Trying again - the what's going on? nightmare

[Guest guest]

Hi

Trying again. When I posted this the first time the message got cut off.

I posted this at another list in response to someone and Carl saw it and asked

if I would post it here as well. Hope it may help someone.

Sometimes when I have had distressing symptoms that wouldn't pass and I didn't

know why or what was going on, didn't know if it was something I took or if I

was reacting to something or if I needed to take something or it was something

else, a problem that actually stood in my way of finding out what they meant was

forming beliefs about them and drawing conclusions that turned out to be wrong.

In fact, I found that I was wrong 95% of the time when I did this. For example,

I once thought that my symptoms meant I had gotten too much flora and for a week

I suffered so hard thinking it was die-off or too much cleansing only to

discover when I told my health professional about it that my symptoms were

because I NEEDED probiotics, not that I'd gotten too much of them and when I

took some I felt soooo much better, ha.

I have found that almost never will something I take have bad affects for many

weeks. When symptoms don't pass that should after a while I have to start

suspecting something else than what I took, like I'm reacting to something

somewhere in the house or I need to do some detoxing or I have some physical

need requiring protocols of some sort. It has sometimes taken me weeks or

months to find out what my symptoms mean and what I need to do for them.

For example, for months I had such terrible symptoms that made it harder and

harder for me to take my protocols and I was going crazy. I finally found out

it was because I needed to detox. After that everything improved. Then it

happened again that nothing I was taking was addressing my symptoms and I found

out I needed to add an antifungal to my protocols. Sometimes my symptoms meant

I was reacting to something and it took a long time to figure that out and to

what it was. If I assume my problems are from what I took or I just KNOW what

the problem is because I have formed a belief it can prevent me from looking at

other things.

We often have to be detectives to try to find and eliminate causes of reactions

or an investigator to try to find out if our symptoms mean something we need

physically. Having more than one doctor and one source of advice has helped me.

One doctor let me know I needed detoxing. Another that I needed probiotics,

enzymes, minerals. Another source that I needed antifungals, until finally all

my needs were met. Another source that I needed something for my immune system.

Not all the doctors knew all the things my body needed. Thankfully I had more

than one source of help.

In my community a healthier living workshop was held for people with chronic

illness and one of the things I read in the book they had was never assume

anything. Assumptions are self-management enemies. I would add beliefs to that

statement. Beliefs can be self-management enemies as well. We have to keep our

mind open to all possibilities.

A very valuable thing I have learned when it comes to " What Is Going On??? "

There is always an answer and when its found it is often the simplest thing.

Also fear makes my symptoms 10 times worse. It's helpful to do what they say to

do when you get lost out in the wild. STOP. It's an acronym that stands for

SIT, THINK, OBSERVE, PLAN.

Sometimes we have to let go of the ideas we form about what the problem is

because we stop making sense. I remember feeling for a time like my body

operated on different rules from everybody else because being like this can be

so bizarre, but no, I was just sicker than I'd been and had to be reminded of

the basics yet again, things like, toxins got in, I have to get them back out.

I have formed beliefs about foods I couldn't tolerate only to discover I could

tolerate some of them and they would even be helpful to me.

I have had coincidences happen many times that made me think something was the

cause of what I was going through only to discover later that it wasn't that

thing at all, it just happened to happen at the same time. It's easy to

associate things together because they happened simultaneously but it could be

something else, perhaps something we completely overlooked or dismissed at the

time.

I hate the fear that comes with not knowing and the uncertainty and worry of

ever finding out what's wrong and getting relief. But it can be found out.

Maybe try to get the health practitioner to look at other things if they too are

stuck on a belief about us. Ask them to see if something else needs addressing.

If the doctor can't figure it out then try another doctor. Some natural ones

who use muscle resistance testing are very good because they can often test a

person right then and there on all kinds of things to find out what the body

needs.

It is so hard for MCS'ers because there often are just so many variables.

Sometimes we forget that and get stuck on an idea that closes our mind to these

other things and possibilities that could help us figure out better what our

needs are. We may think the problem is something we were taking, but maybe it

wasn't that thing at all and we can even continue to take it. That's happened

to me often. If we aren't taking anything, no probiotics or antifungals or

charcoal or minerals or whatever our needs may be, that could be a big problem.

All MCS'ers have a lot of things in common as far as health needs. And they

usually include the above things. I have had symptoms from not taking those

things.

Here is another idea. When we take things that change the body's pattern that

can tell us things. Sometimes when I was so scared to try anything because I

was suffering so hard from stuff and would get really spooked I'd quit some or

all of my protocols, but then when nothing changed after a while, the problem

didn't pass, I just had to gather up my courage and try one thing after another

until I'd tried everything. I have found that when we take things that change

our body's pattern, like medicine, probiotics, herbs, garlic, anything that

makes changes happen in the body, that causes it to have to do something with

what we took because it has a medicinal quality to it or a strength to it that

changes our pattern, it can give clues to what is going on. It can make the

body feel different for a while, and as the effects pass and the original

symptoms come back that can give clues. There was relief, no relief, the

symptoms changed with what we took or didn't change, etc. I've had to do that

many times and when I have eliminated everything it could be I start getting

ideas about what is left. What could be left that it could mean after trying

everything I know. But we need courage. Good things that have helped us will

usually not suddenly start hurting us, and affects pass. They pass. Nothing is

permanent.

Another thing. The body is dynamic, meaning it's needs are constantly changing.

That has been a challenge for me to keep up with my body's changing needs. Just

knowing that the needs change can help a lot. Ask yourself, what could my body

be needing now? What could it be telling me now?

And again, beliefs and emotions can cause anxiety and fear and make physical

symptoms much worse. They have for me often, so practicing visualization,

relaxation, EFT, journaling, and so on have gone a looooong way toward reducing

my symptoms, helping me think more clearly to figure out solutions, and helping

the healing process. The healthier living workshop I attended emphasized those

things a lot.

These are just a few things I thought of and I hope they can be helpful for the

" What Is Going On? nightmare.

anita