All About Me this time

[kjbrown92]

I'm trying to put it all in one place to figure things out. I feel like I'm watching a million threads, and I'm trying to organize it.

fingernails: no lunula, break easily

high cholesterol 1989-2008 (started taking 4 capsules fish oil, brought it down to 167)

car accident 1996, sprained mid back (muscle relaxers for 2 weeks, then fine)

menstrual cycles were always 45-58 days, around 4 days long, light to moderate flow UNTIL about 2 years ago when they went to 28 day cycles, and it's on for 3 days, off for 2, on for 2, off for 1, on for 1 (sputtering) and light to very heavy flow

DD1: born 1997, 12 hour labor, episiotomy, 10 days early (7 lbs. 13 oz). BF until 10 months when she weaned cold turkey (2 UTIs while pregnant; abx)
back started acting up again after she was born; same muscle as the previously sprained one; did massage therapy and chiropractic
DS: born 2000, 4 hour labor, 3rd degree laceration (and he broke his collarbone), 6 days early (9.5 lbs). BF until 8 months when he quit cold turkey (he was intolerant to milk from week 1 and intolerant to soy when he started direct ingestion). While BFing, I started rectal bleeding. Had colonoscopy and upper GI - removed a few polyps, nothing else, and the bleeding mysteriously stopped. Also had pneumonia while BFing (abx). And 2 UTIs while pregnant (abx). Fell down stairs while BFing so didn't catch myself and broke tailbone. A few months later horrible back pain and increasingly frequent UTIs ensued.
DD2: born 2005, csection (breech). I had 2 UTIs right at beginning of pregnancy then no more until 2 months post-partum/back pain got much better while pregnant. BF until 13 months old. Weaned at her pace. Realized she had food intolerances.

During all this, I saw 4 urologists, 3 chiropractors, a massage therapist, 3 physical therapists, 3 physiatrists, a neurologist, and an acupuncturist -- all with no answers about UTI/back -- had 3 MRIs, CT scan of kidneys, kidney function test, cystoscopy, cystogram, bladder muscle retraining, lydocaine shots, cortisone shots, TENS unit and other nerve stimulator.

Allopath tested me for lead (serum), MS, and anything else I could come up with for theories since he was stumped.

11/2007 - went to rheumatologist for back pain. She did loads of testing. Here are some of the ones that stand out for me/may be relevant:

• Serum Folate: 23.5 (normal 5.4-16.0)
• Serum Vitamin B12: 422 (normal 200-1100)
• Vitamin D 30 (OHD2 is <4)
• Alkaline Phosphatase is 29 (33-115) but everything I can find says it's okay to be low
• negative/normal tests for lyme, ANCA vasculitides, proteinase, thyroid peroxidase, immunoglobulins, Sjogrens, calcium, parathyroid, celiac, creatinine

3/2008 started seeing ND. She did CST, homeopathy, and some other thing. She had me do saliva/urine tests:

• Estradiol, estrone, estriol, testosterone, norepinephrine, dopamine - all good
• Progesterone 1.991 (<.100) high
• Epinephrine 5.2 (8-12) low
• Seratonin 90.3 (150-200) low
• GABA 12.1 (1.5-4) high
• Cortisol 7:30am 4.9 (7.0-10.0) low
• 10pm 0.2 (reference says <1.5 but on graph I'm below optimal range)

Allopath physical 6/12/08:

• Alkaline Phosphatase still low (32)
• cholesterol 167
• triglycerides 99 (<150)
• HDL 54 (>40)
• LDL 93 (<130)
• FT4 1.2 (0.8-1.8)
• Vitamin D 49 (OHD2 still <4 even though I've been supping 2000mg/day)

She started treating me for adrenal fatigue (Travacor helped me sleep. Interesting note she put me on something different than NeuroScience recommended. I just started taking AdreCor and am feeling like it's doing something). She tried 2 homeopathic remedies that didn't do anything. CST didn't help.

July 2008: went off soy, gluten, dairy - alot of my muscle spasms in my back went away, along with night time anxiety when DH wasn't home, and IBS.

12/2008 Hair Toxic Elements Test (only showing what I think relevant):

• Copper 97 (<70)
• Uranium .48 (<.20)
• Tungsten 0.011 (<0.015)
• Zinc 190 (<300)
• Arsenic .065 (<.14)
• Mercury .36 (<3.0)

12/2008 started seeing osteopath for CST. No UTI from 12/15/08 until last week, longest stretch in about 4 years. Allergic reaction to Cipro.

A few weeks ago, stopped chocolate. Last week, stopped corn and most legumes (trying the glutamatae-aspartate restricted diet).

