Posted 1/27/2015 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
Hey gang. Long time no type… I used to frequent this place regularly when dealing with Lyme but fell off once I got the Lyme under control (around 3 years ago). Almost immediately after getting it under control I started experiencing severe stomach problems (yay). Morbid bloating (I looked 7+ months pregnant) was the main symptom, but many others began to follow. I did not want to believe it could be food related and avoided that possibility as long as possible, but sure enough as soon as I did an elimination diet I realized I was reacting to gluten. I took it out and felt better for a few weeks. Then symptoms started again. I eliminated/added again and found dairy to be the culprit this time. Removed dairy, felt better for a week or so. Then on and on and on and on until I had almost no foods that I react to. For the last 3 years all I can eat without severe pain and bloating (and suicidal depression/fatigue/etc) is fish and a few exotic meats (I had been a vegetarian of 14 years before the tummy troubles began!! :/ ). What I realized too late was that I needed to be rotating my foods. As long as I don't eat the same thing too many days in a row it stays safe, but unfortunately I didn't figure this out until I was down to fish, elk, duck, venison, quail, kangaroo, etc. So that's all I've been able to eat for a few years now.
I have a brilliant nutritionist that I have been working with for a year or two now. He found candida and e coli infections, of course. So we first attacked those infections with Lauricidin (monolaurin – coconut oil compound / natural anti-fungal/biotic) and Oil of Oregano. Die-off was severe but eventually lessened and he has me on a maintenance dose for life to also keep a bit of a lid on the Lyme.
Once that leveled out I was finally able to start tolerating minuscule amounts of probiotics. The die-off had been too severe to tolerate before treating the infections. I slowly worked my way up to high dosages and after I had been on those long enough to level out on die-off symptoms my nutritionist gave me the go ahead to add in sauerkraut juice. I've been doing 2 Prescript Assists and 2 tablespoons of sauerkraut juice a day for about 8 months now.
So infections have been/are being addressed, imbalance of gut flora (and I'm even thinking of going to California to have it measured now that someone's figured out a way to!) and as of December my nutritionist started me on a methylation protocol – methyl b12 and folate. I'm still dealing daily with die-off from that now and don't expect it to level out for another couple of months as that seems to be the trend with die-off for me (around 3-4 months).
The next step is repairing the gut lining but I've already dipped my toes in / got a head start by doing duck broth with every meal (and enzymes) and started colostrum about 3 months ago. (I can't tolerate l-glutamine or pepzin / zinc before anyone can suggest those as well ;) But he did have me start MSM about 5 months ago and LORD has it helped inflammation! A godsend. Die-off was terrible, though.)
After all this work some days I really feel like I'm making headway. When I react to a food now instead of 2+ weeks of bloating and murderous rage, I'm reacting for about 4 days and the pain is much more tolerable, the mental symptoms almost completely gone. This has been a double-edged sword. Because the pain isn't as horrid I've been more inclined to occasionally eat trigger foods. I KNOW this is a horribly detrimental idea, but the cravings have become completely unbearable after 3+ years of severe restriction. For the most part I've been able to get it under control with exception of 2-3 days out of each month: the first few days of my period. I didn't have a period for years, so I'm taking it as a HUGE sign of improvement that my period is back and on a regular, normal cycle as of the last couple months. (!!!!) BUT the cravings on those first few days are beyond words. COMPLETELY unbearable. I feel like I need to be locked up in a looney bin because all I'm capable of thinking of is SWEETS. Completely maddening.
I think one of the biggest factors in these cravings being so unbearable is the die-off from the methyl B12/folate. Every time I'm going through die-off I'm severely fatigued and when I'm severely fatigued I crave sweets about a thousand times more than usual. It's happened every time I've added a supplement in that causes die-off. So part of me keeps reassuring myself that once I level out on the b12 that this will naturally get much easier, but I can't help but wonder (with my black-and-white thinking) how much these 2-3 days per month of no-no foods (dates, bananas, cashews are my faves..) are/will inhibiting me from healing. Any thoughts?