Thoughts on the Day 4/26/18

Every next level of your life will demand a different version of you...

When we level up, we bring all that we have been to help create that new version of ourselves.  The reality is that we all change with time, circumstances, good things, the hard and while those changes may be so small as to seem imperceptible, those subtle shifts alter who you were before you walked through what was on your path.  

When I look back at my medical mystery tour (soon to be four years in June), my journey started with conventional medicine.  What I learned the hard way was something I knew before on a different level, but this time conventional medicine and my doctor failed me.  While his actions helped to save my life in the beginning, his refusal to listen to my feedback about the side effects I was having from the med he prescribed and his insistence that I stay on the med put me in further jeopardy.  His refusal to take me seriously about the side effects, his admittance that he didn't realize that some of what I was telling him was a side effect (I offered to send him links for his review) and the fact that he didn't truly listen to me and instead chose to keep me on a med I was having a severe allergic reaction to started me on a downward spiral.  Not to mention that I learned about scores of class action law suits surrounding the drug (Xarelto) and the fact that there isn't an antidote for it.  Yes a different doctor told me about that.  I was lucky I didn't end up dead.

Instead what I did get gifted with as a result of his negligence was 2+ years of pain, fear, more conventional medicine and care that further destroyed my health and at one point I seriously was contemplating suicide.  Luckily for me a friend pointed out that prednisone can totally fuck with your head and cause those kinds of thoughts and the fact that my histamine levels were so high and the hives so bad for so long, I had lost all hope of ever getting better.  I had just spent 8 months getting $4000.00 injections each month, to no avail.  

What kept me going was the determination and resolute belief that there had to be a better way than just covering up the symptoms with one more nasty ass med that was worse than the one before it.  I knew that in order to heal I had to find the visionary healthcare professional that would look for the root cause resolution and use the healing power of food, supplements and low impact meds to help me heal.  There were many who didn't believe that I knew my own body, doctors who told me they knew better than I did what was right for my own body.  Family and friends who didn't understand just how bad it really was and I continued to retreat in an effort to just survive another day on little sleep and the constant wonder of just how bad the day was going be.

So I called on something I wrote to myself several years ago to remind myself that I did in fact truly know my own body, my own strength and what was right for me...  "I'm gathering everyday the strength, power, endurance and wisdom to slay the naysayers."  It kept me moving toward what I knew in my gut, my poor destroyed gut, that I had to be determined and dauntless to get past that histamine hell and start to heal.  It took a little over two years but I did finally find the right care, the right med, the right foods, the right supplements and I have been improving every day ever since.  There have been a few small setbacks but as of right now it is looking like I will be able to start taking lower doses of my current med and eventually be able to get off the med completely. 

This was a path of discovery that I never would have willingly signed on for, something I wouldn't have wished on my worst enemy, but something evidently the Universe deemed necessary for me to experience.  This medical mystery tour honed my desire to overcome and rise to the task of boldly taking charge of my own health and being the catalyst for my own healing.  My functional medical specialist told me at my last visit that she always loves to see me because I am proof to her that functional medicine does in fact work.  I share my story because I hope it might help someone else suffering with auto immune issues, allergy issues and perhaps lack of quality care find the help that can change their life like is has mine.  Perhaps even if you are not suffering from a chronic health condition, there might be something in my story that sparks something in your to rise to whatever task is before you and get past what may be holding you back.  That my story may be a catalyst for change in your life on any level that you seek.  

The more we share our stories, the more we learn about one another, the more wisdom is shared and the better chance for connection.  It is what spurred me to create my website and share not only my stories but stories of others, because we all deserve to be seen, heard, supported and celebrated.

XO

Titanium

Let's talk about supplements

I'm going to start this post off by saying that I am not a medical professional and everything I have learned has been trial and error for my particular body while working with my specialists and honestly following my gut instincts.  Funny that, histamine comes from the gut, gut instincts and getting beyond the fear and anxiety of eating.  So anything you see me post about when it comes to food or supplements or even meds, please, please remember to err on the side of caution and speak with your own medical professionals and do what feels right for you and your body.  If there is anything I have learned besides the fact that I am an outlier medically, is that every single person reacts differently to food, medicine, supplements and environment.  It comes down to trusting yourself and fully listening to your body.  My phrase that I have in my head every day, 'they call it practicing medicine for a reason'...  YOU are the only one who truly knows your body and how you feel and you know what feels right and what doesn't.  It takes practice and it takes time to tune in and really pay attention.  So now that that is out of the way, here goes...

