Quite honestly I am glad to see 2008 go by. Aside from removing my amalgam fillings and growing some of my hair back, it was pretty awful. Ron Paul failed miserably at his attempt at the presidency, which is enough to make me puke. I still have no idea what is wrong with me (if it isn't just mercury related) and I feel like with every test completed I leave with more questions with no answers.
My PCP today told me she has no idea what is wrong with me and referred me to an endo. I was trying to explain to her that it is probably my pituitary. She asked me why I thought that it was my pituitary. At that moment I realized she has no idea what diabetes insipidus is. I was polite, but just told her that I have DI. She also bad mouthed Dr. Goldstein and told me that he isn't qualified to do what he is doing. She said something like, well he isn't an actual endo. I responded, yes I told you that. He specializes in adrenal and thyroid stuff though. Then she said, well he does natural medicine and isn't qualified. When she said that, I think my eyes got big and if I hadn't been waiting in the freaking exam room for an hour prior, I might have been more confrontational. I just wanted to get the hell out of there. Before she saw my lab results, she was saying how "something is seriously wrong with your thyroid and we need to figure this out". Then when she read the thyroid ultrasound was normal and the blood work (other than TSH) was normal she had nothing to say other than to see this endo. This endo has horrific reviews on those medical sites, so I'm not calling her. I bumped up my appointment with Dr. Goldstein to Jan. 5. That is this Monday!
The chest pain is pretty bad tonight. I'd say on par with the night I decided to go to the ER, but I don't dare take the pain meds they gave me. I have no idea why on Earth they'd give me Darvocet N-100's but they did. The pain went away with a simple aspirin. No need to go crazy! I got them filled though for when a tooth decides to ache on a Friday night at 9pm with no dentist available until Monday afternoon. LOL Isn't that how it always happens?!
Here's to another year of poor health and frustration. I can't wait...
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Blood Work, ER and More!
Last evening I decided to go to the ER. The pain started to move more to my back. The wait wasn't too bad despite how busy it was and I was happy with the doctor. At least he didn't call me a heroin addict!
Everything was checked. More X-rays, blood work, and an EKG. He said it was a muscle and to give it another 4-7 days to get better. That's what I'm going to do. I may even cancel my voice lesson for Monday. If it is a muscle apparently I really messed mine up. It has been 13 days today with this chest pain and it still hurts. At least I know it is NOT my lungs, a blood clot, heart problems or a broken rib. I am much more relaxed about it since I know I won't be dropping dead from it.
Today I got my blood work results from Dr. Goldstein and it is not good.
TSH-0.097 VERY LOW
T4- 6.5 (lower than optimal but within lab normal range)
FT3- 2.6 (lower than optimal but within lab normal range)
TSI- <20 OK
TPOAb -<10 OK
With a completely clean thyroid ultrasound and this blood work, it looks like my pituitary isn't working. I'm not completely sure how it all works yet (still researching) but this will quickly cause my thyroid to become hypo. When a hypothyroid is caused by the pituitary it is called Secondary or Central Hypothyroidism. This is exceedingly rare, but with my history of diabetes insipidus doesn't really surprise me. I found a website that said, "Central hypothyroidism is a rare disorder with a prevalence of 0.0002% to 0.005%". If this is referring to the US population, (if I did my math right) that means 600-15000 people have been diagnosed with it. Remember diabetes insipidus is also rare at about 1 in 25,000 people. That is about 12,000 people in the general public. For comparison, primary hypothyroidism (including the autoimmune ones) has a prevalence of 0.8% or about 2.4 million people.
There is another test that can be performed to accurately diagnosis this and that is called a thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test. This will help to distinguish between tertiary (hypothalamus defect) or secondary (pituitary defect) hypothyroidism. An absent or blunted response means secondary. An exaggerated response means tertiary. I don't know if Dr. Goldstein is up for this challenge. I will also need EVERY pituitary hormone checked including LH, FSH, ACTH, PRL, GH etc. Since I had a MRI back in February, I'm not concerned about a tumor. However this does worry me a little because the part of the pituitary that controls the anti-diuretic hormone is on the opposite side where TSH is controlled. That means my entire pituitary gland is being affected. Either it is a large tumor or the mercury after all.
Everything was checked. More X-rays, blood work, and an EKG. He said it was a muscle and to give it another 4-7 days to get better. That's what I'm going to do. I may even cancel my voice lesson for Monday. If it is a muscle apparently I really messed mine up. It has been 13 days today with this chest pain and it still hurts. At least I know it is NOT my lungs, a blood clot, heart problems or a broken rib. I am much more relaxed about it since I know I won't be dropping dead from it.
Today I got my blood work results from Dr. Goldstein and it is not good.
TSH-0.097 VERY LOW
T4- 6.5 (lower than optimal but within lab normal range)
FT3- 2.6 (lower than optimal but within lab normal range)
TSI- <20 OK
TPOAb -<10 OK
With a completely clean thyroid ultrasound and this blood work, it looks like my pituitary isn't working. I'm not completely sure how it all works yet (still researching) but this will quickly cause my thyroid to become hypo. When a hypothyroid is caused by the pituitary it is called Secondary or Central Hypothyroidism. This is exceedingly rare, but with my history of diabetes insipidus doesn't really surprise me. I found a website that said, "Central hypothyroidism is a rare disorder with a prevalence of 0.0002% to 0.005%". If this is referring to the US population, (if I did my math right) that means 600-15000 people have been diagnosed with it. Remember diabetes insipidus is also rare at about 1 in 25,000 people. That is about 12,000 people in the general public. For comparison, primary hypothyroidism (including the autoimmune ones) has a prevalence of 0.8% or about 2.4 million people.
There is another test that can be performed to accurately diagnosis this and that is called a thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test. This will help to distinguish between tertiary (hypothalamus defect) or secondary (pituitary defect) hypothyroidism. An absent or blunted response means secondary. An exaggerated response means tertiary. I don't know if Dr. Goldstein is up for this challenge. I will also need EVERY pituitary hormone checked including LH, FSH, ACTH, PRL, GH etc. Since I had a MRI back in February, I'm not concerned about a tumor. However this does worry me a little because the part of the pituitary that controls the anti-diuretic hormone is on the opposite side where TSH is controlled. That means my entire pituitary gland is being affected. Either it is a large tumor or the mercury after all.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Doctor's Visit Wednesday
I made an appointment for Wednesday with the doctor. Ugh...I'd rather avoid a visit to the ER, but if it gets really bad or persistent I will go. Today is probably one of the worst days I've had. Almost feels like a lump or something stuck in my chest. I can breathe just fine, but it's just a really weird feeling. Pepcid did absolutely nothing for the pain. It is radiating into my back more and more now.
I have a violin lesson today. I love playing my violin, but with all of this chest stuff going on I am finding it more of an annoyance. I am getting MUCH better at it though. This week I added in the pinky finger. OUCHY! I don't have a callus on it yet, so it's pretty painful and it is a huge stretch to reach the string.
I have a violin lesson today. I love playing my violin, but with all of this chest stuff going on I am finding it more of an annoyance. I am getting MUCH better at it though. This week I added in the pinky finger. OUCHY! I don't have a callus on it yet, so it's pretty painful and it is a huge stretch to reach the string.
ETAscan is Bogus (Final Update)
Author's Edit, Oct 2014: I no longer in good conscience can tell people to use this machine. I believe there may be a New Age component to it. Stay away! It did not help me in any way. After 6+ years in Natural health, I have now laid everything down before the feet of Jesus, at the foot of the cross and have made Jesus my Lord and Savior of my life. I put my trust in Him for my healing because conventional doctors nor natural doctors nor New Age energy medicine can heal me.
Just so I can say I tried it, I took a Pepcid about an hour ago to see if my chest pain would go away. It is definitely still there, but I'm not sure how long it takes for Pepcid to kick in. I've never taken one before!
Today the chest pain is bad. Hurts when I laugh, breathe out and in. Just hurts sitting here too. I had really bad diarrhea yesterday and it is still here today. One crazy thing is that my blood pressure and heart rate is excellent. My heart rate was 60 when I checked it a little bit ago. 60! HOLY CRAP that's incredible!
The ETASCAN follow up was a complete bust. All of the information that was gathered last time was lost in a hard drive failure...I'll never know what organ or body part was all black. How disappointing indeed. It's important to add this here now... But how can the machine say I had all these terrible problems and then 2-3 days later, it said everything was green energy. I did nothing to change the energy as the doctor did not have time to make the "water drops". So...how could I go from black energy in multiple spots in my body to all green?
It was this appointment that made me realize the whole thing is bogus. I do not recommend it at all and spiritually it may be dangerous too.
Just so I can say I tried it, I took a Pepcid about an hour ago to see if my chest pain would go away. It is definitely still there, but I'm not sure how long it takes for Pepcid to kick in. I've never taken one before!
Today the chest pain is bad. Hurts when I laugh, breathe out and in. Just hurts sitting here too. I had really bad diarrhea yesterday and it is still here today. One crazy thing is that my blood pressure and heart rate is excellent. My heart rate was 60 when I checked it a little bit ago. 60! HOLY CRAP that's incredible!
The ETASCAN follow up was a complete bust. All of the information that was gathered last time was lost in a hard drive failure...I'll never know what organ or body part was all black. How disappointing indeed. It's important to add this here now... But how can the machine say I had all these terrible problems and then 2-3 days later, it said everything was green energy. I did nothing to change the energy as the doctor did not have time to make the "water drops". So...how could I go from black energy in multiple spots in my body to all green?
It was this appointment that made me realize the whole thing is bogus. I do not recommend it at all and spiritually it may be dangerous too.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Today Has Been Interesting
I was having a pretty bad achy, rolling type chest pain on the left side last night. Considering I am 24, I wasn't suspecting a heart attack. I prayed about it and asked God to tell me what to do in the morning.
Well I woke up with a UTI. HAH! ...and I went to one of those walk-in urgent care places to take care of that. I didn't want to have this all weekend! While there, I decided to tell them about my chest pain. Hey why not? I'm already here! God works in mysterious ways. I don't appreciate the UTI, but it did get me to the doctor....Well I ended up having a chest x-ray done. Doctor told me she didn't see anything out of the ordinary on it and didn't know why I was having the pain. I am not completely sure what she was looking for. Perhaps pneumonia or a cracked rib?
Right before we got home from the urgent care, I was seriously considering going to the ER. It started to get really bad. Went from my left side to my back near the shoulder blade then over to the right side. I've been sucking it up because I feel like I'm going crazy. I think I should have gone to the ER tonight, but we had been sitting in that urgent care for a LONG time tonight and really didn't feel like waiting another 6 hours in an ER. /sigh I'm sure it will hurt really bad again some time soon. All this bizarre weird shit has been happening to me and I am starting to feel like I have finally lost it...I'm not making all of this stuff up. These past few weeks have really just been pure hell for me.
The chest pain is basically all the time now. Doesn't matter if I am holding my breath or not. It goes through periods where it is REALLY bad and then it is tolerable. It isn't a sharp pain though. It gets very very achy. I can't even describe it properly.
The doctor at the urgent care told me a radiologist will look over the films and if they disagree with her analysis I will be called. I guess this is good. That way I know someone who is trained to look at these films is taking a glance at it. Maybe they will see something on here that the doctor didn't see? I took a glance at it and it looked like bones to me. HAHA
One good news is that my thyroid ultrasound came back completely clean. There aren't any nodules or cysts anywhere on it and it is the appropriate size. I bet this has that PCP really confused. Oh noes!
The doctor at the urgent care told me my urine's specific gravity was really really low...That's not good. She said it was as low as the machine detects...UGH. I guess I need to start taking my DI meds again. She asked me about it. DI is the only thing on my charts there.
It is really funny when I come into contact with doctors who KNOW what diabetes insipidus is. I can tell when a doctor has NO idea what it is. They try to hint things that would pertain to diabetes mellitus and I immediately have to step in and say, I have diabetes insipidus. One of these days if I am ever in an accident or something, I swear I'm going to be injected with insulin because some dumb doctor doesn't know what DI even is! That will be one fun malpractice lawsuit.
Onward with my DI story. Doctors who KNOW DI, start asking all about it like I'm some type of mystical unicorn or elf. She was wondering how they diagnosed me with it and I just told her I was having dehydration symptoms and couldn't figure out why since I was drinking water all the time. That was the easiest most precise answer I could think of and it satisfied her. :-) DI is pretty rare. Most PCP's will NEVER see a case of it during their entire career. I can thank the mercury poisoning for that one.
What's next? I see myself going to the ER this week. That's probably what is next.
Well I woke up with a UTI. HAH! ...and I went to one of those walk-in urgent care places to take care of that. I didn't want to have this all weekend! While there, I decided to tell them about my chest pain. Hey why not? I'm already here! God works in mysterious ways. I don't appreciate the UTI, but it did get me to the doctor....Well I ended up having a chest x-ray done. Doctor told me she didn't see anything out of the ordinary on it and didn't know why I was having the pain. I am not completely sure what she was looking for. Perhaps pneumonia or a cracked rib?
Right before we got home from the urgent care, I was seriously considering going to the ER. It started to get really bad. Went from my left side to my back near the shoulder blade then over to the right side. I've been sucking it up because I feel like I'm going crazy. I think I should have gone to the ER tonight, but we had been sitting in that urgent care for a LONG time tonight and really didn't feel like waiting another 6 hours in an ER. /sigh I'm sure it will hurt really bad again some time soon. All this bizarre weird shit has been happening to me and I am starting to feel like I have finally lost it...I'm not making all of this stuff up. These past few weeks have really just been pure hell for me.
The chest pain is basically all the time now. Doesn't matter if I am holding my breath or not. It goes through periods where it is REALLY bad and then it is tolerable. It isn't a sharp pain though. It gets very very achy. I can't even describe it properly.
The doctor at the urgent care told me a radiologist will look over the films and if they disagree with her analysis I will be called. I guess this is good. That way I know someone who is trained to look at these films is taking a glance at it. Maybe they will see something on here that the doctor didn't see? I took a glance at it and it looked like bones to me. HAHA
One good news is that my thyroid ultrasound came back completely clean. There aren't any nodules or cysts anywhere on it and it is the appropriate size. I bet this has that PCP really confused. Oh noes!
