Slow but steady

Things are going awesome.  I am taking this nice and slow and probably taking too much time adding food, but it feels comfortable and safe.

To add to my base list, I've got blueberries and eggs.  I am actually quite content with my list although I do need to add more fiber.

Before this diet journey, I was constantly online researching, reading tons of "health" books and I ended up coming across lots of products, of which some I purchased... I'm a total sucker for buying any product that has a claim to make you healthier.  My husband laughs at me when I go to the health food store for fun.   In once case I bought some healthy bars which are wheat and gluten free, dairy free and only contain healthy natural ingredients.  I won't name names...   By the time I paid for the bars and the shipping, they ended up being close to $5 per bar...and they didn't taste good at all.  I've now found "larabar" and I love them.  They are made with only natural ingredients, they have a ton of flavors and while I have only tried a few (that fit in my current diet)  they are yummy!!   And the best part, they are only $1.99 and you can get them at Loblaws!  Nice!

In my near future to try... goat cheese & quinoa !  Wow, my life is exciting!

Normal feels good

Not much to report other than still feeling great.  I am adding foods at a slow pace to make sure I don't have an un-identifiable flare up like last time. 

Someone else with RA is starting this process today!  I am super excited to see how she does and if it helps her!!  Goodluck Moe!

Feeling fine...

Still feeling terrific (minus getting my period)  Boy did that ever hit hard today.  It dawned on me that I've been doped up for the past 3 years on an anti-inflammatories...I guess they've made my periods a lot better.  Oh well, a day or two of feeling crappy is worlds better than being drugged up!!

I'm still keeping it simple with my eating.  Really trying to do this properly although I would love to dive into a large cheese pizza. 

My safe food list is sweet potato (I actually am so sick of these that I may never eat one again) carrots, peaches, chicken, celery, nuts, and I blended a few berries yesterday so I think they're ok too.   I must say that I'm doing well- feeling satisfied and while I tease about craving a pizza, I truly am ok.  Way better than I thought I would be.  See, I love food.  Good food, bad food, fast food, mom's home cooking.  Lots of food.  I thought this would have been harder for me but I'm doing just fine.  I have a bbq Sat to go to and I'm sure there'll be lots of treats so that will be a good test.  I know I won't cheat myself though- I've come too far and I feel too damn good!!

My hands and feet feel awesome.  I can actually lift a dumbell in the morning. 

I'm getting lots of posts & comments from others with RA.  I hope that if anyone out there reading gives the elimination diet a try they let me know! 

The Results are in!

What a day... woke up feeling great and full of energy...and excited for my food testing appointment!! 

It was so interesting.  They tested over 80 foods.  They used a machine/ technique called "biotron."  Here is what they found.

Foods that have zero benefit to me (can eat sparingly)
- whey
- mushrooms
- candida

Foods that I should avoid
- barley malt
- yogurt
- onion
- baker's yeast
- caffeinated tea

Foods that are BAD, that should be completely eliminated! (yikes!)
- COFFEE... OH NO
- BANANA...crap... I love these.  ** This was probably my big offender a few weeks ago!!
- SUGAR (of the refined form)  After I freaked out, she quickly ran and got some sugar alternatives which all tested ok (sucanat, stevia, honey, maple syrup)
- CORN  (not a biggie although this is found in a lot of foods!
- ICE CREAM (too bad...)
- SMOKED MEAT (no biggie, can't remember the last time I had this)
- CHOCOLATE (what the ......)
- COLA (don't drink it anyway)

So, there you have it!  Not as bad as I would have thought.  After my test, I met with a Naturopath doctor and we had a nice time chatting.  She thinks and supports the elimination diet that I'm on is great.  She would like me to stay away from the above mentioned foods and stay away from dairy & wheat for the time being.  I also spoke to her about some of my other concerns (leaky gut syndrome) and she gave me some high quality probiotics.  I have been reading that it is very common for people with RA to have leaky gut syndrome.  Sounds gross eh.  It's not really... here is the definition:

Leaky gut syndrome describes a condition of altered or damaged bowel lining, caused by toxins, poor diet, parasites, infection or medications, which has led to increased permeability of the gut wall to substances which normally remain isolated in the lumen, away from the body's internal circulatory or interstitial areas. NSAIDS such as aspirin are known to erode the gut lining and cause inflammation, other medications such as corticosteroids suppress immune function and disturb intestinal flora, and antibiotics indiscriminately kill bacteria causing bacterial flora disruptions in the small intestine.
It has been proposed that, when substances such as toxins, microbes, undigested food, waste or larger than normal macromolecules leak through an abnormally-permeable gut wall, they affect the body directly, while others postulate an immune reaction to these substances.

She also gave me some pharmaceutical grade fish oil. 

So, my plan is to keep chuggin along with my e-diet.  Avoid these bad foods and see what happens!  It's all so interesting!!

Tomorrow's a big day!!

