Happy 6 Years To Me

Today marks my 6 years of coming off steroid creams.  I no longer have the horrible TSW symptoms, but I still have eczema flare ups and itching.  When my TSW started to fade in year 2, I started having a lot of hives - they were chronic and persistent.  My asthma also came back in a bad way.  My initial saving grace of TSW was at 8 months when I saw a naturopathic doctor who tested me for the MTHFR mutation.  I was consumed with the information and thought that was my ticket out - yes it helped alleviate the majority of my symptoms and made TSW a fizzling aspect of my life.  BUT, it became more and more complex regarding all the new and upcoming research done on that mutation plus others I had.  Some information was so conflicting, I turned my back on it and just tried to eat better and live my life.  With 3 kids, a new farm, a new house build, and working full time, I did not have the time or energy for a few years to devote to healing.  I just dealt with the eczema and asthma.

Then this past year things settled down for us here on our homestead.  Problems were fixed and things started working in our favor.  I took dome time and did 2 three day water fasts and saw some progress.  But not enough to really be gung ho on the topic.  With my second water fast a few months ago, I wanted to push through and do a 10-20 day fast.  I was going to see how it went.  By day 4, I was so ill, I had to break the fast.  As a nurse, I saw signs that were very bad and I knew I could not continue safely.  That's when I realized just how truly toxic I was.  I had nearly fixed my asthma and my eczema was not that bad at all - I had started TRS spray (for toxins) last May or June and saw things really clear up for me.  But then the flare started in late October - just some small patches of eczema.  Now it is 40% of my body - no redness or oozing - just dry, super itchy eczema.  And it won't go away.  I've tried special diets and whatnot.  But this is my yearly flare - looking back on my blog I flare from October to about March/April.

While I definitely can work and live with this dry eczema, it still bothers me - I still itch all the time and I just want it gone.  I've been a big advocate of healthy eating.  The big controversy in the TSW world is DOES DIET HELP?  Some people are truly hot and bothered by this topic.  I don't get it.  We are what we eat so how can diet NOT be a factor?  The thing is I never could find a good explanation as to why I still have eczema even though I eat clean.  My liver enzymes are also back to normal (for those unaware - 12 years ago my liver was so toxic I was told I had only a few months to live unless I got a liver transplant - did NOT get the transplant and immersed myself into healthy eating and cleaning my liver).  But now I have some answers from a guy who speaks with angels.  The Medical Medium sounds pretty far fetched in how this author got his information. I am not going to debate though his methods.  Because for once his information rings too true to my ears - more so than any of the MTHFR mutation did.

I have read most of the Medical Medium and his other book Liver Rescue.  It is hard to summarize but I will give it my best shot.  Basically eczema is due to toxins in the liver and viruses feeding off those toxins.  Those toxins can be aluminum, copper, etc.  The most common virus is the epstein barr virus, or EBV.  When the EBV eats, the byproducts are called dermatoxins and they flood the liver - when the liver turns sluggish and becomes overwhelmed, the dermatoxins then are released into the bloodstream and are then forced out through the skin in order to protect our vital organs. This causes severe rashes.  The EBV feeds off more than just toxins - they love certain foods like eggs and dairy.  The resulting toxins released can mimic allergic reactions.  For those with severe EBV load in their body and lots of toxins, it can take up to a year of perfect eating to rid the body of EBV and stop the dermatoxins from being released from the liver.  So when someone tries to eat clean - there are 2 factors stopping one from healing.  The first being the wrong foods are still being eaten.  I thought eggs were good for me - but with EBV, I can't have them because EBV LOVES eggs.  There is a long list of "healthy" foods one must avoid for 6 months to a year.  The second factor is time - every one wants a quick fix, so after 1, 2, or even 3 months of clean eating, they shrug off the diet saying it didn't work.

For me, I am taking the plunge.  I have started the supplements.  Costly, but in my opinion so very worth it.  I have seen more changes in the last 3-4 weeks just on the supplements alone.  My skin is still broken out BUT my asthma is 100% gone.  No occasional need for my inhaler.  My average use lately has been 1-2 times a week - but nothing the last 3 weeks.  And my skin goes through a lot of different cycles DAILY.  I shed, I bleed, I itch differently, and my sores are healing in some areas super fast and busting open in other areas.  I have never seen so many changes in my skin in such a short time.  This week I am starting the diet changes.  NOT happy about this but I need to do it.  I am also purchasing my own colloidal silver maker to make it at home.  It will be the one biggest factor in killing the EBV.

