Lab Results not as expected
I got my ZRT Lab results today and they weren't quite what I expected. My cortisol levels were actually too high in the morning and at night and normal during the day. I fully expected them to be low. However, the more I've been reading about high levels of cortisol, it makes sense. Thinning skin, dry skin, darkened stretch marks, thinning arms and legs, easily bruised are all things I've been experiencing. My DHEAS were low as well and T3 was low and TSH elevated. So, I think it's a combination of adrenal fatigue and thyroid problems. I've got an appointment with Dr. Wright again next week to go over the results, so I will post an update on what he says then.
Update on my progress
Well, I've been taking the adrenal supplements and taking super supplemental multi-vitamins (Nature's Sunshine) for about 3 months now, and avoiding all sugar artificial sugar substitutes, and white flour products. I've noticed improvement in some areas. I don't wake with abdominal pains in the morning much anymore and my digestion seems to be getting better. My head feels much clearer which if these supplements help with that and nothing else -- I'm happy. I hate that floaty head feeling. Also, I've not been feeling faint either. A little lightheaded at times, but not faint - so that's an improvement. I've had a few bad headaches still and still some tiredness and lack of energy, some bloating, and days where I just don't feel "right". I've tried to exercise more, and feel better the next day if I do, but it's hard to find the energy to start. Funny how that is. I have a yoga pilates DVD that I've enjoyed doing and I'm getting Wii Fit for Christmas so that should be fun. Hopefully will help to motivate me. So, overall, I guess things are going okay. I ordered a saliva and blood spot test from ZRT labs which my samples back to them got lost by UPS. So they sent a replacement kit and hopefully the samples will make it back this time. I'll post my results here on the blog for those interested. This adrenal fatigue is such a frustrating thing to deal with. It doesn't seem to have a get better quick solution. I'm going to try and get in to see an endocrinologist once I get my test results back to get her feedback on it all.
Introduction
After reading through my "story" below, I realized that I had only written about times when I felt the worst over the last 4 years. I took it from my health journal I had been keeping. I decided I should put a little disclaimer here at the beginning, because I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me. There were lots of days that I felt okay. I've volunteered at my kids' school a lot, I've coached their sports teams, and I've been involved in our church. I also have my own web development business http://www.rogersconsulting.com/ I was blessed with my mother's positive nature that has kept me going. And, being a mom, you have to keep going for your kids' (and husband's) sake. So, even though the story below paints a pretty bleak picture of my life, it hasn't been. I've done lots of great things with my family and I'm a happy person. So, keep that in mind as you read.
--Angela
--Angela
When my fainting problems started
On November 4th 2004, which was about 3 months after moving into our new home, I was sitting at my computer in the morning and my head started feeling really fuzzy. I got up to go get a drink of water and halfway down the hall my vision went black and I felt as if I were passing out. I ran to grab the phone to call my husband and then I called my doctor, Dr. Tipton in Payson. I had an appointment with him that afternoon; he had me come in the next morning for some blood work. All of the tests turned out normal. Since I had had a bad sore throat and cold the previous week, he thought it might be related to that and said to comeback if I still had problems the next week.
The Toprol XL helped some, but I would still have episodes of feeling lightheaded and faint at times – especially in the morning and upon standing. I went ahead and kept my appointment in March with Dr. H to see if he had any further suggestions. Dr. H wanted to give me another medication that raises blood pressure, Midodrine, and told me to not eat any sugar. He also said no sugar substitutes or honey either. This made me feel very down and even though I tried to follow the advice, I found it very hard to stick to this diet. I got to where I didn’t know what to eat. I was pretty depressed about it. Although, since I had had caramel apples the night before my first near faint, I thought the idea of restricting sugar might not be a bad idea. So, I decided to try more of a low sugar diet. Only having 30-40 grams of sugar each day, and I used Splenda products and other artifical sweeteners. I lost about 25 pounds after doing this for just a few months. I also tried walking most every day. I still had episodes of lightheadedness and faint feelings, but it wasn't as bad and I was glad I lost some weight. I'll continue my story in the next post.
