You can order any blood test yourself. I do all my own tests local through: http://www.anylabtestnow.com/

If you dont have one of those, google or go online. It is cheaper to do my own lab work than go through a doctor.

Ohhh that is very interesting to know!

Hopefully it works the same way in Australia. I will investigate. Thank you Stacey. :)

Ok Dear Aussie Mom,

When I got the book, it's 500 pages, I zipped to the 'how to use the progesterone cream' chapter, slapped on my cream and went out like a bike ride, like I told you. Again, most of the creams you order on line or in the store will have directions for use as well. You can also reach me on facebook for questions...
https://www.facebook.com/karen.sharp.35
Just send a message.

Even those doctors that will give you progesterone cream (prescription), they like to give you the pill. (Dr. Lee recommends the cream because there is less wear and tear on the liver.) See Frequently asked questions, "Wouldn't it just be easier to take the pill?"
http://www.johnleemd.com/store/faqs_progest_crm.html

And you're not considering HRT, Dear Aussie Mom, you're merely considering BHRT, biodentical hormone replacemement therapy :D Not many studies on it here in America 'cause that's not where the money is;), but supposedly there have been some in Europe. I never bothered to research 'cause I told you where my anguish was, I was just willing to try it on myself. Oh heck, it's made from wild yams. How the heck can a wild yam hurt you, really?!!! (Just my opinion as a sufferer and nothing else.)

Again, don't forget about the diatomaceous earth, "the mud." I've come here before and mentioned progesterone, which I am betting will take you a long way towards you goal, but don't forget there is something else beyond that. Particularly when you get further into menopause, when the estrogen levels drop to that menopausal level - don't forget KarenEVP told you about something else 'cause it's important.

And about those heel spurs; Plantar Fasciitis feels like you are walking on a screw that is in the bottom of each shoe, if that's what you have. If your feet feel just hot - that could be PN 'cause I've had something similar. One time I took my shoes off and my feet were bright red. They felt hot as heck. I believed that was PN, not menopause, but who knows, you could be right and I could be wrong! :D

But I was teaching school and got Plantar Fasciitis really bad - no insurance at the time, so I went to Doctor Google. I found that coconut oil can relieve that... and actually, it went away. But for anyone with Plantar Fasciitis, they could try three of these a day, the brand I used
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/sourc...FSqXOgodCS4AwA
I was hardly able to walk to the mailbox, then after three days, I was out mowing the lawn! This was early 40's, long before PN. Again, this is just something I googled and tried that worked for me, no other claim to expertise here either.

When my knees became worse near this past Christmas, I started just walking instead of biking. Next thing I knew, back came the heel spurs and now I can't take coconut oil because of the PN so thank God for the mud (Diatomaceous Earth) has had the same effect!

And sounds like you're all set to get started on hormones! Never let anyone give you estrogen without progesterone. If GP wants to prescribe progesterone, he'll give you the oral pill. In my humble opinion, if you're not having menopausal insomnia, go with the over the counter cream. When they give you the oral progesterone, it only lasts the night, gone in the morning. Doc's claim it lasts 24 hours, it doesn't. He's never going to take it so he won't know. Doc's like to give you the oral progesterone because that way they are in control of the dose that you are taking, the milligrams. Dr. Lee says you should control the dose (use the cream) so that you can use the lowest amount that relieves your symptoms. Taking too much can just cause greater hormonal imbalance and more problems. You are gonna' be the one who figures out how much cream you need, not your GP.

Don't ever let anyone prescribe you estrogen without progesterone to balance it out. That is a mistake per Dr. Lee's book that I told you about. That would mean your GP doesn't know a thing about what he's doing. Go to a gynocologist at least that is friendly to hopefully bioidentical hormones and get them to give you help.

Or do what I did, just get the book and the over the counter cream!

Also if you do get the progesterone pill and it wears out by morning like I told you it will, my doctor friend told me I could still take the 1/4 teaspoon of cream in the morning, the over the counter progesterone. Your doc won't tell you that because again, they want to be the one to control the dose you take, not you, the patient, like Dr. Lee's book explains.

