==

"Wow, thanks so much for both of your detailed responses! I'm learning more and more each day.

== From my experience with my mysterious health problems that seems to be the key. Insurance doctors only have 10 min to spend with us. We should not expect them to discuss possibilities that will not be covered by ins.

"I've a few issues though i'm going to have to get around if i'm going to go through with the treatment.

"Firstly there's no obvious cause for me having Metal Toxicity. I've never had any fillings, no known exposure to any harmful substances or such like....

== I hear you. I'm not saying heavy metals--HMs--are certainly involved, but I strongly discourage you from quickly discounting the possibility if the symptom cluster matches rather well.

== Andy Cutler says some people had an unidentifiable exposure that they will never know about. For example, what if someone broke an old Hg thermometer in the carpet of your bedroom the week before you moved in and did not do cleanup correctly?

== My girlfriend's dentist, in his book, The Toxic Dental Office, tells the story of his future wife who was told she had less than a year to live due to a mysterious rare illness. The dentist and his environmental doctor friend discovered that she was exposed to Hg due to a work related exposure next to an abandoned Hg contaminated site. She went through Hg detox and recovered.

== There are a number of similar, although less dramatic stories in the HM detox groups.

My illness began on holiday in Portugal, i suddenly became fatigued one day. So the cause would remain a mystery. (I did drank the tap water a couple of times, but only small amounts of it)

== Maybe you picked up something. If you got vaccines before the trip maybe they played a role. Some people are sensitive to them. Most of them still contain ethyl mercury. More on that if requested.

Secondly the reactions i have to all supplements are going to make any treatment very tricky. I'd love to know if anyone else with a similar problem managed it.

== Josette, one of the mods in Yahoo's Frequent Dose Chelation, is one of the very sensitive people. My heart goes out to them. They have lots of tips and tricks but I'm not aware of any quick fixes.

Thirdly, apologies if it's a bit graphic, but for the past year i've had bad constipation (bowel movements once a week). So i know that would be an issue.

== Yes, that is common with Hg. Try plenty of Mg, vitamin C and fluids. The latter is problematic for those with Hg and adrenal problems since they urinate more often than most people. Much more could be said!

I'm still looking for a root cause for my illness.

== Good for you! Don't settle for 10 different medications from 5 different medical specialists as Dr Hyman explains about his mysterious list of symptoms.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjnGWSyxWJ0

The fatigue i have really is very severe, i've been pretty much bed ridden these past 4 years.

== I'm sorry to hear that. You'll appreciate the story of R Cartland, a physicist and engineer who was nearly bed ridden but recovered with HM detox-- Cutler.
http://www.mercuryexposure.info/consumers/injured-consumers/item/521-california-engineer-scientists-robert-cartland-recovers-from-dental-amalgam-illness

It would be nice to know if Metal Toxicity
is the root cause, or just another piece of the puzzle. But i know nobody can tell me that answer!

== I agree. It is a process. When someone is a fatigued as you I would not worry about the heavy metal issue at the moment. I'd focus on recovering enough functionality to manage one's life. It will then be easier to consider possible underlying causes.

== I'd start with 4x saliva cortisol to see if low cortisol is involved. If it is, you could get substantial gains in energy and brain power in just days. There have been a number of remarkable accounts in the groups.
http://www.canaryclub.org/adrenal-article-980/706-cortisol-1-or-4.html

== If that test is not available you could try some of the self tests--flashlight in eye, BP after going up steps, and temp testing
http://www.drrind.com/therapies/metabolic-temperature-graph

== Eventually you'll want tests for thyroid, maybe iron, CMP looking for low electrolytes and liver issues. Rule of thumb is to make sure some adrenal support is in place before adding the stress of thyroid and mitochondria support.

== If Hg is involved you also have mood problems such as anxiety and Depression that you did not mention. Don't be embarrassed. It is just chemistry. If you don't have mood problems, I'd bet HMs are not the major factor.

== I hope this gives you some leads. Maybe your doctor will be on board with some of them but don't expect much from insurance doctors.

== Joe

Thanks again for your replies, it's much appreciated.