I haven't had much time to do any more research lately since Peanut and Doshi started their fall quarter of homeschool at the end of August and it's a lot more hands on this year (which takes a majority of my time) and leaves no time for looking things up. It also is one of the reasons why I haven't been here lately and I apologize to those of you who have tried keeping up with me this way. I'll try to be better!
Follow up from the Heavy Metal testing results: Today I started DMSA chelation (key-lay shun). I take 500 mg. of DMSA 3 times a week for six weeks. Then I'll be taking another toxic element test afterwards to see if and how much heavy metals were removed from my system. I'm thankful that I'm finally to this stage. This is what I feel I've been needing since I came to the realization that it could be mercury causing my problems. I originally didn't want to be taking DMSA or DMPS because I've read many negative things on them, but I know that this is a much faster way of detoxing the metals out. The food-only method was working, it was just going to take a long time. Taking DMSA was not my idea; it was the protocol given by a naturopath doctor at the clinic where I saw the NP. My ND, Dr. S, is willing to go this method and see what happens. I am a little concerned about the side effects I have read about regarding DMSA, but I think it is worth trying. I'm trying to keep an open mind about this, because I don't want to get my hopes up and it might not help at all. I believe, with the test results from the first toxic element test and all of the research I've done, it will help. I also have proof in the daily journals that I keep for Dr. S that I had three great days immediately following the high dosage of DMSA following that first toxic element test that tells me that we're on the right track. Boy, I sure hope so.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Test Results...
Monday we got the results back from the Heavy Metal testing as well as to see how my thyroid was doing. It wasn't good news, but not surprising because of the symptoms I have gone through and still have. It was a real eye opener to see what's been making me ill.
Here is the breakdown from highest to lowest heavy metal, meaning what I am most toxic with to the least:
Gallium: .107 reference range (rr) .028
Lead: 22.2 rr 1.4
Thallium: .486 rr .298
Antimony: .136 rr .149
Mercury: 1.72 rr 2.19
Barium: 4.5 rr 6.7
Ribidium: 1,456 rr 2,263
Nickel: 2.31 rr 3.88
Cesium: 6.0 rr 10.5
Cadmium: .33 rr .64
Tin: .95 rr 2.04
Arsenic: 17 rr 50
Tungsten: .049 rr .211
Aluminum: 4.0 rr 22.3
In red are the metals that are above the permissible limit. I'm positive had I taken the test 6 months ago, mercury would have been fairly high as well. Between having the last of the amalgams removed and the detoxing I did over the summer, I am sure I got rid of a lot already.
According to the thyroid test results, my thyroid is now being suppressed by the Armour thyroid I have been taking since January. The nurse practitioner I talked with on Monday is encouraging either half a dose or quitting it altogether. I have not heard word back yet from Dr. S as to his thoughts on it, so at this point I have continued taking it at normal dose.
On one hand I am relieved to know that there really is a cause for the way I've felt over the last three years, but on the other hand I'm quite perplexed as to where I was exposed to these elements that are in the high category. I only expected to see mercury high, not lead, gallium, or thallium. And if so, how long have I been toxic? I don't know if I'll ever know the answer to it.
What next you ask? I am waiting back to hear from either the NP or Dr. S after they were supposed to have a consult either yesterday or today. The NP was also going to speak with their naturopath on staff at the clinic and see what his suggestions are. The NP mentioned IV chelation...scary stuff to me. It just tells me that there's no fooling around with this and it's not something to be taken lightly. I haven't taken any of this lightly the last three years- don't get me wrong. I know how serious heavy metal poisoning can be. I've researched it lengthily. For the first time throughout this whole ordeal I finally feel like someone believes me when I say I don't feel well! It's a relief...the next steps are just unfamiliar territory, and it's making me a bit nervous. At the same time I am excited that I will finally get somewhere with the detox that I wasn't able to accomplish on my own.
