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  • #308346
    bsnyder
    Participant

    6/25/14 Wednesday
    I have just read a wonderful daily entry of someone else’s AP journey and I realized a couple of things, 1) healing with AP has its ups and downs and I think it would really help me to try to write a few words each day and 2) it’s only through writing things down that I can really start to see the patterns of healing/herxing.

    To make a VERY long story short I will give you a little of my background. Maybe around 15 years ago I received a hep B vaccine which is actually a series of three shots a month apart. After the first shot I got a HORRENDOUS sinus infection. Not connecting the vaccine with the infection I took the second shot. About two weeks after the second shot I was on a business trip in Kentucky and I woke up one morning and my body felt so stiff I was nearly crippled. At first I thought I had just slept wrong but by the time I got home I realized something was seriously wrong. In fact, it was so bad that my husband had to help me get dressed and walk up and down stairs. Well, I ended up at the old rheumatologist and he diagnosed me with Ankylosing Spondylosis and this prompted about a two year journey of the meds getting progessively stronger while I got progressively worse. I went through several different meds including Methotrexate and toward the end my knees would swell so much that the doc would drain my knees and inject them with steroids monthly.

    During this period, I had silicone breast implants removed but that didn’t seem to help much. About three years after the explant I found the book The Arthritis Solution. This was before the internet really took off. I then got my family doctor to prescribe the Minocycline MWF. I did this for about a year then went to see Iowa Doc in Ida Grove for IV antibiotics. Within about a year after that I was TOTALLY in remission. For five years I had NO PAIN AT ALL. At the time I believed it was the combination of the AP and the silicone breast implant removal.

    Well, like a true idiot I felt SO good I made two rather poor choices: 1) I stopped the AP because I had developed blackish blue pigmentation on my face and 2) I decided to get saline implants as I was literally flat as a board. Well, until three years after the implants were put in I was alright, then I gradually started getting a return of the old stiffness. About two years ago I started back on the AP protocol but this time I went right into the new protocol of 100 MG Minocycline daily. Wow did I HERX!!! For some reason though I just lived through the pain herxing along thinking this higher dose must be better than the three times weekly dose I took before. Also, I had this idea that I didn’t want to return to the Rheumatologist (I still don’t) as I know that road leads to nowhere, but I also tried to manage the pain pretty ineffectively myself with ibuprofen.

    Well, fast forward to four months ago when the following happened:
    February 25, 2014 – I had the breast implants removed and replaced them with fat from my thighs and tummy (called breast fat transfer). I seemed to feel generally less pain after the implant removal (I was still on AP too).
    April 1, 2014 (need to track down the exact dates for the following) – I chipped a crown and had to have a new one placed over an old root canal. When the dentist removed the crown the stench filled the room!! Decaying, rotten garbage can smell from my dead tooth! When I asked the dentist about it she said it was just bacteria!
    April 7, 2014 (or thereabout) – dentist replaced the temporary crown with the permanent one. Again, HORRENDOUS smell from my tooth!
    April 14, 2014 (about two weeks after the root canal/recrown)- Both of my knees blew up like baseballs!! Ugly, huge things!! I got very scared and decided I wanted to return to Ida Grove initially not linking the swollen knees to the root canal (when my dental insurance turns over in 6-12 months I may have that root canal removed as I read on internet that sometimes there can be a link between old root canals and arthritis. I hadn’t had knee swelling since my first round of arthritis years ago.)
    May 1, 2014 I returned to Ida Grove for my second round of IV antibiotics. I must say that immediately after the IV treatments my level of early morning stiffness GREATLY decreased! Before the IVs I would wake up and have to plan exactly how I would place my body to get out of bed with the least pain. After the IVs, although I was a little stiff, I was NO WHERE near as stiff. Also on my last day there Dr. S_________ drained my knees and shot them with steroids and that felt really good.
    May 22 – June 5, 2014 – Hubby and I went to Italy for our 31st anniversary and walked what seemed like millions of miles each day. I also started eating breads, pastries, etc. All the gluten-filled things I know to avoid here in this country. Someone had told me that the wheat in Italy didn’t cause gluten problems…WRONG! It does. By five days into the trip my knees were swollen, I was aching all over and totally miserable!!

