Mysterious Illness - Part 2

Epping, Leaky, Regression, and Breakthrough

Where we left off last week things had just taken a turn for the worse..

Part 1 is available here for anyone who missed it. Start there, otherwise this post will make even less sense than my usual writing. And that’s an alarming prospect.

If you read last week, welcome back. We pick proceedings up in Autumn 2022. It’s not looking good…

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Epping

It came shortly after a move to Epping Forest; To a wonderful little flat at the end of a cul-de-sac, with a garden backing into the forest.

The novelty was short lived.

A few weeks in I started to feel rough. The best I can describe it is like a hangover. I’d wake up feeling deeply nauseous, a haze that would stay with me through the day.

Weeks past in this state. Day and night spent feeling profoundly hungover.

The irony is, after a decade of heavy drinking, I went sober in 2019. Yet somehow I’ve spent more days hungover in the last 1.5 years than the misspent 10.

I tried everything: Air-filters, dehumidifiers, changing the pillows, adopting a keto diet (after reading Grain Brain). The last of which seemed to work. But that too failed, and soon the symptoms were back with a vengeance.

Even a silent retreat held no salvation. In March I completely a Vipassana- 10 days of 8 hours a day meditating. Day one triggered the nausea, and the remaining 9 days were a battle.

Like this my 2023 unfolded.

I went through months at a time in this nauseous state; my days passed feeling utterly rough. Whilst there were some periods of respite they were few and far between.

September saw the ending of my relationship, and, therefore, the move away from Epping. It put me in a pensive mood. This can’t go on I thought. I have to find out what’s wrong.

But I was out of ideas. And jaded to the extreme. Until a stroke of luck, and a potential lifeline from my dear friend Hector Alexander.

Not even the forest held my salvation

Leaky

Hector introduced me to Charlie, a friend who’d recently recovered from his own mysterious ailments. Charlie had been to see a brilliant nutritionist who’d identified his diet as the root of his issues.

I got his details and emailed immediately.

Mark, the nutritionist in question, sent a whole host of tests to do and we set a consultation date for December 13th.

I had high hopes.

The tests were extensive: Four blood tests, a gene test, and a stool test. Surely this will hold the answer.

Soon the consultation date was upon us.

It all came down to this.

And then…

Relief. Mark had a diagnosis.

A leaky gut.

For those not familiar: Our guts are permeable, which is how nutrients get into the body. A leaky gut is too permeable therefore letting through all sorts of damaging substances.

Surely this is the end of my troubles? I prayed.

His solution? A largely meat-based diet.

Up until this point my diet was quite the opposite. My answer to feeling terrible had been lots of plants: Veg, salads, all the fermented foods, you name it. I’d eat fish but little meat.

Veg gave way to venison, and lettuce to lamb.

And so like this I began 2024.

I could have a little fruit but nothing else. Grass fed meat and water. Quite a change.

Regression

I’ll be honest: As diets go it was an enjoyable one.

And I loved the anti-social nature of it. The perfect excuse to decline the stream of dinners and drinks that come with life in London.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Most challenging, by far, was quitting caffeine. Quite the comedown.

I was a regular, but not excessive, coffee drinker. Perhaps 2-3 cups a day. But it was an ordeal.

It took eight weeks to feel normal again. That period was spent in a mental lethargy. My mood and cognitive ability both very repressed.

And then, some progress.

By March I realised the nausea was gone. I wasn’t thriving by any stretch of the imagination but each day got a little easier.

Progress was slow, but just maybe I’d found the answer.

But alas, it was not be.

March saw a dramatic returning of symptoms. I’d reintroduced some foods and found myself as sensitive as ever. I soon felt terrible. Weeks back on the strict diet did nothing. We were back to square one.

What followed were two listless weeks, brooding on my situation. And then, just as I was giving up hope; A breakthrough.

Breakthrough

The breakthrough came during an Unplugged stay of all things.

I’d installed my for three days in Mabel, to ponder my predicament.

The list of complaints was extensive: The leaky gut, of course. A suspected histamine intolerance. Bloating. Brain fog. The brutal nausea. And to top it off I’d notice my vision beginning to blur. Surely my 2019 laser eye surgery isn’t wearing off already?

I was once again out of ideas.

And then, as my last ounce of hope faded, I remembered a conversation from January; A trip to see Sarah, a physio.

Sarah happened to be an expert on autoimmune conditions; her son was autistic, so she’d learnt the hard way.

It was only then, unplugged, that I remembered her suggestion.

It couldn’t be that could it? I thought.

Out of other options I resolved to investigate upon my return.

Could this finally be the answer?

I didn’t know then but I had just one more week to go.

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And so do you! See you next week for Part 3.

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A Final Thought 💡

“Keep a little fire burning; however small, however hidden.”

— Cormac McCarthy

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