March 20th
2009
8:11 AM
I was diagnosed with Crohn's back in the 80's finally, after suffering since I was 12 and being told I was a child with a "nervous" stomach...dad used to tease me because I had to use every bathroom I came across, not realizing there was a problem. I had a portion of my bowel removed in 84 - the ileum valve along with a portion of the upper and lower bowel surrounding it, which, at the time was the most diseased portions. Removing the valve means that I must inject vitamin b-12 for the rest of my life as that valve is the place - the only place in your body that absorbs and uptakes that vitamin for you. As with any inflammatory disease, other inflammatory problems can occur because of the high inflammation running in your body. For me, this meant a form of arthritis, rheumatism or whatever. Doc wants me to go to the rheumatologist, but so far I have gotten by without YET another diagnosis on my plate. Before the surgery I asked my internal specialist if seeing a nutritionist would help me. I was so, so sick at the time. He scoffed, looked disgusted and asked what do you eat that makes you sick? I said everything. He said, then what is a nutritionist going to tell you to eat that isn't going to make you sick? At the time, I was so sick I just wanted to die and accepted that as an answer. After the surgery and many courses of different drugs for Crohn's - all of them with side effects that kept me from living a "normal" life - all side effects seeming worse than the actual disease itself I did a tremendous amount of studying on the history of Crohn's.- Burrill B. Crohn (1884-1983) was the man to discover it. In one of the articles I read he prescribed a very low carb diet to his patients which seemed to help in the majority of them to keep flare ups at a minimum. I have found, through years of experimentation with different diets ranging from health food diets on down the line, that the low-carb diet keeps my disease in check. People are like kids though. They don't always do what they know is good for them. I love chocolate, breads and sweets. In some studies I have read that you crave what may be bad for you because the bacteria your gut harbors wants to live and makes you crave what it needs to live. So, when I yank carbs from my diet - after the initial withdrawal stage and cleaning out of the gut from having done so (much diarrhea), I begin to feel almost like a normal person again with energy and pain-free. I slowly introduce fruit back in - but, through a series of colonics I had some years back, the practitioner was able to determine many foods I was allergic to just by noticing what comes out in the movement that has not been digested. Apples I can have, but not the peel. Cantaloupes - no - watermelon - not very often, etc... you can mostly tell by looking at the stool what your body is rejecting. It is its way of telling you what not to eat. Like a kid though, I stray from what I know has been tried and true and when I stray too long, joint pain comes on with a vengeance. That is when I get slapped back on the steroids to get the inflammation to back off again. When I'm not on the diet the joint pain can be controlled with Celebrex, but, when not on the diet and not taking Celebrex, the pain is out of control and has to get reeled back in with a course of steroids. So, if I can stop being a stupid kid (I'm 50) and just friggin' do what I know I need to do, I'm 95% pain-free and medication free. I have stayed mostly med free now since I was diagnosed in 84 or so through the no-carb method. The only times I had to take meds for this was when I was stupid with food for too long and one other - I had a kidney infection that I didn't know I had. It threw the Crohn's out of remission big time causing me to have to be on heavy-duty antibiotics, steroids, etc. It nearly put me in the hospital. I thought I was having a Crohn's flare-up only, but turned out the kidney infection was there and caused the flare-up - inflammation - when it hits you anywhere in your body it can cause that Crohn's to rear its ugly head. It took them years to diagnose me and through my own trial and error, I have learned how to live nearly and mostly drug free with this disease. For me, the drugs and effects are worse than the disease itself. The drugs make it hard for me to work and live. I can live near normal without them and with the diet. Your doctors will tell you differently. Doctors are put through med school on grants from pharmaceutical companies, therefore, they only learn how to treat with meds - they get kick backs from the meds they prescribe too. They do not learn how to treat through nutrition, nor do they want you to know that either. There's big money in meds - look around at all the hospitals and the many, many people taking all these drugs - synthetic drugs that are created to mimic receptors in your body so that your body accepts them, only to have to work hard to throw off the toxic substances - the synthetics they are created with so they can be patented. It is the PRACTICE of medicine and they are PRACTICING on you. Do your own research and study and conduct your own trials. I'm not saying don't go to your doc and don't take the meds - get