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Donna: I hope you are feeling better soon!
Thanks!!! Me too, lol.
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Yes, maybe I will do some gentle e-stalking of Donna and make her go to the conference.
MIss Bumble Bar - would love to meet you! I know that I am driving to my friends' house in San Jose on Friday.....if I get a great night's sleep Fri. night on that terrible bed I will get up and drive to Palo Alto. Pray for sleep! I have PAID for the darned thing! And if I go, I WILL be sampling the gluten-free beer! (have pretty much given up drinking, had a small amount of wine a couple of times, not a problem and dont' even miss it much any more - - now THAT is a miracle!)
Praying! Just look for me at the Bumble Bar booth if they have one, lol. I actually AM planning to go but will probably get there late. I HAVE to take some stuff to the hazardous waste disposal thingy (old paint, thinners etc.), which is in Sunnyvale this weekend...my appointment is at 8:45, so I figure I'll miss the first speaker definitely and maybe the second one as well. I'll cruise the vendors booths until after the first break I think.
Do you guys know that when dogs get old and slightly demented, they really stare at you a lot?? My poor old girl, I think she doesn't quite know who or where she is sometimes..... And then I just say "I'm Mommy, and this is Annie, and you are tika! and she smiles and wags her tail and happily goes to her bed.....happens a lot.....OMGosh!!! My two dogs just used to sit and stare at me, lol. I'd wake up in the morning and the first one would just be sitting there staring at me, lol. The second one was definitely out of it most of the time. I adopted her when she was older and she had lots of medical issues, and towards the end she'd just stand with her head in the corner or on my leg.
oh Dingo girl, I think of you often and hope that you find your way through your struggles. I had so hoped to be able to meet you at the conference but due to transportation and money I was unable to go. I don't know how far you are from me, but if possible I really would like to meet you. Sound silly? I would really like to meet all of you, wish that was possibleI'm sorry you couldn't make it!!!
Donna, I had my first BumbleBar yesterday. It is hard to chew those slowly. lolHa, yes it is...what flavor did you have? My fav is chocolate...add some peanut butter to that and you have just about the perfect food.
Haven't had one now in about a month and a half, although did have the "original" flavor yesterday (first time in a month and a half)...that's mostly cuz my store has been OUT OF THE CHOCOLATE, lol.
Do go to the conference (and you too Donna), so you two can meet up.Yep, I think Susan HAS to go!
Hi everyone! Susie!! I was wondering how you were doing!! I hope you and Bumble girl meet up. It will do you both a world of good since I know Donna hasn't been feeling too well either-both of you need it!! Hey, you can check out each other's jewelry making ideas!!Jewelry! I think I've made well over 100 bracelets, lol.
I'm wearing 6 of them today!
I've also sold a few already. Learned how to put on a clasp last weekend and now I'm busy re-stringing all the ones I made a few weeks ago, lol...otherwise I'd probably have 200 by now. And, speaking of not feeling well, that might be the only thing that keeps me home Saturday...yesterday I had a slight sore throat, then by the end of the day, started getting shooting pain in my right ear every time I swallow....hoping that goes away and it's not an infection! Could also just be the TMJ...good gawd, lol!
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I am supposed to go to the Celiac conference in Stanford this weekend.....paid for my ticket (which I could not afford) and don't really want to go now......but may force myself. Must squelch anxiety!
Me too! I actually considered not going even though I'm already registered and paid...I think I'll at least go for half the day.
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Prayer said for everyone on this thread!
Evie - glad to "see" you again...what a scarey thing to go through!!
Andrea - keeping Mitch in prayer this morning.
Okay, seems like I was going to specifically respond to someone else, but now I've forgotten, lol.
I really need to work on chewing slowly...I have always been a fast eater...I do almost everything fast...walk, talk, eat, shop, lol. My mom and I were talking about this the other day...we both eat so fast, and frankly sometimes I barely chew my food! I think I've known for a long time that chewing longer would be sooooooo beneficial for me, but habits are so hard to break sometimes.
So, the cilantro thing...I still have lots of amalgam fillings so I'm guessing the help might be minimal at best from eating a little cilantro...but guess it couldn't hurt.
I have an appointment next week for my first crown appointment...I told the girl on the phone that I wanted porcelain and why I wanted it, and she actually agreed with me about having a mouth full of metal, lol.
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Thanks Donna and Andrea, I am happy for all the hugs I receive, now I'm in tears though to know that you do care.. LOL
One sister was diagnosed with Celiac and one brother tested also but his blood work came back negative. We all have digestive issues and naturally my father and mother do and it goes back and back.