The doctor at the urgent care told me my urine's specific gravity was really really low...That's not good. She said it was as low as the machine detects...UGH. I guess I need to start taking my DI meds again. She asked me about it. DI is the only thing on my charts there.
It is really funny when I come into contact with doctors who KNOW what diabetes insipidus is. I can tell when a doctor has NO idea what it is. They try to hint things that would pertain to diabetes mellitus and I immediately have to step in and say, I have diabetes insipidus. One of these days if I am ever in an accident or something, I swear I'm going to be injected with insulin because some dumb doctor doesn't know what DI even is! That will be one fun malpractice lawsuit.
Onward with my DI story. Doctors who KNOW DI, start asking all about it like I'm some type of mystical unicorn or elf. She was wondering how they diagnosed me with it and I just told her I was having dehydration symptoms and couldn't figure out why since I was drinking water all the time. That was the easiest most precise answer I could think of and it satisfied her. :-) DI is pretty rare. Most PCP's will NEVER see a case of it during their entire career. I can thank the mercury poisoning for that one.
What's next? I see myself going to the ER this week. That's probably what is next.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas everyone. I hope everyone has a safe and happy day. We visited the family last night, so we are free to do what we want.
Last night was the first time in a while I had a night sweat. It wasn't a drenching kind, but I was really really hot. I had to kick off the covers and let the cold air cool me down. There's no reason why I was hot last night. The baseboard heat was OFF in the room and it was in the mid 20's outside. What is really strange is that it is the first night that I could sleep. I've had insomnia for about 4 nights. I go to sleep fine, but then wake up 25 times usually after 4am.
The pain in my chest is back. I don't know if the doctor is in tomorrow, but I am calling to make an appointment. It is easier to make an appointment with the doctor than to try to give a message over the phone. The messages aren't given to her. I hope she knows this! I've been taking it easy with singing. I sang a little the other day and it was OK. Then 2 days later, I noticed it was aching whether I was singing or not. It's probably just a pulled muscle, but I just want it checked. The fact that is hurts when I breathe, exhale and laugh doesn't make me feel any better.
I have also been grinding the crap out of my teeth at night. I've been wearing my night guard and it's a good thing. I wake up with my teeth in all sorts of weird positions and my jaw crooked to one side. What the hell is going on? I'm not stressed at all! Holidays don't stress me...
Last night was the first time in a while I had a night sweat. It wasn't a drenching kind, but I was really really hot. I had to kick off the covers and let the cold air cool me down. There's no reason why I was hot last night. The baseboard heat was OFF in the room and it was in the mid 20's outside. What is really strange is that it is the first night that I could sleep. I've had insomnia for about 4 nights. I go to sleep fine, but then wake up 25 times usually after 4am.
The pain in my chest is back. I don't know if the doctor is in tomorrow, but I am calling to make an appointment. It is easier to make an appointment with the doctor than to try to give a message over the phone. The messages aren't given to her. I hope she knows this! I've been taking it easy with singing. I sang a little the other day and it was OK. Then 2 days later, I noticed it was aching whether I was singing or not. It's probably just a pulled muscle, but I just want it checked. The fact that is hurts when I breathe, exhale and laugh doesn't make me feel any better.
I have also been grinding the crap out of my teeth at night. I've been wearing my night guard and it's a good thing. I wake up with my teeth in all sorts of weird positions and my jaw crooked to one side. What the hell is going on? I'm not stressed at all! Holidays don't stress me...
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Another Go At the ETA Scan
Author's Edit October 2014: Now that I am a born again Christian, I can no longer in good conscience tell anyone to use this machine. I believe these machines are New Age and are not compatible with belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. These machines supposedly read your frequencies and then you are given a solution that contains an energy signature or vital energy that will "heal" you. This is most definitely New Age and by partaking in something like this I believe, you are inviting in other spirits (demons) into your life and body. If it does work, then it is working by some sort of impersonal vital force which would be demonic. Stay away and save your money because it did nothing to help me and my health any way.
But one thing I can say is look how far God has brought me today. This alone is a testimony to the saving power of Jesus Christ!
Back in August, I went to the NutriFarmacy in Wildwood, PA and was "scanned" with the ETA scan. You can read all about that experience here. In fact, I recommend doing that before continuing. That way you know what the heck I'm talking about!
The parts of my body that were red and black at the previous visit were much better. However there are NEW areas of concern. My thyroid and pituitary energies improved drastically. There is still room for improvement, but overall it was better. Maybe giving up chocolate was a good thing...Although, I got truffles for Christmas and it's thrown me off. Darn you truffles!
Guess what came back mostly black? Lymph nodes and lymphocytes! I am not making this up at all. There was a scan of my whole body's lymph nodes and the place where I get pain while singing (right collarbone area), they were black! The others had good energy... We ran out of time (I spent an hour looking at other areas), but I am going back Monday to continue where we left off. I'm not sure what is in those lymph nodes to cause the low energy (could be emotional, toxins, pollutants, allergens or infections). Hopefully I can start off with that next time.
The machine was sensing Mononucleosis/EBV, but when we tried to boost it with the "energy", it did nothing. Dr. Wagner said something is mimicking mono in my lymphocytes. We don't know what that is, but that was very interesting.
Another scary thing was that he asked me if I had hit my head or had some sort of injury since the last time I came in. I told him nope. He said that some sort of convulsive disorder was showing up. It was a 3 on a scale of 7. Anything 4+ is usually a concern, but he was curious why that was showing up now and it wasn't the last time I was scanned. It was a little unnerving to say the least...
Overall things looked A LOT worse. More blacks and reds in my brain, back, stomach, spleen, and lymph. There was 1 scan in particular that looked absolutely horrific. ALL BLACK. I think it may have been the gallbladder, but I cannot be 100% sure. There were so many things like that, that I lost track...He said that my immune system is NOT doing good at all and that I may have some type of fungus. I don't really have any way of proving I do or don't, so I'm taking the homeopathic drops. I told him nothing about my blood work and the neutrophils being low at one point...How did the machine know this?
I guess now he sends out something that reviews everything he went over. Since it is so much information to swallow at once. Even for me, it is hard to remember everything and I pay very close attention to what is on the screen. I need to figure out which body part it was that was all black and go over that one in more detail.
I'll report back what I find out on Monday. Dr. Goldstein is off until Tuesday next week, so I won't know anything about blood work or the ultrasound until at LEAST then. I'm glad he is getting some time off. I once over head him saying a vacation back in July was his first vacation in years...wow.
Tonight I baked 4 dozen of organic snicker doodles, 1 dozen of organic chocolate chip cookies and 1 batch of organic brownies. Phew, thankfully these are getting unloaded to our families tomorrow. However I make the good cookies and brownies so I can have 1 or 2 if I want. If I make the poisonous Betty Crocker ones, I can't even enjoy them at all. (Edit: Look how insane I was poisonous betty crocker ones?!).
But one thing I can say is look how far God has brought me today. This alone is a testimony to the saving power of Jesus Christ!
Back in August, I went to the NutriFarmacy in Wildwood, PA and was "scanned" with the ETA scan. You can read all about that experience here. In fact, I recommend doing that before continuing. That way you know what the heck I'm talking about!
The parts of my body that were red and black at the previous visit were much better. However there are NEW areas of concern. My thyroid and pituitary energies improved drastically. There is still room for improvement, but overall it was better. Maybe giving up chocolate was a good thing...Although, I got truffles for Christmas and it's thrown me off. Darn you truffles!
Guess what came back mostly black? Lymph nodes and lymphocytes! I am not making this up at all. There was a scan of my whole body's lymph nodes and the place where I get pain while singing (right collarbone area), they were black! The others had good energy... We ran out of time (I spent an hour looking at other areas), but I am going back Monday to continue where we left off. I'm not sure what is in those lymph nodes to cause the low energy (could be emotional, toxins, pollutants, allergens or infections). Hopefully I can start off with that next time.
The machine was sensing Mononucleosis/EBV, but when we tried to boost it with the "energy", it did nothing. Dr. Wagner said something is mimicking mono in my lymphocytes. We don't know what that is, but that was very interesting.
Another scary thing was that he asked me if I had hit my head or had some sort of injury since the last time I came in. I told him nope. He said that some sort of convulsive disorder was showing up. It was a 3 on a scale of 7. Anything 4+ is usually a concern, but he was curious why that was showing up now and it wasn't the last time I was scanned. It was a little unnerving to say the least...
Overall things looked A LOT worse. More blacks and reds in my brain, back, stomach, spleen, and lymph. There was 1 scan in particular that looked absolutely horrific. ALL BLACK. I think it may have been the gallbladder, but I cannot be 100% sure. There were so many things like that, that I lost track...He said that my immune system is NOT doing good at all and that I may have some type of fungus. I don't really have any way of proving I do or don't, so I'm taking the homeopathic drops. I told him nothing about my blood work and the neutrophils being low at one point...How did the machine know this?
I guess now he sends out something that reviews everything he went over. Since it is so much information to swallow at once. Even for me, it is hard to remember everything and I pay very close attention to what is on the screen. I need to figure out which body part it was that was all black and go over that one in more detail.
I'll report back what I find out on Monday. Dr. Goldstein is off until Tuesday next week, so I won't know anything about blood work or the ultrasound until at LEAST then. I'm glad he is getting some time off. I once over head him saying a vacation back in July was his first vacation in years...wow.
Tonight I baked 4 dozen of organic snicker doodles, 1 dozen of organic chocolate chip cookies and 1 batch of organic brownies. Phew, thankfully these are getting unloaded to our families tomorrow. However I make the good cookies and brownies so I can have 1 or 2 if I want. If I make the poisonous Betty Crocker ones, I can't even enjoy them at all. (Edit: Look how insane I was poisonous betty crocker ones?!).
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Family History--Poor Genes
Some of you reading my blog may think I am overly paranoid or a hypochondriac when it comes to my fear of cancer and other problems. Let me assure you, that my family has some really terrible genes.
I have every reason to make sure I am clean even at my age.
I was going to put my sister's story at the end, but I'll do it here. That way I don't lose some of you near the end.
My sister was diagnosed with a brain tumor in March 07. The year prior to this she was having a lot of headaches and nausea. Every doctor told her she was pregnant or just crazy. They would just increase her pain prescription and told her to leave. Some time went by and the pain meds weren't helping at all. She started to forget things, things that you shouldn't forget like your son's name or your phone number. Numbers were really hard for her. I remember her telling me she couldn't dial phone numbers at all. They would switch around on her and she'd end up calling the wrong number. She was having incredible mood swings. One moment she'd be totally calm, content, next minute she'd be so angry! I mean really angry.
Finally she just went to the ER and they did an MRI. Showed a large mass in her brain. Even surprised the doctor on staff when he got the phone call from the MRI area. This began an incredibly stressful few months.
Upon first inspection they thought it was a Glioblastoma which is the worst type of brain cancer you can have. Very aggressive. Then once they did the biopsy, realized it was not a glioblastoma but a gemistocytic astrocytoma. Now this is when things got weird. Her gemistocytic astrocytoma brain tumor was dividing at a rate not normally seen in a grade 2 cancer. It was dividing at a rate of 10% where 3% is normal. It was considered a gemistocytic astrocytoma but had all of the characteristics of a glioblastoma. This is excedingly rare. She also has a mutated gene on the 10th chromosome called the PTEN gene.
My sister said that only 50 people have had this type...EVER. Her team didn't even know how to treat it because it is THAT rare. They gave her 9 months to live. Thank God surgery was a huge success without any brain damage or problems. She looks totally normal and you wouldn't have any clue what she went through.
This is one of the many reasons why I am worried. I wish I had knew all this information when I spoke to the ENT. He was asking me about particulars of her brain cancer and I had no idea. I just asked her all this stuff the other day. The months after surgery she still wasn't quite right because her brain completely rewired itself around the tumor. That in itself is amazing.
I remember her telling me as soon as the surgeon said he was done with surgery (you must be awake for brain surgery) she said the pressure in her head was gone. She could feel it was better
Now onto my mother's side...
The ENT told me that thyroid cancer is one of the most treatable, most curable forms. Yeah, right. Curable in this doctor's mind is cutting your thyroid out. I don't know of any other situation in medical history where cutting something out is a cure. "Your arm was badly bruised so we decided to amputate the whole thing. Don't worry we cured the brusing and there is no evidence it spread!" Well what I forgot to mention to him in more detail was that my mother's aunt had the most aggressive form of thyroid cancer. I believe it is called anaplastic thyroid cancer. It kills you within a year and that is with their treatments! I think the 1 year survival rate is 10% and with this particular cancer they give your survival time in months and weeks. I was very young when she died, but I know it was very fast. She was an incredible lady and we all loved her.
My mother's brother died suddenly from a massive heart attack. Later on it was found in an autopsy (his death was suspicious) that he had cancer throughout his thyroid. We aren't sure if he even knew about it. He kept everything to himself when it came to his health.
My mother's sister died at the age of ~28 from a brain tumor. This was A LONG time ago before I was even born. I do not know any of the details surrounding her death. This was a point of interest though with my sister's doctors. I think they may have tried to look into this more.
My mother's sister (still alive) has growths on her pituitary gland. I think they are benign, but still very scary.
Then the normal stuff heart attacks, autoimmune disorders (lupus), diabetes, kidney problem (from diabetes) runs rampant.
There have even been some birth defects on my mother's side.
Now my Father's side
My father's side has serious breathing and lung issues. My great grandmother was always on a respirator and had 2235235 inhalers she had to take every day. That was then passed on to my grandfather (who died last year this time from his lung problems) and onto my dad. My dad has a condition where your lungs become hard and full of fibrosis. He won't do anything about it though, so he will die a painful death. Not always good to be a stubborn bastard. I keep wondering if they were all exposed to something as children. Very strange.
My father's sister has autoimmune thyroid disease. I think she has Hashimoto's.
My father's mother had heart surgery and an aneurysm in the brain.
My father's other sister had cysts on her ovaries. I think they were removed, but I don't know if it was cancerous.
What these doctors don't understand is that serious illnesses are on a HUGE rise in young adults in their 20's-30's. The food supply is tainted with MSG, GMO, corn syrup and other potentially dangerous additives. These additives have not been tested thoroughly and most were GRAS-generally regarded as safe. This means NO testing had to be done on them short or long term. Children who were fed MSG filled baby formulas are now in their late 20's early 30's. Children who have been fed soy and GMO corn syrup solids are now in their teen's and early 20's. It it causing premature puberty and obesity at a rate never imagined.