    TODAY, JUNE 25. Here is where I am now:
    About a week ago I reduced my Mino to 100MG MWF and my herxing went down.
    Yesterday morning I went to a orthopedic PA my doctor referred me to who drained my knees and injected them with steroids and I feel LOTS better. She also started me on Celebrex. I have just taken two – one yesterday and one today and I feel almost normal. Wonderful in fact. Where a week ago I was coming home from work and falling into bed at 7:30, the last couple of days I have had so much energy I stayed up till 10:30 last night and tonight after work I got my nails done, vacuumed my car and went with hubby to Lowes. In fact, it is 10:30 and I am still going strong.

    In the last few weeks I have also added the following things: Tried to eat many more veggies and fruits, no glutten, very little processed food, largely replaced coffee with green tea, added in Low Dose Naprexone (I think its called that) at night which was recommended by Dr. Mercola, more water with lemon much of the time, fish oil and 5,000 mgs vitamin C.

    I think now I need to just report in each day or every few days to track my healing. I have tried so many different things and since I wasn’t tracking anything I would just get confused and not really know what seemed to work and what didn’t.

    In a nutshell, I think the hep V vaccine years ago kicked off some sort of immune problem, then the two rounds of implants exacerbated this, as perhaps did the root canal. The AP truly worked once and I know it will work again. I am 56 years old and I don’t want to go downhill anymore. Now it’s time to start healing. I need to get serious about following the protocol and writing down my progress. Thanks for listening.

    #372497
    bsnyder
    Participant

    June 26, 2014
    I did not take the Minocycline today.

    Had a really good day today. It’s amazing what taking fluid off the knees, steroid injections and one Celebrex a day can do. I had lots of energy today and no longer felt defeated by the RA. I did my 20 minute yoga stretch DVD last night and first thing this morning. I also did five minutes of meditation which felt good. I noticed that the Celebrex has made my body much more supple and I am really limber. Also, I did the yoga with almost no pain.

    I always have a bias against taking anything like Celebrex (and even getting steriod knee injections for that matter). 1) I think the meds give me a false sense that I am well and 2) I worry that even though the meds keep the swelling down for a time, I worry that once I stop the swelling will be back with a vengeance! I try to remind myself though that the physician’s protocol here says you SHOULD take anti-inflamatories as they help the Minocycline get where it needs to go.

    In addition to feeling much better physically today, I felt better emotionally. I was better able to handle the fact that my husband’s job situation has changed (he went from a well paying corporate job to doing free-lance for his own company + handling our rental house business). I seemed to have more positive feelings today as well as less anger. When my knees were swelling and bothering me so much I started to feel rather hopeless I would ever recover and I found myself getting very irritable and angry. I also started back on my antidepressant three days ago and I feel like that may also be lifting my mood.

    Tomorrow I take my Minocycline again. Will let you know how it goes.

    #372500
    bsnyder
    Participant

    June 27, 2014
    I just realized that my first post said June 5th and it was actually June 25th. Three days ago.

    Today was Friday and a Minocycline day. I also took a Celebrex in the morning and did yoga. My knees (which were drained and injected with steroids 4 days ago) continue to feel very good. No swelling and I can even bend them almost normally. Last night I was dead tired for some reason. Was visiting my mother and father and law and couldn’t stop yawning. Worn out! BUT my body feels wonderful. In fact, it feels totally well and normal. I am on the Celebrex though so who knows what’s under there.

    DENTAL THOUGHTS. Since my knees started the swelling two weeks after my STINKY root canal was uncovered when I had the crown replaced, in one year I am going to have the tooth removed and replaced by a bridge. I have to wait one year as I want insurance to cover it. I wish I didn’t have to wait so long but maybe if the antibiotic kicks in before that I won’t have to have it done. I need to do some research on what to replace it with. So far I am reading that I really can’t have a dental implant as it contains titanium which is somehow not good. Apparently a bridge is what I should go back with but in a bridge the dentist will also need to whittle down the tooth in front of the hole (the tooth behind is already a crown). Also, apparently the bridge shouldn’t contain any nickel. I want my current dentist to do the bridge after a dentist in St. Louis removes the tooth. My dentist is not at all happy about this idea. She is one who told me my tooth stench was bacteria but she doesn’t see any way that bacteria could be causing my health problems! Truly, the smell was like a had a garbage dump in my mouth!

