Rant or Rave: Two Party Politics

A Break from the medical posts:

 Imagine a political landscape such as this:

-        Double digit inflation and unemployment with negative economic growth

-        Unpopular war with high casualties

-        Civil unrest at home with rising crime rates and epidemic of drug abuse and food shortages.

-      Rampant Corruption and Scandal in your administration

Yet, in spite of everything, the incumbent President is a slam dunk for re-election because more than 50 percent of the electorate will vote for their party’s nominee no matter what happens.  Yes, it is still a democracy but there are no consequences for failed policies.  You can bet that the incumbent party will double down and push harder even if things get worse.  Regardless of your party affiliation, that is a pretty scary proposition. California is basically a one party state now and most people agree that it is NOT on the right track. 

Back in the early 2000s, I was told that 40 percent will vote Republican no matter what and 40 percent will vote Democrat no matter what happens.  Maybe 5 percent are single issue voters, which leaves only 15 percent up for grabs.  I’m sure that 15 percent number has since shrunk.  I’m betting that today; Democrats hold a 3-5 percent advantage in the “no matter what” voters.   I have no doubt that the Left wants to bring the Democrat number above 50 so that way, even in the scenario described above, they will continue to win elections.  Call me a conspiracy theorist if you want but I believe that is a big reason why they want open borders and amnesty for illegals. 

While I cannot see myself ever voting for today’s Democrats at the national level, Republicans still have to earn my vote.  Nixon was such a disaster that I'm sure that I would have voted for Carter in 1976.  Perot would have gotten serious consideration in 1992.   In this years Alabama gubernatorial election, I plan on voting Libertarian due to Ivey’s COVID policy even though I agree with her on most of the issues.  Suppose that Bush-43 was running for his 2^nd term in 2008 in the midst of the Great Recession and Iraq.  No, I would not have voted for him even against Obama.  I would have either stayed home or voted 3^rd party. 

Yes, I did hold my nose and vote for both McCain and Romney, but I regret it today and would not do it again even against a Socialist.  As President, an Establishment Republican would do just enough to keep the base quiet but not enough to make a significant difference.  The media is willing to tolerate token opposition from the likes of McCain and his ilk so long as they are not a threat to win at the national level.  If that happens, the media will turn on them at the drop of a hat. 

While I am a pretty staunch Republican, I actually see a healthy opposition party as a good thing.  Of course, I would prefer it if the Democrats took more reasonable positions on key issues.  A blatantly dishonest media is one of our nation's greatest problems IMO.  If their policies fail as was the case with Bush-43, Republicans deserve to lose.  Unless things improve dramatically in the next 2 years, Democrats should get blown out in 2024 but I expect it to be close as it stands now.  In a healthy 2 party system, the losing party will then make corrections and come back stronger within 4-8 more years.  Ironically, if the Bush/Cheney administration was not such as disaster, GOP voters probably never embrace Trumpism.      

There is talk of a moderate 3^rd party.  How would a McCain/Lieberman ticket do against Trump and Bernie Sanders in a 3 way race if all 3 are alive and well?  That’s an interesting question, and I’ll bet that for at least one or two cycles, it will be a viable party.  However, as time goes on, it will drift further Left and eventually die out because it hurts the Democrats more than the Republicans.    

There is also increasing talk of splitting the country into Red and Blue.  While I can certainly say that if the Red States were an independent nation, the laws would be more to my liking, I oppose secession.  It will not be an amicable split because almost all states have some red and some blue areas.  Blue states will fully embrace socialism and go totally off the deep end.  I would hope that in Red America, there would be a Centrist and/or Libertarian opposition party in case the Conservatives lose their way.  

Current Good News/History of False Hopes

 Let's start with some good news.  I am definitely on to something with the Cytokines.  I'm not going to say that the sensitivity is gone forever but I definitely see a real possibility.  Before I took the Cytokine pill yesterday, I could only manage a 1:40 for a half lap at Montreat (10:00 pace) on Taurine WITHOUT  Probiotics.  That's decidedly less horrible than the 1:58 that I did the previous day but still BAAAUHD!   I popped 2 Probiotics with Lactoferrin and immediately went back out.  On the same effort, I improved all the way to 68 seconds (6:48 pace).  I know that I am beating a dead horse here, but a healthy person should NEVER SEE THAT MUCH DIFFERENCE BECAUSE OF ONE EFFING PILL!!!!   

On the Cytokine pill, I will feel good for a few brief moments then the fatigue sets in pretty hard.  At this point, it is a price that I am willing to pay.  It may be only temporary until I adjust to the supplement.  If I take the pill in the morning, I will be better in the afternoon and often feel improvement after going to the toilet.  The best news with the Cytokine pill is that it really doesn't matter what other supplements I take.   I WILL FEEL ABOUT THE SAME!  If that continues, I really don't care if I never run fast again!  Yes, I will be miserable if I go much longer than 24 hours without this pill but I'm not seeing the insatiable need that I've had with others recently.  In fact, if I doubled up the dosage, it probably would make things worse.

