I can’t believe my last update for you was in May! Oops. I will try and do them a bit more frequently again for you, promise. So, what happened during Summer…?
You might recall from my May Report that I had had some ups and some downs.
NB: scores are 0=no symptom, 10 = aargh!!! (I promised I would remind non-patients). I score every day before bed. Used to be over 200 per month.
The ups were that I had got my adrenals back into normal and stopped the period-related migraine (which wasn’t hormones after all; it was the corny sanitary stuff!!). The downside was the ever-present gum saga. The score in April had been 43 which I was most naffed off about since Feb was a lovely low 24. Sadly, it continued to climb and in May itself it ended up at 51.5, dropped back to 43 in June, shot up again in July to a very disconcerting 60.5 and then halved in August, ending at 32. Rollercoaster ride!
Summary so far this year then is:
- 38.5
- 24
- 33
- 43
- 51.5
- 43
- 60.5
- 32
May was a nightmare because the mouth infection worsened, with the pain rising at one point to a score of 8. I had a bit more dental treatment and finally succumbed to antibiotics which helped greatly but gave me an upset stomach and swollen oesophagus. Better than the pain, but kept my scores higher than they should have been.
June was better mouth-wise and I started using the essential oil mix the lab who did my dental swabs told me to use. I still felt off though. Scores were high because a) I got a migraine after using one of those throwaway tin foil BBQ things. It smelt very chemically and I read afterwards that quite a few people with corn sensitivity can react to different coals. Needless to say: I now have a Gas one :).
The migraine was Ok but b) I stupidly took two of the Co-codamol effervescent tabs (I mentioned these in the May report) with nothing in my stomach. Well, I have never felt so nauseous in my life! I actually couldn’t move for 14 hours! I won’t be doing that again. If I have needed a painkiller, I have still found the bumdrugs more effective and gentle and take only half a co-codamol if absolutely needed. I’m learning!
After that, I started to feel infectiony again so upped my oregano and trialled the probiotics again. This, of course, upset my stomach. It settled down and then I got a bout of hayfever. I trialled some new products which, of course, my body didn’t like, but happily, by the end of the month, things had settled down a bit.
In July, I went for my next dental appointment. They found the site of infection and cleaned it out. Oh My Goodness. The pain was so bad I nearly collapsed going back to the car and am now under strict instructions that someone comes with me to future appointments. I felt very low. I think it was on Wimbledon finals weekend, I battled with the mouth pain (I looked like a chipmunk for about a week!), migraine (from the drugs), period pain and hayfever. It was NOT a good weekend.
P took me to a cottage in Cornwall as a treat later in the month and I had a gorgeous rest, despite the local water making my oesophagus swell. Well, you can’t have everything ;). I went down again after we returned and actually felt so awful I told P to leave me and go and get a life with someone who wasn’t ill all the time! He laughed. Thank goodness. Eek.
Anyway, you can see why my July score hit the 60s. Thankfully, in between the bouts, the scores were .5-1 as usual.
August was a much better month with the scores back down to 32. I am sure this was because I had at last got the mouth infection under control. Plus, P’s eldest son got married and I had to be really strict to make sure I was well for the wedding! I was and had a fab time. I took all my food with me, made a 4 course dinner and ate it with them all on the top table. No-one batted an eyelid. And no-one asked me about it either which was even better. I get fed up of having to explain and people then starting a conversation about how they/their friend/dog have given up bread. Inside myself, I am usually screaming: you have NO idea!!! But, of course, I smile sweetly and try – again – to change the subject. Naughty Micki.
Anyway, as I say, there was none of that and I felt pretty normal. I was only ill after the wedding on the day we went home. Result. I swear it’s the water as it happens every time we go away in our little caravan. Other than that, re-started the Infantis to see if I could get it in on consecutive days. It seems OK but I have only got to 4 days so far. I started getting gut spasms so stopped in case. Jury is still out and I am now trying again.
Had some more dreaded dental work done. P waited outside in case. I was fine! Small amount of infection and having the last lot of cleaning out done this month, then I plan to blast it with ABs again and start the whole cycle again to make sure it doesn’t come back.
September has started quite well so far. I had a 0 day!!! But, today, I am feeling infectiony again. The Infantis is out…
Phew!
Reading that through is a little depressing! Still, it is a 4 month report and Summer is always that bit more difficult for us hyper-sensitives, what with weddings, holidays and the like flinging us right out of our comfort zones. No wonder I love Autumn so much. Safer under me duvet in front of the telly 🙂
Let’s hope the scores settle down a bit now and I can keep the infections at bay: would be a huge step forward. I think generally, the mouth infection is masking a real improvement in the sensitivity stakes, although it would be nice to feel that! I don’t feel as reactive currently and, when I do react, it doesn’t seem as bad. And I haven’t built any new sensitivities for a while now. My biggest worry is the continued harm the mouth infection must be doing to my barrier permeability so that is my real focus- to get that licked, so to speak!
