It's been so long I forgot this was here... to catch up

A lot has happened since last this blog was updated.

I am so much better I forget, sometimes, that I was ever sick.

Now it's more about maintenance and recovery than being ill.

Things I've learned--

I probably have celiac disease, but I couldn't afford the biopsy (not covered by insurance), and I'd have to go back on gluten for the month preceeding the biopsy, which I am not willing to do. But I have every single symptom, including malnourishment, that a celiac sufferer would. My doctors are convinced.

I am also allergic to corn, and eliminating it from my diet (very, very hard to do), has made a big difference.

I am definitely allergic to my house, especially the central air system. Thanks to the badly sealed duct work, the central air has been pulling mold from the basement throughout the house, depositing it in the walls. In the basement, just below a grate in the ductwork, is the open sewer drain, where raw sewage regularly backs up. That too (well, the smell) is drawn throughout the house, especially in the winter. I have become terribly sensitive to sewage gases that I get sick anywhere I have to go where it is present, such as other peoples' basements, unfortunate hotel rooms (you can imagine the story there), and foreign lands where sanitation might not be a priority.

When I have traveled outside the US, I almost immediately stop having the allergic symptoms I have in the US. I am especially productive in Sweden. I feel as healthy as I did in my early college days.

My intestines have greatly improved. I am no longer malnourished. I can make my own B vitamins now, either absorbing the ones that can be absorbed, and creating the others in my intestines. My liver is apparently picking back up its responsibility of breaking down B vitamins into their necessary components, which is great. Those methylated versions of B vitamins were expensive. I no longer need to take extra selenium either. I do, however, take 10,000 UI vitamin D though.

And I am beginning to cut down on the betaine HCl at each meal. Another money savings.

I am also doing far, far less sodium than I once was. Needing it only when my immune system is irritated by something, or when I am coming down with something contagious.

I still have hypothyroidism and underactive adrenals, but I am improving. I cannot go without my T3 and Cortisol, but I have gone to Europe every year for the last four years, and managed to handle jet lag better and better with each passing year. This year has been great.

I am  now focusing more on getting stronger. I walk several miles a day, more or less, intentionally doing as many hills as I can.

I am starting to look forward to things, which I had long ago stopped doing.

About two years ago I started looking for a new house, since I discovered the one I'm in now is causing many of my issues. It took a lot of effort, something I never could have managed when I was ill, and a lot of time, but I have finally found a place. It has a lot of issues, one of which is mold, but at least I can actually fix them, rather than just deal with them because the landlord would not fix them.

I am looking forward to hardwood floors and radiant heat, no plush carpets or central air. I just have to replace all of the electrical system, repair most of the plumbing, replace and repair the heating system, repair a leaking roof, replace the kitchen, repair termite damage, and a few other odds and ends, and I'll have a home to live in.

I am quite looking forward to it.

Thanks for reading.