PICTURES & Starting GAPS Diet

Things are going about the same - asthma is still better but not completely better.  Using my nebulizer or inhaler about 3-4 times a day.  Skin is irritated in small areas - neck, arms, and tiny sections of face.  Hives are better since starting the Chinese herbs but again, not completely better.  I have known in my heart for a long time that clean eating is the one step I MUST take in order to fix these issues permanently.  But it can't be haphazard clean eating like I do - 70-80% clean and 20-30% crap.  It's an all or nothing approach in order to turn the tide of my gut and immune system healing.  That has led me to the GAPS diet - the one diet that has shown to reverse autoimmune health problems.  I didn't try GAPS when in TSW - GAPS will cause massive detoxification of the body and since the skin is the main detoxifier, it was not a good idea to aggravate my skin even further.  So now that my skin is strong and has been able to handle me working full time, it is time to attempt GAPS.  I have started a new blog for this journey alone, just like my TSW journey.  I will continue to update things here but not as often.  You can follow me here:

http://thegapsdietjourney.blogspot.com/

Here are pictures from the last 2 days....as you can see my skin is strong and relatively healthy.  My patches of eczema and irritation seem to stem from my diet as it gets better or worse depending on my dairy and gluten intake.  Hopefully GAPS will fix this issue once and for all.  

As you can see, my forehead and chin both have small patches or irritation as well as my cheek.  They are small and not bothersome.

The other side of my face is about the same.  No obvious swelling or redness.

My neck is probably the worst area - instead of patches, I have lines of irritation.  Very weird.  Other than the area around the lines, no other redness or swelling.  It feels like regular eczema to me and nothing at all like TSW.

My right arm is the worst out of both arms.  But still nothing horrible - just scabs from where I scratch the hives - no red arm/sleeve.  

My hands are dry and have very tiny cracks from the weather I'm guessing.  You can see where I scratched at the dryness of my hand.  

Left hand same as the right.  

And the only area on my legs that is irritated - one small tiny spot.  

Changes....and more changes....ALL GOOD!

I know it has been a month since I last blogged.  Shame on me!  I had a draft from 2 weeks ago but I deleted it because things have changed dramatically since then.  A few weeks ago my flare was already gone.  But the hives and itching continued after every single meal.  I have tried so many things in regards to my histamine problem.  All anti-histamines do nothing for me.  So I have been at my wit's end given I know there is a "cure" for all of this.  In my opinion I believe it is a system wide approach that begins with healing the gut.  But many of the healing gut foods are also high histamine. It's a vicious circle I've been on the last 2 years.  But I'm getting ahead here.

I'll take it back about 3-4 weeks ago.  My flare was subsiding....it really only lasted maybe 2 weeks. It only stayed on my face, neck, upper chest, and upper arms.  And I can't say it was a full TSW flare.  I didn't have an ounce of ooze anywhere.  It was just really irritable flaky skin that tore easily when I scratched.  I changed up my supplements at that point as I felt everything I was on obviously wasn't doing the whole job.  I added in milk thistle and my go to MSM powder and glutathione.  I still stayed on my active B's, but put everything else to the side.  It seemed to do the trick.  But my asthma was getting worse as well.  It all started with the change in weather.  I broke down and started taking Singulair.  It worked wonders!  Within 2 days I was no longer needing my albuterol.  It was wonderful.  Until a week later.  (At this point all men and children should stop reading....it gets personal and very female from here).  So I started spotting which was so odd.  My periods have been like a steady rock for me....always on time with a day here or there thrown off by something minor. Spotting was rare.  So here I am spotting a week before my period was due.  Then no period. I had my tubes tied years ago but took a pregnancy test anyway...completely negative.  So 3 weeks later I started with what I thought was my period.  Except it wasn't normal.  I thought I was going to bleed to death.  It was awful.  A big box of super tampons and bag of super pads gone in 3 days. Something was obviously very wrong.  So I put 2 and 2 together and realized the problems started after beginning the Singulair.  Yep....a rare but serious side effect are nose bleeds and vaginal bleeding. OY!  I stopped the Singulair that day.  In 2 days all bleeding had stopped.  It was obvious to me that Singulair was not going to work for me.  So I called my doctor and asked if I could try the Chromlyn (sp?) inhaler....it's an old preventative inhaler for asthma that is not a steroid.  Know what mu doc said?  Singulair would not cause bleeding so you need to stay on it and go see an OB/GYN.  Not even joking.  I literally almost lost my shit.

