With a diagnosis and plan to help me move forward in hand, I wondered -- Is there anything further I can do??
The internet was an invaluable resource both for info and for connecting with others who dealt with the same conditions.. (For those of you newly diagnosed, I would suggest joining some of the online support groups, talk to fellow sufferers for ideas, suggestions etc., what has worked for them and what has not. It's a great place to start and they usually have great suggestions.)
It was in one such group, I was directed to the work of Dr. Sarah Myhill. She is a Physician in the UK and has been treating people with ME, since the 1980s.
I promptly visited her site and started to read, soaking it up as I went.
From the beginning sentence, it was evident she knows ME and knows it extremely well. There was a plethora of info, which took some getting through (especially with the brain fog in full force), but everything she'd written strongly resonated with me.
I eagerly made notes as I came upon things particularly on point with me (ie one of my symptoms). I recorded her suggestion, whether that was a nutrient, a vitamin or other recommendation. I plodded along, bit by bit, note by note, until I got through it all. I marked the sections which were particularly relevant to me as I knew I'd want to return to read it over again.
Once through it all, I was armed with a list of nutrients I was most likely deficient in. I prefer to get as many nutrients from foods, rather than pills if possible because I've always had a sensitivity to pills (even vitamins). Once an issue happens (ie hives), that's it.... I'll never be able to take that pill again. Not ever for those pesky hives will reappear. For this reason, getting the nutrients and vitamins from food sources is always my first choice. This is not always possible of course and I do use supplements, but only after exhausting food choices first.
From these notes, I once again started researching for the foods highest in those particular nutrients, which I also recorded. Nutrient by nutrient, vitamin by vitamin, until I had an extensive list full of food sources highest in my missing nutrients. I then checked those foods against the foods the homeopath and naturopath said I could and couldn't have. When I was done, I was left with a list of nutrients and vitamins I was deficient in, the main symptom(s) that deficiency caused and the foods highest in those nutrients which I was able to have.
This list served as an invaluable resource for me as I could reference it from particular symptom (eg., if I was having a lot of pain, which nutrients/foods would be best for that). It continues to this day to be helpful and I refer to it often.
I must admit, the new way of eating from the homeopath and naturopath was challenging enough. However, trying to incorporate these things on top of it all, made it extremely challenging. Many of these foods I did not care for, which made the challenge seem almost impossible.
For the vitamins not available to me in the form of food, I resorted to supplements. I used only one at a time for a few weeks before adding in another one. This allowed me to tell if it was actually working, how well it was working and if I could tolerate it without any side effects. Nothing worse than taking a few (or even two) supplements and not knowing which one is working or which one is causing the hives. When I was satisfied it was ok, I'd add in the next one and continue on down the line.
It could have been overwhelming, but as I was learning, baby steps, one at a time and not beating myself up for failures, was the only way to go.
Little by little, I learned to add in more of these things. I learned how to cover two, three or four symptoms and use as many foods all in one meal. It was a real bonus when one food would cover several issues, especially if it was a food I wasn't particularly fond of. It was a sharp learning curve at first, but one I was determined to stick with.
As I continued to incorporate these, I noticed, even further improvements. Still not cured, but well on my way to feeling much better.
Moving forward in order to keep the...
Balance.....despite the Chaos
The internet was an invaluable resource both for info and for connecting with others who dealt with the same conditions.. (For those of you newly diagnosed, I would suggest joining some of the online support groups, talk to fellow sufferers for ideas, suggestions etc., what has worked for them and what has not. It's a great place to start and they usually have great suggestions.)
It was in one such group, I was directed to the work of Dr. Sarah Myhill. She is a Physician in the UK and has been treating people with ME, since the 1980s.
I promptly visited her site and started to read, soaking it up as I went.
From the beginning sentence, it was evident she knows ME and knows it extremely well. There was a plethora of info, which took some getting through (especially with the brain fog in full force), but everything she'd written strongly resonated with me.
I eagerly made notes as I came upon things particularly on point with me (ie one of my symptoms). I recorded her suggestion, whether that was a nutrient, a vitamin or other recommendation. I plodded along, bit by bit, note by note, until I got through it all. I marked the sections which were particularly relevant to me as I knew I'd want to return to read it over again.
Once through it all, I was armed with a list of nutrients I was most likely deficient in. I prefer to get as many nutrients from foods, rather than pills if possible because I've always had a sensitivity to pills (even vitamins). Once an issue happens (ie hives), that's it.... I'll never be able to take that pill again. Not ever for those pesky hives will reappear. For this reason, getting the nutrients and vitamins from food sources is always my first choice. This is not always possible of course and I do use supplements, but only after exhausting food choices first.
From these notes, I once again started researching for the foods highest in those particular nutrients, which I also recorded. Nutrient by nutrient, vitamin by vitamin, until I had an extensive list full of food sources highest in my missing nutrients. I then checked those foods against the foods the homeopath and naturopath said I could and couldn't have. When I was done, I was left with a list of nutrients and vitamins I was deficient in, the main symptom(s) that deficiency caused and the foods highest in those nutrients which I was able to have.
This list served as an invaluable resource for me as I could reference it from particular symptom (eg., if I was having a lot of pain, which nutrients/foods would be best for that). It continues to this day to be helpful and I refer to it often.
I must admit, the new way of eating from the homeopath and naturopath was challenging enough. However, trying to incorporate these things on top of it all, made it extremely challenging. Many of these foods I did not care for, which made the challenge seem almost impossible.
For the vitamins not available to me in the form of food, I resorted to supplements. I used only one at a time for a few weeks before adding in another one. This allowed me to tell if it was actually working, how well it was working and if I could tolerate it without any side effects. Nothing worse than taking a few (or even two) supplements and not knowing which one is working or which one is causing the hives. When I was satisfied it was ok, I'd add in the next one and continue on down the line.
It could have been overwhelming, but as I was learning, baby steps, one at a time and not beating myself up for failures, was the only way to go.
Little by little, I learned to add in more of these things. I learned how to cover two, three or four symptoms and use as many foods all in one meal. It was a real bonus when one food would cover several issues, especially if it was a food I wasn't particularly fond of. It was a sharp learning curve at first, but one I was determined to stick with.
As I continued to incorporate these, I noticed, even further improvements. Still not cured, but well on my way to feeling much better.
Moving forward in order to keep the...
Balance.....despite the Chaos
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