Here is the breakdown from highest to lowest heavy metal, meaning what I am most toxic with to the least:
Gallium: .107 reference range (rr) .028
Lead: 22.2 rr 1.4
Thallium: .486 rr .298
Antimony: .136 rr .149
Mercury: 1.72 rr 2.19
Barium: 4.5 rr 6.7
Ribidium: 1,456 rr 2,263
Nickel: 2.31 rr 3.88
Cesium: 6.0 rr 10.5
Cadmium: .33 rr .64
Tin: .95 rr 2.04
Arsenic: 17 rr 50
Tungsten: .049 rr .211
Aluminum: 4.0 rr 22.3
In red are the metals that are above the permissible limit. I'm positive had I taken the test 6 months ago, mercury would have been fairly high as well. Between having the last of the amalgams removed and the detoxing I did over the summer, I am sure I got rid of a lot already.
According to the thyroid test results, my thyroid is now being suppressed by the Armour thyroid I have been taking since January. The nurse practitioner I talked with on Monday is encouraging either half a dose or quitting it altogether. I have not heard word back yet from Dr. S as to his thoughts on it, so at this point I have continued taking it at normal dose.
On one hand I am relieved to know that there really is a cause for the way I've felt over the last three years, but on the other hand I'm quite perplexed as to where I was exposed to these elements that are in the high category. I only expected to see mercury high, not lead, gallium, or thallium. And if so, how long have I been toxic? I don't know if I'll ever know the answer to it.
What next you ask? I am waiting back to hear from either the NP or Dr. S after they were supposed to have a consult either yesterday or today. The NP was also going to speak with their naturopath on staff at the clinic and see what his suggestions are. The NP mentioned IV chelation...scary stuff to me. It just tells me that there's no fooling around with this and it's not something to be taken lightly. I haven't taken any of this lightly the last three years- don't get me wrong. I know how serious heavy metal poisoning can be. I've researched it lengthily. For the first time throughout this whole ordeal I finally feel like someone believes me when I say I don't feel well! It's a relief...the next steps are just unfamiliar territory, and it's making me a bit nervous. At the same time I am excited that I will finally get somewhere with the detox that I wasn't able to accomplish on my own.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Why her, why me, why you?
I apologize for not being in here in a while. August has been a busy month so far, and I actually am sitting at a picnic table at 10:30 p.m. at night 3 1/2 hours away from my home as I write this. My husband and kids and I are camping at a KOA this week. It's been good to get away from home for awhile, and my symptoms actually seemed to have not been so bad. I still have headaches going on and times of off-balance and dizziness, and some fatigue, too, but they seem minimal enough that I can enjoy this time with my family.
One week from now I'll be getting the results back from the heavy metals test. It will be really good to know the answer to the question I've had for almost three years now. Am I mercury toxic, and how much? As you know already if you've kept up with my blog, I believe I am. And I believe Monday will prove it.
The anti-candida diet has been going well. It's been over two months since I started it. I haven't felt any improvement from it yet, probably because I'm not moving much mercury out right now, and yeast grows to offset what the mercury does to the body. I have, however, lost twenty pounds thanks to not eating grains or sugars. I have liked that aspect of it, but I'm quite bored with the lack of variety in meats and veggies.
I wanted to share something I experienced two weekends ago, at my mom's family reunion, because I believe it has something to do with mercury. My cousin, who has adult-onset epilepsy, had a seizure. I was there through the whole thing and witnessed something that I couldn't comprehend. Why did my cousin, who all through her childhood never had a problem, and it was only during her twenties that she began having these seizures? What happened to her body that is causing this to happen? When we got home from the weekend, I googled epilepsy, seizures, and mercury. I wasn't surprised to see there was a connection. I did talk with my cousin a little about her amalgams (and she does have them), and she was receptive to what I had to share. I don't know if she will research it out on her own or if she'll have anything done, but she wants her life back - I could see it in her eyes after my aunt told her she had had a seizure.
How many more lives must mercury ruin before dentists and the ADA come to their senses and stop the use of amalgam fillings?!?!?!
One week from now I'll be getting the results back from the heavy metals test. It will be really good to know the answer to the question I've had for almost three years now. Am I mercury toxic, and how much? As you know already if you've kept up with my blog, I believe I am. And I believe Monday will prove it.
The anti-candida diet has been going well. It's been over two months since I started it. I haven't felt any improvement from it yet, probably because I'm not moving much mercury out right now, and yeast grows to offset what the mercury does to the body. I have, however, lost twenty pounds thanks to not eating grains or sugars. I have liked that aspect of it, but I'm quite bored with the lack of variety in meats and veggies.