The following week I felt faint again and made another appointment with Dr. T. He ran an EKG which showed some PAC’s and scheduled me for an ECHO-Cardiogram and halter monitor. The ECHO was normal. The halter monitor was fairly normal, but showing my heart rate around 40bpm at night and up to 160bpm during the day (with no exercise). Dr. T suggested I see Dr. H who specializes in arrhythmias. The soonest I could see Dr. H was in March (which was not acceptable to me since it was November). I made an appointment with Dr. O in Salt Lake City at the Utah Heart Clinic in the first part of December.
Dr. O suggested doing a tilt table test to determine if I had vaso-depressor syncope. The tilt test was scheduled for Dec. 21st. It turned out positive, and they prescribed Toprol XL, starting at 12.5 mg for the first week then 25 mg after that.
This was all rather frightening to me as I had 2 boys ages 2 and 3 1/2 years who wouldn't know what to do if their mommy passed out. I also was worried about driving anywhere or going to the store in case I started feeling faint. After having been a pretty active and confident person all my life, I suddenly found myself feeling restricted and dependent. I was 31 and felt like I was too young to be having these kinds of problems.
The Toprol XL helped some, but I would still have episodes of feeling lightheaded and faint at times – especially in the morning and upon standing. I went ahead and kept my appointment in March with Dr. H to see if he had any further suggestions. Dr. H wanted to give me another medication that raises blood pressure, Midodrine, and told me to not eat any sugar. He also said no sugar substitutes or honey either. This made me feel very down and even though I tried to follow the advice, I found it very hard to stick to this diet. I got to where I didn’t know what to eat. I was pretty depressed about it. Although, since I had had caramel apples the night before my first near faint, I thought the idea of restricting sugar might not be a bad idea. So, I decided to try more of a low sugar diet. Only having 30-40 grams of sugar each day, and I used Splenda products and other artifical sweeteners. I lost about 25 pounds after doing this for just a few months. I also tried walking most every day. I still had episodes of lightheadedness and faint feelings, but it wasn't as bad and I was glad I lost some weight. I'll continue my story in the next post.
More symptoms
I went and saw Dr. O (cardiologist) again in May of 2005. I was having a lot of headaches and having difficulty sleeping and thought maybe it was the Toprol XL. I talked to him about my older sister who had had some similar heart-racing problems (she had mitral-valve prolapse) and was put on Atenolol. He thought maybe trying this beta blocker might help if it helped her – thinking maybe our body chemistry was the same. I started taking Atenolol, but it made me feel very shaky. I felt like I was shaking from the inside out, but you couldn’t see my hands shake or anything. It just felt like they were. I really didn’t like that feeling, so I went back to the Utah Heart Clinic, this time I got in with Dr. C, another arrhythmia specialist. He gave me some samples of another beta blocker, Coreg, to try. I vomited for 2 days after taking it. I don't know if I got a stomach bug or just had a bad reaction. I decided to go back to Dr. Tipton and told him that I felt better on Toprol XL than the other beta blockers and wondered if the generic Metoprolol would be good to try. So I went on that at 25 mg per day, twice daily for a while and did that for several months.
After my yearly physical with Dr. T the following January of 2006, I told him that on metoprolol, I was doing okay, but kept having what I call blood pressure spikes. I would get a real tingly feeling in my head and when I’d check my blood pressure it would be high, and after a few minutes go back to normal. I told him that I felt better while taking the Toprol XL than on anything else I had tried, so I went back on that at 50 mg per day.
Then, I had started having stomach problems. I was having a lot of gas and having a bowel movement sometimes 4 or 5 times a day, needing to go right after eating. There was also mucus in my stool and some food not digesting well. He thought it might be irritable bowel syndrome and gave me a prescription for something, I don’t remember the name. After taking it, I felt more lightheaded, so I decided to look for another option. Searching on the Internet I found a product called Digestive Advantage for IBS that said it was natural and didn’t have side effects. I found it at Rite Aid and thought I’d ask Dr. T his opinion on it had another appointment with him. He didn’t think it would work, but said he didn’t think it would hurt me either, so I decided to try it. After a week of taking it I started feeling much better as far as my stomach goes.
