Fibromyalgia and Fat - Tomi's story page 2

[jammies]

Congrats on your success with treating your FM....amazing progress on a very, very tough disease!! And congrats of the weight loss - don't worry about the speed. I never lost more than 6 lbs a month. Slow and steady is the way to go

How are your muscle pains with the statins now? You may want to consider adding a CoQ10 supplement as it can sometimes stop the muscle pain from statins. Also, you could post your cholesterol labs on the forum (with the LDL, HDL, Trig breakdown). There is a lot of controversy about using statins in people who have never had a heart attack particularly in women. If your ratios look good you MAY want to consider a change. But if you are happy with them, then just ignore what I said!!

[tomi]

I like "firsts". I enjoy reading people's stories, especially when things hit home.. With you it's the fibromyalgia, as I was diagnosed years ago. Mine was under-treated thyroid disease and resolved with optimal treatment.

Also, I live in the Pacific NW too.

I've wondered if mine has to do with thyroid also. I was tested many times over the years, and was always just on the low side. Once was actually in the low and was treated for a month or so. I just started taking Kelp capsules with the hope of them giving my thyroid a little boost! Glad to hear you have found your problem and are able to keep it in check.

Isn't it a beautiful day in the Pac NW today? Spring is MY time of year!!!!! Moderate temps, and the bursting colors just make my heart sing!

Have a wonderful day!

[tomi]

Congrats on your success with treating your FM....amazing progress on a very, very tough disease!! And congrats of the weight loss - don't worry about the speed. I never lost more than 6 lbs a month. Slow and steady is the way to go

How are your muscle pains with the statins now? You may want to consider adding a CoQ10 supplement as it can sometimes stop the muscle pain from statins. Also, you could post your cholesterol labs on the forum (with the LDL, HDL, Trig breakdown). There is a lot of controversy about using statins in people who have never had a heart attack particularly in women. If your ratios look good you MAY want to consider a change. But if you are happy with them, then just ignore what I said!!

Hey! I quit taking the statins after 10 days and horrible pain from head to toe. My doc wants me to come in and talk about alternatives to statins. But I'm gonna hold off until my already scheduled appt in June. I'm hope my numbers will come down a bit by then and she won't be so quick to want to put me on meds. I have one of those livers that just doesn't know when to stop churning out the cholesterol - been on statins since I was 30, and was thin and fit at that.

Can you tell me what it means "using low lectin/nightshade free primal...." I've never understood what nightshades are. I'm thinking eggplant. Thanks.

[tomi]

I'm so psyched today! My hubby told me last night he's finally ready to sell the ski boat and graduate to a more "relaxed" form of summer fun! So, we're looking at getting a boat that we can actually spend some time on this summer - not just a toy to entertain the kids with. They are grown now and its time for us to have something that is better suited to our needs. I'm going to LOVE having a boat with a place to sleep, cook and potty! Thats my kind of summer fun! We're even talking about getting a couple kayaks!

I feel so good today! Eating right - staying on the 80x3 and sleeping great! Ear plugs block out hubby's snoring - and the sleepy time herbs help me stay asleep most of the night. I'm feeling great. The weather is turning towards spring finally and my yard is all blooming! This morning I went out and did some maintenance on the fish pond - this summer it will look the best it ever has cuz I have the ENERGY to take care of it! I'm dying to get to the nursery and bring home some more color for the yard too!

This weekend we will pour the concrete for the pergola posts! The last of the major yard projects will be finished and we can sit back on the warm summer nights and enjoy! Life is good..............

[jenn26point2]

Here is the breakdown on nightshades.

WHFoods: What are nightshades and in which foods are they found?

I read your journal but b/c I don't have fibormyalgia or know enough about it, I don't comment. I just read. I did share the journal with my mother-in-law who has fibro, but I don't know if she's looked at it. Things I say to her, suggest to her, or things I find and share with her seem to go in one ear and out the other b/c I'm not a "doctor" therefore I can't have any knowledge... Nevermind the fact that I read constantly... But, that's neither here nor there...

I do read your journal and I'm glad things are going so well for you! I would LOVE to learn to kayak! You're going to have so much fun this summer!

[marcadav]

I've wondered if mine has to do with thyroid also. I was tested many times over the years, and was always just on the low side. Once was actually in the low and was treated for a month or so. I just started taking Kelp capsules with the hope of them giving my thyroid a little boost! Glad to hear you have found your problem and are able to keep it in check.

Isn't it a beautiful day in the Pac NW today? Spring is MY time of year!!!!! Moderate temps, and the bursting colors just make my heart sing!

Have a wonderful day!

If you were being treated for thyroid disease why did you stop?

While we've had sun breaks today it's not so beautiful right now.. Clouds are darkening, wind is blowing, looks like rain. I'm in the Salem area, BTW.

[KimT]

Tomi, great to read you're having such success with the fibro! I was diagnosed over 12 years ago after years of pain, fatigue, migraines, and just overall health issues. I was informed 2 years ago by a doc I met in CA that it was treatable. He suggested basically paleo and I found my way here.
I don't post often and I haven't been on the forum for months. My husband and I moved from PA to CA a month ago, so life has been extremely crazy, so the food has been awful for months and the pain has returned, but not quite as severe as I used to have. At my highest I was 230 then I got down to a low of 175, but didn't maintain that long and I leveled off around 185. The weight has slowly started to creep back up with all the stress and chaos and I'm probably around 205 or so. I just haven't found the motivation to be strict with all the other changes in life right now.
I appreciate reading your journal and hope to have more time to stop by now that things are settling down. I do find that nightshades are a trigger for me, especially tomatoes. I just wanted to stop by and introduce myself as a fellow sufferer. Keep up the good work!

