Discussion Board

Yes, thank you very much for writing about it all. I went back and have read the last 2 pages of your journal and have gotten inspired. In recent days I am becoming aware, painfully, that gluten just may not be my friend. I loathe the thought of living without eating a slice of bread or whatever again. I know theres gluten free bread, but they are not the same.

I took a lot to heart about what you wrote about your fast. While technically I could do one, fasting isnt for me. Im around food all day long with 3 little ones and now that my husband is working again, my work load just increased 10 fold. So resting isnt much of an option. I know its taboo and not what you did, but Im doing a smoothie fast to remove as much from diet as possible and let myself heal. I read about juice fasts, not my thing either. I made a list of my ailments Ive been mostly ignoring for too long. That and the fact I have a small nickle sized flare of my hand that wont heal is scaring the doo doo out of me. I look back at the pics from so long ago and feel my hands ache from the memory.

Anyway, now that I hijacked your thread, I just wanted to say thank you for being so honest and helping to inspires so many of us here .

Hey Debbie! Thanks for the kind words

I am lucky that I can water fast at the moment and am taking full advantage of it. Juice fasts aren't my thing either, and they don't do the same kind of healing as pure water anyway, so I am not too gung-ho to do one.

You know, I used to feel the same way about bread, but after not having any for more than a year, I relaly don't miss it except occasionally.

Hi Nicole:

Real interesting and thought provoking posts..ty

I don't know if this might work for you, but the boredom with food on the Mary's Mini - where you eat the same three meals for 12 days - sure has addressed my overindulgence tendencies.

I am using a sweet potato as a base starch. I love them and I worried that I would never get my fill of them. Well, ain't necessarily so - now if I get a faint wistful feeling that maybe I want more - - it goes away -- as more is just another sweet potato.

Now, I don't even think of more food and I am stopping earlier and having more leftovers for the next day. Mary says keeping it really simple and boring is key to this diet - using the chronometer I find I am eating 200 calories less a day and feeling just as full for some reason as on regular MWL.

Another thing is -- with my sleep disorders I am really attuned to the fact that a night of not good sleep -- makes me ravenous!!! I don't know why precisely, but it really is true. Usually, that would be off of someone's radar, but people suffering pain disorders typically aren't getting relaxing, healing sleep like the rest. Could this be contributing to these uncontrollable hunger feelings you're experiencing too?

Hi Michelle! thanks for stopping by and for the ideas.

Yes, lack of sleep really makes me ravenous - I think I read somewhere that it messes with the hunger/full hormone signals (Grhelin? Leptin? Lectin? something like that I'll have to look it up)


Glad Mary's Mini is working out for you These folks know their stuff!

For me, since I am trying to eat diversely to avoid creating a new food sensitivity(because I have been on the elimination diet for so long) I am not in a place right now to do MM.

But really, the overeating thing for me is about looking to identify my real, physical hungry/full signals, and not eating mindlessly. Most of what I am grappling with is emotional/stress/boredom/habitual eating. I definitely eat for comfort, when I need to eat for health.

My ultimate goal for this "finding true hunger" is to avoid overtaxing my digestive system, so it and all the little immune guys living and working inside and out of it can do their jobs better.

Hi Nicole!
Robin emailed me with your link, and said you thought I might remember you. OF COURSE I DO!!!

{Hugs}

My story hasn't changed much since that first post. After a full year of trying everything, I'm no different than I was after the first 12 days. Can't imagine why I haven't responded to anything. Even on the full elimination diet... no change.

I still believe in the diet, and am doing my best to stay enthusiastic about following it. But even on my Enbrel, I'm still in a lot of pain. When my insurance changed, I went 3 months without it, and I was in trouble. The fingers on my right hand began to disform and lock up. I never had issues with my right hand before, and as an artist, that freaked me right out.

I've been back on the Enbrel for 4 weeks now, and it's much better.

I just emailed Dr. McDougall again. Maybe he will have some hope for me

Thank you for caring my friend.
Now... I need to catch up on all your posts! Hope you're doing great!!!

~Linda

Oh - I completely get it that you need a diverse diet after the elimination diet! I can remember which of the " 'ins " cause us to go ravenous, when terribly tired or in pain for that matter! I guess that is another one of those things that is in the original design that works against us now.

HI Linda!!!Although I am not happy to hear that things have not changed, I am glad to hear an update on how you are doing. Thanks for letting me know {{HUGS}}

I heard in the other thread Robin started about ya that you are working with the good Dr McD - I am praying hard that this will help you more than it has already. Did you ever read Katydid"s Journal? She has been doing this for years and is only just now getting to the root of her inflammation issues - most of that part is on Page 9 of the journal.

