Fibromyalgia and diet

After twelve years of pain and random medications for everything from IBS to arthritis to migraines, I have finally been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I've been told for so long that there is nothing wrong with me, that all the tests are normal, that it's all in my head or I must be looking for pills - I was made to feel as if I was making it all up and I wasn't actually in pain everyday. It wasn't until the end of 2009 that I finally found a doctor who was sympathetic enough to take my pain seriously and we ran every test we could think of to find a solution. After all of those blood tests and MRI's came back normal, he started asking me other questions like 'How is your sleep?' and 'Are you depressed?' and 'Do these pressure points hurt when I touch them?'. Then he diagnosed me with fibromyalgia.

Honestly, living with this pain for so many years and not having anything to blame for it has been so incredibly frustrating that getting this diagnosis is a relief. It gives me a name for what is wrong with me and it makes the pain seem more legitimate. Of course, I also now feel as if I need to do something about it. I can't just ignore it and hope it goes away, because it will never go away. But I can learn to manage it and I am willing to try everything possible to lessen this chronic pain.

While my doctor is working on getting me to actually sleep through an entire night, I am working on my diet. I have done some research and learned that many people with fibromyalgia have strong reactions to certain foods and may do well to cut them out of their diet completely. I found a list of these foods on various websites and, if I was being perfectly honest with myself, I knew that I was having reactions to most of them. Some of them are already out of my diet because the reactions were quite strong (no tomatoes or artificial colors for this woman!), but others I just kind of tolerated because I like to cook and I love to eat. My last two hubs were about pancakes! I didn't want to give those up! But if giving up buttermilk pancakes is going to help me live without pain, then I am just going to have to suck it up and find other foods to cook.

I realize that not all of these foods are necessarily causing me problems, but I wanted to cut them all out for awhile to see if I noticed an improvement in my symptoms. It has been a month and I do feel more clear-headed and I'm not in as much pain, but my pain isn't gone completely. The difference is significant enough for me to keep up the diet changes though, so this will be an ongoing experiment. Some of these foods I may try to add back in later to see if anything changes, but most of them I know are out of my diet forever.

Foods to avoid according to WebMD

Aspartame - Artificial sweeteners are bad for you and you know it. Personally, I don't think anyone should consume this stuff, but that's just me. I obviously do not use it.

Food additives including MSG (monosodium glutamate) and nitrates - This includes all of those artificial colors, sweeteners, flavors, and preservatives. Nitrates are found in bacon, ham, and many lunch meats. Artificial colors and flavorings make me turn blue, so I haven't consumed those in a very long time.

Sugar, fructose, and simple carbohydrates - Your mileage may vary with this one. For example, I have noticed strong reactions to sugar, fruit juices, honey and agave, but next to nothing with maple syrup, coconut sugar and whole fruit. It may have more to do with the glycemic index and the resulting spike in blood sugar than anything else.

Caffeine - Caffeine causes spikes in your energy levels, just like sugar. Since many people with fibromyalgia have trouble sleeping, this may end up causing more problems in that area.

Yeast and gluten - Gluten is in many foods, so this is a tough one! It is getting easier to find gluten-free foods, but as someone who bakes for a living it is nearly impossible for me to avoid it. However, I once gave up wheat and sugar for two months and lost a dramatic amount of weight. I also felt amazingly clear-headed and energized, which should have been a clue. I have a theory about the wheat though, which I will probably write about at a later date.

Dairy - Dairy makes me tired and bloated. I knew this and I was still eating it. Why? It is now out of my diet.

Nightshade Plants: Tomatoes, chili and bell peppers, potatoes, and eggplant - Nightshade plants are known to increase inflammation and cause pain in people who are susceptible to it. I had already noticed that tomatoes made me very itchy and were causing rashes on my hands, but I honestly didn't think the other plants were a problem. Then I ate a white potato after three weeks without them and felt miserable for half the day, so potatoes are out of my diet. (Oddly, sweet potatoes are not in the same family and cause no problems at all.)

I love to cook. While I am sad that I cannot make some of my favorite foods, I am excited to have an excuse to look for new dishes to make! I have found some excellent blogs that focus on gluten-free and dairy-free foods and many of them also use natural sweeteners for their baked goods.  Here are a few of the best that I have tried this past month.

There are great resources out there if you are willing to put in the effort.  I have found some truly fantastic recipes that I probably never would have tried if I wasn't changing my diet.  It just takes a little ingenuity and a little bit of adventure to find some new foods that you will absolutely love.