Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[Green12]

We bought a mini trampoline today!!! YAY!!! I am going to go set it up and maybe try to "rebound." Is there anything special I need to know?

Ditto what Donna said, maybe just take it easy and start out slowly, then work up to longer times on it.

Even as little as 5 minutes is beneficial for the lymph, and on really low energy days you can sit on it and just bounce up and down a little on your butt.

I think its similar to what you go through with your angio attacks....but different. Ok...so that made no sense...but you know what I mean.

I know this is also related to angio....but the question is why so much histamine??

I'm not sure if this is all occurring because of liver toxicity...and when my liver gets particularly overwhelmed everything just boils over and the reactions are constant until things settle down.

The other thing is that my immune system could be reacting to some of the things in my body...the metals, yeast, parasites, etc. This could probably cause a constant excess of histamine....which would get worse with any flare-ups....with foods and other things contributing to the total load.

Rachel, this is a good question about the histamine.

Angioedema in the chronic form is a disease of the liver, but it is also involving the release of histamine from the mast cells, so maybe the answer to your questions is both, liver and immune system.

My blood tests show liver function problems so I know that is the issue, and my immune system is clearly irritated and agitated by the large quantities of histamine, thus the break outs.

The only thing I haven't been able to figure out is why is it in a monthly cycle pattern for me??

Do your swellings have a cycle or pattern, or are they just random?

One of my practitioners put me on very high doses of cod liver oil and vitamin D with the idea that this would calm my immune system down and keep it from being so touchy and overactive. This theory totally worked, as far as I am concerned, because nothing else I have tried in the last 6 years would even make a dent in the breakouts.

After 3 months on the cod liver oil and D my break outs have improved significantly in intensity and duration, and seem to continue to improve.

It's interesting you can't handle the fermented foods. In my ART session I tested very strong for all things fermented, my body actually wants and needs them to heal

I got a bath ball for my moms house....but its kind of a PITA...so I dont ever use it. I guess I'm lazy when it comes to stuff like that....I dont wanna spend 2 minutes swishing some ball through my bathwater ...I usually get in well before the bath is even full.

Thanks for this info Rachel.

You don't know how long I have read and re-read over this sentence, and I stared at it and thought about what a PITA is.

PITA?

pita?

I finally figured it out

Julie sorry you're down too, and you, Kassandra. Hope we are all better soon.

THanks Sherry and everyone.

Sorry you were struggling yourself with the nausea. hope today is a better day.

Kass, you too!

Oh, and Rachel that's so sad about the boy at your work. I remember you talking about him. That's really too bad his parents aren't interested in doing anything to work with him

[Rachel--24]

Angioedema in the chronic form is a disease of the liver, but it is also involving the release of histamine from the mast cells, so maybe the answer to your questions is both, liver and immune system.

Thats what I'm thinking as well. Because if the liver was functioning properly the immune system would not be dealing with so many things...and I would think that histamine would be less of a problem.

I never had any issues like these until my system became overwhelmed after the dental work.

I've never noticed any cyclical pattern or anything but I think the worse my candida is the more swelling I get. Probably because candida puts such a burden on the liver but also according to the BioSET testing my immune system is highly reactive the yeast and molds. I was reactive to pretty much everything...including the Lyme.

We didnt do anything with parasites in BioSET but I'm sure my immune system is freaked out by them as well. I got worse this last week...but I was taking the Alinia. I never payed attention to whether or not a worsening of swelling correlated with the full moon. I cant really check it now since I'll be on Alina for the next 5 full moons...and it could be the Alina itself putiing a burden on my liver or causing reaction.

Have you ever checked to see if your monthly attacks are around the full moon? Last full moon was earlier this week...the 22nd. Thats when parasites become more active and symptoms can flare-up.

The only other thing I can think of for you is Lyme...because of the cyclical nature of it.

Or maybe something hormonal??

Do your angio symptoms or swelling ever go away completely?? My swelling improves but it never goes away....there is always histamine getting released. I think the mercury is the main culprit and its just allowed so many other problems to manifest because of the heavy burden on my liver.

