Tuesday Update

Not so itchy this morning. Taking supplements before I went to bed probably helped. Went to bed early (9:15pm), and slept in past 8:30am this morning. Yesterday was a long day.

Almost attacked by a big dog on my walk today. It jumped the fence and started for me, but I told it to get back, in a firm way, in the Name of Jesus! The owner came out and took control of it. Walked up & down hills today, it was a very nice day. Ended up taking my coat & sweatshirt both off.

A very itchy morning

More itchy this morning than yesterday morning. I woke up before 5am very itchy. I probably need to stay away from the combination of meat & barley at this point also. I think brown rice (a small amount, I use 3/4 cup of brown rice in a large pot of chicken or turkey soup) is OK, but the beef soup and barley combination is not good.

I did however have a small serving of cottage cheese after dinner last night, which I'm sure added to the yeast outgrowth. Dinner last night was a soup made from the base of the pot roast juices that was in the crock pot the day before, with summer squash, another squash, carrots, peas & barley. It tasted salty (though my wife didn't add any salt to it).

I got up at 5:30am this morning and took a shower, then 3 Acidophilus/Bifidus capsules, 3 Candida capsules with Caprylic Acid, and 3 Spectrabiotic probiotic capsules.

A bit of an update

I'm back on a somewhat "normal" schedule, 9am to 1pm, 3pm to 7pm, for about a week now, but I haven't stuck hard and fast to that. My energy level is very good compared to even a month ago, so I thought I could get back to a normal work schedule.

This past week has been very hectic at work, as a Linux server that supports airplane delivery lost 2 hard drives on it's Raid-5 array. I volunteered to help recover the machine, and help get a backup server built and configured. There were a lot of VIP's looking at the situation, because of the importance of the server. I don't have primary responsibility of the server(s) that effect the customer, but I volunteered so I could use the Linux training & skills I have (I have an older comptuer @ home with Linux running on it).

There were some late nights recovering this server, as well as 1 late night (Tuesday) going to the hospital with my wife & son. My wife Debbie's dad, Rick, had a condition that felt like a heart attack (Tuesday evening & again on Wednesesday morning in the hospital). He if OK for now, he's been released after an angioplasty.

As it turns out, even a 2 hour lunch, including walking and eating, can be a little bit tight. I have to start planning my meals better, if I don't have a salad or soup pre-made, it makes it a bit tough, and I usually resort to peanut butter and celery, or peanut butter on Wasa rye bread. I found out that the Wasa brand of rye bread comes in 2 varities, one with wheat and the other without wheat. The one I have now has oats & wheat in it, that was the only package the store had in stock. I need to hunt down (or shop online at Safeway.com) for some that is strictly rye.

I've gotten off of the snacks that I was eating pretty regularly that contained honey & nuts, with blue-green algae (in the bulk section at Fred Meyer). They are very tasty, but I think the honey in them is a bit much for me at this time.

On another note, I had a piece of melt-in-your mouth roast that had been cooking in the crock pot all day for dinner last night, along with some red potatoes. The combination isn't a good one for my condition, but I thought I'd "give it a try". Also had a good salad. However, when I woke up this morning, I was very itchy due to the yeast growth, so I'll be staying away from trying to combine meat & starches at least in the near term.

Great message on faith Sunday morning at church. Confirmation: I am responsibile for my healing, not just "waiting on God" to heal me.

Special Thanks

I'd like to thank Sarah Taylor and the folks at Spirit 105.3 in Seattle for giving me the idea to use this blog. The DJ's were talking about Sarah's new baby the other morning, so I checked out the site, and found how I can start using this blog to help me journal.

I'm sorry I didn't pick it up before, because my son Patrick has had a blog for a while using this same service, but I was too busy in my own life to get to know his blog that well until now.

A Walk & a Good Salad

There's nothing like a good walk after sitting behind a computer monitor with phone calls, telecons, Virtual meetings, and customers all day! It really cleared up my head. After my walk at the mall, I went to Fred Meyer and bought the ingredients I needed to make my salad up for the week. Red Leaf Lettuce, cucumber, fresh spinich, tomatoes, lemon juice. Picked up my rye crackers & 3 cans of sardines in water also, I miss my rye crackers since I can't have any wheat at this point.

Had my salad finally done by about 10:00pm, and had a good bowl of salad. Part of me would like salad making to go by faster, but I really enjoy doing it right also. It takes time to prepare food the right way. Added organic carrots & fresh celery that I had at home to the salad, along with the ingredients from above. I like to add lemon juice to the entire tossed salad so it will keep a bit longer in the fridge. Then I'll add some more lemon juice and some virgin olive oil, along with some raw sunflower seeds, to the portion that I eat. Mmmmmmm Good! :-) Bon Apetit! Good night!