But that is all for now.  I have no recent pictures but here are some from the last 6 months or so.

Hubby and I this December - I did have a flare going on but just basic dry eczema and not noticeable

Our guinea hens knocking on our front door asking for a treat.  LOVE our farm life!

Our daughter and Ivanhoe the barn cat (whom I'm allergic to).  Emma has had horrible hand eczema but it has since been clearing up with diet and TRS spray

Just a puppy and a kitten playing in our yard - this is Thor, our Pyrenees

Vacation in October to VA Beach

Me in October when my skin was perfectly clear

Puppy training

All our chickens have names and therefore cannot be eaten.  So much for having all natural organic home chicken for dinner! :)

Me and my girls in NY by the lake last summer

Happy New Flare To Me!

Over the last few weeks I have been starting to flare.  A little discouraging but it coincides with my other flares I get this time of year. My Anniversary of TSW is Valentine's day so it makes sense.  This year though, no ice packs needed and nothing too horrible. No ooze and no red skin except some redness on my face and neck which also seems swollen but thankfully no ooze. Just super dry, itchy, flaky, eczema it seems with a few sores.  I don't classify this as a true TSW flare as it seems like my old eczema.  But who knows. I'm just happy it is not keeping me from doing anything. 

Other news....I start my long water only fast tomorrow....going to try to aim for 15 to 20 days but honestly I'll be happy to just get 10 days of a fast in.  After January I will be traveling for work so I need to be in my best physical shape I can be. 

Hope all you skin warriors have a better 2019!!

Some pictures:

Still doing really REALLY good!!

From my last update 4 months ago, I want to write and say how well things are going.  I'm free of any eczema or even dry skin. I barely itch... just once in a great while.  And my energy is super high!!  I've been working 48 hours a week back in the ER and still getting a ton done on my days off from cleaning to baking to managing a life with 3 teens I home school. I'm super busy but also super happy!

Since the last update, I talked about the TRS spray I was taking.  It has zeolites that attach to heavy metals and remove them from your body.  I believe in this type of detox that I have begun to sell it myself (it is called Pure). I also added in a clay product for further help with heavy metal detox. And lastly, I added in some smart coffee!  This stuff is giving me a ton of energy and motivation. My PMS is nearly gone and my typical bad attitude at work is also gone. I have never sold anything before...not essential oils (even though I love them), not vitamins or any other supplements.  But this company truly has some amazing products. Not only do they have the smart coffee and a keto coffee creamer, and the zeolite product, but they also have CBD oil which a lot of people with TSW use with great relief.

I will leave you with the link to view any of the products. And if you are looking for another avenue to make money, let me know and I can give you a direct link to sign up.  So many people drink coffee.... it is the best coffee though because of what's added.  And below are also a few pics of me the last week or so where my skin is clear followed by some old pics of me during TSW.

https://elevacity.com/tracys

Best update EVER!

It's been awhile.... I've been busy working and getting our homestead established.  I've had the hives way less...maybe once a week at the most but still was having itching after every meal no matter what. My asthma is still just about non existent... used my inhaler a few times a month of that. The itching with every meal was really getting to me.  I tried the GAPS diet and eating paleo and all organic. I even did that 3 day fast.  But the itching was relentless.  I tried at least 6 different probiotics knowing all these issues were related to poor gut function. We won't even discuss the supplements I've tried.  Some would help for a bit and then seem to stop helping. My seasonal allergies were also out of control.  And the worse thing has been the ongoing almost crippling fatigue. 

I just want to add that I am completely free from TSW and have been for a few years. But the after issues were still bothersome on a daily basis.  I am however very grateful to be free of the pain and the ooze and the constant shedding of skin. I am so thankful to have my life back.  But I'm still not anywhere near where I want to be health wise and getting healthy kept eluding me.  I knew there was something more than my genetic mutations that were holding me back.  And I believe I found MY answer. This is what has helped me in as little as one month. I waited a month to write this as I wanted to make sure the changes were sticking and I have done nothing but get better. 