One of my practitioners put me on very high doses of cod liver oil and vitamin D with the idea that this would calm my immune system down and keep it from being so touchy and overactive. This theory totally worked, as far as I am concerned, because nothing else I have tried in the last 6 years would even make a dent in the breakouts.

Hmmm...I'll have to see if Amy can test these things for me next time...see if they'll calm things down.

After 3 months on the cod liver oil and D my break outs have improved significantly in intensity and duration, and seem to continue to improve.

Thats awesome Julie!! Yay! Hopefully this continues to improve so that these stupid attacks become a thing of the past!

It's interesting you can't handle the fermented foods. In my ART session I tested very strong for all things fermented, my body actually wants and needs them to heal

Not me....my body hates it. Last time I had one bite of saurkraut all the swelling kicked in...excess mucus, crying, etc. If the reaction is bad it automatically triggers crying because I think my body is trying to get rid of some of stuff....my tears can get really sticky. My ears will feel all clogged and I'll get popping noises. The more I cry and blow my nose the better I feel. Fortunately I dont have those major attacks anymore because I've avoided fermented foods for a couple years now.

Egg whites have done me in before too...I cant eat anything with egg whites...like those yummy gluten free macaroons. I could eat eggs when I microwaved them....I never noticed any horrendous reactions but when I stopped eating them I noticed my head was less swollen. Boiled eggs or scrambled caused immediate reactions. Maybe microwaving is more tolerable because my food is basically dead after a couple minutes of getting nuked.

You don't know how long I have read and re-read over this sentence, and I stared at it and thought about what a PITA is.

Sorry for the confusion but yeah...those bath balls are a real PITA!

[CarlaB]

Sorry about the boy at work, Rachel, I know you had kind of taken him in under your wing.

You may want to try several short sessions in the beginning instead of trying to stay on for one longer period. For instance, the first day do 5 minutes, then later do another 5 minutes, etc. See how your body feels, then gradually increase the time each session. My feet were the most bothered when I first started...they got used to it and I'm able to stay on for up to 45 minutes when I'm mentally able to do that, lol.

I got really sore lymph nodes after the first few uses. I could only jump on it 10-25 times because my lymph nodes would hurt so much.

I have this other problem with it ... I've had FIVE babies .... lots of Lyme in my bladder, too, kind of like an extended bladder infection, LOL. I normally have no problems with this, but I cannot jump on the trampoline, it's the ONLY thing that causes this problem, LOL. I do kegels ... it's not really bad ..... but I still can only bounce for a little while. I'm hoping this gets better so I can really use this for exercise.

I really hate that... I had a boss that actually called me "retarded" in front of a customer after he found out I had Asperger's.

Welcome to the thread! Sorry about your boss ... what a jerk!

[aprilh]

I just got the PITA thing!! That took me a while!

Carla,

I can hardly jump on the trampoline without having the same problem. I have had 2 babies so if I had had 3 more, well, you might as well just take my bladder out at that point!!

Julie,

I hope you figure out this connection. That angioedema sounds very scary!

Everyone,

Does anyone ever get gallbladder pain? I have started having pain in the gallbladder area. All i need is another symptom UGH!

I am researching on things to dissolve gallstones. I am sure I have just gotten so toxic that its all backed up in there. I just don't know what to do anymore. I got an appointment with the environmental toxicologist this week to go over my urinalysis so maybe i'll get a clue from that.

[confusedks]

You may want to try several short sessions in the beginning instead of trying to stay on for one longer period. For instance, the first day do 5 minutes, then later do another 5 minutes, etc. See how your body feels, then gradually increase the time each session. My feet were the most bothered when I first started...they got used to it and I'm able to stay on for up to 45 minutes when I'm mentally able to do that, lol.

