Wednesday, August 24, 2011

August 24, 2011

It has been one year since I was formally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.  With my first two months on 4 different medications and a final decision by myself to take my health into my own hands and seek non-traditional treatment.
I am glad I did as now I am able to control my pain levels.  I have learned which foods cause me pain and if I really want a certain food I can have it....at a price....pain.
I have also learned that because I have control of my pain by eating the correct foods I can have an occasional cheat...like two bites of a rich ooey gooey brownie...and not have pain.  Or knowing that any kind of potatoes cause me pain so if I avoid them I have no pain.
I have also learned that chemicals, certain types of chemicals, cause buzzing, tingling, sharp cold stabbing pain within my body in random areas.  If I avoid those products I won't have those sensations.  There are many other products that can be found to replace the product that does cause pain.

Learning to drink only water and like it was a huge advancement for me so much so that now that when I decide to 'cheat' and have a lemonade, it does not taste good.

I have learned that there are different types of supplements.  Different grades of supplements.  Like everything, there are good, better, excellent and just plain bad supplements.  Who know there were 'fillers' in vitamins?  Or trying to save money on our supplements really was not giving us our monies worth.  There truly is something in 'you get what you pay for' when it comes to supplements and vitamins.

All that being said, I have gained so much back to my life.
I've lost a few pounds, found energy, saved some money on products I really don't need and the best part is I'm able to get back to my favorite hobby. Quilting.

I will continue to share my journey in hopes that others will give the protocol a try to have the same wonderful effect.

Smiles

Kim

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

And someone asks.... 'ok what is it you do?'

Kay: ok what is it you do?

Briefly first you should know last summer was the last straw for me. I woke to body stopping pain and I had had enough. I have always had pain, my whole life. I have just learned to deal with it. I usually ran about a 7-10 for pain levels. Some days worse some days bareable some days okay. But always a headache 24 hours a day. Soda for energy, chocolate for, well everything, right, chocolate makes everything better. Living life just like everyone of us lives, fast food, boxed food, I always told people its not what you eat its how much you eat. HA! Anyway, I have always tried to be fit, exercise, work out...always caused pain...no pain no gain right? I have always had pain. Not pain in one area, all over pain. Here there everywhere. Sometime by itself sometimes all at once. I have seen and been to lots of doctors. Lots of specialists. Been on lots of medicine. Nothing every hit the pain and I usually would just not take meds. Not gonna work, not gonna even put it in my body. So back to last August. Pain. Me, can't move, crying because it hurt so bad to lift my arms. I went to my chiropractor who thought I was stroking or being poisoned. Nothing wrong from his point of view...I was in alignement and he listened to my veins and I didn't sound blocked or unusual. So to my PCP. He touched my right knee (this was the only exam he did) said it was not hot or swollen gave me a script for prednisone and 2 names of specialists to see and sent me on my way. I could barely walk and he didn't bother getting up to open the door (I'm a little pissed at him for being a lousy human being and I do not see him any longer). Went to specialist, she told me I was depressed, gave me Cymbalta and see a therapist. So now I'm happy I'm in pain because cymbalta sends a msg to your body of no pain. I quit the cymblata. I will just fix myself thank you very much. Researched online. Found Dr St Amand. Read his book. I started with removing chemicals from my use.
Did you know we put on over 250 chemicals on our body in the morning before we leave the bathroom. I changed the products I used and within 3 days the 15 year headache was gone GONE!!! I found a doctor 2 hours from Tucson and I went to meet him. He follows the guaifenesin protocol from Dr St Amand. Dr Muhich put me on a strict hypoglycemic diet for a month to detox my body. No dairy, no milk, no soda (i hadn't drank soda for 5 years anyway) no red meat, no potatoes, carbs, sugar, no caffiene. Eat around the edges of the store. Thought I was going to die. Fresh veggies, chicken, fish, fresh fruit and water, tea or coffee. Don't drink coffee and tea needs 2 tons of sugar so that was out. Left water. Lost some weight there and I only weighed 140 anyway.

