Telling CFIDS, Fibro and Hashi's to Suck It!

@Hallowed: I see Dr Camilleri too! :smiley: I’m also thankful that I can afford him, he’s been worth every penny. He got me from disabled to working again in 90 days! I see him again next week to check in on my progress.


As for body comp, unfortunately this week has been something of a bust. I’ve been working my ass off preparing for a show this weekend where I’m vending, so gym has been pushed aside. At least I’ve been moving around pretty much nonstop, so I’ve been burning a few more calories than usual. My diet has been OK - I caved once to half a box of Mary’s Gone Crackers (at least they are low-glycemic), and today to a handful of SunDrops (think all-natural M&Ms). I probably have been undereating overall because I’ve been so busy and stressed out - just to make things worse, last night my kitten went to the hospital! (This explains the SunDrops…) Ugh, I hate when the emotional eating kicks in.

Since I’ll be away from home at the show all weekend, I’m shooting for low-glycemic rather than low-carb until I return. Thankfully, the hotel room has a fridge. It also has a gym and a pool, so I’m hoping to be able to get a little exercise in (although I’ll be running around like an idiot all day and much of the night).

I am still reaping the benefits of the last 6 weeks or so of exercise, as I’m sleeping quite well and I have seen overall improvements to my stamina. I’ll get an ick day here and there, but they are somewhat fewer and farther between.

I see the exercise and body comp improvement as another stepping stone - I had to clamber up several others to get to the point where I could even think about exercising again. Now that I’m here, it’s acting as a stepping stone to overall better health. So long as I manage to avoid catching anything too awful this winter, I should be able to keep the plates spinning and keep climbing up. :slight_smile:

Well, I ought to have known better. I overextended myself during the show and ended up crashing myself a bit. The good news is that it’s not nearly as bad as it could be, and I’m thinking I can be back in the gym come Saturday morning.

What I did right:

  • Drank plenty of water.
  • Got plenty of salt. (Along with the water, it keeps my blood pressure up and wards off dizzy spells)
  • Kept a stash of high-protein snacks (like jerky, cheese and nuts) and low-glycemic carbs (like brown-rice- and-quinoa crackers).
  • Kept myself to one serving of caffeine per day (tea in the morning).
  • Took my supps like a champ.

What I did wrong:

  • NOT ENOUGH SLEEP OH GOD - only got 5-6 hours per night. I need at least 7.5 to function.
  • Too much sugar. Must resist the people handing out chocolate, even when my ass is totally dragging…
  • Didn’t rest enough between tasks; I can’t go 10 hours straight without a nap anymore!

But somehow I continued to lose weight; got weighed at the doc’s office on Monday and I was down to 125. Probably lost a little muscle, though I noticed that I’m retaining a lot less water, even with those naughty sugary carbs. It’s just possible that it smacked my metabolism a bit after all the low-carbing.

Yesterday, my bf put his arm around my waist and then informed me that I was “less squishy” then I had been. :wink:

I wish you all the best!!! Stay strong sista!

[quote]Ankoku-jin wrote:
Hi everyone!

I’ve always had a love affair with being strong and lifting weights. High school was littered with pictures of short lil’ me lifting big ol’ guys in my arms; college brought a job at the recreation center where I filled the time between my shifts with iron. A career in the software industry brought a whole lot of sitting on my ass, but I still worked to find the time to get a little weightlifting in here and there.

But a few years back, my health started to take a turn for the worse. I started getting unexplained fatigue and pain that made it hard to get to the gym regularly. My doctors said I had CFIDS and Fibro; I made lifestyle changes and took supps to try and get better.

It all went to hell this January, when my thyroid and stomach blew out, putting me out on disability for three months. My current set of diagnoses is:

1.) CFIDS (AKA unexplained neuro-immune dysfunction)
2.) Fibromyalgia
3.) Hashimoto’s disease
4.) Autoimmune gastritis
5.) Celiac disease

I found me a good (albeit expensive) doctor, and we’ve been putting me back together, bit by bit. It’s slow, but it’s working, and I have begun to feel human again!

Now I’m back at work, and finally back in the gym after two years away. Unfortunately, I picked up a little weight from being hypothyroid and inactive; on the bright side, I managed to keep some lean muscle mass and only went up to the high side of “normal” BMI-wise.