I now no longer itch after meals including dairy. I had tacos tonight and no itching. I'm about to have ice cream with no fear of itching. I still have some dry patches on my arms but they are almost gone. I have more energy than I've had in over 10 years.  My seasonal allergies are completely gone. We see pollen flying through the air and I have not had an allergy attack in 3 weeks. No more benadryl or claritin.  And I'm finally starting to lose weight without even trying. 

I'm clearing my body of heavy metals using TRS.  It helps rid the body of heavy metals safely so the body can actually function properly. A lot of heavy metals destroy the gut function and having the genetic mutations, my body cannot rid itself of these toxins. I couldn't figure out why I was getting worse since the new year... then it hit me... new house, new car and required to get the flu shot for my new job in January. My body just couldn't handle it all.  But after 4 weeks... I'm already transformed. I'm already working outside for HOURS not minutes. It's been my own personal miracle.   Now here is the catch... some with TSW who were no longer flaring would flare with this product. I personally believe it was due to the body just reacting to getting rid of all the extra yeast and viruses the toxins were attached to in the body.  I did not flare at all but did have headaches and foot pain.  But those have passed. I will continue this for the full 6 months and then take it on a maintenance basis. Even my kids are seeing changes.  My 2 daughters who both had hand eczema for years now have completely clear hands... and no their hands have not cleared up during the last few summers.

So here are some pictures:

My arm today

My neck a few days ago

My other arm today

My neck 4 months ago

My left arm 4 months ago

5 Years TSW (2/14/2018)

This past Valentine's Day was my 5 year anniversary of TSW.  I thought I was completely healed of TSW definitely by the 3 year mark and only suffered chronic hives and asthma.  I have since cured the asthma I believe as no inhaler use in 2 months - no asthma attacks or shortness of breath - even when I go into the barn full of hay.  My chronic hives were on and off - more off lately since fixing the asthma.  My whole premise behind curing the asthma was getting my gut healthy again - which I have accomplished to a point - still think I have a lot of work to do in that area given I get the occasional hives about once or twice a week.  I really re-booted my gut recently with a 3 day water fast.  It seemed to make my skin worse, but after eating for a few days, my skin calmed down - but then flared again.  I can only assume this is an anniversary flare?  Of course this is still nothing close to the flares I had the first 2 years of TSW - still no oozing or surrounding redness (just redness at the sites of irritation).  I also have no significant swelling - maybe a little but nothing noticeable to anyone.  For the past week I've had burning itching skin on my neck, arms, and most of my back.  A little on my upper chest too.  I'm still on top of my supplements for leaky gut - l-glutamine, collagen, vitamin A and D, and slowly increasing my amount of probiotics I take each day.  I am also taking natural iodine as well as caprylic acid, magnesium, calcium, and milk thistle.  I had taken milk thistle years before I learned about TSW and it helped dramatically with the itching - but the one I was using (bought at the grocery store) wasn't doing a thing for my itching.  So I switched to Gaia herbs brand and WOW - my skin may still feel like it's burning, but seriously down 90% on the itch!  I can now sleep all night the last few nights compared to last week.  And the flare is still strong - my skin on my back can't be touched or it really hurts.  I can still shower but experience slight burning with the water. 

Overall, I think I'm getting somewhere finally with my health!  I have lost 10 lbs since the water fast and surprisingly have kept it off.  I stay away from corn and most gluten - although I do have some natural homemade einkorn bread from time to time which does not cause me to itch.  Before, eating anything caused me to itch!  But as of the last 3-4 days, I can eat without any itching.  I also do not think the milk thistle alone is responsible for the decrease in itching.  Last week I was doing some reading about leaky gut - the premise of the article was that due to vitamin A and D deficiency, we as a people eating poor foods in general lack a proper mucousal lining - the mucous lining of the gut specifically causing bad viruses and bacteria and yeast to create holes in the gut lining.  I started the high doses of vitamin A and D a week ago and everyone at home thought I was sick - the congestion and runny nose I had suggested I had a cold - but funny thing is I felt completely fine.  The increase in mucous lasted for the first 5-6 days but has gone down since.  I'll stay on the high doses for another week and then take them 2 or 3 times a week only.  I am also planning to add humic fulvic minerals that will help with mineral deficiency and also are known to help the gut lining.  They should be arriving tomorrow or Tuesday. 