A niece who is currently on the edge of death, weighing in at 78 pounds and with a diagnosis of Anorexia was treated for Lyme several years ago and with what I am reading it is quite likely Lyme in her case. I had no idea until the other day that she had been treated for Lyme.
I went into a good bookstore the other day and looked for a book on Lyme and there wasn't one, not even one, but plenty on MS for example and it is a common misdiagnosis. One woman had "MS" for twenty years and then discovered it was Lyme. I even read that they are having success treating RA with antibiotics which should make everyone think twice about what RA really is.
Sorry to make you cry, lol, but I DO care about everyone here! I am mind-boggled to think about all the mis-diagnosises (is that a word) going on. I can't understand why someone who loves helping people (as in doctors) wouldn't want to really find the problem. When I do my job (and I do it because I need money, not necessarily because I LOVE what I do), I do it to the very best of my ability, and if something happens that I don't understand, I try to find out WHY it happened, not just fix the current problem...if I were a doctor, I think I'd probably drive myself crazy trying to figure out what was REALLY wrong with people, but I think I'd try. I know it's hard for them because so many things share common symptoms, but why not keep trying to find out instead of telling us we're crazy or sending us home with more drugs.
Okay, sorry for the rant...
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Donna,
I didn't think those "scratch" tests were very reliable. Have you had the elisa allergy test done? I'd be curious about what this doctor had to say about your situation too.
He says the scratch test is fairly reliable as to what you are NOT allergic too...for instance, one can be fairly certain that a negative is a negative, however he did say that positives are sometimes false positives...so if it came back with lots of reactions, I'd probably have to do dietary testing to figure out what was what.
Rinne - wow, sending you a big hug right now!
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Rachel - I can't tell if you're excited about the results of your appointment, but I AM, lol! That sounds so promising, and like you say, even if it comes back negative, you can be very confident in that result AND it rules out one more thing, which gets you closer to the REAL thing! Hum, I can't remember when I went camping last, but my sister lives up near Yosemite and I visited her ocassionally right before I got so sick. I still think I might like to check out this doctor at some point just because of the mercury in my mouth.
Wow, I finally got caught up with this and I CANNOT BELIEVE the dental problems! About ten years ago, after not having problems at all with my teeth, my dentist at the time decided that the old fillings were in bad shape and needed to be replaced. He over -filled them and had to re-drill them a couple of times and my bite was never the same. I had a perfect bite before (only thing that was ever right on this body) and no problems and it was around the same time that the severe FM problems began. I since then have had broken and chipped teeth because the bite was so screwed up. This must have been a major idea that the dental community cooked up to get more income since cavities were not as bad for kids as in the past. Business must have been slow, so they decided to rip out all the old work on everyone. As I read everyone's experiences, I was once again struck at how we all have these same problems.This relevation, coupled with what rinne has discovered about lyme has me wondering why we aren't all dead yet.
Geez, I have been misdiagnosed, cut open, re-drilled, bit by ticks& green head flies, given anesthetics that made me vomit, medicines I probably never needed, food that was poisoning me and I still keep dragging on....
I am so sorry that you all are in the same rocky boat.
This is the beginning of good health for us all, I sincerely believe that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is close my friends. I am doing the salt/vit. C therapy with rinne to possibly rid myself of lyme and then tackle the tooth/mercury problem. This was something I had hoped to avoid facing and I always was in denial that it was the cause since I so hate to go to yet another dr. or dentist and get the "hypochondriac" label. ( I wish there were a way to do it completely naturally, safe and without a dr. I am so sick of them. ) I have always wondered about the link between fillings and FM, but wow, the gluten and other food issues--this is interesting and maybe life-changing for some of us. Isn't is curious that we all seem to have teeth/jaw problems too? I think we should invite a researcher to use us as a scientific study of some kind. Like guinea pigs or rabbits, lol. Take care everyone-you are all in my thoughts and prayers.
Donna--Geewhiz, you have had enough already, get well soon!!!!! Rachel, once again, thank you so much for this thread. Maybe this dr. can finally get you some help.
Thanks Robbin! I agree so much with what you've said here! It's amazing!
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On a side note, I got my "scratch" test for food allergies yesterday...as expected it didn't show much...I had only one reaction (besides to the histamine control) and that was to oats! Up until November of last year I ate quite a bit of oats, but none since finding out about gluten...he asked if I noticed a difference after stopping eating oats, and I said that it was hard to tell because at the same time I cut out gluten, dairy, and went on the new allergy shots... So I have improved, just don't know exactly WHAT made the biggest difference, lol.
We talked about some of the things that could be causing my itching...he said he hasn't heard specifically of anyone having that kind of reaction to sugars, but that he wouldn't doubt that it was possible.
