Health News

 Before I went to Florida, I was in a predicament in which there were days that I benefitted from Vitamin C and other days in which I could not tolerate it.  It was likely NOT an autoimmune issue.  Too much Vitamin C triggered Iron Overload.  Perhaps it was helpful for detox.  I also read that fructose increases Iron absorption.  Switching from Red Bull to Coke to reduce caffeine actually made things worse.  Red Bull is sweetened with glucose while American Coke is loaded with high fructose corn syrup.

The solution to that problem is either blood donation or Inositol.  I had BIG problems with the latter before I took care of the autoimmune issues.  This time it worked.  After just a few days on it, I had no discernable reaction to either Coke or Vitamin C.  YES!  

I did run twice when I was with Mom.  Both times, I tested reactions to pills.  The first day, I only did 1 Mile with quick stops at each quarter to pop pills.  Nothing had a significant impact as my splits ranged from 2:05-2:11.  I was actually marginally faster on the C.  The next day didn't go as well.  I passed the Mile in 8:49 then popped a Zinc and was significantly weakened.  It took nearly 11 minutes to complete the back half.  Towards the end of my time at home, I was beginning to have trouble with other pills but C remained tolerated.  

Since I didn't expect to stay with Mom for so long, I didn't even pack all of my pills and I knew that I was suffering due to lack of a key pill.  When I got home, I took all of the methylation supps and got no discernable reaction.  However, after just a pinch of straight Malic Acid, I was significantly better.  Most probably, I just need it for maintenance.  Occasional use should be all I need to keep the toxic metal buildup in check.  I can live with that.  

I woke up today feeling dazed and drugged in addition being overstimulated.  I went to the track and opened with a poor 2:27 first lap (9:48 pace).  Popped 2 ADHS and it was a game changer.  Improved to 2:08 (8:32 pace).  Switched to 200s after that.  Zinc got me down to 56 seconds for 200 (7:28 pace).  Even if that pace wasn't sustainable, I'm sure that a 400 would have been well under 2:00.  That's another significant gain.  Did a 54 on Probiotics and a 53 on Vitamin C.  Not significant.  Did another 200 untimed as a cool down.

Going forward, as long as I take occasional Malic Acid, the plan is adrenal support plus Zinc.  The only matter to be resolved is whether I should take ADHS or Thym Adren.  I'll update this tomorrow.

Update:  Today, I was beyond awful without the Zinc or adrenal support.  Zinc by itself brought me down from a 2:17 to a 2:00.  I expected another significant gain from Thym Adren.  It didn't happen.  Only managed a 1:58.  No discernable improvement from ADHS either.  Adrenal support doesn't seem to matter.  The need for Zinc is insatiable 

Death in the Family

 My Dad was the one person in my life that I absolutely could not do without when I was growing up.  Where would I be without him?  Just the thought gives me chills.  Needless to say, I am devastated by this loss.  

He had not been well for the last few years but I expected him to hang on for at least another year or two.  I'm SO GLAD that I took the 2 day layover back home from DC on my birthday.  That was 2 months before he died and the last time I had a conversation with him.

He took a fall in mid-October, which caused a
brain bleed and one thing led to another.  He developed a septic infection and pneumonia.  After reading up on it, I knew the prognosis was poor.  Even if he made it, he would have been a vegetable and lived out his last few months in a nursing home.  He never would have wanted that to happen.  It was later revealed that he had a spot on his pancreas that may have been cancerous.  I'm convinced that it was simply his time and there was nothing that could have saved him.  Even still, I thought he'd hang on for another week or 2 until Thanksgiving.

I volunteered to go home for Veteran's Day weekend but Mom said no, and I went to North Florida as I often do that weekend.  It was a good but not great trip to Flagler and Amelia Island with a stop at Okefenokee Swamp Park on the way back.  I got home on Veterans Day then worked the next day at the office.  That afternoon, I got a call from Mom.  Come home ASAP.  I left the next morning before dawn and made it to the hospital just a few hours before he passed.

I was close to my grandmother and confided in her things that I never told my parents.  I got to see her 2 weeks before she passed.  She was still coherent and I did get to tell her how I felt.  With Dad, there was no proper goodbye.  Though I had heard the bad reports, nothing could prepare me for seeing him at the hospital at death's door.  He tried to sit up and grunted at me but he was no longer able to talk.  At least he knew that I was there.

We got some lunch at the cafeteria then returned to the room for a couple hours.  Mom and I took a walk around the hospital for maybe 15 minutes.  When we got back, we heard a last gasp, almost as if he waited until we got back to pass away.  When I realized that he was gone, I completely lost it and bawled my eyes out.  I'm not at all ashamed to admit it.  

I initially planned to say my goodbye then come back for the funeral after Thanksgiving.  Since it happened so fast, we had the funeral the next Monday and Tuesday.  I stayed with Mom through Thanksgiving.  No reason to go back to B'ham for just 3 days then return to my Mom's house.  I certainly couldn't be alone or leave Mom without me.  Time to get back to real life now with a new normal.  I figure that it will take time to get back into my routine.

Training 11/3-11/9

 11/3- Interesting episode yesterday.  I felt a discernable positive reaction to Vitamin C.  I loaded on caffeine to see if it would be tolerated.  It wasn't.  Also, extra C made things WORSE, not better.

Forced rest day today.  Reduced the caffeine and found Vitamin C tolerated again.

11/4- 2 miles on Lakeshore in 18:44 (9:22 pace).  Took pills every half mile.  Opened with a 5:02 on just ADHS.  2 Probiotics got me down to 4:50.  I was expecting a non-factor but this is borderline significant.  1 Vitamin C got me down to 4:37 and a 2nd C yielded a 4:15.  Interesting!

Distance-2.0

11/5- Today I couldn't tolerate Vitamin C.  What else is new?  Yesterday's medicine is today's poison.  Even without the autoimmune issues, caffeine is still a factor in Vitamin C metabolism.  Attempted a run but died within 2 minutes and slow jogged home 

Distance-0.5

11/6- Ugly 1.5 on Lakeshore with no pills.  Finished in 16:23 (10:55 pace) with a slight positive split (8:08-8:15) but did have to hold in diarrhea.  Trying to gradually reduce the sugar.

Distance-1.5

Done for the week.  The intolerance to C is likely related to Iron Overload.  I can fix that provided that my autoimmune issues remain in check.