CSM made me very sick, no longer taking

[Guest guest]

I have some detox pathway deficiencies and other

health issues but checking in now 4 months post

being on CSM. I got much much worse health wise on

the CSM. Either my body can't safely detox and

excrete out the toxins or the CSM is interfering

with other medicine but it effected my kidneys,

made me very bloated separately, severe

exasperated my medical symptoms related to my MS

in terms of loss of motor control and they took me

off it. Apparently it is not working on me as

intended probably because it interferes apparently

with healthy homostyein levels and interferes with

people with defective detox pathway profiles.

Anyway that's the news

[Guest guest]

,

I had a horrible time on CSM too. Managed only 45 single doses spread over

50 days, then absolutely had to quit.

The CSM had horrible and progressive effects on my liver, heart, kidneys

(much fluid retention, with only partial reversal now a couple months

later), and intestines (also still trying to calm down guts). Felt sick as a

dog. My M.D. wasn’t sure what to suggest as an alternative nor sure what to

suggest in order to get my body to calm down, but he had been talking to a

couple other docs in North America who’d had patients react adversely. Thank

heavens the two Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners I see have been

able to help me with acupressure treatments and changes in my qigong

routines at home (slapping acupressure points, sitting and breathing

meditations, movement exercises like tai chi, saunas and hot salty baths).

It’s a hard slog coming back from the trauma of the CSM though.

I also had a horrible time in the past trying to reduce my levels of arsenic

and mercury, as various chelation methods, even buffered with Glutathione

etc, made me horribly sick, with extended health relapses. I know other

people with CFIDS diagnosis who have breezed through chelation for heavy

metals, but my doc’s scared to do any more chelation with me now, even

though he believes my heavy metal levels are affecting my central nervous

system, immune system, etc.

I also find it hard to flush prescription drug metabolites from my body. The

doses of drugs that will address infections or alleviate other symptoms

often make me toxic within a very few days—very frustrating, especially when

there’s a startling positive response to the drug initially, such as when I

took Tinidazole, a drug often prescribed for chronic Lyme Disease.

What is it about some of us that the standard methods for trying to bind and

flush various kinds of toxins don’t work for us and make us even sicker?

I am pushing my doc for genetic testing, despite my disability budget,

because we’ve got to figure out why my body seems to have held onto every

microgram of heavy metals I’ve ever been exposed to, why it was impossible

for me to take drug store hormones as a young woman (I’m almost menopausal,

so this question may come up again soon), why I can’t flush some drugs from

my body, and whether I may also have accumulated pesticides and art supply

chemicals and other things in my body.

I was making some modest but significant progress with my health, using both

Eastern and Western medicine, when I moved into a damp house, Feb 2002.

Everything went downhill from there—more symptoms, increased problems with

drugs and supplements (including what seemed to be absolutely unique

responses to drugs and supplements), less response to previously effective

Traditional Chinese Medicine, etc. I moved, after 3 ½ years, and am trying

to climb back out of the CFIDS pit again. My body is proving to be a serious

challenge to all my health advisors!

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

[Guest guest]

> What is it about some of us that the standard methods for trying to

bind and flush various kinds of toxins don't work for us and make us

even sicker?

>

In 2001 I knowingly moved into an exposure situation that was greater

than my metabolic capacity to compensate.

I tried CSM to " take up the slack " , and although it seemed to help a

bit - my condition progressively deteriorated and I suffered

intestinal effects from the CSM which forced me to stop.

Dr Shoemaker describes this limitation of CSM in Desperation

Medicine, in which the ability of the anion organic transport system

to detoxify, even when aided by CSM is outstripped by the levels of

exposure.

CSM is no magic bullet, just a part of a strategy.

Treatment failure with CSM doesn't necessarily imply that the concept

is flawed - only that it is insufficient to address situations in

which exposure exceeds detoxification.

