I am into my 4th week on SPI, following the 4 week healing diet, and just got the SPII book. I now see from starting that book that I am very sick and this is not going to be easy. The principles make complete sense and I have accepted that I may put on wt. before I lose it. Right now losing wt. is not my goal. It's to get some strength and well-being. I have been non-functional for years, especially since I had to have most of my liver removed due to a tumor in '98. All my doctors gave up on me. I have arranged my life so that this year is set aside for working this program to try to heal. Coming up...big stressor...my son is going to Iraq and I am terrifed I will collapse from stress. I have to get better soon.

I am really struggling to keep my blood sugar up and I am very weak, sad and exhausted. I felt much better on and off before I started, but I am acutely aware that I was coming to the end of my rope. Several times over the last few years I nearly died from heart glitches and anaphylactic shock. SP is the first and only sense and answers I have found as to why I, as a life long vegetarian, got up to 200 lbs and stayed so sick. I ate a perfect veggie diet, including fasting, juicing, and wheatgrass and raw foods. I just got sicker. Hypoglycemia, fibromyalgia, CFS, MFPS, depression, relentless severe edema...and I've seen so many doctors I can't count..to no avail. One great thing has happened..my edema is gone for the first time in over 15 years.

I have not cheated once and I am very tightly controlling my carbs. Nonetheless, I am crashing constantly and feel wretched. I think I have to get tested by Dr. Schwarzbein, but it is almost outside my budget. Has anyone been tested and did you think it was worth it? As far as helping you work the program so that you could stay functional and make progress? I am trying to learn how to self medicate, but I have bad reactions nearly every time I eat...fatigue, palpitations, upset stomach, acid reflux big time, headaches. Not that any of this is new, just that now i see immediately how tied these symptoms are to eating now that I have gotten off carbs and sodas they way I used to use them to keep my blood sugar up.

Please please write me back if you got the test...it's going to put us in the hole and I need to make an informed decision. Also, does she prescribe hormones if you need them?