Restoration

A big thanks to all of you who have written and called me to give me congratulations. It has been a long, busy holiday weekend, and I apologize if I haven't gotten around to returning your calls and e-mails. I will eventually get to them, promise!

It was quite ironic that the month that I received the greatest news on my disease was the month that I have never felt worse. Every day has been a hit-or-miss; some days were fine, and other days were living hell. I suffer from low blood pressure, which has been making me dizzy, light-headed, and generally quite miserable.

With the positive diagnosis behind me, I can now begin to focus on recovering the energy and strength that I have lost over the last few months, as well as continuing to repair my kidneys.

I've been at a loss at why I've felt really bad lately, as it has been worse than usual, and there hasn't been any explanation. I stopped taking the ACE inhibitor a couple of weeks ago, then restarted it last Thursday per my doctor's recommendations. The weekend was miserable, so I stopped it again on Saturday.

But now I have a new theory for my poor health -- perhaps I am lacking a proper balance of vitamins and other nutrients. My labs from last week showed that I am deficient in iron and Vitamin B12. My red blood cell count is also low. Both of these things could explain my fatigue and poor health.

So, I have begun to take a few more supplements to help my body out:

• Shot-O-B12. You spray a little under your tongue, and a nice dose of B12 is absorbed into the blood stream.
• Chlorella. Described earlier last month, this whole food is known to cleanse the organs, and have a positive effect on albumin production. I've been on it for a few weeks now, and I'm currently up to 10 pills a day.
• Nutri-100. This multi-vitamin is the size of my fist, but somehow I am able to manage it down.
• CoEnzyme B-Complex Caps. To add a little boost to my B Vitamins, and of course, Folic Acid, which is required by the body to absorb B vitamins into your system.
• Ultimate Omega. Unlike other brands, these fish oil capsules do not come up on you, and are easy to digest. They assist in lowering trigylcerides, cholesterol, and blood pressure. I do not take these on a daily basis anymore, but I am trying to add them back into my regimen.
• Bromelain. I've been on this enzyme for a few months now, as there is evidence that suggests that it can assist in digesting amyloid deposits in the body. I have been taking 1500mg a day. Whether it has been helpful to me is not clear; I've stopped taking them, but plan on starting again to finish the bottle I bought.
  
• Co Q-10. I haven't started this yet, but plan on doing so soon. There is evidence (PDF file) which suggests that when you are taking a statin, your body loses the ability to produce Co Q-10, which is used to protect the heart. A moderate dose should restore the body's balance of this co-enzyme.

And of course, a lot of water to wash down all of those pills. Burp.