Thanks Donna. It would help if I set it up, lol. :lol:

I have this other problem with it ... I've had FIVE babies .... lots of Lyme in my bladder, too, kind of like an extended bladder infection, LOL. I normally have no problems with this, but I cannot jump on the trampoline, it's the ONLY thing that causes this problem, LOL. I do kegels ... it's not really bad ..... but I still can only bounce for a little while. I'm hoping this gets better so I can really use this for exercise.

LOL!!!!!! I haven't had any babies (obviously) and I have bladder issues, lol.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Everyone,

By now, most of you should have a PM or e-mail. I sent them out this morning. I am going to reply from everything on pages 1786 on in my post later. I need to organize my notes. Luckily, that will be quite easy compared to what I was doing earlier!

Sincerely,

Jin

P.S. I was wrong in my messages about the last page to respond to. I should have said 1786, or about the 22nd of January onward. I last posted the 20th, but only a brief hello. Everything should be caught up sometime early today. I need to type out my replies after I get my notes organized, and I am not sure this space heater will hold out.

[confused]

JIn,

Thanks for the reply. I dont know how u keep all the emails straight and post like u do, i would be telling the wrong perseon the wrong stuff all the time lol.

Things are going pretty good here, the candida diet is helping alot but causing me to have insomia again while im herxing, but i know it will pass soon, cause last night i did sleep better then i have the last couple of days. But i know part of it is also that we all have an head cold or brochitis or croup in the house right now and its not helping things.

We had snow last night so u are welcome to come down and play in it lol. It was pretty when i got up at 3 am and looked outside to watch it fall, it was so beautiful. The good thing about snow here is if it snows then it is warm outside and we are not negative so that makes me happy.

I wish we would get all our forms in so i can finish doing the taxes. I want them done and i want money lol.

paula

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Carla,

I did not know insurance normally paid for more when necessary. Usually, a lot of people have difficulty getting their insurance to cover even the most basic. Blue Cross Blue Shield and Anthem are notorious for that. They will deny the most general claim. My best friend used to be on it, and she said they pretty much ended up paying out of pocket for a lot of things like antibiotics because fighting the company was just too exhausting after a while.

Who knew that Merck would have e-coffee in their manual? That is interesting. As far back as it was, it appears old medicine is better than new medicine. Even then, detoxing was known to be helpful in both preventing and curing disease. People were less selfish then, and it was about the people instead of the money.

Olive Leaf Extract sounds like good stuff! I could not take it if it has mushrooms in it, though. The yeast would love that! You can get it in pure form without anything added. I have heard good things about it in a number of places.

I wish I had known about Evening Primrose Oil when I was in puberty! The misery could have been much less. I am glad Morgan noticed a positive affect on her moods. I used to have awful PMS as a teenager. I have no desire to deal with that again!

The children were lucky to get a couple of hours more before school the other day. We almost never got those! Our superintendent always waited until the very last second to cancel or delay. Bus drivers here were very irritated with him. We had a bit of snow twice last week, but it was only a dusting.

A water filter for the entire house is probably best. I do not think I could afford one right now. If I could just get one for the shower, then maybe a PUR water filter for the sink that I wash my hands in the most, that would help tremendously. The toxins in our tap water are unbelievable. Evansville river water is extremely toxic.

Prilosec helps my nausea, even though I am not taking Levaquin. It drives me crazy, because taking it is absolutely necessary. Reflux overwhelms me otherwise. I still get it, but it is more tolerable. Watching my fat intake helps. It is interesting that Prilosec helps Levaquin work more efficiently.

Most women who have had a child have bladder issues. Women who have given birth multiple times are especially prone to it. This is usually due to having an episiotomy. Kegals are good to do. I do them some because I worried about it due to my mother having issues, and so does my aunt. They have some great new procedures such as the sandbagging technique, and using Botox to help correct it.

Rebounding seems to be a worthwhile detoxing method to pursue. I have a little trampoline. I need to clear some space to use it. The entire basement is loaded with all kinds of crap. You are lucky to be able to walk.

