PUBLIC LIVE DRAFT. 

For Context

For those unaware, following my 40+ hour fast sometime in October '24 I immediately experienced nagging pains (borderline stabbing) on  upper left side of quadrant. At times it even  resembled a disc slip (post trauma / training injury). Every first few days it felt localised (pin point in other words). Then as weeks progressed, radiates (or "expands") in a manner that quite frankly, something I never experienced before.

I've dealt with disc injuries in the past. Two-three weeks max ~ was all it takes to recover. Obviously not able to train that much. But this? Went on for months.

I could NOT EVEN run on the treadmill because of a genuine obstruction there somewhere. As in actual object like obstruction that felt dislodged or just "stuck" there.

Worse - I could not even sneeze or cough without triggering the pain. Imagine - every time you sneeze you cannot do it no matter how much. What follows immediately was that jolt of shock. And doesn't calm down in mere minutes.

All these symptoms convinced me to one point so much ~ that it might have been kidney related. But to save everyone the read (thanks to shortened attention spans) ~ three to four months later throughout the holidays after one failed diagnosis another - led me to try making an appointment for Rheumatologist. 

For convenience I am copying, pasting and (succinctly) re-elaborate everything as dot point series of events. By no means this discounts further reading. For more details please consider reading my 2024 Food For Thoughts  .

1. First month & onwards absolute elimination all oxalate foods. (Which I already reduce as an overall intake in recent / prior years anyway).
2. First month & onwards Complete elimination of Vitamin D.
3. First month & onwards (but periodised at times to assess). High emphasis on calcium intake. Mostly from cheese and yoghurts.
4. First month & onwards (High(er) water intake. 4 to 5+ litres. Per day. (This was torture.)
5. Second month onwards periodising different amount of Potassium and Magnesium.
   1. High magnesium dosages - combining both the oxides and chelated, with Vitamin B6.
   2. Also includes HIGH Magnesium citrate and potassium  citrate (powder). 

...And then - there's the financials. Poor wallet.

1. $100+ worth of jumping through hoops with remote doctors (Updoc®). I think I may have gone through at least six GPs.
2. CT Scan. Turned up nothing.
3. MRI Scan. Turned up nothing.
4. (Pending) specialist appointment with neuropathy.

Thankfullyas I am writing and publishing this draft ~ I am "okay". As in able bodied and very much pain-free. But the mystery still remains - that I still have no idea what exactly this is.

And that is where, I welcome you all to witness the variables I have scrutinised. What I have excluded and reincluded. What works and what doesn't.

Once again this is only the surface insight. 

Firstly, a <Rant> about Updoc*

Throughout these months of predicament I feel sorry for anyone who had to rely on Updoc® (ora similar platform). I simply am forewarning it is a "marketplace",, just like Fiverr or Upwork (come to. think of "Updoc" sounds like a sub brand) -  emphasising on quick, cheap consults (and then you're on your own, again). This is where GPs bid (maybe not the right word I apologise but at least "take") jobs based on their availability on the moment a job / ticket / consult / appointment ~ is raised.

What is absolutely absurd, at least to me, is that you will not, I repeat, you will not - be given any means of direct return-contact with the doctor. None. Zip. Only a general public contact email.

I do not for one second am generalising that all GPs present themselves like this in front of patients. But it is worth repeating  my experience speaks so much in contrast from glowing reviews. If you rely on any SAAS / Service-as-Service platform and that you see  nothing but positive reviews all over their marketing funnel site? Be very-well prepared to experience the exception. 

Considering my latest (by about fifth or sixth ticket/job/appointment by December '24) ~ I actually did gather a rather sad insight directly from one of them. That ~ I was advised this platform was never intended  for even a standard consult. In other words, need a sickie certificate? 15 minutes ~ there you go. Any longer  - you will be capped an absolute limit of 20-25 minutes ~ before the line gets cut off. Rinse. Repeat with another GP. If you don't mind the jumping-through-hoops roller coaster, then Updoc "might" be for you.  

Although "might" - may be a little bit too generous, given the months of pain I went through. Nonetheless, my short albeit very intense venture back to the "conventional medical paradigm" ~ is all that I already came to know, and to expect. At least, or apparently ~ that is how "telehealth consult" works in Australia. The support staff are next to useless. And you will be hounded with marketing lure-back tactics long after you have signed out.

Not how I define health care. It's sick-care. </rant>.

What have I learned / What am I doing now?