    By the way, I can see why the Celebrex people are raking in the dough. This stuff appears to be great. Amazing how good I feel. I do not like being on anti-inflamatories though. I beat this thing once with AP. I will do so again.

    #372498
    bsnyder
    Participant

    June 28, 2014
    Didn’t take Celebrex today. I am trying to take it every other day. It as a Zithromax day. I take Mino 100 mg MWFR and Zithro T/SAT. I had a great day. No pain at all. Knees still aren’t swelling. In fact, wore a knee length dress to a wedding I attended and looked normal. I danced a lot at the reception and felt absolutely normal. I guess I just need to follow what the protocal says and not be afraid to take Celebrex for the pain and swelling and then let the Mino work its magic. I have to admit that if things stay this way with my body while getting healed underneath I would deal with this.

    Of course I do wonder about what will happen in a month or so when the steroid knee injections wear off. I truly hope I don’t get the awful knee swelling back. I just need to really stick with my good diet…avoiding coffee for the most part, green tea, lots of fruits and veggies, no glutten. It seems like I can stick with that diet almost perfectly except that once a week I seem to have a sugar blow out. Last saturday night I had gellato and last night (Sat) at the wedding I had an ice cream sundae. I felt kind of justified in this because since I am a vegetarian I couldn’t eat much of the dinner they served so I was hungry.

    Something kind of weird is happening though to my sleep. It used to be that I woke up at around 1:30 2:30 most nights and couldn’t get back to sleep. Ever since the IV antibiotics a couple of months ago I now wake up at 5:00, 6:00 or even 7:30 AM. This morning after the wedding party last night I slept until 11:30AM!!!

    #372504
    bsnyder
    Participant

    Tuesday, July 1
    Took Z-max this morning and also supplements. Have stayed off sugar except for each of the last two saturday nights. Last night hubby suggested Gellato, my weakness, but I said No. Trying to stay with lots more fruits, veggies, beans, etc. Will up my water today. Still struggling with the idea of waiting to have my stinky root canalled tooth removed. Really should wait a year till my insurance will cover it. Could change insurance now though and get it done sooner but I would need to change dentists too. Although i really think the root canal is causing my problems since my knees swelled just after it was messed with I really should just stay on the AP and give it a year. After all, its my teeth which now look very nice. Having a bridge replacement would mean yet another nice tooth would need to be whittled down to accomadate the bridge so this is NOT something I should take lightly. I have had arthritis for 15 years so I what is one more year?

    In terms of how I feel? I feel great! I have not had Celebrex for two solid days (this is my third day without it). I probably will take it today but I forgot it and left it at home. That Celebrex is like magic for me, but to me it’s magic that comes at a price. I would really rather take nothing and try to combat it more naturally, but I have to admit that feeling good and having slender knees is nice. My legs do feel a little heavier today though so I will probably take the Celebrex later today.

    I am rambling. Sorry.

    #372505
    bsnyder
    Participant

    Wednesday, July 2, 2014
    Took Mino this AM. Feeling like my body is doing MUCH better on the smaller doses. When I went into remission years ago it was Mino on a MWF schedule. This time for the past year and a half I have been on 2 100 mino/day! Although I didn’t realize that’s what it was, that put me in a constant flare and I was just miserable and feeling like the whole thing didn’t work. Now since the IV antibiotics with Dr. S in Ida Grove I have been on the three X week dose and feel much better.

    I am wondering when I’m about a month out from having my knees drained/steroids how I will be. I hope the swelling is long gone. I will know around August 1. Also, I am taking Celebrex about every 2-3 days. I hope to ween myself off that and see what’s going on underneath. Maybe, though, I should just thank my lucky stars I feel so good and keep taking the Celebrex and give the mino the months it needs to do its work. I know even without all the “helps” I am doing better. A few months ago I had to plan getting out of bed in the morning. Now, even without the Celebrex I get up easily. Great improvement!

    Thursday, July 3, 2014
    Going to Las Vegas today for a wedding. Last night I volunteered at Lords Diner which entails a lot of walking around serving tea. My left knee is kind of in pain. It is not swollen though. I took a Celebrex last night and hope it helps. I still can’t overdo. The rest of my body feels perfect. No pain at all. Totally normal feeling. Yea!