They didn't test for Mango specifically, but he said that often tropical fruits cause problems for certain people. He also said that there is a kind of test they will do...I can bring in any kind of food, or medicine, or whatever and they can do a scratch test with that, although he did say that the results are somewhat iffy because of the irritant factor. So I could bring in mango and they could test for it, lol. My regular doctor is still out on maternity leave, so this is the allergist that is interested in alternative medicine! He is very open minded about stuff, even the stool tests from Enterolabs and he seems honest about the degree of confidence in the results of the various tests.
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Hi everyone...I hate not being able to keep current over the weekend, lol. I've ordered a new computer so in a couple of weeks I should be back to my old posting pattern.
Wow, lots of good scientificness this weekend!
I have ridges on my fingernails...they are vertical and I have a lot of them! I also have the little white marks that look like clouds--not as many as I used to have, but like around 5 small ones today.
Rachel - it was interesting what you quoted about the stuff settling to the lowest points.
I'm getting tested for food allergies today, although I am really not expecting to find out much as I suspect I have no true food allergies...although I may have a slight one to sugars...I definitely notice my legs itch less with less sugars and as soon as I up the sugars (whether natural or not) I itch more. I don't think they test for sugars though, lol.
I did some cleaning and reorganizing this weekend to make room for my new computer and to set up a little work area for my new jewelry making obsession, lol. Whilst doing so I came across my old painting supplies...I had paint thinner, mediums, etc. in a drawer--some of it was LEAKING!!! YIKES!!! I bet some of those "fumes" were wafting into my environment at home...that can't have helped my health situation any. Anyway, they are in a box now, in my trunk and I'm calling a hazardous waste disposal place today to get rid of them.
I also have to call my regular dentist this week to set up an appointment for the crown.
I will insist on porcelain.
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Donna,
I never had the radio signal thing going on either...how feraky would that have been??
I did have ringing in my ears and just about every other symptom imagineable.
I'm lucky in that I dont have a mouthful of metal...never did. I just only had the 4 fillings from when I was akid. Never had any problems or pain with my teeth my whole life. The dentist just said the fillings were old and needed to be replaced and I've been sick ever since he did the work. Bastard!! I learned my lesson.....dont fix it if it aint broke.
Also...I forgot to mention this previously but right after he did the work the bones in my gums on my uppers grew out....they grew out a couple inches. Obviously noone can see it but the bone is just huge on both sides. This happened pretty much immediately after he put in the crowns. I went to several dentists about this but they all told me it wasnt anything bad....it just happens sometimes.
They said the bone grows because its trying to strengthen itself under certain circumstances....like if a person grinds alot and is causing stress on their teeth or whatever. Well I think my bones were trying to build up strength against the major electrical currents that were shooting through my mouth at that time.
There was nothing normal about having these massive bone growths in a very short period of time. They kept telling me they were the largest ones they'd seen....yeah....its like I have shelves built in on the sides of my gums now.
Wow, how weird is it to have the bone grow out! I don't know why my teeth were so bad...I know as a child I HATED dentists, but I remember my mother taking me...somewhere in my younger years I had to have 11 teeth filled all at one time! Yikes. I heard the same thing from my dentist about the fillings being old and needing to be replaced...just in the last few years. Hum, sounds like our dentists went to the same school...or maybe we see the same dentist, lol.
I *know* that my TMJ was caused by dental workBack in 1996, I cracked my front tooth right after we moved to NJ. I didn't have a dentist here yet, so I called around and got an appt with one in the area. He did bond my tooth for me, and also discovered a cavity in one of my molars.
I had it filled, and my bite wasn't right. I had to go back several more times so he could grind down the filled tooth so I could bite down without pain. About the 4th time I went back (I was not able to eat without a searing pain on the tooth underneath), he looked at me, and at his nurse and said--well, in the weeks to come, you'll learn a whole new way to bite.
WTH?
Anyway, (and I was such an idiot then) this was when my jaw/biting problems started.
As an aside, while I had the Novacane in for the cavity, he TOOK IT UPON HIMSELF to take out two small silver fillings that I'd had for years. He didn't even tell me he had done this until after he did it. He seemed very proud that he had done this for me.
I never thought too much about this until you all started talking about this.
Wow!!!! I can't believe he said you'd have to learn a new way to bite...that's crazy.