Then I was able to start the guaifenesin a month after that. 2 months into the guai protocol I was introduced to x2o, I hate water, its a dead weight in me, I hate the dirt filter system and it just tastes awful but it was all I could drink. Larry gave me the x2o and it did what it said. I could feel it absorb in my body. I was drinking lots of water now and I was having an increase of energy. I still wasn't sleeping much though.

Next came the Focus up. With fibro, your brain is consintrating of pain, keeping it under control, or hoping to keep it under control. So your thought process is shot. Remembering things and multy tasking is a thing of the past. And whats the dogs name again? Focus up has extracts in them, so I was very careful when I tried the product. OMG, not just energy and help with mood I could think through the pain! On bad days I used 1/3 of the focus up and I could get through the day with my smarts.

Now the KX was did it for me for the inflammation it helped a lot. On day 5 I was burning in my legs then on day 10 I was out watering the yard and a planter was overflowing so I ran to the facet to turn the water off. I don't run, it hurts. but I ran then I realised I didn't have pain, at all that day. :) Yeah!!! That was in March. I was still having bad days and pain, and fog and not sleeping, But...I was getting better. I shared this with my PCP, who when I told them this got up and walked out of the office. Didn't get excited for me at all. So I kept going to Dr Muhich every month for my mappings to see how much my body was detoxing. See my page for the mappings (it is super amazing...it makes me laugh how wonderful I am doing) .
Still not sleeping through the night, which is very typical for fibro. Again Larry gives me more Xooma products. PM. For the love of GOD where has this stuff been all my life?!?!?! I slept all night, dead to the world, body off, no dreams nothing. I woke up at 6 in the morning and hoped out of bed. I was lets go! Let's get this day going, places to go people to see stuff to do, lets rule the world! Took 2 AM's that morning also. I had so much energy!

That was April. You guys, I have been doing wonderful since then. With the exception of June and part of July because I set myself into a flare. Super woman here thought she felt so well she could move a washing machine out of the laundry room by herself. And I would have too if my 19 year old hadn't said 'mom this is gonna fall on you and kill you if you try to take it down those 2 steps' and she wouldn't help' :P! I hurt so bad from the pain again. I dumped 20 sachets of x2o in a bath and that helped a lot but I had to suffer through to get back to no pain, which I am happy to say I am now back to for about a week now.

Food, chemicals are the starting point for everyone. WATER, who knew how important that was and it has to have X2O in it. Now the tingling I have in me is from the excitement from all of these products, from how I made changes in MY life, how I changed MY life. None of the doctors I went to seemed to care as long as they gave me some medicine according to whatever list they work from thats supposed to help. I only see my chiropractor now, he cares about me, he listens and is excited how much I have improved!
No INTENSE exercising for fibro patients, it will cause flares and set one back again. Yoga, walking, pilates, swimming, dancing (not Zumba that almost killed me -think that is what was what pushed my body to the edge). Gentle exercise for fibro people.

Kay: Thank you for sharing all of this. Before I read this I didnt know much about Fibro and its affects on the body. I have learned a lot tonight. Thanks again

Thank you, Kay for asking, I love sharing my story with people in hopes to reduce someone elses pain.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Brief explaination of 'what is Fibromyalgia' (from Dr St Amand's website)

What is Fibromyalgia?Fibromyalgia is a syndrome, meaning that it is a collection of symptoms that occur together, and not all patients have all of them. Women are affected more than men--only about 20 percent are male--and it also occurs in children. Fibromyalgia means "pain in muscles and fibers." This pain must be present in all four quadrants of the body for three months. Diagnosis is made by the prescence of tender swollen areas that hurt when a small amount of pressure is applied. However, not all patients have significant pain, for some fatigue is the primary complaint. Other symptoms include headahces, irritable bowel syndrome, irritable bladder, vulvodynia, problems with memory and concentration, nervousness, depression, and sensitivity to sound, light and odors.

