So glad you came along to post cd3764 - you and Traveler have had some great conversations about
thyroid and adrenals so I wanted smcalumni96 to know you are good resources. Maybe you know of better threads to provide as examples than the one I pulled.
smcalumni96 -
Totally agree w/ cd's comments on detox - I think you are doing great with the dry brushing and baths and sleep - that is a fantastic accomplishment, given your schedule. I think everyone is different so you may need to experiment.
Binders
For me, I have made HUGE progress incorporating pure cholestyramine as a binder and then got even more improvement by chasing it with a little bentonite clay. This is tricky though, because you need an hour after consuming ANYTHING before taking the binders and then need a buffer of 3 hrs after taking the binders before you can take anything.
But little does as much as binders to flush out what you're killing. You can make a lot of progress killing the infections and taking detox supplements but if you can't get the toxins and debris flushed out of your bodies (and most of us can't do this on our own, which has contributed to our illness) you are unfortunately compounding the effect of having the infection in your body - the toxins can trigger the same symptoms. And if you add in an antifungal you're also going to need to help usher the dead fungus out of your body.
If you're up for it, I'd start with clay which you can get an any health food store or on amazon - not too expensive. Start slow and easy and work up to a full dose. I try to get all my meds/supps in before dinner, usually do the binder an hour after dinner, wait 3 hrs, do the probiotics and then go to bed.
Regarding yeast:
As cd mentioned, while herbs are derived from whole plants and include more of the plant than Rx abx and therefore processed more easily by our bodies, they are still antimicrobial and kill good bacteria as well as the bad so you definitely need to be on an antifungal while taking them. The antibiotics kill bacteria on contact and I've read that if good bacteria is not present, yeast/fungus can become imbalanced in a matter of hours. Toss in sugars and you've fed the beast. However, some people are more prone to y/f overgrowth than others. The probiotics and kefir cd mentioned will also help keep y/f in balance once you knock out an overgrowth.
Powering down is a family commitment:
Regarding your overwhelming life... I think you need to sit your family down and let them know you've maxed out. It's no one's fault but you need their help. Maybe ask for their help in devising a 3-month plan to help you wrest control of the illness... month 1 is triage where they help take over and share amongst them your main household responsibilities so that you can slow down*, pack in MORE sleep and more of the protocol and recover. If all goes well, month 2 can start to shift more back to normal, etc.
Schedule a time and day after a period of time to check in with everyone and together, determine the next steps. If this doesn't sound like something everyone will go along with, you may need to just get your husband on board with the hard, cold fact that if you don't do this for yourself, there won't be a you left. The illness isn't going away and as many of us can attest to - chronic illness is one of the hardest things on a family and patient. It's not forever, it's just so you can get past this emergency phase. There are also support resources for family in the "New to lyme?" thread that might be helpful.
*Resting your adrenals:
This is unfortunately a very long road. There are no shortcuts, there are no medications or magic supplements or quick fixes. Your adrenals have to be restored and that is like waiting for a rain to refill a reservoir. It requires de-stressing and undoing and you have to find large and small ways every part of the day to disconnect from a busy, stressful life. I wish SO MUCH that it was easier than that but it isn't.
There is good info online about
the differences between parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous system and how they impact your adrenals - here is good info and a fairly short read (I'm not advocating the book it's just a concise descript
ion - the stopthethyroidmadness.com site is better for action and support):
adrenalfatiguesolution.com/fight-or-flight-vs-rest-and-digest/ Suggestions:
- try talking w/ your employer about
working 1 hr less a day for the next month
- try car pooling with someone - depending on where you live, driving is incredibly stressful
- take a FULL lunch hour, go off by yourself, sit quietly in your car or a nearby park to meditate - no music, no cellphone, nap if you can
- take 10 minutes out in the AM and PM to sit quietly somewhere away from the bustle and your cell phone and close your eyes, meditate
- turn off your cell phone as often as you can and leave it alone starting 1 hr before bedtime - this was the hardest thing for me to do but I think it saved my life. We ALL lived without them once upon a time and can certainly do it again for a period of time if we try.
- the less stimulation you have, the better - this means avoiding toxic people at work, avoiding stressful situations, for the next month can you shift your deadlines - get co-workers to help out? and oddly, this includes avoiding dramatic or action-packed movies, books, games, sports, needy friends and family. You literally need to disconnect from all of the life components that are draining you or giving you highs or lows--even if they are enjoyable. You need a vanilla life starting today. It's not forever--at the end of the month you can re-evaluate.
- Everything you eat and drink matters. Try to significantly reduce caffeine, alcohol. You're on a gfdf diet - sugar and simple carbs also mess with your blood sugar and adrenals so you need to eliminate them entirely. No processed foods.
Adrenal fatigue is a stage that leads to adrenal failure. There are different levels but at the end of the road, there is no recovery from adrenal failure - your body just quits. So the key is to intervene now and allow yourself time to rebuild your reserves and you can do this. You might be interested in having your MD do a 24-hr saliva test for you, which will help you see what your levels are. I was one stage away from failure and it took me resigning from my firm and disconnecting my phone and then another 2 years to recover. Others here have similar stories. Don't let your situation get that bad.
This is probably overload - I'd take one thing at a time exactly as you have been doing - starting with a talk with your family and get a calendar and map out the next 4 wks with a clear end-goal in mind. Then focus on detox, then focus on powering down. Talk w/ your MD about
a possible y/f imbalance and then go from there.
And please check in and let us know how you're doing - tons of great support here and we're all rooting for you. Keep posting questions if you have them - there are great people here who have been down this road and can help you.
-p