On the DL list

[Jiffer]

I don't mind at all. I posted briefly about it in "I'm Back! (I think)".

I was first diagnosed with adrenal fatigue in March 2012, but had apparently had it for some time. I had my first adrenal "crash" in August 2011 when my period came, but thought it was anemia. I was on a 30-ish mile group ride, rode the first half pretty well, but then "bonked" after about 15 miles or so and limped home. I had a lot of fatigue and got dizzy easily when I stood and got a black out sensation (but never actually fainted). A cycling coach believed it was anemia, as did my nurse sister. I took about a month off of riding, took iron and ate iron rich foods. Then I started to feel better . . . mostly.

I did a century after that, which only worsened my adrenals, only I didn't know it. Then I rode off and on for a while, nothing too long and no hard training. In January I got serious about training again and could ride 20-30 mile rides pretty strong, but once I hit around 40, I started to have issues. I'd bonk and could hardly get home. In February I had a tough time on the Palm Springs "metric" (after mile 40) and in March opted to do the Solvang Half instead of full century. I actually road that 50 really strong (passed people all day long . . . hee hee!). And then my period came a week later and, once again, I found myself limping home from a club ride after about 10 miles in. The strong fatigue and dizziness were back and I just couldn't ride a bike worth beans.

I went to a doctor this time, who confirmed it was not anemia, but I didn't have a lot of faith that he could diagnose me. He was all over the place with all the things it could be. I learned about adrenal fatigue from a friend, and went to a nutritionist who agreed I had it. (Basically my adrenal gland was shot and was not secreting enough adrenal hormone.) I saw her for ten months, took her supplements and "tried" to stay on the diet she recommended. (It was hard to stay on when I wasn't seeing results.) I'd ride 30 minute rides at an easy pace, but eventually it seemed that even those would make my symptoms worse.

In February of this year when my symptoms worsened even more I switched to a naturopathic doctor. That's when everything changed. She confirmed adrenal fatigue, but also diagnosed me with subclinical hypothyroidism, candida (a yeast overgrowth) and . . . apparently ALL my hormones are low.

I have since learned that all four of those things are commonly related.

For the past 5 1/2 weeks I've been on a candida diet, which avoids any foods that feed the yeast. No sugar or foods that turn to sugar. Low grains (for sure no white flour or wheat), no dairy and pretty much no processed foods of any kind. I basically have to make every thing I eat and usually from scratch, because everything has something in it that I can't have. Sugar is in everything. Citric acid is in things like tomato sauce, marinara, enchilada sauce, etc. I'm not aware of any store bought salad dressings I can have. I could go on, but I'm already telling you way more detail than you probably expected (that's just my way!).

My doctor believes if I can get rid of the yeast, it will help balance all my other hormones, including thyroid and adrenals. I was skeptical at how soon I'd see improvement, but at 3 1/2 weeks into the diet (and a million supplements), I actually started to experience less fatigue. My blackout sensation is still there, but less intense and less often. I can ride my bike and not feel like it's worsening my symptoms.

YAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have post nasal drip, which my doctor says is fungal and should be cured with my diet and supplements. I haven't noticed any change in that yet, but since I have had the post nasal drip for at least 15 years, that means I've had candida for 15 years and the longer you've had it, the longer it takes to get rid of the little buggers. So I'll probably be on this diet for some time before I'm completely well, and even then I'll probably always have to be careful.

I've been blogging about my health journey, cycling, recipes, etc. at jennifersuchey.com if you're curious. I have a post on what candida is, symptoms, etc.

So that's my story.

[Bike Writer]

Wow, that's a very interesting story and not too much detail because it leaves me wanting to know more. I'll check out your blog. It seems that I am constantly hearing more and more about diet and long term illnesses.

A good friend of mine was diagnosed last year with food allergies (lots of them) and has since changed his diet and saw tremendous benefitis in his overall health. He found we was allergic to wheat, dairy and tomatoes. They played havoc with him in so many various ways including lots of pain.

Another friend I recently met told me that she suffered from fibromyalgia for a number of years and went on a gluten free diet and has not been symptomatic for many months now. Her quality of life has had a dramatic improvement.

Thank you for posting.

I don't mind at all. I posted briefly about it in "I'm Back! (I think)".

I was first diagnosed with adrenal fatigue in March 2012, but had apparently had it for some time. I had my first adrenal "crash" in August 2011 when my period came, but thought it was anemia. I was on a 30-ish mile group ride, rode the first half pretty well, but then "bonked" after about 15 miles or so and limped home. I had a lot of fatigue and got dizzy easily when I stood and got a black out sensation (but never actually fainted). A cycling coach believed it was anemia, as did my nurse sister. I took about a month off of riding, took iron and ate iron rich foods. Then I started to feel better . . . mostly.

I did a century after that, which only worsened my adrenals, only I didn't know it. Then I rode off and on for a while, nothing too long and no hard training. In January I got serious about training again and could ride 20-30 mile rides pretty strong, but once I hit around 40, I started to have issues. I'd bonk and could hardly get home. In February I had a tough time on the Palm Springs "metric" (after mile 40) and in March opted to do the Solvang Half instead of full century. I actually road that 50 really strong (passed people all day long . . . hee hee!). And then my period came a week later and, once again, I found myself limping home from a club ride after about 10 miles in. The strong fatigue and dizziness were back and I just couldn't ride a bike worth beans.

I went to a doctor this time, who confirmed it was not anemia, but I didn't have a lot of faith that he could diagnose me. He was all over the place with all the things it could be. I learned about adrenal fatigue from a friend, and went to a nutritionist who agreed I had it. (Basically my adrenal gland was shot and was not secreting enough adrenal hormone.) I saw her for ten months, took her supplements and "tried" to stay on the diet she recommended. (It was hard to stay on when I wasn't seeing results.) I'd ride 30 minute rides at an easy pace, but eventually it seemed that even those would make my symptoms worse.

In February of this year when my symptoms worsened even more I switched to a naturopathic doctor. That's when everything changed. She confirmed adrenal fatigue, but also diagnosed me with subclinical hypothyroidism, candida (a yeast overgrowth) and . . . apparently ALL my hormones are low.

I have since learned that all four of those things are commonly related.

For the past 5 1/2 weeks I've been on a candida diet, which avoids any foods that feed the yeast. No sugar or foods that turn to sugar. Low grains (for sure no white flour or wheat), no dairy and pretty much no processed foods of any kind. I basically have to make every thing I eat and usually from scratch, because everything has something in it that I can't have. Sugar is in everything. Citric acid is in things like tomato sauce, marinara, enchilada sauce, etc. I'm not aware of any store bought salad dressings I can have. I could go on, but I'm already telling you way more detail than you probably expected (that's just my way!).

My doctor believes if I can get rid of the yeast, it will help balance all my other hormones, including thyroid and adrenals. I was skeptical at how soon I'd see improvement, but at 3 1/2 weeks into the diet (and a million supplements), I actually started to experience less fatigue. My blackout sensation is still there, but less intense and less often. I can ride my bike and not feel like it's worsening my symptoms.

YAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have post nasal drip, which my doctor says is fungal and should be cured with my diet and supplements. I haven't noticed any change in that yet, but since I have had the post nasal drip for at least 15 years, that means I've had candida for 15 years and the longer you've had it, the longer it takes to get rid of the little buggers. So I'll probably be on this diet for some time before I'm completely well, and even then I'll probably always have to be careful.

I've been blogging about my health journey, cycling, recipes, etc. at jennifersuchey.com if you're curious. I have a post on what candida is, symptoms, etc.

So that's my story.

[Jiffer]

Wow, that's a very interesting story and not too much detail because it leaves me wanting to know more. I'll check out your blog. It seems that I am constantly hearing more and more about diet and long term illnesses.

A good friend of mine was diagnosed last year with food allergies (lots of them) and has since changed his diet and saw tremendous benefitis in his overall health. He found we was allergic to wheat, dairy and tomatoes. They played havoc with him in so many various ways including lots of pain.

Another friend I recently met told me that she suffered from fibromyalgia for a number of years and went on a gluten free diet and has not been symptomatic for many months now. Her quality of life has had a dramatic improvement.