Can anyone connect any dots?

[lil_miss_understood]

I don't have the time to read through right now, but I'm subbing.

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

I don't have the time to read through right now, but I'm subbing.

Darnit! I was looking forward to your thoughts, cause I don't have time to stop and think (naptime will be soon, yay!), I've got an unhappy kid. I may be pushed into doing more, either calling my HCP or trying stuff on my own, for my son--he's just not happy, and if it's not better tonight, then I don't know how to try a bunch of corn and see if we're developing a sensitivity to that too--and either way, I need to get his liver happier so that we get past this.

[tanyalynn]

I'm going to throw in my comments, but I'll leave some of the biochem stuff to whoMe who's way better at it than I am.

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

I'm trying to put it all in one place to figure things out. I feel like I'm watching a million threads, and I'm trying to organize it.

fingernails: no lunula, break easily
I only have 2 lunula, I think it's vitA for me. Which means it's probably _not_ for you, since nothing from me fits your situation.


high cholesterol 1989-2008 (started taking 4 capsules fish oil, brought it down to 167)
220-230ish isn't that high, but I agree that if fish oil brings it down, then you had some sort of inflammation--you eat well, so maybe it was more a long-term deficit of omega-3's (from childhood) but if you still need it to keep it down, then I'd think something current is happening. But no concrete ideas here.

car accident 1996, sprained mid back (muscle relaxers for 2 weeks, then fine)

menstrual cycles were always 45-58 days, around 4 days long, light to moderate flow UNTIL about 2 years ago when they went to 28 day cycles, and it's on for 3 days, off for 2, on for 2, off for 1, on for 1 (sputtering) and light to very heavy flow
That pattern of start, stop, start is adrenal-related, but I don't know the specific mechanism. I've done that a few times as I've gotten healthier--my adrenals are still my weakest point, and I guess my thyroid's better and I have less stuff masking my adrenal issues. I don't know what could cause cycles to be that long, but clearly something was off.

DD1: born 1997, 12 hour labor, episiotomy, 10 days early (7 lbs. 13 oz). BF until 10 months when she weaned cold turkey (2 UTIs while pregnant; abx)
back started acting up again after she was born; same muscle as the previously sprained one; did massage therapy and chiropractic
DS: born 2000, 4 hour labor, 3rd degree laceration (and he broke his collarbone), 6 days early (9.5 lbs). BF until 8 months when he quit cold turkey (he was intolerant to milk from week 1 and intolerant to soy when he started direct ingestion). While BFing, I started rectal bleeding. Had colonoscopy and upper GI - removed a few polyps, nothing else, and the bleeding mysteriously stopped. Also had pneumonia while BFing (abx). And 2 UTIs while pregnant (abx). Fell down stairs while BFing so didn't catch myself and broke tailbone. A few months later horrible back pain and increasingly frequent UTIs ensued.
DD2: born 2005, csection (breech). I had 2 UTIs right at beginning of pregnancy then no more until 2 months post-partum/back pain got much better while pregnant. BF until 13 months old. Weaned at her pace. Realized she had food intolerances.

During all this, I saw 4 urologists, 3 chiropractors, a massage therapist, 3 physical therapists, 3 physiatrists, a neurologist, and an acupuncturist -- all with no answers about UTI/back -- had 3 MRIs, CT scan of kidneys, kidney function test, cystoscopy, cystogram, bladder muscle retraining, lydocaine shots, cortisone shots, TENS unit and other nerve stimulator.

Allopath tested me for heavy metals (serum), MS, and anything else I could come up with for theories since he was stumped.
The blood test wouldn't be helpful for at least a few heavy metals unless you had fairly high current exposure, but if they tested serum zinc or copper, that could be helpful. Did you catch that liver function is related to high copper as well? Maybe for folks who have high copper and reasonable zinc, it's more a liver function issue. Things like milk thistle and the morning lemon juice and I'm sure more stuff (check chlobo's thread) should help.