Anyway, this is where I’m coming from. Where do I want to be? That’s in the next post. :)[/quote]

[quote]Ankoku-jin wrote:
@Hallowed: I see Dr Camilleri too! :smiley: I’m also thankful that I can afford him, he’s been worth every penny. He got me from disabled to working again in 90 days! I see him again next week to check in on my progress.


As for body comp, unfortunately this week has been something of a bust. I’ve been working my ass off preparing for a show this weekend where I’m vending, so gym has been pushed aside. At least I’ve been moving around pretty much nonstop, so I’ve been burning a few more calories than usual. My diet has been OK - I caved once to half a box of Mary’s Gone Crackers (at least they are low-glycemic), and today to a handful of SunDrops (think all-natural M&Ms). I probably have been undereating overall because I’ve been so busy and stressed out - just to make things worse, last night my kitten went to the hospital! (This explains the SunDrops…) Ugh, I hate when the emotional eating kicks in.

Since I’ll be away from home at the show all weekend, I’m shooting for low-glycemic rather than low-carb until I return. Thankfully, the hotel room has a fridge. It also has a gym and a pool, so I’m hoping to be able to get a little exercise in (although I’ll be running around like an idiot all day and much of the night).

I am still reaping the benefits of the last 6 weeks or so of exercise, as I’m sleeping quite well and I have seen overall improvements to my stamina. I’ll get an ick day here and there, but they are somewhat fewer and farther between.

I see the exercise and body comp improvement as another stepping stone - I had to clamber up several others to get to the point where I could even think about exercising again. Now that I’m here, it’s acting as a stepping stone to overall better health. So long as I manage to avoid catching anything too awful this winter, I should be able to keep the plates spinning and keep climbing up. :)[/quote]

Amazing what the right treatment can do. He had me feeling so much better in exactly six weeks. <3 Dr. C! My bloodwork was so bad when I got to him he just assumed I was on disability. Um,no though I probably should’ve been for all I was able to accomplish at work (not fucking much LOL). I 'm SO HAPPY FOR YOU to be properly treated now. So many women don’t ever get that we are really really lucky.

Sounds like you’re doing well. I wish we had these sorts of places in the UK. Our GPs (General Practioner - same as an MD) are rubbish at diagnosing and treating stuff like this. I don’t even bother to go to the doctor unless I have something I can’t fix with OTC medicine.

Re: the carbs - the odd carb-up can help kickstart the metabolism, so chances are your sugary treats didn’t do any harm. Main thing is not to have carb-ups too often.

@Hallowed - no kidding! So many women just suffer, or are told it’s in their heads. I wasn’t about to take that particular line of bullshit! (Background in biochem = little patience for doctors who talk down to me…)

@Cal - You’re absolutely right! Hardest part for me is to keep those carb-ups infrequent, because when I’m feeling poorly I crave 'em sooooo bad…


I have managed to get my butt back into the gym - I came to the end of my previous training log (I print out a wee logbook that I attach to a lanyard along with a small pen), so I reviewed my plan and decided that I needed to make a couple of minor changes based on some fine articles right here at T-Nation. :wink:

I’m really looking to correct those damn computer-geek-shoulders of mine, so I’m mixing some facepulls in with my basic cable rows, and mixing a little serratus anterior work into my presses. My off days bring plenty of stretching and mobility for pecs, shoulders, and upper back, and some pain from my good friends Foam Roller and Tiger Tail. I’m looking to incorporate planks and bridges into my off-day routine as well.

And now the bad news - I’ve been hit with major stress bombs at work. This was unexpected, as we had created a position for me post-disability that was supposed to reduce my stress levels! We did this because my ability to deal with stress is completely shot; I go into “solid-rocket-booster mode” when triggered. That is, I go into massive fight-or-flight response and cannot turn it off (even once the crisis is past) until I crash and burn a few hours later. That’s right - 2-3 hours or more of solid adrenaline. o_o Even my doc doesn’t understand exactly why I do this nowadays, though we know my adrenals are tetchy to say the least.