Very stressed, need to go take a walk. I worked all day from 9am to 4pm, was multi-tasking with a customer rebooting their server while I was in telecons on our group reorganization. Need to get some lettuce & salad makings, and make a salad and soup tonight. Have an hour and a half to makeup this evening @ work, Thank God for telecomutting & a flex schedule!!!

If you're wondering, I'm on a flex schedule Monday, Tuesday, Thursdays & Fridays, 9am to 1pm & 5pm to 9pm. Wednesdays is a normal day 9pm to 5:30pm with a class at church that begins at 7pm, but I normally try to be there at 6pm so that I can pick up a friend.

Healing From the Inside Out - The Leaky Gut Syndrome

I just received this in a pdf from my Health Coach, Charlotte Carreira:

Environmental Medicine
by
Sherry A. Rogers, M.D.
Northeast Center for Environmental Medicine
Syracuse, New York
•••••••••
Healing From the Inside Out
The Leaky Gut syndrome

•If the gut is not healthy, neither is the rest of the body. It is the point of fuel and
nutrient entry that runs the body.
•If healing is at a standstill and you are at an impasse, look at the gut to see if it is
holding you back from getting healthier. Chemical sensitivity, fibromyalgia, and
escalating food allergies are among the many problems caused by the leaky gut.
•If gas, bloating, abdominal pain, indigestion, alternating constipation and
diarrhea are symptoms, you may be headed for the development of new
symptoms and new diseases.
•If you are taking over-the-counter medications for pain, you may be at high risk
for developing leaky gut syndrome.
The purpose of the gastrointestinal tract, or gut, is multifold. Basically, it 1) digests
foods, (2) absorbs small food particles to be converted into energy, (3) carries nutrients
like vitamins and minerals attached to carrier proteins across the gut lining into the
bloodstream, (4) contains a major part of the chemical detoxification system of the body,
and 5) contains immunoglobulins or antibodies that act as the first line of defense
against infection.
The leaky gut syndrome or LGS is a poorly recognized, but extremely common problem.
It is rarely tested for. Basically, it represents a hyperpermeable intestinal lining. In
other words, large spaces develop between the cells of the gut wall and bacteria, toxins
and foods leak in. This might sound good, but it is actually a double edged sword.
How does the gut become leaky? By inflammation. And once the gut lining becomes
inflamed or damaged, - then this impairs the five functions above. The spaces open up
and allow large food antigens, for example, to be absorbed into the body. Normally the
body sees only small, tiny food antigens. When it sees these new, large ones, they are
foreign to the body’s defense system. So the attack results in the production of
antibodies against once harmless foods.
Once you have antibodies to foods, they can do many things, like attach to a joint
space, for example. This then turns on an inflammatory reaction where you suddenly
have arthritis that is induced by ingesting a food that used to be harmless. Or if
antibodies are in the lungs, suddenly you have asthma and unsuspected food allergy
can be one of the triggers.
Food allergy can precipitate symptoms in literally any organ at any time, once the gut
develops these large, leaky spaces. And if that were not enough, these large spaces
allow the absorption of toxins that normally would not penetrate the protective barrier of
the gut. These toxins then overload the liver so that chemicals cannot be detoxified.
Now you have food and chemical sensitivities.
It might sound good that the gut can become leaky, because it would seem that the
body would be better able to absorb more amino acids, essential fatty acids, minerals
and vitamins. For the body to absorb a mineral, it does not just slowly diffuse across
the gut membrane. It must be attached to a carrier protein. This protein hooks onto the
mineral and actually carries it across the gut wall into the bloodstream. But when the
bowel lining is damaged through inflammation, these carrier proteins get damaged as
well, so now the victim is vulnerable for developing mineral and vitamin deficiencies.
What types of things can cause the inflammation that leads to the leaky gut syndrome?
Many things that are very common in the 21st century. Examples include abnormal
flora (bacteria, protozoa, yeasts, like Candida, parasites), items that irritate the gut
(foods, alcohol, food additives), food allergens, toxins, and genetic enzyme deficiencies
(like lactase deficiency, celiac disease). For example when we take antibiotics we are
at risk of developing an overgrowth of antibiotic resistant yeasts or fungi, like Candida.
Likewise, it has been known for a long time in medicine that antibiotics can cause the
overgrowth of Clostridia difficile, an organism which can then go on to cause of
relentless colitis.
Likewise, a diet high in sweets (sodas, cookies, cakes, pies, candy bars), alcohol, and
caffeine can irritate the gut lining or if a person has a lactase deficiency and ingests
dairy products these can trigger a leaky gut. If a person has celiac disease and eats
wheat, rye, oats, or barley this can cause an inflammation of the gut lining. Some
people are sensitive to fermented foods such as bread, cheese, alcohol, vinegar,
catsup, mayonnaise, salad dressings, or anything that has been aged, pickled, or
fermented and contains mold allergens. Others are irritated by processed foods and the
chemicals that are contained in them
Some intestinal linings can be inflamed by the use of prednisone and other steroids
and, of course, the gut can become inflamed because of food or water poisoning with
such organisms as Giardia Iamblia, Klebsiella, Citrobacter, or Helicobactor.
Last, but not least, one of the main causes of the leaky gut syndrome is a classification
of medications called “non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs” or NSAIDs. This includes
