diet and RA

[Guest guest]

I have type 2 diabetes as well as RA, so I try to eat a healthy diet

to control the diabetes. That means limiting carbs as much as

possible. I don't avoid any foods because of RA. My diet is restricted

enough by diabetes.

Sue

On Jun 27, 2010, at 12:14 PM, <ntrojo@...>

<ntrojo@...> wrote:

>

> I'd love to start a thread of conversation about diet and RA. My

> Rheumatologist doesn't put much store in dietary restrictions (maybe

> why I like him), and told me that in the early days of RA

> investigation, starvation was a recommended treatment! Well....I

> guess not to the point of death.

[Guest guest]

Well, right now " we " are doing nothing regarding my weight and food intake. I am

having trouble with my digestive tract and we're tryingto fix that first. I'm

roughly 100 pounds overweight but it seems I don't look that heavy- I was pretty

solid muscle before we started having children and I quit working so hard

outside. Anyway, I am allergic to yeast which is agony when I see a basket of

dinner rolls. I've found I have cravings for starchy foods but I keep a lid on

those cravings. The last thing I need is to pig out on starches which seem to go

right to my butt. My butt is already billboard size so I don't want to build an

addition on it. My blood sugar levels are pretty good at least.

I have an underlying problem of Irritable Bowel Syndrome but my GP and I are

wondering if it is becoming worse or if my body has added more problems. It

seems that no matter what I eat- no matter how bland and unspiced- that I will

get hideous sulfuric gas and nausea. Then everything goes south. Quickly. My GP

is thinking maybe Acid Reflux has set in. Personally I'm wondering if it is Acid

Reflux AND IBS.

In the last month I've lost nor gained weight. I am stuck at 270. In general I

have severely curtailed all breads, ketchup (I REALLY miss this), BBQ sauces, my

beloved pickles, all forms of lettuce, potatoes in all forms, pasta, tomatoes

and real cheese. Velveeta isn't real cheese. It's not imitation- it's FAKE!

Cutting these out of my diet for the last 3 months has not seemingly helped.

The one thing that made me, personally, feel physically better was when I was

eating much more meat- beef & pork and less fruits & vegetables. I would have 2

short glasses of fruit juice in the mornings and at meals I would take about 1

rounded tablespoon of a vegetable.

Today my Rheumy told me to stop the Arava (Leuflonomide) for 1 month to see if

that helps my " guts " . I'm betting it won't but we'll see. I miss my cubed steaks

and pork chops.

I think that everyone's body chemistry reacts differently to the foods we eat.

Mine is just as screwed up as the rest of me.

Dalanne

84 degree beautiful East Central Illinois

>

> Dalanne,

> I could see why starvation was a treatment because if you fast the symptoms

are really decreased. There must be some connection. I have cut out almost all

red meat, most pork and limit sugars and white flours, rice, etc. The less I eat

the better I feel, unfortunately noone convinced my appetite of that and I am

about 20 lbs overweight.

>                                    Amy

>

[Guest guest]

Dalanne,

Let me, for one, say that I feel your pain (literally). I have diverticulitis

and both RA and osteo arthritis. I enjoy cooking, and, as a Baptist pastor,

enjoy fellowship. However, since my 3rd back surgery and cancer surgery, my

weight went back up to 280 from 185, partially due to steroids prescribed and

injected by my doctors (almost died from them). Yesterday, I visited with my

rheumy and she said to get the South Beach diet book and stick with the

recommendations. I know the book is available on eBay and several book sites. I

cannot exercise due to my back, feet, and knees and issues from my cancer

surgery.

I have previously used the medifast system (modified a bit). I lost almost 130

pounds on it, but it is not for everyone! I will not go into it here, but

contact me via e-mail and I will discuss it with you.