Today, I made it the quarter marathon distance in 77:15 (11:47 pace) using a 4:1 jog/walk ratio.  I jogged 0.20 miles then walked 0.05 but did jog non-stop for the last mile.  Yes, I could have gone longer and slightly faster but chose to be cautious.  That's going to be the plan in Hawaii.  I'm not even going to try to run all the way.  If the race was today, it would have been roughly 2 hours and 40 minutes of sheer misery but yes, I could have made it.  In order to beat the time limit of 3:30, I can probably make it with a 1:1 ratio.  Unless it is an extraordinarily bad day, I expect to be able to manage that.  If I'm so bad that I can't do that, I'll know it warming up and won't even try.   

I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Adrenal Fatigue in 2006 and though the treatment was complicated by the sensitivity, I made tremendous progress up through 2012.  At the end of every year except for the injury plagued 2010, I felt that in spite of the ups and downs, I was far better off than I had been 12 months ago.  That all changed in 2013.  I did manage to buck the trend in 2014 and 2017 and do a little better than the previous year but outside of that, it has been a steady decline that has grown much steeper in recent years.  

Ten years ago, I was taking NO pills and running great.  I did some workouts with sub-3 marathoners and more than held my own.  There was a female named Erica who qualified for the Olympic Trials with a sub-2:45 but even she could not keep up with me on the last 400 of an interval workout.  Still, ominous signs were on the horizon.  I was not taking any pills because NOTHING WAS TOLERATED!  I had a complete intolerance to sugar, and I was already showing signs of severe Magnesium deficiency.  It was only a matter of time before symptoms of the adrenal imbalance would manifest if I could not take the necessary pills. 

I thought perhaps it was something as simple as a defective enzyme.  Xylose isomerase allowed me to tolerate sugar as well as the necessary adrenal supplement but that triggered a need for Vitamin C and I needed a precise ratio of Thym-Adren and C while shooting at moving targets.  I discovered Magnesium, which allowed the enzyme to work, and I got hot again for a few weeks, but it was short-lived.  I was on to something, but it did not stop the sensitivity.  In fact, it got worse.

The next attempt was the Hulda Clark Liver Cleanse.  I thought that perhaps because the Liver is the body's central processing unit, if I cleaned that out, the sensitivity would stop.  WRONG!  Again, it allowed me to tolerate the adrenal supplement that I needed but it also dumped out toxic Copper and Cadmium.  I still managed a decent year in 2014 up but faded badly in December.  

Next, I attempted to tackle the low Ceruloplasmin, which is copper carrying Liver protein that was actually low enough to be flagged on some labs.  Again, after some early success, it turned into a disaster and did NOT stop the sensitivity.  

In 2015, I went the genetic route with methylation, thinking that a block in that area was the problem.  Yes, I did have the dreaded MTHFR mutation but once again, treatment did not stop the sensitivity.  It continued to get worse.  By this point, it was obvious to the running community that something was wrong with me.  Even my good days were nothing special by this point.

There were a couple small treatments that I tried and had some fleeting success such as DIM and Sarcosine but again, they were not the answer.  My next major hope did not come until 2019 with the Advanced TRS and later the Fulvic Acid for detox.  I fit all the characteristics of a poor eliminator of toxic metals and thought that there was a good chance that the detox would stop the sensitivity.  While some pills that I previously could not take were now tolerated, I continued to get worse overall.  

Last year, I discovered an Intrinsic Factor deficiency.  I thought that might solve the sensitivity but it did not.

More recently, I tried to lower a high Na/K ratio with the supplement Stress Pak and got a prescription to kill the Candida infection.  Again, the extreme sensitivity remained.  I'm getting tested for Cytokines on Monday. I hope to see a reading that is off the scale.  However, no matter what the result, I will remain on my present course unless the sensitivity flares up again.

Doctor Refused to Test Cytokines

 I am mad as hell!  Suppose a patient suspects that they might have cancer but the doctor refuses to test for it.  Because of that, it's not detected until it is too late.  I'm sure that happens all the time.  I've been asked why I waited this long to see a "real doctor."  I've had HORRIBLE experiences with mainstream medicine in the past and this episode has done little to change my opinion.  I've been to "real doctors" before and explained my situation.  One of them admitted that she "didn't know what to make of it" and another thought I might be bi-polar even though I clearly stated that how I feel depends solely on taking the right pills and if I take something wrong, I will know it instantly.  Needless to say, neither of them tested for Cytokines.  To be fair, neither did any of the alternative naturopaths.  If I was diagnosed even 10 years ago, my life almost certainly would have turned out differently.  

