Hey Zar, so here I am, replying very unfashionably late
Yah sorry, I don't have enough experience with EDTA or DMSA yet to give you an informed opinion. Do you think you're still heavy in led? You probably already know this but getting a heavy metal test is probably be the best way to check your levels.
Yeah, I realise that. But the "always something" syndrome (which seems to be life's default setting) gets in the way and other expenses become a priority. I was actually going to buy a water distiller this month.
I guess I should finally do it though. Comparing symptoms when there are so many other variables in the picture isn't going to get me far.
Well now that you mention it and give me this neat list to follow I think I qualify on two of these symptoms.
Sluggishness and fatigue - You're probably well aware that I was very fatigued all the time before NO, prob had chronic fatigue syndrome. I don't have it anymore so I'm not sure if that was led or my own nervous system due to trauma(or both). I've been able to easily sleep for 10 hours a day if I had the time throughout most of my life. The thing is since NO seems to have taken care of it, I'm not sure if it was the led or my own NS, or maybe I still have the led but my brain has worked around the led to restore my fatigue levels.
This is really interesting, I could actually write the above paragraph myself. In fact, I actually did write something similar
here. All this time I was convinced the issue was physical toxicity and food intolerances and then NO happened and sorted a huge chunk of it out. I'm still not 100% super, which makes me wonder whether it is a combination of toxicity and neurological issues, or I simply need more NO.
So there
is in fact a similarity of symptoms between us, I'm glad I asked then.
The difference is that for me, fatigue issues started around a year after I became vegetarian. Due to the delay I didn't link them to the diet and kept going as a vegetarian for another 12 years - despite my condition continuously deteriorating throughout that time.
When I finally found this forum and read through the Vegetarian Stance thread I was hoping that reintroducing meat was going to solve the problem. Yet it was only an incremental improvement rather than a drastic change. I had good and bad days but the problem never really disappeared. I have the MTHFR mutation and I've had digestive issues since the age of 4, at least this is when they first appeared in my medical record, and there's likely more at play that I am yet to discover.
Difficulties with memory or concentration - I definitely have this symptom, and have had it for a long time. Aside from a lack of concentration and general trouble with memory(though I think my long term memory fluctuates, and is getting worse that my early 20s). It's not constant but throughout the years at odd times of the day(not sure when it started, early teens maybe) I seem to forget certain things. Like simple things/words/memories/people even though I know the thing that I'm currently forgetting i.e. at bluefyre's place, the other week, I forgot the word for "child health services" or I once forgot my memories of an entire person whom I worked with for several years. It was the oddest thing because I "knew" her at some level but couldn't recall her name or any memory of her(she wasn't very pleased to say the least). This still persists today and is a problem because it happens at random times, and sometimes I forget things while working and end up causing hours spent on fixing my problems. The oddest thing is that now a days I'm sometimes aware at some level of what it is I'm not registering(other times I'm not aware) but I can't seem to make the connection to that part of my consciousness. Like my left and right hemisphere's misfire at odd times or something. Might be two separate issues mixed into one troubling symptom.
So yes I do have these symptoms that I'm aware of and I'm hoping this detox will help, especially with the second one.
I can somewhat related to that too Zar. A couple of years ago I was at a point where I was literally losing track of conversations. Half way through a sentence I would blank out what the conversation was about and I'd state at the person in front of me as they were waiting for me to answer. I had to take naps in the bathroom at work. I would go to sleep at 8pm on Friday and I could sleep until 3pm on Saturday and still wake up exhausted. My profession is very client facing and client focused so I was terrified I would lose my job.
It was 2013/14 and it was in the middle of that constant brain fog that I started reading
The Wave. Coincidentally, when I started NO sessions I began to read it again. There is a
thread here on the forum about deformed skulls and I was really interested in that topic. So imagine my shock when I was re-reading early chapters of
The Wave and noticed that the very same topic was discussed there. I did have a wee bit of a breakdown. Just how much did I really get out of those books if I'd completely forgotten such huge chunks of the content?
