Hello everyone,
I just joined and I have been reading the messages but haven't seen anything like my situation. I have been pretty much an invalid for about 6 years, due to a surgery I never got over.
I was a vegetarian for 35 years and had a very bad surgery in 1998 and lost most of my liver to a tumor, and ended weighing 200 pounds...proof for me that being veg. can make one fat. I have had severe hypoglycemia all my life and had learned to control it with carbs. I also have had severe depression most of my adulthood...very bad childhood...not just being veggie. Anyway, I assume my sugar metabolism and seritonin engine and adrenals are seriously off line. Both hubby and I went on SP 12 days ago. We cleaned out every non proper food from our house. I make meticulous grocery lists and we are following the 28 day healing program to the letter. Neither of us have cheated at all. My hubby is experiencing an explosion of energy and well being. He is very slender, but had been "getting old," as he put it, being 66. He is delighted and the man I knew years ago is back.

Then there's me...I feel awful. I had a couple of really good days, but now I am so weak. I am very tired, everything is an effort, and I am having another strange thing...painful memories from decades ago parading thru my mind. I have been experimenting around a bit with carbs and find that just a little bit too much and I feel drugged and pass out...too little and I feel faint and upset, but not hungry. However, that is very different from my old hypoglycemia symptoms of hunger and trembling and feeling faint..a different feeling. So far I havent' felt what I would recognize as hunger, just faint, weak and sad. She says to up carbs in this case, but it makes me sleepy. I know she says it takes time to heal, and I have been one very sick lady all my doctors gave up on. One told me that my liver surgery was so bad that I could never hope to be normal. I reject that. Anybody else experiencing weakness? I have tried every healing regimine known to try to get back to normal, including raw food and wheat grass. I have tried it all. SP at last made sense and answered why I got so sick as a vegetarian, despite eating "healthy" all the time.

Ivorybow

I can relate to the feeling very weak and just feeling unwell when you first start. I am working on getting my adrenal glands back working, so I am on the insulin sensitive, adrenal gland burnout program. The first few weeks I actually felt like I had the flu and really couldn't quite figure out what was going on. My sleeping has been totally off and lots of bad dreams too. From what I have read the carbs are like an antidepressant and going off of them I would think would make you very sad. I have actually started taking some L-Tyrosine in the am, noon, three and it seems like it has helped with the general fatigue. She talks about this in the 19th chapter of SP11. I am also going to try some COEnzyme Q-10 after I get to the Vitamin Cottage. Are you on any meds for depression? It might be worth checking into The Mood Cure , by Julia Ross if you are trying this on your own (without doctors). The diet she recommends in her book is pretty much the same as Schwarzbein. I really found some interesting things in her book and they really link hand in hand to Schwarzbein. I think that this is tough going when you have had so many health problems in the past. Lots of years to make up for. But like you said, this program makes the most sense. And I know with perseverance we can make it. The fact that your husband is feeling so wonderful is a good sign. One day at a time till we reach healing.

Rascal

Are you seeing a doctor that knows about SPII? Did you get the tests to see if you are Insulin Sensitive/Resistent or BO Adrenal Glands? I diagnosed myself from the book as Resistent but then when I finally got my tests back I am Sensitive with BOAG. Are you taking supplements? I have noticed that when I take the supplements I feel much better. I take Fish Oil, Flax seed oil, Co Enzyme 10, Folex (perscription B and Folic Acid), multiple vitamin and baby asprin. I also take antidepressents and thyroid meds.

I did yoga on Monday and did not drink enough water so I am feeling really toxic right now. You could be detoxing. I had been on a food sensitivity diet before SPII so I was off sugar and really cut back on caffeine before I started this food plan. When on the food sensitivity diet I felt awful. Now I see that I was detoxing.