Supposedly, the Cytokine test "cannot be done at this lab".  I'm not buying it.  I'm betting that this quack just doesn't want to do it.  He did say that the rheumatologist that he will send be to will do the test.  I cannot wait that long.  Who knows how long it will take to get the referral and the appointment scheduled?  When it is scheduled, will the specialist do the testing that I want?  That's hardly a guarantee!   I dealt with a quack endocrinologist in the past.  I wanted a full thyroid panel but she refused and I had to beg just to get my T3 tested in addition to my T4 and TSH.   

On the running front, the news was mostly good today.  I took the forbidden combo of Taurine without Probiotics.  My time for a half lap at Montreat was an abysmal 1:58 (11:48 pace).  After popping a Cytokine pill, for a few brief moments, I felt like my old self and slammed a 54 second half lap (5:24 pace).  MINUS 6:25!!!!   Unfortunately, the good feeling did not last.  Within an hour, the fatigue set in and I managed only a "Rocket 88" before I left for work (8:48 pace).  If I had taken the Taurine with Probiotics, I bet I'm between 65-70.   When I got off work, I hit Lakeshore for 1.5 miles in 14-flat (9:20 pace).  Certainly not a great showing but a BIG improvement over my 10:56 pace yesterday.  

I have a strong feeling that the supplement has already begun to move my Cytokine numbers in the right direction.  That's why I want this test done now rather than later.  I still believe this test will show something.  That 11:48 pace on the forbidden combo before taking the Cytokine pill is BEYOND AWFUL!  That has got to come down.  

Plan:

I will lay off this pill for the weekend then go to the lab for an out of pocket test on Monday.  I still have to go to the lab again at the "real doctor's" office even though I believe it is a waste.  Hopefully, that's the last time, I will have to deal with him.

Another Round of Testing. Cytokines?

One piece of good news.  There is movement on the adrenal gap.  It took a little longer than expected but I am getting there.  Without those pills: 2:55 (8:45 pace)  With: 2:25 (7:15 pace).  Compared to last time, the ceiling rose by 33 while the floor leaped by 96.  Thus, the gap diminished from 2:33 to 1:30.  That's more like it.  I predict that by the end of the weekend, the gap will be less than 60.  Soon, it will be like most of my other pills.  I won't be able to quit taking it, but if I miss a couple doses here and there, I won't notice.  If only ALL of my pills were like that.  NOPE.  There is always one that I cannot get along without.  

I got a call from the doctor's office shortly after I published my last post.  Despite the elevated lab value suggestive of AIHA and symptoms that make sense with that diagnosis, my doctor does NOT believe that I suffer from this condition.  The reason is that there is another key lab value that I did not look into that was well within the normal range.  After some additional reflection, I don't think I would be satisfied with that diagnosis either. 

 I have to go back to the lab on Monday morning for more testing.  There has got to be something that is WAY OFF!  One of the natural practitioners that I spoke to many times told me that in 20 years of practice, he has NEVER seen anyone as sensitive as I am to supplements.  IIRC in this lab, the upper limit of normal was 35 and my result was a 37.x.  I'm sure that my doctor has seen a lot worse than my numbers.  Yes, I have had lab values flagged as abnormal before but the treatment did not address the one problem that I hoped to solve.

Now let's suppose that there is a lab test in which it is best to be nearly undetectable but you are still considered normal if your number is below 10.  I would hope that my lab value is over 100.  Yes, you read that right.  I HOPE to see a lab value OVER ONE HUNDRED when 10 is the upper limit of normal!  Sure, it means that I have a very serious imbalance and probably a long road to recovery but AT LEAST I KNOW WHAT IS WRONG!  Even if my prognosis is poor or uncertain, I would still prefer that to my current situation.  

Cytokine panel is a test like that.  I've done some research and though I don't fit all of the symptoms, yes it is an autoimmune problem that CAN cause sensitivity as well as fatigue, depression and muscle pain.  What does lead me to believe that this may be THE problem is my reaction to a supplement called Cytokine Suppress.  I purchased a bottle in case of a COVID infection because I read that cytokine storms can flare up with COVID, which can be dangerous.  I did have some sort of respiratory infection over New Years and I'll never know for sure if it was COVID.  At any rate, I took a couple of those pills and though I did not get very sick from the virus, I did not notice any benefit from the supplement.  Fortunately, I kept it in my cabinet.  

In light of the news of autoimmune issues, I tried it again today after the adrenal gap intervals.  As I posted before, Taurine is not tolerated unless I take Probiotics.  I took some Taurine without Probiotics shortly after I arrived at work.  As expected, I had an immediate negative response.  Then, about 30 minutes later, I took a Cytokine Suppress pill.  It wasn't quite an instant reaction but within minutes, I was NOTICEABLY BETTER.  Unfortunately, the good feeling didn't last long.  Come lunch time, I was feeling pretty rotten again.  I did rebound a bit by late afternoon but still struggled badly in my workout.  I went to the toilet a couple of times and felt noticeably better afterwards.  This all happened without the Probiotics or Lactoferrin.  I took that stuff when I got home and found that it had no real effect.  That's good news.  Perhaps I simply need to adjust to the Cytokine Suppress pill.

