3 week Update

[helenshubby]

Well 3 weeks in on multiple vitamin supplementation. Helen feels she's sleeping better (she seems to be easier to get up but still feels yucky. She generally manages to get a little bit more done but we've been undone by a 4 year 3 month £600 Miele washing machine dying on us which meant a distress purchase though I should have gone to the seller Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to get it sorted. As an aside the engineer who we called out so Miele are not the brand they were, though our very expensive Miele Condenser tumble dryer is from their "classic" qua lity phase.

Any way I digress, Helen is on 100 mcg Levothyroxin, Well Actually 1 x 300 mcg Sublingual Methyl B12 Spray (can go up to 1200) and 3000iu Vit D3, 1 x Thorne Basic B Complex (can go up to 4), Xlear saline nasal Spray with Xylidol morning and evening, 1 x Healthspan Zinc, 1 x Healthspan Selenium and 1 x Magnesium Bisgycinate by British Vitamins. Most of these have no additives

Her bowels have become sluggish and her tummy has blown up a bit and feels her outout is less. She feels the magnesium may be behind it and persevering with it but I'm not sure it's the culprit as we have only started out and the doses are not the full recommended daily dose. Her sleep time is reducing.

We haven't had any blood tests done since the last ones posted as I wanted to see the effect of a small increase on her bloods. Helen's neck, sinus and ear symptoms haven't changed much. Once we finish the Clear Saline we can switch to a Colloidal silver nasal spray and if that doesn't work Mometasome.

Dietarywise she's on Arlo Lactose-free Milk , Gluten free bread and watching but not completely free of Gluten. Not that there's muche else apart from a weekend treat of Galaxy chocolate and perhaps worse Gingerbread men. Otherwise diet is very much vegetable and fruit related, apples, Sweet Clementines, Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries etc.

I don't want to change things too much and plan on getting the full suite of Blue Horizon tests ordered by close of play Weds as they have a 15% discount offer til then and testing in about a month's time. Wjhat I'm looking for will be a general uptick in her test results which will include a 24 hour Cortisol, Copper and Full Wellwoman Count from Blue Horizon.

Any thoughts on progress or are these more likely to show up in slightly increased bloods? Would be interested in Jatdee's and Greygoos's thoughts as we are mainly following your suggestions.

[greygoose]

Her diet doesn't sound as if it contains much protein. Protein is essential for good health.

Gluten-free will not show much in the way of results unless is is 100%. There's no half measures.

I've never heard of magnesium causing sluggish bowels. It's usually the opposite. But which one is she taking?

Glad to hear she's making some progress, anway.

[helenshubby in reply to greygoose]

1 x Magnesium Bisglycinate by British Vitamins. It's in the listing. She's taking 1 x 800 mg capsule a day. According to the packet one serving is two capsules up to twice a day. I'm trying to increase Helen's intake of everything slowlu so rgis mstbe part of the issue. By protein what do you mean. Sorry for being dumb but Helen & I have a very similar diet?

[helenshubby in reply to helenshubby]

We generally have plenty of vegetable & fruit with meat on the menu at least every day except when we have something like Pizza off something like that. Helen also has fish at least as I can't stand it and I come from a fishing port!

[greygoose in reply to helenshubby]

Well, magnesium bisglycinate is not known of its effect on bowels. If she wants a laxative effect, magnesium citrate would be better - she could take a bit of each.

But protein I mean eggs, meat, fish, cheese. Potatoes and pulses have some protein, as do nuts, but not as much as eggs etc. and it's less easily digested.

[helenshubby in reply to greygoose]

Right Eggs very rarely, meat usually Chicken Breast (Bird's eye Gluten Free) and Cold Turkey or Beef slices both Morrisons "Best", Fish from Morrisons (again their "Best" type not the cheaper stuff, Occasional Sausages from an Artisan Butchers in Norwich or Bacon from Morrisons again the higher quality. Also the only ready Meals are things Like M&S Chilli's or Sharwood's Chicken Curry, in terms of Pulses, green beans and Frozen Peas and Baked Potatoes with Cheddar Cheese weekly. Seems sufficient to me. Any suggestions? We could think of getting some magnesium Citrate and taking equal amounts. This is going to be a long term exercise so the plan is slowly slowly.

[greygoose in reply to helenshubby]

OK! That's great. I had the impression from what you said above that you had a plant-based diet. Sorry, I misunderstood.

[helenshubby]

Great any suggestion apart from bring the Blue Horizon Blood Test forward? They seem to have dropped their discounted offer ending 31/7 which I am going to ring about tomorrow. The other alternative is to accept the free nurse's blood draw instead and we have six months to carry out the tests and medicheccks have a couple of discounts one ending 31/7 and in 34 weeks time, but obviously need to be aware of different Lab Values.

[helenshubby]

We are nearly 5 weeks in to Helen’s “experiment” with supplements,B12, Thorne B complex Basic B, Xlear nasal spray, trying to increase potassium, zinc, selenium and Magnesium.

Currently she’s on sub optimal/low dose but feels the magnesium bisglycinate is giving her hip. It’s making her tummy swell but does’nt feel bloated and she feels she’s not emptying her bowels enough. She’s going but not very much with some wind.

We’re pretty sure it’s the magnesium but I’m not sure we should change it to the citrate version until she’s had her first blue horizon test which we will try to organise today but need to move over to sublingual B12 and Folate first after stopping the vit b complex containing biotin. Normally, Helen takes the Magnesium at bedtime often with an apple but in the circumstances is it wiser to take it earlier in the day with a full meal? What is the value of the magnesium intake? I.e. what does it help?many thanks. Steven