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?