The End of the Dump

I'm going to call it...My dump has officially ended!

The dump (increased symptoms and many days of hell) started 2 months after amalgam removal around 
November 25th 2017 and ended or started to end around September 13th 2019 (round 62). 

It was almost 22 months long. 2 months + a few days short of 2 years. 

I'm glad it is over and I thank God he helped me through it. 

If you stopped by for the last couple of posts, they were DEPRESSING. 

I wrote in the last post that I was worried that the dump would never end and wondered what if it didn't. My face was broken out and peeling, the numbness in my legs was moving up my legs and the dizziness was as bad as ever.

To keep my mind from worrying, I was counting down the days and if the dump was going to end  at 24 months I had between 83 to 144 days left to suffer in it. 
For some reason 71 was sticking in my head, so since round 71 would be done around the end of October, I set my goal to get through 71 rounds and that the dump would be over. If it wasn't over by round 71, I could definitely make it another month if the dump was 24 months on November 25th. 

Ah, but I was WRONG! The dump started to end  - wait for it -

.

.

.

.

71 DAYS from my last post!

I'm not well yet and still have probably 3 years of chelation left, by my estimation, but my head feels good.
Have you ever had a really bad flu that lasted for days and then your fever breaks? You know you've turned a corner and feel better, but you still have a way to go to be 100%. 
Yep. That's where I am. 

For those that want to know more, I wrote down some details on what happened and how I was feeling on 2 different days. 

Here's what I wrote on  9/17:

I don't want to jinx it, but I think the dump is ending!
Last week, I felt calm on round and the first two days off round were easy too. I  had some off round redistribution on Friday the 13th, but it wasn't much. Saturdays are always my worst day off round, with enough increased symptoms to keep me in bed most of the day. Saturday came and no symptoms.
Sunday night I had a rough night and didn't sleep much, so I turned off all my alarms for dose times and didn't start my round at 8 am Monday.
Monday night, I had better sleep, so I started my round on Tuesday and the next two days on round went well, with the exception of missing a dose. I remembered it an hour late, but didn't want to abort the round, so I took the dose and reset all my alarms for a 2 hour schedule.

Since last week, I've noticed that my muscles are cramping up less and most of the time, not at all, when I go from a sitting to standing position. It seems to be getting better day by day, but we'll see how things are off round.
Previously, when I would stand from a sitting position, my leg muscles would spasm and I would need to hold on to my walker until the spasm stopped and then I could walk somewhat regularly.
 I have more energy too.
Tonight, I vacuumed my bedroom, the large U shaped hallway, the office, part of he kitchen and a little section of the living room. I was tired, but I didn't feel ill, like I was going to die.
Previously, just vacuuming one room would tire me out that I felt ill and I couldn't go on and it was imperative that I sit down and rest immediately.
That is a big plus. Now, maybe I'll get my house tidied up!

I've also noticed that I feel good sitting down. The past several months, I've mostly felt ok sitting down, but this is the longest stretch of feeling good sitting down.
I was able to make pasta last night. I was able to stand while it cooked and I didn't feel awful when it was finished.

The dizziness hasn't been as bad either. Usually, when I get up and do things, it makes me dizzy to the point of feeling ill.
So far that is lessening. Tuesday, I was hardly dizzy at all; just a little off balance. I was able to walk out to the mailbox WITHOUT using my cane!

This evening, I didn't need the help of my walker as I walked around the house. Usually, just holding on to it keeps me from expending too much energy as I walk and I need it to walk across the house. Tonight I didn't need it.

I still have numbness in my legs, but it isn't bothering me.
Ringing in my ears is loud this round, but it doesn't bother me.

9/24
I think I'm feeling better every day!
I've been able to do more things every day.
The numbness in my legs is lessening...my right leg only has numbness from the ankle down.
I feel really good sitting down.
When I walk in a crowd, hanging on to my husband, my brain can process what I'm seeing. Before, I would hang on my husbands arm and walk blindly, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.
My head is clear and I feel positive, instead of pessimistic about life again. 
Haven't had random fibro pain on various parts of my body.
Stabbing pains that used to last for hours or a day and a half, haven't happened.
I don't have to sleep with a pillow under my legs because it's comfortable when I straighten them.

Which brings us to today; October 4th.
I took a week off of chelating last week because I had to travel. 
My round this week went well and I haven't really feel any different on round. 

Which means I can raise my dose after doing 3 round of not feeling anything on or off round. 

I plan to add DMPS to my ALA rounds to get more mercury out. DMPS chelates mercury from the body, but ALA (alpha lipoic acid) is the only chelator that crosses the blood brain barrier and removes mercury from the brain. 
I'll let you know how that goes another time. 

For now, let's celebrate that almost 2 years of hell is over!

Next time, I'll compare how I was before, during and after the dump. 

Pam

What if...And Other Random Thoughts

Well, it looks like the dump is going to be 2 years for me.