I'll admit that I am a person who previous to my medical mystery tours had a hard time just remembering to take my damn daily vitamins.  Most days I just didn't....  With both of these medical mystery tours, not only do I have to remember to take my meds, I also have to remember to take my supplements.

I have done trial and error as I mentioned and honestly I never felt and still don't that they will completely heal me.  That being said I have learned that some of them do make me feel better and I notice a difference when I don't take them.  I have taken some recommended by my naturopath, some suggested by my FM specialist and some I read about in the book, Medical Medium by Anthony William.  If you haven't read his book yet I would offer that it might be worth your time.  Now I admit some of it might seem a little far fetched for some, but when I found it there was one sentence in the beginning that had me sobbing with relief.  He reassured in that sentence that I didn't cause this to happen and that I am not a bad person who deserved what I was struggling with.  This was after almost two years of dealing with chronic daily hives, the blood clot and just a whole lot of feeling like, being scared, anxiety about food and just general fucking anxiety.  He does have some research to back his claims and honestly while it didn't really have that exact info about my situation it did have some info that helped me feel I was taking some control over my own health and gave me some things to try.

If you go to my product link page you will see some links to some of what I am taking, I will be updating these shortly with my most recent additions.  Sorry for the huge photos, I still need to work those out.  Yes if you click the link it will provide me with a small commission, no you don't have to do anything, it all comes from the vendors and it helps me to fund my site, so I would appreciate it if you did use the links if you are so inclined.

Here is the list:

Curcumin, an anti inflammatory and I find that it really helps with some of the pain as well.

Probiotic, this one is so good and is a dairy free version

Inositol, for liver function and cellular detox, a side note, this one can make you sleepy so take it night.  I learned this from taking it one morning and wondering why I felt so tired...

Red Mineral Algae, this is the way I get magnesium that doesn't have any citrate in it, that stuff wreaks havoc on my digestion and the hives.

I also take Quercetin, without bromelain as I learned that bromelain is made from pineapple which is considered citrus and well that makes my hives flare like nobodies business.

L-Lysine 1000mg caps for membrane health and also supporting the central nervous system.

The most recent addition has been collagen peptides, I have tried both the Vital Proteins brand and the newest one from Wild Foods Co.  Here is what I have learned about collagen and it is not the vegetarian version, it comes from the hides, I tried the other version and it didn't get me the same results.  I might mention I am not fully vegetarian or vegan for that matter, but that is for another post.  What I have found is this, I had some residual numbness and tingling in my toes and especially my right arm and hand, but both arms tend to get numb when I sleep which they never did before all of this.  The collagen is a great support for helping with gut health, namely leaky gut and since histamine comes from the gut there is that connection.  Also though I found that the amino acids in it have helped tremendously with the numbness and tingling.  I didn't really realize how much until I ran out of it one day, I noticed that my left hand had tingles and also my toes.  The next day my package of the new order arrived and drank it in my ginger elixir and the numbness subsided within an hour.  That shit works, at least for me!!  I originally got it because I read it was good for joint and connective tissue health and I figured it would help with leaching process and it does that as well.

There are other things I have tried, I also take a biotin supplement presently and during the winter I take Vitamin D3 with K.  Again work with your medical professionals and make sure that anything you are taking doesn't clash with any meds you might be taking, if you are unsure, I would offer that you find a good pharmacist you trust and speak with them, they know so much more than any doctor about meds, side effects etc.  My pharmacist and compounding pharmacist are my best friends.

Also I drink an elixir I make every morning that I feel really helps support my healing process and is the way I get my collagen as well.  I take fresh ginger, about an inch slice or so and scrape the peel off, slice it and mash it.  I boil water and dump the ginger in my giant tea cup and add a little honey, my scoop of collagen, a coin of food grade cocoa butter (Wild Foods Co), a little tiny bit of maca root powder (have to be careful with this, it interacts with my synthroid), a 1/2 tsp of rishi mushroom powder and pour the boiling water over and let it steep.  I then add some of my homemade coconut milk that has a little honey and some vanilla powder and stir it up and drink it down.  I started out with the just the ginger and honey, added the coconut milk and the rest of it came with time.  It's very soothing and a great way to start my day.

If you have questions, hit me up on my contact page and I will do my best to answer them!!

Ciao