Joint inflammation, eczema and digestive issues not resolving

[cleanrunner]

Hi there, I'm on Day 17. I have a few different problems that I was hoping would be resolved by now, but not only are they not resolved, they are somewhat worse

I've had digestive issues for years--My gallbladder was removed 9 years ago and I've been gluten free for 5. I tend toward constipation. Magnesium doesn't seem to make things move, more fibrous/raw veggies don't seem to help, etc. (I eat salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner!) The only thing seems to be related to water--as long as I get 90+ oz per day, I can usually stay relatively regular. Quinoa also seemed to help (prior to W30)--keeping things loose and regular. On W30, I was mostly passing small, somewhat hard stools each morning, until two days ago, when I had massive diarrhea (crazy unusual for me)--like pure water, and it smelled like fish. Yesterday, I had no stool (not surprised, as it emptied the previous day!) and today, back to small, somewhat hard. Not sure what could have caused this, and also not sure what could help my stools in the same way quinoa once did. I did try the Natural Calm supplement (about a teaspoon's worth per day) for a few days prior to the diarrhea episode--not sure if that's the culprit?

Related to digestion, prior to W30, I suspected a nightshade intolerance, as I got nasty sulpher-smelling gas with eggs and potatoes. That has been confirmed on W30--I ate a little bit of eggs & potatoes in the first week or so, and the reaction was ridiculous! Since stopping, my gas has calmed down, yay.

But I'm concerned about the fact that I'm still waking up each morning with puffy eyes and stiff finger joints. Reading up on the AIP in the last week, I've taken out nuts/seeds (I already knew I was allergic to walnuts, strawberries & pecans), but I'm not seeing any kind of improvement. I'm worried that these signs mean I'm not cutting down on the systemic inflammation and not healing my gut I also had a flare up of eczema on my lips last week. My stress level is definitely higher than normal, especially last week, as a lot is going on with work and then the stress of not being able to emotionally eat! Plus PMS.

I'm also back to getting leg cramps in the middle of the night. I've been adding salt to everything, but it doesn't seem to help.

I guess I'm just checking in to see if it's normal that these things haven't resolved, if there is anything else I can do to help my body heal, or what! Help?

[Tom Denham]

Stress and PMS alone can cause a lot of trouble. And you have had digestive problems for years, so it is going to take time for your issues to resolve. 

 

I am glad you have removed nuts and seeds. They cause lots of problems and most people would be better off without them. Even though it seems counter intuitive, you can eat too much salad. In fact raw veggies/salad can be irritating to the stomach. Try shifting to all cooked veggies. 

 

You need starchy veggies like sweet potatoes, winter squash, parsnips, rutabagas, plantains, pumpkin, yucca, etc. 

 

We recommend 1/2 ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. 

 

I recently learned that the form of magnesium in Natural Calm provoked diarrhea in me. I switched to magnesium aspartate capsules and really like my body's response. I am sleeping better and everything is better with sleep.