Most sources say you can't take the oral progesterone pill and the over the counter cream; doctors, you'll see it on websites, etc. I'm just telling you what I was told by a doctor I knew as a personal friend as I've already mentioned.

Also, if you are still perimenopausal, you may only need 1/8 tsp. of over the counter cream to start, not 1/4. If that doesn't stop your neuropathy pain or greatly reduces it, then go with 1/4.

This are just some tips to get you started.

Go back in time Aussie Mom, back before you had PN and good luck to you. :)

Also, want to relay one more little conversation I had with Doc George to those of you who would say, "I'm not willing to take the health risks to try hormone replacement therapy! I'll deal with my pain and stay safe!"

Guess what; if you agree with Dr. Lee's book - you're not safe anyway. At menopause, your risk for estrogen fed cancers goes up, that's because most if not all of your progesterone has drained away and left you 'estrogen dominant.'

We had a friend, Ayla, my brother's best friend's wife (from Germany). She was 40 when we went to her funeral. She had been battling breast cancer for six or seven years. After reading Dr. Lee's book - I said to Doc George, "Oh My God!!!!! She died from an estrogen fed cancer!!!!!" He said, "Happens everyday."

So don't think you're safe with your pain, that's all I'm sayin'

Once again, that is if Dr. Lee is right and Doc George and all of the other bioidentical docs and now the conventional docs that also know about progesterone and estrogen dominance. All of that is considering that you still have a uterus and ovaries... or even just ovaries still churning out estrogen... even in reduced amounts.

Think about it, who gets cancer more often, young people or old people? People whose hormones have drained away because they are older, they get most of the yucky stuff, arthritis, heart disease, God you name it, I don't have to. Just don't think you are safe because you decide against some medical treatement or another, you're just not. So I said, "What the H.E. double hockey sticks, why not try a little over the counter cream and see if it improves the light burning in my legs."

(Note again, this place brought me to manageable, and I will be forever greatful. I was scared to come here because I knew I was going to see more horror stories and I was already scared. But Mrs. D and the others, they kept answering my posts so fast and I did not feel alone. This place is a Godsend, make no mistake about it. Then again, there is a Japanese proverb, I believe it's Japanese - it's about business, I heard it in business school, "Fix the problem, not the blame." That goes for medical issues too now, methinks.)

Hey Mrs. D... Love ya' :hug:

Also, just another quick note - why be in charge of how much progesterone you use per day? Other than the fact that Doc Lee gives in his book about how hard your liver has to work if you take it orally vs. whether you take it transdermally (meaning use the over the counter progesterone cream or the progesterone cream from a compounding pharmacy)....

The other issue for me has been phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are plants, vegetables, nuts, etc.. that act like weak estrogen in the body. For example number one most powerful phytoestrogen 1. Flax Seeds, 2. Soy bean / milk, other products. This is "karen's order" of powerfulness... there are different types of phytoestrogens that do different things because of the different things they are composed of - feel free to google;

Soy beans, soymilk helps with mental alertness, fighting menopausal brain fog (supposedly, for some people, it did for me) but - for me soy products brought back leg nerve burning. Another hopeful benefit dashed by PN.

Flax seeds, suggested by many here, still helps with brain fog, although not as good, but acts (for me) as an anti-inflammatory and helps with the neuropathy and the arthritis. Since I can't take fish oil supplements, I go with flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, lots of it. But, I have to dab on more progesterone cream during the day because of the huge amount of phytoestrogens I am ingesting.... if I don't the hotflashes will come back. I am 'upping my estrogen', sort of, as far as phytoestrogens go, anyhow.

I also take/eat flax seeds because some say it actually fights true estrogen to take it's place in the workings of the body therefore limiting one's risk for estrogen fed breast cancer (and other estrogen fed cancers). You will find articles that say flaxseeds help (phytoestrogents) fight cancer and you will also find articles that say flaxseeds and other phytoestrogens should be limited because they help cause cancer. Hey, take your pic. Here's just one, I haven't read it fully, don't need to, already seen so many my eyes cross when they come up. Decided to go pro-flaxseed because I need it for my knees, it really did decrease my cholesterol, per a test, with numbers on it, that I could see. That was a happy day.

http://www.cancer.org/treatment/trea...erals/flaxseed

BUT, the reason you and not your GP nor your OBGYN should control the amount of progesterone you use per day is because your ingestion of phytoestrogens varies. Here's a list of common phytoestrogens, they are every darn where....


