Hello...

This is my opening post and hoping to hear some success stories.

I have been living a lifestyle for about 14 years of eating whole foods,using herbs, cleansing etc..and then about 7 years ago went through an intense time with a divorce. A lot has happened since that time and well, to make it all short...i am kind of in some post trauma type of things. So, though the foods and natural lifestyle have been a main part of the lifestyle...stress has now brought on some sudden imbalances.

There have been the following over the past years up to present:

~several mercury laden injections for pregnancies due to neg blood type

~ red butterfly rash on face that was diagnosed as rosacea.

~ inflammation of eyes and recently was checked..they are like sand paper from being so dry so using homeopathics for two weeks and polarized glasses to guard from light/wind..eyesight is perfect itself without this drying out

~ adversions to extreme elements...too hot/cold, wind, wet, dry

~ abdominal sensitivity..liver/spleen pain

~according to the TCM (traditional chinese doctor)i have deficient liver blood, stagnant liver chi, deficient spleen, deficient blood, deficient kidney jing...etc..he is overwhelmed by so many things going on.

~sensitive to exhaust, fumes, chemicals...etc

~digestion impaired...limited foods

~ fatigue

Okay..these are some things...i am looking for an answer as to what to do from here as a single parent that is solely responsible for my two youngest children physically and financially. I had hoped that this would all heal and all would be well...give myself a little nourishing nurturing time etc...and voila all would be healed.

Am now realizing that may not be the case. I have been not working because interesting enough i normally do natural living, natural health consulting and well..tough one to consult with people feeling this way..and does someone believe that natural methods work if they see someone with these situations attempting to share;)I have considered trying to get benefits which am not even sure are available since i have put in very little over the years being a Mom...the partners have so is possible that there may be something available.

On top of that..i do not normally see doctors...use alternative practioners. So, have been looking for a doctor to 'diagnose' for benefits sake because i will continue with natural healing. In Canada it is very difficult to get a doctor and i have been put on a list that could take up to ten years or more to get one! The other alternative is go to the ER and sit for 9 plus hours with two small children...1 and 3. phew....i have called the after hour clinics and they do not want me coming there because of it being internal...

So...how do all of you do this...functioning daily, financially...any of you as a parent or even a single parent...?

I am feeling that moving to a remote area with pure water, air and nature is the best bet, however with children may be a bit difficult.

I go on the bus for an hour grocery trip and something sets me off within the bus, walk with the kids around the block...ooo, someone sprayed pesticides, instant sick/nausea/etc, someones laundry exhaust blowing through the wind...wireless something ringing in my ears, or the other day go to tape a package closed and tape was the new thing of the day...

I am living in a temporary situation for the past 4 months which is very damp and found mold so was a bit freaked out about that. I have a few weeks left and am looking for the best climate to go to help heal...no extremes is tricky to find. I am looking at semi dry..warm climates...have been looking at New Mexico, California..humidity seems to really activate things and the climate right now has been the worse ever..it seems to get three different directions of weather which is hard to balance in. I am in the maritimes of Canada right now.

Using supplements of very high quality as below :

food enzymes

b complex

coenzyme C

zeoforce..clay detox

vitamineral green

alkaline water

probiotics

zinc

flower remedies

Omega 3..fish oil

chinese herbs...easy wanderer, calming herb blend

think that is it...was usding adrenal blend just stopped to use above chinese herbs.

One other thing that i wonder about is..for several years i notice one of my pupils is most of the time larger than the other. This i found recently has been associated with brain imbalances...or in other words...insanity. I am concerned and have a true desire to heal.

Some days are functional other days ...no...and as said anything seems to set things off in a negative direction. Please anyone that has any suggestions to coping as a single parent or otherwise..i would love to hear.

Hi earthmom,

First let me welcome you to the forums. I hope you find useful information throughtout the site and support here in the forums

While I can't pretend to know what it's like being a single parent while dealing with chronic health problems as you are (I have enough trouble looking after myself - and my cat!), there were a few things you mentioned that threw up flags for me.