This is why I am getting all of this checked out. I was raised on aspartame, MSG, genetically modified organisms and corn syrup. Cookies from the store 30 years ago are NOT THE SAME ANYMORE. Some people in their 60's can't understand the problem with taking their grand kids to get ice cream and cookies. That's because it isn't just milk, sugar and ice now. It is filled with trans fat, msg, artificial vanilla flavors and corn syrups.
I have every reason to make sure I am clean even at my age.
I was going to put my sister's story at the end, but I'll do it here. That way I don't lose some of you near the end.
My sister was diagnosed with a brain tumor in March 07. The year prior to this she was having a lot of headaches and nausea. Every doctor told her she was pregnant or just crazy. They would just increase her pain prescription and told her to leave. Some time went by and the pain meds weren't helping at all. She started to forget things, things that you shouldn't forget like your son's name or your phone number. Numbers were really hard for her. I remember her telling me she couldn't dial phone numbers at all. They would switch around on her and she'd end up calling the wrong number. She was having incredible mood swings. One moment she'd be totally calm, content, next minute she'd be so angry! I mean really angry.
Finally she just went to the ER and they did an MRI. Showed a large mass in her brain. Even surprised the doctor on staff when he got the phone call from the MRI area. This began an incredibly stressful few months.
Upon first inspection they thought it was a Glioblastoma which is the worst type of brain cancer you can have. Very aggressive. Then once they did the biopsy, realized it was not a glioblastoma but a gemistocytic astrocytoma. Now this is when things got weird. Her gemistocytic astrocytoma brain tumor was dividing at a rate not normally seen in a grade 2 cancer. It was dividing at a rate of 10% where 3% is normal. It was considered a gemistocytic astrocytoma but had all of the characteristics of a glioblastoma. This is excedingly rare. She also has a mutated gene on the 10th chromosome called the PTEN gene.
My sister said that only 50 people have had this type...EVER. Her team didn't even know how to treat it because it is THAT rare. They gave her 9 months to live. Thank God surgery was a huge success without any brain damage or problems. She looks totally normal and you wouldn't have any clue what she went through.
This is one of the many reasons why I am worried. I wish I had knew all this information when I spoke to the ENT. He was asking me about particulars of her brain cancer and I had no idea. I just asked her all this stuff the other day. The months after surgery she still wasn't quite right because her brain completely rewired itself around the tumor. That in itself is amazing.
I remember her telling me as soon as the surgeon said he was done with surgery (you must be awake for brain surgery) she said the pressure in her head was gone. She could feel it was better
Now onto my mother's side...
The ENT told me that thyroid cancer is one of the most treatable, most curable forms. Yeah, right. Curable in this doctor's mind is cutting your thyroid out. I don't know of any other situation in medical history where cutting something out is a cure. "Your arm was badly bruised so we decided to amputate the whole thing. Don't worry we cured the brusing and there is no evidence it spread!" Well what I forgot to mention to him in more detail was that my mother's aunt had the most aggressive form of thyroid cancer. I believe it is called anaplastic thyroid cancer. It kills you within a year and that is with their treatments! I think the 1 year survival rate is 10% and with this particular cancer they give your survival time in months and weeks. I was very young when she died, but I know it was very fast. She was an incredible lady and we all loved her.
My mother's brother died suddenly from a massive heart attack. Later on it was found in an autopsy (his death was suspicious) that he had cancer throughout his thyroid. We aren't sure if he even knew about it. He kept everything to himself when it came to his health.
My mother's sister died at the age of ~28 from a brain tumor. This was A LONG time ago before I was even born. I do not know any of the details surrounding her death. This was a point of interest though with my sister's doctors. I think they may have tried to look into this more.
My mother's sister (still alive) has growths on her pituitary gland. I think they are benign, but still very scary.
Then the normal stuff heart attacks, autoimmune disorders (lupus), diabetes, kidney problem (from diabetes) runs rampant.
There have even been some birth defects on my mother's side.
Now my Father's side
My father's side has serious breathing and lung issues. My great grandmother was always on a respirator and had 2235235 inhalers she had to take every day. That was then passed on to my grandfather (who died last year this time from his lung problems) and onto my dad. My dad has a condition where your lungs become hard and full of fibrosis. He won't do anything about it though, so he will die a painful death. Not always good to be a stubborn bastard. I keep wondering if they were all exposed to something as children. Very strange.
My father's sister has autoimmune thyroid disease. I think she has Hashimoto's.
My father's mother had heart surgery and an aneurysm in the brain.
My father's other sister had cysts on her ovaries. I think they were removed, but I don't know if it was cancerous.
What these doctors don't understand is that serious illnesses are on a HUGE rise in young adults in their 20's-30's. The food supply is tainted with MSG, GMO, corn syrup and other potentially dangerous additives. These additives have not been tested thoroughly and most were GRAS-generally regarded as safe. This means NO testing had to be done on them short or long term. Children who were fed MSG filled baby formulas are now in their late 20's early 30's. Children who have been fed soy and GMO corn syrup solids are now in their teen's and early 20's. It it causing premature puberty and obesity at a rate never imagined.
This is why I am getting all of this checked out. I was raised on aspartame, MSG, genetically modified organisms and corn syrup. Cookies from the store 30 years ago are NOT THE SAME ANYMORE. Some people in their 60's can't understand the problem with taking their grand kids to get ice cream and cookies. That's because it isn't just milk, sugar and ice now. It is filled with trans fat, msg, artificial vanilla flavors and corn syrups.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Iodine Use Is Shunned By Most Doctors (Update: And for Good Reason!)
Author's Edit: My views on iodine have changed drastically since I wrote this back in 2008. Now I have determined iodine was the CAUSE of the alopecia areata hair loss. I do not know why it happened, but it did. This post gets a lot of hits in google, so I'm telling you now I was naive when I wrote this post. I was just regurgitating what I heard others say on another website. Some info has been removed from this page because I don't want to be furthering someone's bad information. I apologize to everyone who commented and I gave stupid advice. Please forgive me!
Do your own research and use at your own risk...
My experimentation with iodine began when I first started to see a naturopathic MD. On my first visit he put me on 1 tab of Iodoral every day. He explained to me that the thyroid and breasts need iodine and we are all deficient especially in this part of the world. He told me that it helps to break apart cysts and has been seen as a preventative for breast cancer. My thyroid always tested good. I did have some hypothyroid symptoms, but told him they really weren't that bothersome. I do have to watch my weight though.
Like a good patient, I started to take 1 Iodoral tablet a day. Now at this time in my life, I was eating REALLY good. I juiced 1 cucumber and 1 lemon 3Xs a day. I ate lightly cooked egg whites in the morning and salads with white chicken breasts for lunch and dinner. As far as clean eating and dieting goes, I was doing it.
About a month into taking iodine, I started to get acne. I've never had acne before and didn't know what the heck was going on. One thing I noticed were that my morning temperatures finally broke the mid 96's, which was interesting. I use the LadyComp as my birth control method, so I took my temperature daily. The LadyComp was relearning my temperatures so the iodine was doing something.
At this point I wasn't sure it was a good something though. Some not so good things started to happen. I had my first patch of baldness come over night and I had numbness in my left leg from the top of my knee to the hip. It was very bothersome. The bald spot broke-the-camel's-back as they say and I called my doctor to tell him I was stopping everything for a few days to see what happens. Nothing good changed. My hair continued to fall out. My legs continued to get numb.
I started reading more about iodine and I was told that I was going through severe bromide detoxification. I was told that this is normal and you have to push through this...I now believe that is a bunch of lies and would never ever tell anyone to do this at all. If you are suffering after starting a supplement, then have enough sense to stop it. Don't let someone talk you into taking it by saying it's a "detox". I've heard this so many times over the years now, it's become a cliche. :(
Is there some truth to a detox? I have no idea. Whenever you take iodine, it pushes the fluoride, chlorine and bromide out of the thyroid and other tissues. The halogens compete in the body and unfortunately iodine is easily pushed out by bromide. Since drinking water has chlorine and fluoride in it, your thyroid gets hit. I have well water, so I knew that I did not have issues with these things. With the iodine supplementation, these toxins supposedly get dumped into your bloodstream and you feel very sick. Again I'm pretty skeptical of this nowadays and I just think my thyroid levels were through the roof. I think I was experiencing hyperthyroid symptoms and an autoimmune attack within my body. My TSH was NON DETECTABLE during this time, but my doctor did not make the connection.
So against my better judgement and because I was sucked in with these iodine websites, I started to take 3 Iodoral tabs. 2 in the morning and 1 mid day to begin the "bromide detox". It was a full 3 weeks of hell and back, but I did it because I thought I was doing the right thing. I read the research presented on the sites and thought it made sense. This showed that even after 1 month at 3 Iodoral tabs, your body excretes large amounts of bromide and fluoride. Well I wanted that out of my body (if it was in there), so I followed this detox without question.
After this "detox", I went back to 1 tablet. My hair would continue to fall out until it looked like that picture above. How in the world was this an improvement of my health? I now was jittery, shakey, felt out of my mind, had terrible terrible headaches constantly, was half bald and now in worse shape than when I started... I was told that I was over-exaggerating and that I must have "done it wrong" on forums. Nobody ever wants to admit that the supplement they recommend could possibly hurt someone.
Mainstream medicine claims that too much iodine causes hyperthyroidism, but that is widely debated with holistic doctors. However these holistic doctors have ulterior motives because they sell iodine and iodine test kits on their websites. There is evidence that a deficiency in iodine can cause BOTH hyper and/or hypo! Goiters can be from too much iodine or too little, so really we just don't know at all. Some studies show countries with higher amounts of iodine have higher levels of autoimmune thyroid conditions. This doesn't sound like a positive thing at all.
The iodine websites say to get this Iodine Loading Test done and that it would tell me whether or not I have enough iodine in my body. I even question the science in this test and have no idea if it's even true or not, so test at your own risk. It may say you need it when you don't. How would we know?
Nowadays I could never ever recommend iodine to anybody. One size does not fit all.
Upset Stomach
I woke up today and knew something wasn't quite right. Well a few hours after waking, I began to have diarrhea. Everything I eat is leaving me quickly...yikes! At one point I felt feverish, but checked it and it was "normal" at 98.5 I've been consistently running near 97 degrees for the week I've been checking. Maybe it is always like that!
Up until now, I didn't really feel like sitting up and being on the computer. The feverish, blah feeling has passed a little. I decided to write this up. Just more documenting...
I find the blog is incredible when it comes to a diary. If I can't remember when I started feeling sick, I usually say so on my blog. It really has helped me a lot because time flies by so quickly. What I thought was only 3 weeks ago is now 3 months ago!
I'm actually a little hungry. Not too sure what to eat. Maybe I'll just make myself a cup of hot water with Really Raw honey. That stuff is just simply amazing! They sell it in grocery stores now and I know for a fact Whole Foods sells it cheaper than what is listed on the website.
If you like honey, then you'll be completely delighted with this product.
If you aren't a big fan of eating honey, it can be used on cuts for a faster heal. Their website says it has anti-cancer properties, can be used as a facial wash, used on a dry scalp and is an excellent preservative. It never goes bad!
Up until now, I didn't really feel like sitting up and being on the computer. The feverish, blah feeling has passed a little. I decided to write this up. Just more documenting...
I find the blog is incredible when it comes to a diary. If I can't remember when I started feeling sick, I usually say so on my blog. It really has helped me a lot because time flies by so quickly. What I thought was only 3 weeks ago is now 3 months ago!
I'm actually a little hungry. Not too sure what to eat. Maybe I'll just make myself a cup of hot water with Really Raw honey. That stuff is just simply amazing! They sell it in grocery stores now and I know for a fact Whole Foods sells it cheaper than what is listed on the website.
If you like honey, then you'll be completely delighted with this product.
If you aren't a big fan of eating honey, it can be used on cuts for a faster heal. Their website says it has anti-cancer properties, can be used as a facial wash, used on a dry scalp and is an excellent preservative. It never goes bad!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Blood Work and Ultrasound--Done
I got the blood work done on Wednesday night. I got the ultrasound done this morning. She had me turn my head to the right, so she could do the left lobe. Just looked like gray stuff to me. With 1 really dark spot, but I don't even know where she was on my neck. It was probably the carotid artery.
This is what a normal thyroid ultrasound looks like...It's like another language.
When I was done, I told my husband it looked like a snail was in my neck. We both laughed. We'll probably get the results Monday (I'll be calling the doctors to give them a slight nudge). The blood work will definitely be done Monday. In fact it may have been ready today, but I didn't feel like bothering Dr. Goldstein. He's been really good to me recently. He's gone out of his way to make sure I get the appropriate tests done and I am very happy about that.
I was not going to get the ultrasound before the blood work came back, but I reconsidered. Even if my results were "normal" in the back of my mind I'd be wondering why it changed so rapidly. With the blood work and ultrasound we will know exactly what is going on or what is NOT going on. Possible goiter? Nodule? We will know soon.
2 days ago I did a LOT of singing. Since taking voice lessons, I've been trying to practice a lot. Getting better at hitting high notes with ease and being able to sing long phrases. Well I overdid it. Yesterday I woke up with a chest pain. It was really weird. It hurt when I exhaled, when I laughed and if I let my lungs get too empty. Today it is much better. I didn't sing AT ALL yesterday, which was hard for me. I sing all the time even without knowing. There is definitely still a little bit of pain, but way better. Obviously I pulled some sort of muscle in there! Leave it to me to pull a muscle in my chest.
This is what a normal thyroid ultrasound looks like...It's like another language.
When I was done, I told my husband it looked like a snail was in my neck. We both laughed. We'll probably get the results Monday (I'll be calling the doctors to give them a slight nudge). The blood work will definitely be done Monday. In fact it may have been ready today, but I didn't feel like bothering Dr. Goldstein. He's been really good to me recently. He's gone out of his way to make sure I get the appropriate tests done and I am very happy about that.