I must say that as of early 2025, I am uncovering new things about me that I never thought I had to start making more changes. Many which are curiously may ruffle some weathers amidst alternative health sphere(s). 

The following is obviously not complete otherwise this entire writeup would never see the light.

1/5
Oxalates. Still a legitimate problem.

Perhaps no surprise, but still glorified among "healthy" / "clean eating" worshippers. I no longer consume if any, amounts of avocados and peanut butters. Even if I wanted to sadly - it's no longer viable. The only thing I'd have to look forward within next morning is heaviness on the lower back.

2/5
(Specific type?) Magesium abstinence - less overall pain?

This speaks entirely against the grain among general health sphere(s). But in my context (or specificity perhaps to certain types_ - supplementing makes things worse. By about month and half I was scrutinising what else that possibly contribute anything to muscle , bone and nerve health. That ~ had me curious to start dialling back magnesium (especially chelated) as it mediates everything, in-between Vitamin D to Calcium.

I could not understand how or why - but as days and weeks progressed my self-journaling suggest strong correlations towards Magnesium as somehow ~ being the contributing factor to overall flank tensions.  The overall feeling of heaviness that is, in the upper back. Think of alert or "hyper" like tension where you have to brace yourself at all times - which that lend itself towards the stiffness. All gradually subsides the less magnesium intake I did.

Of course I would never imply Magnesium as unimportant. Elsewhere, it is vital considering its third most abundance in biology. As I am writing this, the only source of magnesium that works to ensure intakes nonetheless, without triggering the above tension  ~ is surprisingly - food grade magnesium sulphate flakes in my coffees. Certainly not a huge amount (I'm talking about sprinkles amount for entire day). Far cry obviously from all those expensive glycinates, chelates.

Be forewarned I certainly do not condone sprinkling magnesium sulphate / epsom salts everywhere on foods. The metallic taste alone certainly detracts one from eating altogether.

3/5
Vitamin D Abstinence. Weeks and months on end.

Certainly controversial; but throughout January and February I have decided to experience something against my own dogma. Somehow, after long exclusion weeks to months on benefits me elsewhere particularly in the mental stress / composure department. I seem to be able to brace myself to stress. But obviously, I still have to bear the impact. No, I am not experiencing any "less pain"per se.

Hence I wouldn't conclude Vitamin D being a "problem" as of yet. Because it is not the only one among other ecosystem of things in terms of synergy - Vitamin A and particularly - Vitamin K2. The latter I also tried daily supplementing (menaquinone Mark 7) 180 mcg.

Note that the mental composure changes alone - this was considering I have not copiously supplementing with neither ALCAR nor Choline Bitartrate.

4/5
Vitamin A from carrots, but not from livers, somehow - helped. 

Following from Vitamin D in terms of their antagonism (at least suggested by mechanistic studies here) I also scrutinised my Vitamin A intake particularly on the dietary source. Weeks to a month later had noting that intake of carrots, but not livers (beef, or chicken) led me to days  where flank pains were less apparent.

5/5
Less Gelatin (supplement) intake = less overall pain .

The last here is what I humbly admit as most surprising. For many, many years, I swore by their essentiality. But why then, does consuming less (to just none daily) led me to less overall pain? This sadly remains a mystery. Relative to this also with Glycine a new supplement I tinkered in 2024. Whilst I am not 100% confirmed whether glycine (alone) or gelatine (alone) is the biggest confounder. But at the moment, gelatine, as in powder form for now - seem to correlate with higher events of tension.

Conclusion

I do not for one second intend to write all this for narcissism. It is instead, a reminder  you are indeed very much alone, at controlling things you can versus those you cannot.

Goes to proof, that I am at least living with my own proof, that "Health" is not simple.

Why? because it relies on Science. "Science" is not simple. When was the last time just introducing one (1) "simple" thing alone ~ immediately solves the rest of a puzzle?

All the above "changes", and self-interventions, even though I am pain-free, is no guarantee will safeguard against future unknown(s).

But I beckon and stand by my own words. That which I don't care one iota for grammar-police at this time of my life.

"All future speaks from past tensions."

I don't care if it doesn't make sense. But what I care - is how eerily it speaks back upon my life, mine at least without fail, without confusion at all - that if I did not invest a good 10+ years establishing this initiative ~ then I would have been in a much worse state.

What that is - probably not running "high" (per se) ~ but rather~ running constantly "low" on drugs. Prescriptions. Pain killers. The whole lot.

Live-It-Forward / till next time.

AW.