Friday, June 10, 2011

Chelation update, added ALA!

Round 7 for me this weekend and today began with my first ALA + DMSA dose ever!  Since I had my fillings out in early March, I had to wait three months post-exposure to add the ALA.  I used only the DMSA for those three months to reduce the body burden first.  Now I am playing with the big guns!

ALA is the only chelator that crosses the blood brain barrier.  I don't know what I expected after taking the first dose, but considering how neurologically effected I can be by mercury and chelation, I expected something more.  So far, I feel nothing different.  I started with a very low dose (only 7.5mg) so I don't make this too hard on myself and considering how it effects our kids when we increase ALA (which we did last weekend), I was sure I would feel something, anything.  Maybe it will take time and tomorrow I will be either a basket-case or a space-cadet!  I like to keep my doses manageable, because I have to consider the fact that I am still a mom of two who need me to think clearly, plus life goes on, all around me.

Speaking of life going on around me....I have been very distracted lately, by this mold issue.  It's gotten uglier and more complicated.  We found more mold while going through our basement and cleaning everything out, so now we need more remediation.  The good news is that these two spots are superficial and very minor, but we plan to treat it like we did the leaks, with containment and safety measures all in place.  And the timing of everything is SO confusing, with a different contractor for just about every step.  Test (environmentalist), put up containment areas (mold contractor), remove building materials to reach mold (general contractor), controlled mold demolition (mold contractor), rebuild (general contractor), leave containments up, clean (us and mold contractor), test (environmentalist), take down containments (mold contractor).  Plus we need our HVAC duct work scoped and cleaned and the question of whether we clean before testing has yet to be answered.  I would think we would want to clean the duct work first though, so we can have the airflow tested again as part of our clearance sampling...which means we better figure out who is doing this part ASAP, because keeping the large HEPA filters in our home is costing $200 a WEEK!

Clearing out the basement is painful, but I am keeping our goal in mind the whole way.  It is driving me through tossing furniture, boxes for my collectibles, hair dressing chairs, jewelry I have made, shoes that were supposed to be Gavin's after Grayson grew out of them (I have a shoe thing), baby things like strollers, high chairs, bassinets, bouncy seats, cloth diapers, toys, memories, all of our Christmas ornaments, and basically anything porous or would cost less to replace than to pay a man $50 an hour to clean!  It makes sense and we don't want "stuff" to get in the way of our health, so we are just tearing through it, but MAN, what a HUGE job!!  We ordered a dumpster and have already FILLED it, but we aren't done (scratching head).....and it is hot out now so the suits, goggles, face masks and gloves are ridiculously hot!  We still have some huge furniture to lug out to the dumpster, should be interesting.

Life is never dull around here!  The boys are on Diflucan for two weeks to see, if their constant coughing is a fungal infection.  So far, all it has proven to do is bloat them enormously.  They are still coughing.  So perhaps it really is just a stubborn cold, who knows.  The saga continues...

9 comments:

Anne said...

I'm hoping you go "space-cadet", haha...:-)

You're right, no "stuff" is half as important as the health of you and your kids. I hope for you that you are finally able to glimpse the end of the mold-ordeal.

Jessica said...

Anne,
So far it's day two on chelation with ALA + DMSA and still no symptoms! I feel great!

Anne said...

Woo-hoo! That's great! I don't know much about chelation, but you seem happy with it ;-)

I am in a good phase of healing myself, so I know what a relief it is when something WORKS and HELPS :-). Btw I cleaned my bathroom, it was even filthier with mold than I thought - made me think of you! Not the mold per se of course, but cleaning it out ;-). Have been taking my epsom baths in a sparkling white tub since.

Aine said...

Jessica--awesome news that ALA is treating you so well. Hope it stays that way, keep us updated!

Jessica said...

Aine,
I have been told that that ALA effects can creep up, that they accumulate, did you ever have that experience? I came off the round with absolutely no events. The occasional numbness I was still getting here and there in my toes was not there at all, all weekend. I am still amazed. Maybe it was just one of those lucky rounds, lol. I will be skipping two weekends in a row now though, so the next round will most likely be a bit harder.

Aine said...

Yes, now that you mention it, I did have effects that accumulated, a lot of tiredness, especially for the first six months on ALA. That eased up later. But I never had the magical experience of having a round of ALA with no symptoms. You're so lucky :) Maybe you're one of the blessed few who feel better while on ALA chelation.

Jessica said...

I hope you are right Aine!!

Selena said...

Happy for you starting ALA! Keep us posted on your experience. I have an appointment to get my last 2 amalgams out next week, then I start my DMSA for 3 months.

Jessica said...

Selena,
How exciting for you!! I hope you will keep us posted on your progress!! It's nice having others who understand what you are going through, because it's like nothing else anyone else can comprehend.