11/2007 - went to rheumatologist for back pain. She did loads of testing. Here are some of the ones that stand out for me/may be relevant:

• Serum Folate: 23.5 (normal 5.4-16.0) No idea how/why it would be that high--were you supping a lot? My next guess would be that something other than folate is really a limiting factor for you.
• Serum Vitamin B12: 422 (normal 200-1100)My understanding is that you want B12 to be higher to feel good--more in the 800-1000-ish range.
• Vitamin D 30 (OHD2 is <4) Is that a measure of D2? Not sure how important D2 is--I mean the <4 number.
• Alkaline Phosphatase is 29 (33-115) but everything I can find says it's okay to be low
• negative/normal tests for lyme, ANCA vasculitides, proteinase, thyroid peroxidase, immunoglobulins, Sjogrens, calcium, parathyroid, celiac, creatinine
• 3/2008 started seeing ND. She did CST, homeopathy, and some other thing. She had me do saliva/urine tests:
• Estradiol, estrone, estriol, testosterone, norepinephrine, dopamine - all good
• Progesterone 1.991 (<.100) high You've got funky stuff going on. Progesterone is also related to the cholesterol & adrenal chemicals. Mine's dead low--everything cholesterol/adrenal/progesterone related is low in me--we need to figure out what's involved with some of these conversions that you make well when others are clearly problematic (or too well--how is progesterone detoxified? I make estrogen at I assume a normal rate, and I detoxify it poorly, so I have too much, maybe similar for you for progesteron).
• Epinephrine 5.2 (8-12) low Not sure if this is normal for adrenal fatigue or not, it may be.
• Seratonin 90.3 (150-200) lowNot surprising given the 5-htp helps you--but you're probably okay with actual melatonin
• GABA 12.1 (1.5-4) high whoMe can surely help with this
• Cortisol 7:30am 4.9 (7.0-10.0) low
• 10pm 0.2 (reference says <1.5 but on graph I'm below optimal range)

Stage 7, the most severe adrenal fatigue, is the only one I see with evening cortisol anywhere near that low... but with you, I'd wonder, lots of things are slightly atypical with you, and although you've got health stuff going on, you sound fairly functional.
http://www.chronicfatigue.org/ASI%207.html

Allopath physical 6/12/08:

• Alkaline Phosphatase still low (32)
• cholesterol 167
• triglycerides 99 (<150)
• HDL 54 (>40)
• LDL 93 (<130)
• FT4 1.2 (0.8-1.8)
• Vitamin D 49 (OHD2 still <4 even though I've been supping 2000mg/day)

I'm wondering if the D2<4 maybe isn't important, the other one looks like a going-toward-reasonable number, I wish mine were that high.
She started treating me for adrenal fatigue (Travacor helped me sleep. Interesting note she put me on something different than NeuroScience recommended. I just started taking AdreCor and am feeling like it's doing something). She tried 2 homeopathic remedies that didn't do anything. CST didn't help.

July 2008: went off soy, gluten, dairy - alot of my muscle spasms in my back went away, along with night time anxiety when DH wasn't home, and IBS.

12/2008 Hair Toxic Elements Test (only showing what I think relevant):

• Copper 97 (<70)
• Uranium .48 (<.20)
• Tungsten 0.011 (<0.015)
• Zinc 190 (<300)
• Arsenic .065 (<.14)
• Mercury .36 (<3.0) Not important if you're not excreting--but although we talk about amalgam fillings a fair amount, I'm not really sure it's your issue... but something is going on. The copper is pretty high, not as high as chlobo, but part of things--maybe not root cause, but not great. And momofmine's link showed excess copper as interfering with a lot of things that were tryptophan-5-htp-seratonin-melatonin related, and you've got issues there.

12/2008 started seeing osteopath for CST. No UTI from 12/15/08 until last week, longest stretch in about 4 years. Allergic reaction to Cipro.
Cool that this is helping--it sorta seems like you're starting to peel back the layers of what's going on, and so new things should be becoming clearer.

A few weeks ago, stopped chocolate. Last week, stopped corn and most legumes (trying the glutamatae-aspartate restricted diet).

Can anyone connect any dots?

And you were thinking your gut is out of balance, right? The big, long candida thread? You've been on lots of antibiotics, so that seems involved, but is it enough to be causal? Something else is going on, I think, but it seems like one of the question is, is whatever else going on also directly contributing to the candida? Cause if it's not a big issue, you could slowly work on that too (though I guess you already are with ferments and I'm not sure what-all supps you're taking right now).

Physical alignment can probably do some pretty significant things--our bodies don't work as well, and low-level pre-existing problems can probably be intensified. So it sounds like the CST is really helping now (or is it chiro? either way) but it seems like something else is going on--and the structural work is very supportive and helpful, but we need to figure out more.

[lil_miss_understood]

How was your molybdenum?
Tungsten and folate both being high is indicative of something but I don't know what yet. They're both used to make co-enzymes (along with molybdenum) from GTP (a purine which is also used to make BH4). You have low BH4, I think we had established... I think whoMe may be onto something with her MTHFR talk from another thread.
I'll be back again later, I'm sure, that's all I have time for right now.

ETA: Also, just thought I should mention that tungsten is used in shielding in nuclear power plants.

