peachykeen
Power Conserver
I need to share this info with someone! I hope it helps someone living with something similar. Here is my little story:
About a year and a half ago I started getting terrible pain and stiffness in my hands. It took me quite awhile to get to a rheumatologist, most of it my own stubborn will. I did not want to be diagnosed. My grandmother had terrible rheumatoid and I remember her crippled fingers and her smiling through the pain. I was terrified. But I finally couldn't take it anymore and saw a doctor. She diagnosed me with RA and put me on hydroxyquin. After two months and no improvement she told me I need to go on more drugs. These drugs, for those that are not familiar, require monthly blood tests and eye tests to take. They are serious drugs to someone who rarely even takes an advil. So I told her I was going to try the elimination diet and would she refer me to an allergist? I explained how I had read countless articles about food intolerance being a cause of inflamatory disease (I also suffer from ecsema).She told me she couldn;t help me with that and wished me luck and rushed out of the room. She was very displeased with me and my plan and I could hear it in her change of tone and body language. I was not ready to give up and take drugs that I will need to be on for the rest of my life without trying this diet first.
Quite simply the elimiation diet has you eating veggies with some limitations and fruit, also with some limitations. You can eat certain nuts, cold pressed olive oil, and lamb or salmon. I googled many many different websits that told me different things about certain foods. In some citrus was fine, in others to be avoided as well. There were lots of little variances so user discretion is advised.
My hubby vowed to do the diet with me as well, not only for emotional support but because he suffers from heartburn and indigestion. The diet started shortly after New Years and the elimination part is to last two weeks. Some websites say less but we gave it a full two and a halfweeks. I did not experience relief from my arthritis symptoms until after the two week mark and I can tell you I was very paniced that this diet was going to have no benefit for me. Towards the second week I was getting depressed. My flareups were just as bad. Then all of a sudden I woke up without pain and the pain never came all day. Then that turned into a week of no flareups. I was overjoyed!
One day while we were adding back citurs I decided to have a green tea with a tiny bit of honey. We had bought stevia to sweeten it but it was so disgusting. We must not have got the good stuff because the aftertaste was just rank. Well after this tiny bit of honey I had a mini flareup the next day. I didnt think it could really be the honey so I shrugged it off. Then a few days later I tried more honey in a smoothie.... the next day I couldn't move my hands they were so bad. It is not common to be allergic (or intolerant) to honey but I am. I never ever would have guessed had it not been for this diet. I am so thankful we have done this and I hope I can encourage others to give it a try. You don't know what kind of ailment might be food related!!
And so far we have added back citrus, mushrooms, red meat, dairy (YES!!!!), chicken and we are working on pork right now. SO far none of these have caused reactions. I suspect I am intolerant to soy and perhaps wheat as well. I will update this as I found out more about my reactions to food.
Please if you live with pain give it a try! It won't hurt and heck it's only a month or two of your life. Once you start adding back foods you will never be so grateful in all your life for a big juciy steak and potatoe!
About a year and a half ago I started getting terrible pain and stiffness in my hands. It took me quite awhile to get to a rheumatologist, most of it my own stubborn will. I did not want to be diagnosed. My grandmother had terrible rheumatoid and I remember her crippled fingers and her smiling through the pain. I was terrified. But I finally couldn't take it anymore and saw a doctor. She diagnosed me with RA and put me on hydroxyquin. After two months and no improvement she told me I need to go on more drugs. These drugs, for those that are not familiar, require monthly blood tests and eye tests to take. They are serious drugs to someone who rarely even takes an advil. So I told her I was going to try the elimination diet and would she refer me to an allergist? I explained how I had read countless articles about food intolerance being a cause of inflamatory disease (I also suffer from ecsema).She told me she couldn;t help me with that and wished me luck and rushed out of the room. She was very displeased with me and my plan and I could hear it in her change of tone and body language. I was not ready to give up and take drugs that I will need to be on for the rest of my life without trying this diet first.
Quite simply the elimiation diet has you eating veggies with some limitations and fruit, also with some limitations. You can eat certain nuts, cold pressed olive oil, and lamb or salmon. I googled many many different websits that told me different things about certain foods. In some citrus was fine, in others to be avoided as well. There were lots of little variances so user discretion is advised.
My hubby vowed to do the diet with me as well, not only for emotional support but because he suffers from heartburn and indigestion. The diet started shortly after New Years and the elimination part is to last two weeks. Some websites say less but we gave it a full two and a halfweeks. I did not experience relief from my arthritis symptoms until after the two week mark and I can tell you I was very paniced that this diet was going to have no benefit for me. Towards the second week I was getting depressed. My flareups were just as bad. Then all of a sudden I woke up without pain and the pain never came all day. Then that turned into a week of no flareups. I was overjoyed!
One day while we were adding back citurs I decided to have a green tea with a tiny bit of honey. We had bought stevia to sweeten it but it was so disgusting. We must not have got the good stuff because the aftertaste was just rank. Well after this tiny bit of honey I had a mini flareup the next day. I didnt think it could really be the honey so I shrugged it off. Then a few days later I tried more honey in a smoothie.... the next day I couldn't move my hands they were so bad. It is not common to be allergic (or intolerant) to honey but I am. I never ever would have guessed had it not been for this diet. I am so thankful we have done this and I hope I can encourage others to give it a try. You don't know what kind of ailment might be food related!!
And so far we have added back citrus, mushrooms, red meat, dairy (YES!!!!), chicken and we are working on pork right now. SO far none of these have caused reactions. I suspect I am intolerant to soy and perhaps wheat as well. I will update this as I found out more about my reactions to food.
Please if you live with pain give it a try! It won't hurt and heck it's only a month or two of your life. Once you start adding back foods you will never be so grateful in all your life for a big juciy steak and potatoe!
Pretty easy to remember but not the most creative name 
