[Research] Oh no -- here comes the sun

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It's great that I have his buy-in now. That makes it easier. When I get home, I'm going to ask him what time his eye-flutter seizure happened. We got a sudden shift in weather at about 11 am, and I got dizzy and have had a pounding headache ever since. I wonder if his occured around the same time. I know our shifts in weather can initiate migraines, so I'm curious if I need to keep an eye on weather regarding seizures.
 
So, the eye flutter seizure happened at 11 am. I don't think that's coincidental. He's probably more sensitive to other influences as a result of a very much lowerd seizure threshhold due to diet and meds. I still have my headache and mild dizziness too. I hate these drastic weather changes.
 
Me too!
Our weather drastically changed to warm and damp and now my throat hurts and I have no idea why! I feel fine other wise, but I thought that if its damp out your throat shouldn't feel dry!
 
Wait.... I just clued in. This might be 'Le Drying' side effect. I hate not being able to tell!
 
Rae -- for me the Lamictal drying affect doesn't affect my throat so much as my mouth and eyes. And it's worse in the wintertime with the dry heat.

occb -- I hope you are paying attention to your own health in attention to your partner's.
 
I try Nak. I eat a little healthier than he does, and I make time to get exercise and time for myself. Yesterday happened to be a perfect storm, which caused the headache and dizziness: sudden change in weather, lack of food (because I didn't feel hungry) and TOM. I've been getting those for years.

What's starting to get to me now though is not sleeping through the night. I keep waking up to his episodes now, where I used to just keep sleeping. If I get too burnt out, I'll sleep on the couch, or make him sleep on the couch.
 
Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Lamotrigine 200 mg
Effexor XR 150 mg
Both taken 9:00

Seemed okay after waking up, just groggy for a while, but considering the quality of sleep last night, no surprise. Had a few small twitches in that twilight between sleep and waking, but nothing too bad. Yesterday may have been so bad because of the 1 hour overlap between Sunday's and Monday's dose of Effexor XR -- apparently it's such a touchy med that you have to take it at the exact same time every single day.

I called, and partner's been sleeping on-and-off all day, exhaustion with total body pain. Hasn't been able to muster the energy to go to the pharmacy 4 blocks away and pick up his xanax scrip. We'll go after dinner tonight, which may help him have a good night's sleep. Ate Raisin Bran mixed with organic brown rice cereal with a banana for breakfast. Has eaten nothing else so far. I tried to convince him to have an apple pear (his favourite) but he sounded like he was going to go back to sleep.

Had several space-outs and epigastric rising sensations during the day, and repeated sudden confusion, exhaustion and pain all over. Mood was good though, when I came home.

Ate dinner -- coconut cream and olive oil sauce w/ broccoli and onions over pasta. Took a xanax at 8 pm. Fell asleep great. I woke up to him, both legs spasming rhythmically, then sudden chest rubbing. Repeated every few minutes for a while. Had to move away from him to be able to sleep.
 
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Yeah i know how that feels.
My body totally recognizes when I my med levels are low and its time to take it again. Or if its just because my body has an internal alarm clock telling me to take my meds. but after the first 2 days that went away and my mind was super clear and i felt like me again.

Although the people around me noticed I was off. mumbling and not thinking straight when trying to write or do data entry. calculations were off. but I still felt great and thats what mattered to me. until that drop seizure which scared me bad. which btw, that blister is about gone. just that small calous left.

SO I think after a few days off it, he will recognize that his moods are not being stiffled and smothered and he will feel alot better. Just take it slow. maybe stay a month or 2 at the lower dose and see how it goes to lower it more.

*hugs to you and partner*
 
I just realized a small fact here that might help with partner. Dairy products contain alot of estrogen. one sip of milk contains low levels of estrogern. but cheese contains about 8 times more estrogen per pound then a pound of milk. thats because it takes 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese, as the liquid evaporates. one scoop of ice cream contains 12 times the amount of estrogen, and each pat of butter contains 21 times the amount of estrogen as a pound of milk.

Cow's milk contains more estrogen than goats/sheeps millk. so your better off using things like feta or drinking it instead of regular milk.

Soy products also contain low levels of estrogen as the bean form, and the levels are increased in soy milk, tofu, soy cheeses and soy "meats".

other foods with estrogen levels are: HERBS: Anise, hops, fennel, black cohosh, milk thistle, clover, red clover, Don Quai, licorice, ginseng, royal jelly, peony, nettle, sage, fenugreek, evening primrose oil, burdock, chamomiles, rhubarb

FOODS: French bean, date palm, dates, garlic, pomegranate, apple, soyabean, chick pea, cherry, alfalfa, soya sprouts, cow pea, green beans, red beans, split peas, flaxseed, raspberry, carrot and squash (both have beta carotene) nuts, cashew,

Hummus is made from chick peas.