So here I was a few days ago with my asthma getting worse by the day and knowing my doctor was not on my side.  I then remember reading on the FB page about Beth White doing a lot of research on mast cells and so much more (please read up on her findings as they are remarkable!).  She had been reading up on Dr. Li's work out of NYC.  So I did some research as well and read about the Chinese herbs that Dr. Li is having amazing success with regarding asthma and allergies.  I was so amazed at her findings and how much success she is having, that I ordered my own concoction of herbs to help with my asthma and allergies.  Beth just went to NYC to see Dr. Li and I am looking forward to her results.  For me I am only taking 4 herbs that I found would be best to target my specific problems.  I only started them today and already less itching and hardly any need for albuterol.  I'm really excited about this given this is a more natural way to heal the body.  The amazing thing is Dr. Li has discovered that certain herbs will calm the immune system down to the point that some people can now eat things they were once severely allergic to.  Very excited about this!  And she is doing her research at Mt. Sinai so we may end up with some hope for all people with allergies and asthma!

Well, I need to run.  There are more changes to talk about like my new job that I LOVE LOVE LOVE!  I will also have to get some pictures up here soon!  I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

Flaring?? After almost a full year TSW free...

Yeppers....that would be right....I believe I am flaring again after being flare free for well over a year or more.  About a week ago I noticed my face and neck became swollen and red.  Then a few days later the itch started and my skin just sloughed off as if there was no strong bond between the cells.  I have dealt with hives on and off the last 2 years.  I have itched and scratched with nothing more than a few dry patches developing in normal eczema areas.  But my skin never sloughed off - I could scratch to satisfaction and never tear open my skin.  Until this week.  My skin is in shreds and oh the burn!  I forgot just how painful the burning was.

The only good news I have is the flare is localized to my face, neck and a small spot on my upper arms.  It has not spread out and there is not one bit of ooze.  So is it a TSW flare??  Not quite sure.  It seems to have coincided with the weather change perfectly. And my skin has always been worse in spring and fall when mold levels are at their highest.  I do know we have mold in the house we currently live in (rental).  Only time will tell when we finally move out into a brand new home with no mold whatsoever.

For now I will classify this as an isolated flare - not a system wide or a bad flare compared to what I had suffered with in the past.  However it is definitely worse than a normal eczema flare up as it involves my whole face and whole neck.  I continue to take my supplements and have added back in the MSM powder the last 2 days.  Since I added in the MSM, my facial swelling has gone down dramatically.  So I will update more in a week or 2.  I will try to take pictures but my selfie camera on my phone is broken and I can't find my regular camera.

I do know that I can still work which I am thankful for as my hands continue to be flare free and eczema free,  It's a bit uncomfortable at work when things get super busy and I sweat a bit - then it burns more but not to the point I can't deal with it.  Also I still come home and hit the shower.  My neck burns slightly more in the shower, but surprisingly not as bad as I remember showers being during my TSW days.  It's more like the first 2 seconds are "oooh that stings", then it's over.  So again, not sure what this is - whether TSW related or just plain bad eczema/

Long term effect of TSW

The one long term effect of TSW that many do not think too much about is the effect long term stagnation has on the body.   I spent a solid 8 months on the couch or in bed.  My husband did most of the errands.  I did go out maybe once a month if that. I remember after I started feeling better around the 9 month mark, I wanted to start exercising. I remember going for a walk outside and barely making it half a mile.  Fast forward 2 years and my TSW is long gone but I am still very weak.  I work 36 hours a week as an ER nurse and that just about kills me.  For the last year I have felt that I could do no more, but dying to get back into shape.   I tried so many times but what would happen is I would have a few good days and then go Gung ho thinking I was ready to get back into shape.  Each time I would overdue it and then feel even weaker.  But I found I was over doing things in all aspects of my life....always trying to do too much because I felt my energy would only last a small amount of time and I NEEDED to get as much done with that energy as possible.  I finally decided about 6 months ago that I needed to slow down and start off very slowly in all things. I set a schedule for myself per se and have stuck to it for the most part.

