dlp252

So do ticks never let go once they bite? What's to stop one from letting go if he doesn'f feel like hanging on any longer? Or maybe he's just full? (ewww, gross.)

LOL, nothing is gross in Rachelville...we talk about all kinds of stuff!

On the bullhorn like I'm a shark or something....."ahem (clears throat)... we have a reported siting of TheDave.....please remain calm and keep all your children and loved ones inside...."

Precisely what I was going to say, lol!

I've been spotted!!

I'm just lurking, don't really have anything helpful to add but following along

It's all helpful!

Donna & Rachel--That is very interesting. I wonder if it is anything like Kinesiology, in that it can test to see if something is good/bad for you--and to what degree. For instance, I brought in some fur from my cat, and was found to be allergic. I brought some non-organic almonds in that were giving me symptoms, and they were a problem, but some organic ones that the practioner had were not.

A Kinesiologist was also the very first person to tell me that I should not eat wheat, oats, barley or rye. Being the type of person I am, I needed more proof/information so this led me to my discovery of Celiac. In turn, this led me to a GI who, luckily, listened to my story and thought I should be tested for it.

I truly believe that my eventual diagnosis was a combination of Western Medicine, Alternative Medicine, and becoming proactive in my own health.

It must be...my new allergist was telling me that they can "test" you with just about anything...he told me I could bring in just about anything and they could do something with it to test me and see if I reacted...I was talking food at the time, but I think he said they could do it with just about anything. I must go look up kinesiology, lol.

Premature posting, lol:

Julie,

I was actually scheduled to take the test today but I rescheduled it for Tuesday. The thing is....the Dr. told me to bring the supplements he wants me to try adding in....he wanted the lady to test them to see if any of them are problematic. When I called to make the appt. the woman told me the same thing...to bring anything with me that I might want tested.

After I hung up I got to thinking.....I have ALOT of supplements at home in Manteca....stuff that I know I react to. I'm gonna bring a couple of these "bad" supplements....just to see what happens.

So thats why I rescheduled...so I can pick out some supplements this weekend.

Yeah...its probably bad of me to try and "test" the test....but I just cant help it.

My mind will not be put to ease unless I can know the machine is telling the truth.

Are you saying they scan the supplements, or do they test them in some other way? That is so interesting, weird, but interesting, lol. I definitely don't blame you for wanting to test the test...I think I'd do the same thing!

Yes, many guests, I wonder if they think our book title is crazy....

OMGosh, if I don't get help soon I will NEVER be able to remember our book title, lol.

Oh...I can also bring along Donna....the official Rachelville Pest Control and ant destroyer. Hope she is a good tick detector as well.

No bug gets away from me.

Would go back, but might get lost.....

I went back yesterday and it took me 2 hours to find my way back!

The steroids would give me the worst moon face, but it was worth it

Moon body in my case, lol.

Hi Andrea! Sorry you're having a rough morning!

Oh Donna--this is terrible. I think that because I didn't have chronic D at the time (that happened the last year or so before dx), they didn't think it was actually stomach related. I can see that now, of course.

Because of all of the antibiotics I took, I'm allergic to all but one strain. My present doctor won't put me on anything unless it's absolutely necessary so I don't become allergic to that. When the oral prednisone wasn't enough to give relief, they went to the Decadron--which is given only every 6 weeks. I'm sure some of that is still in me, doing gosh knows what!

Again, looking back, it does figure that the only drug that ever did any good were the steriods. Obviously, it was calming the inflammation in my intestine. Too bad no one put 2 and 2 together back then....

I got tears in my eyes when I read that this happened to you, too.

