A report from 2004:
As many of you know, I have been reading and posting on this site for
quite a few months. I am intrigued with the idea of feeling better in
the tropics as I am so disabled by my CFS that I have to use a
wheelchair most of the time and am weak and in pain every day.
I don't seem to have MCS. I've had several tests showing sensitivity to
very few things.
My main problem (and I want to define this a little because we all seem
to have something a little different) seems to be related to my blood
vessals constricting upon using a small amount of energy. Constriction
occurs in my temples, causing vascular head pain; plus the calves of
my legs and feet become cold and painful upon walking or standing for more
than 10 minutes - and the pain escalates. An imaging scanner at my
doctor's office could detect no warmth from blood circulation in my
calves. They showed up in blue on the monitor. Also, any muscles that
I am using begin hurting within a few minutes - for instance when I'm
preparing a meal, my arms and shoulders become painful. Besides the
pain, I am fatigued all the time.
And I have digestive problems, high levels of mercury, low magnesium
and poor liver detox, even though I'm doing what I can to correct all
of these problems such as having removed amalgams, doing liver detoxing
and taking magnesium.
So, those are my symptoms. I have no sudden reactions to any products
or smells.
I just returned 10/20/04 from the Yucatan, where I hoped that after 3
or 4 days, I would feel a little better. I flew into Cancun, went to
Chichen Itza and Valladolid, then on to Merida & Progreso, then back
to Cancun before flying home to the San Francisco Bay area. The 1st 3
days it rained off and on. But day 4 through 7 it was sunny and dry. I
didn't feel better. In fact, I felt a little worse than usual after
being outside for a while. For the most part, I had my same symptoms
that I have had before for the amount of activity that I was doing. I
was in a wheelchair everyday and my adult son was with me, pushing the
chair as we did some site-seeing daily. The heat seemed draining to
me. I had to come back to our hotel midday & get in the cool water of
the pool & get my head wet because it seemed overheated some days, even on
the days that I wore a straw hat. Also, we walked in the shade as much
as possible when outside.
I was hoping to have the kind of reaction that Paul and others have
reported, an improvement within the first few days. In fact, if I had
felt better, I was considering going back to Merida for the winter.
But I had no improvement at all. I'm surprised. I don't know why it didn't
work for me. I wonder if my paricular set of symptoms may be something
other than my diagnosis. Who knows? I have been to some of the top
doctors and specialists in every kind of medicine, allopathic and
alternative, in the past 16 years that I was disabled by this illness
and have been tested for everything that could be related to my
symptoms, and my diagnosis remains-- CFS.
Prior to 1988, I had a great career and could go strong all day every
day. I exercised, hiked and danced regularly. My energy seemed
endless. Then, boom, it all changed.
Any thoughts would be welcomed. I don't want to completely give up on
this idea because I do feel better here in N. CA in the summer,
especially when the temperature gets into the 80's & 90's. I have less
pain and more energy. This trip to the Yucatan was the first time that
I was in 97 degree heat along with humidity and spending several hours
outside each day.
I already know that I don't do well with desert heat, even when I
was well, because I used to go on business trips to Phoenix and I
vacationed there when my sister lived there. It seems that for me the
best temperatures are 85 to 95 degrees but not out in the sun for long
periods. I'm still thinking about trying other places in Mexico -
maybe along the Pacific Coast so that it isn't so far away, just to
see if I can find a good location & feel better -- PV or Mazatlan or
farther south along the coast.
Sandy
health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFS_CFIDS_ME/message/1105?l=1