[tanyalynn]

Forgot a couple things.

B12: can be low if you're vegan (you're not, you consume plenty), can be low from heavy metals (they use it up quickly, but not definitely your issue), can be low I think if digestion is impaired (seems likeliest)

FT4--that's in range but low, you want the free T4 and free T3 to be in the upper-third of the reference range. Don't suppose you've got a free-T3 test results anywhere? I know low free-T3 can really correlate to feeling bad, I'm less knowledgeable about free-T4. But I bet some of the nutrients that we've otherwise discussed (zinc, selenium, iodine) are a bit low (you've got a B supp, right? and you take C and D, any A?--those are the ones most involved and/or messed up if thyroid stuff is a bit off).

Overall, Kathy, how would you say your energy is? Throughout the day, and in general compared to other people?

http://mrishaanshareef.blogspot.com/...ct-health.html
Here's the long thread on nails... mine are pretty strong, I think, so I don't know the weak nail thing well. Lack of lunulae is related to: anemia, malnutrition

Nail thinness/brittleness is related to: osteopenia, thyroid disorders, severe malnutrition, systemic amyloidosis (flaking yellow nails)

http://www.handresearch.com/finger-n...ing-absent.htm
This one says (for fewer than 8 lunulae): protein deficiency, lack of vitamin A, heart disease, poor circulation, numbness (seems more a symptom than a cause) and lack of oxygenation

[lil_miss_understood]

Possibly low methylation and maybe low sulfation- both responsible for detoxing hormones.

[kjbrown92]

high cholesterol 1989-2008 (started taking 4 capsules fish oil, brought it down to 167)
220-230ish isn't that high, but I agree that if fish oil brings it down, then you had some sort of inflammation--you eat well, so maybe it was more a long-term deficit of omega-3's (from childhood) but if you still need it to keep it down, then I'd think something current is happening. But no concrete ideas here.

The doctor said that if it was perpetually that "high" then it should be brought down.

Allopath tested me for heavy metals (serum), MS, and anything else I could come up with for theories since he was stumped.
The blood test wouldn't be helpful for at least a few heavy metals unless you had fairly high current exposure, but if they tested serum zinc or copper, that could be helpful. Did you catch that liver function is related to high copper as well? Maybe for folks who have high copper and reasonable zinc, it's more a liver function issue. Things like milk thistle and the morning lemon juice and I'm sure more stuff (check chlobo's thread) should help.

I wonder about the liver function because of my low bowel tolerance for SA too.

11/2007 - went to rheumatologist for back pain. She did loads of testing. Here are some of the ones that stand out for me/may be relevant:
Serum Folate: 23.5 (normal 5.4-16.0) No idea how/why it would be that high--were you supping a lot? My next guess would be that something other than folate is really a limiting factor for you.

At the time I wasn't supplementing anything. I was seeing only allopathic doctors basically. And you guys have been talking alot about folate so that one sort of popped out on the page for me today.

Serum Vitamin B12: 422 (normal 200-1100)My understanding is that you want B12 to be higher to feel good--more in the 800-1000-ish range.

I am now taking a B-complex supp (wasn't at the time).

Vitamin D 30 (OHD2 is <4) Is that a measure of D2? Not sure how important D2 is--I mean the <4 number.

The OHD2 number said it "is an indicator of exogenous sources such as diet or supplementation" (that test was in November, the next time I was tested was the following 9/2, when my number was still <4 for OHD2). So does that mean that the sun is helping me produce the Vitamin D, but that Vitamin D supplementation doesn't work for me?

3/2008 started seeing ND. She did CST, homeopathy, and some other thing. She had me do saliva/urine tests:
Estradiol, estrone, estriol, testosterone, norepinephrine, dopamine - all good
Progesterone 1.991 (<.100) high
You've got funky stuff going on. Progesterone is also related to the cholesterol & adrenal chemicals. Mine's dead low--everything cholesterol/adrenal/progesterone related is low in me--we need to figure out what's involved with some of these conversions that you make well when others are clearly problematic (or too well--how is progesterone detoxified? I make estrogen at I assume a normal rate, and I detoxify it poorly, so I have too much, maybe similar for you for progesteron).

I remember that this one really surprised her. She thought I was going to be low progesterone because of my pain.