Goals:

In order to truly assess my reaction to the Cytokine pill, I must wait a few hours before I run.  I may do quite well shortly after taking it but collapse within a couple hours.  Of course, the goal is a decent workout in the afternoon after having taken a pill in the morning.  

An even better indicator is to take a forbidden combo such as Taurine with no Probiotics and NOT have a bad reaction.  This must be done BEFORE taking the Cytokine pill.  That would mean that I have enough reserve in my system and the sensitivity is GONE!  Once again, I'm fine with having to take this pill but an occasional missed dose should not hurt me.  So far, I'm not getting an insatiable need for it as I've had with other pills.  That's good news.

I had to ASK the doctor for this test.  The receptionist says that she will ask the doctor but expects him to approve the test.  The doctor did refuse to test my Aldosterone and had the receptionist call to tell me.  I'm not terribly upset because adrenal blood tests are not reliable and my interval times are clearly headed in the right direction.  I received no such call about the Cytokine.  If this test is refused, I will pay out of pocket for it and if it's flagged, my doctor will be fired.  

Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia

 

There were 4 lab values that tested outside the reference range in addition to the Basophils plus one borderline reading.  There is one in particular (MCHC) that may explain a lot.  However, none of them were off the scale, which gives me little confidence that my sensitivity will be resolved with treatment. 

Hemoglobin was HIGH- not worried about that at all.

Eosinophils was borderline- related to Basophils, indicated possible autoimmune issues

RDW was LOW- According to Web MD, that’s no real concern

Now on to the ones that are a concern:

MCH- 34.7 (ref range is 27-31).  A high reading usually indicates anemia due to low B-12.  I’ve not been as diligent lately about taking B-12 due to other issues and the lack of a significant response to it.  I’ll get back on track.  Again, it was not terribly high.  Let’s say it was over 50?  That would be a big problem.

MCHC- 37.8 (ref range is 31.8-35.4).  Again, this is not off the scale high.  I WANT to see something extreme because that would explain my symptoms.  Still, this one may explain a lot.  A high reading here usually indicates an autoimmune condition called Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia, in which your red blood cells are under attack because they are mistaken for an invader. 

Often times, when I try to run, I feel reasonably well early then SUDDENLY DIE!  That’s what happened on Saturday.  My pace was in the high 9s in Mile 3 but over 13 minutes in Mile 4.  Granted, I am out of shape, but it should NOT hit me all at once.  If I was fighting to hold a pace in the mid-high 10s in Mile 5, that would be understandable.   In my last few races, the story was the same.  I was doing around 9 minute pace or slightly under for the first half of the race.  Then when I got to Mile 8 or 9, I went from feeling reasonably well to flat out AWFUL within a matter of seconds.  A low RBC count could certainly be an explanation.   I would think that the doctor would refer me to a hematologist rather than a rheumatologist over this.  I still haven’t talked to him about the results. 

Treatment:

The corticosteroid Prednisone is often prescribed.  That makes me feel uneasy.   I think it would be safe to take for a short time, but long-term high-level use is known to damage both the immune system and the adrenal glands.  Will the Prednisone stop the sensitivity?  I doubt it.  I may be back to a situation in which I have some good days and some awful ones.  That’s still preferable to what I am dealing with now.

Sensitivity:

I saw improvement yesterday evening after taking additional Fulvic Acid for detox.  In order for that to be tolerated, I need to take Taurine.  In order for the Taurine to be tolerated, I need to take Probiotics.  In order for the Probiotics to be tolerated, I need to take Lactoferrin.  One missed pill spells disaster and come next week, the necessary formula could be different.  I can’t live like this and be happy.  Nobody can.  There has got to be an explanation for this and I’m tired of waiting for the detox to work.  I’m not even sold that it’s the cause and I think it’s highly unlikely that this form of anemia explains it or that Prednisone can cure it either.   One thing that I am willing to try is an anti-Cytokine supplement.  I purchased a bottle of that stuff in case of a COVID infection but never really tried it.  I think it’s still in my cabinet but I will re-order in case I accidentally threw it away. 

Autoimmune Profile Abnormal

 My Aldosterone tested normal.  In fact, it was not even close to being elevated yet I still have symptoms of adrenal dysfunction.  The gap did diminish compared to last week but it's still awfully large.  