I was not going to get the ultrasound before the blood work came back, but I reconsidered. Even if my results were "normal" in the back of my mind I'd be wondering why it changed so rapidly. With the blood work and ultrasound we will know exactly what is going on or what is NOT going on. Possible goiter? Nodule? We will know soon.
2 days ago I did a LOT of singing. Since taking voice lessons, I've been trying to practice a lot. Getting better at hitting high notes with ease and being able to sing long phrases. Well I overdid it. Yesterday I woke up with a chest pain. It was really weird. It hurt when I exhaled, when I laughed and if I let my lungs get too empty. Today it is much better. I didn't sing AT ALL yesterday, which was hard for me. I sing all the time even without knowing. There is definitely still a little bit of pain, but way better. Obviously I pulled some sort of muscle in there! Leave it to me to pull a muscle in my chest.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Good News--More Questions
The visit with the ENT went great. He was very thorough and felt all of my lymph nodes. He said that everything was OK with them and he said there is no need to get a scan. He was probably one of the nicest doctors and person I've ever seen. He took the time to explain EVERYTHING and because of this I will I can move on to my thyroid issues.
The interesting thing was that he was more concerned about the diabetes insipidus. He was asking me a lot of questions about it and when I was diagnosed. When I told him I had an MRI that came back clear, he looked more relieved. I think the mercury is causing that one. Makes sense to me---didn't tell him that though haha!
Unfortunately I have no answer on why I am itching. Last night we went to the store and while there started to get itchy. My husband said my face was all blotchy...I fought through it and didn't take a zyrtec.
I am very relieved that my lymph nodes are normal. PHEW... I have the thyroid ultrasound scheduled this Friday to see what is up. If nothing comes back with this, I'll just start detoxing again.
The interesting thing was that he was more concerned about the diabetes insipidus. He was asking me a lot of questions about it and when I was diagnosed. When I told him I had an MRI that came back clear, he looked more relieved. I think the mercury is causing that one. Makes sense to me---didn't tell him that though haha!
Unfortunately I have no answer on why I am itching. Last night we went to the store and while there started to get itchy. My husband said my face was all blotchy...I fought through it and didn't take a zyrtec.
I am very relieved that my lymph nodes are normal. PHEW... I have the thyroid ultrasound scheduled this Friday to see what is up. If nothing comes back with this, I'll just start detoxing again.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Satire: Global Warming Is Gonna Get Us!
This a little something I made today. Gave me a little chuckle. Click on it to see more detail.
Let's see what the sun looks like today. There are NO sun spots. It has been like this since for a while now and that is why things are cooling down on Earth. The sun goes through natural cycles. Just another amazing thing we take for granted! Previously the sun was in a very high cycle thus we were on a warming trend.
Back in July, NASA was saying it was very very normal for a sun to be this spotless. But now in September it appears that it is becoming a little unusual. To have as many spotless days as we have had (back in sept) you have to go all the way back to 1954.
On September 27, we were at 200 days without spots. That would mean we are now at 280 days of a spotless sun. After some digging I found out that the last time we have been 250+ days without sunspots, was back in 1912. We are rapidly approaching the record from back in 1913.
Only need another 45 days or so.
The neo, globalists are now changing the terms. It used to be global warming, but now they just say climate change. This is no mistake! All of these trends have nothing to do with SUV's and CO2 (breathing) and everything to with taxing us further to get us into a 1 world global government.
Let's see what the sun looks like today. There are NO sun spots. It has been like this since for a while now and that is why things are cooling down on Earth. The sun goes through natural cycles. Just another amazing thing we take for granted! Previously the sun was in a very high cycle thus we were on a warming trend.
Back in July, NASA was saying it was very very normal for a sun to be this spotless. But now in September it appears that it is becoming a little unusual. To have as many spotless days as we have had (back in sept) you have to go all the way back to 1954.
On September 27, we were at 200 days without spots. That would mean we are now at 280 days of a spotless sun. After some digging I found out that the last time we have been 250+ days without sunspots, was back in 1912. We are rapidly approaching the record from back in 1913.
Only need another 45 days or so.
The neo, globalists are now changing the terms. It used to be global warming, but now they just say climate change. This is no mistake! All of these trends have nothing to do with SUV's and CO2 (breathing) and everything to with taxing us further to get us into a 1 world global government.
Monday, December 15, 2008
ENT Appointment Is Scheduled
I have some good news today! My ENT appointment is this Wednesday! Holy cow. The lady on the phone was like, "how about the 17." I was like..."you mean this month as in like a few days from now?" "Yeah" My jaw dropped. I am glad that I was wrong on the time frame. Everything could potentially be resolved on Wednesday if he looks at the nodes and says nothing is wrong. Then again this could be the beginning of another nightmarish chapter.
I also told the PCP I won't do a radioactive iodine uptake test, but an ultrasound is fine. She said that is OK! Phew...
I visited my family today and had an itchy attack while I was there! YIKES. I immediately took a Zyrtec because I didn't know how bad it would become. The good thing is is that I'm not itchy tonight. The Zyrtec definitely works, but I hate taking it all the time. I forget how bad the itching is when I take it and I want to be able to explain to the doctor exactly how bad it is.
The blood work paper from Dr. Goldstein did not arrive today. Maybe tomorrow.
I also told the PCP I won't do a radioactive iodine uptake test, but an ultrasound is fine. She said that is OK! Phew...
I visited my family today and had an itchy attack while I was there! YIKES. I immediately took a Zyrtec because I didn't know how bad it would become. The good thing is is that I'm not itchy tonight. The Zyrtec definitely works, but I hate taking it all the time. I forget how bad the itching is when I take it and I want to be able to explain to the doctor exactly how bad it is.
The blood work paper from Dr. Goldstein did not arrive today. Maybe tomorrow.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Didn't Feel Very Good Today
Today I had more of the nausea from last week. I did get some food in me though, so that is good. At one point I thought I was going to vomit, so I laid down in bed. Started to get really cold and took my temperature. 97.5 degrees F. Wow that hyperthyroid is really making me get a fever! (sarcasm)
While laying in bed I started to get itchy. Oh noes and nearly scratched through the skin on the back of my upper leg. Scratching the itch is somehow pleasurable. Like eating a cone of your favorite ice cream flavor or seeing a friend from school. I know it sounds really strange, but I get this. It actually FEELS GOOD.
Once it started to get itchy, I shake and do my usual grunting and grrr noises. I did take a picture of this one, but I'll spare all of you. It wasn't very pleasant looking after digging at it for a while. I can't figure out how a thyroid would make me itchy all over like this. What am I supposed to do about it? I can't take Zyrtec for the rest of my life without ever knowing what is causing the itching. It is one thing to take a medication after you know what is causing it to give you temporary relief until a permanent solution is in place. However this process really shouldn't last more than a few weeks/months in my opinion.
Monday I'm just going to call an ENT and schedule an appointment. Seems like I just have to do things myself. With my insurance I don't need referrals so this shouldn't be an issue. Wonder how long the wait is? I'm going to guess 2 1/2 months and we'll see how close I am on Monday. =)
While laying in bed I started to get itchy. Oh noes and nearly scratched through the skin on the back of my upper leg. Scratching the itch is somehow pleasurable. Like eating a cone of your favorite ice cream flavor or seeing a friend from school. I know it sounds really strange, but I get this. It actually FEELS GOOD.
Once it started to get itchy, I shake and do my usual grunting and grrr noises. I did take a picture of this one, but I'll spare all of you. It wasn't very pleasant looking after digging at it for a while. I can't figure out how a thyroid would make me itchy all over like this. What am I supposed to do about it? I can't take Zyrtec for the rest of my life without ever knowing what is causing the itching. It is one thing to take a medication after you know what is causing it to give you temporary relief until a permanent solution is in place. However this process really shouldn't last more than a few weeks/months in my opinion.
Monday I'm just going to call an ENT and schedule an appointment. Seems like I just have to do things myself. With my insurance I don't need referrals so this shouldn't be an issue. Wonder how long the wait is? I'm going to guess 2 1/2 months and we'll see how close I am on Monday. =)
The Alcohol Experiment
The 1 beer kicked my ass. Wow I forgot what it was like to drink. It's just been so long that my body wasn't prepared at all.
About half way through, I was very buzzed. It made me sooo tired and a little itchy. Not too bad though. I practically collapsed...with the oven on! Thank goodness my husband was paying attention. I may have burned the house down last night!
Everything went well except for one weird thing that happened. The insides of my ears and the back of my throat was very itchy. I was actually using a pair of tweezers! to scratch my ear...I know not the safest or smartest thing I have ever done. But it was SOOO itchy. I was trying to scratch the back of my throat with a q-tip...Today they aren't itchy, so that is good. I couldn't figure out what would have caused that one though.
I came across this little video series while searching google for itchy ears after alcohol consumption. Thought it was interesting nonetheless.
http://www.videojug.com/interview/lymphoma-diagnosis-2#what-are-the-symptoms-of-lymphoma
My kidneys/lower back were hurting really bad this morning. This happens on mornings I don't drink, so it probably isn't related, but certainly worth mentioning.
Even though things went OK, I don't think I'll be drinking any time soon. Unless it is to do another experiment. I just don't like it at all.
About half way through, I was very buzzed. It made me sooo tired and a little itchy. Not too bad though. I practically collapsed...with the oven on! Thank goodness my husband was paying attention. I may have burned the house down last night!
Everything went well except for one weird thing that happened. The insides of my ears and the back of my throat was very itchy. I was actually using a pair of tweezers! to scratch my ear...I know not the safest or smartest thing I have ever done. But it was SOOO itchy. I was trying to scratch the back of my throat with a q-tip...Today they aren't itchy, so that is good. I couldn't figure out what would have caused that one though.
I came across this little video series while searching google for itchy ears after alcohol consumption. Thought it was interesting nonetheless.
http://www.videojug.com/interview/lymphoma-diagnosis-2#what-are-the-symptoms-of-lymphoma
My kidneys/lower back were hurting really bad this morning. This happens on mornings I don't drink, so it probably isn't related, but certainly worth mentioning.
Even though things went OK, I don't think I'll be drinking any time soon. Unless it is to do another experiment. I just don't like it at all.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Getting Thyroid Labs Redone
I spoke to Dr. Goldstein today about my ridiculously low TSH! He was also in agreement with me that something isn't right.
Back in the end of August, my TSH was 1.077. The ONLY thing that has changed since August is that I have had my amalgams out and started DMSA. My goodness I hope DMSA hasn't totally ruined my thyroid. My blood count recovered, so that is good. Phew...
I am getting EVERYTHING re-checked. T3, T4, TSH, antibodies etc. A complete work up of my thyroid rather than bits and pieces of information. Having all of this done will give Goldstein a complete picture. The PCP wanted me to get an ultrasound done because she was concerned that I have a goitre. A regular ultrasound is fine, but she wanted me to have a radioactive uptake test too. NO way in hell I am having one of those done. It destroys your thyroid. I told Goldstein about this and he also agrees with me on this. This is why I love this doctor. He has common sense. He told me to NEVER have one of those done because iodine isn't only found in the thyroid. It is in the breasts and basically part of the entire endocrine system. It isn't safe whatsoever. 10 points for Dr. Goldstein there. YAY!
Now I wait on the blood work paper from Dr. Goldstein to get it all done. If it still comes back low, then we can see what is going on from there. He said that my T4 doesn't match the low TSH at all. If I had true hyper, then my T4 would be through the roof. If I had a secondary hypothyroidism (pituitary problem) then my T4 would be low. He kind of laughed and said he had no idea what was up. I'm one of his most complex patients. He has told me this over and over. That's when I suggested that perhaps the lab result was a fluke or misinterpreted. Maybe someone messed up a decimal point?
The PCP has now completely dismissed the swollen lymph nodes. She said that they don't exist now that she found the low TSH (I am not making this up). Rather than cervical adenopathy, she feels it is a goitre. If my thyroid is so enlarged that it is reaching the collar bone area, then I am in serious trouble. You can't see the thyroid at all when looking at me. She also shrugged off the enlarged lymph node in my groin...I think that my time with this doctor is over. It took 5 days to finally get an answer and she didn't even respond to the swollen lymph node in the groin. They NEVER faxed me the results. If it wasn't for Goldstein's office, I still wouldn't have them! This office had their chance and it is time to move on. I'm not gonna burn bridges, but I'm just sort of irritated how they have handled everything.
I really want to get this lymph node in my groin checked, but have no idea where to go. Really concerns me how huge it is...
I stopped the iodine as soon as the rashes started, so I'm not sure what to do at the moment. I'm gonna wait to start back up on it until I get these new labs done. Then we can get a clearer picture of what is happening. All of this may be my pituitary finally sputtering out. I have been taking my medication for DI, so it hasn't been working recently.
Tonight I am drinking a beer (yep with elevated liver enzymes HAHA) to see if I can even do it. Woot Guiness! It has been at least 8 months since my last one and I couldn't even finish it. So far so good. I'm about 5 sips in and I have no pain or weird feelings. This is an experiment. :-) What a good experiment as long as the lymph node pain doesn't start...
Back in the end of August, my TSH was 1.077. The ONLY thing that has changed since August is that I have had my amalgams out and started DMSA. My goodness I hope DMSA hasn't totally ruined my thyroid. My blood count recovered, so that is good. Phew...
I am getting EVERYTHING re-checked. T3, T4, TSH, antibodies etc. A complete work up of my thyroid rather than bits and pieces of information. Having all of this done will give Goldstein a complete picture. The PCP wanted me to get an ultrasound done because she was concerned that I have a goitre. A regular ultrasound is fine, but she wanted me to have a radioactive uptake test too. NO way in hell I am having one of those done. It destroys your thyroid. I told Goldstein about this and he also agrees with me on this. This is why I love this doctor. He has common sense. He told me to NEVER have one of those done because iodine isn't only found in the thyroid. It is in the breasts and basically part of the entire endocrine system. It isn't safe whatsoever. 10 points for Dr. Goldstein there. YAY!
Now I wait on the blood work paper from Dr. Goldstein to get it all done. If it still comes back low, then we can see what is going on from there. He said that my T4 doesn't match the low TSH at all. If I had true hyper, then my T4 would be through the roof. If I had a secondary hypothyroidism (pituitary problem) then my T4 would be low. He kind of laughed and said he had no idea what was up. I'm one of his most complex patients. He has told me this over and over. That's when I suggested that perhaps the lab result was a fluke or misinterpreted. Maybe someone messed up a decimal point?
