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Frenchie
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| Joined: | Tue Aug 25th, 2009 |
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Posted: Wed Feb 3rd, 2010 23:36 |
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Just started the MP, and I have a medical history which the MP staff may want to keep a particularly close eye on.
Symptoms: Psoriasis, first onset eleven years ago. Arthritis, first onset nearly ten years ago, diagnosed as Reiters Syndrome. Chronic fatigue, first onset about nine years ago. Various other chronic symptoms that have appeared over the years since with no diagnosis, often following an infection in the same system, such as in 2006 a left ear infection that cleared with antibiotics, but ever since I have had persistent itching and exfoliation in both ears.
What makes my case one to watch is that it is a classic case of Gulf War Illness (GWI); my first symptom started just under three weeks after my third shot of Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (AVA), the next symptoms started just over three weeks after my sixth shot, which was eighteen months after the third shot. There are currently over a thousand cases of arthritis / arthralgia / painful / swollen joints listed in VAERS as following AVA, and over a thousand more of skin rashes, many of them systemic, plus nearly a thousand of fatigue.
The reference on this site to L form bacillus anthracis transferring DNA that allows a pathogen to evade the immune system sounds fascinating, although I do not understand any of the biochemistry behind it. It would seem to an amateur such as myself to provide a mechanism that could lead to the kinds of multi symptom illnesses that veterans have a history of; the DoD did a study that showed mycoplasma could not survive in the vaccine, but they have never tested the same for L form.
In 2001 Congress established Vaccine Healthcare Centers (VHC) to investigate such illnesses, they have had a politically troubled history, but if the MP can be shown to be of benefit for GWI, approaching the right Congressmen could potentially open up a new line of research funding with very deep pockets. It would have to be handled very judiciously, but I get the strong impression the MP staff are already well aware of the nature of the subject.
This is day five of olmesartan, 40mg every six hours, and I am experiencing a major flare up of symptoms, the worst they have been in a very long time, which I guess is a good sign; no photosensitivity yet, but the old symptoms are back in force.
Tests in Oct. 2009:
25 Vitamin D 31ng/ml
1,25 Vitamin D 672 ng/ml.
December 2009:
25 Vitamin D 26 ng/ml.
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Chris
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 24th, 2007 |
| Location: | New Jersey USA |
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Posted: Sat Feb 6th, 2010 17:11 |
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Yes, it's a good sign, though an uncomfortable one, that the MP will work for you.
Things get worse, especially sun sensitivity, when the 25D drops down closer to 12. So do be cautious.
Have you gotten your NOIRs and darkened your home? One thing benicar does is to down regulate 1,25D and the hormonal shifts due to that are uncomfortable. If you've been sun-sensitive all along (but hadn't differentiated that from other trouble), some of your symptoms can be from the bounce between the effects of benicar and of sun. It's good to go real dark and see if that helps moderate things.
Chris
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sarcoid since 1983 (or much earlier), MP since summer 2004 Chris' story
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Frenchie
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Posted: Sun Mar 14th, 2010 17:00 |
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Several weeks now on Olmesartan 40mg 4X / day. One side effect that I have not read about here, but have experienced, is being prone to dehydration. Often when I drink water it just runs right through me, and I often start to black out even when just doing mild activity in temperatures in the 30s. in coastal humidity It is usually possible to tolerate by slowly sipping a cup of water every hour or so, and avoiding doing anything strenuous, but the day of my last medical appointment, when I had to travel, after about 3-4 hours without water, I found myself sitting on a train with greyed out vision and a spinning head, much like that of climbing at over twenty thousand feet, and I could not possibly have stood up without passing out. Luckily I did not need to move for two hours, and after very slowly drinking 50 oz. of water got back to normal. I have experienced that kind of dehydration before in deserts and rainforests, but this was just travel by train on a cold winter's day.
Other than that, I have experienced cold fingers and toes, but nothing beyond the power of warm clothing and a hot water bottle to deal with. Some photosensitivity, but only really in bright sunlight. And the long term illness symptoms are cooking off badly, but I am guessing that is still a good sign.
