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ElizabethW's log
Update:
I seem to be emerging from a period of horrible physical fatigue. 3 weeks in I don't feel as though I am having so much trouble walking uphill or getting up from being on the floor or bending down.
Mood is still good- I feel a bit more resilient and definitely less anxious.
Caveat- I am still on about 40mg hydrocortisone a day. And I am still experiencing high amounts of adrenalin, especially in the mornings, and tension in my body. This has got worse since starting the diet.
It is unusual for me to feel better mentally and to have more energy but at the same time for my adrenals to still feel so shot- usually the 2 go hand in hand.
Forgot to mention:
Digestion definitely feels better- I am not feeling so bloated- my stomach feels much more able to deal with the food I am giving it, including all these carbs. I am still taking plenty of stomach and liver support/supplements.
Hardly any hormonal-related stabbing pain in left breast this week.
Update:
My period returned after the longest period of absence I've had (4 months). I am peri-menopausal, partly due to severe liver congestion, partly due to having had gynae problems after a difficult birth (uterine embolization). This is great news!
Mood is good... My obsessive health-related anxiety is almost absent, which is astonishing.
Physical energy is up and down but not bad. Motivation is good.
Digestion is much better. Decreased need for betaine HCL.
Unfortunately my adrenal symptoms are still dreadful and include poor sleep, early waking, increased need for hydrocortisone, restless legs and numbness/twitching, increased susceptibility to wireless devices.
Not sure what could be causing it... Increased starch consumption? Some nutrient in eggs and butter that I'm missing?
My son is also now pretty much fully on the diet... He complained of some stomach problems over the weekend and didn't want to eat much. Hard to know whether this could be related since he has a history of regular stomach ache anyway. He has however been a tiny bit more cooperative and a bit more cheerful.
Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks
* Help with figuring out the adrenal symptoms not my son, ha ha
Hi Elizabeth,
I imagine that adrenal and hormonal symptoms will take longer to resolve. I'm about 4 and a half months in and things are gradually normalizing for me. I'm also working with Dr. Smith which I believed has helped.
The only other thing I've done in addition to the diet and recommended supplements is that I donated blood one time. My ferritin levels were relatively high. I plan on donating (about 3x per year) indefinitely.
Hi Elizabeth! I thought of myself as very adrenal compromised as well. If you ask me, when you are high vitamin A you are always in tear down mode and never get to rebuild. This is how I once tried to explain how I felt to my holistic dentist (before learning about vit A). I think many of us felt very tired at the beginning of the diet. Someone described it as "I felt like I just ate and slept for the first x amount of time of the diet". Maybe it's normal. After a while, I did feel like my energy recouped somewhat (I'm only 4+ months in). Although I wouldn't call myself "energetic" yet haha...
It seems many things "surge" as they try to get better and many things surge multiple times as they get better. Cycles.
I'm actually kind of an energizer bunny and always have been, but it's always been a wired/tired sort of energizer bunny.
Rest is so important. I think that physical work helps me sleep better--but not so much that you get sore (important). Also, I think a little bit of "self hypnosis" to get back to sleep with the early waking thing, A shower before bed to help with itching... Keeping the room very dark...