Steve S in Arkansas

[Guest guest]

I FINALLY got an answer regarding the constant diarrhea that now has clocked in

at 6 weeks. More blood work and oh, get this....a stool sample! Egads! Talk

about gross! A week of culturing and an answer: an unpronounceable bacteria that

my Dr said " anyone else would not have had a problem with " that I got from

likely one lousy piece of not-cooked-to-proper-minimum-temperature chicken. She

put me on an antibiotic and said I should be unpronounceable-bacteria free

within the week.

So, yeah, my hubby probably brought it home in a sandwich or deli cooked chicken

in an effort to save me from cooking supper. Bless his heart.

So next week I can restart my RA meds and I don't have to worry about changing

my diet up again. The See-Food-Eat-Food game is on again!

Dalanne

>

>

>

> At least I found out part of my problem. My wonderful husband brought home a

gastro-something entretic? virus that I can't get rid of. My GP says the IBS is

just aggravating the whole situation. FAB-u-lous. I'm now off Arava for 1 month

and am now adding Fiber-choice, Gas-X and Prilosec-OTC for the next 1 month.

That's gonna make my going back to work interesting. We're beginning the

county-wide road oil- & -chip season and I'm the only female 10-wheeler driver for

any of the townships or the county so finding a cornfield every 2-3 hours next

week is gonna be entertaining. I used to take a short roll of toilet paper with

me. Guess I need a 6-pack now. If I don't need it maybe I can tp my boss's truck

after work.

>

> My GP doc suggested that my plateau of weight loss could be cracked by

restarting my modified Atkins unless I would like to tackle the South Beach.

I've never really looked at " diets " because I knew once they were " over " I'd put

the weight right back on. Atkins seems to have improved the way I eat and the

types of foods that my family ate. I guess it's not just a diet but a way of

life. I've not adjusted very gracefully to RA so why does my Dr expect me to

adjust to a new way of eating? It's just too much change too fast.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Dalanne.  I am glad you found out what was making you so sick.  I hope you

are now on the road to a complete recovery.  Take care of yourself.

 

Hugs,

 

Barbara

From: Dalanne <tombstone1968@...>

Subject: [ ] Re: diet and RA

Date: Tuesday, July 13, 2010, 7:05 PM

 

I FINALLY got an answer regarding the constant diarrhea that now has clocked in

at 6 weeks. More blood work and oh, get this....a stool sample! Egads! Talk

about gross! A week of culturing and an answer: an unpronounceable bacteria that

my Dr said " anyone else would not have had a problem with " that I got from

likely one lousy piece of not-cooked-to-proper-minimum-temperature chicken. She

put me on an antibiotic and said I should be unpronounceable-bacteria free

within the week.

So, yeah, my hubby probably brought it home in a sandwich or deli cooked chicken

in an effort to save me from cooking supper. Bless his heart.

So next week I can restart my RA meds and I don't have to worry about changing

my diet up again. The See-Food-Eat-Food game is on again!

Dalanne

>

>

>

> At least I found out part of my problem. My wonderful husband brought home a

gastro-something entretic? virus that I can't get rid of. My GP says the IBS is

just aggravating the whole situation. FAB-u-lous. I'm now off Arava for 1 month

and am now adding Fiber-choice, Gas-X and Prilosec-OTC for the next 1 month.

That's gonna make my going back to work interesting. We're beginning the

county-wide road oil- & -chip season and I'm the only female 10-wheeler driver for

any of the townships or the county so finding a cornfield every 2-3 hours next

week is gonna be entertaining. I used to take a short roll of toilet paper with

me. Guess I need a 6-pack now. If I don't need it maybe I can tp my boss's truck

after work.

>

> My GP doc suggested that my plateau of weight loss could be cracked by

restarting my modified Atkins unless I would like to tackle the South Beach.

I've never really looked at " diets " because I knew once they were " over " I'd put

the weight right back on. Atkins seems to have improved the way I eat and the

types of foods that my family ate. I guess it's not just a diet but a way of

life. I've not adjusted very gracefully to RA so why does my Dr expect me to

adjust to a new way of eating? It's just too much change too fast.

>