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Finally went over to the website you posted (Rachel) and found this:
Mercury fillings requires deeper drilling, expands when heated fracturing good tooth resulting in a greater loss of good tooth. And the preparation shapes classically taught for 'fillings' tends to weaken teeth by cutting through critical structural members. Furthermore, many dentists place amalgams that are far too large, thus further weakening surrounding tooth structure, since amalgams cannot bond to teeth and it helps to reinforce them.Yikes, no wonder it seems like in the last few years, every time my dentist fills a tooth, I end up having to have it crowned not long afterwards! This kind of makes me mad!
Galvanism can cause ringing ears, headaches, and the phenomena of receiving radio signals.OMG, I don't have the radio signal thing, but I definitely have more headaches and ringing in the ears lately.
Root canals and extractions can result in pockets of necrotic waste products that increase the toxicity of mercury or focal infection. Current techniques may not be able to remove all necrotic waste-products. Even extractions, if not done meticulously, may leave dead materials that can chronically fester and lead to other symptoms or pain not even directly associated with the infected or damaged structures. This is called referred pain and can manifest itself into the jaws, neck, sinus, and other parts of the body.Um, yep, pain in the jaw, neck, sinuses! Sounds a lot like TMJ to me! I'll be really pissed if the dental work I've had done caused TMJ because that was just so unnecessary!
so I'm gonna try to get up and go to work around 1 or 2 am (yeah right)Now, you're sounding like me, lol. I started work today at 4:50 a.m., which meant leaving my house at 4:15 or so, lol, cuz I needed to leave early to have my follow-up with the endodontist.
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Yeah...its a doctor that I'm going to. I cant wait until Monday...I hope I get a good amount of info. from my appt. and I hope I also come outta there with alot of hope.
Out of every appt. I've ever had over these last 4 years and out of every specialist I've seen...I feel like this is going to be the most important I've had yet.
I'm pretty excited about your appointment too!
I can't wait to hear what they have to say, not only because you've been so sick, but also because it seems like it might be pretty pertinent to my situation as well, even though I'm not as sick as you are (I mean that in the nicest way, lol).
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Donna, hope you get well too.
Thanks!
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Donna, my body is very poisoned...I dont see how it *cant* be mercury. I just felt the hugest wave of relief when the HN doctor told me they had discussed everything and had decided to send me to this specialist for mercury toxicity. I couldnt for the life of me get a doctor to listen to me about this for over 3 years now....I didnt even say anything to the doc after this...I was just stunned and kind of speechless. I had pretty much given up since all the doctors have told me its not likely and I didnt know where to get help. The HN doc said there are 2 very knowledgeable doctors that treat mercury toxicity in our area...the one he had me call is in Los Altos...on El Camino. It sort of feels like Monday is so far away...I hope the rest of the week flys by.
Also because of whatever's poisoning me I cant take much of anything in the way of chemicals in food, perfumes, etc. If I exceed my tolerance (which doesnt take much at all) I'll start having problems with my gold earrings and I'll also get a rash on my stomach from my belt coming in contact with my skin. These things only happen when I've exposed myself to something really bad.....like the auxigro'd yams and sweet potatoes.
By the way...I tested these out again this past week....*just to make sure*....same thing happened. I became increasingly more sensitive, my ears are infected now, small rash on my stomach, kinda weepy the past few days and majorly sensitive to perfumes. I also had stomach problems. I stopped eating them yesterday...feeling better today but still hypersensitive.
Its pretty much like my doctor said...I can avoid all these chemicals in food but its not gonna get me better....its only gonna give me some relief and allow me to function somewhat normally. The underlying problem isnt going to go away until its adressed and all the sensitivities are a direct result of whatever is dragging my immune system down.
I don't think I am as poisoned as you, but I think I'm getting there. I'm getting tested Monday for food allergies again just to rule out the possibility that I have developed any actual food allergies during the last 3 years. I am fortunate in that one of the allergists in the office I go to has a big interest in alternative medicine--I don't see him normally, but my regular allergist (who is also very open minded about alternative medicine) was out on maternity leave and so I saw him last week for a routine "shot check". We talked about a lot of things including my very itchy legs. They are considering branching out a little, so in a while may start doing some of the testing that I think HN does. I told him I'd be their "ginnie pig" for the testing when they start, lol. I think one of the first tests they may do is the testing for metals and chemicals. I'm there!
Anyway, I am not totally sure all the amalgam was removed when they put my crowns on! Yikes! And, I was way off...I actually have FIVE gold crowns already, so this new one would be SIX! Wow. I have fillings all over the place, so at least one or two of the crowns and definitely this new one will come into contact with one of the teeth with amalgam. I'll have to look to see if the one on El Camino is on my insurance plan...I don't remember seeing El Camino on there, but I'll look again.
