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Health Update Jan/Feb 2019

Well, it’s a little later than I wanted to get it up, but my health update for January and February is finally here.

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Overall Health: Fatigue and fibromyalgia have been hard this past month odd. Having motivation to get anything more than the bare minimum done has been hard most weeks.

Jan 22- still bad fatigue but went grocery shopping in am. Brain fog in afternoon/evening. Migraine kicked up in late evening but not severe. Some achy fibropain last night and thru today
Jan 25 – less fatigue the past few days and have been able to take short naps. Migraine kicks up in evening.
Pre-cycle symptoms: fibro flaring in calves, back pain, weird/bad dream
Jan 30- tired first thing but had decent energy thru out the day. Some minor fibro cramps in calves and hands. Left hip hurting in afternoon and evening. Decent day overall
Jan 31- pretty good today till fatigue hit in afternoon. Nap and clonidine kicked the migraine. Left calf cramping
Feb 2- fatigue and migraine upon getting up. Took 2 clonidine in am and took a 2 hr nap.
Feb 6 – increased iberogast to 2 drops/day.
— bad fatigue most of weekend and Monday (11th) and even worse on Tuesday (12th). Severe migraine on Sunday (10th). Wondering if the iberogast is why the fatigue is so bad? Or am I going low on h2plx? 🤯
Feb 13- fatigue wasn’t as bad today. Did minor housework, blogged, read. Only took one nap. A bit of a struggle to keep migraine down all day. Did 1 drop iberogast in am and evening each. Testing to see if it helps. Left hip and calf started hurting in evening
Feb 18- changing times of iberogast seems to be helping fatigue. Even with a busy Friday and Saturday, I was still able to take Abby to the park this morning. Migraine/mood flared afternoon. Calmed by evening. Left calf and Hip hurt in evenings. Took half a melatonin
Feb 19- decent in am, a little more myself. Ran to Costco in am. Hit w/ fatigue after but not awful. Migraine flared to 6/7 in afternoon. Ice and tylenol/Bayer helped. Going to bed with ice pack 💤 left calf tight, migraine in temples
Feb 25- some less fatigue but still strong. Migraine kept down with Tylenol/aspirin. Took one nap. Upset stomach afternoon and then again after dinner. Bloated stomach. Also had the sweats when stomach was worst. Foggy brain.
Feb 27- pain in eyes, felt like auras were coming. Fatigue. took a nap and woke up exhausted. Migraine off and on all day. Did some housework etc today though so, some improvement. No stomach issues!

Migraine: Frequently, Clonidine (my prescription pain killer) doesn’t work and I take 2 Tylenol/1 Bayer instead and that does the trick. Some days, the migraine refuses to ease but others, it chills out readily. Commonly it’s in my left temple, band around the head or base of skull.

Sleep: Surprisingly, I’ve started getting more like 8 hours of sleep a night. (still with a few wakings each night of course). I’m not taking a nap every day, which, while that’s nice, I think most days I should be and just can’t.

Memory/Brain Fog: brain fog has been a definite struggle still. And of course, some words are still escaping me.

Nutrient IV : so this might be an odd category but I want to keep track of what we do, and how I respond to it. We did a drip bag this time with the full spectrum of B vitamins, A bunch of Vitamin C and whatever else she adds to it =) and a push of glutathione at the end. I’d hoped to notice a huge increase in my energy and decrease in symptoms (like I used to) but I didn’t. I noticed a small change in those things at least.

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Vision: I didn’t have one major visual aura! I have had the feelings of the beginnings of them but have been able to catch them (ice pack, eyes closed in a dark room, protein snack). However, I have had just…aching in my eyes the past few weeks. Dryness as well.

TMJ: I’ve been having more painful popping the last week odd, but before that it was pretty non-existent. My teeth/jaw do hurt every day, pretty badly sometimes.

Fatigue: Once again, this has been such a killer. I have increased my dosage of H2PLX to 3/day and that has already helped. (I just did this a few days ago). While I don’t like the price of H2PLX, the results can’t be denied. I’m trying to get more iron in my diet and contemplating going back on the liver because I’m just so worn out from this. It’s a crushing exhaustion that just wears you down all day.

Fibromyalgia: Sadly, this hasn’t eased since last month. My left calf is still tense/self flexing throughout the day and my knees/elbows hurt to some degree all day/night. My knees hurt the worst though – some days they get ‘stuck’ and I have to slowly straighten them. Ice is still the current magic treatment.

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Weight Loss: I have gained and lost, gained and lost. It’s not been a priority lately but I’m trying to focus on it again. I’m trying to cut out corn, starch and processed sugar.

Digestion: Somehow, this has eased to an extent. I still get an upset stomach a few times a week. I still need to talk to my doctor about it (as I ended up having to cancel my last scheduled appointment). I’m wondering if the Resveratrol was one of the main culprits to it freaking out so badly.

Mood: Overall, this has stabilized, and I haven’t even started taking the Xiao Chai Hu Tang. (one of my favorite herb combos you guys, look into it! Check the source though, the levels of arsenic can be high).