Epinephrine 5.2 (8-12) low Not sure if this is normal for adrenal fatigue or not, it may be.
Seratonin 90.3 (150-200) lowNot surprising given the 5-htp helps you--but you're probably okay with actual melatonin
GABA 12.1 (1.5-4) high whoMe can surely help with this
Cortisol 7:30am 4.9 (7.0-10.0) low
10pm 0.2 (reference says <1.5 but on graph I'm below optimal range)
Stage 7, the most severe adrenal fatigue, is the only one I see with evening cortisol anywhere near that low... but with you, I'd wonder, lots of things are slightly atypical with you, and although you've got health stuff going on, you sound fairly functional.
http://www.chronicfatigue.org/ASI%207.html

I am slightly atypical. I've always had strange symptoms (like dropping things and yelling at my kids for UTIs). Before I went off the food stuff, I was on painkillers/anti-depressants and still going into spasm several times a day, castor oil packs, ice, traumeel, etc. I wasn't quite as functional now. Without the constant pain, I'm tons better. And as long as I don't wear anything constricting or do too much or try to exercise or stand too long (etc. etc.) my back is okay.

12/2008 Hair Toxic Elements Test (only showing what I think relevant):
Copper 97 (<70)
Uranium .48 (<.20)
Tungsten 0.011 (<0.015)
Zinc 190 (<300)
Arsenic .065 (<.14)
Mercury .36 (<3.0) Not important if you're not excreting--but although we talk about amalgam fillings a fair amount, I'm not really sure it's your issue... but something is going on. The copper is pretty high, not as high as chlobo, but part of things--maybe not root cause, but not great. And momofmine's link showed excess copper as interfering with a lot of things that were tryptophan-5-htp-seratonin-melatonin related, and you've got issues there.

I do have 10 fillings - they were mostly put in ages 6-9, but I had to have 4 of my molars refilled. And I had one removed and a crown put in (and root canal afterwards because the pain was so bad) a couple years ago. Hmmm... it's more than a couple years ago... I'll have to figure out when that was in relation to other things.

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

How was your molybdenum?
Tungsten and folate both being high is indicative of something but I don't know what yet. They're both used to make co-enzymes (along with molybdenum) from GTP (a purine which is also used to make BH4). You have low BH4, I think we had established... I think whoMe may be onto something with her MTHFR talk from another thread.
I'll be back again later, I'm sure, that's all I have time for right now.

ETA: Also, just thought I should mention that tungsten is used in shielding in nuclear power plants.

Molybdenum isn't on the toxic hair elements one. Tungsten. A nuclear plant was dismantled 2 years ago right across the river from us (less than a mile as the crow flies)....

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

FT4--that's in range but low, you want the free T4 and free T3 to be in the upper-third of the reference range. Don't suppose you've got a free-T3 test results anywhere? I know low free-T3 can really correlate to feeling bad, I'm less knowledgeable about free-T4. But I bet some of the nutrients that we've otherwise discussed (zinc, selenium, iodine) are a bit low (you've got a B supp, right? and you take C and D, any A?--those are the ones most involved and/or messed up if thyroid stuff is a bit off).

Endo tried me on thyroid meds and it didn't do anything so I figured that wasn't a problem.

Overall, Kathy, how would you say your energy is? Throughout the day, and in general compared to other people?

I am often tired but I don't sleep well (or should I say I don't go to bed when I'm supposed to) when DH is working night shift. I have exercise intolerance. If I try, my back will start spasming as soon as I'm done (even a 1/2 mile these days; used to be 4.5 miles, then gradually became less and less; pathetic). But I'm a fidgeter with a lot of nervous energy so I probably don't seem tired to most people. It takes a lot of effort for me to get out of bed in the morning though. I just want to sleep more. But once I'm up, I'm okay.

Nail thinness/brittleness is related to: osteopenia, thyroid disorders, severe malnutrition, systemic amyloidosis (flaking yellow nails)

osteopenia -- I forgot to say that the rheumatologist did a bone density scan 11/07 as well and I have osteopenia.

http://www.handresearch.com/finger-n...ing-absent.htm
This one says (for fewer than 8 lunulae): protein deficiency, lack of vitamin A, heart disease, poor circulation, numbness (seems more a symptom than a cause) and lack of oxygenation

I've been seeing A coming up a lot lately...

[dannic]

No advice, but following!

[lil_miss_understood]

Everything I'm reading about all of what I'm seeing in you keeps pointing to mutant E. coli...

ETA: Alkaline phosphotase is used by e. coli. There's a whole bunch of other stuff too, but I keep forgetting. My brain's not working too well today, maybe because I missed my prenatals the last 2 days?

Mutant e. coli and a strange thing going on with MTHF, so I'm going to wait to see what whoMe says.

[kjbrown92]

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

Everything I'm reading about all of what I'm seeing in you keeps pointing to mutant E. coli...