Dear Rachel,

Celiac and gluten intolerance are not necessarily easy to diagnose. They did say even on their site that Enterolab testing is not diagnostic of Celiac or gluten intolerance. It can only tell you whether you produce antibodies to certain foods, and have difficulty absorbing nutrients and food. The gene testing is a good indicator, but cannot tell you for sure if Celiac is present. You can have a gene but not have the active disease.

Thank you for the ART information and links! I cannot find anyone local who does it or BioSet. I feel as if I am at a loss. If I lived anywhere else, I would be able to find someone. I am so frustrated. Of course, that is assuming I could afford it.

I am so glad you posted that essential tests list again from Dr. Amy! I think I may have saved it already, but it never hurts to have another copy. Going down the list really got me thinking how it is likely all of this stuff is wrong. Parasites are likely. So are so many other things! I did not know some of those symptoms were related to such conditions.

That is so unfortunate about your autistic friend. If only someone truly tried to help him! Why would anyone want their child to be in that state if they did not have to be? My brother is actually mildly retarded, but his situation resulted from brain damage during delivery. The umbilical chord wrapped around his neck three times, and the idiot doctor waited too long to deliver him. They should have done a C-Section, but did not.

Histamines could be my trouble, too. I have found I have many of the same symptoms you describe. That big head syndrome sounds familiar. It makes you feel so strange. You just cannot concentrate, and you are so distracted by how your brain kind of feels like it is floating, and your ears are all stuffed up.

I do not have a bath ball. I take showers. They are probably toxic. All of that chlorine and such is dangerous. I do not have a choice in the matter, though. Most showerheads are just too expensive that remove the nasty stuff.

My symptoms are cyclical. They always get worse during the time I normally had my menstrual cycle. The end of the month or very beginning of the next month was when it occurred. Whether or not this is linked to parasites I do not know. I cannot say I would rule them out just yet.

It is no surprise your body hates fermented food. I actually do poorly on most foods, but found for some reason; soy sauce does not irritate my system. Considering my yeast issue, you would think it would. Vinegar gives me awful reflux, though. I felt fairly well while eating Chinese food the other week, but going back to plain food without condiments and such still gave me digestive woes.

Wherever your handicapped friend from work ends up, I hope he is happy. Employers do not understand the mentally handicapped, nor do they care to. My brother primarily just has difficulty with anything mathematically related. He also has tremors in his wrists. You know my brother actually was asked by a prospective employer when it would go away? He was like

[AndreaB]

Jin,

I didn't notice anything with the primrose oil. I'm not sure why she was put on it, but I thought it had something to do with fatty acids.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Andrea,

I figure it was the EFAs. EPO is good for supplementing those. It is often used like fish oil. I know it was mentioned repeatedly in "The Yeast Connection". I would think they help brain chemistry.

Sincerely,

Jin

[jerseyangel]

Jin--

Hi

I didn't see that you commented to me on the Tickle thread--but thanks for the compliment! How sweet of you.

Nice to see you back posting.

[confusedks]

Zith is a pricey drug. Without insurance, it is normally around $150 or so. I shudder to think how much it will be for me if I need it. I can get Amoxy and Flagyl free since they began a program here recently. That is so weird how the insurance suddenly seems to have reduced the cost for you. Maybe there was a mistake before or something.

Zith without insurance here is almost $300...for generic! It's WAY more for brand name. And, we kinda fifured out why the change of cost happened. It's really confusing.

Is Metamatrix expensive? How much does insurance typically cover? It sounds really specific. That is what I like. The one my doctor wanted to do with Doctor's Data was $219.

I think it was around $350. It's not that bad, and heck, after all the other tests we have had done, this revealed a lot more than anything else we have tested before.

[ShadowSwallow]

Hi Everyone,

I've been floating around for a while now, slacking off on posting.