    Sunday, July 6, 2014
    OUCH!!!! Just returned from my lovely neice’s wedding in Vegas! Really had food issues. Ate sugar rather regularly which I had NOT been doing before I left for about three weeks. For example, last two mornings had a “flourless” chocolate HUGE cookie for breakfast! It probably WASN’T flourless because my body reacted like I’d had gluten (little rabbit poop pellets afterward- too much info I know) and it was also FILLED with sugar, not to mention a terrible nutritional choice of having a cookie for breakfast. I am trying to think back on the things I ate there. Both lunches I was able to find an excellent large, fresh salad with lots of veggies, but breakfast both days was COOKIES and dinner the night of the wedding was glutten free pasta and the last night it was veggie burger (probably NOT glutten free) and sweet potato fries. I also had gellato one day which was filled with sugar.

    In addition to the very poor diet with very little water, I didn’t take my Low Dose Naltrexone as I have to make it up by putting a 50mg pill into distilled water and taking a syringe of 3.5-4 mgs of the fluid each day. I didn’t have my usual dose Thursday night or Friday night. I took it again last night but I woke up feeling back to my normal rotten self…pretty stiff and sore. It was odd though that my joints really don’t hurt that much it is more muscle soreness. Thighs especially. I also have not been able to do Yoga the whole time I was gone and only took one Celebrex, on Saturday I think. My arthritis usually feels like sore joints and also sore muscles.

    Suffice it to say, this is a “condition” of regularity. I seem to have to keep my life fairly routine and stick with my good diet, etc or I feel out of whack. This condition is also CONFUSING!! This morning I am sore again,but NOT sure exactly why. Too much sugar? All the walking? Not taking LDN? Not taking Celebrex? No Yoga? All of the above? Some of the above??????

    Well, I HOPE it is not a shortage of Celebrex as I was thinking my underlying soreness had somewhat improved. Again, I have this fear that taking Celebrex actually makes you really NEED more Celebrex to feel normal. This is NOT how I want to live.

    SOLUTION. Today I will do Yoga, go to the grocery store and get my good food started again. No sugar. Go back on LDN. Not sure where the Celebrex fits in. I was taking it about every other day. Maybe I will do that for awhile. I will report back tomorrow on how I feel. I think I will do yoga this morning to see if I can use that instead of Celebrex.

    DENTAL DEAL. I have decided to go with the dental policy on August 1, 2014 that has no waiting period for extractions or a bridge. After smelling the HORRIBLE smell which came out of my mouth when the dentist removed the crown from my old root canal several months ago and having had my knees start swelling up like baseballs two weeks later, I am going to get this old root canal tooth pulled ASAP. It will probably be a couple of months till I can do it but I would rather two months than waiting a year. I still can’t believe that when I asked about the possibility that the stinky root canal may be related to the knee swelling, my dentist got defensive and said “It can’t be related, that smell is only BACTERIA and it happens all the time!!” I just want the stinky, “bacteria-filled” thing out of my body. The odd thing is that once the root canal was covered by a crown, NONE of the smell is evident. I don’t even have bad breath. Very weird.

    Well, sorry I was so long-winded. I am going off to do my Yoga tape now hoping to get back to normal which lately had been NO pain.

    Monday, July 7
    Yesterday I was swelling pretty badly after eating badly and over-walking in Las Vegas. Yesterday I did take a Celebrex early in the morning and that could have influenced my swelling when I got up this morning. Last night, though, I took 5000 mg fish oil and ate a handful of cherries before bed. I was amazed when I awoke this morning with really no pain. Tonight I am doing the cherries and the 5000mg fish oil and will see what my swelling is like tomorrow morning. Also, yesterday and today I returned to my improved diet. No sugar, no gluten, many more fruits and veggies. I hope tomorrow morning I feel as good as I did today.

    Something interesting about the AP IV treatments I had six weeks ago. Before them I woke up at 1:30, 2:30 3:30 AM each night and many times couldn’t get back to sleep at all. Ever since the IV treatments I have been sleeping like a baby…almost too much sleep! Weird!

