My Journey of Hell and Healing - Joy

[Joy]

Hi Sheila,
Is has been hot there? sorry to hear about your feet. You mentioned you they were weeping..ulcer like? When your feet are bad you have figured out that it is become of detox being carried out ..at the time your feet are doing this are there other symptoms in your body that get worse as well? Do you swell other places too? Do you do something to help the flush out? I am wondering that your body is holding onto the water. I know my situation is different than yours but I like to think along the line of systems. When I add potassium to my diet (i am deficient in it), I noticed I immediately began to loose water..up all night to the bathroom. So, I am now wondering if you have had your mineral levels checked recently?
It must be very frustrating.

I just started a new thread on iodine. I have started taking it today. I have to do something~ I can't get only kelp supplements here which isnt' sufficient for my needs so I have opted to take the iodine salt sold for animals. When I can get to a proper health store I will buy something that I can actually keep a more accurate count of..for now I am adding a small amount and he is doing it too. The crazy price we pay at health stores for things that farmers buy everyday for their animals lets you know the markup!

The last two days have been rough going. Angry yesterday and not feeling well. Also the weather has been stormy, humid and hot..this all sets the stage.
I am noticing a pattern which may or may not be associated with w/d. There is...out of nowhere, until I realize that it might be humid or hot and it snuck up on me..even though others might be fine.....a pressure in my head followed immediately by a feeling of no air...immediate relief when I put on the a/c and stand in front of it. It isn't a body heat but feeling of lack of oxygen. During the last couple of days my comprehension is very poor. Not very articulate and more confused about everyday things. I have trouble following a conversation or sometimes I can't make the connection to understand what someone is even talking about.

Hope your having a nice evening.
Hugs, Joy

[biscotaki]

Hi Joy, I am sorry that you are suffering some symptoms, which I identify with..:(
The head pressure and feeling like needing oxygen, I too have ..Also the inability to follow conversations ..I tend to isolate because of it, this way I preserve some of my sanity.
The head pressure, also brings me some scarry heart beats ..
Joy, Dr. Breggin says that we are brave people to be going through all this horrid symptoms ..
Unfortunately I do not feel brave ..:(
I am still looking for the Flora vitamins ..The only ones I have seen are called Flora Caps ..Are those the ones?
I think of you, and send you thoughts of well being.
Hugs, biscotaki

[Joy]

Thank you Biscotaki for your message. You too have these symptoms..well, maybe it is w/d then...it just so feels like more. Sorry your having these too.
I can understand isolation. It is so frustrating to try to follow conversations and is embarrassing. If there is any competing distractions it makes it impossible for me. Do you have any problems verbalizing? That is an issue for me at times worse than others. Not having enough oxygen and the head pressure..almost like sinus but isn't..almost a full feeling starting at the back of my throat/neck..but isn't that either..I can't put my finger on the feeling exactly.
I do not feel brave either!! I feel like I complain and whine and am handling this with the grace of a child in a temper tantrum..not with the dignity I would like too.

Flora vitamens..might be the same company. The logo is FLORA written in white within a green oval with an outline around the oval of gold.
The one I have says MULTI CAPS. I hope this helps.

I wish peace and well being for you as well my friend.
hugs, joy

[Sheila]

My feet don’t have ulcers any more. They’ve improved. Yes, there is a whole list of detox symptoms that come together when they come. I drink TONS of water. I am taking Spanish Black Radish as part of my detox, and it made me shed water initially, but has stopped doing that. I’ve probably habituated to it. But, I think the water retention is also a thing the gut does to protect the rest of the body from whatever it is – bacteria, parasite – that is in the gut. It should get better with time. Also, I don't get enough sleep, which I'm sure is making me retain water, and generally making things not work. The potassium is tempting, but I don’t want to add anything right now, and I’d probably habituate to that, too! That’s what I have always done – even before psych meds -- I habituate to things fast.

Re heat – I’ve noticed that, in w/d, the least of the problems is feeling hot. It’s more that the heat shuts down all sorts of body functions. I think it makes it harder to breathe for us. It triggers dysautonomia and things just stop working as well.

[Joy]

Hi sheila,
I will respond more later,...but, I DIDN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD TAKE POTASSIUM..THAT COULD BE DANGEROUS. I was just giving an example.

Talk to you shortly, dinner is on the table.
xox

[Sheila]

Don’t worry, Joy. I know potassium is an intervention you have to be knowledgeable about. I’m nowhere near considering it. Mostly, I was just trying to show my appreciation for what I thought was your suggestion. :)

[Joy]

Hi Sheila,

We talked about iodine...I want to update you. There has been some surprising good results quickly from iodine for myself and for my partner.

