Healing Time?

[Matt007b]

I've been sick for years, got tested for everything and only thing I had was white blood cells in my stool, I went to like the 4th GI specialist and he suggested I had some form of malabsorbtion going on.. went to a allergist and did the skin testing..found out i'm slightly allergic to oats but that was it... he suggested to go on a food diet and write down whats bugs me..I'm thinking of getting my thyroid rechecked just in case but i'm too poor to afford it. Will do that though soon as I start working again..

I was tested like 3 times for celiac and had 2 endoscopes...last thing the GI said was "I have no clue whats wrong with you"

anyway so i'm on week 2 now close to approaching week 3 on my gluten/wheat/soy/lactose free diet and I have improved..my nausea levels are going down..i'm having pretty bad anxiety but it's sloooowly getting better, I have to really force myself to do things but large crowds really make me nervous. The sad part is this whole time I don't have insurance or a job..my parents refuse to help me (never asked for a dollar but I sure could use help..) and I don't qualify for any medicare/medicaid here in Utah..anything for another 4 months (I guess you have to be out of work for a year before you qualify for disability..which i'd like to avoid..). My parents answer to my problems is "sell your car".

Anyway there is a *chance* this is celiac and I know that takes months to figure out...but for those of you who are lactose/soy/wheat intolerant..how long did it take you to feel better? Months? I'm really scared about these medical bills..I'm applying for work but having a hard time finding a desk job or something with low stress levels since my anxiety is out of wack... job market is terrible now.

my diet is eggs (which I know is possibly a problem..) salads with fruits and veggies and chicken/meats for dinner for the last 2 weeks. Not sure what I can eat for breakfast without eggs.. but I do know I accidentally had soy a few days ago and i'm still feeling the hangover/nausea/flush face feelings this morning..

Symptoms: Nausea/constipation/anxiety/sometimes sweaty hands..

Thanks just trying to figure out how long it was before most of you felt better on your diets

Thanks!

matthew

[Matt007b]

oh forgot to mention i have bad insomnia... but again that's slooooowly improving.. i've been sick for 3 1/2 years... and it's sad to think that all I had to do is avoid soy/wheat/dairy and I probably would have recovered in like no time *sigh*

[hollyres]

Please don't give up on having a peaceful, healthier life. I too, came back negative for Celiac, but obviously have a severe gluten intolerance, as I cannot even breathe it without getting this weird panic/sick feeling. Since I have been healing for the past two years, that has gotten less severe, but I won't ever eat in a pizza place! I feel some regret that I "lost" over two decades of my life to gluten issues - I was up to several panic attacks per day, had terrible asthma, and other issues, all related to my diet. It took over six months to really be "free," but it did happen eventually. My biggest issue at first was identifying the ways I was exposing myself - I CC'd everything for months! I cooked gluten meals for my family and was constently breathing the flour dust/fumes. Now, thank God, I am a different person. Depending on how long you have had your issues, that can affect how long it takes for the anxiety and constipation to clear up. One exposure for me and it still takes 3 days to recover (and over a week to go to the bathroom). My husband had to switch to gluten free beer because just kissing him or being exposed to it messed me up inside. Take the time you need to figure out your triggers and be patient. One thing that used to happen to me that I forgot about was I had terrible nightmares and couldn't sleep - for years. I had an exposure the other day and had the weirdest nightmare ever! Your diet can mess up every single system in your body, so be patient. You didn't get sick over night and you won't get better that way. I also know something else: you might feel worse before you feel better. When our bodies clear out toxins, we feel sick. Meditate, pray, sleep, and be as focused on good health and positive thoughts as possible. Don't give up!

[Matt007b]

Please don't give up on having a peaceful, healthier life. I too, came back negative for Celiac, but obviously have a severe gluten intolerance, as I cannot even breathe it without getting this weird panic/sick feeling. Since I have been healing for the past two years, that has gotten less severe, but I won't ever eat in a pizza place! I feel some regret that I "lost" over two decades of my life to gluten issues - I was up to several panic attacks per day, had terrible asthma, and other issues, all related to my diet. It took over six months to really be "free," but it did happen eventually. My biggest issue at first was identifying the ways I was exposing myself - I CC'd everything for months! I cooked gluten meals for my family and was constently breathing the flour dust/fumes. Now, thank God, I am a different person. Depending on how long you have had your issues, that can affect how long it takes for the anxiety and constipation to clear up. One exposure for me and it still takes 3 days to recover (and over a week to go to the bathroom). My husband had to switch to gluten free beer because just kissing him or being exposed to it messed me up inside. Take the time you need to figure out your triggers and be patient. One thing that used to happen to me that I forgot about was I had terrible nightmares and couldn't sleep - for years. I had an exposure the other day and had the weirdest nightmare ever! Your diet can mess up every single system in your body, so be patient. You didn't get sick over night and you won't get better that way. I also know something else: you might feel worse before you feel better. When our bodies clear out toxins, we feel sick. Meditate, pray, sleep, and be as focused on good health and positive thoughts as possible. Don't give up!