Without: 3:27 (10:21 pace).  With: 2:36 (7:48 pace).  The floor rose by 57 and the ceiling rose by 36.  Thus, the gap closed from 2:54 to 2:33.  That's movement in the right direction but not as much as I had hoped to see.  Again, blood tests are not reliable for adrenal function so I have little confidence that an endocrinologist will find anything.

I don't know any specifics yet because my results have not been uploaded to my portal but I did receive a call from the doctor's office that my Autoimmune profile is abnormal.  Most likely, THIS is the cause of the sensitivity.  While it is certainly a good thing to get rid of the Candida, it was not the final answer.

The doctor will send me to see a Rheumatologist.  I expect to get a prescription, which I will take without questioning.  I did see improvement yesterday evening after loading on Fulvic Acid for detox.  It never fails.  I cannot solve one problem without making something else worse.  Heavy metals often bind with Candida so now that it's cleared, the symptoms of the toxins have worsened.  I now need heavy duty detox treatment.  I hope to get re-tested in 3-4 weeks and see movement in the right direction.

Word on the street is that treatment for Autoimmune issues can be worse than the disease itself.  That said, I can't live like this anymore.  I've got to stop the sensitivity.  I do hope that in time, with continued detox treatment, maybe I can get off the autoimmune prescription.  

More to come later.

Will it benefit me to take a break?

In light of this new information, Probably not.  I'll stick it out until Hawaii.  

Considering 6 Weeks of Inactivity

 NO lab results this week.  I didn't expect them until Monday at the earliest.  The turnaround time is 4-6 business days.  I hope that my Aldosterone is indeed elevated while my Autoimmune profile is normal.  

Reflecting on my workout today, I went out around 10:00 pace, dipped slightly under in Mile 2, held it in Mile 3 then collapsed.  If I can run 2 miles @ 9:13 with a strong negative split, a 10:00 pace should NOT be a tough ask for 4-5 miles.  As it is, I passed the halfway point in 24:51 then finished in 32-flat.  OUCH!  From Mile 3.2 on, I employed a walk/jog pattern at a ratio of roughly 4:1 but did run all the way through from 4.62 to the finish.  There is no way that I could have matched or even come close to yesterday's workout even if I planned on stopping at 2 miles.  I estimate that I would have finished around 19:20, or nearly 30 ticks slower per mile.    

Here's what I predict will happen next week:

I will be HORRIBLE tomorrow.  Probably around 24 minutes for 2 miles.  I'll rest for 2-3 days then do a lot better next time.  This will be done WITHOUT any major adjustments with the pills (that's a key point).

Am I overdoing it?

Hardly!  I've done just 14 miles in the last 7 days and none of it was particularly hard.  Yesterday's 2 miler really should NOT have taken much out of me.   It seems that no matter how slow the pace, 3.3 miles (1/4 of the race distance) appears to be my limit.  

Cause:

I have a very strong feeling that my Na/K ratio is too high, and an elevated Aldosterone would confirm it.  The ideal range is 2.5-4.0:1.  It's better to be a little on the high side than the low side but I'm sure if that ratio is in the 6-8 range or higher and stays there for any length of time, it will cause BIG problems.  My running health was in a similar state back in 2006.  I could maintain a decent clip for 2-3 miles but could not go beyond that no matter how slow the pace.  Back then, the culprit was a LOW Na/K and an adrenaline deficiency.  Everything was normal in the blood so I'm not sold on this test result.  What does sell me is the fact that my pace improved from 11:18 to 8:24 just minutes after taking a supplement designed to LOWER that key ratio!  I tried the pill designed to raise it and had a swift negative response.    

Solution:

What did I do back in 2006?  In addition to the recommended cocktail of pills, I took 6 weeks off running then started back again gradually.  Within 6 weeks, I was back under 25 for 5K.  Within 6 months, I was under 2 hours for a half mary.  Incredibly, in just over 18-19 months, I was a sub-4 marathoner!  I looked like a living miracle, but what people did not see was that I had to make constant adjustments to my cocktail to stay in good form.  Perhaps Candida was the culprit.  

Hawaii:

If I can build up to 30 MPW and get a couple 10-12 milers under my belt, it will be a respectable showing.  However, if my prediction for next week is correct, it will be clear that I cannot handle steady training at this time.  It is a very inopportune time to take 6 weeks off given that I am only 12 weeks out from race day.  I have 2 options:

1) Limit my training to 3 days per week and strive for decent quality.  At least 3 miles per session and a weekend long walk/jog session.  After the race, I will take the rest of 2022 off.

2) Take off 6 weeks right now and forget about respectability on race day.  I will not even attempt to run the whole way.  It will be a Gallo-walk from the start.  I will probably have to do that with Option 1 as well.

