Somedays I am driving in my car, for example on Friday to the DIY store to buy some paint to finish decorating the hall, stairs and landing (a job I started 2.5 yrs ago and was unable to finish due to my poor health) and I think "wow I feel so great, my vision is soooo good" then I almost cry tears of joy. This normally happens when I drive into the office and I can see further and more clearly every day.
People are still saying how well I look. My skin is amazing never had such good skin. I am still sleeping really well every night, although I am still suffering adreanl fatigue so still feel like rubbish in the mornings. I am doing a lot more like finishing all the DIY jobs that have been building up for the last few years. I am concentrating much better at work and able to remember things a little better, but still a way to go on the memory issues. Your brain is the last thing your body detoxes so I just have to be patient!
So this month I got my test results back and they were eye opening. Mercury affects people in different ways, its not so much the poison but its the interaction with the way individual bodies work and what problems it causes in you. Thats why mercury poisoning is so difficult to prove as the sufferers have similarities but can have very different problems. This is what these tests were about, not to prove mercury toxicity but to find out where my body is struggling and to take the right supplements and herbs.
Hair Test Results
As you can see my Copper is off the charts!!!! Mercury displaces copper, therefore this does explain my anaemia like symptoms. Instead of having copper in my red blood cells I have mercury and this is why they do not work but on blood tests they look normal. My anaemia symptoms have dramatically improved, I no longer look pale and I can walk up 2 flights of stairs without feeling like I am doing to collaspe.
Copper toxicity does explain all of my symptoms
http://www.drlwilson.com/articles/copper_toxicity_syndrome.htm
Copper affects calcium levels, but high calcium on a hair test is not indicative of too much calcium so calcium could be going to the wrong place. My Dr ordered me a calcium blood test but the lab missed it off and therefore I cannot make conclusions on my calcium grrrrrrrr.
A few of my facebook mercury detox support group take lithium oratate. As you can see from the hair test my lithium levels are below measurement value. There is no RDA for Lithium as not many studies have been done, but as my levels are so low I am not worried about taking it short term as an experiment. Lithium is supposedly essential for transporting B12 and folate accross the blood brain barrier, I am taking methyl-folate and methyl-B12 but maybe its not going to the central nervous system. So I started taking lithium oratate, this is a safe form of lithium as its a natural form. It is different from lithium carbonate which is the form they give out in prescriptions. the controversy with lithium carbonate is they have to give high doses otherwise it does not reach the brain, which in turn potentially makes your body lithium toxic which may cause kideny problems. Hence why drs meed to monitor you and you can only get it on prescription. Therefore you can take lithium oratate in small safe doses and it is supposed to be much more effective at getting past the blood brain barrier.
So far I have noticed my visual snow has improved and although I still have the same amount of time where I have the energy to work, within that time I am much more productive. I am not really anxious or depressed so no effect there, although feeling more lovey dovey towards my husband but that might be the PMS emotions kicking in haa haa.
The hair test report concluded:
- slow metaboliser type 1 (this will create poor absorption of nutrients which will create poor metabolic rate ie a vicious circle)
- parasympathetic dominanent
- tendency towards decreased thyroid activity
- tendency towards decreased adreanl function
http://drlwilson.com/Articles/NERVOUS%20SYSTEM.htm
Cortisol 24 Hr Saliva Test
Here is article on adrenals and adrenal fatigue/burnout
http://drlwilson.com/Articles/adrenal_burnout.htm
My test results show that I am "Maladaption stage 3, pre-adrenal fatigue". I would say I had proper adrenal fatigue but have been accidently following a recovery plan for adrenal fatigue for 12 months in effort to heal myself before I understood what was really wrong. So to me this shows I have improved although I don't have the test to prove it. My test indicates long term stressors depleting adrenal reserves.
Morning cortiol is indicative of overall cortisol which is low and in afternoon (when I get sleepy) my body tries to compensate. My DHEA is consistently low. My secretory IgA is normal but on low side.
Blood Work and Dr appointment
Unsurprisingly all my blood work was "normal", it always is using the "NHS we don't want to spend any real money curing you tests". I would beg to differ.
My dr again unsurprisingly thinks my hair tests and my adrenal test is a load of rubbish (even though you can with some difficulty get the 24 hr saliva test on the NHS). But he does want to test my blood calcium and copper levels. So after some debate and him not knowing what the symbol for copper was I agreed to the copper blood test as I do need my calcium test anyway, I can guarantee you the copper will be normal!
I did manage to get all my tests results this time. Unfortunately the NHS does not do reverse T4 therefore I cannot fully asses my thyroid function but my TSH is a little on high side at 4.5 (mu/L) which implies my thyroid is struggling according to Thyroid UK research it should be near 2.5. T3 (4 pmol/L) and T4 (12.4 pmol/L) are in normal ranges.
What is strange is my Ferritin (Stored Iron) level of 45(ug/L). I have been supplementing with Iron for 10 months and my ferritin level is still the same as before supplementation.
My vitamin D levels have dramatically risen from 61 to 191 nmol/l which implies my digestive systems does absorb some nutrients. I am wondering if my original number was in ng/ml in which case I should be comparing 61 to 76ng/mls which sounds more plausable. I will ask as my next dr visit. I have stopped taking the Vitamin D until I understand my calcium levels.
My hair tests says I am copper toxic and copper is known to interfere with Iron utlisation so this ferritin level does back up the theory that it is copper toxicity causing all my symptoms.
I have decided not to take Iron supplement as it seems to be a waste of time and Andy Cutler says that the body will try and get rid of all oxidising agents and it is easier to get rid of Iron instead of the mercury! I have just started taking Chlorophyll as someone on detox support group recommended this to help with energy instead. It tastes disgusting!
Next Steps
I am feeling so good still I have decided to try and do this the natural way, in future I can always change and do Andy Cutler method. I am not as sick as some people who are bed bound or in a wheel chair from this so I have the luxury of being able to not do DMSA and I worry about putting additional pressure on my kidneys. I would want to do Chris Shades method but no support for that here in the UK.
So I am carrying on with my herbs and supplements as I seem to be doing well on them.