I'm super excited to go to the Carp Eco Centre tomorrow to get food sensitivity testing!!  I'm not using this as a short cut to my elimination diet.  I am using it in parallel to help me figure out which foods I'm highly reactive to.   More information can't hurt right!?

As for my diet- still on peaches, sweet potato, carrots, chicken and had some nuts today. 

Hands and feet still feel GREAT.  Oh and I have a ton of ENERGY!!  I never thought I lacked energy or was fatigued but now that I'm feeling well- I realize that I was in a bit of a funk.  I feel awake in the morning.  I don't sneak naps anymore when my baby is sleeping ;)

Rainy Sunday, pain free though!

Today in Ottawa it is wet and cold!  A lot of people with RA associate rain with pain.  I was never fully sold on that as I seemed to have my worst days when the sun was shining.  None the less, today I still feel great!

I am starting to get pretty sick of carrots and sweet potatoes.  Thank god for chicken and peaches.  I'm going to get some fish too since my friend Kat keeps reminding me how good it can be!! 

I think I am making it worse on myself by baking today.  I made some  yummy muffins for my baby and a gluten free home made pizza!  I'm having a tough time but I have come this far, I'm not going to mess it up!! 

My hands and feet feel fantastic and I am full of energy!  Pizza crust is ready...gotta go...

No pain, no fatigue....

Waking up to feeling this good is like a drug!  When you have been in chronic pain for years- it's truly amazing to feel normal again.

Not only does RA cause extreme joint pain & stiffness, it causes fatigue and a general foggy feeling.  I feel mentally clear, happy as can be, and full of energy.  I'm normally positive and energetic- but not like this.  I suppose the true realisation that food definitely has a large part to do with my particular case of RA is part of it.  I will be able to avoid major drugs and take control of this disease through natural and truly healthy means.

Not sure if I ever shared this but the drugs that I've been on and the drugs that they want me to take have the potential to cause the following lovely side effects:  increased chance of osteoporosis, weight gain, liver and kidney problems, eye issues, an increased chance of contracting respiratory infections,  an increased chance of getting cancer!  Not to mention the stomach issues and ulcers.  The list goes on.  One of the drugs (methotrexate) is an actual chemotherapy drug.  Nice.  That's a bit scary to say the least......

As for my food- still on the basics- sweet potato, carrots, peaches and now that I'm feeling good- chicken as of yesterday.  That's what I'll be eating for the next 3 days and then I will add something new.  Nice and slow.

I'm back!

I woke up feeling great again!  Yippeeee!!  I knew the second I opened my eyes.  A few days back at the basic foods and I've cleared whatever it was that was causing my joint inflammation.  It's really great.

I was thinking that if it took many more days, I was going to have to give in a buy some fish.  Today I am trying chicken- plain jane style... nothing other than chicken and sea salt.  I will have that for the next 4 days and see.  I'm taking this round a little slower!!

Happy Friday.  Happy ME!

Learn to like fish?

Well it's Day 2 again for me and I'm struggling a little bit.  I just got back from Loblaws and I swear there were blocks of old cheddar calling my name! 

I've stuck to peaches, sweet potato and carrots (barf).  I better wake up feeling better tomorrow!

I just had a nice convo with my husband and it's nice to know he is fully supporting this experiment.  He suspects it's an allergy to eggs as he happened to notice that I consumed a carton in about 3 days. 

On another note, I made an appt to go get tested for food allergies.  I'm not stopping my elimination diet, I just figured that if I can find out if there are strong allergies to certain foods, I won't bother testing them and wasting my time.  I called a Naturopath Clinic and they were so friendly and talked to me for 15 min on the phone.  What a change from my other docs!  Here is the web-site.. it's very well done.
http://www.crnhc.com/index.html

Oh and if I wake up stiff again, I'm heading right to the drug store to buy some magnesium citrate to "clear" faster.  Joy.

All good thoughts!

Day 18 - A New Start!

Well, I've made a decision.  It's day 6 of my flare and despite my positivity and hope for it to be ending- it's not.  In fact, today is down right bad. 

I have consulted with my 2 mentors!  What I have decided is to go back to the true elimination diet...yes, the foods that I said I might not ever eat again!  But, I've made an error and I'm obviously eating something that is causing my inflammation.  I am back on peaches, sweet potato, carrots & celery.  At least until I clear the swelling. 

Apparently some of our favorite foods can likely be allergens!  For me that could be banana, berries, chicken or potato.  I think I was again naive in thinking that a fruit or veg couldn't possibly be bad for you or cause an allergic reaction.  It also dawned on me (after a post from Moe) that white potatoes are in the nightshade family and it's well known that nightshade foods are often associated with joint pain.  Oops.

So, here's to new beginnings.... again!! 

And I'm no longer going to number my days as the title of my posts.  I am realizing that this is going to be a long and tedious journey, it could take months or years!