Yep, the prednisone was always what made me feel better, but truthfully I didn't always take it when they prescribed it...it make me bloat up something fierce...I'd gain a pound a day while on that stuff! This is one of the reasons why I was so sick last October. I got strep throat, and they wanted to prescribe augmentin, but I wouldn't let them...my ENT (the doctor who retired) had switched me to Tequin right before he retired, which also seemed to help...I kept trying to get the doctor I saw for the strep to give me Tequin, but she wouldn't do it because "oh that's too strong"...UM DUH, DID YOU NOT HEAR THAT I HAVE JUST TAKEN 4,000MG OF ANTIBIOTICS PER DAY AND IT DIDN'T HELP, lol. Anyway, the stuff she gave me didn't do anything and I had to repeat a course of antibiotics for the strep (augmentin--the doctor insisted, lol), which duh, didn't help, then I got an ear infection, then a sinus infection, then a cold! I was sick the whole month of October and part of November. I had to cancel a trip to Australia because of it, cuz I couldn't be on a plane for 18 hours with my head messed up like that! Grrr, lol.

I have a "special" place in my heart for ENT's--and that place is not a good one I was continually diagnosed with sinus infections--even though I had no nasal symptoms whatsoever! I was so sick with fever, anemia, nausea and dizziness that some days I could hardly hold my head up--and they kept giving me different antibiotics ( finally just prescribing them over the phone) and when none of them ever made a difference, steroid injections.

I would say--are you sure my sinuses are causing this? and they would say--oh yes, the mucus draining down your throat is making you sick to your stomach. Lord knows what they were writing on my chart by this time....

Sinus trouble--my foot! I've had 2 CAT scans in recent years, and my sinuses are just fine

OMGOSH!!! This is EXACTLY what had been happening to me for the last almost 4 years!!!!! I never had the injections, but the antibiotics alone were enough to screw up my whole body...I took plenty of prednisone...also had 3 sinus scans...all of which showed nothing, and they said the same thing...the drainage down my throat and the fact that I was dizzy and had nausea led to the sinus infection diagnosis and I'd get more antibiotics. At first it was Augmentin 875, then it went up to the 1,000mg at the end (when we finally started to explore the dietary issues and before he retired) I was taking 4,000mg a DAY!!!!!! That is not an exhaggeration! He retired before we got around the gluten/casein issue, but I believe we would have gotten there eventually.

Thank you Bev!!! What a journey you have been through!

Okay, I'm feeling group huggy again! I may walk the halls until I find someone to hug!

Aliens......yes, this is such a good answer! Single White Anxious Female Aliens! makes so much sense!

Hey, we are SWAFAs!

i've been doing some minor research into endoscopies, and i have a question for those who have had them for celiac disease. the description states that the procedure is 'minimally' invasive and does 'not have to be preformed through a natural opening', which isn't exactly descriptive. so, just to simplify, how and where do they do it? and, was the experience bad, good, or neither?

thanks.

Hum, not sure what the "not have to be performed through a natural opening" means, lol. I've had 3 endoscopes this year...each time I was sedated (I think technically I was awake, but the nurse said it was just enough to breathe, lol) and don't actually remember the procedure at all. After sedation (in my case I had an IV each of the 3 times), they feed a thin tube with a camera at the tip down your esophagus and into the stomach then upper intestine. As I said, I have no memory of the procedure itself, but the doctor showed me the tube/camera before he started, and I had some nice glossy color pictures as souveniers, lol. Afterwards I went into a "recovery" area where I was monitored until I woke up from the sedation. I had no discomfort at any time other than a VERY SLIGHT sore throat, and the pin prick from starting the IV.

I don't want this to be true for me, just as I don't want it to be true for anyone and especially those I love and are close to me. I just can't deny the reality of how sick I am, how many of my symptoms fit and a deep feeling that I have found one answer to my illness.

I am SOOO hoping that you have! I am trying to prepare a sort of medical history/list of symptoms for my appointment next week and holy heck, it's already 5 pages long!