a large number of prescription medications which are used for PMS, arthritis,
fibromyalgia, and various types of aches and pains. There are many over-the-counter
non-prescription drugs in this classification as well. These include Advil, Motrin,
ibuprofin, aspirin, and the new Aleve, which is the old prescription Naprosyn. NSAIDs
are a direct and major cause of the leaky gut syndrome, because they inflame the
intestinal lining and cause a widening of the spaces between cells, i.e. the leaky gut
syndrome.
Let’s review the five-fold result of this inflammation of the gut. (1) When the gut is
inflamed it does not absorb nutrients and foods properly and so fatigue and bloating can
occur; (2) As stated above, when large food particles are absorbed there is the creation
of food allergies and new symptoms with new target organs like arthritis or fibromyalgia;
(3) When the gut is inflamed, as stated above, the carrier proteins are damaged so
nutrient deficiencies occur which can also cause any symptom, like magnesium
deficiency-induced muscle spasm or copper-deficiency-induced high cholesterol; (4)
Likewise, when the detox pathways that line the gut are compromised, chemical
sensitivity can arise. Furthermore the leakage of toxins overburdens the liver so that
the body is less able to handle everyday chemicals; (5) When the gut lining is inflamed
the protective coating of IgA is adversely affected and the body is not able to ward off
infection and becomes more vulnerable to bacteria, protozoa, viruses and yeast like
candida; (6) When the intestinal lining is inflamed bacteria and yeast, of which there are
hundreds of species in the intestine, are able to translocate. In other words, they are
able to pass from the gut lumen or cavity, into the bloodstream and set up infection
anywhere else in the body. But, (7) the very worst symptom is the formation of autoantibodies
For sometimes the antigens that leak across look similar to antigens on our
own tissues. So when an antibody is made to attack it, it also attacks our own tissues.
This is how nasty autoimmune diseases get started. Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus,
multiple sclerosis, thyroiditis and many others are members of this ever-growing
category of “incurable” diseases.
So a common scenario runs something like this: a person might be very healthy and
then have an antibiotic for a sore throat. The antibiotic does not go only to the throat,
but goes through the whole system and in doing so it kills off many good bacteria that
normally inhabit the intestines. When these bacteria are killed, the normally antibiotic
resistant fungi that remain have no competition and they grow in large numbers and can
inflame the intestinal lining and cause the leaky gut syndrome. From there the person
can develop new food allergies for example, resulting in arthritis, headaches, asthma, or
any symptom. They can start having gas, bloating, pain, alternating diarrhea and
constipation which is often labeled “irritable bowel syndrome” or “spastic colon.” They
can have poor absorption of minerals which then leads to fatigue, inability to
concentrate, multiple chemical sensitivities, and many other symptoms or they can
develop further infection with these fungi and other organisms as the gut lining becomes
more debilitated and then there is absorption of toxins from these organisms. These
toxins overload the liver detox pathways and suddenly the person is chemically
sensitive.
So, what does a person do who has headache. arthritis, asthma, irritable bowel, chronic
fatigue, brain fog, chemical sensitivities, and much more? They usually go to various
doctors, few of whom will do the test for the leaky gut or hyperpermeable gut. To
diagnose the leaky gut syndrome, one merely needs to preform the intestinal
permeability test. This is an easily performed urine test.
Removing the cause means getting off non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, caffeine
and alcohol. Then change the diet so that you are not eating foods that you are allergic
to. The rare food diagnostic diet
is a tool to help you identify foods you are sensitive to. Sometimes the treatment
involves taking anti-fungals or anti-microbials to kill organisms that have overgrown,
infected and inflamed the gut. These can be diagnosed through a comprehensive
digestive and stool analysis.
Next, you must support healthy function of the gut. This is done by thorough chewing of
food, increasing fiber, using probiotics such as acidophilus and bifidus organisms which
have many beneficial properties in the gut, and by using digestive enzymes, if they are
indicated, to help stimulate the breaking down of food into smaller, less antigenic
particles.
Lastly, the gut must be healed and there are many entities which are useful for this.
Fructo-oligo saccharides, better known as FOS, are a special class of sugars which do
not foster yeast growth but which the intestinal lining can preferentially use to heal.
Likewise, an amino acid L-glutamine is important in healing the gut wall. Short chain
fatty acids, aloe vera gel, flax teas, permeability factors, anti-oxidants, kudzu,
bioflavonoids, pycnogenol, detox herbs, correcting nutrient deficiencies, and many more
things are beneficial. And often, just like anything that is sick or ailing, sometimes the
best thing to do is just rest the gut or fast. A major step, however, in the right direction
is first to even know that you have the leaky gut syndrome. For without understanding
that it exists, there is no chance in healing it and keeping it healed.
In summary, the leaky gut syndrome is prevalent because of the 21st century lifestyle.
And it can lead to the development of any number of symptoms and diseases.
Unfortunately it is rarely looked for. So if you are at an impasse with any symptom and
cannot seem to rally, you may find you need to heal from the inside out.

