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New Member with Rheumatoid Arthritis


DeAnnaB

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I guess we are supposed to introduce ourselves. My name is DeAnna, I am 42 (almost 43) and was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis a year and a half ago. I am under treatment with several RA drugs, but have been having a huge flare since just after Mother's Day. A loving cousin of mine heard about my situation and sent me It Starts With Food. She and her husband have been living the life for a while and are doing great. So I started my new lifestyle (I refuse to call it a diet as that is so negative) last Fri. I have not seen any benefits yet, this is only the day 5, but food does seem to actually taste better than before. I was already an insomniac due to my RA pain, so I don't know if that is any different, and same with fatigue and "brain fog". BUT....I am very optimistic, I have discussed this with my primary doctor and he gave me the go ahead....after all, you are asking me to eat fresh meat, fruits and veggies...not some weird fungus grown only on a remote island in the South Pacific. It is totally reasonable. And I am glad you put in the part in the book about how there is no cheating, this is not hard, we are responsible for what we put in our mouths...your right, this is not hard....living with chronic pain all day is hard....and I want to get better in a non-pharmaceutical way, if possible.  Anyhow, that is me in a nutshell. Looking forward to going through this journey with you.

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Hi DeAnnaB!  Fellow RA'er here!  I was diagnosed with RA about 11 years ago (I just turned 41) and have been on several different meds.  Unfortunately, they all seem sto stop working at some point so on to the next one!  :angry:  After years of seeing articles on how gluten-free diets helps reduce inflammation, countless flare-ups, and a total knee replacement with another on the way, I finally decided to give it a go when I discovered Whole30.

 

I did my first Whole30 through the month of April and I guess it was around day 8 or 9 that the knee pain I had in my left knee went away.  That's after at least 6 months of constant pain.  That was motivation enough fo rme to stick with it!  Aftter my W30 ended, I decided to stick with the Paleo lifestyle for the most part with a few Whole30's thrown in every now and then.  Well, I became a little more lax with my eating and drinking and the knee pain is back!  Plus a few other flare-ups.  Give it time and you will hopefully feel the difference eating like this can make with your RA.

 

I logged my adventure so I could track changes I was going through and foods I was eating to see how what I put in my body was affecting me.  I am on my second Whole30 (well, Whole24 to lead up to 4th of July) with the Autoimmunune Protocol for the first 10 days to see if eggs, dairy, and nightshades affect the RA negatively.

 

Glad to see you here!  If you have any questions or need a buddy, let me know!

 

BTW, have you heard of the Spoon Theory?  Being somewhat new to RA, it's a great way to look at RA and explain it to others.  http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/wpress/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

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Just wanted to say I'm sorry you are in pain.  I love that you are trying to heal/reduce inflammation without meds and wish you all the best. That line about it not being hard, beating cancer is hard, etc. is what drew me to this place also, though I've not read the book yet, I happened to stumble on the website last weekend.  Anyway, again--good luck!!!!   

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So glad to see your post, DeAnnaB. I was diagnosed with RA a year ago in May and was put on so many different kinds of meds to find something that worked that I had allergic reactions to them. I had a lot of really bad flare ups during those first few months too. Anyway, the doc took me off everything so I could get better after the allergic reactions, and at the same time, someone suggested the Whole30 so I started one in October 2012. I didn't make it a full month, but I will tell you I felt completely better just in the 18 days I stuck with it. I felt so great, my rheumatologist didn't put me on anything else. I'm not saying to go off your meds or that you'll even be able to, but for me, the change in how my body felt was pretty dramatic, just because I changed what I ate. Since then, I've loosely following Paleo/Whole9 but haven't been too committed. I had some joint pain start coming back and have started up another Whole30 to get back on track, and hopefully, stay on track. One of the greatest comforts to me during my first attempt at a Whole30 (and my current attempt) is to know that I am not alone.

 

Best to you and I hope you start to feel better soon!

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Best of luck, Deanna.

My daughter was diagnosed w/ Lyme disease last November- her joint pain got really bad by the time we finally got a definite diagnosis. She was in pain all the time,healthy otherwise.

I know RA and Lyme are separate diseases, with some similar symptoms. She was on antibiotics for 6 weeks, with no relief. She started eating  about 90% paleo in March, and did a Whole30 with me in May and feels completely better ! Between the gradual improvement in her food choices (partially paleo starting in January, then full whole30 in may) and the sun and warm weather, she feels fantastic, with no pain. Granted, she's only 16 and is totally healthy otherwise, but we both attribute her relief to the great food and healthy doses of sunshine she has gotten. She is planning to continue eating this way, with only planned off- plan treats now and again. She also hopes to continue spending more time outdoors once the colder weather starts up again. Hopefully, her joint symptoms will not reappear.

I hope this great way of eating will help you feel better !! Be patient with it, and enjoy the process !!!

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