I should probably mention some other symptoms that I had off and on during this time as well. My arms would go numb at night, one or the other or both – usually when laying on my back with hands resting on my stomach. Probably poor circulation. I would also have bad headaches still. Brain fog, where it seemed like I would forget things a lot, fatigue and tiredness. Occasionally my lower center back would be sore, sometimes my neck and middle of my back. Also I would occasionally get a real tired feeling in my eyes, kind of a soreness, and sensitivity to bright light. My heart would feel like it would skip a beat sometimes – usually more around the beginning of my period (and still does), and I had a lack of interest in intimacy. My periods would be really heavy for the first couple of days and then taper off around the 4th day and then pick back up again a day or so after that. To be continued...
After my yearly physical with Dr. T the following January of 2006, I told him that on metoprolol, I was doing okay, but kept having what I call blood pressure spikes. I would get a real tingly feeling in my head and when I’d check my blood pressure it would be high, and after a few minutes go back to normal. I told him that I felt better while taking the Toprol XL than on anything else I had tried, so I went back on that at 50 mg per day.
Then, I had started having stomach problems. I was having a lot of gas and having a bowel movement sometimes 4 or 5 times a day, needing to go right after eating. There was also mucus in my stool and some food not digesting well. He thought it might be irritable bowel syndrome and gave me a prescription for something, I don’t remember the name. After taking it, I felt more lightheaded, so I decided to look for another option. Searching on the Internet I found a product called Digestive Advantage for IBS that said it was natural and didn’t have side effects. I found it at Rite Aid and thought I’d ask Dr. T his opinion on it had another appointment with him. He didn’t think it would work, but said he didn’t think it would hurt me either, so I decided to try it. After a week of taking it I started feeling much better as far as my stomach goes.
I should probably mention some other symptoms that I had off and on during this time as well. My arms would go numb at night, one or the other or both – usually when laying on my back with hands resting on my stomach. Probably poor circulation. I would also have bad headaches still. Brain fog, where it seemed like I would forget things a lot, fatigue and tiredness. Occasionally my lower center back would be sore, sometimes my neck and middle of my back. Also I would occasionally get a real tired feeling in my eyes, kind of a soreness, and sensitivity to bright light. My heart would feel like it would skip a beat sometimes – usually more around the beginning of my period (and still does), and I had a lack of interest in intimacy. My periods would be really heavy for the first couple of days and then taper off around the 4th day and then pick back up again a day or so after that. To be continued...
Feeling a little better but the Yeast problems start
During this time of dealing with NCS, I had a sinus infection and took some antibiotics for it, and afterward developed a thick white stuff on my tongue for which I was prescribed a single Difulcan, which took care of it.
In December of 2006 I started having some very sharp pains in the center of my chest. I thought they were probably reflux related since I had had problems with that in the past. I saw Dr. RC and he had me take some Nexium (some samples I had had previously) and that seemed to take care of the problem. He also suggested taking some fiber and trying yogurt that has the probiotics in it. I did that and my tongue got the thick white stuff on it again. Dr. RC gave me a prescription for some more Difulcan to take care of it.
In January of 2007 I saw Dr. T again for my yearly physical. My cholesterol had gone down quite a bit (it was 185 – it had been 214 the year before). I thought it was related to taking the Digestive advantage for a year. I talked to him about how I had a lot of phlegm in my throat all the time. I had also been getting athlete’s foot blisters on my toes off and on (which I had never had problems with before). He didn’t really have any suggestions for me. I also had another bad cold and afterward got the thick white stuff on my tongue again.
