All Discussions Tagged 'paleo' - Heal Thyself!2024-03-29T02:03:45Zhttp://heal-thyself.ning.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=paleo&feed=yes&xn_auth=noComplicated case - being passed around b/c no one knows what to do!tag:heal-thyself.ning.com,2012-07-20:2814160:Topic:619522012-07-20T20:41:19.357Zprogpatienthttp://heal-thyself.ning.com/profile/Erica
<div class="discussion"><div class="description"><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Hi all!</p>
<p>I am so excited to be here and I hope I will be able to learn tons! I am in need of some support and guidance by those who have "been there, done that, got the t-shirt" as I have a rather storied medical history and have been passed around by various medical professionals. I have a stable treatment team now and I am seeing a functional MD who is the local guru in complicated cases, but she tends to…</p>
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<div class="discussion"><div class="description"><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Hi all!</p>
<p>I am so excited to be here and I hope I will be able to learn tons! I am in need of some support and guidance by those who have "been there, done that, got the t-shirt" as I have a rather storied medical history and have been passed around by various medical professionals. I have a stable treatment team now and I am seeing a functional MD who is the local guru in complicated cases, but she tends to push (expensive) supplements and it's not in the budget. <br/><br/><br/>Anyhow, I was a pretty typical, healthy college student until I was 21. I started getting these weird migraine episodes that presented like strokes. Shortly after, I started presenting with overwhelming fatigue and muscle pain and was labeled with CFS and fibro. Throw in a terrible ordeal with GI symptoms and some mismanaged care and lack of testing and I was on a rapid downhill spiral by the age of 23. <br/><br/></p>
<p>We finally pinpointed gluten intolerance as a cause of many of my symptoms and a muscle biopsy revealed I have mitochondrial dysfunction and recent bloodwork revealed I am compound heterozygous for MTHFR and I also suspect sulfation issues. PHEW!</p>
<p><br/>A few months ago, my health continued to spiral and I began having seizures. I'm now 26 and we were seriously starting to doubt I'd make it to 30 at the rate I was going. I decided enough was enough and overhauled the diet even more (no easy feat since I am now "allergic" to 14 foods) and began rotating my foods, juicing, taking different supplements, etc. I am making significant progress, but I'm starting to slide backward and seem to have hit a plateau. My weight is still dropping and I can't seem to eat enough to maintain, which is a problem.</p>
<p>The functional MD has said my liver is very toxic (likely from years of psych drugs from misdiagnosis and my attempt to be compliant), I have adrenal fatigue, and likely heavy metal toxicity. The biggest issue is leaky gut. I have symptoms after EVERY time I eat absolutely ANYthing.</p>
<p><br/>I had a consult recently with Dr. Ben Lynch (MTHFR.net) and he would like to have a methylation pathway panel done to further explore what my body is doing before treating the MTHFR issue.</p>
<p>Currently, I am doing the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>castor oil packs on abdomen 1 hour daily (this is new and I think it's causing some nausea and eczema on my right side hip area)</li>
<li>Mg Malate supplement daily</li>
<li>Zinc carnitine (Zinlori) daily</li>
<li>Mitochondrial disease cocktail (formulated for me; Carnitine, CoQ10, Creatine)</li>
<li>1 tsp L-Glutamine daily (trying to heal leaky gut)</li>
<li>1 TBSP flax (organic, freshly ground) daily</li>
<li>probiotic (60 billion from Metagenics)</li>
<li>Enzymedica digestive enzymes (CarbGest and Digest Gold) with each meal</li>
</ul>
<p>Current most distressing symptoms:</p>
<ul>
<li>fatigue</li>
<li>overwhelming brain fog (can't concentrate or think clearly)</li>
<li>GI distress (constipation mostly)</li>
<li>bloating after meals</li>
<li>gas after eating</li>
<li>increase in fatigue, fuzzy head, and stiffness in hands after meals</li>
<li>multiple dietary allergies/reactions that seem to be worsening instead of improving</li>
</ul>
<p>Currently, I am eating:</p>
<ul>
<li>4 day allergy rotation diet rotating botanical families</li>
<li>grain free</li>
<li>sugar free (I have a nasty reaction to sugar; mood swings, insatiability, cravings)</li>
<li>lamb, seafood, chicken, turkey, EVOO, coconut oil, carrots, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, some fruit only in the AM on an empty stomach, meat broths</li>
</ul>
<p>I tried bone broths and I had a reaction to the free glutamates. I need to work up to the longer simmering time, clearly.</p>
<p>Earlier this week I had a consultation with a Paleo dietician and she said I needed to up the fat and protein and suggested a SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) and FODMAP diet for a short time, which is helping a bit I think, but it's restricting even more for me. I can't afford to eat enough to maintain my weight with the foods I tolerate! Organic and pastured is expensive and I react negatively to the commercial stuff. This is just a mess!</p>
<p>The dietician recommended HCl, which I had been questioning. The functional MD and MTHFR doctor have both recommended all sorts of different things (vitamin C, molybdenum, fish oils, silymarin), but the bottom line is that I need to heal the GI tract and address the detox pathway issues. I want to do this as holistically as possible because I can't afford to keep trialing supplements that don't work or that I react to (ex: I am anemic with very, very low ferritin and the iron supplement caused a terrible adverse reaction of insane amounts of inflammation).</p>
<p>I'd love any feedback. I just need to get on a steady road to recovery. I can't keep cutting things out of my diet. I'm losing weight too quickly (lost my period already) and can't maintain. I'm open to answering any questions.</p>
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