I paid for this little stress-party in spades all weekend. Feeling a little better yesterday, I hit the gym. But today started with a bang - my malfunctioning adrenals deciding to randomly sputter out some adrenaline while I’m zoning out in the passenger seat, leading to a sort of panic attack. Fun times! Follow this with yet more stress bombs, and I haven’t felt this bad since I was out on disability. :frowning:

You can bet I’m talking to my boss about this… from the expression on his face, I must look like I feel. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Anyway, enough complaining… the next few days are going to be about stretching, massage, and getting as much sleep and quality nutrition as I can. On the pharmaceutical side, I have Flexeril and medical-grade cannabis tincture if the spasms and pain get too bad.

I think I’m going to send my dad to Holtorf Medical. He has hypothyroidism.

OP,

You only have gastritis and no intestinal issues?

I know that milk proteins (whey, casein) are supposed to be harder to digest. Have you had any issues with protein shakes? If so, have you tried whole egg protein? Just a suggestion.

I’ll be following along! =P

@Ponce: Holtorf is plenty pricey, but worth every penny to me!

I did have IBS symptoms until I went gluten- and casein-free for a couple years. Once that cleared up, I was able to introduce small amounts of dairy. Whey and ghee have never given me problems, but the ones I use are certified casein-free. I tried some micellar casein powder recently, but realized it makes my tummy ache a little, so I ditched it.

Right now I avoid gluten, corn, casein, refined sugars, preservatives, artificial coloring, and other additives - nearly all processed food, except for simple canned or frozen things with no additives.

I’ve also done FAILSAFE (low-salicylate, low-amine) and low-oxalate diets, with inconclusive results. It’s a real bear because my symptoms are so variable - stress, temperature, pollen count, sleep quality, and even weather changes can make me feel bad, so it’s hard to tell if a given diet is having any effect, even with a journal. (The running joke is that we should map my symptoms against the stock price at the office.)

My next thing to try is basically a modified Paleo diet, minus nightshades. If that one is also inconclusive, then I might have to do something really wacky and try to cross FAILSAFE with Paleo or something! It may just be that I end up on a rotating diet, never eating the same thing more than once or twice a week.

have you done the paleo before?

(Boy, I wish the forum would reliably inform me when someone posts… it seems kind of irregular right now…)

Yes, I’ve gone Paleo before, but I suspect that I ate too much fruit (I do love fruit) and the jury is still out on nightshades. I’m also suspicious of eggs - my original elimination diet showed no problems, but that may have been because gluten, corn, and dairy were overshadowing it.

I’m really hoping I don’t have to go on the Rotation Diet, where you can’t eat the same thing more often than once every 5 days. Ugh! ~_~

Hmn… try the paleo with very limited fruit and see how it goes. I find the paleo way of eating very appealing personally. ALL THAT FAT :slight_smile:

Pardon the ignorance:

What do you mean by night shades?

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
Pardon the ignorance:

What do you mean by night shades?[/quote]

Overview - the basics about nightshade foods

Potatoes, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, tamarios, pepinos, pimentos, paprika, cayenne, and Tabasco sauce are classified as nightshade foods. A particular group of substances in these foods, called alkaloids, can impact nerve-muscle function and digestive function in animals and humans, and may also be able to compromise joint function. Because the amount of alkaloids is very low in nightshade foods when compared with other nightshade plants, health problems from nightshade foods may only occur in individuals who are especially sensitive to these alkaloid substances

-Which foods are classified as "nightshades," and why are adverse reactions sometimes associated with these foods?

Yup, BBB, you’re completely right, tobacco is a nightshade. May explain my reaction to tobacco smoke, eugh. My bf smokes, and he not only has to do it outside, he has to take a shower before bed or the smoke residue will make me sniffly and headache-y all night long! The inconvenience of it all drives him to quit, but so far he’s had trouble staying off. :frowning:


Things are still pretty irregular for me, I haven’t had much chance to recover from the initial set of stress bombs I mentioned previously. Stress is a killer for anyone, but it’s a particularly insidious threat for the auto-immune - nothing sends out the little pac-men (as I envision auto-antibodies) quite like stress. >_< I’ve talked to my boss about this, but in the short term I don’t have much choice but to roll with it as best I can - deadlines are deadlines, and we as managers are responsible for meeting them. :confused: I was stress-bombed again Friday and Monday, and today I ended up working from home, barely able to get my ass out of bed - but they can’t say I didn’t warn them. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Needless to say, this is not conducive to working out and eating right! For now, I’m limiting myself to stretching and foam-rolling, as my stiffness and muscle knots get so much worse under stress. The 5-day break due to T-day should help me gain some more traction, and I have the last two weeks of the year off because the company (mostly) shuts down.

