Setbacks, Orange Medicine, & Hope

December 13, 2017

I’m so sorry you didn’t hear from me last week. I’ve been battling increased pain, nausea, headaches and fatigue. It got bad enough that I had to miss pilates and swing dance class. Then it got so bad that I started spending lots of time in bed during the day.

Compared to where I was a year ago it hasn’t been that bad, but it’s really difficult to feel ill again after doing so well for several months. I had finally stopped thinking of myself as the fragile sick girl, which has made the worsening symptoms even more demoralizing. Many of these days I’ve felt discouraged, aimless and lonely.

But today I have more hope. I feel like we’ve gained some clarity about what’s going on and how to move forward. The first step was just accepting the situation. I had to finally admit that I was going downhill and that I needed to rest more and figure out what was going on.

I asked friends to pray and experimented with spending more time outdoors and sleeping in the van. It became clear that I felt worse in the apartment. I really don’t think our apartment has a bad mold issue but it seems that my system got sensitized to something in the apartment. So, we’re looking at moving into a different apartment in the same complex while I try to get my reactivity back down.

We also talked to our friend Sara Mattson who has been down the mold illness road before and she suggested it might be the right time for me to try Cholestyramine, a medication that binds to mycotoxins in the body. My doctor prescribed it back in March but I never took it. I made such astounding progress with mold avoidance that I decided not to worry about detox treatments. But it makes sense that exercising (and starting to lose weight) has probably mobilized toxins that are still inside me and that mopping those up would help.

So, I started on the medication last night… and guess what?! I saw almost immediate results! After my first dose, I got an awful headache that lasted about an hour but then I started to feel much, much better. I didn’t expect such a quick response! It was so nice to have the that reassurance that we’re on the right track! I’m also doing infrared sauna treatments at a local spa to help with the detoxing. I’ve come so far and I’m not about to give up just before I reach the finish line. I’m still shooting for a 100% recovery!


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26 Comments

  • Mamá y Papá

    That’s our girl! We love you hija 🤗
    Mamá y Papá ❤️

    December 13, 2017 at 2:23 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Aww… I love you and miss you both! 😘

      December 13, 2017 at 4:28 pm Reply
  • Marita Wilson

    I’ve been praying for you and thinking of you. I’m so glad that the orange medicine is working! Love you!

    December 13, 2017 at 3:22 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you so much Marita! That means a lot! 💕

      December 13, 2017 at 4:29 pm Reply
  • Alyssa

    So glad that in the hard situations you have the ability to step back and see the big picture. Praying for you 🙂

    December 13, 2017 at 6:38 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you Alyssa!🙂

      December 15, 2017 at 12:27 pm Reply
  • Chris Barratt

    Ana, I’m so sorry for this recent setback. That’s got to be really hard. And Romona looks really sad about it too!! (Precious little thing). But I know God’s got this!! He always has and will continue. I’m going to pray you guys find another apartment that agrees with you. With no sensitivities!!!!!! You hang in there and keep on with that orange stuff!! I’m grateful that’s working!! You’re on the right track!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

    December 13, 2017 at 7:46 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you so much for this kind comment Chris and for your ongoing prayers. I need them! 💕

      December 15, 2017 at 12:28 pm Reply
  • Ruth Meyer

    Hope you can stay in the same apartment complex. Moving down hallways is a lot easier than moving to other states. Praying for you, Ana, especially in this colder months. I’m amazed at how far you have come since this journey started, and even your setbacks are much smaller steps than they have been. 🙂

    December 13, 2017 at 8:19 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      You’re definitely right, Ruth. Thank you for praying! I really appreciate it. 💕

      December 15, 2017 at 12:28 pm Reply
  • Alex

    Yay for orange medicine! We are continuing to pray for clarity and forward progress!

    December 13, 2017 at 9:48 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you so so so so much Alex!

      December 15, 2017 at 12:29 pm Reply
  • Katherine Forster

    Aww, I’m sorry you’re feeling worse; but that’s wonderful that the medicine is so obviously helping! I’ll keep praying!

    December 13, 2017 at 9:48 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you so much Katherine! 😊💕

      December 15, 2017 at 12:29 pm Reply
  • Hailey

    I am so happy the medicine helped so quickly! Praying that you can find a new apartment quickly.

    December 14, 2017 at 8:04 am Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you so much Hailey!

      December 15, 2017 at 12:30 pm Reply
  • ashley nicole

    Yay! What a huge praise that the medication is helping! We’re praying for 100% healing, friend 🙂 Stay strong <3

    December 14, 2017 at 11:37 am Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you very much Ashley! I appreciate the prayers!

      December 15, 2017 at 12:30 pm Reply
  • Bethany Rose

    Oh, I’m sorry to hear you’re not doing well, Ana! 🙁 I don’t know if you’ve been on that before, but it can really get you nauseous. 😐 You might want to add in some enzymes. We use DGL.

    December 14, 2017 at 3:48 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Yeah, I tried it briefly when we were in Death Valley and had trouble. But this time I seem to be tolerating quite well. Thanks for the tips!

      December 15, 2017 at 12:33 pm Reply
  • Ana Ducasa

    Ana, I continue to pray for your %100 recovery!

    December 14, 2017 at 4:07 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you so much Ana! 💕

      December 15, 2017 at 12:33 pm Reply
  • Jen

    I’m so sorry about this setback. I’m glad the csm is helping and that you have some insight as to what’s going on. I started reacting to my new apartment after several weeks too. Praying you can move into another unit that is safer for you!

    December 15, 2017 at 9:18 am Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you so much for praying Jen! 💕

      December 15, 2017 at 12:34 pm Reply
  • Natalie

    Hi, I have been reading about your story and we really have sooo much in common. I am starting that medicine this coming week. We had mold remediation done in January and I had two teeth extracted that were infected beyond repair. I have started feeling better just in the past month but the last week has been a bit worse. I forgot to take my supplements for a few days and something emotionally draining happened. I am recovering from that with loads of prayer and taking my thoughts captive. … My doctor initially recommended for us to move when we did the ERMI test. Our number was 13.99. He also said it would be best that we get rid of all of our belongings. We did the remediation but after I had a list of symptoms . They have subsided mostly. … Lastly, we have been thinking of living in a new RV at a spot right on a lake in a RV park that’s nice. It’s hard to decide! Would the new RV offgas and cause problems? Would the water be bad and cause more problems and mold around? So many unknowns. I look forward to reading more of your blog posts. I just wanted to let you know you are not alone. I can relate to everything you have said on every post that I have read so far. If you would like to email me and talk sometime that would be okay with me. I don’t know if you know anyone else who is going through this kind of thing. I don’t really. And I’ve been doing coffee enemas for a while and they definitely helped! That and juicing were my two most important things for a long while. Whenever I would get off track with them I would crash and become worse. I still do them but not as often. I miss them when I don’t get to do them every few days. I am praying for your recovery and healing! Keep fighting! We are warriors! 💕

    February 25, 2018 at 4:29 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Aww… Thank you so much Natalie! You’re so kind. It is definitely a complicated illness to deal with. I chose to go down the path of extreme mold avoidance and we camped for six months in pristine air. For me it turned out to be the best recovery decision. I hope you can get some clarity as you consider the options. If you’re not severe right now it might be enough to just move to a good building in a better location. May God give you wisdom and strength for the path ahead. 💕

      February 26, 2018 at 5:17 pm Reply

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