Speaking of being an artist, I just used my magic google search powers and found your art, LindaPinda! I love it - clearly it is not only a source of income for you, but also your calling. Nothing should ever be allowed to get in the way of it! Glad the Enbrel helped a lot with your right hand.

Michelle, yes our original design really does a number on us, now. Or we do on it. Or...whatever...just watch out for those mountain lions We have coyote packs out here, too. Ah, California wild livin'

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What's new? Been away awhile and that always means things have been good. Did discover a few new things that are relevant.
Thanks to lmggallagher, aka Michelle I added barometric pressure to my daily symptom chart, and lo and behold! My discomfort increases when the pressure is dropping or low, and dissipates when it is rising or high.

Although, important clarification, I have gotten to the point where my symptoms are rarely actual pain, but I get the threat of pain, some itchiness/slight burning around the joints and where the psoriatic patches used to be, and fatigue when the disease acts up. A great improvement.

Pretty much the only time I get actual pain is right before I get my period, and even then not too bad. Possibly this is due to the rise of prostaglandin-2 that accompanies the period, or because of a slight hormonal imbalance such as lowish progesterone/relatively high estrogen, which would correlate with other symptoms I get as PMS. who knows? I'll just keep on charting, observing and researching.

I am considering taking TC Cambells online nutrition course, Dr Fuhrmans nutritional counselor course, and the Engine 2 Diet food coach course so I can begin to really share what I have learned with others - others who want to hear it, that is!

I got the idea one day after I saw my husband's eyes glaze over (yet again) as I (yet again) began a long-winded speech about the benefits of plant based eating. And he eats this way, he is totally convinced, but is not that interested in the science behind it.

So for now, I am investigating the courses and their costs to decide which one to take, and looking into opportunities to earn some money from it as well, since I really need to justify the expense.

I know Whole Foods hires nutritional educators for their Health Starts Here program, and I am sure nobody would be surprised to hear that there are oodles of private food coaches here in Los Angeles. Perhaps I will join their ranks. We shall see.

Additional plus side? If I earn any money from it, I can deduct things like ordering or going to the ASW! Gotta network, right? )

Can you explain how/where to read the barometric pressure? I used to try to record this but I never could really understand it so I don't any more. I absolutely know that weather or barometer affects my pain but that's all I know. I can usually call my sister a few towns away on any "rain coming" day and she has the same increased pain.

For example, today I can look at the msn home page, go to my town for weather, and see "Barometer 29.8 inch." But it doesn't say rising or falling. Before i gave up recording, the numbers didn't seem to change much - it was always like 29 or 30 and I couldn't see the difference/patterns over the days.

Sure, Leslie!

I just go to weather underground, type in my zip and expand the "current data" tab. It has the pressure # (top of the list under current data)but also a little line next to it that indicates what direction(s) it is going.


for example:


http://www.wunderground.com/US/CA/Los_Angeles.html

Sometimes there is an arrow pointing up or down next to it - I take that to mean the pressure is rising (up arrow) or falling (down arrow).

On the weather underground site - also see if it has a select a station button on the page. Click that if it's there and then you can check the map for the one closest to you. I found in my little berg there are 3 stations close to me and they are really variable. Definitely the one closest to you - will have the most accurate barometeric pressure readings. But I think we are all pretty good at reading this all on our own - not like that is a silver lining or anything!

Thanks, I didn't know about that site. Found my station. I'll have to see if it changes a lot throughout the day I guess? Anyway, I'm interested to see how much it changes because I haven't had a "good joint day" in about 2 weeks.

Remember, too, Leslie, that AI pain can be caused by many factors, which of course makes it maddeningly difficult to pinpoint the ones, if any, that are causing the pain at any given moment.

It's been awhile since I posted anything informative, but things have been crazy here.

Some interesting things:

Inspiration for not giving up and the power of self transformation!

More inspiration from one of my yoga instructors back when I lived in NY. Tao is just wonderful.

And this article about the link between doing yoga and feeling better if you have psoriatic arthritis.

I bet the same applies to the Pete Egoscue exercises, too, and I bet it applies to more than psoriatic arthritis.

Happy Wednesday, all!

Bumped into Dr Matt Lederman at WF's today, and was a total fangirl.

Went right up to him and said I saw him in FOK, and congratulations and thanks and all that.

It was kind of rude of me, in retrospect, and he definitely looked a little thrown by the whole situation, which I completely understand, although he was totally polite.

I wonder if he gets "recognized" much!

For anyone who has not read the thread "The Importance of Evidence,"
I highly recommend it, and also this resource for helping to make educated and informed decisions for taking your health, treatment and decision making into your own hands.