The end of the experiment

I didn't end up going back on the guai, and for now, I don't plan to. I still haven't decided if it was really doing what Dr. St. Amand claimed it does. However, it's been about 6 months since I decided to go on his hypoglycemic diet from the same book that talks about the guai. I was desperate enough to try to give up sugar and most carbs to see what would happen. I found that the first three weeks, I felt worse. I knew that was normal, as I've done similar diets in the past. But, once the blahs passed, it made an enormous difference! I was able to half my tramadol, then quarter them. I have a lot more energy and can wake-up a little better in the morning (I don't know if there is a cure for my mornings!) Once up, I function quicker and for longer periods of time. I've lost about 30 pounds fairly easily in the last year on top of that! When I mess up, I pay for it. I find that pizza is the worst culprit. I know that the crust is terrible. I've also read that tomatoes can cause inflammation, and I'm starting to believe it just from my reaction to pizza. The better I eat, the more I realize that I feel drunk (and not in a good way) or have a hangover most of the time when I don't eat well. It's a hard thing to start, but most of the time, it's pretty easy to live, and the cravings and extra hunger go away after a week or so. The pain difference makes it completely worth it. I think more clearly as well and am a lot less tired in general.

I also found that going to the acupuncturist makes a difference. My cousin's husband also has fibro so severely, along with some other issues due to a rappelling accident, and he became bedridden and almost non-functional. He's only in his late 30's. He started going to the local acupunturist, and it changed him visibly, so I decided to try it. I have a lot of pain that sits in my hands and forearms, and one treatment can make that go away for a few days at a time. It helps my energy as well. She is a community acupuncturist, which means that she treats several people in one room at a time (big zen-like room), so she can charge a lot less than in a traditional single visit. She has a sliding scale from $15-$40 per treatment.

So, that's where I am for now. I take my vitamins regularly- I think I listed them on a previous entry. [I just went back and looked... I'm not on all that anymore. Here's what I actually take now; I will only make a note on the new things that were not on the previous blog about supplements:

-Tramadol

-Women's multivitamin

-Fish oil

-Chromium picolinate

-B-12 for energy

-Magnesium/Calcium/Zinc (which I can not remember why at this moment; I knew when I started taking them; I know zinc helps the immune system a lot- I get colds a lot less often than I used to)

-Melatonin

-Klonopin

-Mobic.

These helps a lot, too. When I can, I exercise- that's a hard one for me to fit in with my energy issues (and it doesn't really work like it does for the average person without fibro- it may or may not help my energy. Sometimes it helps me tank instead). I do work in the center of campus, so I get some walking in every day at least.

I hope this has helped someone- I'm not sure it's definitive enough, but at least it's one person's experience.

Time Off

So, I haven't checked in for a year. In the Fall, I had many things in my life change: divorce, new career, moving across the country for a new life. Major stress! Half-way through the semester I got some crazy, mean virus that lasted for at least 10 weeks, which they couldn't identify, and which made it so taking the guai was the last thing on my mind, since my stomach was upset a lot of that time.

Once I got off of it, I wasn't ready to go through the yuck necessary to get back on it. I may try again in August, when I'm not teaching.

Sorry if I left you hanging.

-Joy