PS I also eat walnuts to get more omega 3 - can't use fish oil - and pistachios I have found have a very calming effect and nerves if something stirs them up, both phytoestrogens... (Just a list I googled, feel free to google your own list, articles abound concerning phytoestrogens)

**Flaxseed and flaxseed oil (3 x as potent as soy in some studies!)

**Soy, soy oil, soy protein isolate, tofu, textured vegetable protein, and all of it’s derivates

All beans:

*Mung beans

*Bean sprouts

*Chick peas

Peas

*Sesame, sesame seeds, and sesame oil

*Sunflower seeds

*Fennel

*Alfalfa

*Licorice

*Verbena

*Tumeric ( I told you this was a phytoestrogen already, didn't I)

*Thyme

*Red Clover

*Yucca

Cinnamon

Sunflower seeds

*Red Clover leaf and extract

Garlic

Olive Oil

Apricot (especially dried)

Prunes (dried)

Dates (dried)

Sweet Potatoes

Parsley

Thyme

Whole grains: Rye, *Oat, Barley, Millet, Wheat, Corn, Quinoa

*Most nuts:

Chestnuts

Almonds

Peanuts

Cashews

Walnuts

Hazlenuts

Pistachios

And to a somewhat lesser extent the fruits and vegetables…

Blackberries

Pomegranate

Asparagus

Winter squash

Broccoli

Green beans

Collards

Onions

And the substances…

*Hops

*Marijuana

Thanks for listening, good like and May the Force Be With you All

NOTE; the reason one phytoestrogen might affect your neuropathy positively, yet another negatively, is because there are different classes of them, google away... one class of them might work well for you, another might not. Flaxseeds and Soy beans, for example, are in two different classes. One works for me, one does not.

Wow, Karen this is great! Hope you are still around when I am ready to tackle the hormone issue. Right now I am starting another protocol, one thing at a time. But hormones and adrenal issues are next. Hope you keep in touch here!

Aussie sorry, I forgot you were not in the US, hope you have blood test labs there, it sure it helpful to be in charge of your own lab tests.

Anyone with peripheral neuropathy who is in peri-menopause should already be looking into bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.... Ayla died at 40 from breast cancer, she fought breast cancer from the age of 33... she should have probably been on progesterone cream before that, before the estrogen fed cancer got her. That was my point to doctor G. My sister, an RN, is 46 and started on the progesterone cream. Read the book, there's one specifically on peri menopause.... it can take seven years of peri menopause before actual menopause, from what Iv'e read (if that be true:rolleyes:)... Some people have menopause early, it runs in their families, even in their thirtees. Then there's young people with bad pms that use the progesterone cream.

One thing I did was google "progesterone cream" and "discussion forums"... then you can come up with all kind of reports that regular folk who are trying it are saying. Some forums are mostly about people using it because of hysterectomies, others are about PMS, still others are about menopause. I did a lot of that.

I'm no expert on it. In fact you can compare what one bioidentical doc thinks to another bioidentical doc, and they will believe different things on similar topics. That's why I just decided to go and read what the average chick was saying. I had to just try it. I kept googling and reading and finding clues here and there; but in the end, the truth is what works for you but doesn't do you in. I don't know if I should put a LOL after that or not :confused:

I was just realizing how lucky I was that my neurologist either didn't know anything or just plain didn't do didly squat. If I had, and he would have hopped me up on various drugs and painkillers, I would have never gotten to the root of the problem. I would not be here telling you people that guess what, I can remember what it's like to be oblivious to the horrors of PN again. Lately, It's been like it was before I had it.

Be a seeker. Be a googler. Use the search feature here to lead you to clues. You have to be willing to try supplements.

Also; my friend Ayla was heavy.... all her life. The heavier you are the more estrogen your body produces. Therefore, in my humble opinion and just as a conclusion of my own research/googling, the more of a need she had for protection with Progesterone cream.

