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Sorry I havn't given an update recently. I had planned to at the two month intervel, but chose to delay it due to a new attack starting up just beforehand.

Yes, a new attack.

I decided to let my pessamism run it's course, along with the emotional instability that grabs ahold of me every time an attack starts. All that, piled on top of having to explain all of my wierdness to a girl I was very interested in (yes, I said "was") made me decide to wait and see exactly how this attack played out.

I'm happy to say today that this attack hasn't been anything near the other full blown attacks I've had. It's even been mild compared to the one that started just before I took my dose of helminths, which had made my other attacks seem like the sinking of the Titanic. The only thing that I would say is comparable would be the time when my toes went numb for about a month after sitting in strenuous positions for long periods.

I say it's a compareable experience because mainly because it's only affected a localized area. It started with a tingling-numb sensation in my lips, which spread through the upper-right side of my face. A week and a half into it, I can feel normal sesnation returning to the affected areas, especially today. My "usual" course tends to consist of two weeks of deterioration, followed by a plateu of another two weeks and a slow recovery.

I had some noticeable worsening of motor symptomes in my right leg and arm, but only for a few days.

Now for my thoughts on what it all means.

Of course, I immediatly had the thought that the worms weren't working, that I would be back to square one. But then I asked myself, if I had been put on CRABs two months ago, and this attack had started, what would my neuro say? He would likely tell me to be patient, that the drugs don't have a full effect untill six months or more after starting. From what we know of helminthic therapy, it may also have a period where it takes a while for the body to "acclimate" to it's new conditions. After all, retooling the body's immune system is no small task.

The recovery from this attack will surely be of interest as well. If this was set to be an attack like the ones I've experienced before, but remains as limited as it has, it may actually be a sign that the worm are working well. Of course, what would have happened otherwise is anyone's guess.

There's also the idea that whatever's happening right now is not so much the product of the what I'm doing at the moment, but the result of what I've been doing for the past six months/year, ect. I'm less inclined to believe this, as this attack started shortly after a very long and stressfull day of waking up at 3:00 and spending the next 24 hours travling by bus and driving. I do believe the stress factor was likely a big player.

Allergies? Doing fine! In a year when so many others are suffering even more than usual, I'm breathing easy

Within the next few weeks, I hope to get my blood tested to check for signs of anemia. I also want to do a stool test, to be sure that the worms did in fact take (in the case that they didn't, that could certainly explain a lot.)

That's it for now. Just hoping that things continue recovering well as I come out of this latetest one.

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still rooting for you Apuman--let us know the blood and stool test results--all very interesting; even if you're not fully sure they have helped, it appears that so far they have not harmed.

Thanks for the interest and support. I'd like to add one thought that I didn't have time to yesterday.

Since this attack began just about two weeks ago, I've taken three long and rigorous hikes in the mountains, as well as three shorter ones with an exhausting 15-20 minute uphill climb. I go out on sunny days to try to get plenty of sun. Has any of this contributed to the appearent mildness of this attack?

even if you're not fully sure they have helped, it appears that so far they have not harmed.

I think the same could be said about outdoor excercise.

I can say that there were turning points in the course of the episode that corresponded to all three long hikes I've taken. Shortly after the first one, my symptomes stopped worsening. After the second, I began to notice improvements, and after the eight miles I hiked today, I've noticed the healing accelerating even more. Areas of my face that were significantly numb this morning now feel near normal!

So, some more speculation to throw into the pot

I figure I ought to give info on everthing I'm doing to fight my fight on MS, and the angles of viamin D and excercise have got me thinking.

and the exercise of course would be helping your circulation, which means nutrients, oxygen, etc getting into your system better, thus operating better..

Apuman:

You might want to check this out:

http://www.msworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=103096

(you can scroll down to the last few posts; they are the relevant ones). A person there is considering joining the helminth trial at Wisconsin. Maybe you can compare notes.

