Re: Donna--Just Do It! --- Jackie &

November 17, 2007

>>>>>Jackie wrote: And my oldest sister sounds alot like you. She has been

searching for answers for 30 years, trying expensive alternative doctors and

supplements, very strict diets, etc. She finally got her amalgams all removed, I

think about a year ago, but I still haven't been able to get her to try

chelation either.

Jackie, I did EDTA IVs years ago and they did a lot of damage. Hearing how some

people on here seem to digress does NOT make me feel confident. There's no way

to know if I'll be one of them. As I said: if I can get lower dose capsules,

I'll probably try it, regardless of how scared to death I am. And no, it's not

an excuse. Years ago, to save money, I purchased Nystatin powder and empty

capsules to make my own. It was a nightmare and a large portion of the powder

was wasted because it stuck to the outside of the capsules, my fingers,

everything. I don't want to deal with the nonsense, the waste and the time if

that's how it's going to be.

>>>>>>>>>>Could one or both books be a Christmas present for you? Just a

thought. Might be one way of justifying getting them.

Not a bad idea, but as of this year, I've given up the holidays. I'm not

doing most of them anymore because most of them are pagan based. I simply can't

do it anymore. My parents already bought my birthday present (next Friday) and

I don't want my son spending money he doesn't have, so.......... it's up to me

>>>>>>>>Also, have you done a hair test? If not, I think they are very

worthwhile to do. You get alot of information for the money, I think. It can

help you determine if you might have adrenal and thyroid problems,

I considered doing it, but am not confident in what the results will show. I

already know I'm VERY mercury toxic from tests done back when my doc had me do

the EDTA IVs. I also do take Armour Thyroid already. I was given a great link

(from a fellow FDCer) to learn about adrenals, but as I said: it's too much and

I'm overwhelmed by all of it. I'm hoping I'll be able to do more reading soon.

>>>>>>>>>Not feeling any difference with any supplements might mean that you are

not absorbing your supplements, and might need to be taking Betaine HCl (extra

stomach acid) with your meals to absorb your nutrients better.

Actually, the only time I felt a difference taking supplements was when I

started taking Mannatech glyconutrients because they enabled my cells to start

communicating more efficiently, which in turn makes your body assimilate

nutrients better.

>>>>>>>>>I think I feel the effects of supplements now, and I was finally able

to get my ferritin up by taking iron with Betaine HCl.

Hmmmm...is this a med or supplement?

There are so many different suggestions by different people as to what helps

with what issue, and unless you actually KNOW all your issues, you don't even

know what to focus on.

>>>>>>>But in your case, I think you're getting bogged down with all the other

possible issues, and this is distracting you from the main thing to focus on,

which is trying chelation.

But I've read posts on here (can't remember them! lol) that warn about the

dangers of not properly preparing your body or finding out certain things about

your body/health BEFORE chelation. It makes it confusing and more scary.

The technical aspect is over my head, and I don't understand most of the

acronyms thrown all over the place, and I am SO sick of this constant reading

and thinking about it for so many years.

>>>>>>>>>But you'll never know what chelation feels like if you never try it,

VERY true, and again---the low dose capsules are key.......

>>>>>>>>Splitting capsules isn't that bad...........this may be another excuse

for yourself to not to try it.

Nah, not an excuse. I explained the reason somewhere WAAAAAAAAY up there! lol

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>The protocol here is simple. Start with 12.5mg of DMSA and take

it every 4 hours, around the clock, including at night, for a minimum of 3 days.

If this goes well.......................................I think Klipfel is

the one who comes on here occassionally and reminds us not to lose focus on

chelation, because that is what is going to eventually get us well, and then

hopefully we won't need all those other interventions. That

Jackie, between you and the simplified/condensed version posted by

(thank you SO much, ), this helps tremendously. " Simplified " is GOOD!

It's the only way I can do things at this point.

>>>>>> wrote: If you can't afford to go backwards, I strongly

encourage you to

focus on the most basic principles of the protocol. People do many

things differently, but These Principles Are The Same For Everyone:

****I removed the list of 's WONderful instructions to shorten the

post********

>>>>>>>>I know how overwhelming things are sometimes. I felt like that

for so many years. For many people, adrenal support helps a lot

and makes everything so much easier.

, I still haven't read the info on the sites to learn about adrenals.