-

[Guest guest]

How will I know if CSM is doing me any damage to my organs? And what

will long term use do to me? If I stay in the mold work place 5 1/2

more years, I assume I will have to stay on CSM that long. Do I need

to get blood work to test the liver and how do they tell about other

organs being affected bad by CSM. I remember reading side affects of

CSM and they didn't look good. I have severe inflammation going on

also and need to get those MMP9 numbers down. It's freaking me

wondering what all that inflammation is doing to me. I'm hoping the

low dose naltrexone will kick my endorphins back up to stop the

inflammation SOON! What else beside procrit are people taking for

inflammation? I'm taking MSM and glucosomine/chrondroitin along with

other supplements. Rhonda-

-- In , Crandall <camel2002@...>

wrote:

>

> ,

>

>

>

> I had a horrible time on CSM too. Managed only 45 single doses

spread over

> 50 days, then absolutely had to quit.

>

>

>

> The CSM had horrible and progressive effects on my liver, heart,

kidneys

> (much fluid retention, with only partial reversal now a couple

months

> later), and intestines (also still trying to calm down guts). Felt

sick as a

> dog. My M.D. wasn't sure what to suggest as an alternative nor sure

what to

> suggest in order to get my body to calm down, but he had been

talking to a

> couple other docs in North America who'd had patients react

adversely. Thank

> heavens the two Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners I see

have been

> able to help me with acupressure treatments and changes in my qigong

> routines at home (slapping acupressure points, sitting and breathing

> meditations, movement exercises like tai chi, saunas and hot salty

baths).

>

>

>

> It's a hard slog coming back from the trauma of the CSM though.

>

>

>

> I also had a horrible time in the past trying to reduce my levels

of arsenic

> and mercury, as various chelation methods, even buffered with

Glutathione

> etc, made me horribly sick, with extended health relapses. I know

other

> people with CFIDS diagnosis who have breezed through chelation for

heavy

> metals, but my doc's scared to do any more chelation with me now,

even

> though he believes my heavy metal levels are affecting my central

nervous

> system, immune system, etc.

>

>

>

> I also find it hard to flush prescription drug metabolites from my

body. The

> doses of drugs that will address infections or alleviate other

symptoms

> often make me toxic within a very few days—very frustrating,

especially when

> there's a startling positive response to the drug initially, such

as when I

> took Tinidazole, a drug often prescribed for chronic Lyme Disease.

>

>

>

> What is it about some of us that the standard methods for trying to

bind and

> flush various kinds of toxins don't work for us and make us even

sicker?

>

>

>

> I am pushing my doc for genetic testing, despite my disability

budget,

> because we've got to figure out why my body seems to have held onto

every

> microgram of heavy metals I've ever been exposed to, why it was

impossible

> for me to take drug store hormones as a young woman (I'm almost

menopausal,

> so this question may come up again soon), why I can't flush some

drugs from

> my body, and whether I may also have accumulated pesticides and art

supply

> chemicals and other things in my body.

>

>

>

> I was making some modest but significant progress with my health,

using both

> Eastern and Western medicine, when I moved into a damp house, Feb

2002.

> Everything went downhill from there—more symptoms, increased

problems with

> drugs and supplements (including what seemed to be absolutely unique

> responses to drugs and supplements), less response to previously

effective

> Traditional Chinese Medicine, etc. I moved, after 3 ½ years, and am

trying

> to climb back out of the CFIDS pit again. My body is proving to be

a serious

> challenge to all my health advisors!

>

>

>

>

>

> Calgary, Alberta, Canada

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I have been taking cholestyramine (CSM) since December and it has

helped me immeasurably. Without it I would be in very bad shape. Now I

am out of the mold exposure, for the most part, but there is clearly

still a lot of residual toxin in my system. I can tell that because I

have tried not taking it for a few days and one subset of the symptoms

return.

One thing that I am curious about is the numbness in my hands/feet. It

seems to worsten noticably when I take cholestyramine/CSM, for a few

hours. But, the OVERALL level goes down when I take it. (just not

right when I take it, when it goes up)

Sometimes I have woken up in the middle of the night with weird

symptoms (sweating and hot feeling upper body) and the cholestyramine

makes it so I can sleep soundly, without that anxious feeling. But

when I wake up my hands are completely numb!