ETA: Alkaline phosphotase is used by e. coli. There's a whole bunch of other stuff too, but I keep forgetting. My brain's not working too well today, maybe because I missed my prenatals the last 2 days?

Mutant e. coli and a strange thing going on with MTHF, so I'm going to wait to see what whoMe says.

Where do I find out about mutant E. coli. I did a google search and didn't come up with anything that sounded like me. Are you saying that the abx puts it into hiding but then it comes back? And it's taking over like some kind of alien?

Another note: I did all the yeast stuff in the fall for a good two months: Walnut, coconut oil, oil of oregano, Candex, oxygen elements, probiotics, etc. and I got NO die off symptoms and nothing got better during that time. I switched to honey (from sugar) and didn't have much of any sweets. Low amounts of fruit. And no gluten, so not too many "starches".

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

Where do I find out about mutant E. coli. I did a google search and didn't come up with anything that sounded like me. Are you saying that the abx puts it into hiding but then it comes back? And it's taking over like some kind of alien?

Well, a lot of the things in your OP point to e. coli running rampant, pretty much. It's not on the surface, you sort of have to "dig"... Like what could cause <one thing>?- well this thing could- now what could cause that? Well this... and that could be caused by this or this or this or.... e. coli.... And a whole bunch of things run back like that, all ending in e. coli and some ending in "mutant" e. coli.

The problem I'm seeing with it is basically that, yes... You treat it but you can't kill *all* of it because something is feeding it. I'm trying to figure out what feeds e. coli- and it seems to be something that the body can synthesize which is necessary but the e. coli are eating it up...

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

Possibly low methylation and maybe low sulfation- both responsible for detoxing hormones.

Remind me which one's which? It's methylation for estrogen and sulfation for progesterone, right?

[kjbrown92]

Things I have found about alkaline phosphatase:

A decreased serum alkaline phosphatase may be due to:
Zinc deficiency.
Hypothyroidism.
Vitamin C deficiency/Scurvy.
Folic acid deficiency.
Excess Vitamin D intake.
Low phosphorus levels (hypophosphatasia)
Celiac disease.
Malnutrition with low protein assimilation (including low stomach acid production/hypochlorhydria).
Insufficient Parathyroid gland function.
Pernicious anemia
Vitamin B6 insufficiency

I still can't find anything on e. coli besides the regular food poisoning stuff. How do I make the jump to hyperspace, Jacqueline?

Also, on Facebook today, I took a goofy test that said what job you're meant to have, and it said "doctor/nurse". I mentioned it to DH and he said "you always wanted to be a nurse" (when I was in high school I wanted to be a geriatric nurse but my mother convinced me I wouldn't be good at it). And then he said, "it's not too late. you could go back to school." The deal was that I was going to go back to work when DD2 started kindergarten, but maybe.... but what kind of practitioner would I want to be? And at this late date, is it worth it to spend that kind of money on a career? Anyway, that's neither here nor there for this discussion, though I feel like I'm getting an education on here every day.

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

Remind me which one's which? It's methylation for estrogen and sulfation for progesterone, right?

Yes.
I'm wondering how the glutamate-aspartate sensitivity fits in but I've been working on this e. coli thing most of the day (when I'm not cooking, cleaning and/or caring for the kids ).
Somewhere, I also became convinced that there's an ammonia issue for you as well, Kathy, possibly contributing to your low BH4 as well... Another reason I want to hear from whoMe.

[kjbrown92]

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

Yes.
I'm wondering how the glutamate-aspartate sensitivity fits in but I've been working on this e. coli thing most of the day (when I'm not cooking, cleaning and/or caring for the kids ).
Somewhere, I also became convinced that there's an ammonia issue for you as well, Kathy, possibly contributing to your low BH4 as well... Another reason I want to hear from whoMe.

I'm a mess.
Send me your e. coli links if you would. I'm not finding ANYTHING.
And what would the ammonia issue be... I don't know that I've looked at that at all.
Tonight, I'm feeling exhausted, so I'm going to bed at 9. Last night I went to bed at almost 11, and didn't fall asleep until after 12. 6:30 came way to quickly.

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

The doctor said that if it was perpetually that "high" then it should be brought down.

But I'm not sure the data is really strong that that level is problematic--though given your old HDL/LDL ratio (and the fact that fish oil changed your cholesterol) it does seem like something was off. But I'm sorta hoping I someday get cholesterol in the 200-220 range.


I am now taking a B-complex supp (wasn't at the time).

When one has low B12, the amounts you usually supplement are 1000-2000 mcg (my HCP actually said I could take 2-2000 mcg sublinguals per day, separated). And a sublingual may be a good idea if your digestion isn't great--that one's sort of a catch-22.