One thing I guess my neurologist had right was to tell me to get my weight down as low as possible. In his opinion, that seemed to be the 'one and only answer to PN.' That was right because the thinner you get, the less estrogen your body produces (and if you are not using progesterone cream and your progesterone is gone or nearly gone), then the less symptoms you will have from estrogen dominance... one such of those symptoms being neuropathic pain, pricking, tingling and you know all the madness. BUT, I bet my life that this doc of mine has NO CLUE that bringing weight down eases symptoms of estrogen dominance and thus is WHY bringing your weight down eases pn symptoms (a little, it ain't nothin' to write home about, trust me.. nothing compared to progersterone cream relief!).

No clue. I ain't gonna educate him either. I just wrote it on my list of stuff I take, walzted in with a big smile plastered to my face, pointed out the new progesterone cream on my list and told him to the effect of "that stuff's the bomb!!!!!" He won't believe me anyhow so why waste my breath? :rolleyes:

Higher blood sugar makes PN worse we all know. Higher blood sugar also makes ppl fat. Fat people make more estrogen.. its the higher estrogen load IN MY HUMBLE OPINION FROM SELF EXPERIMENTATION that causes PN misery.. that and the fact that once those hormones start draining out of your body, your body just no longer processes sugar as well as it used to. Your driving reflexes are as hot either, neither is your recall, you need reading glasses, the list goes on and on.

Even if you took at look at Dr. G. cancer video I posted, he said that just reducing calories can cause other problems including muscle wasting and hormonal imbalances. So hey = it ain't just one thing, it's a symphony and you may need to adjust the tunes of several instruments...

I have lost 60 pounds and it has helped a lot of things but not my pn. :mad:

Well, I had already briefly looked into things like suzane summers books and stuff as I know I need to, so this is something on my radar. Thanks for all the helpful info you have shared Karen. If you do not come here often anymore I would love if you privately sent me a pm with your email addy so I can keep in touch with you.

Again, I am so very happy for you. It gives hope to hear your story! :hug:

Dr. Dzugen has good books also. I have Suzanne's books and others too.

I came back for Christmas to Wish Mrs. D a Merry Xmas and remind her of all that she did for me, her being the first one to help me out of total misery and Stacy, if that was you, the second with the Benfiotiamine, spell? that kept me from being bed ridden. You guys gave me courage to keep hunting, to know that it was possible to maybe get more and more relief. sharp_karen_kay@hotmail.com

and here's my fb page again, Im on there a lot
https://www.facebook.com/karen.sharp.35?ref=tn_tnmn

There are more hormones to balance other than just estrogen and progesterone, women have testosterone too and others... maybe there is something a little more outta whack. Maybe it is a food issue. One of the things I got really lucky on was figuring out that what I used to be able to handle was now royally setting off my PN. I could have just kept going endlessly, taking what I used to take and just thinking my PN was getting worse and worse instead of relieving that. It was by googling that I found that. (Coconut oil and fish oil) Endlessly googling, googling to the point where ppl would think it was ridiculous but here I am telling you guys you can be free of it. I'm the one telling you guys that. I'm the one who endlessly googled - Im the one who was brave enough to do what ppl, other sufferers advised.

Think I wasn't scared when Mrs D told me to take four and five times as much Vitamin D supplement as my orthopedic specialist did, sure I was! She told me docs don't always have the most up to date research.. still I was scared. But I did it, I figure what can it hurt for a few days to try. Then I got to be the one crying tears of joy and happiness that that horrible endless calf cramp finanlly mostly melted away. Tears of Joy. I was scared, but I tried.

A life lived in fear is a life half lived. Spanish Proverb.

It's a symphony. You might need a bioidentical specialist, you might actually need the hormone testing, you might need more in that dept than me. But awesome on the weight loss, absolutely good for you!!!!!!!!! :hug:

Thanks for your book reference. :)

Also comes to mind, you need to spend some time googling phytoestrogens - find out which ones you may be inadvertantly ingesting. Then even figure out how to cut them all out five days, if possible. See if there's improvement. If so, you can start introducing them back into your diet, one by one, until you figure out if there is a culprit :mad: involved there. Just a thought. :) The two top phytoestrogen bombs are soy and flaxseed. HUGE amounts in both, just two different categories. That list I posted is not all inclusive, it's just a quickie list I found on a quickie google to give ppl an idea

Hi Karen

In case you are wondering if people take the time to read your longer posts, just wanted you to know, I for one, have read every word. :)

So, I've downloaded the book to my Ipad and will read it in bed at night. I love reading myself to sleep and that book looks so interesting.