I've never noticed any vapors, but I can say that most of the time the crowns feel smooth and cool, but every once in a while there will be a spot near the gum line that feels weird...tinny almost and different. After reading what you've been saying, it's making me nervous!
I am definitely thinking of switching dentists if my regular dentist won't go porcelain this time.
Oh, it's the mercury specialist doctor who's on El Camino, not the dentist, right, lol. I think I read that wrong....cool. The doctor still might be covered under my insurance then.
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It definately sounds like you got toxined or poisoned Rachel. Donna, it sounds like you are heading that direction. I looked into the mercury amalgam thing last year. The holisitic doctor I saw recommended removing the amalgams but I'm thinking the gluten would cause more problems that the amalgams. I have 6 left and 4 of those need to be crowns, so when I get them done it will take care of most of them. Since the shaving of the tooth takes care of most if not all of the filling, then I won't have to worry about the mercury from those. Of course we still have the vapors, he does use a dam though. I swallowed both times after the proceedure which I wasn't supposed to do though.
Yah, I think I'm definitely headed that way...I always swallow too...can't help it. My regular dentist does NOT use a dam, but they do suction here and there, but not enough to keep me from swallowing.
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Donna,
Are any of your gold crowns in contact with your amalgams?? I definately think this could be a major problem for you....especially if you started getting sick after some of them were put in. For me...all my life I had 4 amalgam....2 on top...two on the bottom. All on the exact same teeth...one on each side...upper and lowers. So when he took out my upper amalgams and put in the crowns....I ended up having 2 gold crowns directly above 2 silver amalgams. Both sides were affected but I had more problems on one side than the other...the side where I could sense a gas leaking out was where I had the most problems...thats also the tooth I ended up losing.
Same as you I cant wear any jewelery anymore. I sometimes have trouble with my 14kt gold earrings that I've tolerated my entire life. Before I got sick I could wear other jewelery like anklets, bracelets, etc...they didnt have to be gold but now I cant wear anything like that for even a day w/out getting a rash. I wore an anklet for one day a week and a half ago and I still have a rash from it.
All of these sensitivities have to be related to the toxic burden my body is probably dealing with. I guess I'll find out soon enough. The holistic dentist I had seen 2 years ago retired shortly after. He was very good...but also very old. He sold his practice and I dont know of any other knowledgeable dentists like that in the area but I could certainly find out...probably from the doctor I'll see on Monday.
Oh yeah....I did see another dentist who was somewhat knowledgeable too... he was the one the healthnow doc sent me to. I only saw him once and cant even remember where he was located.
Yep, my gold crowns are all right next to teeth with amalgam fillings. On the left side, I also feel weird things where the crown is on the bottom...in fact there is a really sore spot in the gum (beside the tooth, not under it as is normal). My dentist didn't know what that could be...um, I think I'm getting a clearer picture after your post, lol. I often have a metallic taste in my mouth!
I can still wear bracelets and anklets, but only if it's not hot outside...if it's hot, then it seems to bother me and I can't wear any jewelry.
I searched for holistic dentist on Yahoo! and the holistic dental association came up....I did a search and found a few in our area (but obviously don't have any idea how good any of them are)...there is one who is actually covered under my insurance, so I may check her out, especially if my dentist doesn't want to put in a porcelain crown...she's in Sunnyvale on South Mary Ave...I see now that they have a website www.asunnyvaledentist.com which I'll go check out in a minute. The website for the org is: Open Original Shared Link
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Very cool. A friend wants to go out to dinner tonight...I think I'll suggest Outback!
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OK...I got back my test results last Wed. This was for the 24 hr. urine test.....the bloodwork wasnt back yet. The doc said histamine levels were normal. I'm a little bit leery about the ogre at the lab not properly handling the sample...I never saw her refridgerate it and she didnt handle my bloodwork properly so I'm a little skeptical...but whatever....I dont want to retake the test.
There is a new more important development...at least I think it is. When I first got sick and started typing my symptoms into the search engine....the first thing that caught my eye was mercury toxicity...specifically amalgam illness. I know I've talked about this alot in the past but could never get any real answers or any doctors to really address this.
The thing is...I got sick right after having 2 amalgam fillings removed and replaced with gold crowns. The new gold crowns were in direct contact with my remaining 2 amalgam fillings. I was in perfect health prior to this dental work. What I learned 4 years ago when I first learned of mercury toxicity is that
a. Amalgam fillings should NEVER be removed unless proper safety measures are taken...there is a specific protocol.
b. Gold crowns in contact with mercury fillings causes galvanic reaction. Galvanic reaction causes VERY high amounts of mercury to be leaked from the filling. As far as mercury toxicity from amalgam fillings goes....placing gold crowns in the presence of amalgam fillings is a very big no-no. Its emphasized in all of my readings that this should NEVER happen and its very dangerous.