Certain sports drinks *like gatorade and powerade etc* contain estrogen to boost levels in active women.

Cashews are actually a seed, but they are a seed for cashew apples. which contain lots of estrogen. and just like chick peas, they contain the most estrogen in the seed.

70% or higher chocolate contains less milk, and therefore levels of estrogen are almost no existant.

rooibos tea blocks the estrogen receptors, so your body does not absorb it. which is a good thing.

Looks to me like partner is sensitive to small changes in his estrogen levels.
 
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I don't know if he even feels comfortable going any lower on the Effexor -- certainly not without a doctor's supervision anyway.

I found out SIL's doc is back this week, and SIL is going to call her and see if she'll take him on. That would mean we'd see her in 3 or 4 weeks, and maybe she'd be willing to try upping the lamotrigine dose. By then we'll also have a good daily record of his episodes to show her when we go *keeping fingers crossed*


Edit: I just read your estrogen post -- I think you may be on to something. Most of those foods/herbs on the list are ones he doesn't like.
 
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Yes.
I'd hate for partner to be ill at any point but maybe you could try a day without eating estrogen rich foods, and then the day after, make alfredo sauce, with cheese and garlic and some herbs. also maybe adding tofu chunks instead of chicken, and see how he feels
 
A test like that is definitely worth trying, but maybe after a couple of weeks on food low on estrogen first, then the alfredo lol
 
yeah. and just prepare him mentally for a crappy day in case he does really well on low estrogen foods. make sure he knows that he will not enjoy that day. and see how he wants to go from there. I think he would be more willing to continue on it, once he sees how much better he feels by eliminating those foods.

*that is to say if my hunch is correct*
 
I'm not above guinea-pigging him, but only with his agreement. If it does have a dramatic effect on him, it'll go a long way to convincing him diet is a healing tool.

I'm tired. I wonder if he's talked to the E Association advocate today.
 
Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Lamotrigine 200 mg
Effexor XR 150 mg
xanax .5 mg
Both taken 10 am

Woke up tired and in pain a little confused, but better than previous times.. No surprise there, since his legs were spasming just before wake-up. Mood was good though.

Two cups green tea! We ran out of coffee and are too broke to buy more lol. No space-outs yet.

Just spoke to him, and forgot to ask about when he took his meds (I know it's later today, just don't know how much later), and anything to eat. I just found out that he doesn't recall anything happening today, other than continued exhaustion, confusion and pain from his wake-up. I wonder if it's because of no coffee, or lower Effexor? Hmmm. My guess is the former.

We'll see what the afternoon brings...

The little bugger snuck himself a coffee this morning. Still, today was a good day. A few space-outs here and there, but no clusters like in previous days, and a much milder sudden exhaustion without nausea or total body pain (just the lower back and leg pain due to his back) this afternoon. He's chipper and cheery this evening. Yay! I'm thinking the good day is probably as a result of having a xanax last night and again this morning.

As soon as he feel asleep last night, I could tell by his breathing that he was going to have night activity, but more "normal" stuff. By that I mean his pattern that he's had for as long as I can remember was re-established: deep loud breathing, which gets shallower and quieter, he moans, then his abdomen clenches and he holds his breath and he scratches himself all over, light breathing and then chomping. Rinse and repeat. I caught three repeats before I fell asleep. When I woke up, he was doing it again, or still... except during the scratching part, he actually turned himself over on the bed, eyes wide open *creepy* then went back to his original position and chomped.
 
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Good!!!!
I hope it was caffinated. just for the sake of slow release caffiene to help him through the day
 
A qucik question ladies...are you ALLOWED to give chickens hormones in CANADA?!?!?!?!:eek::eek::eek:
 
Not sure im following. If you mean how chickens are fed, then yes i think they can, but it has to be on the label. like if you dont see free range or grain fed, then you assume it does.
 
Wow...I would have never thunk it. No matter what you read, hear or are told...chicken/ poultry and pigs in the US are NOT allowed to be fed/given hormones if they are intended for human consumption. This includes poultry which produces table eggs. Cows, on the other hand, are a different story. Somebody either needs to breed some better cows or science needs to do some better studies :rolleyes:, :lol:
 
Im not entirely sure though. I would have to google it. But I think we are safer if its labeled organic, grain fed, free range, etc
 
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