Whew, finally getting this written! I’m gonna give myself a little plug here before I get started.
If you want more consistent updates on how I’m doing, follow me over on Instagram! I’m on there regularly, sharing how I’m doing with dosage increases, doctor visits and whatever else hits me as I fight to get better! (plus, there’s super cute puppy pictures too)
Overall Health: While fatigue has been less INTENSE, it is still very present, making it one of my main struggles of the month. Dealing with reaction to Iberogast. Not getting good/enough sleep. Bladder issues.
9-12 IV today. Brain fog but ‘compelled to DO’ today. Drove down to Bend on my own! Days away from cycle
9-14 fatigue day. Migraine kicked up. Bit of brain fog.
9-15 worse fatigue today. Level 9 migraine in evening.
9-19 upped Iberogast to 2 drops/day. Felt bad in afternoon and awful in evening. Migraine. Jaw. Achy. Etc.
9-20 same reaction this aft at yest. But not quite as intense perhaps?
9-22 putting Iberogast in warm water rather than hot tea. Seeing if this helps my reaction/detox to it. Yesterday’s fatigue was intense. Back hurt in evening
9-27 aft. sparkly vision. Severe migraine and fatigue rest of day
9-28 migraine and fatigue hit in afternoon
10-1 fatigue lingered today, able to get out though. Napped in afternoon. Migraine kept down with 2 clonidine. Upped Iberogast to 4drops/day in evening
10-3 IV today. Added poly mba at the end, along with glutathione.
10-4 woke up achy and tired but had a burst of energy rest of morning. Migraine kicking in early afternoon. Severe migraine and bad fibromyalgia in evening. Rough night.
10-5 woke up rough and weak.
10-6 woke up pretty good. Tired but ended up with a lot of energy most of the day, despite brain fog. Migraine and fibropain kicking in mid evening. Can’t seem to stop it.
10-9 upped Iberogast to 5 drops/day
10-10 fatigue and just feeling overall awful this am. Want to get things done but just can’t…. So tired. Woke up with migraine. After a few hrs was able to get up and DO. migraine flared off and on all day. Only flared a bit in evening.
Migraines: I have done better keeping track of these on my migraine app. Still a little wonky so I can’t use all of the feedback from it but here are a few. These have been averaging at a level 9. Aura and Prodrome are : headache, muscle stiffness and tingling in head. Triggers seem to be: body aches, interrupted sleep and lack of sleep. Top 3 symptoms are neck pain, fatigue and jaw pain. They typically start in the temples, eyes, jaw and base of skull. Most days I can get the pain down to where I can function – and get things done.
~ an ice pack has been my go-to lately. laying on it, or having it on my forehead helps so much.
Sleep: This has been a big struggle for me. Falling and staying asleep is so hard. I always sleep with my heating pad under my neck.
Memory/Disassociation: At times I feel like my memory is getting better but I don’t think it is. (no joke intended there, hehe) I will say that I have’t dealt with disassociation this month. Over-stimulation, yes. Frequently.
Vision: This has only happened once this month. I am so relieved about this!
Fibromyalgia: It has reached drive-me-insane level a few times this month. Augh. My joints regularly hurt – especially my elbows. And that often spreads tingles to my pinkies and ring fingers. It is just about guaranteed to happen if I’m holding something (phone, book, crochet, steering wheel etc) for a long time. (this has improved a bit from last month!) Ice, advil and light massaging help. The self-cramping that my left calf does and the ripples of pain that shoot along the bottoms of my feet still happen. But my hands aren’t self-cramping as bad although I do have to stretch my fingers out often because they just HURT.
~Pain and anxiety go hand in hand.~ The last few days I’ve felt a restlessness to be HEALTHY, to be WHOLE. To be past this struggle. I feel as if parts of me are dying, withering away under all of this stress, physically and emotionally. I’m impatient to move on with my life. But I remind myself that my main goal needs to be to keep my eyes on Him – the One who is my Refuge and Strength. No matter what earthly trial I am in, He alone is my Salvation, my Rock. As long as I keep my eyes on Him and ask that my will ever is aligned with His, I will have lived a good and full life.
TMJ – This has been popping/hurting a lot still and I’m thinking it’s because I haven’t been to the bodywork dr in months. My teeth ache quite frequently from the stress of me clenching/grinding them at night.
Fatigue: As I said above, this is one of my main complaints from this month. The deep-seated fatigue that just aches and drags me down. I still am compelled to get up and DO things but sometimes the two opposites are at war with each other. Some mornings I am stuck on the couch but then can get up in the afternoon. I want to make a distinction – before it would be so bad that it was hard for me to stay upright in a chair, and I mean, really hard. Now though, while it is still difficult, I rarely am struggling to stay in it rather than feeling like a cartoon where the character just melts off the seat into a puddle. So, while the fatigue is still bad, it’s not where it used to be.
Weight Loss: I have come out even this month – losing and then gaining it back. I’m a little bit frustrated but I have been less strict on my diet, so….. (by that I mean that I’ve had starch here and there)
Mood: This has improved…sort of. My inward negativity goes in waves, but it’s better than it being constant. I’m sure that being able to get things done around the house helps with this.
IV time again – Hallelujah! Lovely nutrients with gluithione at the end. We’re also going to try a bit of poly (can’t remember the full name right now) at the end as well to see how I do with it. Was able to have a good talk with the Dr about next possible steps, with some suggestions for tests before the end of the year. Brain fog and fatigue are hitting hard today.
Bladder: This is the other main struggle this month. I can’t get back to how my digestion/bladder were a few months ago. (is it really that long ago?) Even when I was cutting out ALL processed and starch. I am waking up typically 3 times a night to go to the bathroom, even when I don’t really need to.
~I wanted to do a quick update of my progress from this time last year. I’ll try to keep it short. I still struggle with many of these same symptoms as well as have added quite a few. (oh joy). But I have more energy overall. And we’ve figured out more of what’s going on with my body to combat it!
What I’m currently taking:
1 each day of A, B complex, Calcium, Chaste Tree Berry
2 each day of Ashwagandha, B2, Berberine, Butterbur, D3, E, Feverfew, Fibronol, Magnesium, Xiao Chai Hu Tang, Noni Fruit
3 a day St. John’s Wort
1 drop Ceanothus one day a week. 5 drops a day Iberogast (slowly upping)
on Days 15-28, 1 Horse Chestnut Extract and 2 Chaste Tree Berry
Clonidine – prescription pain pills. Averaging 2 a day
Gelsimium, Pulsatilla, Belladonna, phosphorus and one more… – tincture in water that I take when I need relief
essential oils
~Several of these I need to increase, but I’m focusing solely on the Iberogast right now.
I know this was long this month but I wanted to get it all in!
How have you been this month? Do you have any questions for me about what I’m taking/doing? Ask away!
~Laura
the start of a good life 