First, who diagnosed you with rosacea? It may well be rosacea but the butterfly rash is a classic sign of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a serious autoimmune disease, which coupled with your other health problems could be a possibility. Please have that checked out with the appropriate tests - described on our lupus page.

The red butterfly rash over and around the nose can also be a sign of gut inflammation and is often seen in celiac disease. I also experience it myself due purely to liver toxicity which causes toxic bile to be excreted into the intestines, causing inflammation. It would be a good idea to consider these possibilities.

Secondly, when you said:

that really grabbed my attention as I was speaking to Albert Donnay of Johns Hopkins University and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Referral and Resources (MCSRR) on the phone the other week and he was asking me to see if my eyes were the same level and if my pupils were the same size etc.

He connects these to what he calls multiple sensory sensitivity (MUSES) which is caused by low-level carbon monoxide poisoning (CO) which most people don't know they have and which can cause any number of symptoms leading to diagnosis of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) etc etc. Check out his website to learn more. I am planning to get the blood test done he recommends myself in the near future.

I'm not sure how the benefits system works in Canada but here in the UK you would easily qualify for state benefits based on your ill health regardless of any other factor, especially if you have young children. Diagnosis from a conventional doctor certainly helps though so good you are going down that route.

I wish I could be of more help. Hopefully other visitors will chip in with their experiences shortly!

Take care<br /><br />Post edited by: Maff, at: 2009/08/25 20:10

Thank you Maff for your reply.

Well,you may be right with lupus. I have questioned the diagnosis of rosacea by a dermatologist last year as possibly lupus. Symptoms have increased..one that i did not mention was extremely quick weight loss. I went down 4 sizes in 5 months..one size in a week or so.

I had went to the optometrist a couple weeks ago after getting to the point where my eyes looked gritty on the surface, dry, burning and unable to see well especially outdoors within the light. AFter visiting, he suggested my problem was systemic. I have been using homeopathics to help with the dryness and the polarized sunglasses to guard from sun/wind/light...

Well, I have been looking for a doctor to get some blood work and answers. Unfortunately in this province it is next to none with getting one...so, finally last night I weaseled my way in to the after hours medical clinic hoping that there was something that could be done. They run people through there like cattle..so, her first response was after giving me 60 seconds to talk 'you may have lupus, but i can not diagnose that here..'

She proceeded to offer me something for the skin which i had already tried and it burned my skin..she said the best that she was able to do was to refer me to a skin specialist and that would get me into the system. To see the specialist is another 3-4 months...she said, if you lose any more weight go straight to emergency room.She was very loosely suggesting that it was lupus and felt concerned but rushed in her present clinic situation..trying to offer help in various ways.

Many of the symptoms do seem like lupus. I have been anemic too.

So, now..in about 4 weeks I am moving from the house we are in because of the mold problem and because the weather here has aggravated the symptoms. With this information of possible lupus I am questioning what to do. There is no family support here..and not a lot really anywhere. I do have parents but they are not too interested in my things....a lot of negativity which i prefer to avoid. However, I am not sure how lupus progresses and certainly would like to be in a situation where there is some sort of support systems especially for the kids.

The other option is we go to a warm/dry place which is where I feel best....no support there, but as said I don't have any here either.

I am researching lupus over these next few days and if there is anyone here that lives with it and could share their progression it would be appreciated. I know that everyone is different and it is difficult to know the progression.

Oh, about the gluten too...I went off of grains except for brown rice out of necessity really. I was suddenly getting sick and have rapid heart rate from whole grain cereals...even organic ones, it was amaranth, wheat, corn and others that were causing it. I tested with no grains and then would slip and ingest something...immediate same symptoms.

Thanks again...<br /><br />Post edited by: earthmom, at: 2009/08/26 16:27