Pieces of the puzzle may be falling into place

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 9:52 am

A week or two ago, DH told me not to get upset if he told me something. He told me he thinks I am depressed. DUH!

Fiona · Post by **Fiona** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 11:25 am

Thanks, Jean! I'm really looking forward to seeing if being GF (among others) will help some of my issues in addition to the MC. Finding out how people have healed themselves so dramatically is very inspiring to me. And I agree that I'm getting good advice here...I've made some changes based entirely on what I've learned in this forum.

Take care,

Fiona

Fiona · Post by **Fiona** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 11:26 am

Thanks, Nancy. I just continue to be amazed at how all these things are related and how many people have had such similar issues to my own throughout their lives.

Thanks for your note, and good luck with your healing as well!

Fiona

Fiona · Post by **Fiona** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 11:35 am

Joan: That made me laugh. My husband disputes my belief that I don't have the brain fog that goes with MC; he recently reminded me of how forgetful I've been about simple things and how I've "spaced out" a bit in the middle of conversations lately. Meaning, I'll be in the middle of a sentence and know exactly what I want to say but then suddenly find myself at a complete loss for the word I meant to use. I've just chalked it up as being distracted, but maybe it's actually the dreaded brain fog afterall!

Fiona

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 3:36 pm

It is a bit like Christmas morning.... When all the ahh-haah moments happen and we realise what has been causing our weird symptoms......

NB - I am another that had sickly childhood, asthma, bronchitis, whooping cough, German measles, etc etc etc....

Since eliminating the major triggers for mc eating plan, I have barely had any asthma for the first time in my 40 + years of life.....
I do have histamine/mast cell issues here and there, mine tend to be h2 type more so than h1.

Hope the clarity and energy continue to improve as the gluten abates from your system.....

Fiona · Post by **Fiona** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 4:03 pm

Gabes, it's been one ah-hah moment after another since I found this forum! It all just makes so much sense now, when very little about my health made sense to me before. I looked at my life as an odd assortment of childhood maladies, one-off conditions and unusual afflictions that nobody else I know seems to get. I never even made the connection between my brother's RA and and my own issues until now. Just very grateful for all the info I've found here and for the people who are willing to share it.

By the way, I just read a piece of advice you gave someone else in another thread (I'm reading everything I can on here) that really rang true for me--that we have to wipe out everything we know about nutrition and eating because it all changes when MC is involved. For example, I love fruit and many raw vegetables, and I usually eat a ton of them. I continued to do so until very recently, because, I thought, what could be healthier when you're ill than fruits and vegetables? But then I learned about what happens to an inflamed gut that is bombarded by fiber. So, out they go until I'm in a much better place and can try again.

That's really great to hear about your asthma. I'm so encouraged to hear about wins like this.

Fiona

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 4:18 pm

It is a big adjustment for our brains/belief system to 'delete' what we have know for 40 or more years and start from scratch per say.....

And this is then challenged by family, friends, work colleagues etc.....

I always joke with people that I haven't eaten salad or greens or fruit for 3.5 years, and I am ok...
My hairdresser has sometimes said that my hair is healthier than those that do eat all those things.....

Find the mc management plan that works for you..... Try to ignore the questions and doubts from others...

Pre mc.... I lived on raw vege salads and fruit!
(And hard cheese, and wine, and chocolate)

Being symptom free, optimising wellness is way better!!!!!

Fiona · Post by **Fiona** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 9:57 pm

Oh, I'm with you on the hard cheese, wine and chocolate. Those are probably my top three food items, in that order.

patc73 · Post by **patc73** » Sun Oct 13, 2013 12:13 pm

I'm a little late to this discussion, but I'm interested in how we all seem to follow the same patterns in our illness(es). Besides the obvious CC, I have rosacea, sensitivities and allergies, and, as of last week, pleurisy! I did a search on our site to see if there was any connection with MC, and I guess there is! Stress, of course, is always a trigger, but also the chronic inflammation and having another auto-immune condition led to my pleurisy attack, I'm learning. Seven days of prednisone have helped treat it, and I'm still using my Tylenol with codeine at night, and it seems to be improving slowly. What else will our poor bodies have to endure? :-p

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Sun Oct 13, 2013 6:42 pm

Hi Fiona, I'm late to this discussion as well but want to add my experience. I've discovered I have a celiac gene and a gluten sensitivity gene, both inherited from my mother who also suffered with MC right up until her death at age 93. Both of my sons have inherited those celiac and gluten intolerance genes. I have had allergies all my life and both of my sons had/have asthma. One of my sons was diagnosed with severe depression at age 17 and has relapsed several times over the last 25 years. He has all the symptoms consistent with Celiac but is resistant to going gluten free. I have always had a "low grade depressive" personality as well.

I have recurrent TMJ, mild rosacea, esophageal spasms, CC, celiac, hay fever. I've been GF/SF/EF and mostly DF for 2+ years. In the last year I've had no TMJ and my mood is definitely brighter despite some serious personal stress. I've recently weaned down to one budesinide every 3 days and so far, so good. Normans are a daily occurrence and I know what I need to do to stay healthy. Tex and this Board have been life altering and possibly life saving. My doctor sure didn't know how to treat me.

Welcome and know that you aren't alone and will always find support here.

Sheila W

Fiona · Post by **Fiona** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 10:42 am

Pat:

I'm very sorry you're going through Pleurisy right now. It really is awful. Work stress was definitely the driver when I came down with it a few years ago. I woke up one morning feeling like somebody was stabbing me with a hot poker through my chest and out my upper back/lower shoulder. I wasn't given any steroid drugs for it, only a potent combo of Vicodin+Ibuprofen and Valium, which essentially allowed me to sleep for the week it took me to get over it. Glad the Prednisone is helping and that you're feeling better. I hope it goes away completely very soon.

Fiona

Fiona · Post by **Fiona** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 10:58 am

Hi Sheila, thanks for the kind and supportive words. I'm doing much better with the MC now and have noticed less tension in my jaw since going gluten free in June. Many nights I'd clench my jaw so hard that I'd wake up in the morning with blood blisters on the insides of my cheeks from where I bite down. I have a permanent ridge of scar tissue from that as I've had TMJ since I was a teenager, and none of the many bite splints/night guards I've had over the years could totally prevent this. I'd also bite hard on my tongue overnight but would never feel it happening--my only evidence being the bite marks around the edge of my tongue in the morning! Doing less of that as well.

I agree this board has been life changing. I'm not dealing with daily digestive issues anymore, but I still read and learn everything I can here so I don't have to go through anything like that again (as far as it's in my control). I now think of gluten and dairy as relics of a former life!

Take care,

Fiona

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:26 am

Fiona, I have had help dealing with the awful pain of TMJ. I go to an old fashioned chiropractor regularly because of arthritis and a spinal fusion. I mentioned TMJ to him a few years ago and he said he could help with it. I was doubtful but the next time I felt the pain starting I went to see him and he stopped it dead. He works on my neck for the TMJ and he is a neck-cracker. He has helped me with esophageal spasm. I also grind my teeth and that is probably where all of the neck tension starts. Whatever it is that Doc does to my neck, it works.

Sheila W