it under control, but once you have it under control, find a way to keep it there as drug-free as possible. Your liver that has to process the toxicity of those meds will thank you for it. Your entire body will thank you for it. When the bad flare-ups happen, get your juicer out and drink nothing but fresh juices for 3-4 days. Juices are pre-digested. Your body doesn't have to work hard to assimilate the nutrients in them. Did you know that your body never does anything MORE strenuous than digesting? You could run a marathon and the amount of energy your body expends would not even come close to the energy it takes to digest your food! When you are ill - pull the food so your body can free that energy for your healing. You won't believe how much better you'll feel. Once you get it reeled back in by only having liquid for a couple of days, make sure your starch and sugar intake are lower when you begin to eat again. The bacteria in your gut feeds on carbs - starches and sugar. A good read is Marilyn and Harvey Diamond's "Fit For Life" - it has a good explanation as to how the digestive system operates - how the bacteria works - how your body has different acids that are used to digest your foods and how some of the acids that digest some foods do not mix well with other digestive juices and how to avoid that combination. This has been my trial and error - I prefer to NOT have to see the doc for Crohn's often...I haven't been to a gastro guy in 9 years or so. I do have a regular doc that, if I have flare-ups, will put me on a course of steroids for a couple of weeks to reel it back in, but the fact that it has to be reeled back in at all is my own fault because I was a bad little girl and didn't watch what I ate. For me - that's the simple solution - the food. But, you have to get it under control first before you go that route. I take the drugs til I feel better. Then I get off them and mind the diet. By the way - the arthritis - when on the diet troubles me very little. When I'm high carbing and high sugaring - the arthritis KILLS me... hope this helps any of you... I have studied this disease and nutrition since my diagnosis in the 80's... if I had it to do over again, I would go back to school and become a nutritionist...
-- By coonbody | Reply | Private Message me
October 16th
2008
1:20 PM
Like many patients, I started out on a low dose of Lamictal. Eventually, I was taking 300 mg. This seemed fine for awhile. Then, I started feeling a bit down, so the doctor increased the dose to 400 mg. Increased dosage does not necessarily mean improvement in mood (bipolar). I began to experience a good number of the adverse side effects reported here, including excessive fatigue, gastrointestinal disturbances, cotton mouth and very bad taste in my mouth, muscle tension (particularly in my legs), forgetfulness and confusion, and sinus and chest congestion. At one point in time, I even had difficulty articulating words.
Though I did not suffer from rash, I have been up in the middle of the night with itching all over my body. I had a few episodes of mouth sores and one pimple on my chin. Many of these have improved since the doctor brought me back to 300 mg. However, they have not entirely disappeared. I continue to suffer from the excessive fatigue many of you have reported here.
I recently had a blood test and learned I have very low levels of Vitamin D and Vitamin B-12. I do not know if there is any relationship between long-term use of Lamical and these test results. However, I do know that low levels of Vitamin D can cause fatigue.
Though I am willing to follow through with further blood tests, I am beginning to understand why some people are tempted to discontinue their medications. I am so tired of being so tired and sleeping so much. When I finally get up, I am still tired and drag through the day.
Sometimes, I think I'd rather have a down day or two than take this medication. I should add, though, that my bipolar is not severe, and that I am only reporting how I feel. I'm certainly not recommending anyone discontinue medications for this or any other condition they may be suffering from. If I were to recommend anything, it would be to get a second opinion if one is concerned about his or her treatment.
If I were to make any suggestion to doctors, it would be this: more is not necessarily better. Send your patients for blood tests (mine were ordered by my M.D. and not by my psychiatrist). Increasing the dosage--at least of Lamictal--might result in a host of negative side effects. Your patients might then become disillusioned with their treatment and give up.
If anyone out there has suffered from B-12 and D deficiencies, let me know. I'll let you know what I find out.
And remember, most doctors are really trying to help us.
September 18th
2008
12:28 PM
I am a 60 yr. old woman and was on simvastatin for several years before I realized that all of my aches, pains, and muscle weakness could be because of it. I stopped taking it in March, and had very little improvement until June when I started taking 100 mg CoQ10 twice a day. I am now pretty much pain free but the muscles in my thighs are still very weak, and I am still very fatigued. Anybody have any suggestions?