As of today, it will be 144 days more if the dump is counted from the day it starts (November 25th. It will be 83 more days (September 25th)  if the dump ends 2 years after amalgam removal.

These days have been difficult and fraught with doubt.

What if some of these symptoms are lyme rearing it's ugly head?

Am I chelating with an amalgam speck still on a tooth?

What if my symptoms continue after the 2 years is up?

What do I do if symptoms continue after the end of November?

First, I have to get through the 83 to 144 days.

I will continue to do rounds of ACC chelation.

I will continue to take the Core 4 and other supporting supplements.

I am taking some herbs to keep lyme at bay.

If I get to January and still have increased symptoms, I will :

     Have my dentist lift my crowns, take x rays and post them again to the group

     to check for specks.

After that, I will continue to chelate.

There was a post recently in our Andy Cutler group that asked people who had the longest dump.

The AVERAGE dump lasts around 12 months.

The AVERAGE LONGEST dump is 24 months.

These are people who like me, had amalgams for many years and may or may not have used chelators improperly, like I did.

There was ONE person who recently said they were in month 30.

Reading 30 months was truly depressing.

My X rays have been checked with the group once, so I'm trusting that, for now.

I had to lower my dose of ala yet again.  This time, I went down to 3 mg.

That round went very smooth.

I took 2 weeks off because we took a week of vacation and then my left hip muscle acted up again and it took about 6 days before I could walk upright and not be in so much pain.

Monday I started  round  59 at 3 mg ala. It was rough for the first couple of hours, but it has leveled out.

Still waiting for the world shortage of dmps to end so I can try it.

Nothing much else to report.

The thought of spending the next 83 to 144 days sitting on my bed watching tv or surfing the internet fills me with dread. 

All I can think of is that I want to get up and do something. 

The problem is, that when I do, I get dizzy and so tired I can't finish even the simplest of tasks.

How to torture someone who's a type A?

Yep, this is it. 

I'll stop whining now.

Thanks for listening.

Thinking of the better days ahead,

Pam

symptoms:
extreme muscle tightness 
cannot use muscles or I'm so sore the next day
Muscle spasms upon standing
urgency
waking up at night to use bathroom (2-4 times a night)
sleeping 1 to 2 hour stretches. Rarely 3 hours once a night.
dizziness upon standing or moving around too much
brain fog sometimes when I do too much
cannot write well
numbness in feet and legs up to knees
super hot or freezing feet
ringing in ears
gait problems
blurry eyes at times
eyes not processing what I'm seeing (when in public)
nail problems

Down In The Trenches

This post is mainly written for those who are chelating.

It's Saturday and I feel crappy.

I usually wait until I feel somewhat well to write, but today I'm writing when I don't feel well.

If you're wondering...I just finished month 16 of the dump. It could end any day now or it could linger until month 24... or longer.

I just finished round 49 (still on 5 mg ala) on Wednesday night. Technically, it was 2:30 am Thursday morning, but I still think of my round ending on Wednesday night.

Rounds have been mostly good since the last post.
I've gone to a 2 hour dosing schedule during the day and every 2:40 at night.
I don't find it any more difficult than dosing every 3 hours and I'm usually up at night multiple times anyway, so I'm glad I gave it a try.

When I was doing 3 hour dosing, I just felt like I was getting some redistribution closer to hour 3 when I took another dose; I don't get that with 2 hour dosing.

I usually feel pretty good when I'm on round and the first day off, but the first two rounds this month I didn't.

Glad that's over with.

This past round I was back to feeling good. I get in the sauna every afternoon on round and the first day off round to minimize redistribution. I start feeling redistribution usually by Friday.

Redistribution, for those that don't know is when you get increased symptoms again. During a round, most people feel better and definitely upbeat.

So, here's what I'm experiencing:
Yesterday afternoon my eyes started getting blurry and later that evening watery and burning. It's Spring and pollen is starting to fall fro the trees, but I don't have seasonal allergies and I haven't been outside much. I'm sure my eyes will be back to normal by tomorrow night. This isn't the first time it's happened.

I have numbness in my feet and legs, but lately it's been moving higher up on my legs and the left leg is more numb than the right. Lately, both legs feel like I'm wearing knee high socks. On round, both legs are less numb and the right leg was barely numb at all. The numbness never leaves my feet and the left foot is not very flexible at all.
Fatigue and general overall lack of motivation is keeping me mostly in bed today.
Today, the dizziness seems to be absent, so I'm thankful for that.
I will be sooooooooo glad when that symptom is gone!

Last symptoms are the top of my head seems to be smoldering, my tinnitus is a little louder and I'm itchy.
I tend not to worry about these symptoms coming and going. The Andy Cutler Chelation group on Facebook is filled with posts asking if these symptoms are normal.
Yes, they are normal mercury toxicity symptoms.

As everyone says in the Andy Cutler Facebook group: "Onward and upward.

Starting Off The New Year on Round 40

*this post contains affiliate links

Happy New Year everyone!

