MP, week 1

I started the first Marshall Protocol drug a week ago, and will soon be starting the second.

Technically, this means I'm not quite in Phase 1 yet. I'm sort of in-between. The last preliminary.

The MP is divided into three phases. All phases involve a drug that acts as an angiotensin receptor blocker, or ARB. Phase 1 adds one antibiotic to the ARB. Phases 2 and 3 involve adding different antibiotics in various combinations.

The ARB helps my innate immune system to begin functioning properly again. When I start the antibiotic, it will be at a low dose, and "pulsed," meaning that instead of keeping the dose steady so that it's always at the same level in my bloodstream (as I do for the ARB), it is allowed to peak and recede before taking it again. Initially, I'll take one small dose every other day. During Phase 1 I will vary the antibiotic dosage strengths and the time between doses. More importantly, I will learn to manage my Herxheimer reactions, or, as they're called today, immunopathology. This is a highly simplified explanation, of course.

I don't know how long Phase 1 will last, except that it won't be less than six weeks; it takes that long just to progress through the dosing variations. Then I'll move on to Phase 2.

There isn't a direct correllation between which Phase you are in and how you feel, beyond the loose association with feeling slowly better as time goes on. For people like me with chronic fatigue, the current wisdom says that it will probably be two full years before I start to observe substantial improvement. That's a very long time, but as I've said earlier, two years from now I'd still be sick without the MP. But three years from now, I hope with the MP I will be seeing a return to health. (I'm just trying to get this down in black and white, to remind myself later if I'm having a hard time that I need to stick with it.)

Symptoms this week: headaches, lethargy, body temperature dysregulation (cold feet & hands, hot elsewhere), significant photosensitivity (can't even glance at the monitor or TV without NoIR sunglasses), normal hunger/satiety, lessening of hypoglycemic symptoms, restoration of sleeping patterns, and no edema. Symptoms missing: joint pain, fever, sinusitis.

I am not doing much. I didn't even turn on the computer three or four days this week. I have been adjusting to staying in my darkened rooms during daylight. Thursday I have my first excursion into sunlight: I have to go see my GP for my annual physical (which was rescheduled last week). I have hat, gloves, scarf, boots, etc., so I think it's a challenge I can manage.