Friday I had an emergency appointment with ND because my skin was breaking out into a very itchy, p%$#@# mess. We discovered it was all the toxins, and she tested me and there were only 5 metals that I wasn't reacting to/toxic with. I had a foot bath, but it wasn't enough to pull most of the toxins out. At this point I'm going to see my allergist tomorrow (who does chelation) and discuss some things with him. It feels like all the toxins that were stirred up have settled back in again, so I'm not in as much pain (joint, muscle, neuro) as I was, but we didn

[aprilh]

Jin,

Some people do well on the Braggs Org. Apple Cider Vinegar because it has naturally occuring probiotics in there. Some do not tolerate it, but if you were to test any kind of vinegar on the yeast diet, this would be the one. I have been drinking 1 tsp in a full glass of water on empty stomach in the morning. I am hoping this will help the gallbladder. If you do still have a stone in there, you might go on Julia Chang's site and look into the stone dissolving herbs. www.sensiblehealth.com. This might help that situation.

I am thinking of ordering and doing that prior to a gallbladder flush.

I think what my problem is, and I am only guessing here, is that my hormones are all out of whack. This GB pain and other symptoms come on right before my period and then they go away afterwards.

My last period symptoms were dizziness, couldn't sleep, GB pain, wierd pains all over, cold chills, shooting pains in my head, ect. I am thinking I have way too much estrogen or something. Or this could be lyme - i might find out tomorrow at my appointment.

Does anyone else have knowledge on hormonal issues? I read that the liver has to process the estrogen so that would make sense as to why I get liver issues more so around that time.

[dlp252]

I have this other problem with it ... I've had FIVE babies .... lots of Lyme in my bladder, too, kind of like an extended bladder infection, LOL. I normally have no problems with this, but I cannot jump on the trampoline, it's the ONLY thing that causes this problem, LOL. I do kegels ... it's not really bad ..... but I still can only bounce for a little while. I'm hoping this gets better so I can really use this for exercise.

Yeah, I had a little operation in 2006 to FIX this, lol.

It is great to hear the EM make-up is doing well with you so far! I have been thinking on getting some. I need to stop putting so many toxins in my system. This is one way to do it. Prices are reasonable for it, too. Is that the make-up you are wearing in your avatar? You look terrific!

OMGosh...how cute...you and Dart bouncing on the bed!

Yes, I'm wearing it in my Avatar, although I had to lighten the picture a bit, and now the makeup doesn't show so much, lol. The picture had a brown cast all over, I guess because I was surrounded by brown, lol.

[confusedks]

I am wondering if anyone has done a blood test for food intolerances...is it ELISA? I know that I need to get to the root of what is *causing* food intolerances, but for right now, I am wondering if there is any way to find out what may be causing some more of my GI stuff?!

I saw one that was explained online, it tests for about 180 foods by blood and it wasn't very expensive. Has anyone had any experience with that? Or something similar? Thanks guys!

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Patti,

You really look younger in your avatar. What are you doing differently? I wrote you on the Silly Thread the other week. Since the pages fill up quickly, it is no wonder you did not see my post! Did you ever get Richard back, or is he still MIA?

I certainly have missed posting. It feels strange not typing out much lately. I have been corresponding with people, but this is my primary focus most of the time. Right now, I just got finished recovering from a terrible reaction to Stagg Chili. I know it is gluten-free, but I got very sick. I am not sure if it was the spices, the vinegar, the beans, or what.

Dear Kassandra,

Yikes! The cost of Zith where you live is truly scary! That is one advantage I have over others. Living here in Indiana is good in that sense. Things are generally less expensive than in California, New York, and other places. Unfortunately, the more advanced treatments and diagnostic methods are far away, though.

$350 is a lot of money, but considering all the Metametrix test looks for, it is a good deal. Running less thorough tests separately for the same thing could be $1,000 or more. Bloodwork can get expensive quickly. Just for a single test for a few basic things like cholesterol and blood sugar can be $300. When you think about how the labs are not even that accurate, it hardly seems worth it.

I have not done ELISA. I have heard of it, though. Maybe I should get it done, too. How much does it cost? For testing 180 foods, it should be worthwhile.