I am leaning towards #2.  I have no time goal.  I just want to finish.  The time limit is 3:30, or roughly 16 minute pace.  To put that in perspective, my pace per mile on the back half today was 12:48 despite being DEAD from running non-stop for 3.2 miles.  Unless it is an extremely bad day, I really should come in well under that time even if I am almost completely untrained.  What is most important is getting healthy ASAP.  If running is holding me back at this time, it's got to stop until it is safe to resume it.  

Unless by some miracle, I find a supp that gets me better fast, I'm going with #2.  Also, the Autoimmune panel could throw a wrench in my plans.  If something is abnormal, who knows what could be prescribed?  How will I react to it?  I've got to listen to the doctor on this.  If something is flagged, I've already pulled out all the stops and see no other way to treat the sensitivity.   

Training 8/14-8/21

 8/14- Hoped to improve upon my 3 @ 10:36 yesterday.  Had to settle for 1 @ 11:48.  Don't know my splits but the back half was well over 6 minutes.  Maybe even 6:30.  Stress Pak was the culprit.  I have an INSATIABLE need for it now.  This sort of thing happens all the time.  Soon, my need for it will diminish but it triggers something else and the cycle repeats itself.  I will tell the doctor to keep testing me until he finds something wrong.  I will not take anti-depressants.

Got home and ran 2 intervals.  I did a 1:44 without additional pills and a 1:37 after 1 more.  I would have needed 8-10 to get back to respectable times.

Distance=1.5

8/15- BAFA day.  Improved.  2 miles in 20:49 (10:24 pace) with splits of 10:28-10:21.  On a day like this, it might be possible to walk/jog 13.1 in less than 3.5 hours.  It will be sheer misery but possible.  Will I see steady improvement or will I collapse again at the end of the week?

Distance=2.0

8/16- Steady improvement.  2.5 on Lakeshore in 24:45 (9:54 pace). Splits of 12:31-12-14.  I have a long road to get back to respectability but with steady training and balanced chemistry, I can get there.  This was 30 seconds faster than yesterday while increasing the distance by 25%.  Again, the rate of improvement will slow but that's okay.  The doctor refused to test my aldosterone so I'm doing it out of pocket.  

Distance=2.5

8/17- The HATED better with or without test plus a 1 lap cool.

Without: 3:46 (11:18 pace)

With: 2:48 (8:24 pace).  MINUS 2:54.

I've been on the Stress Pak for 5 days now and that's still a very large gap.  I did the out of pocket blood test yesterday and no matter what the result, I'm staying on my current path until further notice.  I take my last Candida pill tonight so I might see improvement by the weekend.  The gap will diminish come next week.  Both the floor and ceiling will improve but the floor will rise faster.  I've been through the same process before with many other pills.  In the past however, the gap began to shrink by Day 5.  I kept hoping that when I got to the point in which there was no significant difference with or without, I was in the clear.  As you know, it never happened, and the cycle repeated itself over and over.

Blood adrenal tests are not too reliable so I'm not sure anything will show up on this one.  If it doesn't, it seems unlikely that any other tests will be flagged.  There will be no need to see an endocrinologist.  If the test is flagged, I'll re-test in 3 weeks and hope to see movement in the right direction.  If I do, that means that I can control it with supplements.  I'd rather not enrich Big Pharma.  

What will happen with the Auto Immune panel?  I'm about 50/50 on whether or not anything will show up there.  I don't have any of the symptoms.  I thought perhaps the sensitivity could come from allergies but then I wonder why I can SOMETIMES tolerate certain pills.  I would think that if I had an allergy to something, I would ALWAYS react badly.  Moreover, there was usually an explanation as to why it happened.  For example, I had a terrible time with B-6 but those issues stopped when my low Cal/Mag was corrected.  Sensitivity to Cal/Mag stopped when I added Taurine.  Why the extreme reactions?  I can only hope that Candida was the culprit.

Distance=1.0

8/18- Planned rest day.  Took the last anti-fungal last night and it really threw me for a loop.  I never adjusted to it.  The last dose was just as hard on me as the first.  Not sure what to make of it.  I will get some VERY important lab results next week.

8/19- Another very positive step.  2 miles in 18:27 (9:13 pace).  MINUS 41 but it was 3 days later and over a shorter distance.  Splits were 9:28-8:59 so I have no doubt that I could have held it.  I want to be fresh for tomorrow.  Shooting for 5 and I actually believe I can do it.

Distance=2.0

8/20- This was a DOWNER.  5 miles in 56:51 (11:22 pace).  I told myself before I started that my pace did not matter.  I just wanted to finish this one.  I could not do it.  I held a steady pace just south of 10:00 for the first half but could feel a massive fade coming soon.  I managed to hold it together for another 0.7 miles then broke down and had to walk/jog to the finish.  Perhaps, running just puts too much stress on my system ATM and I need time off.  I'll get some answers next week.

Distance=5.0

8/21- 1 mile at Montreat in 10:54. Worse than yesterday.  I don't think it's the pills.  I just cannot handle regular training and need several weeks off.  

