My Guai Treatment: Another Blocker Discovered!

I mentioned yesterday that I felt like I must still be blocking. I have been becoming increasingly tired each day. Today I took an hour and a half nap in the afternoon. I am waking up in the morning with my legs and feet aching and hurting again.

This afternoon I discovered that the culprit is my razor. Had I gone through all my products I would have never suspected my razors. I purposely sought out razors that did not have an aloe strip on them because the aloe strip would block. I found Schick Slim Twin disposable razors with a moisture strip that was labeled as "Vitamin E and other vitamins".

I found this guilty party quite by accident. My friend from California, who also has fibromyalgia and is a patient of Dr. St. Amand's, sent me an email today in her frustration when she discovered the culprit of her recent blocking. She had checked all her products and finally decided to call the manufacture of her razors. She had a different brand of Schick, but like mine, the packaging only named vitamin E in the moisture strip. When she called the manufacturer she discovered that, though not labeled, ALL their razors with moisture strips have aloe in them. I am so thankful that Irene wrote to me in her frustration and to see how I was doing, otherwise it may have taken me several weeks to discover that on my own. Now I can stop using the bad boys and maybe start feeling better again.

I do find one aspect of this interesting. Not all blocking appears to be equal. When I was eating the menthol cough drops, those began to block me right away. The aloe strips, in small amounts compared to the menthol I was sucking on for my cough, took longer to begin to affect me.

Hopefully, there are no more blockers in my personal hygiene products and I can begin to feel energetic again. I had gotten used to not needing an hour or more nap(s) each day and having more energy to get things done. It is days like today and yesterday, feeling like I do, that I really appreciate the guaifenesin and what it is doing for me.

AND SPEAKING OF THOSE COUGH DROPS…

An off hand remark by me, on my husband's family e-mail group, about my the discovery of the cough drops blocking my treatment led my niece and her husband to investigate the guaifenesin protocol. Turns out the her husband also has fibromyalgia and has been very sick with it for years. The comment about the cough drops apparently triggered a memory in my niece of her husband's chiropractor mentioning how much easier he had been do treat fairly recently when he had a cold and had been taking guaifenesin. She mentioned to her husband my comment and he began to do internet research for himself. They went through their products, replaced anything that contained Salicylates and he put himself on the treatment. For two weeks he felt worse, but he had read that was a normal part of the healing process. I understand from my sister-in-law that he is now feeling so much better and that both he and my niece have noticed many improvements in his health! This is so encouraging to me. I had no idea that he also suffered from fibromyalgia. There are even health issues that he did not know were related to fibromyalgia that are improving.

It is not an easy treatment when it comes to having to check and double check all the products that go on your skin, but it is surely worth the time and effort!

Quick Health Update

I really want to do better at keeping up with this blog.

When I get behind, and then come back after several weeks, I don't know where to start, and so I write nothing. Then several weeks become a month and a month becomes several months.

I want to write something engaging, witty and/or useful.

I should probably settle on a quick update on my health.

The guaifenesin is working! I had confirmation in an unexpected way. Around May I developed a cold and typical of me when I get a cold, long after the cold was gone I still had a cough. After a few weeks of struggling with the cough I finally decided to get some cough drops. About a week after I started taking the cough drops, I began to feel bad. I was feeling very tired again, but not sure why. I was taking at least one nap a day, and sometimes two naps. It was very discouraging. One afternoon in June I went to the pharmacy to get some more cough drops. As I was looking for a sugar free cough drop I found the Halls cherry cough drops that I had been using. As I picked the package up the word MENTHOL jumped out at me. I suddenly remembered that menthol is a blocker for guaifenesin. Boy did I feel stupid. I had completely forgotten that I can't take regular cough drops.

I found some Hall's sugar free Fruit Breezers instead. I began to feel better within a few days!

I have been feeling better, but feel like I must still have something that is blocking me. I really need to review all the products that I put on my hair, skin and in my mouth.

And I do think that my skin allergy to the sun was/is fibromyalgia induced. Two Saturdays ago I was sitting in the sun most of the day for the kids' divisionals swim meet. I had put sunscreen on my arms and face, but had forgotten to put it on my legs. I should have had a bad rash on my legs, but there was none!

That is my health update.

I will attempt engaging, witty and/or useful on another day. ;-)