Around March of 2007, the phlegm in my throat was just bothering me too much. I would hack up phlegm all the time and it was embarrassing. This started me searching for answers online again. After searching for “excessive phlegm” I came to this site: http://www.stopyeast.com/. After going to their list of symptoms associated with yeast problems, I found that I had had most of the symptoms on it at one time or another. I had been taking birth control for a couple of years and had had antibiotics a few times, which the site said can cause yeast problems, and thought that may be my answer. So I ordered the Threelac that they were selling to help get rid of the yeast in my system, and quit taking the Digestive Advantage. I started slowly (1/4 tsp. A day), then built up to 1 packet a day. I felt pretty good taking 1 packet a day. I also quit taking the birth control, thinking that might be adding to the yeast problem. Next -- trying a chiropractor.
In December of 2006 I started having some very sharp pains in the center of my chest. I thought they were probably reflux related since I had had problems with that in the past. I saw Dr. RC and he had me take some Nexium (some samples I had had previously) and that seemed to take care of the problem. He also suggested taking some fiber and trying yogurt that has the probiotics in it. I did that and my tongue got the thick white stuff on it again. Dr. RC gave me a prescription for some more Difulcan to take care of it.
In January of 2007 I saw Dr. T again for my yearly physical. My cholesterol had gone down quite a bit (it was 185 – it had been 214 the year before). I thought it was related to taking the Digestive advantage for a year. I talked to him about how I had a lot of phlegm in my throat all the time. I had also been getting athlete’s foot blisters on my toes off and on (which I had never had problems with before). He didn’t really have any suggestions for me. I also had another bad cold and afterward got the thick white stuff on my tongue again.
Around March of 2007, the phlegm in my throat was just bothering me too much. I would hack up phlegm all the time and it was embarrassing. This started me searching for answers online again. After searching for “excessive phlegm” I came to this site: http://www.stopyeast.com/. After going to their list of symptoms associated with yeast problems, I found that I had had most of the symptoms on it at one time or another. I had been taking birth control for a couple of years and had had antibiotics a few times, which the site said can cause yeast problems, and thought that may be my answer. So I ordered the Threelac that they were selling to help get rid of the yeast in my system, and quit taking the Digestive Advantage. I started slowly (1/4 tsp. A day), then built up to 1 packet a day. I felt pretty good taking 1 packet a day. I also quit taking the birth control, thinking that might be adding to the yeast problem. Next -- trying a chiropractor.
Visiting a chiropractor
I was still feeling a little off-balance and my arms were going numb at night, so I decided to see a chiropractor. Dr. T recommended Dr. K. I went 3 times a week for a month, then to once a week, then to twice a month from May through September. I feel like this may have helped my balance problem, but not the arm numbness at night. When I started having problems with fainting, I read somewhere that it helps to prop the head of your bed up at night, which we had done. I had a thought that maybe we should level out the bed to see if that helped my arm numbness and it did. I went from my arms going numb almost every night to now only a couple times a month, and even then not as bad. It only happens when I lay on my back. I’ve also not had near as many bad headaches. Of course during this time I was also continuing the ThreeLac treatment, which may have been what helped minimize the off-balance feelings as well.
I went up to taking 2 packets of ThreeLac a day for a couple of months, the morning gas pains were worse, but other than that I was doing okay, and then I went down to 1 a day for a while. In October of 2007 I decided to try and get off of it. The next day after I stopped taking the ThreeLac, my heart was really racing. After a couple of days it looked as if I was getting that white stuff on my tongue again, so I decided to start taking 1 packet a day again, and built up to taking 3, but that gave me too many pains in my stomach in the early mornings, so I went back down to 2 then 1. Since taking the ThreeLac, the phlegm problem I was having was reduced, I quit getting the white stuff on my tongue so much, I haven’t gotten athlete’s foot again, and my heart doesn’t race as much. While taking it the only symptoms I have to complain about is still my heart still skips beats at times, and abdominal pains at night, with some occasional lightheadedness, fatigue and tiredness, and off-balance feelings. Okay, so maybe I'm not doing all that great, but it's still better than I was. In January 2008, I went in for my yearly physical again and this time my cholesterol was at 175. I thought that might be from the ThreeLac. All of the blood work I did turned out normal -- as usual.