The PCP has now completely dismissed the swollen lymph nodes. She said that they don't exist now that she found the low TSH (I am not making this up). Rather than cervical adenopathy, she feels it is a goitre. If my thyroid is so enlarged that it is reaching the collar bone area, then I am in serious trouble. You can't see the thyroid at all when looking at me. She also shrugged off the enlarged lymph node in my groin...I think that my time with this doctor is over. It took 5 days to finally get an answer and she didn't even respond to the swollen lymph node in the groin. They NEVER faxed me the results. If it wasn't for Goldstein's office, I still wouldn't have them! This office had their chance and it is time to move on. I'm not gonna burn bridges, but I'm just sort of irritated how they have handled everything.
I really want to get this lymph node in my groin checked, but have no idea where to go. Really concerns me how huge it is...
I stopped the iodine as soon as the rashes started, so I'm not sure what to do at the moment. I'm gonna wait to start back up on it until I get these new labs done. Then we can get a clearer picture of what is happening. All of this may be my pituitary finally sputtering out. I have been taking my medication for DI, so it hasn't been working recently.
Tonight I am drinking a beer (yep with elevated liver enzymes HAHA) to see if I can even do it. Woot Guiness! It has been at least 8 months since my last one and I couldn't even finish it. So far so good. I'm about 5 sips in and I have no pain or weird feelings. This is an experiment. :-) What a good experiment as long as the lymph node pain doesn't start...
Thursday, December 11, 2008
New Bloodwork Results---Truly Unbelievable
I am sort of at a loss for words with these new blood work results. Something is just not right with me, but apparently no one knows...Right now I am pretty fuming, so please excuse any frustration in this post.
I actually got these results from Goldstein (I had the lab send them to him as well) because the other doctor's office I went to is NOT cooperating with me. I contacted them on Monday with no call back. I called them, Tuesday and Wednesday too. Finally someone called me, but the message was NOT relayed to the doctor (about the lymph nodes in my groin) and my blood work was NEVER faxed to me. What is with doctor offices these days? My goodness, if the doctor had taken 1 look at my results, I think she would have called.
As a reminder I had the following tests done:
CBC (no differential)
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)
T4
TSH
CMV IgG AB (Titres)
Sed Rate (ESR)
CBC-All of my blood counts were normal...Wow what an improvement from 2 weeks ago where my white blood cell counts were 3,800. They were 4,900 this time. Unbelievable! There is no differential, so I do not know what my neutrophils or eosinophils are this time around.
CMP-Showed elevated liver enzymes at 60. Specifically the ALT. Now they aren't THAT high, but what in the world is causing this? I use no OTC pain relievers and I don't drink.
T4-8.9 This is in the reference range.
TSH-This one actually made my jaw drop........ 0.01 WTF! Holy shite, I went from Goldstein saying I may have slight hypothyroidism to super crazy hyperthyroidism? Or maybe it is my pituitary? I haven't taken iodine for about 4 weeks and I was only taking 1 tab a day. Even Goldstein says this amount is completely healthy and normal to take. The people in Japan consume more iodine than this in a single day... Once again, complete loss for words. What makes NO SENSE is that my T4 is normal. In true hyperthyroidism, T4 should be elevated too. I am thinking my pituitary has finally called it quits.
CMV Titres-No active CMV which includes EBV! Yay! This made me so happy. I am at 0.91 which is 0.01 away from saying I am completely NEGATIVE for antibodies. The fact that I had EBV and it is showing this low is amazing to me.
Potassium- Low at 3.5 What the hell is wrong with me. Why is my potassium always low...damnit I have made it a mission to get this higher too with NO luck whatsoever.
Sed Rate- Normal at 3. Range is 0-20.
Now I have no idea what is going on with me. /sigh These results truly make me even more frustrated and confused as to what's up. I may call Goldstein tomorrow to see if he'll look at these for me. The thyroid numbers are totally jacked. I may need to start taking Armour at this rate.
I actually got these results from Goldstein (I had the lab send them to him as well) because the other doctor's office I went to is NOT cooperating with me. I contacted them on Monday with no call back. I called them, Tuesday and Wednesday too. Finally someone called me, but the message was NOT relayed to the doctor (about the lymph nodes in my groin) and my blood work was NEVER faxed to me. What is with doctor offices these days? My goodness, if the doctor had taken 1 look at my results, I think she would have called.
As a reminder I had the following tests done:
CBC (no differential)
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)
T4
TSH
CMV IgG AB (Titres)
Sed Rate (ESR)
CBC-All of my blood counts were normal...Wow what an improvement from 2 weeks ago where my white blood cell counts were 3,800. They were 4,900 this time. Unbelievable! There is no differential, so I do not know what my neutrophils or eosinophils are this time around.
CMP-Showed elevated liver enzymes at 60. Specifically the ALT. Now they aren't THAT high, but what in the world is causing this? I use no OTC pain relievers and I don't drink.
T4-8.9 This is in the reference range.
TSH-This one actually made my jaw drop........ 0.01 WTF! Holy shite, I went from Goldstein saying I may have slight hypothyroidism to super crazy hyperthyroidism? Or maybe it is my pituitary? I haven't taken iodine for about 4 weeks and I was only taking 1 tab a day. Even Goldstein says this amount is completely healthy and normal to take. The people in Japan consume more iodine than this in a single day... Once again, complete loss for words. What makes NO SENSE is that my T4 is normal. In true hyperthyroidism, T4 should be elevated too. I am thinking my pituitary has finally called it quits.
CMV Titres-No active CMV which includes EBV! Yay! This made me so happy. I am at 0.91 which is 0.01 away from saying I am completely NEGATIVE for antibodies. The fact that I had EBV and it is showing this low is amazing to me.
Potassium- Low at 3.5 What the hell is wrong with me. Why is my potassium always low...damnit I have made it a mission to get this higher too with NO luck whatsoever.
Sed Rate- Normal at 3. Range is 0-20.
Now I have no idea what is going on with me. /sigh These results truly make me even more frustrated and confused as to what's up. I may call Goldstein tomorrow to see if he'll look at these for me. The thyroid numbers are totally jacked. I may need to start taking Armour at this rate.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Old Arm Injury Showing Itself Again
About 5 1/2 years ago, I hurt my arm while I worked at Pier 1 Imports. I used to help do truck early in the morning (like 5am) and I actually really enjoyed it. Even though I am very personable, sometimes I just like to be left to myself in a stockroom. I enjoyed organizing the shelves and keeping tabs on what inventory was available. That way if someone was interested in a table set, I immediately knew if we had it in the back. I've always taken my work very seriously even when making $7.00/hr. I was Associate of the Year in my store! HAHA It is still something that really makes me chuckle when I think about it.
For those of you who haven't ever worked in retail, doing truck doesn't mean you get out of being on the sales floor. Basically you do the jobs of what 5 people would do at a real corporate setting. For this reason, that is why there is such a huge turnover rate.
Now with the economy in the toilet, turnover may not be quite so high since it's extremely difficult to find a NEW job. You have people with master degrees working at Kohls, Walmart and other retailers. Doubt me? Ask around! I worked alongside 2 women with master degrees who couldn't find work in their field! Whenever you can't find a job for whatever reason, just remember you are competing with people who are OVER qualified.
While I did truck, I lifted a lot of heavy stuff. Looking back, I actually had a worker's comp case. However, it is just one of those things you don't think about at the time. Now it wasn't an injury that occurred overnight. My shoulder/arm was injured doing the repetitive task of moving tables, dining chairs, entertainment centers and heavy boxes from the truck to the stockroom. Then from the stockroom to the sales floor. If a customer needed 6 dining chairs, you had to get them from around the perimeter. Phew...imagine me with heels standing precariously on a ladder carrying down multiple dining chairs! I don't know how I did it.
Eventually I started to notice my left shoulder was bothering me. It was more of a nagging pain at this point and didn't think about it. It started to get MUCH worse over the next few weeks. I was having difficulty driving my car. Making a simple turn in my car caused severe pain to shoot into my bicep and into the shoulder. Taking shirts off and lifting my arm higher than my heart was almost impossible. At this point, I went to my manager and told her I was hurt. She was VERY concerned and immediately and permanently took me off of all truck. I was told not to lift anything heavier than 10 pounds, which is really hard at Pier 1. That week I went to the doctor and immediately started physical rehab. I went through several months 3 x a week of phys rehab to get my arm back to what it used to be. For these past few years, I have babied it. The physical rehab helped it, but it has never been back to 100%.
Just a few weeks ago I decided to try out violin. It's been something I have always been interested in. What I didn't consider was if my left arm could handle being up above my heart for extended periods of time. Well I am finding out that it cannot. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. It may come down to finding a new instrument to play.
For those of you who haven't ever worked in retail, doing truck doesn't mean you get out of being on the sales floor. Basically you do the jobs of what 5 people would do at a real corporate setting. For this reason, that is why there is such a huge turnover rate.
Now with the economy in the toilet, turnover may not be quite so high since it's extremely difficult to find a NEW job. You have people with master degrees working at Kohls, Walmart and other retailers. Doubt me? Ask around! I worked alongside 2 women with master degrees who couldn't find work in their field! Whenever you can't find a job for whatever reason, just remember you are competing with people who are OVER qualified.
While I did truck, I lifted a lot of heavy stuff. Looking back, I actually had a worker's comp case. However, it is just one of those things you don't think about at the time. Now it wasn't an injury that occurred overnight. My shoulder/arm was injured doing the repetitive task of moving tables, dining chairs, entertainment centers and heavy boxes from the truck to the stockroom. Then from the stockroom to the sales floor. If a customer needed 6 dining chairs, you had to get them from around the perimeter. Phew...imagine me with heels standing precariously on a ladder carrying down multiple dining chairs! I don't know how I did it.
Eventually I started to notice my left shoulder was bothering me. It was more of a nagging pain at this point and didn't think about it. It started to get MUCH worse over the next few weeks. I was having difficulty driving my car. Making a simple turn in my car caused severe pain to shoot into my bicep and into the shoulder. Taking shirts off and lifting my arm higher than my heart was almost impossible. At this point, I went to my manager and told her I was hurt. She was VERY concerned and immediately and permanently took me off of all truck. I was told not to lift anything heavier than 10 pounds, which is really hard at Pier 1. That week I went to the doctor and immediately started physical rehab. I went through several months 3 x a week of phys rehab to get my arm back to what it used to be. For these past few years, I have babied it. The physical rehab helped it, but it has never been back to 100%.
Just a few weeks ago I decided to try out violin. It's been something I have always been interested in. What I didn't consider was if my left arm could handle being up above my heart for extended periods of time. Well I am finding out that it cannot. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. It may come down to finding a new instrument to play.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Complete Break From Detoxing
If you are following my blog, I bet most of you have already assumed this. However, I am taking a complete break from all detoxing until everything else can be either ruled out or diagnosed. A little part of me is "missing" the detox, but my body needs a long break. I'll never know if the mild neutropenia was caused by the DMSA.
I now recommend everyone to get a full blood workup before starting the Cutler detox. You should have kidney, liver, thyroid and adrenal function checked, and a CBC with differential. Adrenal function is usually better tested with a saliva test. This way you have a good starting point. If you never get these done and then 3 months into the detox, your liver starts acting up, you won't know what caused what and may quit the detox indefinitely. Sometimes the liver, kidneys are working at just enough pace that they don't cause you problems until it is stressed more than normal. Detox is stress no matter how "gentle" of an approach you take.
This week I will be calling my doctor (today actually) to see what the results of the blood work were and where we go from here. I will definitely get them faxed over to me as well. I'd like to see an ENT to have him/her check my lymph nodes out. This is what they do on a regular basis, so they will have a better feel (pun intended) of what the lymph nodes should look like. I would like to have my groin lymph nodes examined too, but I don't think an ENT would do that.
/sigh
All of this is so frustrating!
I now recommend everyone to get a full blood workup before starting the Cutler detox. You should have kidney, liver, thyroid and adrenal function checked, and a CBC with differential. Adrenal function is usually better tested with a saliva test. This way you have a good starting point. If you never get these done and then 3 months into the detox, your liver starts acting up, you won't know what caused what and may quit the detox indefinitely. Sometimes the liver, kidneys are working at just enough pace that they don't cause you problems until it is stressed more than normal. Detox is stress no matter how "gentle" of an approach you take.
This week I will be calling my doctor (today actually) to see what the results of the blood work were and where we go from here. I will definitely get them faxed over to me as well. I'd like to see an ENT to have him/her check my lymph nodes out. This is what they do on a regular basis, so they will have a better feel (pun intended) of what the lymph nodes should look like. I would like to have my groin lymph nodes examined too, but I don't think an ENT would do that.
/sigh
All of this is so frustrating!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Trying Zyrtec
Darn it, I broke down and picked up some Zyrtec. I hate doing this, but my husband is right. I am not living life at all right now. Everything I do (or don't do) is because of the stupid itching skin/hives. All they had was the 10mg kind, but this is probably best. I took it a few hours ago and I'm still itchy. Hopefully though it is making it more bearable though.
Perhaps I'd be in full blown crazy itching if I hadn't taken it. We'll see how this goes and this way I can tell my doctor whether or not Zyrtec helps. I'm starting to think that Benadryl did nothing other than make me fall asleep. You have no way of knowing if you are itching if you are sleeping...I guess you could set up a camera to see if you scratch during the night, but that's a bit crazy.
Update: I am glad to say that the Zyrtec is working! It just took a few hours to kick in, but I feel great!! Seriously I forgot what it was like to not itch. haha!
Perhaps I'd be in full blown crazy itching if I hadn't taken it. We'll see how this goes and this way I can tell my doctor whether or not Zyrtec helps. I'm starting to think that Benadryl did nothing other than make me fall asleep. You have no way of knowing if you are itching if you are sleeping...I guess you could set up a camera to see if you scratch during the night, but that's a bit crazy.
Update: I am glad to say that the Zyrtec is working! It just took a few hours to kick in, but I feel great!! Seriously I forgot what it was like to not itch. haha!
The Itchiness Was Unbearable
The itchiness was totally unbearable yesterday. I was a little itchy throughout the day, but easily kept my mind on other things. Then all of sudden for absolutely no reason all hell broke loose.
