Before you were diagnosed, were you already self-treating?

[hedgehog]

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.

[Warpy]

1. No, I was too busy beating myself up for being lazy

I thought everybody else felt like shit and it was normal.

[BlueNinja]

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.

[hedgehog]

3. Sometimes medication can cause more problems than not,

but I hope you're able to afford a doctor again soon. Be sure to add Vitamin D to your cocktail,

http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/news/20100823/vitamin-d-linked-to-autoimmune-diseases

[BlueNinja]

4. Yeah...

I forgot that one. I do take that as well. And definitely true about the medication. I hope I'll be able to get to a doctor at some point (before I'm dead I hope!) in the future. You always have to use your head when dealing with doctors (or anyone for that matter). I was the one who figured out that that rosacea medication was the thing that was giving me liver damage as well as drug-induced lupus among other things. My rheumatologist didn't figure it out and my dermatologist didn't even schedule regular liver testing for a drug that is known to damage the liver. Oh, my health is a long and sordid tale with few noble characters. Still, I wouldn't mind at least being able to sift through the providers out there because there are some good ones.

Anyways, thanks for the tip. If there's anything else you'd recommend I'm all ears. I'm always on the lookout as well.

[mopinko]

5. why do you ask?

[hedgehog]

6. I think I was having symptoms for years, and taking supplements

without putting it all together to realize I was experiencing autoimmune problems.

[mopinko]

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.