This month I realized I have accomplished a lot in the last 6 months by going slowly.  I got my kids situated with all their schooling.  I home school them and it gets tough when I work full time but this time I prepared ahead and now we are on a good course.  I got our house in shape and I have started the process of building on our property.  I have all our papers in order and have everything ready to go once we start the closing process.

Now I am back into my healthy eating.  I put our diet on the back burner with so much going on.  But now it's time to focus on that.  So far one week down of clean eating. The kids are on board and there have been no complaints.

And now I come to the exercise thing.  I have been putting this off given how weak I've been. But I know it's time.  So I am canceling my Planet Fitness membership as I've barely used it and I feel that would only hinder me.  You see when I go in I feel like I'm going to be judged for only exercising for 10 minutes. And I end up pushing myself.   But I know I can't push myself.  It's too much for me to do more than I should at this point. My muscles are truly very weak.  So now I am going to walk outside for only 10 to 15 minutes to start.  And today I added in some weight bearing exercises. But only a few where I use big muscle groups.  I do push ups against the wall, squats with no extra weight, and bicep/tricep lifts using cans in my cupboard. It may not seem like a lot but after so many starts and failures from doing too much I figured I stand a better chance of success by going slow.

So for all of you starting to feel better, just give yourself a break if you end up like me where the energy is ever so slow to return. And don't have high hopes that things will go back to "normal" like you were pre TSW.  Some might and many will not.  You have to give your body time to heal everywhere,  not just your skin.  And you may end up having to define a new normal for yourself and your family.  Not trying to be down, but as always,  just keeping it real.

On the go and Eczema in all the normal places...

Wow....life sure is busy!  Working full time and even quite a bit of overtime. We are now full blown into the process of building a house from the ground up.  We are no longer going for the simple manufactured home.  We are building the home of our dreams. And that means a lot of time being spent....collecting papers, scanning and emailing said papers, making a ton of phone calls, and going to the property to meet with people for bids and all sorts of matters. While all this is very exciting, it is also very stressful.  With all the new stress, I'm no longer eating as healthy as I should. Eating a ton of carbs, sugars, and even dairy.   And that means eczema!  Not TSW, but regular run of the mill eczema.  Dry itchy skin around the ears, at my elbows,  and now back of my neck. Same places I always got it as a kid.  Every so often I take benadryl for the itching.  And of course the hives are back.... not bad like before as I'm still taking my DAO histamine pills but I seem to get hives from all the stress like when I'm at work.

Overall I'm still doing exceptionally well and no sign of TSW whatsoever.  It seems I need to REALLY focus on healthy eating irregardless of my stress or working conditions. It needs to be a priority. Unfortunately I am booked solid for the next few weeks with short term but important projects on top of work.  Then during the last week of September I will be taking a much needed break. It will be then that I take up focusing back on my health.  Back to healthy eating and exercising more that 2 or 3 times a week.  My goals are to lower my cholesterol (just found out it's 230), lower my resting heart rate (hanging in the 70s and should be 60 or below), get rid of my asthma for good (using inhaler or nebulizer only 10 to 15 % of what I was before), and lose this extra weight on me.  I would love to meet these goals by next Valentines Day.  That will be my 4 year anniversary of TSW.   Wouldn't it be wonderful to be back to what I deem as my old normal self but so much healthier without a sign of eczema, TSW, asthma, or being overweight?  I think this is obtainable even with the stress of working full time AND building a house.

To all the TSW warriors still suffering... keep fighting the good fight. Hang onto hope and never give up trying to find relief. It's worth it in the end. Believe me.

Turning a corner

A little over a week on my new regimen and I have to say that I'm turning a corner in the right direction.  Brain fog is slowly lifting, no hives, less itching,  almost 100% clear skin, and energy to exercise. And I'm eating dairy and gluten. But instead of my skin getting irritated in the typical areas of eczema, all I get is some minor itching.   I've gone to the gym twice in the last few days and am slowly going to get back into shape.  I still get tired easily and seem to need more rest lately but I attribute that to healing given our bodies heal best when at rest.

