Push or Change?

Facebook iconTwitter iconGoogle icon

Someone asked me this week to post on when to push through a protocol and when to ask me for a change.

This is a tough question because obviously I do not want anyone to feel uncomfortable physically. However, sometimes feeling a little uncomfortable on the road to wellness is an important step.

It is difficult to know when you are in throws of a die off reaction, which may include many different unpleasant symptoms if it is something you should allow yourself to experience or not. We have been doing this for many years and now it is much easier to be able to tell, but even we may sometimes not be 100% clear.

Typically, if you feel alot of pain in the bladder, this is the main symptom I would go by in terms of not trying to push. If die off is strong, more often than not, the bladder is not as bad. So, going through feelings of things like nausea, headache, acne bloating , gas, diarreha, fatigue etc... may be something you want to go through to get to the next step. 

But, conversely, if the bladder is awful and you are feeling all of those things, probably you dont want to go through it, unless, there are reasons. Sometimes if your symptoms have been stubborn and suddenly we are seeing these signs but your bladder is still uncomfortable, then more than likely it is a good idea to give it a bit of time.

Having said all of this though-everyone's level of tolerance is very very different AND, yo may not be interpreting the symptoms correctly. So, letting us know so that we can make the best judgement, is the best thing to be on the safe side.

There have been times when people have felt allergic reactions for example and were worried they may become bad enough that their throats would close up. Of course I recommended the ER, as I always do if symptoms feel extreme or dangerous. You should always use your own judgement and listen to your own intuition about these things. 

I think the motivation for the person who asked me to post this is that she was worried that she does not push herself through stages enough. But, I would not worry about that.

We are almost always listening to what you are saying and what you are not saying and making that judgement. And, we have suggested just as many time to make a change to the dose as we have to push through. So, don't make yourself feel guitly if you feel like you have not fought the fight hard enough. We are trying to push you to do that but within sensible parameters. 

Anyway, this was food for thought for today.

Dr. M & B

Comments

Carole UK's picture
Carole UK

Thank you, that is really useful information.  It's always been my biggest dilemma.  In the beginning I used to think I had to put up with a worsening of symptoms after a protocol change but now I have learned to check with you so you could decide for me. Since I have been doing this I have improved much quicker.

C's picture
C

 

Thank you, this is very helpful :) So just to be sure if the bladder symptoms worsen as well as having bad die off it is probably time to change things? The bladder should feel improvement/ be getting better when you have the other die off symptoms? 

Can bladder symptoms be die off too? or is it usually other parts of the body like migraines, neck pain itching etc..

But I still wonder if pushing through worsening bladder symptoms would make me better quicker, as I've been in treatment for 3.5 years.

I feel like last year was the year of migraines and terrible neck pain for me, and 9 months of huge bloating I could put up with all that most of the time, but when my bladder gets the frequency really bad -10-15 mins which is how it was when I first got IC, I think its scares me and I just can't function or even take my dog for a proper walk and then it seems too much, but because I'm not in agony with bladder pain, just uncomfortable irritation with the frequency, thats when I wonder if I'm being a wuss.

thank you,

Claudine

 

headley.patty@gmail.com's picture
headley.patty@g...

Thank you. I have had extreme anxiety since starting SF 722.  I started to head down a very dark path that I was not pulling out of. I have had such wonderful progress with my treatment I really hated to pull back but in my gut knew I just wasn't able to push through. I sent Boaz an email that I need to stop protocol for a few days. More than anything I hated to let him or myself down. There is much guilt associated in doing so. Reading this gave me the courage to do what I felt I just had to right now. Working on getting myself stronger mentally so hopefully I can progress before too long. 

lolo's picture
lolo

This is a very very helpful blog!!! Thank you