Hi Cara
I posted a bit more on the thread that I started about the Maker's Diet

Yes, my son has been tested for celiac but it is not a problem. He did have candidiasis tho (GIT yeast infection) which we have successfully used the diet and Candida Clear by NOW to eradicate

it is really hard to explain the Maker's Diet in comparison to others as it is very much a whole foods diet and, dependent on individual allergies, all pure and natural foods are ok, with the emphasis on ancient Biblical dietary guidelines. The premise being, these guidelines werent merely for ritualistic religious purposes, but because God, the Maker, knows best what is good for us to eat!
The emphasis of the intitial 40 day diet is to balance insulin, and reduce infection and inflammation. Foods are eliminated and added to the diet via three 2 week phases, and there are also three levels of following the diet...basic, intermediate and advanced, with advanced being recommended for those with chronic health issues.

Once one has completed the 40 day plan, one's diet is maintained as per specific health needs

I cannot emphasize enough how beneficial it has been for my son, and how helpful the recipes are.:)

HI Liz, It's nice to "see" a familar face.
HI to the rest of you all too!!
I was told last year that the drs believes I have lupus with symptoms suggestive off FM, okay whatever that is suppose to mean.
I have however spent the past 7yrs mostly dealing with spinal disorders and chronic pain and after taken things as far as I can in dealing with those problems for the time I feel I need to learn as much as possible about these things now. I in some way have to find a means to take back some of my life!!
I feel like I have been living in a very small box and need to do some extensive remodeling!!
Looking forward to getting to know you all and hope that even though I don't know anything about these things that I will at least be able to help by being here and as supportive as possible for you all.
LindaM(suede)

Hi, everyone! Just realized I should have posted to this thread as soon as I joined in order to introduce myself. I had Graves Disease as a young teen, which wasn't diagnosed and treated until age 21. Am now (for the last 5 plus years) hypothyroidic as a result of the partial thyroidectomy (and my age, but we won't go there) and on Synthroid. Was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis in the 1970's, and take Mestinon for it. I'm currently between neurologists, the last two wouldn't accept the original diagnosis of MG (though it was made by one of the premier MG specialists of the 70's), but my GP believes it is MG, and keeps me in Mestinon. Nice to meet you all, and I look forward to a long and fruitful association.

Hi to everyone
 

I am happy to find you all. I have had Myasthenia Gravis since 2000. I used to be healthy and energetic. Due to MG, I had to retire from my job (which I really liked) this past January. Now, I am at home enjoying my family and grand daughter and resting whenever I feel fatigued.

I am also dealing with feeling cold all the time. My doctor has given me all the Thyroid tests which show I am ok. Even tried some thyroid medicine (Levothroid). It only gave me this BIG headache so I quit. I might look into seeing an Endocrinologist.

Glad to be here.

Cindy

Hi, I am new (sorta).

I used to be a part of the Braintalk forum many years ago when I was doing with "Multiple Sclerosis". Well, turns out I did not have MS. After several years of taking Copaxone and the Rebif, I found someone on another forum (Rose) who suggested B12 deficiency. I got checked and guess what, I was extremely deficient. My blood test came back 100. The neuro did not believe it and had me retested. This time the test came back 86. Neurologist decided I had both MS and B12 deficiency and continued pushine the drugs.

I have severe allergic reactions to the MS drugs and severe depression. After several trips to the ER because my eyes, lips, hands, tongue, etc. swelled up I decided I had enough. I asked for alternatives. He had none to offer me. So I went to a MS specialist.

One look at my chart and the specialist questioned my MS diagnosis. He sent me off for another spinal, MRI and blood tests. Conclusion...no MS.

At some point I was also diagnosed with Crohn's disease. I was on lots of meds for it also, but have found that changing my diet provides a much better solution.

I continue to give myself B12 once a month and continue to be MUCH better than I ever was. My husband tells people that he married one person and a year later she started taking B12 and turned into a completely different person.

The MS Specialist sent me to an immunologist. He was not able to pinpoint exactly what is happening with me (like many of you seem to have heard also). But he did tell me something that has helped me... he said I definately have an autoimmune problem, but that I needed to stop focusing on naming it or fitting it into a specific category. Instead he told me to focus on living the best life I can.

I have done that. For me that has meant, less doctors and less drugs. I found that if I took the drugs, they would maybe resolve one issue, but would cause another issue (fatigue, depression, etc).

Oh...btw, a little about me: I am 32, married for 3 years. My husband is 27. We have 2 Yorkshire Terriers. We recently purchased a house and decided to start trying to have a child.

I look forward to chatting with all of you.

M

Guess I go here too
 

Hi everyone. I'm glad to see I don't need a pigeonhole Dx to fit in here.:)

All I have is a bunch of confusing symptoms and a lot of normal blood tests -- so much normalcy I am beginning to think I'm nuts!

I really need some new ideas. :confused:

The only demonstrable signs of illness have been: swollen thyroid (no longer swollen, euthyroid), Raynaud's, persistent positive anti-thyroid peroxidase, a single mildly positive anti-cardiolipin, and positive IgM for EBV (since at least fall 2002). Amennhorea, unkown cause, resumed on its own after two years. Also mild sensory-neural hearing loss, nystagmus and coloric deficit on ENG. The face rash, I am told, is not Lupus -- it doesn't avoid the nasal folds and doesn't react to sun. The color changes and pins-and-needles in my hands and feet are triggered sometimes by cold, but more often by exercise and fatigue -- if I walk too far, my hands go blue and white! And while we know from direct observation that my hoarseness is caused by the non-functioning of my anterior vocalis muscle, no one can explain why it works when I am not flaring but becomes non-functional when I am more symptomatic.

At one point we wondered about myasthenia, since my eyes and face droop when I get tired, and my eye muscles and voice also get fatigued and stop working properly. When the doctor here observed that my neck muscles were weak, he sent me for an EMG and antibody test, but both were normal.

The rheumatologist here is prepared to let me stay on the plaquinil, and I also take an SSRI, anti-inflammatory, and Provigil. I sleep OK, and my sore points don’t bother me if I don’t touch them. Pain isn’t really a major facet of this, as long as I sleep enough.

All in all, I am very confused. I feel uncomfortable with the lack of a diagnosis -- it doesn't change the treatment, but emotionally it is hard to be sick for so long and not be able to say "this is what it is." Meanwhile I am working to increase my exercise gradually, I’m trying to lose the weight I gained from the prednisone, and it is coming down slowly. Other than that, I don’t know anything else I can or should do. If you have any ideas, I would be very appreciative. I don’t think my doctors here have any left.

Sorry this went on so long. I guess I needed to complain a little -- and this was the edited version! :o

Hope everyone has a good day -- if you can't have one, try to give someone else one!:D Hey, these smileys are fun!

Hi Shari
 

I think you've come to the right place for ideas. :D No normal people here :D :D

Lots of things to learn, like you I've struggled with figuring out why I'm sick.

The best thing that I have done that has showed some improvement in how I feel is, to alter my diet. Now gluten, dairey, soy free. This helped alot with energy as well as pain. Also extra vitimines (B12). Still not 100% but shooting for it. :D Nice to meet you, Patricia :)

Hi Shari and welcome to our eclectic membership :D

Hello there everyone.

I just thought I'd throw my hat in the ring as well.

I'm Noong, Aussie, Live in the middle of nowhere on a farm and have CIDP (Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy)

I've been around for a while. Don't tend to post much, but I'm here ;)


Noong

Hi Noong :) Nice to meet you

isnt cyberspace amazing where someone in the "middle of nowhere" Australia can be talking to folks from all over everywhere :D