My Ask For Help Tome, Volume 1

[scarlettsmum]

post 103959 Hi, SQu,

I struggle with many of the same issues as you.

I think you may have answered your own question in this post:

post 103937 Most importantly forcing myself to eat to nip migraine in the bud.

post 103937 The former gives me adrenalin. The latter, not if I’ve eaten.

post 103937 I underdo lunch and pay for it with late afternoon slumps

One valuable thing I've learned from working with the naturopath over these last weeks is that it is better to eat 3 solid meals a day, plus snacks as needed. I've learned not to trust my hunger, because I'm rarely hungry. I used to graze all day like you, and assumed I was getting enough nourishment, but I wasn't. It's easy to overestimate how much you eat, I found. Maybe you should focus on not "underdoing" lunch, or any meal. It really makes a huge difference in how you feel. I find if I don't get adequate calories at breakfast and lunch, I am more likely to have an adrenaline rush, which usually happens at around 3 -4 pm for me. I know you say you're struggling with weight, so it's a catch-22, just something to consider...

Do you ever eat liver?

What would you say are your main issues right now?

I haven't really been around this forum that long, but I would also agree with this as this is also my experience. The need to eat enough food and it is hard when trying to limit starches. I have eggs for breakfast too but with some rice cakes to mop up moisture from oj and coffee. Oftentimes I can't do coffee and oj during the same meal. Too much liquid for me. I try to add more salt to my oj. Then for lunch I now have a portion of ice-cream and portion of low fat ricotta or strained cottage cheese (to limit the amount of ice-cream and fat), sweetened with fructose powder and some fruit as much as my body allows me and more rice cakes. For me a big thing I noticed was to control the amount of liquid. Actually, it was a HUGE thing for me, managing my liquid intake, as too much was triggering anxiety and panic attacks. :) And adding salt to liquids. Maybe get a consultation with Benedicte or Danny Roddy that could help you with proper thyroid dosing instead of seeing a doctor?

 

[SQu]

Thanks scarlettsmum! I must agree on too many liquids which especially in the early days (2 years ago or so) definitely made me worse. I could feel myself bloat, slow down, get tired. Stupid of me not to hold off for a while based on symptoms. But I happen to love big mugs of coffee, big glasses of juice and cold milk. Then I probably swung too far in the other direction, got too thirsty. I'm not blessed with much moderation but learning some has been good for my health. I do think I stressed my body badly with such extreme swings.

Since Artemis and others made the point about lunch I've been focusing on it and yes it works. Just a bad habit I was in plus the limited options as you say when trying to keep starch , fat fairly low. I ache with yoghurt and cottage cheese, definitely cause lactic acid symptoms in my case BUT I've had success with a goats cheddar (usually hate goats cheese but found a nice one) relatively low fat for a hard cheese i.e. 20g/100g. I'm going to look into ricotta too, Tx for that.The other find was seafood for lunch e.g. piece of calamari/squid 160g quick to grill , nice with chili etc. I salt to taste and was surprised to find I'm using about 4g on a main meal (must recheck that) .

These things are helping a very great deal, I'm noting and hoping I've turned the corner, clothes looser already but sleep terrible ( some successes came early e.g. migraines thank goodness, others such as insomnia constipation and weight seem too attached to me to want to leave!)
Thanks for your input!

 

[SQu]

Cycle 39 days, prolactin signs (painful breasts) and running out of progesterone. Trying chasteberry again, I do need more non prescription measures. But other than that not as bad as I'd expect to feel in such a scenario. Coupled with return to stress and afternoons on the road and noticed how I immediately neglected lunch, for which I was repaid by stomach pain, hypoglycemic Symptoms. So I've addressed lunch, yet still get the symptoms in spite of a lot of fruit and juice, it's like my body doesn't register the sugar, so I'm also raising caffeine levels which I'd dropped a bit. I noticed more aching at sea level, less back home at altitude, and less generally since cautiously adding biotin, it's really a big change. Aching has been a big issue for years. Insomnia still terrible, slow to get to sleep, last night also long wakeful period in the early hours, in spite of immediately drinking Orange juice and milk with sugar, lots of it. Like the sugar isn't registering again. Seems stress is knocking back the liver maybe, plus the estrogen, and i don't know maybe the biotin

 

[Peata]

How much Biotin are you taking?

 

[SQu]

5mg after breakfast, sometimes after lunch too. And making sure to cover it well with fruit, protein. I do find the B's affect me, things like slight palpitations from raising niacinamide . so I'm careful with them. They've been so worth it though

 

[SQu]

5 months exactly since updating, which I'm doing today because I had a 2nd visit to the nice doc I was recommended, to renew thyroid and progesterone scripts which she did, and added pregnenolone as I was hoping. I've had an immensely stressful, frantically busy few weeks with illness and issues in the family, hospitals, dramas etc. But in terms of health I'm coping well but not currently losing weight or even trying for now. I was worried about my tending high blood pressure esp in the circs but the good news is, diastolic is down from mid 90s to just over 80, and seeing as that's indicating relaxation between beats I'm thinking maybe better functioning thyroid?? Feeling better all round incl. down a clothing size in the past few months. All going better except for the insomnia.