It first started on my sides, then went to my back, then the spot on the back of my leg near the butt. Eventually just everything was itchy. I was shaking and screaming in agony because I couldn't do anything about it. The itching is so intense. Then once I started to scratch it, I started to break out in the "rash". Hives were popping up on my skin and the back of my leg was bright red from me rubbing it. Pictures at this point are worthless, so I haven't been taking any.
I drank a whole cup of strongly brewed coffee and decided to take a Benadryl. I thought the coffee would counter the drug. I was still itchy by the time the drowsiness kicked in. I can only assume the itching went away when I finally fell asleep around 3:30PM. I didn't last more than 30 minutes before the Benadryl kicked my butt.
I fell asleep at around 3:30PM yesterday and woke up around 1am. That's what Benadryl does to me! WTF that's 9 1/2 hours of sleep! I vaguely remember my husband saying, we need to fill the Zyrtec prescription. HAHA
This brings my use of Benadryl to ~5 in my whole life time. All of them being in the past 5-6 weeks. Something is seriously wrong.
It first started on my sides, then went to my back, then the spot on the back of my leg near the butt. Eventually just everything was itchy. I was shaking and screaming in agony because I couldn't do anything about it. The itching is so intense. Then once I started to scratch it, I started to break out in the "rash". Hives were popping up on my skin and the back of my leg was bright red from me rubbing it. Pictures at this point are worthless, so I haven't been taking any.
I drank a whole cup of strongly brewed coffee and decided to take a Benadryl. I thought the coffee would counter the drug. I was still itchy by the time the drowsiness kicked in. I can only assume the itching went away when I finally fell asleep around 3:30PM. I didn't last more than 30 minutes before the Benadryl kicked my butt.
I fell asleep at around 3:30PM yesterday and woke up around 1am. That's what Benadryl does to me! WTF that's 9 1/2 hours of sleep! I vaguely remember my husband saying, we need to fill the Zyrtec prescription. HAHA
This brings my use of Benadryl to ~5 in my whole life time. All of them being in the past 5-6 weeks. Something is seriously wrong.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
First Labs Came Today
Well I got the first labs today in the mail from Goldstein. Thank you Goldstein!
There is some interesting things on here that honestly concern me even more...I have noticed that the lab references are a lot different at this new place. Some results say things are "normal" because the lab ranges are WAY too big. In other instances, the lab references seem too short. I don't understand why there could be such huge difference.
I've converted some of the numbers so that the numbers from the government site(s) match the numbers here.
WBC is 3,800 wbc/mcL Pretty Low
Neutrophil # 1.38 Very Low
Neutrophil % 36.9 Very Low
Eosinophil # 400 cell/mcL High
Eosinophil % 9.3 Very High
I have mild neutropenia which slightly increases your risk of infection. Is this from the DMSA? I must be very careful about who I am around and where I go. My body also has low WBC, so if I get some sort of illness I could find myself in the hospital. High eosinophils usually mean allergies, but I have had elevated eosinophils for over a year.
None of the doctors ever seem concerned including Goldstein. If he would have looked on my prior CBC's that I brought to him, he would see that it's ALWAYS been high. He put some notes on my paper saying that the rashes are from an allergic reaction.
Rather than give Butler Hospital's lab references which seem really outdated, I'll give you what our government recognizes as normal. (Oh my, I can't believe I'm looking at a .gov site for accuracy LOL. Remember this day because it will be the last!)
I guess I will call the doctor and forward these to her. Then she can compare them to the one I just had drawn the other day when those results come in.
There is some interesting things on here that honestly concern me even more...I have noticed that the lab references are a lot different at this new place. Some results say things are "normal" because the lab ranges are WAY too big. In other instances, the lab references seem too short. I don't understand why there could be such huge difference.
I've converted some of the numbers so that the numbers from the government site(s) match the numbers here.
WBC is 3,800 wbc/mcL Pretty Low
Neutrophil # 1.38 Very Low
Neutrophil % 36.9 Very Low
Eosinophil # 400 cell/mcL High
Eosinophil % 9.3 Very High
I have mild neutropenia which slightly increases your risk of infection. Is this from the DMSA? I must be very careful about who I am around and where I go. My body also has low WBC, so if I get some sort of illness I could find myself in the hospital. High eosinophils usually mean allergies, but I have had elevated eosinophils for over a year.
None of the doctors ever seem concerned including Goldstein. If he would have looked on my prior CBC's that I brought to him, he would see that it's ALWAYS been high. He put some notes on my paper saying that the rashes are from an allergic reaction.
Rather than give Butler Hospital's lab references which seem really outdated, I'll give you what our government recognizes as normal. (Oh my, I can't believe I'm looking at a .gov site for accuracy LOL. Remember this day because it will be the last!)
- WBC normal references-4,500-10,000 white blood cells/mcL (cells per microliter) Some places say 3,500-10,000. I don't understand how there is such a huge difference.
- Eosinophil normal count references-Less than 350 cells/mcL (cells per microliter)
- Neutrophil normal count references-varies by website-Greater than ~1.50-7.50X10 9th power.
- Eosinophil % references-varies by website-One range says 0-3%, another says 0-6%
- Neutrophil % references-45%-70% of WBC
I guess I will call the doctor and forward these to her. Then she can compare them to the one I just had drawn the other day when those results come in.
Activated Quercetin For the Rash
The Activated Quercetin came in the mail earlier today (8am). I took one as soon as it came and I definitely noticed a difference in itching. Even my husband was like, you haven't been itchy much today! He didn't know I took one though, so that was somewhat funny. hehe
Right before bed, I started to get so itchy. I thought I was going to need to sleep on the couch, but decided to take the Quercetin. Well I think it may have helped a little. Last night was a really bad sleeping night for me. Remember last night for me was from 12noon-9pm. I woke up hot like 15 times, then I had to use the bathroom, then the cars outside woke me up. Needless to say in all the time I was actually awake I didn't feel itchy. Now this "morning" at 9pm those same spots started to become itchy again (near my butt, shoulder and back), so I popped a couple more. I'll see if my husband notices me NOT complaining about being itchy. I'll forget that I took it in a few hours. hahah!
The recommended dose on the bottle says to take 3-6 capsules daily divided up throughout the day, in between meals. I took 3 yesterday, so it is good to know that I could have doubled that!
If you have allergies (even seasonal allergies), I'd give this a try. We bought the Source Naturals brand because it also has a small amount of bromelain in it to help absorb it better. I saw that quercetin doesn't absorb very well in the stomach, so you need to aid it as much as possible.
On a totally unrelated note, I got new glasses yesterday and I am not happy with them. UGH...they don't fit the bridge of my nose AT ALL and I can't believe the lady didn't tell me this in the store. They are plastic so nothing can be done to them. They are soo big and they keep sliding down my nose. I can't STAND people who wear their glasses lower on their nose, so the top frame sits right at their eye level. I want to walk up to them and push their glasses up. Well with these glasses I've become one of those people. I doubt they will even take them back, but the lady we had the last time was retarded (no offense to the mentally handicapped). She didn't know how to use the computer, how to figure out the insurance and almost sold us the wrong pair of glasses/lenses! I should have run out of there then...
They talked me into getting a new frame when all I wanted was to have new lenses put into my old frames. "With your insurance it will cost about as much for new lenses in your frames than a new frame and lenses." That's what they kept telling me. New lenses would not have cost what I paid. Now I have $265 glasses I hate. My prescription is pretty high, so I have to get High Index lenses. Without it I can't see through them. I get headaches, nausea and a terrible distortion on my peripheral vision.
Later, I'll have to call them and see what can be done. I already looked and the company doesn't make the glasses in any other sized bridge but 17mm. There were no other frames that I liked at all. Everything was hideous or too big, which doesn't surprise me considering how small I am. Maybe I can get store credit which will apply to lenses or contact lenses. I can't wear these things or I'll be constantly pushing them up on my nose and that is annoying. If they sat further up on my bridge without falling down, I'd be so happy with them. They look nothing like what I've ever wore, which was what I was going for. Here is a picture of the frames.
Right before bed, I started to get so itchy. I thought I was going to need to sleep on the couch, but decided to take the Quercetin. Well I think it may have helped a little. Last night was a really bad sleeping night for me. Remember last night for me was from 12noon-9pm. I woke up hot like 15 times, then I had to use the bathroom, then the cars outside woke me up. Needless to say in all the time I was actually awake I didn't feel itchy. Now this "morning" at 9pm those same spots started to become itchy again (near my butt, shoulder and back), so I popped a couple more. I'll see if my husband notices me NOT complaining about being itchy. I'll forget that I took it in a few hours. hahah!
The recommended dose on the bottle says to take 3-6 capsules daily divided up throughout the day, in between meals. I took 3 yesterday, so it is good to know that I could have doubled that!
If you have allergies (even seasonal allergies), I'd give this a try. We bought the Source Naturals brand because it also has a small amount of bromelain in it to help absorb it better. I saw that quercetin doesn't absorb very well in the stomach, so you need to aid it as much as possible.
On a totally unrelated note, I got new glasses yesterday and I am not happy with them. UGH...they don't fit the bridge of my nose AT ALL and I can't believe the lady didn't tell me this in the store. They are plastic so nothing can be done to them. They are soo big and they keep sliding down my nose. I can't STAND people who wear their glasses lower on their nose, so the top frame sits right at their eye level. I want to walk up to them and push their glasses up. Well with these glasses I've become one of those people. I doubt they will even take them back, but the lady we had the last time was retarded (no offense to the mentally handicapped). She didn't know how to use the computer, how to figure out the insurance and almost sold us the wrong pair of glasses/lenses! I should have run out of there then...
They talked me into getting a new frame when all I wanted was to have new lenses put into my old frames. "With your insurance it will cost about as much for new lenses in your frames than a new frame and lenses." That's what they kept telling me. New lenses would not have cost what I paid. Now I have $265 glasses I hate. My prescription is pretty high, so I have to get High Index lenses. Without it I can't see through them. I get headaches, nausea and a terrible distortion on my peripheral vision.
Later, I'll have to call them and see what can be done. I already looked and the company doesn't make the glasses in any other sized bridge but 17mm. There were no other frames that I liked at all. Everything was hideous or too big, which doesn't surprise me considering how small I am. Maybe I can get store credit which will apply to lenses or contact lenses. I can't wear these things or I'll be constantly pushing them up on my nose and that is annoying. If they sat further up on my bridge without falling down, I'd be so happy with them. They look nothing like what I've ever wore, which was what I was going for. Here is a picture of the frames.
Findings At the Doctor's Visit
I went to this new doctor with the lowest expectations possible. I was thinking, she will probably call me a druggy, crazy, in the need of taking some meds! I set myself up for the worst possible doctor visit ever. I am happy to say that yesterday went fantastic! This time I decided to go to a D.O. A D.O is a doctor who isn't completely blindsided by handing out prescriptions in hopes to stop specific symptoms. Typically D.O's are more involved in the "whole body" and they try to help their patients prevent problems before they happen by evaluating a family's background and risk factors. You'd think this would be common sense, but most M.D's don't care. There are exceptions (of course), but most of them just hear your list of symptoms and hand out a pill (s).
The visit was much better than expected. She is very concerned about my health and I could see it in her eye when she felt the lymph nodes. I think she was scared... There are enlarged lymph nodes near my collarbone and further up on my neck. I told her that I haven't been "sick" for a LONG time, so we are forgoing antibiotics that may take care of a lingering illness. I had a bunch of blood work done yesterday.
CBC, I am curious to see how the results compare to Goldstein's.
ESR will show any inflammation in the body. Many months ago I had a C-Reactive Protein checked and it was very low, so we'll see what happens with the ESR.
TSH and T4 are thyroid markers, which I expect to come back completely normal.
CMP is a whole list of things including liver tests. Once again, I didn't want to deal with getting results from Goldstein's office. It's just too frustrating for me to handle. I still can't understand why Goldstein would order a BMP and a liver enzyme test...A CMP does all of that in one.
CMV Titre. I don't know how accurate this is going to be since I already had EBV when I was 16/17. I told her this so I'm not sure what she is looking for. From what I've read it's very difficult to interpret the results if someone has already been exposed to one of the viruses. Part of me is concerned that she will blame everything on EBV is this comes back high. Let's hope she has an open mind!
I am just glad that I finally found someone who listened to me and went ahead and felt my neck for swollen lymph nodes. She felt lymph nodes that I had no idea were enlarged. The ones she said were enlargde usually indicate something very very bad like metastatic cancer or lymphoma. However this is only the first step and I'll probably need referred to an ENT to do a biopsy if they deem necessary. I'd at least want a PET or CT-scan to check everything out.
The visit was much better than expected. She is very concerned about my health and I could see it in her eye when she felt the lymph nodes. I think she was scared... There are enlarged lymph nodes near my collarbone and further up on my neck. I told her that I haven't been "sick" for a LONG time, so we are forgoing antibiotics that may take care of a lingering illness. I had a bunch of blood work done yesterday.
- CBC (Complete Blood Count)
- ESR (Erythrocyte sedimentation rate)
- TSH (Thyroid-stimulating hormone)
- T4 (Thyroxine)
- CMP (Comprehensive Metabolic Panel)
- CMV (Cytomegalovirus) Titre
CBC, I am curious to see how the results compare to Goldstein's.
ESR will show any inflammation in the body. Many months ago I had a C-Reactive Protein checked and it was very low, so we'll see what happens with the ESR.
TSH and T4 are thyroid markers, which I expect to come back completely normal.
CMP is a whole list of things including liver tests. Once again, I didn't want to deal with getting results from Goldstein's office. It's just too frustrating for me to handle. I still can't understand why Goldstein would order a BMP and a liver enzyme test...A CMP does all of that in one.
CMV Titre. I don't know how accurate this is going to be since I already had EBV when I was 16/17. I told her this so I'm not sure what she is looking for. From what I've read it's very difficult to interpret the results if someone has already been exposed to one of the viruses. Part of me is concerned that she will blame everything on EBV is this comes back high. Let's hope she has an open mind!