    Wednesday, July 9
    CELEBREX – Haven’t had a Celebrex for three days – since early Sunday morning. Woke up this morning feeling 95% great. Almost no pain of any kind. No knee swelling at all. Unlike after my Vegas weekend of poor diet, no LDN, too much walking etc where I began feeling swollen and pained again, I am now back to nearly normal.

    WHAT’S WORKING? Don’t know. Have restarted the following since Sunday: LDN, evening cherries, evening 5000mg fish oil, no sugar, no glutten, more salads/fruits/veggies, more yoga, but missed yesterday. Did have dairy (cream cheese and guac GF sandwich). I am vegetarian and stopping grains/dairy is nearly impossible if I want to have any protein at all.

    DENTAL – Switched insurance and made appt to remove root canal for a month away but now wonder if I should have that done if I continue to feel better. Would have to have a tooth whittled down for the replacement bridge. Confused on this point. Note – added oil pulling yesterday, basically swishing oil in your mouth that’s supposed to remove dental germs – can’t hurt. Could help.

    Mino – Yesterday was Zithro day. Today is Mino day. Yea! Go Mino Go!! (JUNE 21, 2014 STARTED MINO 3XWK)

    LOVE this reporting as it is starting to help me see trends. Also to realize I feel better overall than I thought I did. I think when I felt pain I got so scared that I felt things were worse overall than they really were. In general since having implants removed, lowering my dose of Mino to MWF, having the IV AP I am generally feeling about 75% better than I was. I think the real turnaround was the IV AP and lowering the Mino. Also, after having implants removed it can take several years to feel totally well again. I believe for my body it is a combination of things that is leading to my healing. If I could live every day feeling as good as I do today I would be happy. I want to get about six weeks out from the knee draining though and I can really tell then. I am sure I am still feeling the positive effects of the knee draining/steroid shots so I am not out of the woods yet. SEE? This is all so confusing!! MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2104 HAD KNEES DRAINED/STEROIDS (has been 2.5 wks since I had that done) Go Nice Knees Go!!

    THURSDAY, JULY 10
    Had my cherries and 6Kmgs of fish oil last night, but also was had and had a small plate full of tortilla chips. Not gluten, but not good for me either. Have been trying to avoid junk food.

    No Celebrex since last Sunday morning and I still feel very good. About 95% normal with almost no pain and no swelling, knees or otherwise. Took my PH level this AM for the first time. I was slightly acidic at 6.25. Have decided to try to get to 7.3 which is around where they want you to be. Apparently if you are acidic your body swells more and feels more achy. I am going to add drinking more water with lemons, more salads and veggies, eating less sugar and junk food and maybe adding in some baking soda in the water. Maybe also apple cider vinegar in the AM. It probably can’t hurt.

    I feel like since the IV AB and reducing my dose of AP, improving my diet and adding the LDN I am getting better. I want to get six weeks out from the knee draining/steroid shot to really know for sure. I have my fingers crossed.

    A friend who also had knee swelling really improved her diet and she said it was about six months before she started noticing the change and a year before things were markedly better. I need to have P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E. Not something I am usually good at. This log is helping me to start to get more organized about the healing process and track what seems to work and not work more effectively. Yea! My healing is coming!!

    FRIDAY, JULY 11

    Running late this morning but wanted to jot down a few observations. I woke up with more twinges of pain this morning – not terrible but my right foot kind of hurt and my left shoulder. I was just a it stiffer than usual.
    1) Yesterday morning I did not do my 20 minutes of yoga.
    2) I can’t remember what 2 was!

    I just think yoga, even the short amount of stretching I do is very helpful to my flexibility and healing. I am trying to alkinalize my body. This morning I think I will drink a glass of ACV with baking soda. Sounds terrible! Thank God it’s Friday. I get to sleep late tomorrow morning!! Yea!

    SUNDAY, JULY 13
    Still feel good. Maybe a little more swollen feeling and a few more tinges of aches but nothing bad at all. Took two Naproxen yesterday around noon. Had a sugar free ice cream yesterday and continue to eat lots of fruits and veggies. Avoiding gluten.
    I think the clean diet is a key to feeling better. I think it takes time but I am feeling markedly better. Also, knee swelling is not bad at all. Almost normal. About 9 on a scale of 10 being perfect!