Meantime, bared my soul for you there again, but how are you doing? Are you roller-coasting with me?
Do you find the Bif Infantis good – I’ve been using a probiotic with bif bacterium and acidophillis in but for some reason I seem to over the last week or so started to bloat really badly when prior to that I was doing good. Can you get used to a probiotic and need to change it or if it works can you stay on it for ages. I would like to get one that sorts out my under the tummy button bloat.
What are your thoughts on the new one called Symprove which is a liquid probiotic?
Hi Janet, you need to think what it has in it. Infantis is very different to the normal acid/bifido strains. Any probiotic, certainly at the start, can make the bloating worse as the dying bacteria give off toxic gases. Follow the probiotic strategy on the barrier plan for best seeding results.
Re the Symprove, we had a bit of a discussion about that on the Purehealth site – not grain free. See here in comments: http://mickirose.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/the-importance-of-bacteria/
Hi Micki. Wowsers, what an update!
I have also been battling mouth infections over the summer! MY GOD there is almost Nothing worse than tooth and gum pain!!!!!!
I have just had to deal with it at home – horrific at times but am coming out the winner yay!
What did they tell you to use – I mean the essential oil mix? I have been using Teatree, Clove oil, Rosemary oil for the pain… managed to get some homeopathic ‘silicea’ for the pain management too! But I don’t have a dentist to go to, just a fairly helpful pharmacist sympathetic to my sensitivities (but actually not very clued up bless her! The willingness to help me is enough lol!)
I too feel less reactive on the whole, though bizarrely, I often feel less well (if that makes any sense?!) Lack of stamina going on, low on Iron maybe (my periods came back for 2 months in a row! Must be a good sign?!) generally feel a bit weaker than usual – on Clare’s suggestion am starting to try find a source of wild meat – off to find the village hunter today, see if I can’t get a bit of meat into my diet somewhere….
Holidays were ok but, like you, always a bit unwell on returning home and recovery time needed afterwards! Water, other people’s crockery etc. God knows…!
I have gone back to Infantis too in the last week or so funnily enough- lots of paralells to what you have said actually! I was very sick the other night – my body just wanted rid of something – it has become quite efficient and mercinary about these things now- generally, a major puking session, then all fine! Really funny, like I’ve honed the art of getting evilness out efficiently and then getting on with life LOL! Sorry for the details, just sharing! 😉 haha…
So yes, have been a bit rollercoastery also, but on the whole OK 🙂 Do let me know about the suggested essential oil blend! Take care, hope September better…
Hi Becky, thanks for sharing – I thought I was the only one baring my soul here! Sounds like we are indeed on similar paths, doesn’t it?! I certainly wouldn’t wish mouth pain on anyone, let alone you ;).
It’s interesting what you say about feeling less well and being more effective detox-wise. I hear that a lot. I think the body seems to be more ‘awake’ somehow and tells us it doesn’t like something more strongly. I find I detox a lot with the Infantis. In fact, I have been struggling with a really nasty cold for the last few days – ever since I went back on it. As a naturopath, I know that is a really good sign of the body trying to heal but even so, ugh… I reckon I am detoxing all the nastyness from my mouth and the drugs as my sinuses are just going mad. Better out than in hopefully!
Periods coming back is excellent! Mine stopped for 5 years and I knew I was getting better when they returned. It only happened after I came off the gluten. There seems to be a pattern with it in healing terms that I’ve noticed over the years. The gut tends to start healing first, then the hormones, so that would suggest you are on your way :).
Essential oil mix is quite complicated. They made me a liquid blend and a suppository to use but I couldn’t tolerate it so I have adapted it. It is a blend of blue chamomile, clove, oregano, thyme, lavender and vanilla essential oils in a base of olive oil. I use it as a mouthwash and as a gum rub sometimes. You could make the suppository using coconut oil. I am about to buy a suppository-making machine and try making some!!
Hope you have a better Sep too then. Mine is a bit of a washout so far. Literally a sinus one 🙂
Meant also to say yes meat is crucial in most cases. You need the iron and B12. If you are going to have such a restricted diet, you do need to make sure you are eating as many food groups as you can and look after those nutrient levels. I don’t actually like eating meat but it seems to like me. Well 100% grass fed beef does anyway.
Yeah, thought I’d join in lol! I’m wide open nowadays, in the name of progress!
Yes, have a real problem getting hold of meat – there is none available to me here that I don’t react to… so thought that suggestion of finding my local hunter and buying his meat direct was a good one! Rabbit maybe? The grassfed beef I had from Ireland was delicious (and I don’t miss meat either!)
I wanted to ask about vitamin Bs – I want a TGF safe one! (Biocare? Seems to have lots of ingredients!)
