an attempt to sythesize my medical history...

I first started experiencing memorable symptoms in 6th grade when I was 10, in 1998. I haven't been feeling well for about 6 years. At first it was a constant fatigue and wakefulness at odd hours of the day. I had high aversions to processed food. I didn't start loosing weight until I was diagnosed with mono in January of 2005. I've been loosing weight for 3 years now. I started at 136. I'm now somewhere below 115. And for the past year I have been trying to gain weight... but I just keep loosing more and more. Following the mono, I had severe headaches that persisted and unbearable fatigue, more like listlessness and extreme muscular weakness. In July of 2005 I left for Germany, and although symptoms persisted including the addition of diarrhea, they were reduced to levels that made me feel healthier than I had ever felt my whole life. My weight dropped 10 pounds, but I gained about 6 lbs back before the end of a year. So, exactly one year after leaving, I returned to the States, and the strange symptoms returned this time noticeably associated with sugar intake.

By October of 2006, something was seriously wrong. I was so sick with "episodes" of listlessness, panic, allergy like symptoms, and fatigue that I couldn't attend my classes or go to work. The health center diagnosed me with Lyme's Disease. I was put on two cycles of Tetracycline, a super-antibiotic. When my blood work was retested, however, 2 months later, they determined that it was a misdiagnoses. Meanwhile, I still felt like shit. My symptoms were reduced, but not eliminated. In January of 2007 I was diagnosed with Depression. The anti-depressants, coupled with a low dosage birth control pill messed up my system like nothing anyone could imagine. I felt like I had lost my mind and my body had gone crazy. In March 2007, I traveled to Mexico for nearly 3 weeks. There, I became radically ill with worse diarrhea, hives, dizziness, headaches, and weakness. These symptoms have persisted since then, in varying degrees of intensity.

A good and regular low-carb diet since March helped to stabilize my system going back into the fall semester at school. However, the super-low carb diet soon backfired. The symptoms were reduced, particularly the allergy like ones and much of the panic and dizziness. I felt stronger. But I started to loose weight much more rapidly. The stress of school became too much to handle with these recurring and somewhat random episodes of being "sick". I had to leave school. I had a doctor at school sign off on a 6 hour glucose tolerance test and was diagnosed with hypoglycemia. So I dropped out on Medical Leave and drove to California. 2.5 weeks later and a hospital visit I made it to San Diego, nearly dead and 5 lbs lighter.

Since living here, I have been operating on a strict low-carb, organic (when possible) diet. My Naturopath confirmed the hypoglycemia and diagnosed me with insulin resistance as well. I have discovered that I have an allergy, or extreme sensitivity to yeast.

To help with they hypoglycemia, I started taking a multi-vitamin doped with herbs and plants such as cinnamon. To combat stress, I began taking cortisol lowering medication at night so that I could sleep. When I was diagnosed with insulin resistance, I added holy basil and an enzyme formula called insinase and lots of fiber to help with hunger pains. The addition of omega-3's has helped with my skin problems and mental function. Avoiding yeast like the devil and my low-carb diet with meals every 2 hours has given me some sense of normalcy back. Working with my psychologist has also helped reduce stress and make the whole process of diagnosis and healing much more manageable. But if I am not STRICT with my regimen, all hell breaks loose in my body. There has got to be another way...