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Do you know your vitamin D levels? They should be between 50ng/ml and 80ng/ml. If they are lower, start taking D3 supplements. I'd recommend taking 10,000IU until you reach the 50ng/ml blood levels. It definitely should help with your MS.

Apuman wrote:Thanks for the interest and support. I'd like to add one thought that I didn't have time to yesterday.

Since this attack began just about two weeks ago, I've taken three long and rigorous hikes in the mountains, as well as three shorter ones with an exhausting 15-20 minute uphill climb. I go out on sunny days to try to get plenty of sun. Has any of this contributed to the appearent mildness of this attack?

even if you're not fully sure they have helped, it appears that so far they have not harmed.

I think the same could be said about outdoor excercise.

I can say that there were turning points in the course of the episode that corresponded to all three long hikes I've taken. Shortly after the first one, my symptomes stopped worsening. After the second, I began to notice improvements, and after the eight miles I hiked today, I've noticed the healing accelerating even more. Areas of my face that were significantly numb this morning now feel near normal!

So, some more speculation to throw into the pot

I figure I ought to give info on everthing I'm doing to fight my fight on MS, and the angles of viamin D and excercise have got me thinking.

Apuman,

Really impressed by your determination.

Hope you are better by now from your relapse.

Please, forgive me for giving unsolicited advice but, may I suggest that this experiment on yourself should be monitored by a doctor?

I know that certain helmints are harmless but nonetheless I would be under the supervision of a professional.

Best regards

Fernando

Check out http://opensourcehelminththerapy.org for a lot of research on this subject. Tons of articles under the "Studies" section. It looks like it's safe and very effective.

we hope it's safe and effective--haven't heard from Apuman in quite some time....

Hello everyone, sorry it's been quite a spell since my last update, I've been very busy with school (which is going very well!) Some of you are sounding curious, so here goes...

After the minor relapse in June subsided there has been virtually nothing to speak of. A neuro who examined me in August noted only very minor deficiencies in my sensation and moter functions, likely the result of past attacks. Only twice did the symptomes of my last attack even subtly make themselves known, with very slight tingling reappearing in the areas affected by the last attack, never lasting for more than a few days. Every day that goes by leaves me more convinced that my worms are doing their jobs.

That being said, I'm still in "wait-and-see" mode. I've gone for a period of 5 months before with no attacks, so this period of remission will soon be pushing that record. If a year goes by with no new symptomes emerging, I'll be pretty well convinced at that point that the hookworms are working.

My treatment option will undergo it's biggest test to date in 2 weeks when I pack up again to return to South America. The stress of traveling, along with the drastic environmental changes, will be as much of a test of the helminth's ability to curtail attacks as anything I've put myself through so far.

And yes, I've continued with vitamin D, sunlight, and exercise.

The path I've chosen is not on that's been tried by many. I assume certain risks by taking this option, just as I would have done with any treatment option. I'll continue on with this treatment, as I've been able to continue on living my life. As long as that part stays true, I plan to continue on helminthic therapy.

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Hi everyone, back with another update on the progress. Only good things to report at this point: namely that there's still been no progression or exacerbations.

I feel that it's noteworthy at this point in time, as I've now been traveling for 3 weeks, and all of the stress factors associated with traveling have entered the picture and have had the opportunity to push me into relapse, as they've appeared to do in the past. As a matter of fact, there seem to be more evidence pointing to traveling stress as a trigger than any other single potential trigger.

The other thing that I believe deserves attention is the climate that I've been submersed into for the past two weeks. The last time I entered this hot/humid carribean climate, it coincided directly with one of my worst attacks, and it seemed to make the symptomes less tolerable to boot. I was concerned that even if I didn't enter a relapse, the climate might cause old symptomes to amplify. I won't clam that this hasn't been the case at all, but it certainly has stayed at a minimum. The difference has been almost unnoticable.

At a more mental and practical level, I feel encouraged by the fact that I feel physically near 100% in a place where I previously had considerable difficulty walking for several blocks.

thanks Apuman for the updates--
am definitely impressed at this point...