Oh pants, it isn't quoting.
Ok.
If your Dad has gout, it could be something genetic predisposing you to retaining uric acid, OR it could be that restricting your water intake for fear of flushing away your sodium and potassium isn't helping
I udersrand you doing that, but it will be more beneficial to use salt liberally, to drink when you feel thirsty (that's really important, thirst is there for a reason), and to supplement potassium if necessary. Docs are scared of potassium as previously mentioned. RDAs for Na and K are 2.3g and c.4g a day, and all RDAs tend to be vety conservative, and based on a HEALTHY group of study subjects, which therefore has little application to chronically UNhealthy people, such as those of us with chronic conditions.
On the salt loading protocol, you can take up to 10g of Himalayan salt or sea salt a day - that isn't 10g of sodium, 10g of salt which includes a large proportion of sodium, along with chloride and all the other minerals too. 1 tsp of Himalayan is, from memory, c.5g of salt (I need to check my own post about this!)
Raised cortisol - were you very stressed that day? You mentioned that you were phobic about blood tests, does that stress extend to doctors and tests aside from ones with needles?
I understand your feelings about Valium, etc. It can be a really useful one-off/ occasional treatment to help manage severe anxiety due to a particular event, though.
Kalms are great. I was quite liberal with them when I hit a really horrible, black patch a year or so ago. I was on Valium too, and guess what, Valium/ diazepam can make anxiety worse if taken regularly, because it works by forcing all of your naturally calming GABA into action, which depletes it, leaving you anxious. Great plan! (Not!)
Great that you use Himalayan, great that you don't have muscle pain. Still doesn't mean you aren't low in potassium
You have to take a LOT of potassium to throw your sodium/ potassium balance out, like several grams every day.
If you DO ever take too much, you'd get rapid heartbeat as one of the first indications, and if that happens, you'd take some salt to rebalance. As long as you don't restrict your sodium intake, you won't hit any problems taking for example, 1/8th tsp of pot chloride powder (365mg) up to 3 times a day. There is a nutritional school of thought that says we're all low in potassium, because our old hunter gatherer diet provided way more than the 4g they recommend today. I know I do better on at least 1200mg/d, but that's me, not you
Haemoglobin is the protein that transports iron. Maybe your haemoglobin went up a little bit to support your higher iron levels?
Poor you. It's crap when you get isolated by illness, and then get scared of everything, and nowhere and nothing feels safe. Unhelpful GPs and others just add to it.
I understand about the agoraphobia. I used to get so bad that I couldn't even open letters, never mind answer the door or phone, and I couldn't drive literally anywhere. I was too terrified. It sucked.
But you're absolutely right, once your health is in better shape, which hopefully the iodine will facilitate, all your hormones and neurotransmitters will re-balance, your anxiety will dissipate, and you can start living again, instead of existing and waiting for it all to just stop. I do understand
I'm originally from the other side of the Severn, but have limited knowledge of North Wales. I know bits of the South, but North is a bit of a mystery to me! Are you anywhere near Snowdonia?
Ok.
If your Dad has gout, it could be something genetic predisposing you to retaining uric acid, OR it could be that restricting your water intake for fear of flushing away your sodium and potassium isn't helping
I udersrand you doing that, but it will be more beneficial to use salt liberally, to drink when you feel thirsty (that's really important, thirst is there for a reason), and to supplement potassium if necessary. Docs are scared of potassium as previously mentioned. RDAs for Na and K are 2.3g and c.4g a day, and all RDAs tend to be vety conservative, and based on a HEALTHY group of study subjects, which therefore has little application to chronically UNhealthy people, such as those of us with chronic conditions.
On the salt loading protocol, you can take up to 10g of Himalayan salt or sea salt a day - that isn't 10g of sodium, 10g of salt which includes a large proportion of sodium, along with chloride and all the other minerals too. 1 tsp of Himalayan is, from memory, c.5g of salt (I need to check my own post about this!)