Dear Birdy,

Do not feel bad about not posting. I have been lazy lately. I am not sure what is wrong with me these days. Concentrating is very difficult, and becoming overwhelmed is so easy now. Feeling so rough adds a lot of frustration. Everything is hard when you are nauseated and exhausted.

That is awful about your skin! It sounds so painful! Metals may be some of my trouble, too. My neck and back are broken out on top of my face and neck. I have no idea what will help my oily skin, and wish someone could tell me if Clearasil products are safe for Celiacs.

Was it an ionic foot bath you had to help clear out the toxins? Sorry to hear it did not clear out as much as you needed it to. Maybe they will find another approach that is more effective. Each body responds differently to treatments. At least it eased some of your discomfort, though.

Lyme is a good possibility. Didn't you test positive for a co-infection? It is highly unlikely you do not have Lyme when you have co-infections. They do not usually pop up by themselves. A consult with Dr. Amy sounds like a great idea! Go for it! Since the other doctors turned up with nothing, I think you should check this out further.

Dear April,

I never would have known that Apple Cider Vinegar would have probiotics in it! That is always good. When you have a yeast issue, probiotics of all kinds are helpful to take. Speaking of probiotics, I am out of my Florastor. I desperately need it and do not want to run out. This stuff really has been kicking some of the yeast out.

Having a stone in your bile duct can be very dangerous. It will cause bile to back up in your system. I am really not sure what to do about it. I am going to check that Web site you mentioned. Thank you for the link! Maybe there is something on there I have not heard of that could bring some relief if that is the trouble.

I read about a gallbladder cleanse that uses psyllium husk and olive oil. Psyllium is something I cannot use. Some people do fine with it. Everyone must do what is right for them. Meanwhile, I will think of my next step.

I know my hormones are out of whack. They have been forever. Yours may be as well. Everything is aggravated during the menstrual cycle. So many women complain of worse symptoms during their monthly cycle.

All of those symptoms could be related to Lyme. They all fit. I have the exact same ones! Shooting pains in my head also have to do with my wisdom teeth. I suspect an estrogen overload in my system, too.

Women who carry the bulk of their weight in their hips, thights, and butt tend to produce more estrogen than other body types. Make sure to let us know how your appointment goes tomorrow!

It was funny you mentioned that about estrogen and the liver. That is true about the liver processing it.

A diet article I read the other week was talking about this. In order to detox the liver, you must eat non-estrogenic foods. Estrogen is difficult to avoid, because it is in so much. I have noticed the nausea is worse during my usual period time.

Dear Donna,

I know my mother would opt for the surgery for the bladder issues. The sandbagging technique is more appealing than the Botox. Injecting poison into your body for any reason is scary. Surgery like the sandbagging procedure does not even require much recovery time. It is an out-patient procedure.

Dart was so cute! He pounced and played and hopped around! I had to be careful, because I am so much bigger than him. After all, he is only about 7.5 pounds. It would not take much to send him flying!

You really look the best you have ever looked with that make-up! It highlights your looks, but does not look like a lot of make-up. I need to be more natural with my make-up. All of the stuff I have been using for a while now is loaded with a lot of unhealthy additives, like carmine in my lipgloss. There are quite a few horror stories about that stuff!

Sincerely,

Jin

[Rpm999]

ugh i've felt insanely terrible yesterday and today, i woke up feeling like i was on drugs...completely out of it (scary), panicy/crying for no reason, body just feeling terrible ect...feeling like i want to die right now

all i can think of is the past few days, i've been drinking a lot of water...well not a ton, a few bottles...yesterday i only had about 3 drinks and went to the bathroom 13 TIMES, where i eventually even had burning in the pubic area from going so much

i don't get it, i just KNOW that my liver is very sluggish and backed up, but it seems like my kidneys are hyperactive...from anybody that read my earlier posts with april, what do you think? i mean i doubt it's detoxing, because all i did was have a bit more water than usual....my body seems really hypersensitive, but still...strange to go to the bathroom THAT MUCH and react from something SO SMALL...but i feel like i did when i had the dye, crying a lot for no reason mostly makes me think that (though i've felt terrible since that, i haven't had constant crying since toward the beginning for some reason)..i really have no idea