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Elliott-Noelle
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Posted: Sun Mar 14th, 2010 21:34 |
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Hi
I am currently taking Benicar 40mg q6 and have noticed the same thing with being prone to dehydration. I am drinking enormous amounts of water compared to what I used to consume. I have not seen anyone mention this either on the MP.
Elliott-Noelle
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Severe CFS 30 yrs, Severe Nocturnal Myoclonus, Candida, MCS, Osteopenia, Joint Pain/Swelling in Fingers, Depression, Allergies. Work 4hrs 2x/wk as a Reg Nurse. 7/09 D1,25-36, D25-39, 10/09 D25-26, 11/09 D25-18, 2/10 D25-13
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Joyful
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| Joined: | Fri Oct 19th, 2007 |
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Posted: Mon Mar 15th, 2010 10:11 |
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Just about everyone with CFS has dealt with these types of problems as part of their disease. Many people starting the MP experience the dizziness as you described.
I went to the MP knowledge base and searched on "dehydration" as the key word. Seems like this section would be helpful for you: http://mpkb.org/doku.php/home:symptoms:hormonal:blood_pressure#symptom_management
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MP Stories | Bacteriality | MP Search | MP Knowledge Base
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Elliott-Noelle
Member
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Posted: Mon Mar 15th, 2010 16:18 |
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Hi
I guess I didn't make myself clear. I was saying since I started taking the Benicar, my fluid intake has increased to the extent that I need a lot more water to stay hydrated than I did before starting the drug. Was wondering why that is?
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Severe CFS 30 yrs, Severe Nocturnal Myoclonus, Candida, MCS, Osteopenia, Joint Pain/Swelling in Fingers, Depression, Allergies. Work 4hrs 2x/wk as a Reg Nurse. 7/09 D1,25-36, D25-39, 10/09 D25-26, 11/09 D25-18, 2/10 D25-13
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Joyful
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Posted: Tue Mar 16th, 2010 05:37 |
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Sorry, I can't explain the mechanisms. But I can confirm this is common within this group of people addressing Th1 disease with the MP.
( And I can offer links to articles on symptom management until it resolves.  )
Healthy people don't have this symptom when they take the Benicar, so a reasonable assumption would be that the symptom is IP related.
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Knochen
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 17th, 2007 |
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Posted: Tue Mar 16th, 2010 15:34 |
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Hi Frenchie -
I doubt this is the problem, but you should double check to be sure you are taking plain Olmesartan, not the kind with the added diuretic. Here in the US, there is a "Benicar HCT" version that has diruetic added to it, and that is to be avoided because of the fluid losses it would cause.
The dizziness and fatigue are also common forms of immunopathology, so they may be with you for some time. Just be ready to go slow and be careful standing. I had many many months where getting up from a squatting position (like when looking at a floor level bookshelf) and then standing would cause me to white out badly. The trick is to anticipate it and have something to grab and not move until things clear in a few seconds. The only time I ever actually blacked out was getting up from the couch quickly while laughing hard at something on TV. I think the extra valsalva action sent me over the edge. I had some control for the first part of the descent even so. According to witnesses, I just folded to my knees and then toppled forward onto my face. No damage, a very soft landing. After nearly 4 years, my BP is the same as ever, but I don't get this unless my IP is giving me trouble, so it's more IP than BP related. Oddly, the symptoms are very similar to dehydration in many ways! You should of course, keep adequately hydrated, but differentiating symptoms can sometimes be difficult.
It sounds like you are off to a good start so far! Be careful of the light exposure. It can come get you at any time and make the symptoms feel a lot worse. Better to just take a full Light Protective Posture for now and eliminate that variable. There's no sense in feeling worse than you need to. You can experiment with light later after you have been on the MP for a while and find out your real tolerance level. You've got quite a bit of D25 still as well, so you might get a surprise when that drop below the threshold - another variable to keep an eye on for now. Just go slow, the MP is a long hike!
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I can help you understand the recovery process, but only your physician is licensed to give you medical care.
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