Thanks Hollyres, that helps yeah hopefully I can find work.. I was two weeks away from my flight instructor checkride when my life went upside down.. since then I haven't been at the controls of the plane..can't date..hardly work...

hopefully I can find work.. I had a bad hunch this might take months to fix.. :S

[AliB]

Oh yes it may well take months to fix - but then it has probably actually taken years to get to this point. Unfortunately we are not always aware of the damage that is being done, only that we get odd health issues that we don't always understand.

Things like gas and bloating are usually passed off as 'normal' simply because 'everyone' gets it. It is normal to burp a little after having swallowed some air with your food, but severe gas and bloating is not normal at all and should never be considered so.

Every day I see more and more evidence that we, as a human race are being severely damaged by much of our food, and the biggest culprit by far is gluten. With all the meddling that has been done to it over the years it has gone from being a pretty healthy and benign substance to one that is now very hard for us to digest. Add to that the processing procedure and additives that are put into the flour, the sheer quantity of the stuff and the fact that it is in virtually everything and it is no wonder that people are sick.

What you put in your mouth has a profound effect on the body, yet neither the Medical Profession, nor most of their patients ever consider food to be at the root of their problems. It has them hooked - hook, line and sinker and denial is a huge issue.

You may be one of the fortunate ones who gets better just by dropping gluten alone but unfortunately there are many of us who are too damaged for that to be the only solution. Many can't cope with carbs and sugars in general and I am one of them.

Gut and digestive issues, weight problems, IBS, restless legs, insomnia, fungal infestations and a host of other issues latterly including diabetes have plagued me for years, and it has only been by removing not only gluten, but most dairy, virtually all sugar, grains and starches, anything processed and going back to basics with my food by concentrating on high nutrition in the form of fresh veg, fruit, meat, fish, poultry, probiotic yogurt, nuts and a little honey that I have been able to regain any kind of better health.

It has taken me 18 months to get to this point but I rarely have any gut issues (unless I get 'glutened' or have anything else my gut can't cope with), I can eat most things within that palette - which is actually a pretty broad one, I sleep much better and more soundly, I don't get the restless legs any more, my weight is rebalancing, the fungals have gone and I can run up the stairs! Yay - hurrah for the SCD!

The trick is to give the body the tools it needs to heal and repair. It needs quality not quantity. Most of our 'Western' diet food is rubbish and does more harm than good. The more nutrition we get the less food we need - but it needs to be good quality, preferably either locally grown organic if you can get or afford it. Even some is better than none. You may need to supplement a bit with some vitamins and minerals, etc too, to give your body more 'tools'.

I had issues with several foods at the start including eggs, but within a few weeks of starting the diet I was able to eat eggs again and have been ok with them since.

[Matt007b]

Oh yes it may well take months to fix - but then it has probably actually taken years to get to this point. Unfortunately we are not always aware of the damage that is being done, only that we get odd health issues that we don't always understand.

Things like gas and bloating are usually passed off as 'normal' simply because 'everyone' gets it. It is normal to burp a little after having swallowed some air with your food, but severe gas and bloating is not normal at all and should never be considered so.

Every day I see more and more evidence that we, as a human race are being severely damaged by much of our food, and the biggest culprit by far is gluten. With all the meddling that has been done to it over the years it has gone from being a pretty healthy and benign substance to one that is now very hard for us to digest. Add to that the processing procedure and additives that are put into the flour, the sheer quantity of the stuff and the fact that it is in virtually everything and it is no wonder that people are sick.

What you put in your mouth has a profound effect on the body, yet neither the Medical Profession, nor most of their patients ever consider food to be at the root of their problems. It has them hooked - hook, line and sinker and denial is a huge issue.

You may be one of the fortunate ones who gets better just by dropping gluten alone but unfortunately there are many of us who are too damaged for that to be the only solution. Many can't cope with carbs and sugars in general and I am one of them.

