new member :)

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
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kateg
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new member :)

Post by kateg »

Hello,

I am a 33 year old woman, I have known about my apoe4 (I am a hetero carrier) status for a very long time- about 4 years. My grandmother died from Alzheimer's and my 65 year old mother is beginning to have some cognitive difficulties but is in denial and won't read Bredesen's book. :( I initially found out my carrier status while doing testing through 23&me for myself, son (also a carrier) and daughter (not a carrier) while looking for methylation issues due to my child's autism diagnosis and high metal testing levels. I have some mutations homo for mthfr, cbs etc., so methylation is an issue for me. I am just now trying to start caring for myself by making some lifestyle and diet changes. I have been reading the forums here for a long time as a guest, but just decided to join tonight hoping to get some questions answered. I am incredibly confused about diet. Do I go high plant fat or low plant fat? Do I eat fatty fish or shellfish? Are most of you eating a plant based diet with the exception of seafood? Are all legumes dangerous, and nightshades? What has been the conclusion on diet, is it Gundry's diet that most are following, and should I get his book? Should I really avoid seeded vegetables (fruit!) like cucumbers?! How much fruit do you all eat daily and is it only berries? I LOVE FRUIT. I am really interested in a heart healthy diet which is why Gundry's appeals to me. I have a heart arrhythmia (ventricular tachycardia) that will be a huge problem if I develop any heart disease/vasculation issues, and I know by genetics that I am really at risk for heart disease even excluding the high risk of apoe4. My arrhythmia causes me issues with fasting- although I am usually able to keep a 12-14 hour fast overnight- 16 is a struggle (hoping to get there). How do you all maintain enough calories while fasting so long? I know the newbie starter board mentioned that many stay in a caloric deficit, but I workout 6 days of the week (cardio 60 minutes-2 days, HIIT 10-15 minutes-1 day, weights 30 minutes- 3 days), and I feel tired like really tired if I don't get enough calories. Somehow I still have a belly though?! I am guessing this is from stress (full time nursing school, special needs child, no sleep due to special needs child's sleep schedule, and PRN job). Diet I feel is my biggest issue due to it being in my control. Any suggestions would be helpful to clear up the confusion. Also, I have a ton of food allergies due to having a leaky gut which is probably a result of my celiac's disease that went un-diagnosed until my first pregnancy. My allergist stated a leaky gut is why my food allergies change all the time, if I don't eat something my allergies clear, but if I eat a ton of another food like lettuces, boom I am allergic. Has anyone successfully cleared up a leaky gut, if so how?

My next goals are adding 20 minutes of meditation daily, and getting my child on a sleep schedule so that I can get proper sleep. I am also supplementing- on a perfect day I am taking: curcumin, vitd3+k, NAC, fish oil, methyl-b12 with folinic acid. I still need to introduce some of the other supplements recommended- and will do so slowly. I don't have money to do labs, besides the regular work up at my physical at this point, but once I finish school and get a decent job, I will set aside some funds.

Do you have any other recommendations? I hope this post wasn't too long!

Kate
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CarrieS
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Re: new member :)

Post by CarrieS »

Good Morning Kate and Welcome to the Forums!

I too was in my 30's with a young child when my mother's cognitive decline started to affect her (and my) life. She was also in denial (probably because her mother had previously passed due to late onset AD so she kind of knew what her future would look like). I monitored her progress and finally took her to her doctor for diagnosis thinking that "one of those pills" might at least extend the time that she had to dance and be independent. This was 30 years ago and well before the current research that has given us hope came out. Because the information is relatively "new", many people don't believe that diet and lifestyle changes will have impact on cognitive decline. It may be helpful to make an appointment with your mother's physician to discuss your concerns, talk about the latest research and protocols and figure out what he/she would be willing to try with your mother. As you learn more and make changes to your diet and lifestyle, sharing some of these "exciting" changes or figuring out how to do them together may also be something to think about.

Being proactive was a lot like receiving another child for me so it is important to take care of yourself too. Since you've been visiting this web site for a while, I'm thinking that you may have already reviewed Stavia's Primer which is packed full of diet and lifestyle information. If not, it's worth a review. As you may have figured out too, what works for each person is highly individual. Many people have found success in healing their leaky gut / allergy symptoms by starting out with an elimination type of diet that removes the most common sources of inflammatory reactions and then testing these foods for your personal reactions. Once you know your triggers, you can test other foods too see what works well with your system. I found that healthy foods like salmon, avocado and oats sent me in to inflammatory hell but this knowledge has given me the power to choose what works for ME instead of eating what was contributing to not feeling good.

The process of figuring out our diet and lifestyle changes takes time, mindfulness and patience. One small step at a time adds up to big results so it can be helpful to choose just one area to focus on at a time to help you achieve your goals without adding additional stress to an already busy day.

This community is here to support you on your journey and I'm so glad that you have taken the time to be proactive for both you and your mother. Hugs to you!
APOe4/4
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach
Certificate for Reversing Cognitive Decline for Coaches (FMCA)
Certified Fermentationist
kateg
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Re: new member :)

Post by kateg »

Thank you so much for your advice and kind words. My mother came over today and I had a tough love talk with her. I told her that she needs to be proactive because I will be caring for her and my autistic son at the same time and that is a lot. She promised me that she will in fact read the book. I told her I will help her start making small changes. I am hopeful that she will, but uncertain at the same time. I am fasting today- so will start my elimination diet today :).
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CarrieS
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Re: new member :)

Post by CarrieS »

Great news regarding your conversation with your mother! Tackling this together is such a loving and positive way forward. I'd be happy to talk more about the elimination diet with you if you need to bounce some ideas off of someone.
APOe4/4
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach
Certificate for Reversing Cognitive Decline for Coaches (FMCA)
Certified Fermentationist
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SusanJ
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Re: new member :)

Post by SusanJ »

Hi Kate, I agree that an elimination diet can be helpful. I'd really recommend reading work by Sarah Ballantyne. Since you were identified as being celiac, you have an autoimmune disease, and I personally (I have RA) found a lot of her work on the AIP diet as very helpful to heal the gut and tame autoimmune issues. Check out her website for articles, and I used her book The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body, which goes into the science and how to tackle autoimmune issues. The book also talks about what foods to eliminate. It should be very readable, especially since you're in nursing school.

And more importantly, here is a guide on how to reintroduce food, starting with those least likely to cause a problem. https://autoimmunewellness.com/how-to-r ... ive-guide/ This site also has a lot of good information.

IMHO, at your age, I wouldn't add a bunch of supplements unless your doctor recommends, or you know for sure that you need them. Sometimes, too much of a vitamin or supplement will cause other side effects. For example, curcumin can down-regulate the production of DAO, which is produced in your gut to help with digestion. Eliminating food that is problematic and changing what you eat (more healthy fat like avocados, less fruit), can often go a long way to fix things. For example, people with reactions to gluten often cross react with dairy. I don't eat either because they are inflammatory for me.

And ps. I don't recommend Sarah's companion cookbook with the same name. Too many offbeat ingredients and too many basic recipes.

Go slow and be patient. Trust your body to tell you about what foods are in and which should be out of your diet as you go through the process of reintroduction.
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