Him first as there has been a dramatic result. Briefly..since Jan my partner had developed sore muscles in legs. Pain that shifted. Cramped. low grade fever at times as it was shifting..and very tired. He went from an active strong farmer to walking with a stick and limping badly. Unable to lift right leg from knee down..muscles still there but not useful. Recently seemed to be moving..started up his arms. Special interest...he had a CAT scan in the winter and that was the first time he had been free from pain..he walked in struggling. He walked out fine..no pain. This lasted him until the following afternoon. We expected that it was due to the iodine in the dye they use. No doctor would comment on that. He has been seen by several specialists that point him to the next one. Seems he has some neuromuscular problem and will have to see someone about that. ...so..as he was getting worse and no help was offered we were desperate.
We bought some iodine/salt for animals..problem is we can't measure the amount the same as you would with a pill...
Ed has been taking some several times a day. He started to notice results yesterday. He is clearing up. He started to walk the stairs without holding the railing. I saw him run and leap while playing with the animals. Today we were out and he took his stick and didn't need too!!! He still has some aching and the muscles are weak but improving. He can lift his leg now. CRAZY. This has to be the iodine..it can't be anything else except spontanious remission.. We haven't gotten a diagnosis yet. His fever and tireness is gone. This happened suddenly. Yesterday morning he was not doing well..feeling things were getting worse..had to go to bed for a sleep. Woke up and never looked back.

Me, my experience..I take it more sparingly than he does. I have more energy. Today I was out and about, met a friend for coffee. Had my doctor's appointment went for a walk tonight and generally had a very good day. There is much less agitation inside. I feel like my core is stronger. I feel like my old self at times. I began to feel the feeling in my head that I was overdoing it while out...and even a little dizzy at times..but it passed. BUT I DIDN'T CRASH. Tonight I am very tired and have to go out tomorrow again. I am really thinking this is working for both of us!!

I will keep you updated incase this is a fluke..a coincidence.. My thyroid did show fine on my tests. However, by belief after reading is that our bodies store iodine in muscles, breast tissue or fat. Our thyroid needs iodine to function and therefore when it gets insuffcient amounts leaches it from the storehouse of supply..I believe that levels test fine..but our storehouse it is limited and on a cellular level we are deficient. Just my personal thought.


i hope to feel good again tomorrow. I am already making some plans for the weekend...so I must be feeling better. lol.

[Sheila]

Wow, that is such good news about your partner Ed and fascinating about the iodine. What good medical detectives you were to notice that the Ctscan stuff correlated with his moving better.

From your reading, what do you think the mechanism of action is, and what does that indicate the original problem was?

And very interesting about your benefits from iodine. I eat seaweed every week to get iodine. I just assume my thyroid is out of whack from the meds.

[Joy]

Hi Sheila,
I wonder if iodine is used for more than just thyroid in the body. We know it is stored in tissue, highest in breast tissue. All I read on internet about low iodine only mention goiters. I don't think that is a complete answer. Ed looked up what the symptoms were in North America that led them to add iodine to salt but he didn't find out much.
Interesting that potassium iodide is the only antidote to nucler radiation. Also, Bromide, which is used as a preservative of wheat flour blocks iodine uptake as well as floride and chlorine which are water treatments used in drinking water and hot tubs, swimming pools etc. I think these all take away iodine effect in the body and leads to what I read has become a world health issue again. Ed says he has watched farmers with oats sprinkle stuff on them to stop the weavels prior to going out the following day for human consumption. I knew someone else that worked for Quaker and says the oats were sprayed there too. So the chemicles we get in pesticides and everything have to test our bodies...organic would be the way to go if you can afford it.

Ed continues to do well. We go out around the farm now and he walks without a stick or weakness in his legs. The right leg he hadn't been able to lift from the knee down and now he can lift it high. He moves faster in general now. He seems think it is just easing the pain and might not be solving the problem..I am not so sure. I think the changes have been happening fast enough that I think there must have been a significant deficiency there and will have to be seen in a few months to know for sure.
I notice I am calmer and feel more insulated emotionally. Otherwise no huge difference. I have haven't been feeling great still...last week had one great day and the second day I was crochety and negative and couldn't get over it.

Good for you eating seaweed. I think many people's thyroids are not adequately functioning even when they fall into an acceptable range on the lab tests.
I like the idea of treating by symptoms rather than numbers. sing me to have galbladder issues. I will drop to 6 pills a day for awhile and see if I clear up. The last 4 days I have had issues.

My CAT scan showed different cyst type thing on the kidneys which I knew were there but a new growth on the inside of of kidney and another on my liver. Probably nothing to worry about but as I had refused the radioactive dye they couldn't get a clear picture and suggested it be redone. My blood tests all came back good except the low potassium which I continue to supplement with Slow K, 600mg/2xday.

Hugs,

[Sheila]

Joy -- Wow, that is fascinating about the iodine. So, basically, you think Ed had a deficiency and it just came out in his case in the form of muscle weakness and pain.

How did you determine how much for you and for him to take?

There's a typo in your text -- what is it you're cutting down because of gallbladder?

I think you may be on to another important tool for people in w/d. Maybe you'd like to read that Jacques Romano bio by Schwartz. I have it but haven't gotten to it yet. I'd like to know more about iodine and the nervous system.