Gut and digestive issues, weight problems, IBS, restless legs, insomnia, fungal infestations and a host of other issues latterly including diabetes have plagued me for years, and it has only been by removing not only gluten, but most dairy, virtually all sugar, grains and starches, anything processed and going back to basics with my food by concentrating on high nutrition in the form of fresh veg, fruit, meat, fish, poultry, probiotic yogurt, nuts and a little honey that I have been able to regain any kind of better health.

It has taken me 18 months to get to this point but I rarely have any gut issues (unless I get 'glutened' or have anything else my gut can't cope with), I can eat most things within that palette - which is actually a pretty broad one, I sleep much better and more soundly, I don't get the restless legs any more, my weight is rebalancing, the fungals have gone and I can run up the stairs! Yay - hurrah for the SCD!

The trick is to give the body the tools it needs to heal and repair. It needs quality not quantity. Most of our 'Western' diet food is rubbish and does more harm than good. The more nutrition we get the less food we need - but it needs to be good quality, preferably either locally grown organic if you can get or afford it. Even some is better than none. You may need to supplement a bit with some vitamins and minerals, etc too, to give your body more 'tools'.

I had issues with several foods at the start including eggs, but within a few weeks of starting the diet I was able to eat eggs again and have been ok with them since.

Thanks for the info - yeah i've had a few people tell me about candidiasis and I was on the diet for a few weeks before starting my wheat/soy/dairy diet.. my current diet is super low on sugars so i'm trying that too...i don't *think* eggs are bothering me but who knows right? *taps fingers* so frustrating..

I guess my main problem is stressing about money..if someone sat me down at a computer and told me to type stuff I could do that for 8 hours but if I have to deal with people or manual labor that's where I start to get nausteated or panick/anxiety attacks.. i'm getting better but I tried looking for work at a local mall here and had to turn right around and head for home after looking at the mass people.. and i've been to that mall a billion times growing up!

So if I knew I had a job..and knew I was going to feel better within the next 6 months i'd be a happy camper...if I knew I had disability or some way to fend off the credit card bills (all health related) that would also help...

hopefully my recovery time will be fairly decent. I was thinking weeks but I'm now learning this might be months thanks for the info!

[Ms Jan]

Yes, true healing can take a very long time, many months or even years.

But if you cut all potentially harmful substances out of your diet, you might find that at least you alleviate some of your symptoms much faster, maybe even within weeks. (And I mean really down to basics in something akin to the SCD intro diet - or whichever foods you know are safe for you).

Once your issues have settled down, you can then slowly add one food at a time to see if it agrees with you or not.

I've been on the SCD for almost five months now - and am much improved. But recently I tried introducing yougurt, only to find out that it made me almost psychotic - besides the physical symptoms. And I've made many mistakes with introducing other foods too early as well. So it's a lot of trial and error, but at least it's going in the right direction and I feel in control of the process. For the moment I just stay with my safe foods and generally feel very well.

I don't know if this approach will work for you, but considering your stressful situation, it might be worth giving it a try ...

Oh, and do remember that if you're gluten intolerant/celiac you need to avoid a lot more foods than just wheat. You might even want to look into whether grains as such bother you. If you can have nuts, they can fill in instead.

Good luck

[Matt007b]

Yes, true healing can take a very long time, many months or even years.

But if you cut all potentially harmful substances out of your diet, you might find that at least you alleviate some of your symptoms much faster, maybe even within weeks. (And I mean really down to basics in something akin to the SCD intro diet - or whichever foods you know are safe for you).

Once your issues have settled down, you can then slowly add one food at a time to see if it agrees with you or not.

I've been on the SCD for almost five months now - and am much improved. But recently I tried introducing yougurt, only to find out that it made me almost psychotic - besides the physical symptoms. And I've made many mistakes with introducing other foods too early as well. So it's a lot of trial and error, but at least it's going in the right direction and I feel in control of the process. For the moment I just stay with my safe foods and generally feel very well.

I don't know if this approach will work for you, but considering your stressful situation, it might be worth giving it a try ...

Oh, and do remember that if you're gluten intolerant/celiac you need to avoid a lot more foods than just wheat. You might even want to look into whether grains as such bother you. If you can have nuts, they can fill in instead.

