The Current State of Things

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Last Updated on December 31, 2015 by melissanreynolds

With the end of the year at hand, I have been reflecting on where I am at and all of my experiments. I have learnt a lot through ever increasing threads of information.
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Me and my little elfie!


Sleep Experiments
I have taken 50mg of amitriptyline to help with sleep and pain for nearly ten years.

Earlier this year I got fed up with the fact that I take this medicine everyday and yet I still struggle to sleep well – loosing up to an hour a night to restless/awake times is not “good” sleep. So I have tried SleepDrops, chamomile tea and playing with the time/dose of amitriptyline (anything but a higher dose). Finally, after a lot of research, I tried melatonin and reported back on that here.

Research has confirmed my suspicions that the amitriptyline is not helping as much as I hope and any effects must have worn off. So I have slowly begun to reduce my dose. Currently, I’m on 20mg.

I found Curamin and report back on this here. With its help, I have managed to get blocks of sleep, longer than an hour or two! Before I ran out waiting for the new bottle to come, I was consistently sleeping for five or six hour blocks. This made a huge difference to my day and my energy levels were slowly picking up.

Sleep is a huge battle and has a huge impact on my day – but I’ll be happy when I’m not reliant on chemical manipulation to sleep.

Pain Musings

My neck has been hovering at 5-6/10 most days. It will reduce slightly after meditation and physio (acupuncture).

It did creep up to 6-7/10 for a good few months in a prolonged flare, but the Curamin helped bring it back.

My shoulders and back tend to be consistently tight and move from moderate to minor pain depending on sleep and the day.

My knees have been giving me a lot of trouble, the physio thinks it’s due to one of the quad muscles being lazy. The rheumatologist wasn’t bothered at all that I suddenly have joint problems (my index finger joints have become achy) after years of stable symptoms. The Curamin seems to have helped this. As does the yoga.

Fatigue

My fatigue levels have hovered at about 5-7/10, depending on a lot of factors, this year. First thing in the morning I feel really foggy. I crash late morning and mid-afternoon. And become too sleepy to hold my eyes open by 9pm.

But I am managing working 20 hours over four days far better. It’s difficult to come home with the toddler and not get a rest or time to meditate, and this has caused corresponding increases in fatigue and neck pain.

Well Being Practices

My staple supplements are Curamin and high dose magnesium.

I try to meditate (body scan or Yoga Nidra of varying lengths) most days, I feel like it really helps. As I said above, it can reduce my pain and fatigue levels, and, when done around mid afternoon, helps me cope with the evening routine better.

I see a physiotherapist who performs acupuncture about every three weeks. This is vital for my neck, the little needles in key points for 15 minutes allows them to release. They also do a neck traction which helps it to feel less compacted.

I try to be mindful of what I consume. I have a smoothie most days and adore salads with a  variety of veggies, nuts and seeds. I aim for more than five serves a day (which I don’t always hit, but its a good goal!)

My exercise levels have taken a hit with my knees playing up. I walk 20 minutes when I can and do yoga as often as my energy/knees/time allows.

Experiments

  • Acetyl L Carnitine – meant to increase energy and repair nerves. I did this for two months and upon stopping couldn’t ascertain a change. There was too much going on.
  • Melatonin – after 16 days of awful sleep I aborted the mission.
  • D Ribose and CoQ10 also weren’t for me.
  • Probiotics were really useful when I was beset by gastrointestinal symptoms and infections.
  • Iron supplements and B12 injections monthly, I have a month to go on a three month experiment, but the iron levels have already crept higher than I’ve ever seen them!
I’m so grateful that I’m in a far better place than I was a few years ago or when I was pregnant. My passion for finding better options for me and for sharing them with others is not diminished, so I’m looking forward to continuing in 2016.
I want to wish you all a happy New Year. Thank you so much for reading my little blog and sharing my journey with me. X

0 thoughts on “The Current State of Things

  1. I didn’t know you were on high dose Mg.
    I stumbled upon the importance of this after 6 months of feeling on the precipice of feeling well.(!).. I was (without realizing it) eating high magnesium foods x4-5 days per week on top of warm salt h2O exercise 3x per week. What was I eating? Quinoa, shrimp, Tofu, yogurt, egg, almonds.

    What put it together was the fact that Epsom salts were relieving me of insane soreness. What was the deal with Epsom salts? Mg.
    I believe there is a real connection for
    many of us.

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