The OHD2 number said it "is an indicator of exogenous sources such as diet or supplementation" (that test was in November, the next time I was tested was the following 9/2, when my number was still <4 for OHD2). So does that mean that the sun is helping me produce the Vitamin D, but that Vitamin D supplementation doesn't work for me?

To go from 30 in Nov to 49 in June seems to be due to supplements to me--you are really far north, and you couldn't be making much Nov-Mar, and how warm is April? Whatever, 49 is getting quite respectable.

I remember that this one really surprised her. She thought I was going to be low progesterone because of my pain.

I didn't realize low progesterone was related to pain. I knew low D was related to low cholesterol, and that's related to adrenals, and people with AF often have pain (but I guess it's more D related, I think)--I'm confusing myself with what's causal and what's just usually correlated.


I do have 10 fillings - they were mostly put in ages 6-9, but I had to have 4 of my molars refilled. And I had one removed and a crown put in (and root canal afterwards because the pain was so bad) a couple years ago. Hmmm... it's more than a couple years ago... I'll have to figure out when that was in relation to other things.

I just read that gold crowns and amalgam fillings can do some funky things--it's just anecdotal, I haven't actually looked into it because no one I know has crowns, but something to think about. Some people have unusual physiologies so they deal with things differently---I mean beyond the subset of people who are prone to heavy metal problems in general, so it's possible--but (playing devil's advocate) given the number of health things you've got going on, the fact that your oldest child doesn't really have any health issues but some environmental allergies, that doesn't quite fit. None of your kids have anything that seems sensory/spectrum-y, and it really seems like mercury has that effect on people when it's around early in development.

Endo tried me on thyroid meds and it didn't do anything so I figured that wasn't a problem.

Probably Synthroid? Lack of selenium will prevent you from converting the T4 in the Synthroid to T3 that your cells can use. Not saying that's it, it's a common reason Synthroid doesn't help people who _do_ have thyroid problems, but it may not be your thing (I hate to give so many ideas without having this strong conviction "hey, _really_ look into THIS" but I figure/hope something will jump out at you). Have you ever painted liquid iodine on your skin to see how long it lasts? Most of us seem deficient and that's important for thyroid function too. I'm using Iodoral to get myself back into something in the range of healthy.

I am often tired but I don't sleep well (or should I say I don't go to bed when I'm supposed to) when DH is working night shift. I have exercise intolerance. If I try, my back will start spasming as soon as I'm done (even a 1/2 mile these days; used to be 4.5 miles, then gradually became less and less; pathetic). But I'm a fidgeter with a lot of nervous energy so I probably don't seem tired to most people. It takes a lot of effort for me to get out of bed in the morning though. I just want to sleep more. But once I'm up, I'm okay.

I think most of that sounds fairly adrenal, but not the fidgeting--not sure what's known about people who fidget vs those who don't.

I've been seeing A coming up a lot lately...

In a Price view of the world, we're all massively deficient in A, D, and K2. K2's really useful for putting calcium in the right spots (and not, say, creating tartar (calcium deposits) in your (my) son....)

[lil_miss_understood]

This is from the Wiki article on alkaline phosphotase:

In the laboratory, however, mutant Escherichia coli lacking alkaline phosphatase survive quite well, as do mutants unable to shut off alkaline phosphatase production.

That's what it was... PABA (a part of folate) stimulates the growth of intestinal bacteria. Sulfonamides (sulfa drugs) interrupt this "feeding" of the bacteria... I'm wondering now if your body isn't trying to synthesize it's own "sulfa drug" to inhibit the growth of the e. coli (first by producing sulfonic acid from sulfites- instead of using them for sulfation- and then adding ammonia or amines to it). But then the body thinks there's too much ammonia so it detoxes it with BH4...
Yeah...

[kjbrown92]

Tanya, when you respond in the quote, I can't quote YOU, so I have to copy and paste....

I am now taking a B-complex supp (wasn't at the time).

When one has low B12, the amounts you usually supplement are 1000-2000 mcg (my HCP actually said I could take 2-2000 mcg sublinguals per day, separated). And a sublingual may be a good idea if your digestion isn't great--that one's sort of a catch-22.

WF - look for sublingual B12 - check.

The OHD2 number said it "is an indicator of exogenous sources such as diet or supplementation" (that test was in November, the next time I was tested was the following 9/2, when my number was still <4 for OHD2). So does that mean that the sun is helping me produce the Vitamin D, but that Vitamin D supplementation doesn't work for me?

