http://www.democraticunderground.com/1147618Oh my.
hedgehog (28,063 posts)
Before you were diagnosed, were you already self-treating?
I've been taking salmon oil for years, but my eye doctor recommended it for the dry eyes of Sjorgren's. I'm wondering how many other general good health practices ( whole grains, limited red meat, exercise, etc. ) may have helped keep my symptoms under some control.
I dunno; franksolich probably self-treats a lot, but not being a medical professional, he has no idea if certain remedies actually work, or if they just sit there, doing nothing but doing no harm either.
franksolich's first rule: first, do no harm.
Plain ordinary tap-water doesn't harm any condition, but probably it doesn't do a whole lot of good either. Despite that, one would be surprised at the number of things plain ordinary tap water can either cure, or at least ameliorate.
Thinking outside the box is good.
One really effective method of self-treatment that franksolich applies, however, is proven to work.
A daily diet with 4-16 times the recommended minimum fiber and roughage prevents haemorrhoids.
For thirty years, that's worked like a charm.
Anyway.
The defrocked warped primitive, who's meaner and uglier than a rattlesnake:
Warpy (64,309 posts)
1. No, I was too busy beating myself up for being lazy
I thought everybody else felt like shit and it was normal.
BlueNinja (18 posts)
2. Mine's the opposite...
I was diagnosed and since been self-treating. The thing is that I've been forced to do so since I don't have insurance. I have a form of Spondylitis. I take Cod Liver Oil, L-Lysine, a vitamin B cocktail along with a B12 boost, a apple cider vinegar, tumeric, and Sam-e. I've tried tons of stuff. I still feel like I have the flu nearly every day with a low-grade fever all the freaking time, but I can manage to get some things done with the assortment of crap that I take. There's a site called Earth Clinic that has a ton of great information on how to treat yourself with natural remedies. It's hard for me to gauge whether being off of insurance has been a blessing or a curse since when I had insurance I nearly died from the side effects of one of the medications I was on for damned rosacea. I have a history of poor interaction with a lot of medicines, and some supplements even. So while it's a drag sometimes not knowing exactly what's going on with me, when it comes to conventional medicine sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
mopinko (38,690 posts)
5. why do you ask?
^^^the hypochondrial primitive; she's had every ailment and affliction known to mankind, including hemophilia and prostrate problems.
hedgehog (28,063 posts)
6. I think I was having symptoms for years, and taking supplements without putting it all together to realize I was experiencing autoimmune problems.
Yeah, that's one place where franksolich made a mistake, self-treating.
Four aspirin a day keeps the heart-attack away.
Having been illuminated thusly, from the time I was 19 years old until August 3, 2009 (I remember the day well), I took four aspirin a day, even when I was wandering around the socialist paradises of the workers and peasants, and aspirin was hyperexpensive; in some cases more than one's monthly "wages" (I had mine shipped by friends back here, as I didn't want to deal with socialist aspirin).
Because of unrelenting stress, I developed a man-sized ulcer, from the bottom of the throat to the end of the small intestine. On August 3, 2009, the ulcer burst open; there was more blood outside of me, than in me, when I got to the emergency room.
That problem was taken care of, and I was told that while my intake of aspirin had nothing to do with the ulcer, it'd be a good idea to quit taking aspirin, which I did.
However.
However.
However.
Apparently by taking all this aspirin, I'd been hiding, subduing, masking, or disguising creeping arthritis.
Despite the arthritis, I still take aspirin only on rare occasions (the bottle in the medicine cabinet is still nearly full, and it has an expiration date of 12-14-10); I now just watch how I use my joints.
mopinko (38,690 posts)
7. no, me too.
i can look back and wonder about a lot of things, including why i tended to need 10 hours of sleep. i didn't know that, and didn't know that was why i was breaking down into an emotional wreck after a few months at any job that required me to not get that 10. including being a mom.
i know i have had fibro always. but it really became unbearable after having west nile.
Whoa.
That's a new one for the hypochondrial primitive.
Her list of ailments and afflictions would be longer than Vlada Mitty's resume.