I wanted to share something I experienced two weekends ago, at my mom's family reunion, because I believe it has something to do with mercury. My cousin, who has adult-onset epilepsy, had a seizure. I was there through the whole thing and witnessed something that I couldn't comprehend. Why did my cousin, who all through her childhood never had a problem, and it was only during her twenties that she began having these seizures? What happened to her body that is causing this to happen? When we got home from the weekend, I googled epilepsy, seizures, and mercury. I wasn't surprised to see there was a connection. I did talk with my cousin a little about her amalgams (and she does have them), and she was receptive to what I had to share. I don't know if she will research it out on her own or if she'll have anything done, but she wants her life back - I could see it in her eyes after my aunt told her she had had a seizure.
How many more lives must mercury ruin before dentists and the ADA come to their senses and stop the use of amalgam fillings?!?!?!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
The Heavy Metal Challenge Test...
I did the heavy metals test, the next day, on Wednesday. It went well considering. I had to take 23 DMSA pills to get started, which was a little disconcerting to me, but it turned out fine. The only side effect that I noticed that could have been attributed to it was that I was extremely cold in my hands, feet, and nose that afternoon and evening. I must have warmed up sometime overnight, because then my body basal temperature rose to 98.5 by the next morning!
By Saturday, the off-balance and dizzy feeling I've been complaining about for over a year was almost non-existent. I was pretty happy about that, but then I chose to help my husband paint our master bathroom that evening before we put new flooring in. We used paint that probably contains mercury as a preservative so now I've probably undone everything that the DMSA was correcting.
The test results will be back in about a month. I've already got a follow-up appointment set up with the NP to go over them as well as other tests from my check-up. I can't believe it takes that long to figure out a test, but oh well. It will be nice to see how badly I've been affected by mercury as well as other heavy metals, because I know I have. It's just to what extent is what I'm wanting to be able to take back to Dr. S since he was beginning to seem unsure that mercury was the culprit. This test won't give an accurate picture of how badly I've been affected since it was urine only, but it will give enough to prove that I can feel good about continuing the heavy metal detox protocol.
By Saturday, the off-balance and dizzy feeling I've been complaining about for over a year was almost non-existent. I was pretty happy about that, but then I chose to help my husband paint our master bathroom that evening before we put new flooring in. We used paint that probably contains mercury as a preservative so now I've probably undone everything that the DMSA was correcting.
The test results will be back in about a month. I've already got a follow-up appointment set up with the NP to go over them as well as other tests from my check-up. I can't believe it takes that long to figure out a test, but oh well. It will be nice to see how badly I've been affected by mercury as well as other heavy metals, because I know I have. It's just to what extent is what I'm wanting to be able to take back to Dr. S since he was beginning to seem unsure that mercury was the culprit. This test won't give an accurate picture of how badly I've been affected since it was urine only, but it will give enough to prove that I can feel good about continuing the heavy metal detox protocol.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
High dose of DMSA?
I wanted to post this website for perusal. I found it very helpful, and even checked out the chlorella link and found a lot of great information.
My appointment yesterday went well. I talked with the NP about my concerns, and she suggested I take a heavy metal challenge test. It is a 6-hour urine test, and I am supposed to take DMSA at the beginning of it. Her nurse calculated the amount I should take very high, and I've been in communication with Dr. S as to what his thoughts are on this and if he thinks it might be too much. As I write, we are still waiting for the NP to return my call so that I can ask her what I should expect for the 72 hours following taking it. According to one website I read, there will be some pain involved at high levels, so I am a bit nervous about it. Once I do the test and send it in, it's supposed to take up to a month to get the results, so I'll be waiting a while longer to know if I am truly mercury toxic. Hopefully we can figure out if the dosage will be okay and the side effects minimal soon.