Kidney Cancer History - episode 1

In November 2001, I noticed my urine was discolored. It was a dirty brown color. I was real busy at work, and my car (1985 Dodge Diplomat at the time), was having problems, and finally blew a headgasket, so I ignored what I was seeing instead of going to a doctor right away. With Thanksgiving around the corner, and Christmas coming up, and being so busy, I thought to myself "I can wait to go see a Dr." WRONG!

One night, I got up to use the restroom, and my urine turned into a stream of bright red. All of a sudden, I started feeling a VERY PAINFUL feeling on my right side of my stomach, to the point where I couldn't hardly walk. I did manage to make it back to bed, and had my wife call 911. The Tacoma emergency folks came over (Fire & EMT), and by the time they did get there the pain had subsided quite a bit (I was laying down now). They suggested I was possibly passing a kidney stone. I declined an ambulance ride to the hospital since my pain had subsided, but my wife was able to to contact her brother, who took me to St Joseph's hospital emergency.

After an MRI, I was diagnosed with a large tumor on my right kidney. My right kidney had been bleeding also, which was causing the discoloration. Emergency provided a Dr. to perform surgery, Dr. John Wettlaufer, in the upcoming month (December). I found out later that this needed 2 procedures, one to cut off the blood supply to the kidney (in order to shrink the kidney so it could be removed), and the other about a week later to remove the kidney.

Due to the sovereignity of God, He thought that man should have a redundant kidney system. It turns out that we can survive just fine on only one kidney, without dialisis.

About a week after I was diagnosed, I had an episode of violent vomiting, and was taken to Emergency at St Joseph's again. A brother from my church at the time, Tacoma Alliance, came over and took me to Emergency. Previously that week, a group of elders from Tacoma Alliance had come over and laid hands on me and prayed for my healing. At St Joseph's, I was given something to control the vomiting, and sent home.

To be continued.

I had some sort of pre-made stew over brown rice last night for dinner, because I didn't have time to make myself anything on my diet (a bit rushed to get to my class at Church). It was left over, and I remember having it about a week ago with the same problems. I just had a small amount, but did it ever cause an itching problem when I went to bed. I need to stay away from it! Banquet Crock Pot Classics Beef Stew Dinner - 44 Oz

A Good definition of Leaky Gut

Found this on the Wikepedia post, I'm reading it now. I don't think I've read this previously.

http://osiris.sunderland.ac.uk/autism/gut.htm

Hi, I'm Barry Mangan. I live in Tacoma, Washington. This pic is from the Spring of 2003. I want to start documenting some of the health issues I've faced over the last 5 years, for my own personal reasons (organization) and for anyone that wishes to benefit, or otherwise wants to know what's been happening with me, and the steps I've started taking to get better.

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone that has prayed for me, visited me, given me advise, or otherwise have had kind thoughts toward me as I've faced Kidney cancer in the past, and currently am dealing with Leaky Gut syndrome. Leaky Gut is a non-traditional medical term for a condition that is an intestinal disorder. Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaky_gut for some of the interesting details.