    #372509
    bsnyder
    Participant

    MONDAY, JULY 14

    Have a colonoscopy in two weeks so I had to quit fish oil. Darn! Last night I did have my 20 cherries but unfortunately I also had a BUNCH of gluten free crackers before bed. My son is living with us for awhile and I always think I have to have junky carbs for him which I end up eating. This morning I wasn’t any more swollen though. I am really trying to remain on an anti-inflamatory diet. I think this is making a WORLD of difference. I just can’t eat crap and expect to feel good. Crappy food means I feel like crap! Duh!! I would say I am a 9 out of 10 in feeling pretty perfect.

    I am still having the stinky crown removed though. In about a month. I am excited to get the bacteria filled thing out of my body. I think when you have an auto-immune problem you just have to rid your body of everything fake. Bye-bye plastic breast implants. Bye bye stinky root canal. Bye bye metal in crowns. I am going to have a porcelain bridge installed. It sure is expensive getting well!

    I dry brushed this AM. Drank my ACV water and baking soda. Yuk! Had a smoothie this AM. Yum! Will have a salad for lunch with olive oil and vinegar dressing. Tonight it’s cheese enchilada special at On the border. That is not so good in terms of my anti-inflamatory diet but at least it doesn’t have gluten.

    #372501
    bsnyder
    Participant

    WEDNESDAY, JULY 16
    In preparation for my colonoscopy next week I had to stop fish oil and 3K of vitamin C. Both of these things are inti-inflamatory and I noticed that my knees started to swell a bit. Therefore last night I took a Celebrex. I don’t really like to do that but I also don’t want to need to have my knees drained again.

    I also had started to feel a few more twinges of pain in my body, but I am trying to control them by taking 15 or so cherries each night, keeping my PH regular and doing yoga. I did a new 25 minute yoga video last night. I generally feel pretty good and know that since the antibiotic AP I am on the healing path and getting better.

    My knees swelled after my root canal was messed with and in about five weeks I am getting that stinky old root canal removed. I have heard that many people heal after root canal removal and believe this is just one more important factor in my complete healing.

    I have also started on the McDougall food program which supposedly also reverses RA (or at least it does in many people). I was already a vegetarian, but I did eat lots of cheese and way too much olive oil and too many nuts. According to Dr. McDougal, high fat is imflamatory so as of yesterday I struck the nuts and officially became vegan. I guess on salads for dressing you can either make your own or use only vinegar. I have to admit that prospect doesn’t sounds too apetizing, but “I’m finally getting serious” about my healing and food/vinegar may be my medicine. For too many years I lived on “tasty” junk food and it may be one of the reasons I got RA in the first place. Dr. McDougall says RA is a dietary disease of permeable bowel. I am healing mine now!! Wish me luck!

    #372508
    bsnyder
    Participant

    Here is a link to 10 RA success stories on the McDougall diet:

    https://www.drmcdougall.com/2014/05/31/ten-cases-of-severe-mostly-rheumatoid-arthritis-cured-by-the-mcdougall-diet/

    At lunch today I met some friends for a salad. For the first time I ordered balsamic vinegar only on the salad with no olive oil. It was actually good!! I was very surprised by this.

    #372507
    bsnyder
    Participant

    FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014

    Added DMSO last night. Rubbed it on swollen knees and tiny shoulder and right foot pains. Seemed to tingle at first then felt like little stabs into the areas. Very warm, heat feeling, then the pain subsided. The knees were still swollen this AM (primarily left knee). I need to find out if DMSO is supposed to help swelling. On the second day of the McDougall diet. I know everyone here says NO STARCHES! But he has had so many success stories of people with RA that I am trying it. I will report how it goes. Also just read the string here about 100 million lactodophilis(SP???). Was happy to realize I am taking that strain and just that strain only. I am resolving to no longer take it with my antibiotics though. Will take it at lunch.

    Except for the knee swelling I remain feeling generally pretty good. Taking no NSAIDs at all which is good. Been reading a lot about leaky gut syndrome and I don’t want to poke more holes in my intestines with NSAIDS if at all possible. I will heal with AP, food, boron, fixing PH, yoga, water, etc.

