Re: New with Fibromyalgia

[Guest guest]

Hi, blackdaisy!

We're glad you found us, though sorry you needed to.

The first thing I recommend is to pause, take a deep breath, let it out,

and Don't Panic!

What you have to do is have a logical, sequential plan of

action.

What I'm seeing in your message is that (like most of us) you want

healing, and you want it now, so you're throwing just about anything at

your problems that seems like it will work.

SCD is a wonderfully healing diet, but healing by food can take

time.

One thing to keep in mind with your fibromyalgia is that a consistent

exercise program is critical. I strongly recommend water therapy. (I do

it myself.) My orthopedist wrote me a prescription. I had a very good

therapist who taught me a series of about 20 exercises, and then turned

me lose to do them on my own recognizance. Believe me, I know if I don't

do my exercises faithfully each week! I summer of 2007, when we took a

two week vacation, I even arranged to use the YMCA wherever we stopped

for more than a night so that I did not miss my exercise.

Now, settle in and get ready to do SCD. You can worry about supplements

and herbs and things like that later.

You'll want to do the intro diet -- plain basic food -- for a few days to

clear all the grunge out of your system. Some people find chicken soup

and BTVC cheesecake and yogurt and such great for this. I did plain baked

meats, soft boiled eggs, and steamed zucchini. Other people have

different combinations of basic, easy to digest food.

Then you can start adding foods -- again, easy to digest foods, one at a

time, every 4-5 days. There's a Stages List on

www.pecanbread.com which can be helpful in terms of the order in

which to add foods.

This can be really frustrating because some people forge ahead with lots

of variety, and others end up stuck on the same-old same-old for months,

thinking they aren't seeing any healing, until it suddenly dawns on them

one day that they went to the grocery and didn't stop at the loo ten

times in two hours.

I can't stress enough the critical importance of keeping a food diary.

Note what you ate, when you ate it, and what the results were -- gut

issues, pain issues, stool issues, gas, WHATEVER. Sometimes it's the only

way you can track down what is being a problem.

Check every supplement and be certain it does not contain illegals. I

have recently had a lesson in minuscule illegals (fillers in my pain meds

after my cancer surgery) and their effects. I discovered that what I

thought was continuing pain from the surgery was gut cramps from the

illegals in the pain meds! I'm now off the pain meds (though I will

stress that if you need meds and they contain illegals, you should still

take them, which is what I did -- never go off any prescribed medication

without discussing it with your doctor or health care practitioner) and

feeling much better.

Just knowing the brand of a supplement is not enough. Check every

supplement -- and recheck regularly. If you are in doubt of whether

something is legal, post a link to the product and a list of the

ingredients, and the long term folks will be glad to help you. You'll be

amazed at how fast you will pick up what's permitted and what

isn't.

I strongly advise ditching the Coke. Elaine did say you could have ONE

diet drink per week. I found it was easier to go cold turkey. I drink

mostly water, unsweetened iced tea, hot tea, and legal fruit juices

diluted with legal carbonated water.

Be prepared for fanatical adherence. This is not a diet you can cheat on

and expect to get results.

SCD is hard, hard work -- but the results can be astounding.

Welcome aboard our boat! Grab an oar and start paddling! We're all headed

for that distant misty shore labeled " Full Health and

Recovery! "

—

Marilyn

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund