Thank you very much Cheryl. No, I surprisingly have yet to have a morning cortisol test. In about a month or so I will have the majority of my tests then and I will be able to give you a better answer on certain levels.

Feel free to fax or email me your results when you have them all in hand. I'd be more than happy to assess, and give you my thoughts on direction for treatment!

_________________
Cheryl Alberto
CFS/FM Protocol Counselor

Thank you again, I will be more than happy to do so when I finally get the bloodwork done.

Gee, Matt, i see someone said to up Vit D, yet the specialist I saw who had me feeling the best before WA State pulled her Medicaid contract, while I have suffered fatigue since my early teens with little reprieve, says to keep Vit D lower. Regular Western docs disagree with this, but I felt well enough to take a job after many years. She also kept me out of sunlight and artificial light, lowered my BP and asked me to use a Glyconutrient since we receive very little nutrition from foods nowadays. So much estrogen is in Cows milk and all our foods are grown in sick soil. Now I can get no doctors to prescribe the benacar which protected my insides from all the troubles there nor to look at the pre luekemic state that may accompany this illness.
She says this information will begin to appear in the journals as of this past September so hopefully some help may be on the horizon for people such as myself who have suffered some 35 years, especially when the weather is inclement like it is here in the rainy Northwest.
Good luck to you. It is not alot, but this Marshall protocol which is prescibed for lyme disease but helps fmi and cfs helped me tremendously.
My doc believed it is a intraphagocytic bacteria that wreaks the havoc in the body for so long in us that have this crippling problem.
I will pray you get relief.
Look all this up, I did and they are all on the web, believe me, I was amazed.

MattL-

"but for now my main source of food is the dining hall and college cafeteria....."

I have a very simple idea that might help to "supplement" your nutrition while at college. I don't know if you have access to refridg/microwave, etc. Maybe you could at least have more nutritional "snacks"...ie, nuts, granola, quality drinks(green tea), hot/cold fortified cereals/grains/rice, adding fresh fruit from the cafeteria, etc. I know that others on the forum can give you better nutritional advice. But it would be convenient once you got process going....

I purchase from:
http://www.vitacost.com
(although I had a little difficulty with delivery of my last order, overall, I still save money and its easy for me, as I can send order via email, and they deliver to my door)

A friend who lives in Dubai, recommended this site(I haven't checked it out yet)
http://www.netgrocer.com
(I see they deliver to APO/FPO/internationally)

Just a thought.....(and when you get thru medical school, let us know!!...with your life experiences, and your chosen holistic field, I'd like be one of your patients!!!)....

LadyE

goodglenda, I'm very sorry to hear you've been suffering for over 35 years; that sounds like it's been a lifetime of utter discomfort and fatigue. Your Vitamin D point is very interesting and I plan to look very much into that. As for the journals of past September, I will be researching and looking into those a lot as well. I've heard generally good things about the Marshall protocol and I wonder if that would help. When I'm home finally for Thanksgiving break, I will talk to a doctor friend and discuss that as well.


LadyEowyn, luckily I have a huge pack of green tea (although I prefer black tea because the tannins in green tea leave my mouth very dry), I only use Rice Milk for my Cheerios (I'm a little bit sensitive to soy), Gluten Free bread, and I only drink water or unsweetened iced tea (except for a few small occasions obviously). I have a fantastic Biology professor here who is very very conscientious about nutrition and that has helped a lot. I do need more fresh fruit and grains, as you mentioned, however. I thank you for the nutrition tips again. Both websites look good, I know I'm almost out of EFAs and there's a good chance I will order from VitaCost. The NetGrocer has a good selection so I'll look into that further when I start running low on supplies.

P.S. When I complete my Naturopathic School Training, I'll let everyone here know . (It's gonna be 6-7 years from now though)

Matt,

I don't have a lot to offer but being a mom of two teens with CFS/POTS, I was touched reading your posts, understanding all too well how very frustrating it can be trying to overcome the fatigue and related issues, especially being so young. I have spent the last several years trying to find bits and pieces that will help my kids feel better. Though she still struggles to maintain the energy she needs, we have had some remarkable success with my daughter and very little with my son. It is a tough road and my thoughts are with you!

One piece that has been helpful to my daughter is taking B12 shots. Many of the CFS doctors include this in their recommendations of things to try including Dr. Teitelbaum in his book that you are reading. It is not a cure-all but it has definitely been helpful for my daughter. On the other hand, it was of no help to my son. It's all trial and error but it is definitely something worth trying if you have not. To complicate things, nothing is simple, uh? , there are I think three forms of B12 and I've noticed various physicians recommend different forms of it. My daughter uses the cyanocobalamin. At one point she was tried on the methylcobalamin (or the hydroxy - I can't remember now which it was) that some recommend, which was of no help at all. It's a lot of trial and error, but it helps to know that it may be worth trying more than one kind. It may also take two or three "loading" doses before you know if it will help. For my daughter it was after the second dose two days after the first that she began to see a signficant benefit.

My best to you. You are going into a good field of study!