So...when I read all this way back then I was very convinced since the symptoms matched and my dentist had done nothing to protect me from mercury exposure while removing the amalgam. My condition was far worse back then but at that time I hadnt eliminated all sources of chemicals in my diet and home the way I've done this past year.
I *was* experiencing galvanic reaction....it was like a sensation of my jaw being pulled together by some unknown force and also electric type shocks. I also was salivating so much that when I woke up at night my head and pillow were soaked from my own saliva. This was not something I'd ever experienced before and knew it was connected to the new crowns. I was grinding my teeth fiercely as well...another new problem. Grinding would have released even more amounts of mercury into my system.
The dentist acknowledged that I was experiencing galvanic reaction but he DID NOT acknowledge that any harm could be caused by it...or that mercury toxicity was a possibility. I didnt expect him to since I'd already read that in this country a dentist can lose his lisence for acknowledging the dangers of mercury in amalgams. I had him remove the gold crowns and replace with porcelain.
Later I saw a mercury-free dentist who evaluated me and removed the remaining amalgam....following the correct protocol. We were unsure of the materials used in the porcelain crowns and since a person as sensitive as I had become can be reactive to any materials he also removed those crowns. I had to take a compatibility test for all materials including cements to make sure whatever he put in my mouth was something safe for me. Its been exactly 2 years now since all the amalgams were removed and replaced.
Unfortunately mercury isnt easy to detect when it comes from amalgam. It doesnt travel around the body....it basically stores itself in tissue and wont show up in urine or blood. It causes autoimmune disease, chemical and environmental sensitivities and impairs the immune system....among other things. I had ordered a book online about amalgam illness...it was difficult reading...even for me, who loves the scientificness....not to mention that back then my brain wasnt functioning well at all. What I did understand is that mercury from amalgams can cause some very serious health problems....the list of conditions is long and its scary stuff for sure.
I pursued this to the best of my abilities from having everything removed to taking whatever tests were available to me. I had blood tests, urine tests and hair analysis...all which came up empty. I did understand, however, that no matter what the tests said....mercury could still be the problem. The biggest challenge was finding a doctor to take me serious w/out any eveidence of toxicity.
My doctors at HealthNow were focusing on the gluten related issues first but eventually did test me for mercury a few months back. It was a bloodtest to see if antibodies were present showing that my immune system was fighting mercury. Again, this isnt a reliable test but all that was offered to me.
I knew from my research almost 4 years ago that there is a specific test for detecting mercury toxicity. Its a DMPS mercury challenge. Basically DMPS is one of the only known chelators of mercury....another one is DMSA. First they take a urine sample and measure any mercury that may be in the urine. Next they administer the DMPS...it will pull mercury out of the tissue and it will be excreted in the urine. Urine is tested over a 24 hour period following the DMPS challenge. If the levels are dramatically increased it would indicate mercury toxicity in the patient. I was never able to find a doctor to run this test and eventually gave up and focused on other things. Obviously after all this time I'm only learning to manage my symptoms but definately not getting to the root of the problems.
At my doctor appt. last week the doctor told me they have been unsuccessful in getting to the bottom of things and all tests or treatments they've tried have failed. He now believes that mercury may be at the root of this...especially since I've stated at almost all my appts. that I got sick after the dental work. He decided to refer me to a specialist who will administer the DMPS challenge. Its a test that should only be given by a specialist and can be hazardous if not done correctly.
I have an appt. to see this doctor on Monday. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. Its been 4 years now and mercury has always been at the back of my mind. There is no way I could go from perfect health to this basically overnight...it happened very rapidly.
If the challenge comes back positive for toxicity they will chelate the mercury from my body the same way...with the DMPS....until the mercury is no longer showing up in my urine. Of all things...I never wanted mercury to be the reason for this. However at this point I'll be happy to find out once and for all and to start treatment and hopefully have my health restored.
I had told the dentist over 3 years ago that I believed I had been poisoned due to his ignorance about mercury. If it comes back positive I will be calling his office again. They need to know what I've gone through so that in the future they dont put someone else through something like this.
The worst part is that when he removed my amalgam he asked me what type of crowns I wanted....gold or porcelain? Well...who the heck wants gold in their mouth? I chose porcelain...he then proceeded to tell me that the porcelain were not very good, didnt last as long, werent durable, etc. He said the cost was the same but that gold was superior. Since the crowns were all the way in the back and not visible I agreed to the gold after he said all of this. If I had gotten the porcelain like I'd originally requested....I would probably still be healthy....if it turns out to be mercury toxicity I'm dealing with. I cant even tell you how many times this conversation has played out in my mind over the last 4 years.