Distance=1.0

- Only 15 miles and I could not handle it.  Pretty pathetic.

Basophilia

 I have not actually talked to the doctor yet, but I did access my lab results from my portal.  Here's what I know:  My cholesterol is a little high, but I'm not worried about that at all.  If I can run regularly, my cholesterol, weight, and blood pressure will all come down.  I suspected that perhaps my thyroid was low because of my weight gain but no, that's not the case.

The only thing tested that was abnormal was Basophils, and it was flagged as high.  What does it mean?  My white blood cell count is elevated because of chronic infection and inflammation.  Why is it high?  I HOPE that it is solely because of the candida infection.  Unfortunately, it could also mean that I have a more serious auto-immune condition.  I do not know the reference range, but my lab value was 0.12.  Is it moderately elevated or off the charts high?  I don't know.  

Was the candida the source of the sensitivity all along?  Possible.  Was it the only thing wrong with me?  NO!  Not by a long shot!  Here's just a small list:

Iron Overload- This was confirmed by blood testing in 2017.  It was treatable with blood donation and Curcumin.  Iron level tested normal on this test.  Unfortunately, it probably worsened the symptoms of Pernicious Anemia.

Pernicious Anemia- Confirmed by a blood test in 2021.  I was unable to absorb B-12 because of a lack of Intrinsic Factor.  I thought that when I corrected the Intrinsic Factor deficiency, the sensitivity would be gone.  It was one of MANY false hopes.  

Methylation- I am homozygous for the dreaded MTHFR 677 gene, which impairs processing of the critical B-vitamin Folic Acid.  I need to supplement with a special form of it to be at my best.  I learned this in 2015.  Unfortunately, there were complications.  I could not tolerate it without TMG and needed to beware of sulfur overload because of the CBS mutation.  I tried to treat the CBS but could not tolerate ANYTHING until I addressed the toxic metals.

Toxic Metals- No lab test showed it but I'm 100% certain that I have/had this problem.  Hair tests revealed that I showed the pattern of a poor eliminator of toxins.  When that happens, the body stores the toxins deep in organs, where they do the least damage.  Unfortunately, when organs become overloaded, the toxins are too much to overcome.  In extreme cases, it can lead to organ failure and premature death.  I flushed my liver in 2014 and hair tests revealed significant Copper and Cadmium dumps in my tissues, leading to dysregulation.  I have a strong feeling that I had MUCH more dangerous stuff in my organs that did NOT come out in the flush, including evidence of Arsenic. 

 I discovered TRS in 2019 and immediately after starting it, the CBS treatments were tolerated.  Unfortunately, I had a devil of a time tolerating the TRS itself.  Unless I took Probiotics, I could not tolerate the TRS.  I have read that toxic metals bind to Candida, so once the toxins were eliminated, it freed the Candida and made that problem much worse.  It probably HAD to get so bad that it showed up on my skin before the doctors could find it.

How do I feel now?

Not good.  I got a prescription to kill the Candida and not surprisingly, it has sapped my energy.  That's okay.  If it finally kills the Candida and thus the sensitivity, I'm more than willing to endure a couple more rough weeks.  When I'm through with those pills, I'm not going to set any personal records right off the bat, but I do expect to slowly build up to double digit runs.  I don't even care about my pace.  I just want to be a part of the running community again.  Today, I did 3 miles in 31:48 (10:36 pace).  I'm not celebrating that, but I did manage to hold a pretty even pace and felt that I could have gone another mile or two.  

Is the Candida the only thing wrong with me at the present time?

I doubt it.  I have a strong feeling that my Na/K ratio is elevated.  I took a supplement called Stress Pak to fix that.  I saw immediate improvement, which actually makes me feel uneasy.  A single dose should not have a significant impact, especially not within minutes.  If you read this blog, you know that happens to me all the time.  One day's medicine could be the next day's poison.  If the Candida is gone, in THEORY, I should have no trouble tolerating it in the future, nor will it trigger another issue.  If the healing process is working properly, you should not notice any improvements day to day unless you are closely monitoring it but over the course of several weeks, you'll know it.  Think of the hour hand on a clock.  

One upbeat thought:

Suppose that I went to the doctor sooner and was diagnosed with auto-immune disease because of the high Basophil levels.  I would have been prescribed immuno-suppressants.  Imagine that during a pandemic without an effective vackseen.  That could have been a DISASTER!    Moreover, it would have done NOTHING to address the other issues INCLUDING Candida! 