I went up to taking 2 packets of ThreeLac a day for a couple of months, the morning gas pains were worse, but other than that I was doing okay, and then I went down to 1 a day for a while. In October of 2007 I decided to try and get off of it. The next day after I stopped taking the ThreeLac, my heart was really racing. After a couple of days it looked as if I was getting that white stuff on my tongue again, so I decided to start taking 1 packet a day again, and built up to taking 3, but that gave me too many pains in my stomach in the early mornings, so I went back down to 2 then 1. Since taking the ThreeLac, the phlegm problem I was having was reduced, I quit getting the white stuff on my tongue so much, I haven’t gotten athlete’s foot again, and my heart doesn’t race as much. While taking it the only symptoms I have to complain about is still my heart still skips beats at times, and abdominal pains at night, with some occasional lightheadedness, fatigue and tiredness, and off-balance feelings. Okay, so maybe I'm not doing all that great, but it's still better than I was. In January 2008, I went in for my yearly physical again and this time my cholesterol was at 175. I thought that might be from the ThreeLac. All of the blood work I did turned out normal -- as usual.
Feeling Faint again...
On March 14th, I had been feeling pretty good, so I decided to wean off the ThreeLac to see how I would do. At first I had a little more lightheadedness, but no more nightly abdominal pains but still a little bloated feeling. I had a cold again and for a few mornings had been a little dizzy feeling. On March 27 2008, when I woke up I could tell my heart rate was pretty fast. While cooking breakfast I started to feel like I was going to faint. I sat down, and then lay down. The weather had warmed up then turned cold again, which I always seem to feel worse when the weather changes quickly like that. However, I hadn’t felt faint like that in about 2 years, so I was taken aback.
After eating some breakfast I started feeling a little better. I decided that maybe I’d try taking my digestive advantage again, so I took one of those along with my normal daily 25 mg of Toprol XL and daily multi-vitamin (One-a-day for Women). Since I had been taking probiotics in one form or another the last 2 years, my lightheadedness, heart racing, and faint feelings have declined significantly, not to mention my better cholesterol test scores. I felt like the underlying cause of most of my symptoms must have to do with a candida overgrowth causing havoc in my system. During April and May I went to taking my ThreeLac again at 1 packet a day and then when it ran out I ordered FiveLac and started taking it 1 packet a day.
After eating some breakfast I started feeling a little better. I decided that maybe I’d try taking my digestive advantage again, so I took one of those along with my normal daily 25 mg of Toprol XL and daily multi-vitamin (One-a-day for Women). Since I had been taking probiotics in one form or another the last 2 years, my lightheadedness, heart racing, and faint feelings have declined significantly, not to mention my better cholesterol test scores. I felt like the underlying cause of most of my symptoms must have to do with a candida overgrowth causing havoc in my system. During April and May I went to taking my ThreeLac again at 1 packet a day and then when it ran out I ordered FiveLac and started taking it 1 packet a day.
Another chiropractor and Neuromodulation technique
On June 3rd, 2008 I had my first appointment with Dr. R, a chiropractor. I had been doing some website work for him through a mutual friend and after reading about NMT (neuromodulation treatments), I thought it sounded worth a try. Also, my daughter has had trouble with migraines and I was hoping it might help her, so I took her with me. After the treatment I actually felt my head clear later that afternoon. I didn’t feel so off-balance and disconnected like I usually do. I got kind of excited thinking that may solve my problems. The next day I was really tired, fatigued. The day after that I woke with bad reflux pain in the center of my chest. The day after that (Saturday) my IBS symptoms started getting worse (burping, gas, irregular stools). My period started on Sunday and I had a headache all day Sunday. My symptoms usually do get worse right before my period, so I thought I’d keep giving Dr. R a try.
My next visit was on Monday, June 9th. After that treatment, I didn’t feel a lot of change. He suggested going to 2 FiveLac a day, which I did on Tuesday and woke with bad stomach pains the next morning.