I really have had alot of anger towards dentists since this occurred. In the future regardless of what the test results say....I will only see holistic dentists because they are the only ones who are aware of the dangers of amalgams and take it seriously. I remember when I did all my research that I read several times that of all professions....dentists have the highest suicide rate. They have high levels of mercury in their bodies due to unsafe practice and ignorance.
Well....I expect I'll have alot more to report in upcoming weeks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some answers.
Oh..its also a good thing that I've had my amalgams removed 2 years back. The DMPS cannot be administered under any circumstances if there is still amalgam in the patient. There is also a wait time between removal and chelation. I'm good to go since I got everything removed back then. Mercury will eventually leave the body on its own but it has a very long half-life....we're talking maybe 10-15 years after removing the amalgam. I'm not really wanting to wait another decade or more to get better. I also dont want anymore autoimmune diseases in the mean time.
Holy moly! I have to admit that sometimes I just skim over the scientificness stuff since my over taxed brain can't handle it most days, but I read every word of this post because it is so timely!!!!! I've been in dental h*ll the last few years, lol. I have so many amalgam filings and have 3 gold crowns. Last week I had a root canal and will need another crown for that tooth. I was really considering asking for procelain even though it's the last molar on the top in the back. I asked for porcelain on one of my other crowns and got the same speech from my dentist as you did. At this point I don't care if they don't last as long.
I AM CONVINCED many of my problems are due to the amount of amalgam/metal in my mouth. I am so sensitive to metals...I've stated on another thread somewhere that I can't even wear 14kt gold earrings anymore...it started out that I could wear any kind of earring, even cheap metals, then I couldn't wear silver, and now gold. Your jaw problem sounds a lot like what's been happening to me, although I DO believe the TMJ diagnosis in my case because I also have the clicking when I open my mouth wide and my neck/jaw is always sore/tight.
I'll be interested if you get this all sorted out to know where you go...especially interested in the holistic dentist....it seems every time my dentist does something (not talking about normal cleaning through), I end up needing more work done and it usually results in a filling or a crown. I think I have at least 10 teeth that have fillings and/or crowns!
Hi Donna! Good to hear you are hanging in there with all that has been going on with your mouth. Has the pain improved any since the root canal?Yes it has...I just have a very dull ache in the jaw and the neck is still quite sore and have a few headaches here and there, but the horrible shocking/shooting pain in the jaw and ear is gone thank goodness! I haven't had to take any pain medication since last Thursday.
Oh, how I remember those. I had mine done before finding out we were expecting Seth. I still have 4 teeth that are cracked. I'm thinking of having two pulled since they are the back molars. Not looking forward to having any more done and am out of money anyway.I still want to get allergy testing done for the rest of the family too. Maybe someday.
I can tell you that in the midst of the worst pain, all I could think about was having all my teeth pulled, lol. Don't really want dentures, but gosh I'm tired of all the dental stuff.
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Hi Donna.
I have TMJ too, I dont know if its from clenching in the night, I just have a tight jaw somtimes. But anyway.
I had a root canal too a month ago, I felt queasy after swallowing some of the dental material, and the
lidocaine, but that went away after 2 days, during the time where I had the temporary filling
waiting for the crown, I got really sick and had a really bitter taste in my mouth, the temp was made out of Acrylic, which I am really sensitive to. It was in my mouth and leaching out and making me sick, I even got a cold sore on my mouth and ive only had one in my whole life.
When I got the porceline tooth and he took out that acrylic crap, its been smooth sailing.
Yep, I've got the temp filling. I go back on Thursday for a re-check then I'll have to go to my regular dentist for a crown. I think I'm going to ask for porcelain...I'm really getting concerned about all the metal in my mouth, lol. Anyway, the pain of the cracked tooth on top of the pain of the TMJ was just unbearable. Thankfully, as soon as the root canal was finished I went home and took lots of Advil and put warm compresses on the jaw (advice from the dentist), so the pain level was managable. By the time the numbing stuff wore out, I was pretty comfortable.
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So who's going?
want to have a place to meet or something, i'm not sure on the setup yet, we will set up the night before
Me.
I'm registered and everything.
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Dimmer switch
Good idea, Donna. How are you today--better?
Much better. The pain is gone. I'm taking a lot of Advil still today, but probably won't need to...I just am because it's a choir night and my mouth will be getting lots of use, lol.
The endodontist I saw is very good...gave me tips on how to reduce the TMJ pain (they were a lot like what you told me to do)...and didn't feel the root canal at all.
