Chronic Fatigue, Hypothyroid, Adrenal Fatigue, Folic Acid

[grumpygirl]

Socknister- I have been reading many of your posts with great enthusiasm. I have some similar symptoms which I won't get into at this point(the post would be too long) and I am also looking for some relief. Your journey has given me some things to think about. My main reason for posting is this: about 6 years ago my then 22 yr old daughter starting displaying some very weird symptoms the most worrisome was that her lower torso began to swell. Her ankles, legs, thighs, abdomen all swelled up to be very large. We were frantic to find a cause!! After much searching and finally stumbling on a massage therapist who looked at her and said- "she has lymphadema" we got closer to an answer. I took her to an internist here who was just stumped but at my urging did some blood tests- one of which was for Celiacs disease. The test came back normal. She had none of the typical symptoms but had been having some issues with anxiety and depression. After weeks of trying diuretics etc. I insisted on the endo biopsy and GUESS what- she did have Celiacs disease. Now my point here is-she displayed NONE of the characteristic symptoms but still had the disease. After a few months on a very strict diet she no longer has any problems with swelling and has had two babies-she still maintains the gluten free diet most religiously.
I am not implying that you have Celiacs disease but just saying that many times things just don't LOOK like the normal symptom of a disease when actually they are symptoms nonetheless. I recently had a endo biopsy myself because for years I was told I had IBS-the biopsy was negative but it made me feel better to be sure.
I have some of the same problems you do so I am following your posts. I am unemployed right now and cannot afford to experiment with many supplements so my question to you is this: what kind of diet are you following now? What does a typical daily menu look like for you? I have a terrible time with bloating and gas and nothing seems to help-cpap has made the problem worse with aerophagia. I have fatique, leg muscle aches and weakness and mild depression. I have tried antidepressants in the past but don't like the side effects. I wake up alot at night and often have trouble falling asleep. I recently tried Prozac again after a few years of being off it but it made my sleep problems worse and I felt awful so I stopped. So, I'm curious to know what you diet is like and weather or not it seems to help with your symptoms. Thanks-GG

[echo]

thanks for that link socknitster

[socknitster]

Socknister- I have been reading many of your posts with great enthusiasm. I have some similar symptoms which I won't get into at this point(the post would be too long) and I am also looking for some relief. Your journey has given me some things to think about. My main reason for posting is this: about 6 years ago my then 22 yr old daughter starting displaying some very weird symptoms the most worrisome was that her lower torso began to swell. Her ankles, legs, thighs, abdomen all swelled up to be very large. We were frantic to find a cause!! After much searching and finally stumbling on a massage therapist who looked at her and said- "she has lymphadema" we got closer to an answer. I took her to an internist here who was just stumped but at my urging did some blood tests- one of which was for Celiacs disease. The test came back normal. She had none of the typical symptoms but had been having some issues with anxiety and depression. After weeks of trying diuretics etc. I insisted on the endo biopsy and GUESS what- she did have Celiacs disease. Now my point here is-she displayed NONE of the characteristic symptoms but still had the disease. After a few months on a very strict diet she no longer has any problems with swelling and has had two babies-she still maintains the gluten free diet most religiously.
I am not implying that you have Celiacs disease but just saying that many times things just don't LOOK like the normal symptom of a disease when actually they are symptoms nonetheless. I recently had a endo biopsy myself because for years I was told I had IBS-the biopsy was negative but it made me feel better to be sure.
I have some of the same problems you do so I am following your posts. I am unemployed right now and cannot afford to experiment with many supplements so my question to you is this: what kind of diet are you following now? What does a typical daily menu look like for you? I have a terrible time with bloating and gas and nothing seems to help-cpap has made the problem worse with aerophagia. I have fatique, leg muscle aches and weakness and mild depression. I have tried antidepressants in the past but don't like the side effects. I wake up alot at night and often have trouble falling asleep. I recently tried Prozac again after a few years of being off it but it made my sleep problems worse and I felt awful so I stopped. So, I'm curious to know what you diet is like and weather or not it seems to help with your symptoms. Thanks-GG

