I'm actually a whole pound less this Friday than I was last Friday with a weekly fluctuation of 2.4 lbs. I do think this is due to stopping the creatine. So, I think it's time to talk meds and a theory I have about how it has impacted my weekly weight fluctuations...
Let's learn a new word or two today, shall we? LOL
Let's start with this one --> Dimethyl Fumarate
Di methyl wha???
This sweet little poison just happens to be the primary ingredient in the treatment I take for relapsing/remitting Multiple Sclerosis
Its popular name among the MS community is known as "Tecfidera"
I take it orally twice a day. I started out on a lower dosage before switching to a higher dose to let my body adjust to the err...um...side effects.
Before I go further into what this drug actually does, if anyone has read this far - keep a note in the back of the mind that Dimethyl Fumarate is also the primary ingredient used in a lot of treatments for pscoriasis.
I don't have pscoriasis or any other type of issue that afflicts my skin in a negative way. I've been on this drug for 3 years and am well aware I don't look 47 years of age. I'm also aware I look even older in my before pics, pre MS diagnosis.
Is it the Tecfidera?
I don't know, but given my family history has a crap load of "co-morbidities" attached to it - it's hard to attribute whatever "anti-aging" agents happening in this body to good genes! For heaven sakes, I was a pack a day smoker for 26 years before I dropped the habit.
Although, it does need to be stated that consistent fitness, weight loss, and over-all good health definitely contribute to reducing the rigors of age.
So, what the heck does Tecfidera do and why do I think it has decreased the amount I fluctuate on the scale on a weekly basis?
Well, the premise is pretty simple. At its core, Tecfidera's primary impact on this body apart from taking out a few of my T-cells is to massively reduce inflammation.
Reduce inflammation? Well, why do I have to take an $8000/month drug to do that?! Why don't I just pop a few ibu-profin every day? LOL
Unfortunately, ibu-profin doesn't quite attack the heart of the issue in Multiple Sclerosis. Trust me, I used it as band-aid for many years but when T-cells get confused and start attacking the brain and spinal cord, there just ain't enough ibu-profin in the world to calm them down.
Sometimes, even the "chemo" potent dose of steroids provided during flare ups won't calm them down, which is why it's a crap shoot every time an MS'er has a flare up. Ya just don't know what part of the body might be affected or damaged or if there's even a way to stop it until T-cells stop the friendly fire!
The heart of the matter is the T-cell and that is what needs to be dealt with.
However, Tecfidera works a tad differently than other MS treatments. It's actually considered a,
Immuno-modulatory drug
NOT an Immuno-suppressant
Most immuno-suppressants act to create a wall between the blood/brain barrier in the body, so that confused t-cells can't break through that wall from the blood stream into the central nervous system and reap havoc.
But, Tecfidera...this little drug kinda acts like "prozac" for my T-cells.
It actually infiltrates this body's t-cells and triggers a chain reaction that forces the cell to initiate a crap load of anti-oxidants into the blood.
And, folks - guess what anti-oxidants are known to do?
If ya haven't guessed it - they help incredibly to reduce inflammation in the body.
And, when inflammation is reduced in the body, especially on a systemic level like this, the rate of water the body retains will also subside because it's not needed to either cushion joints or aid in the recovery of tissues, muscles, and other organs impacted by inflammation.
And, when there's less water retention...there are going to be less ups and downs on the scale.
So, this is my theory about why this body's weekly fluctuations have decreased since I started this health and weight loss journey back in 2017. Going from 5-7 lb fluctuation ---> to a whole 2.4 lbs is pretty substantial.
And, note fluctuating up to 3-5 lbs/week on the scale is completely normal. If one is a menstruating woman, try 6-8 lbs. Any OBGYN will confirm that if they're worth their salt.
Now, before y'all go out and try to purchase what seems to be this $8000.00 little anti-inflammatory, potential anti-aging wonder drug. There are a few exchange rates for taking this sweet poison that big pharma pays for by the way.
1. It was passed quickly by the FDA - the long term effects like most of these MS treatments are still unknown. In fact, I'm far more mindful about the long term effects of this treatment than I am of the COVID vaccine.
2. It is considered a medium efficacy drug. Because, it does NOT create a wall between the t-cell and my central nervous system - if the drug were to stop being effective, it leaves me very vulnerable to further impairment.
3. One of the side effects are random flares. It's starts out like a rash. It's itchy and stings and then it covers the whole body and feels akin to someone lightly spritzing the skin with acid. It does go away in 30-40 minutes, but it's a bit weird when it happens.
4. It can substantially take out a number of t-cells, which do help protect bodies from things like COVID and H1N1, and render it very difficult for the immune system to re-establish a new batch of t-cells even after a person has been removed from the drug.
So, there ya have it for the inquiring minds that did or did not want to know. LOL
BTW - the before pic on the left is me literally a month before these legs went numb - both Pre DX and pre RX. The one on the right is a pic I took yesterday, 3 and a half years later :-)