    I also want to start reading people’s info about how they healed. Here is one I want to remember to read so I will post here it:

    Best to you all, AF ~Had Dx TMJ; 1991 onset illness+abx &TMJ gone (was infection. Illness recurred every 4 mos for 2 yrs…another abx & would leave (caused systemic fungal overgrowth, to me unseen/unknown). Given Dr. Wm Crook’s book abt 1993, ahaa! followed protocols, began recovering/doing well. Relocated to be near elderly parent; mold exposure in apt.1996 while bldg. home; suspected dx’es: RA or LUPUS or MCTD. Found Dr Brown book/1997-AP 6+ yrs, greatly improved. Then, overcame Uveitis 1999; 2003-liver cytokine storm to 2 abx,had to stop AP. Downhill thru 2006; found/corrected acidosis/pain syndromes; resumed AP 2006,improved w/new protocols & attn to pH/acidosis,w MagChlor90, BVits,CoQ10, Budwig Flaxoil EFA combo,VitK-2, Biotin/Boron/ImmunoPro/Niacinamide..doing great. 2011 stopped Minocin; began ImmunoPro/supplies necessary amino acids+addresses organisms + body’s metabolic detox. Jan 2013: Severe IBS to Dr suggested VitD3 5000–IBS ceased temporarily ONLY after I took Abx for dental extraction.Finally found dental/cavitations are longtime culprits. Hi-dose Vit C as powdered ascorbates mixed (per Pauling & Cathcart research). Do Not Stop Vit C suddenly). Still learning/overcoming, and still on the “Road Back.”

    #372506
    bsnyder
    Participant

    SATURDAY, JULY 19
    BAD MORNING! Darn! In preparation for the colonoscopy this Tuesday I haven’t been taking fish oil or 5K vitamin C. Also, I am getting more distance on having my knees injected. Also, last night I had sugar free Gelatto, which is of course dairy. I don’t know why I woke up swollen and creaky, but this morning I did. It was SO disapointed!! That’s what makes this condition so frustration, though. Often you can’t tell exactly WHAT is was that brings on the flare!

    My left knee is getting very round again. In fact, I took a Celebrex this morning as it is a hassle and expensive to get my knees drained.

    RIght now I have to remind myself that this was a slow road to recovery last time. It really took a year or so AFTER the IV antibiotics, and that I need to have patience this time. In a month I am getting my root canal tooth removed. I hope that helps some too.

    I could just kick myself that after my five years of remission (it was so good I thought I was totally cured) I got the breast implants again and the whole disease process seemed to take off again. I just think that if you have an autoimmune condition you have to watch ANYTHING you put in your body as it can cause the immune system to react again.

    AARRGGHH. I also had a junky food feast this afternoon. Several handfuls of nuts and guacamole with LOTS of gluten free crackers. I now feel stuffed, awful and disapointed in myself. I am having a going away party for my son this evening and tried to create a healthy mexican meal but then realized it wouldn’t taste good to anyone else if I made it suitable for me, so I made unhealthy food for them. I will just eat around the edges of what I can eat. Really, I am not hungry anyone.

    I hope tomorrow morning I wake up feeling better. I really think it’s the high doses of fish oil and vitamin C that were really helping the swelling. I can’t wait to go back on them again.

    #372503
    bsnyder
    Participant

    MONDAY, JULY 21
    I got up this morning. Knees still kind of swollen but aches and pains seem to be less. I did my LDN last night. The night before I had pain I forget to write it down but I didn’t take the LDN. Maybe LDN is truly helping my pain and swelling.

    I have my colonoscopy tomorrow. On Wednesday I will be able to add my high doses of vitamin C and fish oil back in. I can hardly wait as I truly think they were helping me feel much better. I will report then!

    #372502
    bsnyder
    Participant

    Colonoscopy 10 – Me 0

    Ouch!! I had a colonoscopy yesterday. I am convinced a large part of RA is in the bowel – leaky gut and bad things in the intestinal lining. Well. a colonoscopy wipes out everything and my feeling is that you have to start over in repopulating the bowel with good bacteria. Also, during the prep, I couldn’t do my fish oil or high dose vitamin C which I feel makes a big difference in my overall swelling/inflamation.

