I've been reading posts for quite some time in this forum, which I think is great by the way, and picking up alot of information, reading books, etc. all the while as I've been getting my 16 metal fillings replaced and 3 crowns redone (2 with mercury under them). I became very sick with all sorts of "unknown illnesses" in 2000 after a bout with the flu, though some things I remember were becoming visible even just before that. Many skin sensitivites, allergic type reactions to things I've been repeatedly tested for and am not allergic to, feeling toxic overload (and thinking that, way before I ever thought that my teeth may be the reason), and most of the other things everyone else has shared here. And like alot of you I've spent thousands of my own $$ that I did not have, not to mention the huge amount my insurance company has paid out, trying to find some answers. And the same as many here, they've found no clue as to why I felt so bad. To make a long story short, I've been doing alot better since starting to get my amalgums replaced safely, and have finished it all almost 2 months ago. Of course there are bad days and not-so-bad days, but looking back to nearly 6 years ago when my whole life, and my wife and kids' lives changed dramatically, at that point I thought I was looking death in the face.

Anyway, I've been taking Vit. C, Magnesium, E, Algin, etc. for a few months and am ready to start detoxing....at least I hope I am. You know how if you've had alot of weird symptoms for so long that you forget what it's like to feel good, but you don't want to get feeling real bad again. I've started using Whey Protein to help pull the mercury out of the tissues. I guess at this point I should mention that I have nothing to show that my problems even are related to Mercury Poinsoning. A blood test showed that I have below the safe levels of Merc, Lead and Arsenic. A Nutritionist I was seeing a couple years back had me do a GS Lab hair analysis that also showed no heavy metal toxicity, but very high calcium, very low lithium and through a liver toxicity test showed a VERY low Glutithione level, meaning that that toxic cleaning pathway was overloaded. Heck, I'd get extremely sick and reactive for a week or two just from getting a good massage.

So now I go to my internist to try and get a perscription for DMSA (I already have some Nat Sunshine ALA waiting) and she says that the blood test shows no mercury so she can't perscribe it to me, but after I explain all that I've done with my teeth, what I've been reading, the symptoms, info from Andy Cutler's book, etc., she agrees to another blood mercury test and if that comes back out-of-range then she will perscribe the DMSA. I know that alot of people start dumping merc after getting all the fillings out, but for many it won't show up in hair or blood tests if it's stored and not mobilizing, so I'm not sure that this blood test will show her anything either (the last one I had done was about 4 or 5 months ago while I still had what I call my killer crowns over lots of amalgum still in. I even had a huge amalgum tattoo from the gold crown over amalgum...that i also had cut out.) I don't want to haphazardly start pulling the mercury out just to get a result, but is there anything I can do SAFELY to get the ball rolling? Or should I just go ahead and slowly start the detox regimen and if she'll jump on board, fine....if not then so be it? I can get DMSA from the Vitamin Supply place posted here, but cost-wise would rather do a perscription with my insurance especially since it may take quite some time to fully detox, starting with the DMSA for a couple months then adding in ALA using Andy's cycles...of course hoping I can handle it and adjusting the dosage so I can live, work, and detox at the same time. Another concern, and probably a bigger one for me is just how important is it to detox under a doctor's care? Is that something I should shoot for if possible? I mean along with the prescription, there's the testing of levels along the way, maybe mineral testing to see how the body through chelating is deleting or replenishing certain things it needs, etc. I'm sure some people here along with those on the Yahoo group are doing it on their own and some are under a doctor's care. Are there other advantages I'm missing that I should think about? Maybe I'm being too cautious and should just go for it using any wisdom I've gained from here and other forums/books, etc. but many things I ingest really set off symptoms with my skin, nerves, mind, digestive tract, adrenals, thyroid, immune system, and the list goes on. I don't expect it to be easy to get well, but I am determined and have made the first step by gathering knowledge, supplementing my body, and by getting all the metal safely removed.

Is it safe to detox with DMSA even if by chance I weren't mercury toxic? Which I think is hardly true since I've had 10 to 16 metal fillings, some replaced more than once even again with metal, for the last 20 years. Plus I've unknowingly had mercury pumped into my arms via a yearly flu shot nearly every year since between 1980 thru 2001.

I'm very sorry to have made this such a long post....I just have so much to say but want to keep it as short as I can but still try and bring up some questions that maybe even others have in the back of their minds that maybe someone with experience or knowledge can answer. I hope to someday post my full story for Russ and Laura.... hopefully with a happy ending.

So any help would be greatly appreciated. God Bless