Thank you for posting.

Yes, food plays a HUGE part in health. Even though I am only recently on the candida diet, I have been learning about the connection between food and health and making small changes for several years now. Small changes, which add up to a lot. And it is those changes, which became habits and normal every day lifestyle that made the candida diet a lot more doable than it otherwise would have been. I actually suspected candida a few years ago and attempted the candida diet, but failed miserably. It was just too hard to stick to when I didn't "really" know I had candida. However, a food intolerance test came back with a high intolerance to yeast, which is how I was diagnosed. Between then and now I got more serious about reducing sugar and bread and adding more veggies, etc. So when I found out I couldn't have ANY sugar or bread, I was already on the right track.

The first book I read that really made an impact on me in this regard is Jordan Rubin's The Great Physician's Rx to Health and Wellness. He almost died from Crohn's, severe candida and about 15 other ailments. After trying a multitude of different treatments from doctors all over the world, some natural and some conventional (his own father was a naturopathic doctor), he finally figured out how Biblical eating was the healthiest way to eat and got well.

Another book I love, which is an inspirational easy read with practical tips, is Mariel Hemingway's Healthy Living from the Inside Out, along with her cookbook, Mariel’s Kitchen: Simple Ingredients for a Delicious and Satisfying Life.

I'm also a big fan of Dr. Mercola and read his newsletter daily. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/current.aspx

You might want to go to his site and do a search for RA and see what you find.

Good luck in your recovery!

[Melalvai]

Jiffer, you could have been describing my cat! The thyroid & postnasal drip. We never did figure out what was the cause of her drippy nose. She was hyperthyroid, and we think we got that under control, but we never cleared up her congestion over several rounds of antibiotics. The vet gave us some thyroid diet, that was supposed to replace the thyroid med she was on, but she quit eating entirely toward the end so we didn't get a chance to try it. I wonder now if the postnasal drip was fungal after all, not bacterial.

[Melalvai]

One more thing, about diet & RA-- I happen to be in Montreal right now at the annual meeting of the International Cartilage Repair Society. One of the talks I heard was about diet & osteoarthritis (which is different from rheumatoid arthritis, which was not discussed at all). They mentioned omega-6, and glucosamine, that there is some evidence that these might have an effect on cartilage health. Of course there's not much evidence and it's hard to study because it can't be patented!

[Bike Writer]

Jiffer, thanks for the link and additional information, it's a topic I need to delve into further.

Melalvai, thanks for the heads up.

[Bike Writer]

I'm thinking this is more serious than a rest up and gradual comeback.

Far too many thngs going on in my right leg at the moment. Knee pain, muscle weakness, strong cramping in my calf muscle and hamstring, sciatica pain and more that is enough to keep me off the bike and I'm considering getting total knee replacement on my right side. I suffered through much of this several years ago on the left side and had the TKN replacement surgery.

The Dr. always says that only you will know when it's time to get it done.

I think it might be time.

This might be a mighty short season.

Sad face girl here. It's killing me to think about having this done at this time of year...the spirit is willing and the flesh is weak...

[goldfinch]

Jiffer, thanks for the link and additional information, it's a topic I need to delve into further.

Melalvai, thanks for the heads up.

Stay away from Mercola. If you are interested in him or what he says I suggest starting with the Wiki on him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Mercola. From the wiki:
A 2006 BusinessWeek editorial criticized Mercola's marketing practices as "relying on slick promotion, clever use of information, and scare tactics."[3] In 2005, 2006 and 2011 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Mercola and his company to stop making illegal claims regarding his products' ability to detect, prevent and treat disease.[4] The medical watchdog site Quackwatch has criticized Mercola for making "unsubstantiated claims and clash with those of leading medical and public health organizations [and making] many unsubstantiated recommendations for dietary supplements."[4]


He even questions whether HIV causes Aids.

I also suggest reading:

http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/mercola.html


The Respectful Insolence and the Science Based Medicine blogs (two well respected blogs headed up by MDs) frequently call Mercola out on his psuedo-scientific nonsense, for example:

http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/20...1_influenz.php
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/20...hampoo_woo.php

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=9903