Today I went out and searched for Diatomaceous Earth. Nobody in my area has heard of it, but my regular organic store (I buy everything from them, every day) said it sounded much like Bentonite Clay, so I bought some. I think, regardless of if it's the right/similar substance to Diatomaceous, it has enough health benefits to be of use for me and hubby. :) I'll take taking that and see if it makes any difference.

I do not believe my Dr that I have Plantar Fasciitis. It doesn't feel like I have screws under my feet, although I must admit that description does fit how my feet used to feel after many hours of walking or standing around, before the PN pain.

My pain is more stinging. It started with burning, I thought I was having hot flashes in my feet. But, within months it progressed to stinging, and electric shocks.

Unfortunately, I'm already on Lyrica & Tramadol for the pain. But, I have enough residual pain to know if other things are working.

I'm keen to try the progesterone cream now, and will ask about it tomorrow morning. Hopefully it's available without prescription here too.

I think my menopause is in the final stages. I've been going through it now for about 4 years and no longer have hot flashes. I do have a tiny 'excuse' for a period about once every 4 or 5 months. So, it's not over yet, but I do feel it getting closer. So, I'd like to get on top of this prior to post-menopause.

So now I take.....

Lyrica
Tramadol
Nerve Support Formula (Benfotiamine B12, etc.)
Multi-Vitamin
Alpha-L Acid
Magnesium
Iron
Inner Health Plus (good bacteria)
Vit C
Vit E

and now Clay!! lol :)

What would be fabulous, is if one of us here followed your advice, and in a month or so joined you in singing the praises of clay. If you have helped only 1 other person end their horror journey, won't you feel amazing!

Thank you Karen. I do hope your information helps others. Even if it's someone listening in, not speaking themselves, but taking away advice and acting on it.

Warm hugs :hug: :)

I am not sure those two things are the same thing or do the same things.

Yeah, me either, but I figured it's something to take in the meantime while I keep searching for the other. :)

Hey there Aussie Debbie

Here's the brand of diatomaceous earth that I ordered, only I ordered just a five pound bag
http://www.amazon.com/Diatomaceous-E...omaceous+earth

I can't vouch for your clay, I really just don't know anything about it.

What's going on with your feet really doesn't sound related to heel spurs to me; but no expert there either, I have had heel spurs a couple of times but then other's experiences could be different.

Good luck with all and I'm really hoping you'll get some improvement!

I hope you'll be coming back singing praises, either because of my post or someone else's. But you really sound like you need progesterone to me, based on Dr. Lee's 500 page book that I've read several times. I think that will help you a lot. If it doesn't, you could always go to the OBGYN and tell them that you'd like to try progesterone (get a bioidentical prescription or oral progesterone) for your neuropathy. Would be best if you could find a group of doctors that prescribe bioidential hormone replacement therapy. They just flat out know more. Sincerely , Karen

Thanks for the link Karen. :)

My GP is only suggesting heel spurs because he's run out of ideas. Personally, I thought nutrition, so went gluten-free since the start of the year. It's helped quite a few ways, so I'll stick with it, but am unsure if it's the cause of my NP. Time will tell. And in the meantime, I'm open to trying anything that may help. Can't win if you don't play the game!

You have the right attitude, in my book. Frankly my feet have turned hot and very red on occasion, I thought it was neuropathy but that could even have been a menopausal symptom, now thinking about it more, just don't know.

Good for you on stopping gluten! I've thought of that one too, haven't done it because I'm pretty happy at the moment.

i invested all of $18 in the 'mud' as you call it.

took a week to work up to tablespoon.
mix it with half juice half water
stir it well and down it goes.

i find nothing negative about adding it so why not give it a try.

i did notice some extra sensitivity for a few days but gone quick.