i'm honestly so scared because i don't know what the hell to do, i feel like i have things in my body that are making other things problems....how do i have a healthy strict diet when fruits, veggies and nuts have always bothered me? how can i treat candida or parasites when i've lost so much weight and seriously need to gain some on? how can i take what my body needs when i'm so reactant? how could i treat lyme when antibiotics don't even work for me and i have so much going on? how could i take side effects when i'm barely breathing now and having swallowing issues? not whining at all, but every single thing is a problem and makes everything else an issue

i have no clue what i should do first, especially with how crazy my system has been....i started getting very reactant when i had that dye, i'm thinking of going to the hospital tomorrow or something and see because something serious must be going on with my liver or kidneys..if i'm sick enough where drinking a lot of water makes me feel like i'm dying, there must be some serious detox problem going on....how am i supposed to start treatment for anything when things like this are happening, it's like i'm stuck between a rock and a hard place with EVERYTHING and have NO CLUE what to do at all

[moldlady]

I'm sorry I can't remember who posted about stones, this but a hot cup of water with a 1/2 fresh lemon squeezed into it is a great morning starter. It takes some getting used to but cleanses the liver and kidneys very well.

[jerseyangel]

I am wondering if anyone has done a blood test for food intolerances...is it ELISA? I know that I need to get to the root of what is *causing* food intolerances, but for right now, I am wondering if there is any way to find out what may be causing some more of my GI stuff?!

I saw one that was explained online, it tests for about 180 foods by blood and it wasn't very expensive. Has anyone had any experience with that? Or something similar? Thanks guys!

This is my experience with this--after I was diagnosed and went gluten-free, I felt much better for a few months. At that point, my old GI symptoms came back--as bad as they were when I was at my sickest.

Long story short-- I saw an allergist/immunologist who tested me for lots of foods and other substances. I was found negative to all foods tested--although positive to cats and highly positive to dust mites.

I asked the doctor about having a blood test done to determine which foods were continuing to cause problems. He said that they were not worth it because once you have eaten a particular food, you can develop antibodies to it. That's why these tests come up with so many false positives. He said that he sees a lot of people after they have done that type of testing.

He told me the best way to determine which foods were a problem was through an elimination diet. I did this over the next few months and once we determined which foods I was intolerant to, I cut them out and began to feel somewhat better.

All told, it took me about 18 months to 2 years to heal to the point that I am at now. That is, feeling good most of the time and also finally being able to add back a few (but not all) of the foods I was intolerant to.

The key for me was that I went to a very strict diet that did not include any grain, soy, dairy, tapioca, coconut, legumes, corn or citrus fruit. I drank nothing but spring water, never ate out and if I had to be at someone's home, I brought all of my own food. I only ate organic meats with no additives. I did this for close to 2 years.

I also had what I'm sure was SIBO (my gastroenterlolgist said it was possible)--and 2 rounds of antibiotics last July were very helpful. I saw a marked improvement by the second day of treatment.

[CarlaB]

RPM, my system did not like veggies for a long time ... I couldn't even take the Juice Plus veggies!

The water things sounds like a uti infection. You might get that checked out. It could just be the Lyme though. That happens.

How do you know abx don't work for you? With Lyme, treatment is extended, so it could be that you just haven't been on them long enough.

Hang in there! It takes time. We've all felt like we'd never get better and never get started on treatment.

[Rpm999]

well i'm not on abx or anything until i see exactly what's going on like i said, far too sensitive right now...lyme may not even be the major culprit in my body, like with rachel, so i need to be sensitive and treat things in the right order/find out soon...with abx though they've NEVER worked for me for anything really in the past...heard someone else say it...you had it lucky that you weren't so reactive makes everything terrible/complicated

[confusedks]

Dear Kassandra,

Yikes! The cost of Zith where you live is truly scary! That is one advantage I have over others. Living here in Indiana is good in that sense. Things are generally less expensive than in California, New York, and other places. Unfortunately, the more advanced treatments and diagnostic methods are far away, though.