-- By lindag48 | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me
February 22th
2008
8:51 PM
I have been on 40mg/day of Lipitor for 5-6 months and this is how I feel: totally drained - no energy at all - horrible lower back pain - I've been in physical therapy for the past 6 weeks. My neck muscles, back muscles and hip muscles were in constant spasms. Right after beginning Lipitor I woke up with vertigo and still have the dizziness. I was convinced that I must have some horrible disease and was dying at age 47. I stopped taking Lipitor 3 weeks ago and starting taking fish oil, vitamin c, coq10, b vitamin, daily vitamin - the muscle spasms are a little better - still have lower back pain, brain fog, some dizziness. I am so tired all the time - it's so difficult to work a full time job right now. Has anyone else had these same symptoms? Does anyone know how soon I should start to feel better?
-- By angie1961 | Reply | (4) replies | Private Message me
January 2th
2008
5:56 AM
I went to my doctor on Monday December 17, 2007, because I was experiencing a fever, chest congestion, with an extremely painful cough. He gave me 7 sample blister packs of Levaquin 500mg, and a sample Pulmicort Flexhaler 180mcg. He also prescribed a cough medicine for night time if I needed it. He said I had bronchitis or a possible pneumonia he couldn’t hear. I also used a nebulizer with Abutrual.
On December 23, 2007 I awoke with the most intense pain I have ever experienced. My wrists, finger, toe, elbows, knees and ankle joints all hurt. My muscles in my legs and back burned. My hands, fingers, feet, toes, and shins felt like they were “asleep” or the worst pins and needles ever.
My husband went online and found out that is was most likely caused by the Levaquin. And thankful I was taking TWO steroids! So when I called the company that makes Levaquin they told me to stay in bed! When I asked them how long this could last they said 1 week to two months.
As of today, the pain in my fingers, toes, wrists, elbows, ankles and knees, which is like tendinitis is mild to moderate. The burning in my muscles in my legs and back is still intense. The “pins and needles” is affecting mostly my hands and feet and my left leg from the knee down. I also still have a deep pain under booth knees. I have also experienced a periodic facial twitch on the left side, below the eye about 1.5 inches.
I am weak, and completely unable to get around do to the pain in my legs and feet. I am furious that my doctor prescribed a medication that could cause these problems without warning me, as samples do not come with warnings. I feel disabled, angry, and would like to know what I am supposed to do now!! Has anyone found anything that helps with the pain?
-- By queensoccermom | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me
December 30th
2007
11:50 AM
How long will my pain last knees, legs, feet arms all my joints,,,, I feel like I am 100 years old! How long will it take to get better, my doctor took blood Friday to see what was going on but I haven't heard anything yet
-- By vickie1252 | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
August 9th
2007
10:58 PM
Hi there... I have just found this site and I'm very grateful to everyone who has taken the time to sit down and tell us their story mine is very similar. BELIEAVE me I feel like I am pushing my family away and I'm losing my relationship with the one person who used to make me feel like I was the most beautiful woman in the world.
I'm a 40 yr female have or maybe had a great job that I loved... On April 12 I noticed a small red rash on my lower right leg no big deal went to the Dr. gave me some cream and sent me home well I went to work and by the afternoon things just seem to get bad my legs began to swell and little blisters started to pop up so I went to the E.R. they had no Idea what was wrong with me got me an appointment to see a skin DR. so I went home but the pain from the swelling was so bad I could not walk any longer went back to the E.R. they gave me some pain meds and called in some other DR. things had gone from bad to worse my feet had gotten to big I could not put on shoes and I had bruised completely across the bottoms of my feet they put me on 30mg of PRED. and it seem to be under control sent me home after 3 day in the hospital things were good for about a day or so I thought I would go back to work well that was not a very good idea.... My sister had to come and take me back to the ER where they did 2 biopsies and still have no idea what is wrong with me. so now they put me on 60mg of PRED the rash has gone, lots of scaring on my feet because of the blisters once they broke and dried out but I can live with that....