My next visit was on June 11th. I mentioned my off-balance feeling kind of came back again. He asked if he could adjust my neck, which I have had Dr. K do before with no problem, so I said sure. He put a lot of pressure on both sides of my neck, which was a little painful, and I told him it was very tender. He adjusted my neck and afterward the top of my left hand felt a little weird. Kind of a cold numb type feeling, but I thought maybe I was just cold so I didn’t say anything. He gave me some Lactic Acid Yeast wafers to try to see if it would help with the gas in the morning from the FiveLac. I left and drove down to a nearby store. I noticed that the top of my left hand still had the numb feeling (kind of like when your face is just starting to go numb at the dentist). I was rubbing my hand when I started feeling really tingly in my head (I think it was a bit of an anxiety reaction to my hand being numb). I sat down in some chairs they had in the store and after a few minutes the tingly feeling went away. I called my husband to come and follow me home. On the way back home I had to pull over once more because of my head starting to get tingly again. I had to go coach a softball game (yes, I still try and stay involved in my kids' lives even through all my ups and downs) and my hand stayed numb through the rest of the evening. I took a Lactic Acid Yeast wafer after dinner. That night I had a hard time sleeping. My head kept feeling a little tingly off and on. My arms both went numb during the night and woke me up. However, when I woke up in the morning, the numbness in my hand was gone and I didn’t wake up to gas pains.
My heart was a little extra racy after my bath. I also didn’t feel too off-balance, but at breakfast I just didn’t feel like eating. It was all I could do to eat a few bites of cereal. I started feeling a little sick to my stomach, which I was all day. I sent Dr. R an email explaining what had happened and called the office asking for him to call me back. He did and said my reaction was rare and possibly a pinched nerve, or something like that. Later I thought maybe my hand was numb because my watch had slid up my arm tight during my NMT treatment on that hand and maybe it cut off the circulation there or something. Dr. R thought the stomach problems could be some die-off reaction to the Lactic Acid killing off yeast cells quickly, so to back off of it. The next day (Friday June 13th) I had a headache all night the night before and it continued into the day. I took some Tylenol, which helped a little. It finally cleared up in the mid afternoon. My stomach still felt unsettled and I had some loose stools. I didn’t feel like eating much. I felt pretty weak all day.
After dinner during my daughter’s softball game my mouth felt really dry. I was standing up coaching and started feeling really lightheaded and felt like I was going to faint. Next day (Saturday) I woke with gas pains again. After getting up my stomach was feeling a bit better. However, I still was feeling a bit weak and lightheaded. Saturday evening I took half a Lactic Acid Yeast wafer and didn’t have the gas pains in the morning and my stomach was feeling a little better. Still felt weak and a lack of energy. I wondered if I had some kind of stomach bug or if it was from everything else I'd been taking. I was feeling pretty frustrated and down at this point.
My next visit was on Monday, June 9th. After that treatment, I didn’t feel a lot of change. He suggested going to 2 FiveLac a day, which I did on Tuesday and woke with bad stomach pains the next morning.
My next visit was on June 11th. I mentioned my off-balance feeling kind of came back again. He asked if he could adjust my neck, which I have had Dr. K do before with no problem, so I said sure. He put a lot of pressure on both sides of my neck, which was a little painful, and I told him it was very tender. He adjusted my neck and afterward the top of my left hand felt a little weird. Kind of a cold numb type feeling, but I thought maybe I was just cold so I didn’t say anything. He gave me some Lactic Acid Yeast wafers to try to see if it would help with the gas in the morning from the FiveLac. I left and drove down to a nearby store. I noticed that the top of my left hand still had the numb feeling (kind of like when your face is just starting to go numb at the dentist). I was rubbing my hand when I started feeling really tingly in my head (I think it was a bit of an anxiety reaction to my hand being numb). I sat down in some chairs they had in the store and after a few minutes the tingly feeling went away. I called my husband to come and follow me home. On the way back home I had to pull over once more because of my head starting to get tingly again. I had to go coach a softball game (yes, I still try and stay involved in my kids' lives even through all my ups and downs) and my hand stayed numb through the rest of the evening. I took a Lactic Acid Yeast wafer after dinner. That night I had a hard time sleeping. My head kept feeling a little tingly off and on. My arms both went numb during the night and woke me up. However, when I woke up in the morning, the numbness in my hand was gone and I didn’t wake up to gas pains.