Good luck

Thanks Jan! yeah i'll have to research this SCD diet you people are doing, I am following the gluten free diet..like eggs for breakfast..salads and avacadoes with gluten/wheat/lactose free dressings for lunch and chicken or potatoes or something hearty for dinner (try to..flip i'm losing weight and i'm a skinny guy!) but i'll research your diet.. I need to get back up asap..all my classmates are at the airlines now and I haven't been on a date for years!! (and i'm 31..*sigh*)

it's funny I bought some benefiber because it said gluten free on it... took it and the next day I had severe nausea and pain...looked at the ingredients and it said "wheat dextrin" as the ingredients

so yeah i'm learning as I go. I think i'm ok eggs and nuts..but who knows.. thanks for the info i'll look up SCD diet glad you're feeling better! Wish I was in your shoes...

[Ms Jan]

Sounds like you're already on the right track.

Here are a few helpful websites with information on the SCD:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Yes, salad dressings can be treacherous: large potential for toxic additives or hidden sugars. I've cut those out totally and only make my own with lemon and olive oil.

Btw, to help with the weight have you tried eating bananas, cook in coconut oil or even eat it by the spoon, and munch on almonds and nuts (clean, nut roasted or otherwise treated).

Jan

[Foxfire62]

I don't know if you're a celiac or not. If the celiac blood panel and the biopsies of your duodenum did not result in anything, it might be inconclusive (because there isn't sufficient damage) or you have something else going on.

Your symptoms are similar to mine...at least a little. I was severely backed up (big C), and I did not eat for nearly a week because I constantly felt full. This cost me dearly. I now also occasionally suffer from anxiety. I'm unsure if this is female hormones, adrenal fatigue or something else with hormones. I do know that when I become hypoglycemic, I become anxious. This only happened to me this year. Last month was really bad, and since going on progesterone (a female hormone necessary to have periods), I've been doing better, although not perfect.

Meats constipate me. Either it's because of the protein or fat, but if I eat too much of it, I get constipated. So, I've limited my meats and eggs. I still eat them, but it's very little (I read you're supposed to do 80% veggies/fruits and 20% meats).

Since you are young, you shouldn't take too long to heal...unless the hormones are out of whack. I know you don't have much money, but surely there are options for you to assist you to see a doctor. I would recommend going to an endocronologist for hormones. Since you don't have any money to be further tested regarding celiac disease, perhaps you should just assume you have it and stay on a strict gluten-free diet. The thing about celiac disease is that you can become lactose/soy/nut/egg intolerant, and as can be seen with me, intestines may take some time to heal. I'm going on 1 year. But you being younger, you shouldn't have to wait that long.

As far as your parents telling you to sell your car, if you have a brand, spanking new car (or one that's relatively new), I would agree with them. If you have a broken down one, then I wouldn't. Sometimes kids don't see things the same as parents do, and that's due to the experience of an older individual. Not hearing both sides, it's hard to say.

Anyway, I wish you luck. I don't know that what I wrote helped any, but I can tell you I can understand what you're going through. I hope to feel good one day too. I'm currently on short-term disability, and since I'm the breadwinner, money is getting low. So I know where you're coming from.

Good luck!

[dtgirl]

I am going through something very similar right now. the celiac went undiagnosed for so long, my hormones are completely out of whack (thats another story) and my diet is VERY limited right now, just meat and oil. I have no job, no money, no insurance, and cannot find a job. I cannot sleep. I fall asleep but wake up like 1.5 hours later. Depending on how important the car is and if it is new/old, I would sell. It sounds insane, but desperate times for desperate measures i guess. I know this is not helpful, but just wanted to let you know you are not alone at all. also, if it is any consolation, I have like no social life right now but I am trying. I have low blood pressure and pass out easily, I am loads of fun to be around.

[Matt007b]

Hey Jan: Thanks for those links! that really helps yeah the salad dressings I do are..really just blah gluten/wheat/dairy free ones that I found at wild oats a while ago..fact i'm getting low on them but it's moslty just some oils and zero sugar..it's something at least but yeah that's like the only thing that I eat that is made in a factory..everything else i'm eating is just fruits/veggies/meats so yeah blah.. yucky yuck yuck.. but gotta do it. Thanks for the links!

