Round 7 was very much uneventful. Here are the numbers:

The only thing I noticed during this round was that on Tuesday (day two) I was very sensitive to visual stimulants. As a result, I was very much spent by the end of the work day and had to retire after logging off to reset my optical and vestibular systems. It’s amazing what a 30- to 60-minute reset can do; it won’t reset my symptoms back to the AM timeframe, but it will get me back to functioning better.

The redistribution that followed the round was standard in strength and reactions. One more round at this strength before I can move on up to 25 mg.

Sorry for the cheesy title, but it was the only way for me to get it out of my head. I am not a fan of Bon Jovi music, so getting it out of my head was of top priority. As for this round’s numbers:

I had a rough time on day two this round. Nausea induced by eyestrain became a major hurdle for me to overcome, where the only prescription was resting my eyes. My first day off round (yesterday) was also somewhat rough, but I mustered through and came out feeling no better nor worse than before I started the round.

I am very happy to know that I am halfway through my 12-DMSA-only-rounds. The experience has been almost effortless, and I can’t wait for the next six-rounds to fly by just the same.

Round 5 introduced my first strength increase since starting the Cutler protocol. I successfully titrated up to 18.75 mg—up from 12.5 mg—without issue. Here is the round in numbers:

Unlike the previous round, I felt my best on day two, and started feeling worse on day three. My first day off round was also uncomfortable—worse than normal—but by Friday I started feeling like my old, broken self again.

What I have gathered from this round is that 18.75 mg is my new baseline. If all goes well, I will again increase my strength—this time to 25 mg—starting with round nine. I would love to be well into my ALA rounds, but I am still seven rounds away. No reason to mess things up, so I stay on course and wait…patiently.

I am happy to announce that I have four rounds under my belt. Much like rounds one and three, I have followed the same schedule and strength combination:

What can I say? It went very smoothly. I did notice that I felt better on days two and three, and my worst yesterday — my first day off round.

I am thinking that round five is when I experiment with my first strength increase. Instead of moving my strength up to 18.75 mg (1.5x increase) I am instead going to change my schedule from every four-hours to every three-hours. The net result will be almost the same (16.67 mg), with the only change being that I need to create six more capsules using my same capsule splitting protocol.

Much like the previous two rounds, the third round went very smoothly. For the analysts out there, here are the numbers to devour:

Mere hours before I took my last dose I did experience a moment where my photophobia was not so pronounced. I wasn’t about to run and turn on more lights throughout the house while removing my hoody, but the light was more tolerable, if only slightly. Unfortunately, it did not last, and my usual light-fearing self was reborn. I can only hope this is an omen, a precursor of things to come.

Round 2 came on went without a bang. Here are the numbers:

Notice anything different from my last round?

I took an extra dose. It turns out that while making my first batch of DMSA capsules for round one, I accidentally made an extra dose. But since it was my first round, and I wanted to follow the plan as best as possible, I opted to only take 18 doses, leaving the 19^th dose for another round. Last night I compensated for that overproduction.

The round was very much uneventful. I took my first dose at 11 PM on Sunday and my last on Wednesday at 11 PM. If there were any redistribution symptoms directly following my last dose, I must have slept through them. While I remain doubtful, if I notice anything different in the next couple of days I will post it here.

Just like last week, my alarms kept me in line, never deviating more than a minute, even in the middle of the night. Waking in the middle of the night is also not as bad as I had thought it would be, and I seem to be able to fall right back asleep after taking a dose; even if that is followed with a trip to the restroom.

Two rounds down and ten more to go before I incorporate ALA into the mix. It’s really hard to be patient, but I know it’s best to stick to the plan. Judging by how fast the last two rounds have passed, I have no doubt that I will be adding ALA in the blink of an eye.

The first round has been an interesting introduction to the world of low dose chelation. Let’s start with the dry numbers:

My initial concern was the rigorous schedule required to properly chelate. Having to drop everything every three- or four-hours to take a chelator seemed like a daunting task. Not that it’s hard to swallow a pill or two; it’s the fact that if I miss a dose I have to stop the round and wait days before starting up again. As someone who suffers every waking moment, the thought of setting my recovery back by simply missing a dose can add to an already stressful situation.

Then there are the supplements I take; 31 pills a day, to be exact. I do my best to take them throughout the day, minimizing the amount I take at a single session. With four sessions each day (one per meal and one before bedtime), a pill organizer, and no stress from accidentally missing a dose, supplements have been the easiest part of the protocol so far.

What I wasn’t ready for was the frequent need to visit the restroom. With all of the doses and supplements I take throughout the day, I end up drinking a lot of water. In between swallowing pills I drink even more water and beverages (peppermint and chamomile tea) to quench my thirst and help my body expel toxins. When you add it all up, it comes out to ~90+ oz. of fluids, and it has to go somewhere.

So, how did the first round go? Very well. With the aid of my iPod Touch and its built-in Clock app, I was able to schedule an alarm every four-hours with ease, including start and end dates. Carrying it wherever I went ensured I never missed a dose, not even by a couple minutes. With the exception of the 3am restroom breaks, I would say the round went without a hiccup.

I did experience a sinus headache on day two, but I chalk that up to staring at a computer monitor for too long, along with changing weather patterns. I have suffered from sinus headaches for many years, so I am not sure if it could be attributed to chelating.

I took my last dose this morning at 3am and haven’t noticed any adverse events since. Some people experience redistribution symptoms following the end of the round, but I don’t appear to fall into that category. I did experience horrible symptoms when I was taking a 500mg dose of DMSA once a day, three days a week, but that was at a much higher strength. It makes me wonder if I should increase the strength of DMSA, but I will hold steady for another few rounds.

One round down and 11 more to go before I introduce ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid) into the mix.