Mentally, I have to remind myself that these setbacks are going to happen, and that I can’t beat myself up for them. I have to roll with it, do everything I can to get myself back on track, and take the opportunity to get back under the bar when everything lines up again.

That said, my primary goal is to stick to the elimination diet. There’s nothing quite like a bout of nasty fibro pain to make you crave starchy comfort food or sugary ice cream, thus ensuring a self-perpetuating cycle…

Wooooo, I got my sorry ass back in the gym today! :smiley: That is such a fucking accomplishment right now, you don’t even know…

I had trouble with the squat, and ended up going back down to oly bar + 20 lbs. I went as deep as I could in compensation for my sudden inability to move weight, and was rewarded with wobbly legs of doom (the good kind). I guess I’m just going to have to work my way back up after this Month of Crappy - it brought a great deal of sitting, and I’m guessing that my legs are not happy about that at all.

Oddly, I lost zero ground on my upper body, which is usually the weaker of the two. I initially added some more assist on the chinup machine, based on my piss-poor showing during the squat, and then startled myself by shooting up to the top from a dead hang - CLANG! went the weight stack! o_o So I set it back where it was on my last good workout, and did just fine. Same for facepulls, curls, and military press. I’m surprised, but quite pleased. Yay, some good news!

The other good news is that despite irregular eating habits over much of the month, I haven’t gained any weight and my measurements remain the same. This is probably due to the combo of increased muscle mass + a little more T3 (now at 75mcg), and stabilizing my corticoid dosages (fludro 0.05mg/day; hydrocortisone 15mg/day SR).

On the supp front, I’m picking up some NAC and SAM-e to see how they affect me. I’ll probably do the NAC first for a week, then add in the SAM-e. I tried NADH, but it makes me more tired; l-tyrosine helps somewhat, but so far I don’t think it’s a big enough boost to warrant yet another pill.

Concerned that I’m on my way to another nadir. I go back to see my doc at the end of the month, and I’ll be armed with spreadsheets and charts like you would not believe - I’m a middle manager by trade, he’s lucky he’s not getting a goddamned PowerPoint presentation on how shitty I feel. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Back in September, 5 months after returning to work, I was feeling well enough to start hitting the gym again. By October, I was going 3 times a week and making good gains. Now, I’m lucky to get in once a week, and it takes me 6-8 days to recover. Bad news.

Most disturbing is the return of GI problems that had disappeared before I even came back to work. I’ll spare everyone the details, but this is killing my diet! By evening I can often only tolerate soft, bland foods, which aren’t exactly winners for blood sugar and body comp.

Frankly, it upsets me to have my progress log turn into a litany of suck! My hope is that my recent round of blood tests sheds some light on things and that adjusting my meds and changing my job description to something less stress-driven will get me back out of the hole. I just hope that I don’t have to give up my career to get there.

ETA: My logs do show that hitting the gym and eating clean are the best possible things I can do for key wellness indicators: I sleep better, I have less fibro pain, more focus, and my appetite is good. It’s pretty clear that the stress of lifting isn’t what’s killing me here; it’s definitely outside stressors that kick my butt. ~_~

I’ve considered PS, but have concerns over the cortisol-modulating effects. (I’ve not heard of bacopa, but I would have similar concerns.) Can you tell me more, or point me to some resources?

I currently take a compounded time-release cortisol replacement (10-15mg/day) and a small amount of fludrocortisone (0.05mg/day) due to HPA dysfunction (primarily manifesting as orthostatic hypotension), so I’ve avoided anything that affects cortisol levels to this point; cortisol is also vital to getting the T3 where it belongs.

I learned a harsh lesson back when I was taking calcium d-glucarate to help clear the birth-control hormones out of me - corticoids also undergo glucuronidaton, and my symptoms got worse! So now I’m very cautious taking any supp that may affect cortisol or mineralocorticoid levels.