LOL I think adrenal fatigue probably plays a part in the way all of us feel. I think that we all get worn down by whatever is causing our problems and building the body back up, including the adrenals, is something we all have to do, no matter what the root cause of our illness is. I know I am benefitting tremendously from addressing the adrenal fatigue in addition to the gluten intolerance. It's the right combination for me. I don't know how any of us could be this sick and not stress our bodies!!

I think this is exactly why the doctors at HN are going to be beneficial...I think they look at the whole picture and don't just try to treat the symptoms.

I FINALLY HAVE THE ANSWER! So, now what do we do about being aliens?

I say let's embrace that alienness and run with it, lol!

Seriously, when I was in my thirties, on dark days I would tell my sweetie that when I reported back to the intergalactic counsel I would have to say that saving the human species was a questionable proposition. I would have no choice but to say that a dominant strain in humanity seemed intent not only on its' own destruction but the destruction of this great and marvelous blue and green jewel dancing in the universe.

I've always felt "different", lol.

Okay, Carla, I really do read your posts, really I do, but for some reason I have just glossed over the adrenal fatigue issue...I am so much on overload these days that it seems like I just can't handle anything else. I finally read your post on the adrenal fatigue thread, and went and looked at an adrenal fatigue site...well, gosh, I have all THOSE symptoms too, lol.

It just occured to me, maybe we are all aliens ourselves, lol

Hum, that WOULD explain a lot, lol.

Gosh, GREAT news Laura!!!! Fantatsic about the job...I can hardly even imagine that...God is definitely good!

Medical records, lol. I really hate to think what is written on some of mine. I'm sure my old doctor wrote something juicy on my last visit to her last year, oh wait, she couldn't write anything because SHE DIDN'T HAVE MY CHART IN FRONT OF HER as she told me my blood pressure reading seemed fine...as I'm dizzy, nauseated and ready to pass out and my reading is down to 90/60! Darned doctors, lol.

Rachel, I'm thinking the HN doctors will help a lot actually...at the very least they will probably do a little more thorough testing, which will help me to know what it isn't.

Not a rant at all, made me cry.

Ditto!

Rinne...I hope so. I would be happy if one person could benefit from my story but now that I know the "mystery" illness is actually Lyme....I'm thinking alot of people could benefit from having the right Dr. and the right testing. Lyme is *real*...I was beginning to wonder if anyone would ever find out what strange thing had taken over my body.

I guess it wasnt an alien baby afterall.

I think we all have benefitted from your story, even if we don't all have Lyme, we can at least see that persistence DOES sometimes pay off and that eventually, the root cause CAN be found and it really ISN'T all in our heads! We all have our own form of alien baby floating around, lol.

Do you think we could really get it together to have a Rachelville event? Wouldn't that be incredible?

It would be incredible. I have actually met some people in person that I met on a fitness website and it can be a lot of fun!

On a different note, I made my appointment with the HealthNow doctors! Finally! They think they can help me, lol. I gave whomever answered the phone a list of the biggest concerns right now for me. By-the-way, they asked who referred me so I said my friend Rachel online, lol. Anyway, I see them next week...hope I didn't make it for the same day as my dental appointment, lol. Dang, I think I might have!

Oh Laura...praying that something good will come of all this for you! Your parents sound WONDERFUL!!! Mom is right...you really just need to take care of yourself, the other stuff can wait. Praying that the job will understand.

OMGosh I wish I could give you all a group hug...I'm feeling huggy this morning!

Laura, I just feel so badly for you!

Miamia, and Rinne, you too!

We are all going to get to the bottom of this! I was just thinking the other day that I used to have so much energy and used to really want to get out and do stuff, not so much any more! It's so much of an effort!

Good morning to everyone!

Rachel, I'm so glad to hear the change (yes I can hear it, lol) in your posts...you definitely seem VERY happy and excited!

Laura, so sorry you weren't feeling well yesterday!