I hope it work for you!!!! Exactly what I had a little increased nerve pain, but honestly, that's like everything I try... then it subsided and went to a better situation. Even vitamin B supplements temporarily up my neuropathy!! The key for me is always in a few days, does it get better or steadily worse. If it gets worse, then I give up trying it. Simple. Thanks for your note. I'm glad you were careful and worked up slowly to a tablespoon. Working up slowly with neuropathy is always better cause you just never know, mine is so unpredictable.

been alomost a month now. i take my tablespoon daily with any liquid.
stir well as it doesnt dissolve in the liquid.

I cant say that I have a lot of improvement BUT i started Livalo, a statin, at the same time. Beyond that first bit of discomfort, I havent noticed ANY increase in symptons at any time, but I do seem to have longer periods during the day where my feet feel ALIVE, i can move my toes, etc.

at a Tablespoon a day, my 3 lbs will last a long time.

Wonderful, so happy for you!!!!!! What's a statin drug, isn't that for reduction of blood pressure, something like that?

How's the clay going? I'm going to try a little of that too. The Diatomaceous Earth did great things for me but it did not cure lyme disease, never read it would but was hopeful. Im going to try the volcanic ash now too, the clay... Just a little, I'll let you know. I'm stuck back on antibiotics for recurrent lyme. I'm still taking my "mud." I've lost weight, I look great, I've gotten off estrogen, which can be dangerous, still on progesterone, of course. I've lost ten pounds with no effort, I can ride my bike through the woods faster than I ever had since some neurologist told me I have PN. Diatomaceous Earth I am also now calling, "the poor girl's facelift" as it has done some much for my complexion.

Karen I have been praying about this and decided to order this, my question is I have found several different brands, this one:

http://www.earthworkshealth.com/products.php


That is the one I was looking at buying. How did you choose the brand you use? Do you feel brand matters?

Thanks Karen!!!

Hey there, I bought my daughter in law 10 lbs of that.. at first, I bought myself another brand, but if I ever run out of it, I'm going with this brand. I was thinking of you today Stacy and curious as to whether you've ever been tested for Lyme disease.

Karen, I just bought it!!

I also want to get involved in checking my hormones soon, but dealing with neurologist stuff right now.

No I have never been tested for lyme, I have never had a tick bite.

I sure hope this stuff does any of the number of things I read about it, lol, but I also have some constipation now that I am on pain meds, neurotin, so that is another reason I bought it. But I was on the earthworks web reading testimonies and half way down was a person with PN from diabetes and she said it helped her. Fingers crossed!

Glad you keep popping in!

I think you ought to get tested for Lyme, especially if you are having so much trouble with neurop. and some of the things you said. I never saw any deer tick - ever. I was soooo surprised. I've noticed a lot of the things they say for Lyme also apply to nueropathy, even Alpha Lipoic Acid and such... I just think you should get tested. It's only a little blood test. What could it hurt? Just a thought, I will not be bugging you in the future about it...

Hi Karen,

I've been taking "the mud" for almost a month now. Still working my way up to a tablespoon. Tried ordering from amazon.com but they wouldn't ship this item to Canada. Had to buy it locally at a much higher price.

Started the progesterone cream today. It's not available OTC in Canada so had to ask my cousin's wife in the US to order it for me. They just arrived here today for a visit.

Thanks, Karen! ! !

If you do not live in a state or have visited a state where there are deer ticks you don't have to worry about Lyme disease. Those ticks are very, very small and would hardly be noticed. And if you happen to have one of those ticks then you have about 12-18 hours to remove it before it can give you Lyme disease. Not all ticks carry the disease as you probably know. There is a high incidence of Lyme disease where I live.

MetroMom what benefits have you seen since starting the DE? Any negative side effects? Why do you have to work your way up instead of just taking 1 tablespoon?

Hmm.. I dunno about the tick thing, something to think about.

I very carefully and gingerly try EVERYTHING now... cause while I have my PN very well under control as I've been saying... things can still set it off... things I don't expect or see coming. When that happens, all of my little 'happy fixes" don't help, Bentifiomine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Cinammon, whatever.. I just get stuck waiting for it to wear off and making sure to avoid it in the future ( vitamin e capsule, was the last one, probably something in the oil that it was made with - oils can be big triggers, fish oil, canola oil, coconut oil, etc)... so everything is taken gingerly in my case, that way if there is a bad reaction, I will have less time to wait before it wears off.