When I first started SPII I did not feel great. I was really tired and had a hard time focusing. When I changed from the Insulin Resistent to the Sensitive with BOAG I felt much better. I made up my mind that if I did not feel better in 90 days I would go to an endocrinologist. I did feel better though and am going to keep going with this. I still get tired and if I do too much will pay for it by being real tired for a few days.

Be careful not to base how you feel on your husbands success. Your situation is much different. I realized that if I look back to how I felt before I started SPII that I am a lot better than I was. I was lucky to find a doctor that recommended SPII to me and supports me through this. I do not see her regularly but she is there if I have questions.

I hope this helps. Oh, also are you doing your self medication. Like taking some caffeine when you feel bad? Maybe also some fruit would help. Remember she says to take it slow.

I did not read anything about a 28 day plan. Is that in the first book? Take care and feel better. Be good to yourself. Treat yourself to a massage or a bubble bath or something that makes you feel loved.

What supplements are you taking? I am on Atkins and I have learned that whenever you change your eating habits you will experience water loss. Losing water will also deplenish your body of electrolytes especially potassium and magnesium. I take daily sups of potassium and a combination supplement of magnesium/calcium. That really helps with my tiredness. I highly reccomend it.

Black57

Thank you all for your replies. I am feeling better. I found the culprit is grains. For the last 2 days no grains and I am subbing other carbs for those portions, and I am feeling much better. I had a serious allergic reaction Monday morning to a piece of whole grain toast...rapid heart beat, faintness, the works. Then Tuesday I had a little oatmeal and ended up nearly passed out from fatigue. I will take your advice on supplements and add them back in. Thank you. One really nice effect is the terrible edema I have lived with for nearly 20 years is completely gone. It feel strange and wonderful to have ankles and to feel my hands not swollen. I saw at least 8 doctors over the years about it and they could tell me nothing nor do anything to alleviate it.

What type of grains were you eating? For example the oatmeal if not long cooking (at least 20 minutes) is an undesirable carb. I eat the steel cut oats from Trader Joes (I think the brand is McCanns) and it stays with me better and I do not get that carb over load. The bread Ezekial (sp?) is what doctor S. suggests, I also use corn tortillas and AkMak crackers (I get them all at TJ's).

Hope you continue to feel better. I know that when I identify something that makes me fell yucky I stay away like the plague, but I do miss some things. Hopefully you can try some other products to help with that. Good luck.

When you said you had trouble with certain grains, it occurred to me that might be an issue. I am going to try steel cut oats in a very small amount and see if I react. My blood sugar is on a rolller coaster. It took me several days to recognize my symptoms as that, because they were different from what I was experiencing on hypoglycemia, which was definitely hunger and a drive to eat something. I never get hungry now that I am following SP, in fact I have to make myself eat and food seems yucky. I never thought i would forget to eat!!
Now I am snacking on natural applesause with a Tbs of cottage cheese and a TBs of cream. It's helping the crashing, which feels like profound weakness with an attack of sadness.
Thank you for the good advice.
carolyn

I had totally laid aside my supplements, not sure where they fit in. I am doing Schwarzbein, and she does strongly encourage supplements, so I am adding them back in, hoping that will ameliorate my misery.
Thanks for answering.
carolyn

I am glad you are feeling better and identifying some of the triggers. I would advise skipping the apple sauce and instead having the recommended low gly fruits like strawberries, grapefruit, and blueberries (I cannot remember the others). The applesauce is concentrated apples. I have found in the past that it made me feel bad. Not sure what your plan is but you might consider trying this.

I also do not feel hungary most of the time until I feel awful, such as confusion, extreme irritability, fatigue etc. I do feel much better when I eat at least 4 meals a day.

Since you like cottage cheese why don't you make a smoothy up with cottage cheese and fruit and some almond butter or something. I cannot eat dairy so that is very limiting.

Good luck. I think you are doing exceptionally well considering all the health issues you have had. Hang in there. It does take time. I have released 23 pounds with out being hungary or starving myself. I hope your husband is continuing doing well. It is good that he is doing this too.