To go from 30 in Nov to 49 in June seems to be due to supplements to me--you are really far north, and you couldn't be making much Nov-Mar, and how warm is April? Whatever, 49 is getting quite respectable.

It was from November until September. September 2 was my second test (with the 49) and I was outside all summer long with no sunscreen this year to get the most D possible (and no, I didn't burn). I thought the part was odd that said I wasn't getting exogenous sources when I was taking 2000mg/day. Like my body wasn't absorbing it or something.

I remember that this one really surprised her. She thought I was going to be low progesterone because of my pain.

I didn't realize low progesterone was related to pain. I knew low D was related to low cholesterol, and that's related to adrenals, and people with AF often have pain (but I guess it's more D related, I think)--I'm confusing myself with what's causal and what's just usually correlated.

The ND said that progesterone was a pain inhibitor. So she thought I'd be low, when in fact I was high. So sad to say that without it, I would have been in even MORE pain.

I do have 10 fillings - they were mostly put in ages 6-9, but I had to have 4 of my molars refilled. And I had one removed and a crown put in (and root canal afterwards because the pain was so bad) a couple years ago. Hmmm... it's more than a couple years ago... I'll have to figure out when that was in relation to other things.

I just read that gold crowns and amalgam fillings can do some funky things--it's just anecdotal, I haven't actually looked into it because no one I know has crowns, but something to think about. Some people have unusual physiologies so they deal with things differently---I mean beyond the subset of people who are prone to heavy metal problems in general, so it's possible--but (playing devil's advocate) given the number of health things you've got going on, the fact that your oldest child doesn't really have any health issues but some environmental allergies, that doesn't quite fit. None of your kids have anything that seems sensory/spectrum-y, and it really seems like mercury has that effect on people when it's around early in development.

The crown is white, not gold. Who knows what it's made of. Probably something toxic with my luck. That's the weird thing. It seems like some of the stuff had to happen between kid 1 and 2 since kid 1 is normal for the most part (she has had a rash on her inner thigh that looks like eczema for about a week.... now it's on the other side as well... but it could be something else... though I don't know what... please, not more food problems).

Endo tried me on thyroid meds and it didn't do anything so I figured that wasn't a problem.

Probably Synthroid? Lack of selenium will prevent you from converting the T4 in the Synthroid to T3 that your cells can use. Not saying that's it, it's a common reason Synthroid doesn't help people who _do_ have thyroid problems, but it may not be your thing (I hate to give so many ideas without having this strong conviction "hey, _really_ look into THIS" but I figure/hope something will jump out at you). Have you ever painted liquid iodine on your skin to see how long it lasts? Most of us seem deficient and that's important for thyroid function too. I'm using Iodoral to get myself back into something in the range of healthy.

It was not Synthroid. She looked at my blood type (A) and said she was putting me on whatever she did because type As tended not to respond well to one of them (maybe Synthroid) and did respond well to the other. She was an osteopath as well, and she's the one who led me on a path to find an osteopath (who practiced as an osteopath instead of an endo). She said my numbers were fine, but she'd do the thyroid medicine to see if would make a difference. It didn't. At all. I have not painted myself with iodine... WF... iodine... check.

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

This is from the Wiki article on alkaline phosphotase:

That's what it was... PABA (a part of folate) stimulates the growth of intestinal bacteria. Sulfonamides (sulfa drugs) interrupt this "feeding" of the bacteria... I'm wondering now if your body isn't trying to synthesize it's own "sulfa drug" to inhibit the growth of the e. coli (first by producing sulfonic acid from sulfites- instead of using them for sulfation- and then adding ammonia or amines to it). But then the body thinks there's too much ammonia so it detoxes it with BH4...
Yeah...

I think you're onto something. What's BH4 again? I should have paid more attention in biology and chemistry....

Another angle I was just looking at, about 5 or 6 years ago I found out I was allergic to bacitracin and neosporin, which are topical antibiotics. I just read (oops, closed all my extraneous windows because I said I was going to bed at 9pm) that if you have an allergy to one abx, you are TEN TIMES more likely to be allergic to another. And the possibility of a reaction increases every time you take it. Great. Just great.

[lil_miss_understood]

BH4's chemical name is tetrahydrobiopterin. A lot of what I've been reading today points to your body going crazy trying to make different pterins, too. Don't ask what that means, I'm trying to figure it out still.
The important thing for you to know about BH4 is that it's needed to convert tryptophan into 5-HTP (needed for seratonin). (It's also used to convert phenylalanine into tyrosine and tyrosine into L-dopa for dopamine production, but those seem to be okay in you).

ETA: It's also used to transport excess ammonia out of the body.