I am just glad that I finally found someone who listened to me and went ahead and felt my neck for swollen lymph nodes. She felt lymph nodes that I had no idea were enlarged. The ones she said were enlargde usually indicate something very very bad like metastatic cancer or lymphoma. However this is only the first step and I'll probably need referred to an ENT to do a biopsy if they deem necessary. I'd at least want a PET or CT-scan to check everything out.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Rash & Primary Care Doctors
Trying to find a primary care doctor that will see you quickly is difficult. I have an appointment scheduled 3 months from now to see a good doctor in my area. 3 months...
Now I am forced to go to a place that looks like it might be a complete waste of time. Ugh...they can see me today too. That's a terrible sign! In my experience any doctor that is good has always had a long wait.
It appears that I am having very itchy skin, but the rash is from me scratching it. I did a little test today to see if I scratched myself whether or not a "rash" would form in the spot I scratched. Every single time I did this I got a large rash that looked like hives. It would disappear within 30 minutes. Google is absolutely amazing. I found out that there is a very common condition called, dermatographic urticaria, which means "Skin writing hives". I've never had this before in my life, so it is new within the past 5 weeks or so. I wonder if the first set of hives set something off inside my skin.
You can see exactly what this looks like here. Don't click on that link if you are freaked out by red irritated raised skin. This one artist even uses her skin as her canvas. Even this was a little too strange for me! Now some of these people say it doesn't itch at all, so that makes me wonder. These spots and the skin underneath itch like hell for me.
Now I am realizing that I'm just itchy all over. Sometimes it gets so bad that I want to scream and now that I know I CAN'T scratch it, it makes things a lot worse. I feel completely helpless because I can't do anything to relief the itch! My doctor said to try quercetin, so I've ordered some to try it out. It is a natural bioflavonoid with anti-histamine properties. It is found in apple peels, onions and teas. Maybe that's why I really like all of those things! ha!
I'll be sure to report how the doctor's visit went. I'm expecting the worse possible scenario where she calls me a cocaine addict, stupid and a psychiatric patient. This way if something other than this happens I'll be pleased!
Now I am forced to go to a place that looks like it might be a complete waste of time. Ugh...they can see me today too. That's a terrible sign! In my experience any doctor that is good has always had a long wait.
It appears that I am having very itchy skin, but the rash is from me scratching it. I did a little test today to see if I scratched myself whether or not a "rash" would form in the spot I scratched. Every single time I did this I got a large rash that looked like hives. It would disappear within 30 minutes. Google is absolutely amazing. I found out that there is a very common condition called, dermatographic urticaria, which means "Skin writing hives". I've never had this before in my life, so it is new within the past 5 weeks or so. I wonder if the first set of hives set something off inside my skin.
You can see exactly what this looks like here. Don't click on that link if you are freaked out by red irritated raised skin. This one artist even uses her skin as her canvas. Even this was a little too strange for me! Now some of these people say it doesn't itch at all, so that makes me wonder. These spots and the skin underneath itch like hell for me.
Now I am realizing that I'm just itchy all over. Sometimes it gets so bad that I want to scream and now that I know I CAN'T scratch it, it makes things a lot worse. I feel completely helpless because I can't do anything to relief the itch! My doctor said to try quercetin, so I've ordered some to try it out. It is a natural bioflavonoid with anti-histamine properties. It is found in apple peels, onions and teas. Maybe that's why I really like all of those things! ha!
I'll be sure to report how the doctor's visit went. I'm expecting the worse possible scenario where she calls me a cocaine addict, stupid and a psychiatric patient. This way if something other than this happens I'll be pleased!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
More Rashes Today
Sigh. I've had a lot of rashes today. The redness on my right hand, I thought was dry skin. However today I discovered that it is in fact related to the other rashes. When I begin to break out, everything starts to break out. My hand got even more red! The red itchy rash was even on my forehead today.Usually it starts with a small tingling feeling, almost hurts, then it begins to itch, itch and itch. This is what they looked like today.
I'm still very itchy right now. Today I get to call the doctor to see what I do next. Whatever doctor I go see, I am definitely taking my camera full of pictures to see what they think.
What If It's More Than Just Mercury?
I need to thank Dana Herbert, you can check out her blog at danaherbert.blogspot.com, for informing me that lymphoma can cause red rashes. This is where my focus is going to be at the moment. This needs ruled out immediately. Part of my gut tells me she is right...
You may think that I am over reacting, but this is a real possibility. I have almost EVERY- single symptom and I have had them for years. I certainly think I need to have this checked out before doing anything else.
Hodgkin's Disease symptoms
If I really do have Hodgkin's Disease, this could have all been resolved over a year ago. My PCP yelled at me for losing weight and completely dismissed the swollen lymph node on my neck as nothing to worry about. She said it was probably a virus and the rash I had at the time was probably just poison ivy. I told her I wasn't even outside, so there was no way it was poison ivy (didn't matter to her). I still had my hair back then, so it's been at least a year! I'm thinking it was some time in May 2007. My sister was diagnosed with her brain tumor in March of that year, so that sounds about right.
I had night sweats the whole week before going to the ER. I never experienced anything like that before, so it was strange. They weren't drenching, but it was certainly waking me up at night. Now more recently, I had terrible night sweats on Nov 1, 2008 and Nov 2nd, 2008. My entire side of the bed was soaked like I had jumped into a bath tub, but I just figured it was diabetes insipidus. Maybe it still is?
The loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss really sneaked up on my this time. I knew I had been eating less but I didn't realize just how much less. Yesterday I got some food in me, so that is good. However it is still wanting to go right through me for some reason. I can't figure it out.
Itchy skin/red patches of skin. Look at the 1st picture on the 2nd row. I did some digging last night and I found an entire forum dedicated to Hodgkin's Disease. A ton of them had the itching, red skin prior to diagnosis that a doctor shrugged off as poison ivy, dermatitis, a need to change laundry detergent or to get rid of a pet. The itching I am experiencing is so unbelievably itchy it actually makes me shake. I remember having an itchy face when I went to the ER in 2007. No one cared. All they were thinking about is whether my husband beat me or if I wanted drugs. Never at any time did I ask for pain medication, so I can't understand this. Yes the pain in my neck was terrible but I actually hate taking pain meds as all of you should know by now. My goodness, I don't even like taking a Tylenol or an Aleve. That whole encounter totally puzzles me to this day!
Prior to visiting the ER I started to develop the "pain" from drinking alcohol. This was the strangest thing. It would start at my neck and go through my stomach. At the time I thought that perhaps yeast or gluten was bothering me, so I just stopped drinking alcohol. My husband started researching what can cause this and it came back to Hodgkin's Disease. You can read a small case report of it in this medical journal.
When we went to the ER that night, we hadn't gotten the blood work results from the doctor yet. If I had them, then things would have went much differently. As you can see, I list "illness" from alcohol as part of my mercury poisoning symptoms. Even if I drink 3 sips of alcohol, I begin to feel very sick. Therefore I no longer drink it in any amounts. Mercury poisoning can cause this though, so I'll have to see.
I know I have mercury poisoning, but what if it is more? I certainly shouldn't turn a blind eye to all of this. Especially because of everything that has happened in the past 4 years. My health just went downhill very fast. It was like someone had turned on a switch. My sister had a very rare type of brain tumor and she is likely listed in some case study somewhere today. She told me there were a ton of people watching her during the surgery because she was a "medical anomaly". These are words her doctors used.
Let's hope that in a few days I'll report that everything is OK. If it isn't OK, then I'll have to decide what's next. I refuse to take their poison chemo/radiation, so I'll have to figure something else out. This is going to be a stressful week to say the least.
You may think that I am over reacting, but this is a real possibility. I have almost EVERY- single symptom and I have had them for years. I certainly think I need to have this checked out before doing anything else.
Hodgkin's Disease symptoms
- A painless swelling in the lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, or groin
- Unexplained recurrent fevers ( I don't have this one)
- Night sweats
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Itchy skin
- Red patches on the skin
- Severely itchy skin, often affecting the legs/feet
- Alcohol-related pain
If I really do have Hodgkin's Disease, this could have all been resolved over a year ago. My PCP yelled at me for losing weight and completely dismissed the swollen lymph node on my neck as nothing to worry about. She said it was probably a virus and the rash I had at the time was probably just poison ivy. I told her I wasn't even outside, so there was no way it was poison ivy (didn't matter to her). I still had my hair back then, so it's been at least a year! I'm thinking it was some time in May 2007. My sister was diagnosed with her brain tumor in March of that year, so that sounds about right.
I had night sweats the whole week before going to the ER. I never experienced anything like that before, so it was strange. They weren't drenching, but it was certainly waking me up at night. Now more recently, I had terrible night sweats on Nov 1, 2008 and Nov 2nd, 2008. My entire side of the bed was soaked like I had jumped into a bath tub, but I just figured it was diabetes insipidus. Maybe it still is?
The loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss really sneaked up on my this time. I knew I had been eating less but I didn't realize just how much less. Yesterday I got some food in me, so that is good. However it is still wanting to go right through me for some reason. I can't figure it out.
Itchy skin/red patches of skin. Look at the 1st picture on the 2nd row. I did some digging last night and I found an entire forum dedicated to Hodgkin's Disease. A ton of them had the itching, red skin prior to diagnosis that a doctor shrugged off as poison ivy, dermatitis, a need to change laundry detergent or to get rid of a pet. The itching I am experiencing is so unbelievably itchy it actually makes me shake. I remember having an itchy face when I went to the ER in 2007. No one cared. All they were thinking about is whether my husband beat me or if I wanted drugs. Never at any time did I ask for pain medication, so I can't understand this. Yes the pain in my neck was terrible but I actually hate taking pain meds as all of you should know by now. My goodness, I don't even like taking a Tylenol or an Aleve. That whole encounter totally puzzles me to this day!
Prior to visiting the ER I started to develop the "pain" from drinking alcohol. This was the strangest thing. It would start at my neck and go through my stomach. At the time I thought that perhaps yeast or gluten was bothering me, so I just stopped drinking alcohol. My husband started researching what can cause this and it came back to Hodgkin's Disease. You can read a small case report of it in this medical journal.
When we went to the ER that night, we hadn't gotten the blood work results from the doctor yet. If I had them, then things would have went much differently. As you can see, I list "illness" from alcohol as part of my mercury poisoning symptoms. Even if I drink 3 sips of alcohol, I begin to feel very sick. Therefore I no longer drink it in any amounts. Mercury poisoning can cause this though, so I'll have to see.
I know I have mercury poisoning, but what if it is more? I certainly shouldn't turn a blind eye to all of this. Especially because of everything that has happened in the past 4 years. My health just went downhill very fast. It was like someone had turned on a switch. My sister had a very rare type of brain tumor and she is likely listed in some case study somewhere today. She told me there were a ton of people watching her during the surgery because she was a "medical anomaly". These are words her doctors used.
Let's hope that in a few days I'll report that everything is OK. If it isn't OK, then I'll have to decide what's next. I refuse to take their poison chemo/radiation, so I'll have to figure something else out. This is going to be a stressful week to say the least.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
More Pictures of the Rash
Here are more pictures of it from tonight. I'm going freaking crazy.
First one is from my chest right before we left to get some groceries. It was unbelievably red.
Front of my neck. Very itchy but went away within 25 minutes.
This one was weird. Very blotchy. It totally faded away though.
First one is from my chest right before we left to get some groceries. It was unbelievably red.
Front of my neck. Very itchy but went away within 25 minutes.
This one was weird. Very blotchy. It totally faded away though.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Mercury Exposure According to Immunization Records
I thought this would be a little neat. I found my high school diploma the other day and inside of it showed me most of the vaccines I have been given during my schooling years. Now looking at this, I don't think it is complete because I remember getting the stupid Hepatitis shot in 6th grade and that is not listed on here. This isn't going to be completely accurate because I don't know brand names, but I think most brands across the board either have thimerosal or don't.
Here we go-I was born on 4/13/1984
Diptheria and Tetanus * It says on the bottom that they are usually combined in DTP, DT or Td. I have no way of knowing what I had unless I asked my mom.
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;104/3/570/T1, all DTP have thimerosal in them. Each shot has 25ug/0.5ml of mercury. A ug means micrograms. I think they do this so it isn't confused with mg. Leaving off the c in there could be fatal!
From that one vaccine series alone, I got 125 micrograms of mercury. Thanks mom! All before the age of 5! I probably lost a lot of IQ points...
Polio * It says 3 doses of oral or 4 doses of Inactivated (Salk) vaccine. It looks like I got the Salk vaccine.
Merck Drug Company Admits Injecting Polio with Cancer Viruses
Measles, Mumps, Rubella * It seems I got 1 shot with all 3 of them in it. Supposedly no thimerosal, but it is a live virus which is really bad for a developing immune symstem.
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/13/1278
Just from vaccines alone I have been exposed to 162.5 micrograms of mercury. Now let me explain to you how terrible that is. In order to be considered "symptomatic" the FDA says you must be excreting 25 micrograms of mercury in your urine. How in the hell does this even make sense? Injecting it directly into your bloodstream which bypasses every single safety mechanism your body has, is totally OK!
In the bad challenge test I did (which you should NEVER EVER DO) I excreted 30 micrograms of mercury from only 60mg of DMPS. Most other challenge tests shoot you up with a few hundred mg of DMPS, so I can only imagine what the results would have been then.
You may be thinking well lots of kids had all of those shots and are doing "fine". I laugh at people who say these sorts of things. Do you think since you've only see white cars, that only white cars exist? Do you think if you close your eyes that no one can see you? This may sound stupid, but saying that everyone is doing fine or things would be a lot worse off is the same type of mindset. If it doesn't affect YOU and someone YOU are close to then it doesn't affect ANYONE. Can I have what you are smoking!
What is fine to most people? Still walking and breathing? Most people would look at me and think, pretty young girl, thin, she must be doing fine! haha When in fact, if I'd lift up my hair and show them my bald spot, then my recurring rash and let them see how fast my heart rate races on a daily basis, they would quickly back down from their "doing fine". A lot of people in their 20's are now finally getting sick and it is a "hidden sickness". These people LOOK okay.
Mercury poisoning doesn't make you grow 4 ears. It looks like what "getting old" means to most Americans. You just start to slowly deteriorate and for some people that happens sooner. I think MS, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, chronic fatigue and most autoimmune disorders is directly related to heavy metal load. Most people who suffer from these DO NOT chelate properly, so they never see the results.