I just decided to share with you the vitamins/supplements that I’m currently taking, since I’ve had to really pare down and start over on these.

2 each : Feverfew, Magnesium, St. John’s Wort, Fibronol

1 each: Turmeric, Vitex, Andrographis, Berberine, Butterbur, Bearberry

1 Complete Mineral Complex only 3/week

3 H2PLX/day

2 drops/day Iberogast

I am wanting to start next, B2 and Calcium (and so many more after those). I also need to work on increasing the Iberogast.

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~This has been a hard month, to be completely honest. I feel like I’ve hit a valley and pitched a tent there. With my brain fog, I can’t write. With my knee pain I can’t be up and around as much as I want/need to. With the fatigue, I’m so drained that just getting food and taking care of Abby is all I can do most days. I am trying to focus on the positives – one of those being that the fatigue has eased slightly the past few days – and look ahead to better days.

~Laura

In case you missed it, I wrote about a time recently that I took Excedrin. I used to take it regularly for my migraines (about 10 years ago now) but no longer! It’s just…. well, go check out the post. I also have a series on Encouragement for Living with Chronic Pain.

Tags: adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue, chronic illness, chronic migraines, chronic pain, fatigue, fibromyalgia, lyme disease, natural treatment for lyme, sibo, symptoms of lyme disease, tmj

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Categories health

Jan/Feb 2018 Book Review

1 Mar

“A Book is a Dream that you Hold in your Hand.” ~ Neil Gaiman

This is a double feature today! I didn’t share my reads from last month so I’m throwing them in with this month’s reads. There are some really great books from classics to fantasy. I enjoy reading such different genres, especially since I have started reading them from a writer’s perspective. Like the book that I just finished yesterday, the author wrote one character in the 3rd point of view while the other main character was in the first person. I liked how you knew right away which person you were reading about. My writer’s brain is trying to decide just how hard it would be to implement that…. Anyway, on to the book reviews!

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Photo by Katherine Hanlon on Unsplash

Adrenal Fatigue by Dr. Wilson – Crave salt or sweets? Unreasonably tired? Need coffee to keep you going? Having a hard time keeping up with daily life? With an easy to follow style, Dr. Wilson guides you through figuring out if you have adrenal fatigue, and then tells you just how to start feeling better.

~ I took notes as I read through what foods to eat/avoid, supplements to take and the best herbs to include. I learned so much from this book. I had several ah-ha moments , finding sense in so many health struggles that have confused me for years. I would highly recommend this to anyone with unexplained health struggles. And remember, whether you have adrenal fatigue or not – be your own advocate. You know your body better than anyone.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by AVI – It’s not often that a young girl, when crossing the ocean to join her family, ends up joining the crew and being accused of murder. But Charlotte Doyle did. Her fantastic tale is one that must be read, unless of course, you don’t like strong ideas or action.

~I heard about this book through carrottoppapershop and I requested it from the library that same day. I was so intrigued by it and it was well worth it. The story was fun and engaging and with some very unexpected twists. I was so pleased with how it ended that I read the last few pages twice and then had to tell my OH all about it. It is a children’s classic so all ages can read and enjoy it.

Truth Be Told by Carol Cox – Great Western Investment Company is eager for Amelia Wagner to retract her late father’s statements about their business dealings. But as Amelia takes over the running of the newspaper and picks up the investigation into Great Western, she thinks her father was right. But she doesn’t know the danger that she’s getting into. Nor does Ben, the man that is keeping tabs on her. But soon they’ll both have to decide just how important this is – and try to reveal the truth before Great Western stops them.

-I got this book partly because it bears similarities to the novel that I’m writing and I wanted to know just how close they are. But! Relief, they aren’t that similar. (WHEW!) This novel was so fun, so easy to read that I flew through it. I will definitely read it again.

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A Little Princess by Frances Hodson Burnett – When Sara Crewe is taken to her first boarding school in England, it is far from the life she knew with her father in India. But as she is an exceptionally bright and imaginative child, she makes friends – and enemies – quickly. But when news comes that her father has died, leaving her destitute, she is devastated. The matron, Miss Minchin, forces her to work as a scullery maid. But Sara dreams that her fortunes will change again, and they do, in a very unexpected way.

– I enjoyed this story so much and it’s going on the ‘I can’t believe I’d never read it’ list. I liked the moral lessons in it and just fell in love with Becky. ( I have a thing for side characters). As a children’s classic, this is a great book for a younger – and older -audience. Another great story by Burnett is Little Lord Fauntleroy

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier (book #1) and The Caller (book #2) – A separate review will be up when I read the third book! It’s waiting on my shelf and I can’t wait to start it! This series has been so good – and so engrossing.

A Yellow Journalist by Miriam Michelson – The newspaper world was a male-dominated field in the early 1900’s but a young and pretty female reporter enters into it with courage. She does whatever it takes to get the story – be it climbing a high ledge or acting as a blushing bride – and proves that she’s the best.