***

Supplements...it's funny about supplements, I seem to be able to take some of them okay, until I stop for some reason...then I can't take those anymore. What I mean is, that I react to a lot of supplements right off the bat, but sometimes I come across one that doesn't seem to bother me, so I'll take it regularly for a while...if I have to stop taking it for any length of time...for instance when I was taking my Vit C I had to stop taking it a couple of weeks ahead of my surgery in January...then start taking it again, it causes me to react. What the heck is up with that, lol!? It happens on all kinds of supplements.

Just adding my support and prayers! I've had both at the same time the prep really was the worst part for me! I'm not sure if the stomach stapling/banding makes any difference in that regard, lol, bathroom time was NOT fun.

You're so right about all of us learning together! I never (with the exception of iron levels) test positive for anything. Yet, I haven't felt really well in years. This is most interesting.

Me three! Not even iron was off in my case!

Also wanted to tell about my neck problem, got it resolved!! A few months ago I decided my pillow could be a problem so started rolling a hand towel for just shoulder to neck, pain gone. Told Dr., said that works!! Not sure why, but sure a relief!! Have a good day all. evie

Evie, that's fantastic!!!! I'm so glad it worked!

Okay, here is that amazing list: Rikki Tikki(50), mickey(65), Nanjee(51), vir(39), sabree.k(24), Mountainman(36), detox(27), celiacat35(40), Caitlin(17), justsc(51), Thx4noticingMe(39), Marcus(40), Jack's mom(31), Shaggy(40)

Happy Birthday to all!

I also just wanted to say, and maybe I shouldn't open my mouth, but it is just my opinion....I think everyone should be very very careful doing a detox program on your own. I would just say proceed with caution. I think detoxing is serious business and can be hard on the body and if you don't know what you are doing, or if you are not being monitored by a health care professional....just be careful is all I am going to say.

Open away, lol! This is great advice and I have first hand personal experience with this...that's one reason why I haven't tried anything in a long while!

LOL!! No, what I mean is, I live in a new city ... so I'm meeting people for the first time. It'd be totally different if I still lived where I used to live, everyone already knew me ... they'd tease me about it, and it'd make it easier.

For detox, my doc did a hair analysis which revealed my metabolism. She's having me eat according to that, plus take supplements that I need. I also drink nothing but pure water or herbal tea (mostly detox tea) and take saunas every day. No sugar, alcohol, or caffeine (even no decaf coffee).

From what I've read, detox WILL make you feel bad, and this is what I'm experiencing. First you will start feeling better, then when your body has enough energy, it will detox as detoxing takes energy. When it gets to this stage, you need lots of rest, food as much as desired (which might not be much) ... basically, treat yourself as if you're sick. You will get better, then when you've built up enough energy, you will detox more. This is the cycle I'm seeing. Here's what the lab my doc uses says. Open Original Shared Link

I don't know anything about iridology, but I can tell you my irises are clearing up. Even one of my kids have noticed. This started as soon as I got off gluten. My eyes are becoming much blue-er.

Okay, we'll tease you then, metal mouth! See, I think that's the basic problem...I was always trying to do this on my own, without having known exactly what I needed to be detoxed from! I looked briefly at the website and from the 1 minute I spent there, that's what I came away with...that it needs to be tailored to what your needs are. So, even more so I think I need to go see the HN doctors, lol. I bet they can do the testing, or at least send me to people (like they did with Rachel) who can. I may not even have a problem, lol...it truly MAY be in my head.

He reccommends fiber - they sell a product I bought. Psyllium works for some people but may be hard to digest for some. I've used to 100% type in my smoothies. Fiber does help --but not popcorn for me I had some last night to see IF I could handle it (I've been off corn) Well, I won't do that again.

Hum, I have some Benefiber that my GI doctor wanted me to take...I wonder if that would work too...I think it's some kind of "gum" (can't remember if it's guar or xantham or some other type of gum)...I don't seem to have a problem with the gums so far as I can tell. Yep, increasingly I can't do popcorn either (actually it DOES make my dentist happy I DON'T eat popcorn, lol).