My heart was a little extra racy after my bath. I also didn’t feel too off-balance, but at breakfast I just didn’t feel like eating. It was all I could do to eat a few bites of cereal. I started feeling a little sick to my stomach, which I was all day. I sent Dr. R an email explaining what had happened and called the office asking for him to call me back. He did and said my reaction was rare and possibly a pinched nerve, or something like that. Later I thought maybe my hand was numb because my watch had slid up my arm tight during my NMT treatment on that hand and maybe it cut off the circulation there or something. Dr. R thought the stomach problems could be some die-off reaction to the Lactic Acid killing off yeast cells quickly, so to back off of it. The next day (Friday June 13th) I had a headache all night the night before and it continued into the day. I took some Tylenol, which helped a little. It finally cleared up in the mid afternoon. My stomach still felt unsettled and I had some loose stools. I didn’t feel like eating much. I felt pretty weak all day.
After dinner during my daughter’s softball game my mouth felt really dry. I was standing up coaching and started feeling really lightheaded and felt like I was going to faint. Next day (Saturday) I woke with gas pains again. After getting up my stomach was feeling a bit better. However, I still was feeling a bit weak and lightheaded. Saturday evening I took half a Lactic Acid Yeast wafer and didn’t have the gas pains in the morning and my stomach was feeling a little better. Still felt weak and a lack of energy. I wondered if I had some kind of stomach bug or if it was from everything else I'd been taking. I was feeling pretty frustrated and down at this point.
Looking for a solution
June 16th, 2008 I saw Dr. T again because I wanted to make sure this increase in my symptoms wasn’t related to a more serious problem and wanted to know what tests I should have done. He had me do some blood tests and urine test. The results were all normal. I also saw Dr. R that afternoon and discussed my concerns. He did another NMT. The next day (17th) I had a flare-up of IBS symptoms in the morning (constipation, then loose stools with mucous, frequent urination). I was also very fatigued and weak feeling.
Since Dr. R office is quite a distance from my home, I decided not to go back until after my kids started school so that I didn't have to leave them with babysitters for so long every time. I was still coaching softball and was kind of busy with that anyway. As I look back, I can't believe I was able to coach that team with how I was feeling. I guess I've gotten to where I just keep going no matter what because I have 3 great kids that I like to do things with.
It is now September 2008, and since the end of June I switched back to ThreeLac instead of FiveLac and built up to 4 packets a day (following instructions from StopYeast.com), and as of last week have started going down to 3 packets a day. Since I did that my tongue has started getting the thick white stuff in the back of it, so it seems like the candida problem has not gone away. The reason I have decided to see a naturopathic doctor is because I need some direction as to what to do next. My PCP (Dr. T) is not familiar with using pro-biotics as a treatment and admits he doesn’t know what to do for me. Since I have had the most success with the ThreeLac, I want to pursue natural methods as much as possible. These problems I’ve had for the last 4 years have greatly affected my life. I’ve put off having any more kids because of how I feel and I’ve not been as involved in my things as I would like to be. I feel like there is a solution out there. I just need some help finding it.
Since Dr. R office is quite a distance from my home, I decided not to go back until after my kids started school so that I didn't have to leave them with babysitters for so long every time. I was still coaching softball and was kind of busy with that anyway. As I look back, I can't believe I was able to coach that team with how I was feeling. I guess I've gotten to where I just keep going no matter what because I have 3 great kids that I like to do things with.
