slight inflamation in the lower left sinus area, but in no way causing the pressure in my upper sinuses to give me the headaches or the vertigo feelings. He had them do several vertigo tests and a hearing test that all came back normal. He then decided I needed more testing with balance specialists. The tests came back with only a 20% difference in balance between the right and the left ear, which is in the normal range, and one technician told me she thought maybe I had vestibular migraines, in which the off-balance and dizziness were my 'aura' before the headache (or sometimes no headache at all). It seemed to sound about right, but then when I chatted with the other technician that following week, he didn't like that diagnosis, but told me he didn't know what it could be. So...I went back to the NP, and she decided to send me to a neurologist. After his initial examination (even before he read any of my paperwork from Balance Solutions) he came to the conclusion it also could be vestibular migraines. He chose to have me get an MRI to rule out anything else, and put me on propranolol er 80mg to see if it would help. The only problem with the meds is that it's also for high blood pressure. I have low blood pressure to begin with, so he was a bit leary about putting me on it. We all had a good laugh when my husband asked the doctor what the side effects are if my blood pressure drops too low, and he said 'dizziness'! Go figure!
As of this writing, I have been on the meds for two days and not liking the way it feels, plus it doesn't seem to be doing anything to my headache. I also think I may have had a negative reaction to the MRI, but I'm not sure, since I could not find any information on it online anywhere. I am also waiting for a call back from the doctor regarding the MRI. If that comes out clean, I've decided I want to ask him if I can do another heavy metal test and round of chelation before we try any other meds. It got me to thinking a little bit more that direction again when the neurologist mentioned that vestibular migraines can be a symptom of MS, and if you've been following my blog at all, you know that I believe strongly that most cases of HMT are misdiagnosed as MS.
I also had some stomach issues back in November that put me in the ER one night, and I'm still trying to figure that one out because I am having residual digestive problems from it. The NP has me taking some acidolphilus supplements to try to correct the situation, but for some reason it's just not going very well. I hope that it settles down, because I will not like the investigative work I'll need to do on that if they need to start doing testing.
I still do have adrenal fatigue, and haven't been able to catch a break on it. Just when I think I'm starting to feel better and have more energy, I'll have a day that I crash and I am so exhausted I don't want to move. I am learning more about it, however, and hope to start really nourishing it soon and get the rest I need.
Well, that's what's been going on with me. I will try to remember to post more on here in the next few days after I hear from the neurologist.
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