such relief

[occb]

Since my partner and I have been together (2 years), he's had a number of health issues that he got checked out for. Doctors would diagnose him, and the diagnoses never seemed correct, the meds never worked, or made him feel much, much worse, or made him brutally moody. It's been frustrating and stressful, because he had good times and bad times and we never knew why, and we wondered why he had so many health issues in the first place. Finally, it all makes sense.

For the first time in months, I feel totally relaxed and happy (and this is my first week back to work after a two-week holiday!). We've figured out a number of triggers for my partner so far and now I feel like we have some control over his problems. We still have to go to the GP and get him on board with referring my partner to a neurologist and to get an eeg, but that will happen in the next week.

I'm also happy that he listens to me now when I tell him to stop taking this or that med. I told him to stop taking his night-time doses of Elavil, after he began to get sicker, twitchier and have muscle "flutters" as he calls them (and seeing things and hearing things, but I only found that out after). It was prescribed to help the Neurontin block the pain from his back, but it's a tricyclic anti-depressant, and even in such a low dose, it affects him. Since he's stopped taking it a few days ago, he's improved a little more every day. Finally all his health issues make sense now, and we can do things that will actually help and not hurt him.

Thanks everybody here for helping me out with my questions. It's been so useful to me in so many ways.

 

[Meetz1064]

We're glad

to have been of some help..........but please don't take off, and not come back. Please stick around, and keep in touch. Let us know how things are going, and we'll try to help you more along the way, too.

Meetz
:rock:

 

[dfwtexas]

Do come back and let us know how the doctor's visit goes...we all care here.

 

[occb]

I'm definitely no taking off. In fact, maybe I can get my partner to sign up when he becomes more comfortable with working on the computer. I just wanted you guys to know that you have helped us so much. I feel sane now, and so does he.

So far the things we've discovered that really set him off:

acetaminophen
many types of NSAIDs
anti-depressants
bright lights, busy patterns and the darned fence in the parking lot that even makes me want to stare at it. We parked yesterday and I could see him slowly get sucked in by it, so I loudly stated "That fence gets to me too" and he snapped out of it before he had an absence seizure :roflmao:
certain herbs I use to cook (rosemary in particular -- I used it a lot when we thought his abdominal pains were fatty liver problems, but it just made his tummy even more upset)
peppers, especially red ones
he's always said he was allergic to Eucalyptus, now we know why.

What helps him:
rooibos tea
peanutbutter
dark chocolate, believe it or not. It perks him right up. He doesn't appear to have a caffeine sensitivity
keeping lists
back, leg and arm rubs
listening to music (is it any wonder he became a musician, eh? The world makes so much sense now)

 

[Meetz1064]

OK, just

by what you said in this last post, there are 3 more things to tell the doctor.

He is evidently photosensitive. The patterns that you are talking about setting things off is proof of that. Get him glasses with a blue tint put into them...ask the eye doctor about it, and make them polarized, too. Also, put a glare screen on the monitor of the computer. I'll just bet that that will cut down on those absence seizures.

He DOES have food sensitivities. There ARE some herbs that will set E patients off--rosemary is one of them. I was discussing the Herbs de Provence the other day in another post (can't remember which one) that are used to cook with, and rosemary was brought up then. Fennel is another herb many E patients can't tolerate.

He also has chemical sensitivities. This is a VERY important this for the doc to know, because it will thoroughly affect how he treats your BF in the long run.

DO try to get your BF to seriously consider one of the diets that we've mentioned before. It is a serious possibility that his gut is just so messed up that his body is fighting itself. I'm living proof of that.

Now that you've found things that help him, take advantage of those. Remember though, that sometimes, too much of something can backfire on you...and you can become allergic to it, too. So try to find other things that will also help him. What about other nuts? Almond butter is good for example. What about walnuts or pistachios? Ever tried chamomile tea?

Just some thoughts.........

Take care.

Meetz
:rock:

 

[occb]

Thank you for pointing those things out to me Meetz!

He can't stand chamomile tea, unfortunately. I will definitely buy other nut butters as well (I use many other nuts in my cooking already). We also drink Almond Breeze and use it for our cereal as neither of us can handle milk products. I guess that's another to add to the list of sensitivities. I'm glad I'm listing this here. It'll make it easier to add to his notebook when I get home.

I already cook low GI foods, and it has helped both of us, but I need to look into the other diets more.

 

[Meetz1064]

I know

it's confusing........but it will be worth it in the end.

www.dogtorj.com is FULL of information. Yeah, he may be a vet, but HE is the one who started the GARD diet in the first place, and helped to adapt it to human needs.

The other diets that we talk about here, the LGIT, Ketogenic and Modified Atkins are also all very good......you just need to take the time to look at them and see which one will suit your needs better.

Good luck. Off to work I go!

Meetz
:rock:

 

[RobinN]

YAY for nutrition!