So the bottom line is for now I'm doing very very good.  Everything is looking up and life is moving along well.  I'm no longer feeling blah or whiny.  I'm working full time and putting in overtime without any consequences to my skin.  And my asthma is fizzling out....no longer carry my rescue inhaler with me everywhere. I might use a puff or 2 a day but that's it.  I've only used my nebulizer once in the last 3 days.  I can't wait to go back to my family doctor for an update and let her know how good I'm doing!  My only physical thing I now need to work on is getting back into shape.  70 lbs to lose or thereabouts.  I won't be weighing myself though except maybe once a month or every other month.  Going to focus on more important numbers like my resting heart rate and BP.  Currently my BP is 127/74 and my resting heart rate is 76.  My goal is to get my HR down to 55 and my BP to 105/65.  I'm turning 44 in a week so I need to keep my heart in good shape.  Many people start blood pressure medicine in their 40s. That's not going to be me if I have anything to say about it!  :)

Praying for all of you still suffering. Keep fighting and keep looking for answers.

Day 5 of Supplement Protocol

Hmmmm....not sure I wanted to blog since 5 days is not sufficient time to report back on any effectiveness.  But I'm currently in a different "state" and thought I'd just write down some observations and thoughts.

Physically....let's just say I'm not myself.  Within an hour of taking my first dose of the new supplements on Saturday, I felt like my body was purging.  I swear I peed out at least 2 liters in about 2 hours time.  Yet I'm pretty sure I only drank about 300 ml to take all the supplements to begin with and had nothing else to drink that morning.  And let's just say my intestines were well empty within a few hours as well.  No cramps or pain nor any nausea.  So I attributed all the purging to the supplements and not a GI bug.  Every day since I have gone through the same thing after taking the supplements.  Now another thing I noticed is I have been getting car sick going to work and on my way home.  I have developed car sickness with long drives (over 4 hours) in the last 5 years or so. My ride to work is only 45 minutes so not sure why this is happening this week, but it seems related to my supplements. Also I'm feeling more and more fatigued each day.  I know we can go through healing crises as our bodies receive nutrients they are sorely lacking.  Not sure if this is a healing crisis or a bad reaction to the supplements.  I will review in another week.  Writing this down like this not only keeps all my readers up to date on how things are progressing, but it allows me to keep tabs on any and all changes.

Mentally....I thought I was doing OK - but then received a late notice on the electric bill I apparently forgot to have paid by Monday.  Me forget paying a bill???  Never!!  Even during the worst of my TSW, I made sure all bills were paid on time.  It's weird because earlier this week I was filling out the refinancing paperwork for our rental house and thought I was on top of everything because I got all the proper forms in within 2 days.  And then I get the late notice today in the mail and I was truly shocked because it's not like me to miss paying a bill.  Turns out I missed one other bill (the water bill).  So that will be a few days late as well.  I do feel like my brain fog is back but in a different way.  Can't explain it.  I just feel off and sort of mentally tired.

Skin....I know this should be up in the physical department, but with us TSWers, I feel it deserves its own category.  While my skin has been TSW free for about a year, it has still been dry with eczema patches on my arms.  This past week, people at work have commented on how clear my skin is.  And today I woke up feeling like my skin was baby smooth - no dryness!  In fact my eczema spots on my arms are just tiny scabs with no surrounding dryness.  AND I've not followed my diet.  In fact I'm pretty sure I've had dairy almost daily for over a week. (I attribute that to the brain fog and the mental anguish it was causing me to try to stay on a strict diet).  I'm still drinking bone broth daily and eating pretty well - my dairy consists of raw milk from grass fed cows free from antibiotics and hormones. So I am not eating horribly, just not staying away from the foods that normally aggravate my eczema.

Asthma....2 puffs on the inhaler yesterday - 1 puff today.  I am way past due to being able to order more nebs and another inhaler but haven't needed to get those refilled yet.  Still have 1/2 my inhaler left and 1/2 the nebs.  So I would say my asthma is just continuing to get better and better!

Well that's it for now.  It was exhausting writing this....and if I sound whiny, that's because I am.  I feel VERY whiny and that is not like me at all.  So something is going on in my body - going to take a few more weeks I think to get a good idea of whether what is going on is bad or good.  I truly believe it will turn out all good, but feeling this blah feeling is just annoying.  And I just realize I should just stop and apologize - I'm sure many of you suffering horrible TSW right now are like "I wish all I had to worry about is brain fog and fatigue"....and you would be right to feel that way and I apologize!  I like to keep things real here on my blog and me whining over petty symptoms is both insensitive yet real.  There WILL come a point when the same thing happens to you!  And THAT will be a GOOD thing!