Leah_guffey 's dagbok, 04 jun 24

Looks good. Hope all is ok! 

Well the double my fatigue meds, they're going to add an additional medicine for leg spasms, I have an MRI scheduled for a couple weeks out to see if we need to change my autoimmune medication which my doctor seems somewhat resistant to do since he says it's difficult to go back if we change it due to my rheumatoid arthritis medication. He seems to feel that if I change it that I won't be able to continue with any kind of medication for rheumatoid arthritis I'm going to counsel with my rheumatoid arthritis doctor and see what he thinks. Overall yesterday was very stressful Ryan also accidentally lost the keys in the car so we had to call locksmith and we're out in an additional $70. I'm afraid that yesterday was just kind of one of those days he also had the forgotten to ask off for the day so I had to call in instead of just asking off like you normally would... So our day ended up being quite expensive overall. But Ryan didn't get me some beautiful plants for my birthday which was quite exciting.. 

Depending on results they may also add a sleep study to see how my sleep is going and how it's affected by the additional fatigue medicine and spasm medication since they both have contradicting effects to one another also we talked about adding B12 as an additional prescription medication.  

I was a little disappointed as I've lost some muscle strength in both my grasp strength as well as my ability to push with my arms and legs and pull with my arms. This is particularly disappointing because I've increased my muscle mass by almost 5 pounds and the last 3 months. My doctor did say he does want to keep my weight at 125 lb instead of me going back to my 120 lb and to keep my muscle mass at what it is if I'm able. 🤔🤷 

You've really been through a lot! That's great you added 5 lbs of muscle! You bet! Keep trying to buld and maybe target those things that are weakening. I'm sure it's frustrating. Your berries look delish.  

Oh Leah, that makes me sad to hear. I think B12 would really help, especially if your bloodwork showed a deficiency. I am praying for you! 

Those garlic & herb pita chips are yummy! 

Yum! 

I think I’ve mentioned this before so sorry if I sound repetitive but have you considered going carnivore? I seen testimonies of it really helping with autoimmune issues and arthritis as well as many others health issues. Maybe not a forever WOE but as an elimination diet to see if helps (try for 2-3 months) then add in other foods to see what triggers your symptoms. 

There’s lots of B12 in meat, eggs, and dairy. Maybe increase consumption of those foods to help. 

Yesterday I had 2 oz smoked salmon and 3/4 cup of Greek yogurt and was above the RDA for B12 from just those 2 items. Did labwork show deficiency ? Work with your doctor and a nutritionist if possible. You can learn so much in just one session if you come with a list of questions and concerns. 

Many health insurance plans will pay for a nutritionist if you are referred by a doctor. Seeing a nutritionist to manage health issues is coded differently on the claim than seeing them for weight loss which often is not covered. 

Jenjabba, I'm not going to lie I was a little frustrated I gained muscle mass and somehow lost strength in those muscles. The legs muscle strength I can attribute to a lag of biking which I've reduced / eliminated due to exhaustion through the MS diagnosis and changes in my behaviors but the hand strength was quite a surprise for sure. Maybe I can get some one of those hand squeezers that used to see in the '80s and 90s to increase hand strength? Another thought I had is maybe using my resistance bands more often. I have waited a leg weights which I can start wearing at work now that I'm not biking which will help with resistance on the legs that's another idea I had to help increase leg strength while protecting that muscle mass. I haven't had as much time to spend on muscle exercises and strength training since I've been cleaning like mad lately so I will try to read this some time to strength train to see if I can increase muscle mass in the pre mentioned areas. They're just never seems to be enough time in the day. 

Windy day, they can't test whether or not my B12 is low because of the folic acid I take for prescription purposes but due to my high amounts of fatigue and all of my medications bottoming out my B12 I talked with the doctor to see if I could start taking up prescription because my insurance will cover it because it will be both cheaper and may increase my energy levels. Because my levels before I started taking the folate we're just barely in the normal range he felt that it would be safe for me to do so and it might improve the way I feel. As for getting more B12 through natural sources I tried to do that when possible but I haven't been eating as many eggs because they're an easier way to feed the children and eggs have went up through price so exorbitantly. When they were cheaper source of protein they were easier to consume on the regular these days the children are eating five to six eggs sometimes eight eggs between the three of them and a given day plus what we make for different meals and it really gets quite pricey over the course of a week so I try to prevent our food bill from going up too high. 

Storms/Honey I'm out of break time I'll respond when I take a lunch.  

Leah, I wonder if B complex would work better? I've been taking b complex and my B12 was a little high in March so they said just take the complex every other day. Might be worth a try. Hope you find what works for you! Groceries keep sky rocketing! 

Stormsgirl, you have mentioned the carnivore diet before but no worries I appreciate all advice I really do because you never know what you might have mentioned and I personally think that it's really hard to keep up with everything all the time. That being said I'm not a meat eater at least not much of one. Also I grew up mostly vegetarian so I didn't develop very many enzymes to digest meat particularly red meat and it hurts me to eat it I don't digest it well and not to get too much into it but if I eat too much of it it compounds and causes issues down the road. As for the carnivore diet I did ask my neurologist about it because I was curious about the research about Ms and the carnivore diet specifically he said there's no clinical research to support positive results between the two and in fact there have been a number of studies they have shown negative correlations for results between the two. He did not recommend me to take any actions to follow the carnivore diet. He said as to date there have been no major studies that have followed diet closely with Ms in mind. He said there have been a few studies that have followed the plant-based diets and autoimmune diseases as a general study and have found plant-based diets to reduce inflammation but he said they were not specific to Ms but rather to autoimmune diseases as a whole. He said that he would not recommend any particular diet but if I wish to seek further advice that he would recommend a registered dietitian. He was not particularly helpful honestly but I appreciated him weighing in as much as he did even if he didn't feel comfortable doing so. I'm going to call the insurance agency I have a lot of doctor fatigue but it's about time that I just get over it and actually see if I qualify to using one I would enjoy having more advice when it comes to having food related advice and they're not exactly the same as a doctor and I think that I might be able to do televisits so that it wouldn't cause additional stress when it comes to visiting due to transportation issues. I did find a couple interesting websites about adjusted elimination diets that I might try. But I really should consult the registered dietitian first before implementing them I think mainly because I'm not sure that I wouldn't miss them up honestly. I do think an elimination diet would be rather helpful though I'm just rather neurotic when it comes to certain food groups and I'm afraid due to the warning on the websites that talk about the elimination diet that it might not be the best fit. It recommended on those websites for people such as myself that I do the adjusted elimination diet. Which is why I thought that with the help of a registered dietitian that that might be helpful. I do really appreciate the advice though so please do not feel as if that I didn't appreciate it I do. Sorry for the long-winded reply. 

Thank you, for the info Honeybuns; I'll have to explore that avenue as well. I need to make an appointment with the general practitioner anyway I have been putting it off, but I should get my thyroid checked out as Mom's is kaput 😱 and I want to make sure my cholesterol is okay.  

There ARE studies that show being high in ketosis can help. If i listened to my doctors and didn't try things myself, I'd be dead. There is no money in studies but there are so many testimonials. Even my neuro uses keto for autoimmune. You do you, just saying.