And the best thing of getting healthier - THE ENERGY! Since my fast, I seem to have at least 50% more energy than normal.  I still have an occasional low energy day like Friday -all I wanted to do was sit around and do nothing - felt so drained - but the other days since last week have been full and I have felt great.  I plan to do a 3 day water fast at least once a month for this year - I truly believe it has kicked off some major gut healing for me.  In the meantime I will continue to eat as healthy as possible - no sugar, corn, and limited gluten.  And I have learned that eating healthy and TSW are not always directly linked - eating a pure diet will not fix TSW - BUT I do believe it has helped my body to heal other major areas making this recent flare very easy to deal with. 

For all those still struggling - please continue to seek out things that will work for you - fixing my gene mutations with proper supplements truly healed me way faster than expected and kept my flares to a bare minimum since starting the treatments.  Finding the root cause of the initial skin problem that started us on steroids is also crucial - in my case I believe it was leaky gut and poor diet since I was born.  That is not going to take overnight to fix, but so far I am seeing the most improvement in that area thanks to the fast and starting on the proper supplements.  Hang in there warriors!  The other side is SO AWESOME!  It is nice to be living life, working, and having fun with my family.  I've had more than TSW to contend with, but fixing these issues one at a time has been crucial to me living life at its fullest now. 

Gut vacation Day 2

So my fast is going very well.  Have not been hungry surprisingly. I'm still itchy on my neck and arms but no hives today.  Last night before bed I got a bad itch attack on my back and it felt like hives but hard to tell.  My headache is gone and I feel more mentally clear. I'm still tired but able to get things done.  I was able to go into the kitchen and work with food without mental anguish. I guess for me, knowing I'm just going to itch if I eat really helps me not want to eat.  There was only one time I started craving food... my daughter made pasta and homemade meatballs which smelled amazing!! I wasn't tempted to break my fast, but the smell got some cravings going!!

All in all this fast is going well.  My goal was 3 days but after all the reading I've been doing, I'm very tempted to make this a long fast... anywhere from 10 days to 3 weeks depending on how I feel.  My only concern is work. Working a 12 hour shift will be tough during a fast but thankfully I'm no longer working in the emergency room.  I'm now working in a small community hospital labor and delivery. It is significantly less stressful and I have more time to sit and chart.  So doing a fast now and working may not be too bad.  Going to increase my activity tomorrow and Monday and see how I do.  If I get too dizzy or foggy brained then I know I won't be able to work during a fast and will have to plan a week off this spring for a longer fast.

The good news is I am already in ketosis.  So any major hunger problems are hopefully behind me.  However some say the 3rd day is the toughest while others say the 2nd day is the worst.  I guess we'll see how tomorrow goes for me!  Oh by the way I'm also doing oil pulling with coconut oil as my mouth feels gross.  The oil pulling and then brushing made my mouth feel very clean opposed to just brushing alone.

Fasting for healing -POST TSW!

At nearly 5 years TSW, I feel the need to fast.  I wanted to fast my first few years of TSW but knew it would be too dangerous as our bodies are in bad shape.  Fasting is known to cure health problems but being ill when doing a fast can be fatal.  I have lingering hives and itching that comes and goes.  Some things and certain diets helped but only short term. I feel my gut needs a break from work in order to heal itself.  I see this as anyone taking a vacation from work to rest their soul and mind. 

My gut's vacation started last evening.  My last food was around 7 pm.  Today I feel awful. I'm a coffee drinker so I got the caffeine withdrawal headache going on and I feel drained.  No issue with hunger today which means tomorrow will be pretty rough. They say the first 2 days are the worst.  My itching is down by over 50% and no hives today.   I'm flared on my neck and face and arms from recent probiotics and kefir.  Thought I had a dairy problem but I'm learning it's an intolerance to probiotics which is bad because probiotics is supposed to help with healing not make things worse.  Oh well... I will see how I do tomorrow.