 

[SQu]

Update: improvements the past year since adding pregnenolone
Blood pressure is down nicely, very very pleased - 130/80
Depression this year has not been an issue, have not had to fight it off with theanine like last year
I credit pregnenolone for both as relatively recent addition which has stuck this time. also progesterone though that's not new
Also weekly routine of liver and oysters without fail, used to be less often (thanks @Ella)
Carrot salad most days
Some effortless weight loss, down another clothing size but not weighing myself currently
Loss on legs, arms,neck, chin, face, back, even waist when viewed from the front but not the belly or profile view
I don't mind so long as it happens but I am wondering why the belly fat is so tenacious. I think my legs are a full size smaller than my stomach.
Diet wise not measuring anything but sticking to the high nutrition and keeping fat low
Overall much better energy, moods, sleep generally better but still needs help (cyproheptadine, ornithine) and still need cascara
Downside is I think my hair may be thinning at the hairline so red light, caffeine topically, and try and keep the 3 hourly snacks going and progesterone from day 12 onwards. Tried selsun blue for about a month so far, no change, but selenium I may get enough of with the oysters.

A recent insight:
I thought my bad patches (malaise, low mood, tearful, grumpy, insomnia, migraine sometimes) were cyclical estrogen and I still think some are.
But I've been paying more attention to digestion. I am not someone who thought she had a digestion problem before I read Peat. In spite of hypothyroidism, chronic constipation and need for laxatives. Sometimes a 'food just sitting there' feeling after swallowing. Bloating cramping and gas in recent years, improved fast though. Still didn't think I had a digestion issue!! Because I wasn't in pain and could manage symptoms with coffee, taurine, t3, cascara. The more recent sibo-type ones also the quickest to respond to efforts to improve health.
But then I started keeping an eye on reactions to starch. And did fine with well cooked starches and my own long fermented bread.
Then I ate diced potatoes that were firm after 8 hour slow cooking, thought that they must be cooked, because 8 hours ... and slow cooked stuff keeps its shape. But no, they were undercooked.
Later that day, cramping, gas, then hangover, light sensitive, malaise, moods, insomnia, slight stomach/oesophagus burn. So, endotoxin/serotonin feels the same as estrogen? I must go read up again ...
Kept the worst at bay with charcoal, cascara, cinnamon, gelatin, aspirin. Then the migraine got me. More gelatin, aspirin, a long sleep, woke up only a tad better. Then ate an experimental dish for us, never tried it, skinless chicken in coke. and an additional cup of sugar, wow. Hubby cooked this - I would have skipped the extra sugar. The coke was reduced down to a sticky sauce. It was low fat too.
And that cleared up the migraine and restored wellbeing in half an hour. Not just ok - actual wellbeing that lasted. I was bemoaning being out of my medicinal ice cream but this worked as well or better. So, lots of concentrated sugar, calories, protein, low fat. Reminder that when not feeling great it's easy to undereat further and the vicious circle speeds up. Then the brain stops working and you can't think how to help yourself further.
Also realized how often I used to feel this way and how seldom today.
Hope this helps someone out there too.

 

[SQu]

an observation: pregnenolone means I don't need theanine to keep mood good and anxiety down. I've run out the past 10 days and gradually I'm going backwards. It took some months i think, for the full great effect to make itself known, so I might not have even made the connection if it wasn't for this. I really needed theanine badly last year and this year, not at all as long as I take pregnenolone.

 

[tara]

Hi SuQ,
Sounds like you've had great improvements - yay!
Maybe it's time I have another go with the pregnenolone, reading your success with it.
Not sure what to do about the digestion/starch issues for me. I don't seem to feel well after lots of concentrated sugar in any form I've tried so far. Glad it works for you.

 

[SQu]

Hi Tara yes pregnenolone has been very good and for my husband too. in his case, weight loss got much easier. I wasn't able to tolerate it for a year or two after trying it. It would lead to euphoria then a migraine so I think glycogen storage/liver might be the issue. I've just restocked and am feeling better for it already. Concentrated sugar can be a challenge, but when it comes to a migraine, seems, like a litre of ice cream, to help. Lucky. I think it has a role to play if one can weave one's way through other confounding issues like digestion. Coffee has helped in the past too, in spite of usually finding it a bit much if off colour. I'm also noticing that sun in winter is a bit of a lifeline, or presumably some of that red light could give a similar effect though exactly what kind I'm not sure.