My Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Story + Remedies That Worked for Me

How I Overcame Chronic Fatigue and Many Other Health Issues

There was a time in my life when everything was really hard. I could barely keep up with life, and I didn’t know why everyone else seemed way more together than I was. I finally realized that it wasn’t because I was disorganized or inadequate-the reason I couldn’t do what others could do was because I felt sick more often than I felt well. In fact, sometimes I felt so sick that it really scared me.

Often, everyday tasks seemed as hard as scaling Mount Everest.  I wanted to do things other people did, but I was simply to wiped out to do them.  If I went shopping one day, I knew I was going to feel tired for 2 to 3 days afterward.  Even though that was hard, I adjusted and just did less.

But then came the day when I couldn’t sleep very well either.  In other words, I wasn’t just behind in my tasks sometimes-I was behind all the time. I could never catch up.  I simply didn’t have the energy to keep up with life.  I was so tired, but my insomnia was getting rapidly worse.  If I did anything stimulating before bed (even talking on the phone with a good friend), I would be up most of the night.  I would feel so terrible and worn out but I couldn’t sleep.  I could feel myself getting sicker and sicker.

Finding Some Answers

I went to many doctors and got many puzzled looks.  I would bring my list of symptoms with me:

• Insomnia
• Debilitating Headaches
• Weight Gain
• Fatigue
• Malaise (I felt like I was often coming down with something-achy cold like symptoms)
• Hypoglycemic Like Episodes (shaking and irritable when hungry)
• Abdominal Bloating (very noticeable when it occured!)
• Lower Back Pain
• Intolerant To Exercise (exercise made me feel sicker and exhausted)
• Cracked Heels
• Breathlessness
• Heart Palpitations
• Heartburn
• Sinus Drainage
• PMS
• Ammenorhea (missing periods)

I knew something was wrong and I hoped my list would help the doctors put the pieces together.

I began to research on my own as well. One of the first things I discovered was something called adrenal fatigue. I did many things to help my adrenals-I rested a lot, worked on my diet and took appropriate supplements. I found a natural integrated doctor to do appropriate testing and help me customize my healing plan. I got better, but I was still struggling. I felt that I was stronger, but that there was still an underlying problem.

I realized that many of the symptoms that I was dealing with could be because I was toxic. My body was overloaded with something that was poisoning it. I began to suspect that it might have something to do with the mercury fillings that I had.

My symptoms perfectly fit the profile of a mercury poisoned person.

• I had terrible insomnia
• I was diagnosed with candida (through an integrated doctor through lab work)
• My liver enzymes were elevated,
• My amino acid profiles were messed up, and my minerals were messed up (mercury displaces minerals).  
• I struggled with lots of fatigue. I read a book about a woman with chronic fatigue caused by mercury toxicity and she explained how others couldn’t understand how much effort it would take for her to go to the grocery store.  And after she went she would be wiped out for the rest of the day. This sounded very familiar.
• I read about Dr. Pompa and how bad his insomnia was-he mentioned about how he couldn’t watch even a nice peaceful movie before bed, because he wouldn’t be able to sleep all night.  I couldn’t talk on the phone even for a few minutes if it was within a couple of hours of bedtime or I would be unable to sleep and feel very wound up and totally exhausted at the same time.  
• I read about how blood sugar disregulation can show up first-I had gotten shaky between meals since my teens.  I had other signs of hypoglycemia.  
• I was diagnosed with low adrenals, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and small intestine bacterial overgrowth.  Adrenal problems and digestion issues are very common with someone who has mercury toxicity.

A Big Decision

After much thought and prayer, I finally decided that I should have my fillings replaced. (Never do that without researching your dentist and appropriate mercury replacement protocols-it can make you sicker otherwise.)

At this point, I had been working with my integrated doctor for a while. Some things had helped-like addressing liver issues and adding in appropriate supplements. I had also taken triple antibiotic therapy for a gut infection. That made me feel badly (but that can happen because it is working or because it is too tough on your body.) I don’t know if it helped or not. It may have since I was getting some better seeing my integrated doctor. Or it may have been all the other things I was doing.

Dental Work

Before I had them my fillings replaced, I made sure that my body was strong enough for the removal by taking appropriate supplements. I took B vitamins, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Vitamin D, trace minerals, and milk thistle for my liver.

I prepared in other ways as well. I made an appointment with my integrated doctor to get a vitamin C IV after my dental appointment. I bought supplements that I would need for after the removal: activated charcoal, liposomal glutathione, detox + (from the Bulk Herb Store), liver support, and bentonite clay.

On the day of my dental work, my dentist took appropriate precautions to protect me from being exposed to mercury. He removed the fillings in chunks rather than drilling into them. He had been trained in proper protocols and it took seconds for him to pop out the old mercury fillings.   I had oxygen over my nose to prevent me from inhaling mercury vapor.  The dental assistant sprayed cold water in my mouth the whole time (also helps to protect from being exposed to mercury).  

The dentist replaced the fillings with a biologically compatible material-this means it would not aggravate my immune system.  It was a safe non toxic material.

After my dental appointment I had a vitamin C IV at my integrated doctor’s office. When I got home, I swished some activated charcoal around in my mouth to absorb any mercury particles.  I took an activated charcoal pill.  I was taking all the precautions that I knew of because I knew how dangerous mercury could be.  I had read many stories of people becoming chronically ill after exposure to mercury during filling removal.

More Healing Steps

I worked on detox for a number of months after my removal. Some of the things I did included taking activated charcoal, liposomal glutathione, detox +, liver support, and bentonite clay.

I began to feel better little by little. I definitely felt that my body was now able to really begin to heal. It wasn’t overnight because I had many things that needed healing in my body. But overtime, I got better and better!

After I had taken some big strides in healing and I began to have more energy and well being, I began working more diligently on my digestion as I had been having problems for a while with that. I addressed Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth with supplements and diet. I took Allimed for a while as well as other herbal things. I also went on a low histamine diet for a while.

And of course, I kept working on detoxing because the more I worked on it, the better I felt.

Some of the other things I did to detox included castor oil packs and eating foods that cleansed my liver.

The more I worked on detox, the better I felt. So, now I am passionate about having a healthy body and I am careful what I am exposed to. I don’t want to overburden my liver by being exposed to toxic chemicals. So I use non-toxic personal care products, I buy non-toxic things for my home, and I eat in a way that supports my body’s detox systems. You can grab my clean eating grocery list for beginners if you want to see what types of foods I buy. Note-I personally don’t eat the gluten and dairy items on this list because I am still gluten and dairy free for the most part. I do buy gluten and dairy items for my kids. I eat mostly a paleo type diet, but I do eat white rice.

Final Thoughts

I am so grateful that I feel good now! It was a long process and there were many things that I did to get well, and I know that God definitely helped me to be healthy.

One benefit that I got from being sick was learning about toxins and how they affected my body. Now, I can protect myself from things that might have given me serious health problems in the future. For example, there are many chemicals that have cancer causing properties. Since, I know about toxins now, and I work on avoiding all that I can, I feel that I am giving myself the best possible chance of avoiding serious health problems like cancer.

I don’t stress about living a non-toxic lifestyle, but I change what I can so that I can be as healthy as possible. I no longer feel wiped out just from normal living. Most of the symptoms I used to have are completely gone. I am still working on some minor issues-like occasional indigestion and some food intolerances. But, mostly I feel really good!

Disclaimer: This post is not medical advice. I am not a doctor or medical professional. I share only from my own experiences and research. Consult your own practitioner before making changes in your diet or supplements.

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