I was using teatree and clove as mouthwash and just using clove / rosemary or even peppermint as a gum rub (the peppermint felt a bit cooling), also bit down on boiling hot cotton wool imbibed with clove oil!! That seemed to really help – excrutiating pain at the time but worth it! I will look into bue chamomile and vanilla…
Glad the return of periods is a good sign as well as the contradictory feelings of wellness and unwellness (is there nothing straight forward about this condition?!) figured it must be a good sign 🙂
I am quite distracted by my son at the moment – he’s obv sensitive to grains, soja and cows milk at least. I stopped giving him soja- but didn’t mean to avoid it religiously – it’s just that when you eat so purely and buy no processed foods, it’s easy to totally cut something out without really meaning to! So upon him eating a soja yoghurt recently, he seems to have reacted to it. What I find delicate, is making your own child hyper-sensitive to things thru elimination!! I don’t want to cut out wheat and grains entirely because I’m terrified I’ll be giving him a life-long massive sensitivity to it the moment I stop it!! ARgh! What to do? Can’t take the responsibility of it! So he eats very limited amounts of grain, goats milk…and soja is out! Am I doing right? I don’t know anymore! Don’t want to project my troubles onto him but don’t want to ignore all i have learnt and don’t want my baby’s innards damaged, want him to have the best start!
Another parallel – we are fighting colds! Season change I guess :/ but also contact with other germy children grr!
Oh yeah, and I’m sensitive to coconut….and positively allergic to suppositoires! LOL 😀
Ooh, that’s a toughie with your son isn’t it? Don’t envy you that one. If it were me I would concentrate on keeping a positive, not fearful attitude to food around him, keep the small amounts going in and do some gut healing work. If you really think he might have inherited your gluten genes though I would suggest you check him genetically to see if/what he has inherited. It’s a tough call because if he has got the propensity for gluten sensitivity, you don’t want to do more damage. I heartily wish someone had stopped me when I was younger and I don’t think I would be so leaky now frankly. Do some gut work at least.
Vit Bs – see the TGF supplement master list – there are a few in there. Search for B Complex and Vitamin B.
Like the hot cotton wool idea – I was using frozen cranberries and holding it on to freeze the area. Same principle, opposite attack fronts!
Colds. Ugh. Feel crap today 🙁 Hope you feel better soon.
Thanks 🙂 Yes, for my son, I can see the intolerance, he has very clear reactions though not severe reactions – so we are just monitoring how much wheat and grains he has. We are not making a big deal of anything around him, he has a very healthy diet and attitude towards food bless him. His absolute FAV food is apple, so that’s great lol! We try to sort of save his grain allowance for when we’re elsewhere too so he doesn’t feel left out, you know, he can have a biscuit or something with the other children, or a nobble of bread when daddy gets a baguette from the boulangerie! 😀
When it comes to rice, pasta etc – it’s just not a part of his daily diet. Nor is bread. So I think it’s about forming habits early on too, so he reaches first for an apple or a carrot – not something bready! He just loves fresh raw stuff so it’s easy for now! He also loves goats cheese so at least no cows milk!
I did the boiling hot compress because it seemed to draw out the infection…worth trying each others methods next time lol! 😉
For the colds, he has had a herbal concoction which has zinc, vitamins, elderberry etc in it and a distilled water tincture of echinacea (and herbal tea with honey) and he’s already LOADS better! Am impressed by his little body 🙂 and I seem to be escaping it quite well yay!
Get well soon!
All grains and legumes have anti-nutrient, anti-healthful properties. Knowing this, why feed your child any of them at all? Clearly he’s intolerant/allergic to them, so why go there? And your husband shouldn’t be bringing baguettes into the house in the first place. That’s not good for him either.
Your family should go Paleo or Primal and stay that way if you are interested in good health. Teach your child now which foods are good for him and which ones to will make him feel bad.
I have read stories of mothers who have raised their children to be Paleo/Primal from birth and their children tend to be healthier, stronger than the other kids their age and they do better in school. One gal said her child turns down cookies and candy saying that he prefers “real” food.
You might start with the books ‘The Paleo Diet’ by Dr. Loren Cordain and ‘The Primal Blueprint’ by Mark Sisson.
I would like to add, that you and your son are fortunate that his body is letting you know now that these foods are bad for him. Removing those foods from his diet completely will likely save him from a life of misery, suffering from mystery illnesses that come and go and possibly culminating in something like celiac disease, IBS, Crohn’s, MS etc.
It’s best to avoid the offending foods completely rather than have once per day or once per week “treats.” These occasional treats keep one having a taste and desire for the offending foods. If avoided completely, one loses the desire for the offending foods and learns to desire the good, healthful foods instead.
Sounds like you have both food and colds sussed, well done 🙂