It's the side effects that they don’t tell you about,
MOON FACE I can't look at myself cause really that’s not me anymore,
WEIGHT GAIN I have always been thick but I can't handle the extra 30lbs I've gained,
MOOD SWINGS are unbearable,
PAINFUL JOINTS, CAMEL HUMP, BLOODY NOSE, BRUSING, SORE TEETH/GUMS, DRY EYES, FAITIGE, and worsted of all
I don’t have a support systems in my life so I'm fighting this by myself everyday, I have 3 kids that I have tried to explain all this to but they don't get it and well my boyfriend he tells me he understands that its the meds pushing him away but if I can't figure away to control this I will lose every thing including my job. I cant even get the energy together half the time to make it up and down the stairs which also comes with the pain of just trying to lift each leg up to climb the stairs, I also have the camel hump which I find very painful, The acne and the hair growth that I have to get wax off once a month cause I feel like a man I feel like a loser and as of the last couple of days I just want to give up I am now down to 20mg per day but I find that I am feeling so sick I cant think straight I hope and pray for each and every person out there that has to take this MED that you get better and I do hope that my symptoms wont come back. Thanks for being here and I’m glad I found this site. I know now that I’m not losing my mind completely. Elizabeth.
December 10th
2005
7:27 PM
peripheral neuropathy is my zantac "side" effect...the inability of your stomach to process Vitamin B12 is a common cause of peripheral
neuropathy and should be checked in anyone with symptoms/signs of a peripheral neuropathy. Gastric acid inhibitory drugs are being reported, related to prolonged use as an aid for acid suppresion, not allowing the growth of normal microorganisms in the digestive system. This seemingly rare effect inhibits the digestive acids the body incorporates to breakdown and allow absorbtion of vitamin b-12 into our circulatory system. Vitamin B-12 is the "food" our nerves drastically need to remain healthy and aid the nerves to be free from unusual and abnormal degeneration. This excrutiatingly painful condition is relatively high in diabetic patients due to circulatory anomalies associated with diabetes itself. The most common sufferers of this horribly painful affliction, sans diabetics, is long term zantac (or other acid blocker/inhibitors)use. Research pernicious anemia, it is a cause of vitamin B12 deficiency and is associated primarily with lack of acid production. I never read THAT side effect in the list of precarious, but usually long, as to cover any imagined re-action to a drug that can be faintly contrived and cover their rectums from recourse by simply stating...hmm, so sorry, didn't you read that in the danger side effects list before you began your physician prescribed treatment? Surely you read it, right between post menstrual syndrome for men and panties constantly gathering in a group causing a mass, or wad if you will? If I mass produce arsenic to use on acne, am I not culpable and/or responsible if a patient dies from arsenic exposure caused by the application of the arsenic to the acne region being absorbed and doing what arsenic does...such as kill people? BUT I disclaimed that side effect!!!! An acid inhibitor stopping the production of an essential acid?? Who would have thought that the "poison" would perform in the manner it was designed for and who in the most southern hemispheres of hell that showed up at any of their medical classes to earn that MD degree, didn't see that one coming...surely they knew there were "good witches" as well as "bad witches"...how do you discriminate between the two? I would have preferred to drink pepto, eat tums,drank alka-seltzer, or slept standing up as opposed to this lot I have drawn!
PredniSONE (2) Lipitor (2) Levaquin (2) Zantac (1) Yaz (1) Lamictal (1)
May 14th
2009
12:42 PM
I began Yaz 10 days ago. This was my first time being on the birth control pill at all, and immediately at day 5, I experienced numbness in my left arm and leg. I saw my GP on day 7, and he wasn't concerned but said to stop taking it. Then on Day 8 I saw my gyno he switched me to Nuvaring, but I continued to have the same problem and developed a headache. He told me to take the nuvaring out and go to the ER. The ER determined that I didn't have a stroke, or a blood clot, which was the main concern. He said if it isn't better in a few days to make an appt with the neurologist. I went ahead and made one for next week because the numbness hasn't improved. I'm worried. I also read where it could be Vitamin B-12 deficiency so I'm going to get some Vitamins to take until then. I'm worried.
-- By mroby2 | Reply | Private Message me