Plus, my friend told me, start at one teaspoon and work up to a tablespoon. I told one of my friends about it and he just started right off the bat with a tablespoon and had no problems.

Lyme disease, it just sounds like you haven't been having a lot of luck lately and now some experts are agreeing that it is an epidemic - and it's coming from mosquitos and biting flies as well... so 'a tick thing' may become part of the past like... 'remember when people thought the world was flat.. and remember when people thought Lyme disease used to only come from deer ticks?"

I was reading all of this and you came to mind and I thought - gosh, wouldn't that be a shame if that's what it's about and there's treatment that she's just been going years and years without? Lyme does cause neuropathy and people routinely wind up being put on neurotin (spell?) for it. That's a well known, don't know if you're aware. Just go to any large scale lyme support fourm and you'll see that over and over.. neurotin neurotin neurotin....

As a matter of fact, an RN told me (friend of mine, she's very high up in Futurecare, a chain of - rehab places- combo- nursing homes).. that both Lyme disease and MS can cause lesions in the brain. I asked her, Well if that's the case, then why bother getting a brain scan because how would they know which is which? The RN told me that if you have a positive lyme test and some doc thinks you might have MS, then when lesions on the brain are discovered it is decided that it comes down to determining between the two based on symptoms.

I didn't feel like getting a brain MRI so I just shrugged this off and said, won't matter in my case either cause the findings would be kinda useless since I already had a positive lyme test anyway. Why go through the claustrophobia for no reason?

Well, i don't feel ike fixing my typos - but think what you may Stacy dear - I worked as a medium for ten years and I specialized in bereavement support for those who have lost children. My work continued through word of mouth only so you can be sure I was pretty good. My 'inner guidance' pipes up for good reasons most of the time and today, my inner guidance mentioned you. But like I said, I don't plan to pester you about it. I just know that you helped me and I'm really pulling for you because you were so nice - it was just a thought, Sincerley, KarenESP

(I had to use KarenEVP because KarenESP was already taken at this site, by the way. EVP is Electronic Voice Phenomenon, another tool of the psychic medium.)

So you are a psychic medium Karen as you posted. If that is correct. Just checking.

Karen, thank you so much for caring and you are not pestering. I will definately get a lyme test, is there a specific test I should get?

Thank you Karen, I am so glad you are finding relief.

A site concerning Lyme Disease.

http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/

The debate could go on and on. The above site explains it well. There are other sites as well explaining how it has not been proven to be spread by any other means than the infected Deer Tick.

Stacy you can check out the discussions concerning Lyme Disease under Health Conditions A - L. Scroll down to the Lyme Disease forum.

There are many diseases you can get from ticks - not just Lyme Disease from the Deer Tick. Here is a site:

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/

And, West Nile Virus is just one thing that infected mosquitoes can carry. It is prevalent in our area.

Stacy, I don't know if I'm getting any benefits yet. I'm just doing everything I could to alleviate symptoms. I'm into supplements, physiotheraphy, naturopathy, progesterone cream, and DE.

I didn't notice any negative side effects from taking DE. I read that DE detoxifies the body and if you detox too quickly, you may get flu-like symptoms. This is why I try to take it slowly and work my way up.

I have been asked by quite a few people about lyme and I always dismiss it. I guess it is time to check it out.

Karen, I just ordered progesterone cream, the kind your sister in law used. I will also be getting book. But I wanted to ask you, you said to cut out pyto food like flax seed, yet you said you still take flaxseed...I take flaxseed, and for all the reasons you mention, but why still take it if it cause more problems? I dont doubt I am estrogen dominant at all. Im kinda going blind, since I have not had my hormones checked but I am going to try progesterone anyway.

Perhaps this site will be of interest to you Stacy.

http://www.lymedisease.org/lyme101/l...diagnosis.html

Hope you find an answer.

Thank you Kitt, I will look into this!

You are welcome.