    Last night I still had diareha and this morning I woke up stiffer and creaker than ever. I guess that’s not true because during my first round of RA, I felt like I nearly needed a wheelchair. This morning is not that bad but on a scale of 1 – 10 where 10 is perfect, I feel like I am about a 4. My left knee is swollen and achey and I have assorted aches and pains in many of my joints. I also didn’t do yoga at all for about the past week or so – just lazy so that could be part of it. Last night I restarted my 5000 mg of vitamin C and 50000mg of fish oil and this morning I will do my 20 mins of yoga. I also hope to begin forming normal poops. I am also eating saurkraut once daily as I have heard this “fermented” vegetable – cabage – helps repopulate your bowel.

    Tomorrow I go to my new dentist to see if, after having a “biologic” dentist remove my root canal tooth he will go back in with a bridge. I have read that dental implants can cause the bacterial and/or immune problems to continue so I want an implant. I will lose a third tooth (it will become fake) but I would rather have all porcelain in my mouth. A bridge replaces the missing tooth plus it whittles down the two teeth around it and they in effect become crowns. I already have a crown on the tooth behind the root canal and so I will have another crown on only the tooth in front of the root canal.

    My! This disease is expensive!! I am trying about anything to heal. I have the bridge/root canal removal in about a month and I will report on that process.

    In the meantime I need to drink lots of water to detox, get my supplements going again and get back on the yoga track. In addition, I want to get my diet in order with lots of fruits and veggies – anti-inflammatory foods.

    #372499
    bsnyder
    Participant

    WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2014
    Just want to the dentist in Wichita. He says be can safely remove my root canal tooth and also replace the hole with a bridge. I am set to have this done Thursday, August 14. I can’t wait to get that stinky ol’ thing out of my mouth! I have heard from some others that their healing really started on the AP after they got rid of dental-type issues. I can hardly wait!

    Woke up this morning with VERY swollen knees. With 10 being perfect, I am feeling at about a 4. I did have a good BM this morning (gross I know) but after the colonoscopy I am very glad to see things returning to normal there. I have heard colonoscopies can really strip your intestinal bacteria.

    I took a Celebrex this morning. I am going to take them every day for the next week or so in hopes of getting my knees to go down. If they don’t I will have to go and have my knees drained again soon. I really don’t think the steroid injections helped at all. The swelling was back within about 3 weeks both times. The swelling started after my root canal was messed with for my last crown. Maybe getting rid of the dental infection will help my knees be able to heal.

    Every is such a shot in the dark! This is a FRUSTRATING condition!!!!!!!!

    #372510
    bsnyder
    Participant

    MONDAY, AUGUST 4
    I have been doing horribly badly recently and have really fallen off the RA wagon, so to speak. My pain and swelling is still about a 4, with 10 being perfect. My right knee is very badly swollen. I don’t really know what happened other than that my colonoscopy prep when I had to quit the fish oil and vit C really started the return of my swelling. Then I felt sorry for myself because regardless of what I do I seem to end up in the same bad place. I had to help my hubby move my son to Nashville which necessitated a lot of fast food stops, etc. I even had read that recovering from the dental work I am about to do really entails eating meat for the protein as reportedly vegetarians heal MUCH more slowly if at all. For these reasons and many more I feel wildly off my good eating! I EVEN AT CHICKEN!!!! AARRRGGGHHH To eat the chicken I had to have it fried in batter to disguise it as it grossed me out after 5 years or so of being a vegetarian. That was gluten and for a few days I didn’t have any bowel problems, but then they started coming back with a vengeance.

    It is now time for me to return to the fold, so to speak. I am going to return to my vegan ways today, add lots of water and fresh fruits and veggies. I just really need to make sure I have enough beans and that sort of thing for protein. No more dinners of a sweet potato and green beans!

    I didn’t stop my antibiotics though so at least that is good. I am going to have my dental work done in early September since we have a pretty important meeting coming up later this month. I really feel that removing the root canal tooth and possible cavitations may help. I am also returning to my apple cider vinegar and baking soda today – I had run out of both.

    I feel it is back to square one again. That’s the way this thing goes. Two steps forward, one step back. I am still overall better than I used to be before I had the breast implants removed, so that is good.

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