Day 4

Today is day 4 of my guaifenesin protocol and I am still taking 300 mg of guaifenesis 2 times a day. So far my pain has not gotten worse to tell me I've reached my correct dosage.

On a side note, I did have about an hour earlier where I was completely pain free. I seriously doubt it was connected to the guaifenesin protocol, but you never know... I don't know how long it has been since I have been pain free. It was short lived, but I enjoyed it while it lasted. I celebrated by doing laundry. I sure do know how to party!!

Day 3

My new salicyclate free make-up arrived today! I was sitting on the front porch working on my laptop when my favorite man in brown rolled up the driveway. Yeah!

I LOVE what I got. Granted the $100.00 of make-up fit easily in one hand, but it was sal-free, it was new, and it felt like Christmas!

Here is what I got:
Foundation
Blush
Mascara
Eyeshadow
Powder
Concealer
Eye shadown brush
Powder brush

I haven't had any new symptoms so far...just regular old fibro pains.

Day 2

I started my guai yesterday and today I've continued to take 300mg. I haven't noticed any change in my symptoms.

Day 1

Okay, so I've changed my mind.

Yesterday I posted I was going to start taking my guai on Wednesday. The rest of my products will arrive on Tuesday, so figured Wednesday would be a good day.

Well, I've decided to start today instead. The only thing I am waiting for is my salicylate free make-up to arrive. The way I am feeling, I am not going to be leaving the house for a few days anyway, so no sense in waiting for make-up to arrive. Hopefully my family won't mind my natural look. :) Another factor is today is October 1st and I like the idea of starting Day 1 on October 1st.

For my guaifenesin I bought the Mucinex 600 mg. Since Dr. Amand says to start with 300 mg 2 times a week, I cut the guai in half this morning and took 300 mg. I am not looking forward to the guai reversing my fibro - I know the pain will be horrible. I feel horrible as it is.

So there you have it - I've started!

4 more days until "G" day...

My sal-free products will arrive on Tuesday so I will begin taking my guai on Wednesday. Right now I am working on getting as many salicylates out of my body as I can...I don't know if if makes a difference, but I figure it can't hurt.

The thing I will struggle with the most (other than the increased pain of course) will be giving up my BC powders. I have struggled with migraines for most of my adult life and have tried many medications. The only thing that has consistently worked are BC powders. They are cheap, no prescription is needed and they work. Win,win, win. But sadly they are loaded with salicylates since the main ingredient is aspirin.

I can avoid many headaches if I am careful about what I eat and if I get the sleep I need. MSG has proven to be a migraine trigger for me, so I have to be careful of that. Sleep...well, that's a whole 'nuther ballgame. I love the nights. Since I am a SAHM and a homeschooler, my days are spent with my children. When 9:00pm rolls around and the house is quiet, I have a hard time going to sleep. It's not that I am wide awake- I could definitely sleep... I just don't want to. I really love staying up late and enjoying "my time". Lately "my time" has gotten a wee bit out of hand, and I've stayed up way longer than I should have. I am definitely going to need to be stricter with myself. I won't even talk about the effect not enough quality sleep has on fibromyalgia - it is not good.

It is time to start doing everything in my power to take care of myself.

One woman's God-sized view of suffering

As I wait for my guaifenesin and salicylate-free products to arrive in the mail so I can begin the Guaifenesin Protocol, I am face to face with something many of us know well: suffering. The constant pain and fatigue wears us down in a way our family members have a difficult time understanding.

Although I do not like my circumstances and I've cried out to God many times in prayer, my condition remains.

"When God was pleased to call me to Christ's mission, which is a mission of peace and love to the sinful and the wandering, He taught me that I must be willing to be, in some sense, a partaker in Christ's sufferings." by Madame Guyon

I am reminded of a beautiful poem I heard years ago by Madame Guyon. Madame Guyon wrote this poem while in prison in The Bastille. The Bastille held the reputation of being the most horrible prison on earth. There Madame Guyon spent four years in solitary confinement. When she died in 1717, her family found this poem she wrote while in The Bastille.

A little bird am I,
Shut from fields of air
And in my cage I sit and sing
To Him, who placed me there,
Well pleased a prisoner to be,
Because my God, it pleaseth Thee,
Naught have I else to do;
I sing the whole day long;
And He whom most I love to please,
Doth listen to my song.
He caught and bound my wandering wing,
And still He bends to hear me sing.
My cage confines me round;
Abroad I cannot fly,
But though my wing is closely bound
My heart's at liberty.
My prison walls cannot control
The flight, the freedom of the soul.
Oh! it is good to soar,
These bolts and bars above,
To Him whose purpose I adore,
Whose providence I love,
And in Thy mighty will I find
The joy, the freedom of the mind

The Guaifenesin Protocol

The Problem
Dr. Amand has written a book called What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia Fatigue: The Powerful Program That Helps You Boost Your Energy and Reclaim Your Life . In this book he outlines what he calls The Guaifenesin Protocol. His theory states that people suffering from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are suffering from defective metabolism - that our bodies are not able to get rid of phosphates, and these phosphates accumulate in our tissues causing the symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

The Solution
Guaifenesin (Dr. Amand recommends very specific brands) is used to rid the body of the phosphates and reverse the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Before taking the guaifenesin, there is one important thing you must do and your success depends upon it. You must remove all salicylates from your life. Salicylates can be found in many products such as shampoos, make-up, lotions, herbal supplements, aspirin etc. To find out more about salicylates, visit this page: http://www.fibromyalgiatreatment.com/salfree.htm. If the task of going through your products seems overwhelming, consider buying all new products. I have listed sites on the right side of this page which sell salicylate free products.

According to the protocol, start off by taking 300 mg. of guaifenesin 2 times per day. IF symptoms worsen, then stay at that dosage. If symptoms do not worsen, up your dose to 600 mg. 2 times daily. The dosage continues to go up until you feel a significant change in how you feel. You will definitely have a time of getting worse before you get better. In my opinion, it will be worth it. Complete instructions can be found in his book.

The Process
When you have reached the correct dosage, you will feel terrible. This is a sign to you that the reversing has begun. Gradually you will start to feel better a little bit at a time. The longer you have had the disease, the longer it takes to reverse. Recovery is a roller coaster ride because you have good and bad days, and the good days increase gradually. However, many, many people are living pain free lives due to this Guaifenesin Protocol.

Salicylate Free Products

When I first decided to try the guaifenesin protocol by Dr. Amand, the first challenge I was facing was figuring out which products I use contain salicylates. So many products such as aspirin, shampoos, soaps, make-up, lotions, etc. contain salicylates. When you begin the guaifenesin protocol, you must not use any products that contain these salicylates because they will block the guai. This scares me; it scares me because missing just one product can stop the guai from working.

What I decided to do was play it safe and buy all new products. I had a very hard time going through the ingredients of my make-up etc. trying to figure out what was a salicylate and what was not. Not only are there so many different names and types of salicylates, the writing on many of my products is microscopic. I used a magnifying glass, but it just couldn't cut through my fibrofog.

I found some great websites that have either all salicylate free products, or they have special sections for these products. (I'm adding them to the links section) I placed my order on Saturday and as soon as I receive everything I will be getting started - I can't wait!