Raised cortisol - were you very stressed that day? You mentioned that you were phobic about blood tests, does that stress extend to doctors and tests aside from ones with needles?
I understand your feelings about Valium, etc. It can be a really useful one-off/ occasional treatment to help manage severe anxiety due to a particular event, though.
Kalms are great. I was quite liberal with them when I hit a really horrible, black patch a year or so ago. I was on Valium too, and guess what, Valium/ diazepam can make anxiety worse if taken regularly, because it works by forcing all of your naturally calming GABA into action, which depletes it, leaving you anxious. Great plan! (Not!)
Great that you use Himalayan, great that you don't have muscle pain. Still doesn't mean you aren't low in potassium
You have to take a LOT of potassium to throw your sodium/ potassium balance out, like several grams every day.
If you DO ever take too much, you'd get rapid heartbeat as one of the first indications, and if that happens, you'd take some salt to rebalance. As long as you don't restrict your sodium intake, you won't hit any problems taking for example, 1/8th tsp of pot chloride powder (365mg) up to 3 times a day. There is a nutritional school of thought that says we're all low in potassium, because our old hunter gatherer diet provided way more than the 4g they recommend today. I know I do better on at least 1200mg/d, but that's me, not you
Haemoglobin is the protein that transports iron. Maybe your haemoglobin went up a little bit to support your higher iron levels?
Poor you. It's crap when you get isolated by illness, and then get scared of everything, and nowhere and nothing feels safe. Unhelpful GPs and others just add to it.
I understand about the agoraphobia. I used to get so bad that I couldn't even open letters, never mind answer the door or phone, and I couldn't drive literally anywhere. I was too terrified. It sucked.
But you're absolutely right, once your health is in better shape, which hopefully the iodine will facilitate, all your hormones and neurotransmitters will re-balance, your anxiety will dissipate, and you can start living again, instead of existing and waiting for it all to just stop. I do understand
I'm originally from the other side of the Severn, but have limited knowledge of North Wales. I know bits of the South, but North is a bit of a mystery to me! Are you anywhere near Snowdonia?
At the time I tested my cortisol it was January and I'd had a horrific December where my SADs hit hard and I had 6 weeks of hellish anxiety and depression out of nowhere. Gp had suspected SADs in previous years but wow this winter was obvious. I did the cortisol test 12 th January so probably not the best time lol!
I just get anxious with needles as I've a fainting phobia since the big panic attack doing my bloods with the nurse and I felt faint.
I'm struggling with awful fatigue this week. I just feel very drained, weak, woozy and a tad off balance. I didn't sleep well last night due to nausea which I'm sure is the medication I'm weaning off.
I do need to drink more as I have felt in myself a dry dehydrated body feeling so maybe that's adding more problems. I need to up my water and stop worrying about the electrolytes. I just did too much reading a ee months ago when my results were low and it made me afraid to drink a lot.
I worry because if my agoraphobia I'm not doing enough to get myself well. My friend says that's not true as I've had my gp out all of last year and lots of tests. I've got my thyroid treated. Recently though my fatigue feels worse and I've felt worse so I worry my agoraphobia and social anxiety is stopping me seeing my gp to get the help I may need. This may just be a crash but my anxiety makes me worry I'm neglecting myself. My anxiety right now is making me struggle socially so gp at my house scares me incase I panic infront of him and panic if he wants to do bloods. Just feeling so ill makes me too afraid to see him. Where as last year I would ask him to visit despite my social anxiety because I wanted to make sure I was ok. I'm worrying myself silly it's my electrolytes, or I'm riddled with cancer and slowly my body is shutting down I'm 37 and I've 3 children who need me and I'd have done any test and gone to any hospital appointment to make sure I was well for them but the last 6 months I've just lost that and now feel too exhausted to cope with the anxiety of appointments even at my house I know I sound silly.
Thank you for your support today it's meant a lot.
Julie