[jenn26point2]

pain, fatigue, migraines...

...I do find that nightshades are a trigger for me, especially tomatoes.

My mother-in-law had the same symptoms as you. The migraines are what sent her to doctors looking for answers. She always thought they were sinus infections b/c that's what the doctors always said. She noticed certain foods caused the migraines - alcohol, salsa being two things I can think of right off the top of my head. She cut those items out and the headaches remained - body aches started. Finally, she found a doctor that thought fibro and did his testing. She's not pain free yet and I think a lot of it is b/c she's still eating processed food or ordering take out all the time. Trying to convince her that paleo/primal is the way to go, but she's not looking at that yet. She's concentrating on yoga and tai chi and massage therapy, sleep therapy, and supplementation (D3, soy protein <-- yuck!!), pot brownies (last I heard anyway). Not sure if she'll pick up on diet as a cure or not. We don't talk about it anymore. Whenever I make a suggestion or ask questions, I feel like I'm being ignored or the discussion is being avoided...

I hope now that things are settling down from your move, you'll be getting back into a routine of paleo/primal eating. I hope you feel better soon. What a move! All the way across the country!

[tomi]

@jenn26point2 --- thanks for the link on the nightshades I read the entire article. Interesting read - as I do have quite a sensitivity to tomatos and peppers. Everytime I eat tomatos I end up having some very uncomfortable GI problems. The peppers just cause a lot of burping. I had all meat chili for dinner last night - and was having some minor fibromyalgia pains at bedtime. Not horrible, but enough to get me out of bed to take some Tylenol. Then this morning I was having issues with diarrhea. Could very likely be the tomates and peppers in the chili. I'm going to avoid both for the next couple weeks and see what happens. Thanks! Please tell your MIL that I would be very happy to tell her what changing my diet has done for me. Two years ago I was applying for disability --- today, I'm doing great! If you think it will help I will give you my email address and you can see if she would like to hear more. My sister also has fibromyalgia, and she isn't at all intersted in hearing about how I've overcome it. She is extremely obese (400 is my guess) - and diabetic. She says she can't do this diet because of her diabetes. Food is her crutch. She is getting so bad and is so big she can barely walk. Yet she won't consider changing her diet to see if this will help her. Its makes me so frustrated! But, the choice is hers. All I can do is offer the information.

@marcadav --- I was treated with Synthroid for a month and my labs came back good, but she didn't continue the meds. Never was sure why and was so fed up with doctors at that point I just let it slide. I will be having some blood work done in June and will ask for a full thyroid panel to be a part of it. The doctor never said it was thyroid disease, just below normal. SO We're neighbors huh? Wasn't the weather strange yesterday? We managed to get in a short bike ride in the evening - but it was COLD! The weekend is supposed to be good - we're planning to do some concrete work so we're praying it holds up! Thanks for the note!

@KimT --- First, let me encourage you to get back to eating healthy. Everything in life will be easier without the pain and fatigue related to the fibro. Having energy and feeling so much better keeps me away from the foods that I know will cause me harm. I see those foods as poison to my body. Making such a major change in your life - as this move to CA - is difficult all by itself, so please take yourself during this transition time and I promise everything will be much easier. Get your diet back in shape - and make sure you are doing some daily movement - walking or stretching or yoga - whatever you do that makes your body feel best. I know its a struggle to add one more thing when it feels like everything is so out of control.......... but your diet is the one thing you have absolute control over, in the midst of the storm. Please write and tell me that you are going to take care of yourself. I will be waiting to hear.......... As for the weight - eating right will help it come down again. You're living in CA!! the best place in the country to be active and outside and enjoying all the beautiful sunshine! I'm in OR --- and I have CA envy! Get on your bike and ride to your hearts content! Or go walk on the beach - oh, assuming your on the coast. Or go climb a mountain! You can do it, girl!

I have a date with the leaf blower! Have a great day everyone!

[tomi]

I've made it out for 2 bike rides this week, and I've done some yardwork too. Today I packed around the backpack leafblower - then mowed up all the leaves! I guess that might count for "lifting heavy things". This weekend will be a lot of heavy lifting too - with 30 bags of concrete to mix and pour. But we're cheating and renting a mixer. I can't wait to get this pergola done - get a new firepit (or build one from scratch as my husband wants to do!) and then bring out all our lawn furniture and start enjoying the backyard again! We've been under construction for 2 years! I've missed our quiet evenings under the stars. Instead we've been spending way too much time in front of that big dumb TV! I admire people who don't have one. Last we sold the giant hot tub - and now we are wanting to get a little 2 man face to face model.

I'm not feeling real great today -- GI issues - maybe from the no bean chili. Then I ate too much chicken for lunch so I'm feeling full and sluggish! But I hadn't eaten breakfast and was feeling pretty famished after a 17 hour fast. But now I've used up my 80 grams of protein for the day. Dinner will be sweet potato w/butter and steamed veggies with some kind of dressing.

I'm trying to stay withing the 80 grams of everything - so far I've gone a little over on the protein one day, and the carbs on another, but that was last week. This week is going great! I just hope the scales show me I'm doing the right thing. I need to see a smaller number on the 25th. I need my pants to start fitting loser!!!

Even if nothing changes - I know I'm eating really healthy and I'm feeling terrific! I'm not having any rum and diet coke! Thats a really healthy choice! and I'm proud of it.

Okay - I need to get off this dumb computer and go take care of the rest of my chores. Happy day everyone!