It just means...SO MUCH!

                                      

I have this friend.  Her name is Paula and she is hilarious.  She is a Special Ed Teacher.  The amazing thing is that we both have the MTHFR gene mutation.  I, as I have mentioned before am Homozygous A1298C.  She is Compound Heterozygous.  That means she has a mutated copy of the A1298C variant as well as the C677t.  We have known each other for about 12 years.  As soon as I suspected I had the MTHFR mutation and started researching it, I knew she did too, because we have struggled with the same issues over the years. In fact, we both were seeing the same Naturopathic Doctor for a while.  So we both got tested and found out within about a month of each other that we had the MTHFR mutation.  We took a test at first to find out just our MTHFR status, and have since both taken the 23 and me test.  We are waiting for the results.  We did our tests on the same day and were texting each other back and forth, 

Me:  "Ok, I'm spitting now," 

Paula:  "Dude, I don't have enough spit.  I haven't drank anything all day!"  

It was hilarious.  We text each other every day.  Most of our conversations seem to be about how we slept.  I can't even begin to tell you how it has been to have someone walking beside me on this MTHFR journey.  Sharing the ups and downs, and just day to day stuff that nobody else would understand.  Like never ending conversations about supplements, foods, feeling like crap, Naturopathic Medicine, etc.  I'm not glad Paula has the mutation, but at the same time, I sort of am!  Paula understands completely the good days/bad days, the depression, the anxiety, the weirdness, overmethylating, detoxing, all of it.  When you have the MTHFR mutation, you feel like you are the only one on the planet who has it.  Having a friend with the same weird problems makes me feel not so weird.  We are trying to learn about histamine right now, and how to decalcify our Pineal Glands for better sleep.  Paula and I pick each other up on a regular basis.  We talk about everything.  Here is one of our text conversations:

Paula:  Came all the way to Whole Foods and the only zinc they have has copper in it!!!

Me:  Weird.

Paula:  Dumb.

Me:  Super dumb!  Do they have a Mercury supplement there as well?  LOL!

Paula:  Ha!  New name for this store.  WHOLE ASS.  HA.

Me:  LOL!!  Seriously laughing my head off over that one.  

 

Paula and I met when we both worked for the same non-profit agency, working with people with developmental disabilities.  Eventually we worked in the same program and Paula was like my boss.  We used to get paid for doing yoga, going on hikes, and identifying wild flowers  Well, Paula had to do a bunch more work because she was the boss and all, but you get the picture.  Paula said she had her 19th nervous breakdown when she worked there.  We got in trouble one time for discussing inappropriate subjects a little too loudly, in the break room.  And we used to "spring" this vagina picture on each other, when we least expected it.  It was SO FUNNY!  It was from some sort of training about personal safety.  One time I put it on Paula's computer keyboard, so when she pulled out the keyboard it was there.  I think she sent it in the mail to me one time!  She also got me a tiny pack of wooden "Stim-U-Dent" plaque removers and stuck a tiny version in the package. 

Paula and I have helped each other figure out so many things!  Like how to use Niacin for when you have taken too much of something that makes you methylate, like saltwater or Methyl B for instance.  One time Paula took too much Niacin which gave her a stomach ache.  Paula was like, "Can you take Niacin to counteract the Niacin?"  Haha, MTHFR humor ;)  I look forward to the day when we can look back and go, "Man! We were sure miserable back then!  Look how far we have come!!"

So Paula, if you read this, I am forever grateful to have you in my life.  To have someone to share this MTHFR journey with.  If I didn't have you around to help me figure things out, I just don't know what I would do.  It just means...SO MUCH!

       

My first post.

So, this is my first blog post, ever.  I am a person who found out recently that I have a genetic mutation.  I am Homozygous for the MTHFR A1298C mutation.  That means I have two copies of the mutated gene, one from each parent.   And what that means is that my body does a really crappy job of getting rid of toxins and things that most people get rid of naturally.  I have always known that my body doesn't work like it is supposed to.  I have had a lifetime of health issues because of the mutation, including but not limited to:  Endometriosis, Depression, Anxiety, other undiagnosed Mental Illness, Fatigue (not like oh, I'm tired fatigue, but I'm freaking exhausted all the time fatigue), Thyroid Antibodies (I don't officially have Hashimoto's Disease because my Thyroid isn't destroyed enough to call it that, but I do have the antibodies and the low Thyroid symptoms), G.E.R.D., Gastritis, Food Allergies, Muscle Spasms, Abdominal Pain, Sleep issues, Dizziness, Sun Induced Eczema, Headaches (regular and Migraine), Leaky Gut,  etc.  Fortunately, I am not experiencing all these symptoms right now!  I am a Spoonie.  That's me on the left.

I always thought I wanted to make a blog after I found out all the answers and considered myself to be healthy.  And pass on my information to people who were struggling, to give them answers.  My husband recently convinced me to do it now.  I do feel like I am pretty close to getting it all figured out, but I still really struggle, on a daily basis.  If you are trying to figure out methylation, do yourself a favor and go to the Facebook page called, "Keep it simple methylation" and ask to be added.  Then read the article about the 5 steps.  It blew my mind when I read it.  It explained so many of the things I was not understanding.  Of course there is also MTHFR.net for a ton of good information.  Methylating is what regular people do naturally, that gets rid of toxins and turns the the things you eat into nice things like Seratonin and Dopamine, or Norepinephrine.  When your pathways are all blocked with toxins, that conversion doesn't happen correctly, and you end up with a bunch of health issues.  I have also learned a lot and connected with a few excellent people on Instagram.  I gained some confidence, strength, and guts to even talk about all this stuff, just from connecting with folks on Instagram.   And also with some encouragement from my husband.  I guess I used to think I was in this all by myself, and I had to figure it all out on my own.  Now I know it is going to take a village.  Something really important for people with the MTHFR mutation, that is pretty much accross the board, is to stay far away from Folic Acid.  Like don't even look at it!  Seriously, in any form.  Not Folate, but Folic Acid.  Folic Acid is like a manmade version of Folate and it will wreak havoc on you if you have the MTHFR mutation.  I can speak from personal experience, as I was taking a liquid B complex for a year or so, that had Folic Acid in it.  I was horribly depressed the whole time I was taking it!

Here are some of the things I am doing to try to get better.  I eat clean, gluten, grain and dairy-free food. I cook almost everything I eat myself.  I take supplements: Cod Liver Oil, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Probiotics, Sam-e, 5htp, zinc, Niacin, and Magnesium on a daily basis.  I am the person who tried taking an active B complex and for a week, felt amazing!  Then I completely crashed.  Over methylation.  I am still learning about that and how that works.  Now I have my B vitamins separated out into separate pills, which I break down even further, into 1/4 pills.  I am extremely sensitive!  I buy gelatin capsules to separate out my supplements.  I tried Amino  NAC for a little while, and then started getting heartburn and symptoms of Over methylation, so I am giving that a break.  I walk daily, about a half hour.  I am learning to meditate, which has never been easy for me.  I try to do that daily, but it usually ends up being about 4 times a week.  I sometimes do yoga, or just stretching.  I don't put anything on my skin that I wouldn't eat.  I am learning that I can't do everything.  I ask for help.  Ok I guess that's it for now.  Please do remember that I am not a doctor.  These are just my experiences