More than a year on and we haven't moved to the states. It all fell through but we are relieved and it's worked out for the best.
I've wanted to write a post about my journey from ill to well so here it is. I know I've written about what happened and how it affected me but I wanted to do a post about the specific things I did to get well.
The first thing I did, which I have dabbled in a couple of times before but never taken seriously because I never gotten a diagnosis of coeliacs disease so dismissed it due to the usual thing of never trusting my own gut feeling and listening to others too much, was to change my diet.
The problems I had before starting the regime were:-
1. Extreme fatigue (unable to get out of bed to even shower, slept a lot, weak muscles, intolerance to exercise or even sitting up for long periods).
2. Gastric problems; bloating, wind, reflux, regurgitation, pain, urgency, diarrhoea, indigestion.
3. Post nasal drip which I took a steroid nasal spray for.
4. Extreme pain (fibromyalgia).
5. Weight gain (5 stone).
6. Severe PMT (premenstrual tension).
7. Irritability.
8. Anxiety.
9. Depression ( I was on a reducing dose of anti-depressants)
10. Dizzy spells/vertigo which I took cinnarizine (travel sickness tablet) for.
I was on these medications when I started.
Quietiapine 100 mg mood stabiliser
Venlafaxine 325mg antidepressant.
Steroid nasal spray.
Mebeverine- anti spasmodic for IBS.
Paracetamol 2g a day
Ibuprofen 1200mg/day.
Omeprazole-proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for indigestion.
Domepiridone- anti sickness (works by promoting gut emptying).
I was also eating rennies rather a lot and taking over the dose of omeprazole due to the horrendous reflux I was experiencing.
I found a book by Dr Myhill called 'Diagnosis and treatment of Chronic fatigue syndrome'. I was still suffering with energy levels and feeling ill with upset guts so I decided to go for it and followed the diet in the book known as the Stone Age diet.
The principles of the Stone Age diet are based on meat, fats and vegetables and can be found here. The diet cuts out all processed foods, sugars, dairy and carbs and whilst it seems quite drastic and hard work (which it is) it is worth the effort. After only a couple of weeks on the diet I felt much better.
Supplements.
Vitamin C.
I started taking vitamin C to bowel tolerance (this means taking enough until bowels become loose then dropping the dose back down until the stool is formed again). I took 2g's a day for at least 6 months. The adrenals use a great deal of vitamin C when stressed so it's a good vitamin to take when stressed. It's also a good antioxidant which combats free radicals when stressed.
Probiotics.
This changed my guts completely. I had horrendous ileo-caecal valve pain and even after having it treated and changing my diet I still struggled with the pain. After I started the probiotics the pain went and my guts started to behave better. I took Natures Aid Pro-max 30 because its accessible and affordable.
Magnesium.
I have been taking magnesium for years for restless legs anyway but continued anyway. I discovered that the threonate version passes through the blood brain barrier and also malate is reportedly good for CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome).
Glutamine.
I took a months worth of glutamine for leaky gut which didn't seem to bother me in pill form but when I tried powder form I had a reaction to it and the stomach pains came back, which some people do report. Just something to bare in mind when trying it. I also tried bone broth but this is heavy on glutamine so didn't tolerate it well.
Anti candida supplement.
I have always been prone to candida (caused by yeasts, sugars, carbohydrates). Upon having kinesiology the practitioner found that I was still experiencing symptoms of candida overgrowth. I took Biocare Eradicidin Forte bought from the Biocare website or Dida, which can be bought on the high street (Boots, Holland and Barrett). I took these for 6 months also.
Adrenal Support.
I used the Biocare one. Again I was tested using kinesiology. Mainstream medicine (allopathy) don't recognise it and indeed many functional health care providers don't either but it depends what you believe in. I know sorting out my adrenal function was fundemental in getting well and observing it regularly (by observing it I mean checking my stress levels and how well I'm coping with life) and if I feel they are struggling I will take a course of the supplement. Again this was taken for at least 6 months.
I tried other supplements as well but it was a costly process so decided to stick with he above ones for 6 months and see how I got on. This is costly, yes, but worth it. It can be trial and error as to what works for you.
I cut out drinking last new year too and now only drink a few glasses of wine every couple of weeks. Many people cut it out altogether but I find I don't have that will power.
What happened to my body when I followed the diet and took the supplements?
1. The pain in my stomach stopped.
2. I no longer had urgency for passing stools.
3. I stopped the antacids and PPI.
4. My post nasal drip stopped so I no longer needed a steroidal nasal spray.
5. I stopped taking pain relief everyday and only took them after a busy day at work.
6. I no longer need rennies.
7. I only take 25mg of quietiapine to help me sleep.
8. I no longer take anti-depressants.
9. I have energy back.
10. No more bloating, regurgitation or diarrhoea.
I still follow a high fat/medium protein/low carb (no gluten) diet and feel well on it. I have been able to reintroduce some fruit back into my diet too which I haven't been able to eat for a few years due to bloating and acid reflux.
I am part of a group on Facebook which follows the Dr Myhill protocol and its' a great group and I believe in the principles it follows but I have also been in other groups for adrenal fatigue but found some of them unhelpful and even stressful. It's a very individual process and what will work for one person won't necassarily work for another.
This information is just from personal experience and is not endorsed by anyone but myself.
Resources I also used:-
Grain Brain by Dr Perlmutter.
The GAPS protocol by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride.
Chris Kresser
Dr Hyman.
