It's all normal

I seem to be on the same schedule as you. I've just finished day 5 and some times haven't been easy. The other night I woke up in this sort of irritable shoulder and neck tension. It was so difficult to deal with. I know that it is a cleansing effect because it happens at the beginning of each fast. It's like poisons are going through my muscles and blood! Fortunately that didn't last long. I also find that I have mild crampy feelings around the area of my cyst. I also have had a runny nose and mildly clogged ears over the last two days. This morning I woke up with such a pain in my left ear...like there was pressure in there...had to pop my ears a few times, but it quickly went away. I've also had the typical headaches at the beginning, and some grumpiness too.

All of this is simply healing. The stuff has to get out, and it's bound to cause some discomfort at times.

The good news is that you've passed the threshold of just releasing water and consuming left over glycogen. Now you are into autolysis, where your body will start to consume and eliminate the real dirt.

And it's not all bad anyway! Even with the cramps, the irritability, etc...they are just like rain storms in the middle of the day. Everyone knows that storms don't last long...most don't last longer than a small portion of a day. The rest is just fine.

Want some benefits of staying on longer than 10 days? In early May I completed a 29 day Master-Cleanse with tremendous effects, the big one being that I passed over 150 liver/ Gallstones that I never knew I had! They started coming out of me from day 11 all the way to day 28...and they were between the size of a pea and a penny. Couldn't believe it! But this was the beginning of my realization that I had a liver problem, and that it was connected to this large ovarian cyst that I've grown.

Other benefits I encountered:
- asthma gone
- fatigue gone
- fibromyalgia and severe muscle tension gone
- 27 pounds lost (regained 15 post fast)
- skin cleared
- eyes brightened
- disposition changed from tired and *%#&¤?§* y to content and peaceful

Post fast, I found that my metabolism was better than it had been in years.

Of course, I then went back to coffee, and started eating some bad foods...not as bad as before that fast, but it could have been better.

Life is a spiral of progress...to move up, sometimes it seems like you revisit the same challenges over and over...but their severity decreases each time. Your fast is just the beginning (or a continuation!) of a journey. Expect great results, and do it again when the time is right. Fasting is a great reminder of what lifestyle we need to live. When you finish a long fast, your cravings are different, and it leads you more in the direction of good healthy habits. Most people will fall back a bit, some completely or worse, but it's all part of the process of learning. Eventually we all get it right. Your fast will help you get there sooner. Any good effort will help get you there sooner.

Cheers!

S