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So we lasted a total of 6 days on GAPS Intro. We knew from the beginning that it was possible we wouldn’t be able to do the entire Intro process so our back up plan was to do Intro as best we could and then go into full GAPS. Last night we determined it was time for full GAPS. A couple of reasons for this; we have been progressively more tired, today Joe nearly passed out at work and tonight my friend told me I look really bad as in sick. I feel sick! I know this is probably a sign of die off and that it is probably a sign to stick with Intro but the truth is I can’t do what is physically required of me each day in this condition. Maybe if it wasn’t summer time things would be different. Just moving the chicken water container takes a toll on me! I don’t even have a clue how Joe is doing is physically demanding job each day and working around here in the evening.
While I do say we are on full GAPS we are actually going to add back in raw milk. Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride does outline a plan for adding in raw milk by following a Dairy Introduction Structure. We have already been using homemade raw sour cream and recently added in homemade yogurt. We’ll continue with those plus add back in kefir, ghee and butter plus milk for drinking and cheese making.
I’m not sure how long we will stay on GAPS. We’ll most likely stay on it a few weeks and then start adding back in soaked, soured and sprouted grains. For our family, when we stick with a real/whole/traditional foods diet for the most part we do really well. But once we start to stray from it then things go bad. I do hope my little Lulu will continue to have relief from her tummy aches which was one of the main reasons we did this. And if not then it might be necessary to go through Intro completely but at a later time when we have less physical requirements. During the winter perhaps.
You can read my day to day thoughts during intro here.
I’ve started collecting full GAPS recipes. If you have a favorite GAPS recipe please share!
I ended up in the emergency room when I did Intro. Scared to try it again. I was not exactly suicidal but my mind was playing tricks on me and I thought I was dying and I didn’t really care that much. Seemed it would be a welcome relief. This is was made me go to ER. Turns out I was very dehydrated. It was really really bad. I was hallucinating and having really terrible anxiety and very dark thoughts. I was so nauseated that I didn’t want to eat or drink anything. Die off is no joke.
Linda,
That is awful. Thank you for sharing.
Sounds like you made the right decision. Remember, Intro came about after people were already making health gains on full GAPS. You’re supposed to heal quicker on intro, but I don’t think it’s necessary for everyone. Your family has been eating well (80/20?) for a long time, so I can’t imagine that you all need intro as much as someone who dealing with debilitating issues anyway. I did intro after being on full GAPS for 3 weeks, and I went through pretty fast for the same reasons. With 4 months of full GAPS I still experienced significant improvement with some nagging, but mild-by-comparision issues. Adding raw milk made a huge difference in my energy and my mental state, and was such a happy addition!
So Lulu’s stomach pains have gone away?
Hi NancyO,
Yes, 80/20 for a couple of years and then we strive for 85/15 now. The summer has been hard and we are not reaching those goals. Overall, we have very few issues. Lulu has had her tummy ache that we’ve never been able to completely get rid of and Christopher had come to the point of only wanting to eat certain things but besides that just being on our real food eating has been wonderful. I guess with Intro I had hoped to clear up the remaining items. And we may try it again when our physical requirements are less. We certainly did not have these troubles last October. Of course, it was just Joe and I then which was easier in some ways.
Yes, Lulu’s pains are gone. We’re going to see what happens on full GAPS with it. I hope that the pains stay gone. I am super happy to have (raw) milk back. I was surprised how much everyone missed it.
I’m so glad to hear that! I hope they’re gone for good. Full GAPS can feel like cheating compared to Intro! 🙂