Grumpy,

My diet is like this. I make my own homemade granola with old-fashioned rolled oats, lots of different kinds of nuts and seeds including pumpkin, sunflower, flax, pecan, walnut, almonds and a very small amount of dried blueberries and cranberries (they have the lowest probs with fructose malabsorption). So I eat a bowl of this with so delicious coconut milk for breakfast and that lasts me for HOURS. I eat that around 7-8 am and don't need to eat again until around 1 to 2 in the afternoon. Then I usually eat leftovers from the night before for lunch, or make a sandwich--which will be my only wheat of the day. I like to put lettuce and tomato on my sandwiches. Then for supper we usually have lean meats and veggies. Green salads with romaine, green leaf letttuce, spinach, carrot, tomatoes and a homemade salad dressing with olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, garlic, mustard, water, salt and pepper. We often steam broccoli or cook sweet potatoes or other veggies. I often make soups like chilies and chicken soups or lentil soups. Although beans are not that great for someone with this problem they don't bother our family too much and are so full of nutrition. EVERYONE has trouble digesting beans of course. We all know that. That is kind if it in a nutshell. My worst time of day is after supper. I'm always looking for carbs then. Sometimes I make popcorn. Or I might eat some peanut butter on a cracker (now there are lots of non-wheat based crackers.) I pay a lot of attention to how I feel the next day and what my bm's are like the next day as an indicator of what might work for me or not. I really don't eat much now. I used to eat 3 times this much. I'm just not as hungry anymore. I eat smaller portions and don't eat as often. But the 70 lbs I need to lose still hasn't come off. Now, I'm finally feeling like exercise again it might do.

I hope that helps. Pretty typical example of what a doc would recommend we eat? That is why I could never understand why all the nutrient deficiencies. I don't actually see how anyone could get 9-10 servings of fruit/veg in a day like I've seen recommended. I struggle to get 5 in a day. Ive never been much intersted in fruit (except in pie, lol!).

[echo]

oh yum granola! i have been wanting to make my own, do you mind posting the recipe? Also, any idea on how to make your own granola bars?? they do NOT sell them here and it makes me crazy! i just couln't figure out what i could use to bind the granola togethrr in a bar. mind you i have never made granola at home so maybe it already naturally sticks together?! ...i am definitely not chef material as you can see

[socknitster]

My recipe is

4 cups old-fashioned oats or any rolled grain that agrees with you
1/3 cup of oil, butter, whatever you feel is healthiest for you
1/3 to 1/2 cup of sweetener. Brown sugar, honey, maple syrup--I use a variety of things, usually cutting the total amount and using some stevia etc to achieve the sweetness without the calories or or fructose. Honey and agave syrup would be no-no's if you believe you are fructose malabsorber.
2 tbsp flax or chia seeds
2 cups nuts/seeds--I especially like pumpkin seeds, sunflower, pecans, walnuts, almond slices. UNSALTED and RAW whenever possible. Trader Jo's has best selection I've found.
2 tsp of vanilla or other flavor extract. I like to use lemon sometimes. Sometimes maple extract.
1 cup dried fruit (I use cranberries and blueberries because they are best for fruct-mal)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter/oil with whatever sugar you are using. Mix other ingredients well, except reserve the dried fruit. Pour the oil/sweetener mixture over the oat/nut mixture and mix well. Pour on a large rimmed cookie sheet--I think mine is 18" by 11" and spread out. Bake 10 minutes, take out and stir around and put back in for another 10 minutes or however long it takes to lightly toast it. Keep a close eye on it. Pecans burn quicker than anything else, in my experience. Then take it out and pour over your fruit and stir and let cool. Bag it up and eat for breakfast, chewing very well--there is a lot of nutrition there and you want to chew very well to get the full advantage.

This costs a lot to buy up front. But once you make several batches you will realize it costs only a fraction of what a box or pouch of granola costs in the store.

This recipe is adapted from the magazine "Ready Made." It was a recent issue. Probably the summer issue. This is my favorite breakfast bar none and it is worth the effort.

I like to sometimes add 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes and lemon extract. Then I use nuts like macadamia and cashew to accentuate the tropical feeling. Good crunch!

I also like a maple version where I use maple extract (from Target) and maple syrup. YUM, YUM, this stuff disappears so fast!!!!

I can't help too much with granola bars. However if you don't want to use sugar to hold it together, you could experiment with the mucilage that flax seed makes when soaked in water overnight or when cooked on the stove. I make my own hair gel with flax seed, believe it or not. I haven't bought conventional hair products in years. Sorry I can't help more with that. You might make a concentrated gel and then use that to wet and mix the ingredients and then bake it off. Just off the top of my head. You will HAVE to experiment with that one!

Watch cooking shows! You will get more adventurous. Easier to "do," once you have "seen."

[echo]

Thank You

[YS]

You might try to find a homeopath (popular European energetic medicine) who deals w gemmotherapy. They would probably look into things like homeopathic Lycopodium LM1 (available at Washington HOmeopathic or Hanhnemann Labs. . .), succussed (hit fairly hard against hand) 10-12 times between each dose, ribe nigrum gemmotherapy, low dose ionic manganese to displace copper imbalance that is typically behind extreme fatigue. Hair mineral analysis might be useful also (though mostly for info purposes).Don't give up! Fight for what you need. Blessings, L