My appointment yesterday went well. I talked with the NP about my concerns, and she suggested I take a heavy metal challenge test. It is a 6-hour urine test, and I am supposed to take DMSA at the beginning of it. Her nurse calculated the amount I should take very high, and I've been in communication with Dr. S as to what his thoughts are on this and if he thinks it might be too much. As I write, we are still waiting for the NP to return my call so that I can ask her what I should expect for the 72 hours following taking it. According to one website I read, there will be some pain involved at high levels, so I am a bit nervous about it. Once I do the test and send it in, it's supposed to take up to a month to get the results, so I'll be waiting a while longer to know if I am truly mercury toxic. Hopefully we can figure out if the dosage will be okay and the side effects minimal soon.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Heavy Metal Toxicity (HMT)
It's been a while since I've posted. I am still working through the detox, and things are going pretty slowly. I am going to a yearly check-up today (that's 3 years late!) with a nurse practitioner that I went to before I started exclusively going to Dr. S. I plan on talking to her today about my remaining symptoms and if I should have some testing done to see if it's anything else going on that needs heavier treatment. There was some concern by Dr. S that heavy metals aren't the cause of my remaining symptoms since I should be starting to feel better by now according to him, so it's also going to be an appointment to prove my point that it is HMT, with candida stemming from it, and I won't get better until we address it a lot more heartily. He thinks I might have a growth on my pituitary gland. I did read up on it, and it could possibly be true, but I also saw that it was connected with mercury toxicity. Since he does not have the facilities available to him to do any testing, I've opted to ask my NP to do the checking.
I decided it's also been a while since I updated my symptoms list. I thought I would do that again to show that a couple more symptoms have 'fallen' off the list, or have gone from occasional to rarely.
This is what was going on in May:
-head and neck pain/achiness
-frequent muscle aches/pain
-vision disturbances (off-balance feeling)
-dizzy spells(vertigo?)
-chronic fatigue
-occasional irritability (feels like finger nails across a chalkboard x3)
-neck sensitivity
-occasional indigestion
-poor short term memory (longterm has gotten very good)
-occasional brain fog/inability to concentrate
-motion sickness
-occasional skin eruptions
-bad breath
-zinc deficiency
-anemia
This is what's going on now:
-head and neck pain/achiness
-vision disturbances (off-balance feeling)
-dizzy spells(vertigo?)
-chronic fatigue
-neck sensitivity
-occasional indigestion
-poor short term memory (longterm has gotten very good)
-occasional brain fog/inability to concentrate
-rare skin eruptions
-rare irritability (feels like finger nails across a chalkboard x3)
-zinc deficiency?
-anemia?
One positive I'm finding on the candida diet is that I've lost almost 15 pounds. It doesn't really feel like it's helping in anything else, but probably because the metals are coming out slowly.
I decided it's also been a while since I updated my symptoms list. I thought I would do that again to show that a couple more symptoms have 'fallen' off the list, or have gone from occasional to rarely.
This is what was going on in May:
-head and neck pain/achiness
-frequent muscle aches/pain
-vision disturbances (off-balance feeling)
-dizzy spells(vertigo?)
-chronic fatigue
-occasional irritability (feels like finger nails across a chalkboard x3)
-neck sensitivity
-occasional indigestion
-poor short term memory (longterm has gotten very good)
-occasional brain fog/inability to concentrate
-motion sickness
-occasional skin eruptions
-bad breath
-zinc deficiency
-anemia
This is what's going on now:
-head and neck pain/achiness
-vision disturbances (off-balance feeling)
-dizzy spells(vertigo?)
-chronic fatigue
-neck sensitivity
-occasional indigestion
-poor short term memory (longterm has gotten very good)
-occasional brain fog/inability to concentrate
-rare skin eruptions
-rare irritability (feels like finger nails across a chalkboard x3)
-zinc deficiency?
-anemia?
One positive I'm finding on the candida diet is that I've lost almost 15 pounds. It doesn't really feel like it's helping in anything else, but probably because the metals are coming out slowly.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Recovery in Sight!
I thought I'd share a website I found today called the Klinghardt Protocol. I was intrigued to see that all of the research I've done and the protocol I set up for myself falls in line with what this doctor explained here. That makes me extremely confident I can beat this thing and someday regain my health. It's amazing just to be able to have an explanation for every 'bad' symptom that pops up, and rejoice that I am getting rid of these terrible toxins! I just need to be careful that I don't go overboard and try to detox too quickly, because I could really hurt myself. I am trying just a few things each week, and starting to add more things as I am comfortable. Whew is all I can say. I am relieved to know that I am on the right track, and will continue pressing on.
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