I know I saved info on this that was posted here, but I don't know which things

suggested are supplements and which are meds, so I really don't know where to

start (if I need a doctor, if I can just purchase stuff OTC).

Anyway, thanks SO much to both you and Jackie for these extremely helpful

posts!!!!!!

: Donna

November 18, 2007

I can certainly relate to this " being overwhelmed " feeling. It is a

lot to handle and a lot to learn. With the bad experience you had with

IV EDTA I can understand being terrified to think of trying chelation

again. Remember that EDTA should not be used for mercury poisoning,

which would be part of your bad experience. I know I was very

apprehensive myself at first, and I did not have this bad experience

previously. I was so sure I was going to feel sick on chelation. I was

very surprised with my first round of Andy's protocol. I used a mere

12.5mg of dmsa on that four hour dosing. I didn't feel bad at all. I

was tired, but I was always tired. I recall prescription

antidepressants making me sicker when I had to take those. Making that

leap is the hardest. Add in brain fog...which makes life really

confusing...

After two years of doing this, I have learned that the people who do

not make progress usually use the wrong protocol. They take too much,

or don't dose it by hours. And some of them are not treating other

body issues. I have not seen any of them get as sick as those I talked

to who did IV DMPS or IV EDTA though. No where near the same.

The nice part of oral chelation is that if you do take a dose, and you

don't like how your feeling, in four hours it's out of your body. You

can stop it. Not so with the huge IV dose. Your stuck until your body

can dump all the medication. None of us can tell you what to do, just

send our comfort that we know how hard this is. Knowledge is power in

this case. The more you learn and understand about it, the easier you

will feel. That takes time. In the meantime, there are other things

you can do to help how you feel.

I found the following the easiest guide to give to people when they

are not sure where to start:

First get a good probiotic. Take it every day.

After a few weeks add in some digestive enzymes. Give yourself a few

more weeks.

Begin some basic vitamins/minerals from Andy's list. Say Vitamin C,

Magnesium and maybe a really good quality multi. Give yourself a few

weeks on that.

Then consider yeast problems. If you have obvious signs, seek

treatment. If a doc won't prescribe the nystatin, you can use caprylic

acid, grapefruit seed extract, or any of the herbal candida remedies

at the health food store. Give this new treatment a couple weeks.

Treating this will boost your energy and give you more mental clarity.

Then begin to consider your adrenal/thyroid issues if you have them.

If any testing is needed, pursue it. Weigh your options for dealing

with the results. Get a doc's help if you can or have one. Adrenal

support should be done first before thyroid. If it's too late, don't

worry, begin adrenal support anyway. It may reduce your dose of

thyroid supps but that's good. It may take you a few weeks to get your

adrenal/thyroid manageable so you are feeling somewhat better. But it

makes a huge difference.

Once you have that handled and in place. You'll be feeling a bit

better. You can look at your diet, see if you notice any foods that

bother you. Omit them. Some of us are too mercury tired to address

strict diets. That's ok. Just aim for good nutrition and what doesn't

make you sick. Avoiding basic no-no's like sugar, candy, chips, pop.

etc. If you have the energy it's fine to pursue a diet. If not, do the

best you can.

By this point you may notice an increase in energy and how you feel.

this may allow you to begin to focus on chelation. To learn about what

you'd need to do and work towards implementing it. At this point, all

the things you need to do to ready your body are done.

Step by step is what some of us find more manageable.

Also there are many things to make this easier on you. Weekly Pill

Minders are awesome. The ones that have the four times a day dosing.

Once a week you fill it with all that you need for the week. I have a

chart of what I take each day, the doses,inside my kitchen cabinet.

Since I am doing this for myself and two kids. I have to make lists. I

use this list to fill all our pill minders once a week. So no thought

goes into what to take each day.

They also sell capsule filling machines for about $13. And empty

capsules. So you don't have to wrestle with the powder and capsules.

You can also put powder into foods or drinks rather than capsules if

that is easier. Just some ideas. Everyone here I'm sure has ideas that

can help out as you go along.

Hang in there. Save for the book...it's worth it. If you honestly feel

to ill to handle all this on your own, even in small steps you will

need to find a physician who is willing to help you, who will use

Andy's protocol.

And my oldest sister sounds alot like you. She

has been searching for answers for 30 years, trying expensive

alternative doctors and supplements, very strict diets, etc. She

finally got her amalgams all removed, I think about a year ago, but I

still haven't been able to get her to try chelation either.