A lot has happened since my last post!
We have a new grandbaby who was born at the end of November!
We traveled across the country and spent Christmas with family and was able to have dinner out 3 times in a week!
I know that might not sound like a big deal, but it is!

Let me start at the beginning...
I was able to get 39 rounds of ACC chelation in before our trip to SoCal.
That last round was a little rough, as I had run out of 5mg ala (because the supplier was out), so for round 38,  I had enough 12 mg capsules to split for one round. Round 38 at 6 mg went fine.

For round 39, my husband split 12.5 mg capsules, so the dose was 6.25.
No big deal, right?
Wrong.
I had increased symptoms (ear ringing, dull headache, adrenal symptoms).
Not what I needed right before an 8 day trip.

I didn't reveal this, but my daughter and I flew out to SoCal for our oldest daughter's baby shower, and the Tuesday before we left (on Friday), my head cleared 100%. It lasted for 2 full days! That was so awesome and a much needed answer to prayer.
The whole Charlotte team of American Airlines gave me exemplary service from literally the 10 seconds after I set foot in the door, until I was assisted onto the plane. A passenger even helped us on the plane and got our bags down from the overhead compartment once the plane landed. Still, I had a little meltdown once on the plane from the stress of all the preparation that's needed to get onto an airplane.

The  American Airlines team in Charlotte set the bar so high on that trip, but I understood that wasn't going to happen every time I flew.
Still, my husband was accompanying me on the December flight, so I knew it would be ok.
 While the American Airlines Charlotte team still offered assistance, traveling so close to a holiday makes things a little more chaotic. My adrenals are definitely better because we got to our seats on the plane with no meltdown!

After a wonderful Christmas celebration with family(the last time was in 1999 before we moved), we spent the week with our daughter, helping her organizing our grandbaby's room(my sister did a lot!), moving the last of her things from another residence and organizing her apartment. One day I worked so hard that I felt like I "broke" on the way back to our hotel.  I have been sleeping better, so I was fine the next day.

Being on the freeways in Los Angeles was still a "white knuckle ride" for me, so we limited our driving time and driving distance.
We got together with friends at a restaurant on Thursday. In the past, going out to a restaurant hasn't been enjoyable, it's merely been a test of surviving to the end.

Wings at Simmzy's Venice Beach

On Saturday, we met my brother in law and sister in law for dinner. The room wasn't loud when we arrived at the restaurant, but it was loud when we left. I call it success that I was still able to follow the conversation and enjoy the experience.

We went out again Sunday night with my family, but this time, it was not as easy to follow or engage in conversation. Still, much better that it has been.

We returned home on New Year's Eve.

It had been a busy week and I knew that it was going to take me a couple of weeks to recover.
I don't think it's related to my trip, but on Sunday (6 days after returning home), I woke up to my blood pressure spiking at 210/107. I waited 30 minutes and when my bp was still high I woke my husband up and we tried some things to lower it (hibiscus and putting my feet in hot water). My chest has been hurting in the area of my heart (near the sternum) for several weeks, so it was a bit disconcerting. My blood pressure lowered a bit, but then began going higher. With the chest pains, I felt I should get it checked out, so we went to the ER. Labs were good, with the exception of low potassium. The doctor had no explanation for either the blood pressure spike or the chest pains.
I'm continuing to monitor my blood pressure at home.

I skipped doing a round that week.

I just finished round 40 yesterday. The round was uneventful; hopefully the next few days off round will be, as well.


Here are 7 things that might help you when traveling by plane:

1. Purchase a good carry on that fits under the seat to keep needed supplements and food while you fly.

I purchased this one because it was large enough to fit my laptop inside. There's plenty of room inside and in the outside section and pockets. The only other feature I wish it had is spinner wheels.
 

I used 2 of these packing cubes inside my carry on bag to keep my things separate and organized.

2. Pack healthy snacks and bring the supplements you'll need while you're in the air.

3. When you get to the airport, request wheelchair assistance to and from the gate. (there isn't a charge for this, but it brings some cash to tip your assistant)

4. Make sure you book a seat that's convenient for you. When we traveled in December, we paid extra for the aisle and middle seats so that my husband could help me up when I needed to use the restroom.

5. Carry a cane if you need one. I carry a cane, which helps me, but also alerts others that I may need help or may take a little extra time.

6. Be sure to board first when the gate attendant calls for people who need extra time and help to board. 

7. When you get off the plane, if one isn't already there, ask for wheelchair assistance to the baggage claim. Sometimes, it's a very long walk!

There are a few other things we did while staying in the hotel, such as stopping off at Trader Joe's to pick up fruit, muffins, milk and Fiji water, so we could have breakfast in our room without having to get dressed to go out to eat or wait for room service. I brought my favorite organic tea, infuser and RTIC tumbler with me so I could make tea first thing in the morning. (there was a Keurig and a mini fridge in the room).

Hope your 2019 is off to a good start.

Have a Happy New Year!

Pam

* this post contains affiliate links, which means I'll make a small commission should you purchase something from one of these links.