Doctor Visit

 

Well, I finally backed down and went to a “real doctor” yesterday.  As I suspected, I have a severe candida infection.  I’ve been drinking nothing but water for the past 6 days, yet things have gotten worse, not better.  I cannot run at all.  I take off around 12-minute pace and can’t even maintain that.  That is probably due to the die off reaction, which supposedly peaks between Day 3-Day 7.  I did get an oral prescription and a cream for the candida.  The doctor also did blood work but he didn’t tell me what he was testing.  Candida and adrenal dysfunction are inter-related and I suspect that I’ve had it for many years.  Nobody could have discovered it until recently when I began to see flaky and itchy discoloration of my skin.  It was noticeable under my armpits and above my butt.  Gross! 

I looked at some of my old posts when I was at my best and I was not as healthy as I remembered.  Yes, I clocked some pretty amazing times and had an impressive training log, but I had to make frequent small adjustments.  Just one extra pill or missed dose would have a significant negative effect.  I think it is entirely possible that the candida was causing the sensitivity all along.  I can live a happy life with a little fatigue but NOT with extreme sensitivity.  What hurts the most is that I was given the appearance of healing all while I was headed for a collapse. 

It's too soon to say how this will play out or even how I feel about it.  One upbeat thought that I did have is that if I discovered and treated the candida sooner, I probably would not have addressed the detox and methylation in an attempt to get well.  I believe that both were necessary.  The WORST-CASE scenario is that everything will come back normal, as was the case the last time I saw a “real doctor.”  If that happens, he will almost certainly push anti-depressants, which I will refuse.  I will say that I am alarmed by current weight and blood pressure.  I suspect elevated aldosterone, which is an adrenal hormone.  There is a supplement that I tried in the past called Stress-Pak.  It was not tolerated at the time but that was before the detox and candida treatment.  It is designed to lower a high Na/K ratio, which has been elevated on previous hair tests.

Hawaii is now 3 months away and I cannot run at all.  Do I go and then try again next year?  I do have plans to visit all 4 major tourist islands.  I went to the Big Island last winter and this trip will be to Oahu.  Still need Maui and Kaui.

Florida/Georgia Weekend

 This was an impromptu trip.  Birmingham had a 90 percent chance of rain last weekend while south Georgia and north Florida were expected to 95 degrees with sunny skies and a low chance of rain.  I did not leave work early but drove as far as I could on Friday night, which turned out to be Dawson, Georgia.  Eufaula, Alabama is a cool town with lots of nice antebellum homes, but I had to get a little closer to the Atlantic.

 I arrived in Brunswick, Georgia in mid-late morning for a walking tour of streets lined with palm trees and Spanish moss before turning to Jekyll Island.  This was a bit of a disappointment.  In early August, you will find 85-degree water on the Atlantic from Miami all the way up to Charleston, but the surf can be light.  At Jekyll Island, surf is often blocked by sandbars and the water is a muddy brown.  Just north at St. Simon’s Island, I found less sand but a bit clearer water.  Still, surf was minimal in both locations. 

The original plan was to go to Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island across the border in Florida the next morning.  I chose to head down there in the previous afternoon to steal some surf action.  It proved to be a good call as I had a lot of fun in a short time.  Surf was pretty strong.  I actually went down once and caught countless rides to the shore.  If you want to catch a wave in Georgia, stick to Tybee Island just outside of Savannah.   After another fun session, I hit the road just after noon and it was a smooth ride back.  Amelia Island also has a beautiful park in which the sky is covered by a canopy of Spanish moss and palm tree fronds with several hiking trails.

Final thought:

I wish I had more time but yes, the Atlantic coast is do-able without any time off work.  Tybee Island is about 6-6.5 hours from Birmingham while both Charleston and Amelia Island are about an hour further.  

Training 8/1-8/7

 8/1-  I've had more relapses.  Time is ticking away.  Only 3 months to train.  If I can sustain a window of decent balance, I still have a chance to deliver a semi-respectable showing.  Today will not cut it.  Planned to run 2 miles at Veteran's Park (3 laps around the lake) and had to settle for 1 in a time of 9:14.  I suspect that my adrenals have spiked.  Felt reasonably well early but collapsed after 0.75 and did not even attempt to go beyond 1 mile.

Distance=1.0

8/2- WORSE!  1 mile in 11:57 and it took an all out effort at the end to break 12 minutes.  Took only the detox and the Thym-Adren today.  Clearly not the answer.

Distance=1.0

8/3- An improvement.  2 miles in 20:49 (10:25 pace).  Splits were 9:49-11:00.

Distance=2.0

8/4- 1 mile in a time over 10 minutes.  Fortunately, there appears to be an explanation as to why I have been so bad.  I'll reveal it on a separate post.

Distance=1.0

8/5- Best showing of the week.  2 miles in 19:54 (9:57 pace)

Distance=2.0

8/6- 1 mile worth of junk intervals.

Distance=1.0

8/7- 12:25 mile in the morning.  10:xx in the evening.  Probiotics were the difference.  I need to take those at night.

Distance=2.0

-10 miles on the week