Same with the headaches, ringing ears, bad vision, etc. Its weird,

some get better, some get worse.

But all of the symptoms come AND GO *much* faster with cholestyramine.

[Guest guest]

Rhonda, if there is ANY way you can avoid doing this, don't do it. It

sounds like it is for a pension. How would you feel if you stayed for

four years and then your company decided to lay you off with no

pension - say they went bankrupt? You would feel like a sucker then,

right? Well, its happening to a lot of people.

Get out of there, go to a better job where the employer cares about

people's health, even if it means moving to another state (or even

country.

Have you had your workplace tested for mold? is there visible mold?

[Guest guest]

---my thoughts on takeing anything while still exposed is a waste of

time and with the strange reaction to meds I had while exposed make

me wonder if takeing anything while exposed could actually hurt you

more. who's to say what toxins and med's mixed together in your

system could

do.

In , LiveSimply

<quackadillian@...> wrote:

>

> I have been taking cholestyramine (CSM) since December and it has

> helped me immeasurably. Without it I would be in very bad shape.

Now I

> am out of the mold exposure, for the most part, but there is clearly

> still a lot of residual toxin in my system. I can tell that because

I

> have tried not taking it for a few days and one subset of the

symptoms

> return.

>

> One thing that I am curious about is the numbness in my hands/feet.

It

> seems to worsten noticably when I take cholestyramine/CSM, for a few

> hours. But, the OVERALL level goes down when I take it. (just not

> right when I take it, when it goes up)

>

> Sometimes I have woken up in the middle of the night with weird

> symptoms (sweating and hot feeling upper body) and the

cholestyramine

> makes it so I can sleep soundly, without that anxious feeling. But

> when I wake up my hands are completely numb!

>

> Same with the headaches, ringing ears, bad vision, etc. Its weird,

> some get better, some get worse.

>

> But all of the symptoms come AND GO *much* faster with

cholestyramine.

>

[Guest guest]

I can't lose my retirement benefits with state government. Yes,

visable mold and I did a petri dish and tested down to species and we

have several toxic molds here and I believe the hvac is contaminated

also. If I try to get another job with state government, there is no

guarantee that building isn't contaminated also. If I question the

about mold and leaks etc, they probably wouldn't hire me. Another

thing is I'm late and out a lot so they wouldn't like that either and

might fire me.

I checked into disability and short term is 50% of my salary which I

can't pay bills with that. Hard for me to live on 100% of my salary.

Lng term is 65% or I can apply for disability retirement and maybe get

more than 65% until the 5 1/2 years is up and I'd get my normal amount

of retirement benefits. I do not know what to do and have nobody to

help me out financially and have a loan to pay back for the remediation

and medical bills. I may call and get a figure of how much I'd get

with disability retirement but that first year on 50% I just do not

know how I could survive. Need to start buying lottery tickets since

they have that in NC now.

After 3 months, my boss gave the osha forms to the health and safety

guy for our department so he could fill them out. Too technical for

the boss here and he is suffering major memory loss and doesn't not see

the link to toxic mold. He was introducing a long time employee and

director of this department and forgot their names. Since then been

out a lot and going to doctors.....He needs a MRI but not sure if he's

getting one. His mom died from Alzheimers....

Rhonda

--- In , LiveSimply <quackadillian@...>

wrote:

>

> Rhonda, if there is ANY way you can avoid doing this, don't do it. It

> sounds like it is for a pension. How would you feel if you stayed for

> four years and then your company decided to lay you off with no

> pension - say they went bankrupt? You would feel like a sucker then,

> right? Well, its happening to a lot of people.

>

> Get out of there, go to a better job where the employer cares about

> people's health, even if it means moving to another state (or even

> country.

>

> Have you had your workplace tested for mold? is there visible mold?

>