$350 is a lot of money, but considering all the Metametrix test looks for, it is a good deal. Running less thorough tests separately for the same thing could be $1,000 or more. Bloodwork can get expensive quickly. Just for a single test for a few basic things like cholesterol and blood sugar can be $300. When you think about how the labs are not even that accurate, it hardly seems worth it.

I have not done ELISA. I have heard of it, though. Maybe I should get it done, too. How much does it cost? For testing 180 foods, it should be worthwhile.

Zith isn't that bad compared to Mepron! It is literally almost $1,000 without insurance! :o Yes, $350 is a lot of money, but an endoscopy and colonsocopy (not saying people should have stool tests done instead of end/colon) are a couple thousand dollars. And, I don't know if they would have revealed anything anyway. I have to ask the LLMD if he wants me to have those tests done anyway.

ELISA is a controversial thing. My allergist kinda dogged it saying that something such as "banana" could NEVER cause symptoms, well we know that's not true for a lot of people.

ugh i've felt insanely terrible yesterday and today,

I'm sorry you're feeling so yucky. That sucks, I understand. Just take things one day at a time.

This is my experience with this--after I was diagnosed and went gluten-free, I felt much better for a few months. At that point, my old GI symptoms came back--as bad as they were when I was at my sickest.

Long story short-- I saw an allergist/immunologist who tested me for lots of foods and other substances. I was found negative to all foods tested--although positive to cats and highly positive to dust mites.

I asked the doctor about having a blood test done to determine which foods were continuing to cause problems. He said that they were not worth it because once you have eaten a particular food, you can develop antibodies to it. That's why these tests come up with so many false positives. He said that he sees a lot of people after they have done that type of testing.

He told me the best way to determine which foods were a problem was through an elimination diet. I did this over the next few months and once we determined which foods I was intolerant to, I cut them out and began to feel somewhat better.

All told, it took me about 18 months to 2 years to heal to the point that I am at now. That is, feeling good most of the time and also finally being able to add back a few (but not all) of the foods I was intolerant to.

The key for me was that I went to a very strict diet that did not include any grain, soy, dairy, tapioca, coconut, legumes, corn or citrus fruit. I drank nothing but spring water, never ate out and if I had to be at someone's home, I brought all of my own food. I only ate organic meats with no additives. I did this for close to 2 years.

I also had what I'm sure was SIBO (my gastroenterlolgist said it was possible)--and 2 rounds of antibiotics last July were very helpful. I saw a marked improvement by the second day of treatment.

My allergist actually told me the same thing. I don't know, it seems way too overwhelming to go on a elimination diet. And, how do you know if you're not reacting to the "safe" foods? I know a lady who is intolerant to chicken and salmon! Agh! Too overwhelming. I think I will also ask my LLMD what he thinks about this.

Yea, I had/have SIBO too. The abx unfortunately did NOTHING for my symptoms. I don't know, I wonder if SIBO is the western medical communities way of saying Candida/yeast overgrowth? I wouldn't doubt it.

[tabasco32]

Hey everyone.

Anyone doing LED treatment, get chills and ugly flu like symptoms for days after treatment?

I did this time but not the last three times. Dee wasn't their to do them so DR. M did all the treatment this time. Acupuncture which was not fun, chi machine and LED.

I had a needle put in my armpit that gave extremely excrutiating shocking pain through the whole left are. I dont like acupunture at all. Leaving the needles in my back wasn't fun either.

Donna I read somewhere that you drink coffee? I told my mom about your breast pain and she works at a family clinic and a lot of women have this she said.

Caffeine causes real bad breast pain in a lot woman so if you drink coffee at all it could be from this or any caffeine like chocolate or tea.

okay talk to you later

lisa

[tabasco32]

did anyone read PARADE in the sunday news paper