Posted 12/7/2006 7:26 PM (GMT -8)
Hi everyone,
I consider myself a success story. I'm not completely recovered, but I have made major strides the past few months and am WELL on my way. My first suggestion is to grab a copy of Dr. Jacob Teitalbaum's book "From Fatigued to Fantastic!" This is my CFS bible, and from other reviews I've seen from other patients, this is likely the most respected book for the lot of us. He gives crystal clear suggestions from a protocol that has helped many--until you are able to secure a copy of the book, I would suggest looking at his website to get a sense of his style. He's kind of a genius.
My second suggestion is to visit fibrocenters.com and learn about the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers. I have been visiting one in Seattle since September, and the strides in my improvement start there. Dr. Teitalbaum is actually the head doc for all the centers, and that's why I felt secure they know what they're doing. They performed the most comprehensive bloodwork and the most thorough evaluation, and the resulting protocol is logical, methodical, and so far, effective. It's expensive, I warn you, but what possibly could be more important for your money than to get your life back? That's the attitude I took, and I have no regrets, just more certainty than ever that recovery is around the corner.
My supplement/drug intake is exhaustive, but hey, you didn't think there would be one magic pill for this thing, did ya?! The syndrome targets the central nervous system, and a domino effect causes disruption to nearly every system in the body--digestive, endocrine, etc. . .so the protocol I'm following is to treat them for the most part all at once and slowly until you find the effective dosage (especially tricky and important when we're talking about balancing a number of hormones that are deficient/out of whack.) I take compounded T3 and levoxyl for thyroiditis, Fatigued to Fantastic! Energy Enfusion (multi-vitamin powder that comes with B-vitamin capsule), Corvalen D-ribose for cellular energy, fludrocortisone for the adrenals, DHEA for testosterone, pregnenelone due to deficiency, COQ10, probiotics, nystatin, and diflucan for candida, maitake and olive leaf extract for the immune system, iron supplements, prescription and over the counter for anemia, Betaine HCL for hyperchlorydia, cod liver oil, Liv. 52 (natural supplement to help protect the liver from Diflucan), OTC calcium supplement. . .I think that covers it. . .I also go to the center once weekly for a 4 week period at a time for intravenous supply of vitamins and cellular energizers due to the nutrient malabsorption in the GI tract, and it helps significantly. I've gone from home-bound, bed-bound 75% of the time, down to bed-bound 15% of the time. I couldn't pick myself up off the floor, and now I can walk around my condo with ease, and do chores around the house myself that I previously had to rely on others for. I can drive short distances, I can go out as long as no loud noise, crowds, or bright light is involved, whereas I was not able to leave the house at all before. I even smile again! The chronic pain is dissipating, my reaction time, mentally and physically, is improving. . .I am able to concentrate and the mental fog is clearing. Instead of consistently gaining more and more weight, I'm finally dropping the extra pounds. My hair is starting to grow back. On two occasions I had enough energy and felt so good I was dancing around my living room in disbelief. I felt plugged in again. It's been SLOW progress, and for a while I couldn't see it, but looking back now, I see STRIDES!!!