– This story was unlike any I’d read. It was highly amusing and I laughed out loud often. I did have a hard time keeping track of all the characters but that didn’t ruin it for me. As it was printed in 1905, and was about that era, it was perfect as research material for me for my own novel. Double win.

Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis – click the link to read all about this wonderful series!

Currently Reading:

Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery

Biblically Kosher: A Messianic Jewish Perspective on Kashrut by Aaron Eby

The Vigilante’s Bride by Yvonne Harris

To-read :

Raven Claw by Juliet Marillier (book #3 of Shadowfell)

Dear Theo by Vincent Van Gogh

Whispers on the Moors series by Sarah E. Ladd

~Laura

What are you currently reading? Do any of these sound good to you?

Tags: a little princess, a yellow journalist, adrenal fatigue, avi, book love, book reviews, books, carol cox, dr wilson, frances hodgson burnett, miriam michelson, the true confessions of charlotte doyle, truth be told

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Health Update Dec 2017/Jan 2018

18 Jan

And here we go again! This was a very rough four weeks for me in so many ways. I am praying that these next four are easier to get through.

fightinglymemigraines

Overall Health: I don’t feel like there’s been improvement this month, what with taking the DMSA (chelation). But my doctor is going to have me start H2PLX, to see if it will help with my chronic fatigue. I did learn that I’ve got Epstein- Barr Virus and my doctor and I have discussed my adrenal fatigue more these past few visits.

Dec 22- felt good today. Some fatigue. Migraine hit in evening. Front of neck hurt too. A bit of mood struggles. Fibropain flaring in yet and hands. Left calf tense all day
Dec 25/26 – fibropain flaring, especially in hands. Migraine that’s hard to get rid of. Mood struggles the 25th. Felt good till early afternoon on 26th. Restless achy pain in evenings.
-Took dmsa the 26th, to avoid taking it on Christmas day. –
12-27 fatigue. migraine in evening. fibromyalgia flared in afternoon/evening. Hurt to open my hand all the way. Calves cramped most of the night as well. Woke up on the 28th, elbows hurt. Hands swollen. Calves still tight.
12-28 started coq10, 10ml
12-29 have noticed that crossing my ankles left over right causes spasms/cramps in left foot/calf.
12-30 pretty good all day till early evening. Severe migraine to a 9. Fibropain flaring. Day 26/27
1-2 started monthly. Felt some better than the day before but major fatigue. In evening, fibromyalgia flared bad. Migraine. Front of neck. Jaw.
1-3 fatigue. Mental struggles- stressed thinking about errands/leaving the house.
—have had a hard time getting my brain to focus for writing/editing lately— napping a lot more than normal this past week–

Migraines: These increased again – I had several debilitating nights in a row, where I couldn’t get the pain down. There have been half-days where I only had a level 4.

Sleep: Most nights, I’m still sleeping about 7 hours (with an average of 2 wake-ups) each night, without any melatonin or theanine. I am still getting the strange/weird/scary dreams but they aren’t quite as strange/weird/scary without the sleep aids.

Memory/Disassociation: I had a few mild cases of anxiety. I haven’t noticed any changes in my memory. No disassociation.

Vision: I think I only had vision loss once this past month. I did have the sparkles in my vision a few separate times though.

“I can feel the emotional effects of so many nights of severe flare ups/crashes. Either tears or anger are imminent”

Fibromyalgia: One of my biggest struggles this time around. My left calf is consistently tight/cramping. As long as I don’t do too much with my hands (!!), they have been good overall. But the overall, moving fibropain has been intense.

TMJ: This is still a pretty constant pain. The left side tends to hover around a 4/10, while the right side stays around a 7 or 8/10. The front of my neck hurts/tight at least a few days a week. My teeth ache and often I can feel the nerves pulsing from my jaw up to my temples.

Fatigue: Like I already said, this was (and is) bad. I’ll have days where I feel pretty good, except the fatigue is weighing me down.

Weight Loss: I have only weighed a few times. But I haven’t been strict on my diet as well as not being able to get up and moving much lately. I am really hoping that changes soon.

Mood: This has been all over the place wonky. I am going to increase xiao chai hu tang this week, as it seems to help even this problem out.

Bladder: This has, again, been a struggle this month. Frequent trips – suddenly urgent trips. ugh.

snuggle time

What I’m currently taking:

Vitamins/Supplements: A, Ashwagandha, B2, B complex, Berberine, Butterbur, Calcium/Magnesium, Chaste Tree Berry, Ceanothus, Coq10, Complete Mineral Complex, DMSA, D3, E, Feverfew, Fibronol, Horse Chestnut, Iron, Iberogast, Noni Fruit, St. John’s Wort, Xiao Chai Hu Tang. and Soon – H2PLX

tinctures : Pulsatilla, Belladonna

essential oils – peppermint, lavender, frankincense, Doterra blends – Motivate, Peace, and a tension one that I can’t remember the name of

Clonidine – prescription pain pill

~Laura

Tags: adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue, chronic illness, chronic migraines, chronic pain, chronic pain management, chronic pain sucks, ebv, lyme disease, tmj