Foxfire: Yeah i'm very tempted to get tested..fact today i'm going to grab my medical records about my thyroid. Just because the doctor said "you're fine" i've read online many stories about how people were told their tyroid was fine when in fact they were never tested for the free T3/T4 and they were totally out of wack, or the doctor was just ignoring the numbers..I guess there's a new scale as well that just came out for the TSH so i'm thinking about it. It's about $100 to test for it....that would explain my anxiety/severe constipation. Fact I stopped all fiber bulkers because all they were doing is making me feel worse so i'll check that out. On the car situation it's an older '99.. Here in salt lake city the valley is spread out so jobs are super hard to get to..and I don't have a job sadly, I applied for diability but they said I have another 4 months to wait until it hits the one year mark and then with a doctors note saying I can't work..THEN i can get it..which is lame...but I am tempted to sell it, just really stressing out.. I need transportation when i'm better but *shrugs* I dunno.. thanks though i'm sad to hear others are going through this but at least you can relate to me...

dtgirl: oh my gosh i'm sorry :S yeah I know the feeling, I was working on my flight instructor checkride, dating left and right..full time work, full time school not a worry with $$$ in the bank and now, travelling and now...can't date, haven't held a girls hand in 3 years..can't work..can't sleep..anxiety... *sigh*...zero help...spent all my savings on tests just to find out that i'm intolerant to a bunch of things.. if I had only known...

anyway i'm very sorry you're going through this too...meats and oils huh? wow that's a diet :S yeah I'm thinking about it (selling the car..such a pain to go without one..).. hopefully i'll recover soon and at least start working i'd feel better being able to just work instead of sitting around at home but I think most of you have given me some hope and I better get my thryoid checked again, sounds like most of you have thyroid issues with your food problems.. I have a bad hunch that my throid is totally screwed up like yours dtgirl...even though i'm a guy i've heard it can affect us guys too so yeah.. nuts.. had a doctor suggest doing a MRI for sphincter of oddi disfunction. Cleaned my remaning $1500.. wish I had that money back..ugh. Thanks though everyone for you thoughts..i'll stay on the strict diet and i'll figure out what to do with that car..thanks

[AliB]

Matt - if you think that being confined to a diet of meat, fish, poultry, dozens of beautiful veggies and fruits, nuts, and honey is yukky, yuk, yuk, then you really have the 'processed food/junk/rubbish/sugar fix/carb-fest' thing bad!

There are hundreds and hundreds of cookery books out there that give thousands of ideas that can be made with those beautiful nutritious foods. There are many flavorings, herbs and spices that can be used to spice them up.

One of my favorites? Scrub or peel 3 or 4 carrots and slice them into discs. Put them into a pan of water to cook through (or steam them). Chop up half a head of cauliflower into pieces and put on to cook (or steam).

Chop and fry two onions, add some ground beef, pork, lamb or turkey - whatever your preference and cook through thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste and some tomatoes - either fresh or tinned (with no additives). Add some 'Italian' herbs (basil, marjoram, etc) and allow to cook for another 10 minutes or so.

Place the meat in the bottom of an oval or oblong oven dish and layer the carrots on top. Drain and mash the cauliflower, add some salt and a little vegetable flavoring (I use a product called Herbamare - not sure if you can get it in the States but any non-gluten vegetable-based bouillon powder should do it.

If you can tolerate any dairy, you can add a little milk or cream (or coconut milk or cream), or even yogurt to the cauliflower and some grated cheese or some butter. Layer that on top of the meat and carrots and sprinkle more cheese over if tolerated.

Bake for about half an hour in the oven to brown the top (or place under a gentle grill for a few minutes) and there you go. Veggie Lasagne. Dinner is served.

It's all about being imaginative with what you have. I love adding ground coriander to meals - carrot and coriander soup (and sometimes with the addition of a little fresh orange juice too) is one of my favorites. If you look at the work of good chefs, you will see that in the most part their wonderful creations are made up of those basic foods but cooked and presented in such imaginative ways!

Forget the 'feeling deprived' thing. It is the junk that has been depriving you - of good health......... View it as a challenge and a chance to learn. Perhaps you can't do too much at the moment but you can always learn about food. Even within the 'restrictions' of the SCD there is a huge array of recipes and blogs on the internet.

Here are a couple of links you might find interesting. Jay has recovered from Crohn's by following the SCD.

Open Original Shared Link

How can girls not be impressed by a guy who can cook..........!?