Here we go-I was born on 4/13/1984
Diptheria and Tetanus * It says on the bottom that they are usually combined in DTP, DT or Td. I have no way of knowing what I had unless I asked my mom.
- 1st dose 6/15/84
- 2nd dose 8/23/84
- 3rd dose 10/12/84
- 4th dose 10/14/85
- 5th dose 4/12/89
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;104/3/570/T1, all DTP have thimerosal in them. Each shot has 25ug/0.5ml of mercury. A ug means micrograms. I think they do this so it isn't confused with mg. Leaving off the c in there could be fatal!
From that one vaccine series alone, I got 125 micrograms of mercury. Thanks mom! All before the age of 5! I probably lost a lot of IQ points...
Polio * It says 3 doses of oral or 4 doses of Inactivated (Salk) vaccine. It looks like I got the Salk vaccine.
- 1st dose 6/15/84
- 2nd dose 8/23/84
- 3rd dose 10/14/85
- 4th dose 4/12/89
Merck Drug Company Admits Injecting Polio with Cancer Viruses
Measles, Mumps, Rubella * It seems I got 1 shot with all 3 of them in it. Supposedly no thimerosal, but it is a live virus which is really bad for a developing immune symstem.
- 1st dose 7/12/85
- 2nd dose 5/4/91
- 1st dose 10/11/95 (I would have been 11 years old)
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/13/1278
- 3 doses-No specific dates available. Approximately 10/11/95 up to the summer before 6th grade which would have been 8/31/96
Just from vaccines alone I have been exposed to 162.5 micrograms of mercury. Now let me explain to you how terrible that is. In order to be considered "symptomatic" the FDA says you must be excreting 25 micrograms of mercury in your urine. How in the hell does this even make sense? Injecting it directly into your bloodstream which bypasses every single safety mechanism your body has, is totally OK!
In the bad challenge test I did (which you should NEVER EVER DO) I excreted 30 micrograms of mercury from only 60mg of DMPS. Most other challenge tests shoot you up with a few hundred mg of DMPS, so I can only imagine what the results would have been then.
You may be thinking well lots of kids had all of those shots and are doing "fine". I laugh at people who say these sorts of things. Do you think since you've only see white cars, that only white cars exist? Do you think if you close your eyes that no one can see you? This may sound stupid, but saying that everyone is doing fine or things would be a lot worse off is the same type of mindset. If it doesn't affect YOU and someone YOU are close to then it doesn't affect ANYONE. Can I have what you are smoking!
What is fine to most people? Still walking and breathing? Most people would look at me and think, pretty young girl, thin, she must be doing fine! haha When in fact, if I'd lift up my hair and show them my bald spot, then my recurring rash and let them see how fast my heart rate races on a daily basis, they would quickly back down from their "doing fine". A lot of people in their 20's are now finally getting sick and it is a "hidden sickness". These people LOOK okay.
Mercury poisoning doesn't make you grow 4 ears. It looks like what "getting old" means to most Americans. You just start to slowly deteriorate and for some people that happens sooner. I think MS, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, chronic fatigue and most autoimmune disorders is directly related to heavy metal load. Most people who suffer from these DO NOT chelate properly, so they never see the results.
Pictures of My Rash
Since I've been complaining about it so much, I figure it's time to show you what the rash looks like.
This one is from very very early this morning around 5am. It is difficult to sleep with them. My bone looks weird here because I had to hold the camera at a strange angle. haha!
At that exact same time, I had one identical on the other shoulder.
In less than 10 minutes they had both vanished. There was no sign a rash had ever been there and the itchiness completely faded.
This rash on my back was extremely itchy. I was jumping up and down so I didn't scratch it so much. The marks are part of the rash. I've seen one of these form out of no where.
This rash was from last night near my right armpit. It was extremely itchy, but faded completely away within 30 minutes.
What could this be from? It could be from elevated liver enzymes. Some people say though it wouldn't cause a rash, but others who have elevated liver enzymes experience the same type of of rash as me. One that comes and goes about as fast as they appear and it usually appears later in the day. I haven't had a rash yet this morning, but we will see how it goes.
On average I am having about 10-20 rashes a day that form, itch like hell and then disappear completely.
I did get my bloodwork done today. I didn't have anything active at the time, but I can feel my body is on high alert. Whatever it is causing this will hopefully show on the bloodwork.
This one is from very very early this morning around 5am. It is difficult to sleep with them. My bone looks weird here because I had to hold the camera at a strange angle. haha!
At that exact same time, I had one identical on the other shoulder.
In less than 10 minutes they had both vanished. There was no sign a rash had ever been there and the itchiness completely faded.This rash on my back was extremely itchy. I was jumping up and down so I didn't scratch it so much. The marks are part of the rash. I've seen one of these form out of no where.
This rash was from last night near my right armpit. It was extremely itchy, but faded completely away within 30 minutes.
What could this be from? It could be from elevated liver enzymes. Some people say though it wouldn't cause a rash, but others who have elevated liver enzymes experience the same type of of rash as me. One that comes and goes about as fast as they appear and it usually appears later in the day. I haven't had a rash yet this morning, but we will see how it goes.
On average I am having about 10-20 rashes a day that form, itch like hell and then disappear completely.
I did get my bloodwork done today. I didn't have anything active at the time, but I can feel my body is on high alert. Whatever it is causing this will hopefully show on the bloodwork.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
More Bloodwork Is Needed
Before I jump into the candida rabbit hole, I want to rule out a few things. This rash can be from 923402934 different things. Rash is like one of the worst things to get diagnosed properly. I got the slip from Dr. Goldstein's office to get some more bloodwork! Now the tricky part is making sure I am in a full break out of hives/rashes when I go. Considering how often I am getting rashes, it shouldn't be TOO difficult. Unfortunately the rashes usually show up late at night--like right now. AHHHH itchy.
I'm going to have the following blood work done:
I also wanted this done because it's been at least a year since my last test. I am very curious to see where my WBC are (higher or lower). They were always low for me. Off the top of my head I can't remember the number, but well below what even the lab recommends. My Eosinophils were always VERY HIGH. Most people say it is from allergies and even though I insisted I didn't have allergies they just shrugged it off like nothing. I often wonder if this was a warning sign for alopecia and the development of the autoimmune disease. No one was really ever concerned about it though. "Oh you are young, don't worry about it". That's what EVERYONE always said. Now look where I am at.
I took a new picture of the other spot on my head. This one looks so much better than before. For comparison this is a picture from mid September, so only about 5 weeks ago. There is no hair growth whatsoever on the spot. This was BEFORE I started to chelate with Dr. Cutler's protocol. I do believe I had been using EDTA though.
I just took this picture a few minutes ago. From the time of the last picture above, I have done a full 8 rounds of frequent-dose oral DMSA chelation. Coincidence? I think not.
If it continues to grow how it's been, I think this spot will be completely covered over in 2 months! WOOHOO!
I'm going to have the following blood work done:
- CBC (Complete Blood Count) with differential
- BMP (Basic Metabolic Panel)
- Liver Function Panel
I also wanted this done because it's been at least a year since my last test. I am very curious to see where my WBC are (higher or lower). They were always low for me. Off the top of my head I can't remember the number, but well below what even the lab recommends. My Eosinophils were always VERY HIGH. Most people say it is from allergies and even though I insisted I didn't have allergies they just shrugged it off like nothing. I often wonder if this was a warning sign for alopecia and the development of the autoimmune disease. No one was really ever concerned about it though. "Oh you are young, don't worry about it". That's what EVERYONE always said. Now look where I am at.
I took a new picture of the other spot on my head. This one looks so much better than before. For comparison this is a picture from mid September, so only about 5 weeks ago. There is no hair growth whatsoever on the spot. This was BEFORE I started to chelate with Dr. Cutler's protocol. I do believe I had been using EDTA though.
I just took this picture a few minutes ago. From the time of the last picture above, I have done a full 8 rounds of frequent-dose oral DMSA chelation. Coincidence? I think not.
If it continues to grow how it's been, I think this spot will be completely covered over in 2 months! WOOHOO!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Yeast Overgrowth Causing Itchy Rash?
I don't even want to say this out loud, but my rash may be from candida. Oh no...No one that I have known has EVER been successful in treating "candida". Some of these candida websites are out of hand. Every single symptom is from candida! Hang nail? Candida of course! Toe nail fungus? Candida! Okay I'm being a little sarcastic and nutty, but in all seriousness, a lot of documented mercury toxicity symptom is on this so-called candida list. It is a little ridiculous to say the least. Maybe a lot of the people who suffer from candida also have mercury toxicity? That makes more sense to me.
What do you do if you have candida? I have no idea. The things most people say you have to do is totally non-realistic. It would make me even more psychotic when it comes to food. Why make myself even more OCD about my food rituals and habits. I am a recovering anorexic from 8 years ago...Those of you who have suffered from anorexia know you are never completely recovered. It is much like what an alcoholic deals with.
Most websites say you have to eliminate all carbohydrates and sugar. This includes candy (okay easy), fruit, wheat, potatoes, carrots, rice! Basically anything that has carbs in it even if it is good carbs. Some people say this works, others say it doesn't do anything. With a diet like this I don't know what I'd eat and would likely starve to death. What is a person supposed to eat to make themselves feel full? I do not find any enjoyment when eating meat. I basically eat meat because I have to live.
Let me just list what 1 website says are the symptoms of candida. You will understand what I mean when I say total ridiculousness. A lot of these are mercury toxicity symptoms. Sounds like someone whoever reported all of these symptoms has multiple problems going on. Stuff in ( ) I added in.
What do you do if you have candida? I have no idea. The things most people say you have to do is totally non-realistic. It would make me even more psychotic when it comes to food. Why make myself even more OCD about my food rituals and habits. I am a recovering anorexic from 8 years ago...Those of you who have suffered from anorexia know you are never completely recovered. It is much like what an alcoholic deals with.
Most websites say you have to eliminate all carbohydrates and sugar. This includes candy (okay easy), fruit, wheat, potatoes, carrots, rice! Basically anything that has carbs in it even if it is good carbs. Some people say this works, others say it doesn't do anything. With a diet like this I don't know what I'd eat and would likely starve to death. What is a person supposed to eat to make themselves feel full? I do not find any enjoyment when eating meat. I basically eat meat because I have to live.
Let me just list what 1 website says are the symptoms of candida. You will understand what I mean when I say total ridiculousness. A lot of these are mercury toxicity symptoms. Sounds like someone whoever reported all of these symptoms has multiple problems going on. Stuff in ( ) I added in.
- Fatigue or lethargy
- Feeling of being drained
- Depression or manic depression
- Numbness, burning, or tingling (b12 deficiency)
- Headaches
- Muscle Aches (mineral deficiencies)
- Muscle weakness or paralysis (mineral deficiencies)
- Pain and/or swelling in joints
- Abdominal Pain
- Constipation and/or diarrhea
- Bloating, belching or intestinal gas
- Troublesome vaginal burning, itching or discharge in women
- Prostatitis in men
- Impotence
- Loss of sexual desire or feeling
- Endometriosis or infertility
- Cramps and/or other menstrual irregularities
- Premenstrual tension (can be from copper toxicity, mineral dificiencies)
- Attacks of anxiety or crying
- Cold hands or feet, low body temperature (hypothyroid)
- Hypothyroidism (I still don't understand why this would be listed...makes no sense)
- Shaking or irritable when hungry (hypoglycemia-Adrenal issues)
- Cystitis or interstitial cystitis
- Drowsiness
- Irritability
- Poor coordination (mineral deficiencies)
- Frequent mood swings
- Insomnia (mercury?)
- Dizziness/loss of balance (possible B12 deficiency, low bp, dehydration)
- Pressure above ears...feeling of head swelling
- Sinus problems...tenderness of cheekbones or forehead
- Tendency to bruise easy
- Eczema, itching eyes
- Psoriasis
- Chronic hives (urticaria) (Food allergies?)
- Indigestion or heartburn
- Sensitivity to milk, wheat, corn or other common foods
- Mucous in stools
- Rectal itching
- Dry mouth or throat (diabetes insipidus or regular sugar diabetes)
- Mouth rashes including white tongue
- Bad breath
- Foot, hair, or body odor not relieved by washing
- Nasal congestion or post nasal drip
- Nasal itching
- Sore throat
- Laryngitis, loss of voice
- Cough or recurrent bronchitis
- Pain or tightness in chest
- Wheezing or shortness of breath
- Urinary frequency or urgency (possible diabetes insipidus)
- Burning on urination
- Spots in front of eyes or erratic vision (mercury?)
- Burning or tearing eyes
- Recurrent infections or fluid in ears
- Ear pain or deafness
- Inability to concentrate (mercury?)
- Skin problems-hives, athlete's foot, fungus infection of the nails, jock itch, psoriasis-including of the scalp or other chronic skin rashes
- Gastrointestinal symptoms-constipation, abdominal pain, diarrhea, gas, or bloating
- Symptoms involving the reproductive organs (mercury?)
- Muscular and nervous system symptoms-including aching or swelling in your muscles and joints, numbness, burning or tingling, muscle weakness or paralysis.
- Recurrent ear problems resulting in antibiotic therapy
- Respiratory symptoms
- Lupus (possible mercury toxicity link)
- Hyperactivity/Attention Deficit Disorder (fake disorder used to get children on meds)
- Recurrent vaginal yeast infections in women
- High sugar foods drastically increase symptoms
- Inflammation of the hair follicles (candidiasis folliculitis) of various parts of the body (feet, legs, arms)
- Extreme lethargy
- Diarrhea, chronic gas, abdominal cramps alleviated by bowel movements. Perhaps labeled with the term "irritable bowel syndrome"
- Lactose intolerance
- Anxiety
- Allergies and allergy symptoms, chemical sensitivities
- Panic attacks
- Sinus problems
- Eye fatigue
- Muscle weakness and bone pain
- White tongue coating
- Psoriasis/seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff, dry, itchy skin
- Rectal itching
- Swollen lips/face
- Symptoms worse after waking
- Facial rash
- Avoiding food helps to alleviate symptoms
- Hives
- Chronic inflammation and irritation of the eye and conjunctiva
- Feeling of being intoxicated which leads to a "hangover feeling" (due to fermentation and alcohol production by yeast)
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
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