Dr Kelly Brogan- Mind of your Own.
I've wanted to write a post about my journey from ill to well so here it is. I know I've written about what happened and how it affected me but I wanted to do a post about the specific things I did to get well.
The first thing I did, which I have dabbled in a couple of times before but never taken seriously because I never gotten a diagnosis of coeliacs disease so dismissed it due to the usual thing of never trusting my own gut feeling and listening to others too much, was to change my diet.
The problems I had before starting the regime were:-
1. Extreme fatigue (unable to get out of bed to even shower, slept a lot, weak muscles, intolerance to exercise or even sitting up for long periods).
2. Gastric problems; bloating, wind, reflux, regurgitation, pain, urgency, diarrhoea, indigestion.
3. Post nasal drip which I took a steroid nasal spray for.
4. Extreme pain (fibromyalgia).
5. Weight gain (5 stone).
6. Severe PMT (premenstrual tension).
7. Irritability.
8. Anxiety.
9. Depression ( I was on a reducing dose of anti-depressants)
10. Dizzy spells/vertigo which I took cinnarizine (travel sickness tablet) for.
I was on these medications when I started.
Quietiapine 100 mg mood stabiliser
Venlafaxine 325mg antidepressant.
Steroid nasal spray.
Mebeverine- anti spasmodic for IBS.
Paracetamol 2g a day
Ibuprofen 1200mg/day.
Omeprazole-proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for indigestion.
Domepiridone- anti sickness (works by promoting gut emptying).
I was also eating rennies rather a lot and taking over the dose of omeprazole due to the horrendous reflux I was experiencing.
I found a book by Dr Myhill called 'Diagnosis and treatment of Chronic fatigue syndrome'. I was still suffering with energy levels and feeling ill with upset guts so I decided to go for it and followed the diet in the book known as the Stone Age diet.
The principles of the Stone Age diet are based on meat, fats and vegetables and can be found here. The diet cuts out all processed foods, sugars, dairy and carbs and whilst it seems quite drastic and hard work (which it is) it is worth the effort. After only a couple of weeks on the diet I felt much better.
Supplements.
Vitamin C.
I started taking vitamin C to bowel tolerance (this means taking enough until bowels become loose then dropping the dose back down until the stool is formed again). I took 2g's a day for at least 6 months. The adrenals use a great deal of vitamin C when stressed so it's a good vitamin to take when stressed. It's also a good antioxidant which combats free radicals when stressed.
Probiotics.
This changed my guts completely. I had horrendous ileo-caecal valve pain and even after having it treated and changing my diet I still struggled with the pain. After I started the probiotics the pain went and my guts started to behave better. I took Natures Aid Pro-max 30 because its accessible and affordable.
Magnesium.
I have been taking magnesium for years for restless legs anyway but continued anyway. I discovered that the threonate version passes through the blood brain barrier and also malate is reportedly good for CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome).
Glutamine.
I took a months worth of glutamine for leaky gut which didn't seem to bother me in pill form but when I tried powder form I had a reaction to it and the stomach pains came back, which some people do report. Just something to bare in mind when trying it. I also tried bone broth but this is heavy on glutamine so didn't tolerate it well.
Anti candida supplement.
I have always been prone to candida (caused by yeasts, sugars, carbohydrates). Upon having kinesiology the practitioner found that I was still experiencing symptoms of candida overgrowth. I took Biocare Eradicidin Forte bought from the Biocare website or Dida, which can be bought on the high street (Boots, Holland and Barrett). I took these for 6 months also.
Adrenal Support.
I used the Biocare one. Again I was tested using kinesiology. Mainstream medicine (allopathy) don't recognise it and indeed many functional health care providers don't either but it depends what you believe in. I know sorting out my adrenal function was fundemental in getting well and observing it regularly (by observing it I mean checking my stress levels and how well I'm coping with life) and if I feel they are struggling I will take a course of the supplement. Again this was taken for at least 6 months.
I tried other supplements as well but it was a costly process so decided to stick with he above ones for 6 months and see how I got on. This is costly, yes, but worth it. It can be trial and error as to what works for you.
I cut out drinking last new year too and now only drink a few glasses of wine every couple of weeks. Many people cut it out altogether but I find I don't have that will power.
What happened to my body when I followed the diet and took the supplements?
1. The pain in my stomach stopped.
2. I no longer had urgency for passing stools.
3. I stopped the antacids and PPI.
4. My post nasal drip stopped so I no longer needed a steroidal nasal spray.
5. I stopped taking pain relief everyday and only took them after a busy day at work.
6. I no longer need rennies.
7. I only take 25mg of quietiapine to help me sleep.
8. I no longer take anti-depressants.
9. I have energy back.
10. No more bloating, regurgitation or diarrhoea.
I still follow a high fat/medium protein/low carb (no gluten) diet and feel well on it. I have been able to reintroduce some fruit back into my diet too which I haven't been able to eat for a few years due to bloating and acid reflux.
I am part of a group on Facebook which follows the Dr Myhill protocol and its' a great group and I believe in the principles it follows but I have also been in other groups for adrenal fatigue but found some of them unhelpful and even stressful. It's a very individual process and what will work for one person won't necassarily work for another.
This information is just from personal experience and is not endorsed by anyone but myself.
Resources I also used:-
Grain Brain by Dr Perlmutter.
The GAPS protocol by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride.
Chris Kresser
Dr Hyman.
Dr Kelly Brogan- Mind of your Own.
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