I've almost finished the last book of the series now and my memory seems to be much better. The difference is that before, when my brain was mostly struggling to stay awake, I had an overall feeling or impression of what I read. I got the gist of it but I wasn't able to repeat what I read or remember and recall the details. This time around I noticed that I can recall the whole process and explain it to others in a manner that doesn't have holes in it and isn't just a general gist of an idea.
That said, like you, I too sometimes catch myself forgetting words, both in English and in Polish. During my recent holiday back home we had a chat about mercury and I just couldn't recall what it was called in Polish. Luckily someone spoke English was was able to help me out. I guess that's just yet another sign that there's still work to be done but it doesn't terrify me anymore.
Do you think the memory and fatigue issues are connected in your case? As my own fatigue problems began to get better my memory significantly improved too so there most likely is a link in my case.
I do hope your health will improve Zar. Heck, if I dragged myself out of that hole there must be a way for you too! There was a time not so long ago when I was convinced that I was a lost cause. That my health was at a stage where there was no hope for improvement and the answers I searched for came way too late.
But hey, here I am, plodding along and reporting improvements
The thing is I've been taking iodine since a last january(2016) and somewhat maintained it. Lately I think my level's have dropped so I've upped the dosage. And I agree, I was very surprised that I have these high levels of led. I assumed I had something but I though it would be mercury or alluminum. Bluefyre also has basically the same led levels so we were thinking it might be the west coast of canada but I've seen enough evidence that led is everywhere.
I have been taking iodine since December 2015 so only a month longer than you. It was said in the iodine thread that it can take years to detox heavy metals. I guess 2-3 years may not be enough. If my reaction to EDTA means that my lead levels are high too, it may be due to the fact that it used to be added to paint when I was little. I guess I do have to finally get the test done.
@Ant22 I'm going to try taking EDTA in several weeks and I'll let you know how that works but I'm wondering how much EDTA did you take when you experienced that horrible episode?
I'm doing a bit of research and the recommended dosage I'm finding varies, some say 2-3 capsules a day for 5-10 days, with some rest days afterwards, and others say other amounts. It seems a little odd that you had such a horrible experience, and I'm hoping you didn't take too much or you reacted to some other substances that were removed along with heavy metals, but I still wrapping my head around this.?
I don't remember how much I took but I normally start new supplements on low doses so it couldn't have been a lot. I normally go for half of the recommended amount and increase it from there. My dose of DMSA was initially quite low too but I was able to quickly increase it. To the point I took more than the recommended amount per kilogram of body weight, and yet I felt OK.
And also did you have symptoms that have improved after the whole ordeal?
Actually yes. Each round of DMSA came with some sluggishness for a day or two until I remineralised properly but after that I felt more alert and awake. Which, as you can imagine, was an improvement that felt like a light at the end of the tunnel.
Also, I have hemochromatosis and from my late teens I had quite high iron levels and really severe tummy aches. Doctors somehow failed to out those two symptoms together and I only did a test for hemochromatosis a couple to years ago when I finally gave up on them and decided to help myself.
Tummy aches kick in when my iron levels are on the higher end of the spectrum, but still within the acceptable range. I suspect DMSA removes iron along with other junk. I took it when my tummy started to play up and each time it ended the symptoms successfully. Apparently fatigue is also a symptom of hemochromatosis so no wonder I felt more awake after DMSA, although the improvement was not as noticable and intense as the results I got from NO.
I think this whole fatigue business is a complex issue really. I'll see if there's a thread about it here as I wouldn't like to kidnap the discussion more than I already have.
For me the biggest change was meat and fat rich diet, no gluten, NeurOptimal, Quinton water, melatonin and intermittent fasting. The last one was really huge and probably just as important as NO. I can't handle long-term keto diet, I'm a skinny girl and the thought of losing any more fat scares me. But intermittent fasting puts our bodies into short term ketosis and it really works for me. I bought keto strips and they show ketone levels close to the top of the range daily. I follow the protocol Renaissance described
here and there's only been a couple of days when I cheated. It was meant to help with skin issues but I ended up getting some ricochet improvement as well.
Do keep us posted on your progress Zar, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for your progress.
).
