So very sorry.... life exploded...

Girl Scout cookies came in and BAM my life exploded. I'm the leader for my daughter's troop. We ordered somewhere over 2000 boxes of cookies, so yah the last couple weeks have been a bit ummm, NUTS! And let me tell you what a great time I picked to go gluten free. I did finally cave after several days and ate a grand total of 4 cookies and yes you guessed it, major tummy problems, so obviously I am on the right track going gluten free.

On that note, I have noticed some improvement in my pain level. Huge improvement in energy level. And minor improvement in sleep. So perhaps, just perhaps I am on to something that might finally help. I have yet to notice improvement in the muscle pain associated with the fibromyalgia, but honestly I've dealt with that for so long I would probably not know what to do if it got better. Okay, but yah I would like to try it!

So I will continue with my gluten free (for the most part) eating. I hope to eventually go to mostly low low carb eating, limiting myself to only carbs found in fruits & veggies. And keeping any other carbs to a bare minimum. It's a slow process and I fully recognize that.

I will attempt to get back to updating this blog on a much more consistent basis.

Sarah

Gluten free... WHY?

Thought I would provide some insight as to why I am trying to go Gluten Free in my diet.

It's a big change for sure to not eat anything that has gluten in it, but you might be asking, why? You may also be like gluten? what is that? So here are some answers for you.

The 7 Basic Signs of Gluten Sensitivity -

* Digestive Issues
* Fatigue & Crankiness
* Dizziness
* Headaches
* Mood Issues
* Joint Swelling / Pain
* Eczema / Skin Rash

For me, I can honestly say I have all of those signs. All of them have been attributed to various things in the past. Fibromyalgia takes the blame most of the time.

I am not at all doubting the RA diagnosis, however I am wondering if a continual increase in my sensitivity to gluten isn't what has exacerbated all of these symptoms making the diagnosis more apparent?

I have no real "medical" answers. My Dr. is supportive of alternative therapy in that she says "well some people say it helps, can't hurt to try it". But that's about it. I like my Dr but I am so over just trying another drug, another drug and yet more drugs.

I don't see her for about 2 weeks so I'm hoping that by then I'll have some idea if going GF is going to make a difference for me.

Stay tuned, today is day 4 of GF and so far I'm doing pretty well with it.
Sarah

My research journey continued ... trial & error takes time ...

So there are a few things I will be trying in the next months to see if I can improve my pain, stiffness and fatigue myself vs. trying more medications. I'm just not much of a medications kind of person, especially since I'm seeing no results and feel like what's really happening is just masking the problems with more problems.

Here's what I have started -
Chiropractic care. Now, this is not necessarily new, I have used chiropractic care sporadically for years. However, what I am trying now is to use it regularly and to also talk to my chiropractor about my diet, supplements and other alternatives.
Chiropractors are much more than just "bone snappers." They really do have a vast amount of knowledge on alternative therapy. Your mileage may vary depending on whom you choose as a practitioner. But, i recommend trying it, it does seem to really help some of my pain, especially in my neck and hips.

More information about proper body alignment and health can be found here -
How Chiropractors Benefit Your Health (Via Fox News 2012)

Mayo Clinic Basics on Chiropractic Care

Another good explanation of Chiropractic Care (Alive has lots of information on natural health & wellness)

The other thing I am incorporating into my diet right now are essential fatty acids, in the form of Fish Oil Supplements. I talked briefly about this in another blog post. But here is some information on this supplement as well as a few other things that can naturally help your body fight joint pain & inflammation as well as boost your immune system.

Fish Oils (from Arthritis Research UK)

Omega-3 Fatty Acids (University of Maryland Article - talks about many diseases Omega-3's can help)

So that's where I am at right now. Chiropractic care & fish oil for now. Researching many more supplements, diet changes & lifestyle changes. So please stay tuned and SHARE this blog with anyone you think may benefit from this information, that's why I started it ;-)

Sarah

Chiropractic Care & Exercise for RA

I have found a lot of information out there about Chiropractic care and Rheumatoid Arthritis. As usual you will find some swear by it's help, others say it's no help. *shrug* I suppose it's best to say "your mileage may vary". I however and hopeful that this more natural approach to tackling my disease will work. I am already frustrated by the Dr. mentality of "throw some pills at it and see if it helps". I would much rather focus on range of motion, moderate exercise and nutritional changes & supplements.

What am I hoping regular chiropractic care will bring me? My goals are -
Improve my range of motion of my joints.
Have more flexibility & stamina to exercise without pain.
Greatly improve my muscle tone and my strength.

I am exploring nutritional supplements and diet changes as well.

At this point I have absolutely no exercise program. I am just too sore and in pain from everyday household activities to even consider extra exercise. But, I realize this is super important to get myself out of this flare. I'm already finding that "resting" my joints that hurt does not help, they just feel stiff and sore. No improvement comes from simply trying to not use them. Instead, I am finding that using them the best I can is helping keep them limber. For example, one might think knitting is a really bad idea for someone with pain & stiffness in their hands. I am finding the opposite. Short intervals of knitting (an hour or two max) seems to help me feel like my hands are less stiff. I experience no extra pain when I spend a short amount of time knitting.
The same I am finding true for sewing. The biggest complaints I have for pain related to sewing is the neck pain i have from the focused attention it requires. The ergonomics of my sewing area need to be addressed to help with the stiffness & pain i have in my back, shoulders and neck. It's for sure a work in progress.

My chiropractor is working hard with me on getting those shoulders & neck loosened up. I am even considering a special medical device to help my cervical spine, but more about that later.

For now I encourage you to do your own research. Find what's going to work for you. I will share more along the way.

Happy Sunday! Sarah

Alternative Treatments ..

Of course as with any other disease there is all kinds of information out there about alternative therapies that can help. I have yet to try anything but traditional medication therapies since I am still so new in this process. But, like any other modern woman, I'm always looking through websites, articles in magazines and books, that discuss treatments both traditional and non-traditional.
This particular article i found on Health.com talks about 10 alternative therapies. While most were standard things I'd heard before, exercise, physical therapy, etc. This talks about using a very common, readily available nutritional supplement.
FISH OIL

Fish oil can ease pain and inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Fish-oil capsules may, in fact, be as effective for relieving pain and inflammation as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (like ibuprofen and naproxen), according to Dr. Kolasinski. RA patients in the studies that found fish oil helpful took high doses, typically 4 grams a day or four standard fish-oil capsules. Most people consuming fish oil for overall health take one or two capsules daily. But there's no strong evidence that other dietary supplements or herbs, such as glucosamine or evening primrose oil, have any benefit in RA patients. “The herbals are really not where it’s at,” Dr. Kolasinski says. Also, be sure to tell your physician and pharmacist about any nonprescription remedies you use.

The original article is found here -
Health.com
Is there anyone that has any input on this from personal experience? Would love to hear about it, leave me a comment or message me.
Off to continue the organizing for the room moves ;-)
Happy Hump Day! Sarah