Back on DMSA Again

In the past few weeks, I’ve gotten back on DMSA after a break of almost two years. Even though my mercury chelation is done, I still need to take DMSA to chelate lead. Lead takes much longer to chelate than mercury, because lead gets stored in the bones and only emerges slowly as it’s cleared from the bloodstream. The whole process is likely to take several more years.

I was getting quite frustrated with DMSA by the time I stopped taking it two years ago. I tried out another lead chelator called EDTA. But after a couple of months on EDTA, I learned that mercury toxic people shouldn’t use it because though it doesn’t chelate mercury, it stirs it up in bad ways.

I resisted this little tidbit of knowledge, tried to unknow it, or justify that I had already cleared out every atom of mercury from my system so I was safe. But eventually I caved and accepted that I had to stop using it, and go back to DMSA.

And what’s so bad about DMSA you might ask?

The answer of course is yeast.

This week I’ve been editing the section of my book where I was felled by yeast the last time I was on DMSA. That’s a nightmare I never want to live through again.

For some folks, DMSA has the side effect of suppressing the action of neutrophils, the white blood cells that are in charge of killing off yeast. The yeast, also called candida, gains a foothold, causing tiredness, bloating, fungal skin rashes, and of course vaginal yeast infections. Believe me, it’s not a pretty picture.

So when I geared up to get back on DMSA this time, I made sure I was prepared. I laid in a supply of super-strength prescription-only anti-fungal yeast-killing Diflucan. No messing around with the gentle herbal stuff like last time. This time, it’s straight to the big guns.

And it’s working. I’m doing rounds of DMSA and there’s no sign of my usual yeast symptoms. My skin is clear, my digestion good, my mood is light. It’s a delicate balance to supply enough supplementary firepower in the form of Diflucan without tipping the balance and causing overwhelming die-off symptoms, or knocking out my liver. But so far, it’s working.

So really, being on DMSA isn’t all that bad after all. After a gap of several months with no lead chelation, it’s good to feel the lightness as it’s lifted out of my system.

It reminds me of my first glorious rounds of DMSA. I was drowning back then, up to my neck in mercury, lead, and who knows what else. I was miserable, crazy, tired and scared. And DMSA came along and saved my life, clearing my head and making me feel like a real human being again.

It’s nothing so dramatic today, being on DMSA, but I feel an echo of that time resonating inside me. I take my dose every four hours and smile a little smile, knowing that the healing continues.

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