What causes Firbromyalgia?We believe it is an inherited trait and that from birth phosphates very slowly build up in your tissues. At puberty and other accelerated growth times your body uses more of the phosphate you ingest. The build up might completely stop at that time. However, at some point, depending on your genetic trait, you become symptomatic: ie the phosphates have built up to the point where they cause an impediment in making energy. Eventually this lack of energy, dysenergism, causes our symptoms.
You will reverse one year of build-up with about 2 months of guaifenesin. If you stop taking guaifenesin when you stop feeling symptoms the build up will begin again and in time your symptoms will come back. That's why we stay on guai for life despite the fact that we feel better.


Is Fibromyalgia an auto-immune disease?Fibromyalgia is not an auto-immune disease. Auto immune means that the body destroys itself. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is autoimmune --the body actually attacks its own thyroid as if it were foreign tissue and destroys the gland. ( "Auto" means self as in the word autonomy.) Antibodies made by our own body destroy parts of it in this kind of illness.

In fibromyalgia there is no tissue destruction. It's one of the hallmarks of FM, actually. No changes are seen on Xray, MRIs, on blood tests, or in biopsies. If you see destruction--you know immediately that the cause is from some other condition. The immune system in FMS is somewhat underactive.
This should not be a huge shock to us fibromyalgics since our mind and our muscles and our stomachs and our fingernails and hair don't work very well either. Our immune systems are probably too tired to attack us! There doesn't appear to be any more of a connection between the immune system and FMS than this general one.

Pain level 8-15-2011 is zero, slight tingling in left arm lasting 30 seconds or less in evening.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Mappings and ME

Ahhhhh, back on track.  Back to pain free days again!  Everyone has got to incorporate this protocol into their life style.
(except the moving washing machines by themselves part).
Had another mapping on the 11th of August.
3 Spots remain...3 SPOTS!!!
You have no idea how exciting this is.
A lifetime of pain and learning to just deal with it.
A lifetime of going from doctor to doctor, getting the joy of trying a med that doesn't work.
I am so glad I didn't give up. 
Researched and found Dr St Amand's protocol.
Found Dr. Muhich who follows this protocol and WAAAAA LAAAAAAA!

PAIN FREE DAYS.  ME!!!!

You have got to try too :)

Saturday, August 6, 2011

August 6th 2011

Today was a WONDERFUL day!
The flare that I have been dealing with is letting go of me, finally.
I have now learned I can not move a washing machine by myself without causing way more pain than I want to live with.
I have to wonder now if it was the washing machine that caused the pain or the humidity that has been up for the last 3 weeks also. 
Because the flare is on the way out, I was able to hit my ever growing 'To Do List'. 
The growing mound of things that coud wait to be washed disappeared today.  Table clothes, extra towels and that load of sheets are completed.
My diningroom table that became the drop zone, is now set up for sewing tomorrow.  Going to work on a quilt that had to take a back seat during this resting period, is going to see some work in the morning.
One of the many draw backs to Fibromyalgia is the just don't want to do anything mode you get in.
Everything just takes a backseat while you just get by until your body releases you from the pain.

That is why I am thankful I found the protocol I have been following for now 10 months.  Eating fresh foods, no mor boxed, frozen or processed foods.  Avoiding salicylates, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate in the products.  No mint, no dairy, sodas and everything with cafiene to include chocolate.  Amazing pain relief just by doing that.
Water only with my X2O sachet in it.  An occasional lemonade when eating out with my sweetie. 
Still taking the Guaifenesin to purge the built up toxins. (going for a mapping this week, can't wait to see the continuing changes).
Sleep is so important ans with the current stressors from work I am needing a little help and I have found Metabowise PM, enough to get me to sleep, able to wake up if I need to during night, if not I sleep all night with none of the grogginess one gets from sleeping pills.

I have been doing so well with the Kardiaxyme that when my 12 year old Dalmation wasn't doing so well and had me thinking it was 'time'.  I gave her an ounce daily.  1 ounce for her and 2 ounces for me.  And let me tell you she is jumping around, running, barking again.  Amazing what Kardiaxyme can do for a person (or a pet) lol.

I am truly blessed that I have choosen this path and it is working for me. 
I hope to keep sharing my success with others and hopefuly they will try it and see what it does for them.

Tomorrow, can't wait to sit and create !!!