[dtgirl]

Matt,

Hopefully you are feeling a little better. I know how aggravating this can be! Def. get your thyroid checked. They found I have a pituitary tumor, which is causing my hormones to go awry. You must get everything tested, not just the tsh though! every doctor before was convinced I had an eating disorder or was stressed out. Your story is just like mine; I was in grad school in DC, working, etc and everything went to hell lol. It has been one long expensive road. Now I am starting my masters in nursing soon and trying to get my health and finances in order, but have a hard time working. I am 24 but feel 100 lol. Also, I am in Detroit so I hear you on the inability to find work. How is public transportation where you are? It is really ghetto here, that is why I ask. You cannot get anywhere without a car. Have you been to this website? Open Original Shared Link the tests are a little bit cheaper, not sure if it helps. Keep us updated on your status

[Matt007b]

Matt,

Hopefully you are feeling a little better. I know how aggravating this can be! Def. get your thyroid checked. They found I have a pituitary tumor, which is causing my hormones to go awry. You must get everything tested, not just the tsh though! every doctor before was convinced I had an eating disorder or was stressed out. Your story is just like mine; I was in grad school in DC, working, etc and everything went to hell lol. It has been one long expensive road. Now I am starting my masters in nursing soon and trying to get my health and finances in order, but have a hard time working. I am 24 but feel 100 lol. Also, I am in Detroit so I hear you on the inability to find work. How is public transportation where you are? It is really ghetto here, that is why I ask. You cannot get anywhere without a car. Have you been to this website? Open Original Shared Link the tests are a little bit cheaper, not sure if it helps. Keep us updated on your status

thanks all just an update

yeah dtgirl the public transporation here is "ok". I live in salt lake where the valley is super spread out, and the only transportation around here is the bus (i'm 31) so yeah.. I put my car up for sale..the market is really crappy right now..still looking for work.

I got my tsh,t3/t4 tested that's why i've been away for a bit and of course the tsh was a little elevated like 2.45 but ehh.. all within normal limits. Only thing I can think of now is adrenal glands or just gluten intolerance. I know for sure i'm soy intolerant..

anyway so it could be celiac..I just learned sadly that the rice milk (rice dream) or whatever it's called isn't 100% gluten free from what i've learned from this website so..that s - u - c - k - s...grrr!

Anyway so yeah hopefully I didn't put myself too far behind. I'm suffering from IBS-C/anxiety/insomnia so the doctor gave me a prescription of lexapro/and a anti-anxiety med so I can calm down and try and find some work here asap. Wish you were here dtgirl..would be nice to have someone to relate to you know? anyway thanks all i'll go on a super strict diet of fruits/veggies and meats (no sauces..no risks) and I heard centrium pills are non-gluten safe so i'll take those as a multivitamin..hopefully that'll speed up the process. IF I wasn't out of work I wouldn't be freaking as much..*sigh* anyway thanks all for the replies.

[Matt007b]

oh by the way I forgot to mention! Thanks for the healthcheckusa website that totally was awesome. The girls at the local labcorb were in shock when I only paid $88 for a thyroid panel (when it's normally like near $300 here) so that was awesome. I used a discount code 1234..i hear it expired last day of june but wish I had heard about that website before. These companies charge insurance companies like 3X more than they should (because they know they'll get away with it..)

anyway.. strict gluten free diet..no soy..no lactose/diary and hopefully with these antianxiety meds I might be able to kick the ibs-c/anxiety/insomnia the bucket and get my life back in order..and debt free!

[dtgirl]

oh by the way I forgot to mention! Thanks for the healthcheckusa website that totally was awesome. The girls at the local labcorb were in shock when I only paid $88 for a thyroid panel (when it's normally like near $300 here) so that was awesome. I used a discount code 1234..i hear it expired last day of june but wish I had heard about that website before. These companies charge insurance companies like 3X more than they should (because they know they'll get away with it..)

anyway.. strict gluten free diet..no soy..no lactose/diary and hopefully with these antianxiety meds I might be able to kick the ibs-c/anxiety/insomnia the bucket and get my life back in order..and debt free!

Matt, glad to hear the thyroid tests were somewhat more affordable. I hope you get to the bottom of this. I know you will, it just may take some time and work (sorry, I know you do not want to hear that, lol). Just realize you are not suffering alone. There are a lot of powerful things you can do with nutrition in the meantime. Also, I can check around for good thyroid docs/endocrinologists in your area who use bio-identical hormones and not just synthetic. I am sure there are some. Lab work is important, but so are symptoms and other variables, such as family history, for example. I hear you on a slow economy and the inability to find work, have you ever read craigslist jobs, dishwashers need a resume, half the jobs are scams, what a joke. Best of luck