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Maybe we can put our weather on a dimmer switch, lol...turn it down for nice cozy times by the fire and turn it up for some fun in the sun. We can add a rain option too for those of us who like a little rain with our cozy.
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Good to hear from you Donna.
Hopefully you wont have to go through anything like that again. Next time you can tell the dentist you have TMJ and maybe they can shorten the time you have to kepp your mouth open...so as not to aggravate it. Too bad about having to go off your diet...at least you know it helped with the itching though and you can get back on it when this is over with.
I'm back on the diet today....I just couldn't chew anything and I couldn't find anything "meat" that didn't involve chewing, lol. I even went to Whole Foods to get baby food...the only "meat" I could find was chicken with sweet potatoes...everything else had wheat or barley in it. Bought eggs, but just couldn't eat them...the thought of it was making me queasy...why do "soft" foods have to be carbohydrates, lol. I was trying to think of a way to pulverize the meat, but couldn't quite bring myself to experiment.
I've still got my cold...I thought yesterday would be the worst day and then I'd start feeling better but I'm home sick today.Its my second day I've missed since going back to work in Sept....I'm bummed out that I blew it. I was proud of only missing one full day.
I hate missing work for sickness, lol.
I was just starting to get my PTO time built up again after having used it all up last year from being so darned sick...if I take time off I want it to be for fun!
Sorry you're still sick!
Hi Donna!!So glad to hear from you
Will the root canal help with the TMJ pain? I'm not sure I even know what a root canal is to be honest with you
You can get right back onto your diet, great news that it has releived some of the itching.
Yes, I did go back in the thread yesterday, funny thing though I never reterned
I have the worst brain fog, not sure why but have been a complete space cadet and can't seem to follow through on anything or put many thoughts together to post. I know there are lots of things I need to reply to, but I'm too scatter brained
HI!!! The root canal won't help with the TMJ pain, but it did take care of the eating problem I was having, lol. Somehow the cracked tooth (which has been cracked for several months and which never hurt until Tuesday), started to really hurt. I couldn't even chew on the other side of my mouth because the lower tooth would hit the upper cracked tooth. A root canal is where they clean out the dead or dying root tissue located in one of the root canals in the tooth. If they don't clean it out it will eventually spread to surrounding tissue. It supposedly kills the nerve endings there, so pain goes away.
I definitely think I made the cracked tooth worse because of the TMJ thing though. I must have ground my teeth while sleeping. I had to constantly relax my jaw while awake because I found myself clenching the jaw because of the pain...I can imagine that happened while I was sleeping too.
After nearly 7 days of pain, I can say that it is WONDERFUL to NOT be in pain. The only thing I'm still fighting is the nausea from the antibiotics. At least I'm able to eat! Yay, don't take away my eating, lol.
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I'm sorry you have been feeling so ill, how are you today? Have you tried gargling with sea salt?
Didn't think of that, but honestly couldn't stand up for even 5 minutes, lol. It finally passed about midday, and was able to eat some corn tortillas which seemed to settle my stomach...that was it, just the one day fortuantely.
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Donna, Have you tried rinsing with epson salt(don't laugh-know yawl think all I talk about is epson salt) but it works. I had teeth, gum problems before I figured out the celiac problem and it works or did for me.
Bought two small containers this week, lol. Haven't used them yet though.
Donna...I somehow missed your post earlier. I'm sorry you're not feeling too good.What happened? Was it food related or do you have the flu or something? I caught a cold so am feeling pretty yucky myself...it sounds like you were having a really bad time though. I was hoping you were ok....hadnt seen any posts from you. Hope it passes quickly.
Hope you're feeling better by now! I don't think it was food related...I think I took too much Vicodin on an empty stomach. I took two Vidodin before bed, then 4 hours later took 2 more. One wasn't even touching the pain, two seemed to dull it, but I think taking that many so close together probably wasn't good on an empty stomach.
Will post more tomorrow.........just wanted to say Donna I am so sorry you have been in so much pain. Hang in there
I'll check in tomorrow to see how you are doing.
Better.
I was home for work on Monday because I was so sick, then went to work on Tuesday, but left early for the Endodontist appointment, then stayed home yesterday because they were able to schedule the root canal, but at 10:00 a.m....right in the middle of my day. I felt fine yesterday but just couldn't get on my computer...grrr...think I have to get a new one or have mine rebuilt.
I hope you feel better too Donna.Thanks!
Tazorac Cream - Anyone Ever Use This?
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Darn...sometimes it's just all too difficult isn't it!? I was responding to your long post, but got interrupted by a co-worker and now I see that you've changed it, lol.