>

> Jackie, I did EDTA IVs years ago and they did a lot of damage.

Hearing how some people on here seem to digress does NOT make me feel

confident. There's no way to know if I'll be one of them. As I said:

if I can get lower dose capsules, I'll probably try it, regardless of

how scared to death I am. And no, it's not an excuse. Years ago, to

save money, I purchased Nystatin powder and empty capsules to make my

own. It was a nightmare and a large portion of the powder was wasted

because it stuck to the outside of the capsules, my fingers,

everything. I don't want to deal with the nonsense, the waste and the

time if that's how it's going to be.

>

> >

November 18, 2007

--------- -I have been feeling bad about using the word " excuse " in my posts to

you, sorry about that. Jackie

Jackie,no need to apologize. You're commenting by what you're assuming or

perhaps how I'm coming across. It was a very long time ago that I even posted

anything about my history, and going into it now is just not something I feel

like doing lol I think everyone can understand how old that gets, and it's so

time-consuming. ....Donna

----------Betaine HCl is stomach acid, and is a supplement, no prescription

needed. If you are low in it, then you don't digest your food and absorb your

supplements properly. Mostly low minerals on your hair test is a sign of

this.------- Jackie

Thanks, Jackie -- another bit of info to save and work into what I have to

think about trying....Donna

----------You can work on fixing other things while you are chelating, and my

hope for you is that you would feel better on round so that you would be able to

focus enough to figure out some of this other stuff. I was so pleasantly

surprised at how I felt better on round and could function better and felt more

normal, that I guess I am just hoping this for you. But you are right, I cannot

promise this for you. We are all different.-- ------Jackie

Yep, that's always the problem: we're all different. There's no sure results to

expect and knowing I could get worse, well....

-----------Yes you're right. A big mistake people make is starting with a too

high of a dose. I think Nahla said her doctor makes low dose capsules, I don't

remember if she said he requires a prescription. Maybe she'll respond.----

----Jackie

I saved the link she put up and wrote down the doctor's number. I'm hoping

within a week or two I'll be making phone calls, getting some answers and acting

on things, getting the ball rolling....Donna

Anyway, thanks SO much to both you and Jackie for these extremely helpful

posts!!!!!!

: Donna

-----------I do mean to be helpful, and I'm sorry if I have come across as pushy

and not too nice on some of this. It took me a long time to absorb some of this,

and I certainly still don't get it all when it comes to all these other issues,

so I know it can be very confusing and overwhelming. But I think if you continue

reading here and ask questions, then hopefully things will start to make sense

and sink in. I do really hope the best for you, Donna. ------------ -Jackie

No, you're not pushy at all. You're taking out precious time to encourage me

and try to help. There's nothing I appreciate more and I hope that soon I'll be

putting to use so much of the info I've gathered from these lists. THANKS,

Jackie and everyone else who posts here.

: Donna

November 18, 2007

>>>>Jada: I can certainly relate to this " being overwhelmed " feeling. It is a

lot to handle and a lot to learn. With the bad experience you had with

IV EDTA I can understand being terrified to think of trying chelation

again. Remember that EDTA should not be used for mercury poisoning,

which would be part of your bad experience.

.........Actually, due to this list, it confirmed why I felt the EDTA IVs made

me worse. It seems that because my health is declining so much over the past

couple of years (mostly due to hormonal changes AND some extremely bad exposures

-- I'm MCS), the prospect of getting worse, whether from chelation or anything

else, is terrifying. Chelation, because it will be moving mercury around, is

what I'm most fearful of, mostly because of the redistribution. I also have a

family that may not be able to deal with me and what happens during this

process. They still hit me with exposures, always thinking what they do is

enough that things shouldn't effect me. Yeah, right. Donna

.......Jada, when I used to take tons of supplements (easily 25+ pills 4xday),

I had an envelope system (They were the little envelopes for the cards you get

at the florist). I marked them as Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Bedtime. I

would fill them for the month. It was time consuming each month, but saved me a

lot of time and annoyance through the month Donna

>>>> Jada: If you honestly feel to ill to handle all this on your own, even in

small steps you will need to find a physician who is willing to help you, who

will use Andy's protocol.

........Ah...the thought of finding a doctor makes me cringe. I have some

good ones, but each one is limited in their own way. I have a very hard time

(after years of dissapointment) in trusting what doctors say. They are often

wrong. *sigh*

November 18, 2007