It is now September 2008, and since the end of June I switched back to ThreeLac instead of FiveLac and built up to 4 packets a day (following instructions from StopYeast.com), and as of last week have started going down to 3 packets a day. Since I did that my tongue has started getting the thick white stuff in the back of it, so it seems like the candida problem has not gone away. The reason I have decided to see a naturopathic doctor is because I need some direction as to what to do next. My PCP (Dr. T) is not familiar with using pro-biotics as a treatment and admits he doesn’t know what to do for me. Since I have had the most success with the ThreeLac, I want to pursue natural methods as much as possible. These problems I’ve had for the last 4 years have greatly affected my life. I’ve put off having any more kids because of how I feel and I’ve not been as involved in my things as I would like to be. I feel like there is a solution out there. I just need some help finding it.
Adrenal Fatigue
I just went to a naturopathic doctor (Dr. W) last week (September 16th, 2008) and he thinks I have adrenal fatigue. He was really great to talk to. After learning more about adrenal fatigue and what helps, I've learned that Vitamin C and B5 and B6 helped, and noticed that ThreeLac also contained Vitamin C and B6, so maybe that was what was helping me. Dr. W gave me some adrenal supplements (http://www.adrenalfatigue.org/) and some B5 to take and I've been taking them for 3 days and have felt better today than I have in quite a while. I hope it continues. He also recommended some lifestyle and diet changes. It's early to bed, and late to rise for me. Also to keep cutting out sugar as well as artificial sweeteners. I got some stevia and seem to like that. I'm trying to excercise more as well. Over the last few years since dealing with this I have tried to eat more nutritional meals, and feel better when I do.
My normal doctor (Dr. T) didn't think I had adrenal problems because the medical community looks for Addison's disease symptoms. That is the extreme. From what I understand, your adrenal glands can not work as well as they should, but not be to the point of disease, like Addison's. I think I've definitely had a combination of candida and adrenal fatigue, and hope that by treating the adrenal fatigue that I'll be able to get rid of the candida by continuing treatment for that as well.
After reading a lot online about adrenal fatigue, I feel like it could be what I've been going through the last four years. I'm debating about whether I should try and have more testing done to determine the extent of the problem. I only wish I would have known which path to follow sooner, which is why I decided to do this blog in hopes that someone else who can relate to my story will be able to find help.
I am grateful to http://www.stopyeast.com/ for their wonderful support in helping me with my yeast problems and would highly recommend them to others for getting ThreeLac/FiveLac. I am grateful to Dr. T for honestly trying to find out what was wrong with me and trying to help. He is a great doctor for general problems, but mine was more unique. I am also grateful to Dr. R for first mentioning the possiblity of adrenal problems to me and I think he would have eventually led me to finding treatment for it. Dr. W was closer so I decided to see him and am glad I did. I wish my health insurance would cover a naturopathic doctor, but it will be worth the cost if he has led me to a solution for this problem.
My normal doctor (Dr. T) didn't think I had adrenal problems because the medical community looks for Addison's disease symptoms. That is the extreme. From what I understand, your adrenal glands can not work as well as they should, but not be to the point of disease, like Addison's. I think I've definitely had a combination of candida and adrenal fatigue, and hope that by treating the adrenal fatigue that I'll be able to get rid of the candida by continuing treatment for that as well.
After reading a lot online about adrenal fatigue, I feel like it could be what I've been going through the last four years. I'm debating about whether I should try and have more testing done to determine the extent of the problem. I only wish I would have known which path to follow sooner, which is why I decided to do this blog in hopes that someone else who can relate to my story will be able to find help.
I am grateful to http://www.stopyeast.com/ for their wonderful support in helping me with my yeast problems and would highly recommend them to others for getting ThreeLac/FiveLac. I am grateful to Dr. T for honestly trying to find out what was wrong with me and trying to help. He is a great doctor for general problems, but mine was more unique. I am also grateful to Dr. R for first mentioning the possiblity of adrenal problems to me and I think he would have eventually led me to finding treatment for it. Dr. W was closer so I decided to see him and am glad I did. I wish my health insurance would cover a naturopathic doctor, but it will be worth the cost if he has led me to a solution for this problem.
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