Is Fibromyalgia a reaction to food intolerances?

[Della]

Hello
This is my first post and just looking for opinions from others who may have tried elimination diets.
I've had Fibromyalgia for 20+ years and currently have chronic pain throughout my body. The only time I have been without pain in all those years, is when I went on an elimination diet last year. I tried the BBBE diet for 2 months and although very restrictive my pains went within a week, I gained so much energy, I started sleeping deeply and I lost a lot of weight. The BBBE is basically beef, bacon, butter & eggs & I drank water. I was never hungry and I felt great. It was admittedly a bit boring, hence why I fell off the diet after 2 months. I did learn a lot about the foods that trigger pains for example the first food I reintroduced was onions and this caused severe pain in wrists and hands. I thought it may have been coincidence so left it a few days before trying them again and the same pains returned.
Over time I give in to other foods and 8 months on, the pains are as bad as ever. I can't sleep for pain and seriously considering returning to an elimination diet.

Has anyone else had experience of elimination diets?

 

[JayCS]

Hi Della, and welcome!
I've needed to eliminate most foods constantly, down to ~50.
Part of my way pre-fibro was also many weeks with just 4 foods (one was cheese), I think that was for helicobacter pylori.
But it's never made any difference to my musculoskeletal pains, only GI and now histamine related (so minimal cheese).

Even traces of onions and everything onion-like - despite being healthy for some - causes GI havoc in me, but not joints.

I do think it worthwhile for everyone to try eliminating various foods groups and watch what happens.
But experience from the forums would make it seem that it's unusual to make a difference.
In your case tho it seems as if it were clear that it makes a lot of difference, so good you know that and can decide!

Many prefer the joy of the moment, keeping appetite up, and then suffering for hours.
My reactions are so strong & long (days) that instead I work on finding foods I enjoy enough to keep my appetite.

 

[sunkacola]

Hello @Della , and welcome to the forum.

Many people who try elimination diets find that certain foods exacerbate their pain and others do not, but it is rare for anyone to find a diet that actually eliminates pain. Since you have been fortunate enough to have found such a diet, I cannot help but wonder why you have not stayed with it. If I were so fortunate as you, to find a specific diet that allowed me to live without chronic pain, sleep well, and feel great, I would never vary from that diet again, no matter what it was, unless it was in some other way proven to be highly unhealthy for me.

 

[Auriel]

Hi Della, welcome to the forum
, yes 100% I've experienced aggravation from certain foods/drinks, my culprits are wheat/gluten products (both sweet+ savoury) caffeine (coffee/Coca-Cola and sodas containing sweetners) sometimes dairy? and alchohol, elimination makes a difference (but it doesn't make it go (unfortunately) ️️

 

[JamieMarc]

I am on a liberal low-carb diet, not to lose weight but for health benefits, and I find that it eliminates my discomfort. Let me emphasize it is does not eliminate my pain, just my abdominal discomforts, although I still suffer from constipation as I always have. Overall, it is a much healthier diet than your typical American diet of overly processed foods, additives, preservatives, food colorings, etc. It makes me feel good to do something for my health, and I am enjoying the experience of cooking, portioning and freezing my own meals.

 

[Auriel]

has it made any difference to your fibro @JamieMarc?

 

[JamieMarc]

I'd say it's too soon to tell @Auriel But I can confidently say it has made a big difference in my energy levels, my feelings of bloating or heaviness, and believe it or not how I feel about myself. I guess I could say, due to the higher energy, it does make a difference with my fibro since chronic fatigue is a part of my own personal fibromyalgia experience. I also feel less brain fog.

 

[Auriel]

@JamieMarc

 

[JamieMarc]

By the way, @Auriel I saw a rheumatologist yesterday for the first time. She takes a combination of Western medicine and holistic approaches in her work. Among other holistic therapies, one of the things she asked me was about my diet, specifically recommending that I avoid high carb foods, like sugars, pasta, rice etc. Just thought that was interesting and wanted to share with you.

 

[Auriel]

it does @JamieMarc (sooo wish our one's over here had all those things about them)

 

[SBee]

@JamieMarc @Auriel

I am certain a healthier diet can improve general wellbeing as well as in some cases direct help with specific symptoms.

In December I was referred to an NHS gp specialising in chronic pain and fatigue clinic in the UK as my own surgery suspected ME. ( after many elimination tests for other conditions)

She was very thorough in both her questioning and examination. Interestingly whilst discussing conventional pain relief and methods of helping chronic fatigue, she was mostly giving a lot of information regarding diet, and gave several web links to plant based diets as well as podcasts and books.
I have a pretty good diet, veggie for 35 years + but it could have done with some cleaning up. Her thoughts and suggestions echo my own anyway.
I feel this is unusual in previous NHS appts? Let's hope it's a new way forward.

I am no way dismissing conventional medications, that would be so irresponsible as they are essential for so many. I myself have to take some for the rest of my life. and will continue to take conventional medicines as I need too. But maybe a combination of conventional and a holistic approach can be beneficial? Seen as an addition to our health?

But I feel that maybe JamieMarc is seeing the new benefits both physically and in the awareness that he is doing an actual kindness to his body ( and mind) too.

 

[sunkacola]

maybe a combination of conventional and a holistic approach can be beneficial

SBee, I think you are right...........this is the way forward, in treating fibromyalgia as well as a great number of other things. To think that such complex issues as are presented with fibro could be effectively treated in every patient using only one of those approaches would be short sighted to say the least. I am glad to hear that you found a doctor who is taking such a balanced approach, and look forward to hearing more from you about how it is going.

My own preference, and what I think is best in most cases, is to utilize all of the non-medicine possibilities for treatment to their fullest effect, and reserve medications for those times (and individuals) where they are truly necessary. Some people simply cannot function at all without the daily use of medications, and others can get by with using them sparingly or only on rare occasions when other things are not working and the pain is too high. I fall into the latter category, myself, but feel fortunate that I don't have to take pain medication in order to survive as I know some people do.

The one thing I find the most unfortunate is when doctors tell a patient that pain medication is the only thing they can use to help themselves, and then they limit how much or what kind that person can get, leading to feelings of hopelessness for the patient, who has not been informed that they can find non-medication ways of helping themselves. I always want to encourage people to experiment and find out what things they can do for themselves that will help, as that can be very empowering. But if/when pain medication is truly needed, it shouldn't be seen as a failure or anything to be ashamed of.

 

[Auriel]

@SBee are you vegetarian then? (I've been 14 years) sometimes I've wondered if thing's were caused by my diet (but I doubt it cos I've not always been a veggie so) but yeah for sure my diet could do with a clean up too (thanks for the reminder )

 

[SBee]

Morning @Auriel

Yes have been vegetarian for 35+ years. Stopped all meat and fish overnight. Initially for moral reasons but I genuinely feel the health benefits. I did research before to get a well balanced diet. It mostly works.... I did go vegan many years back, but well. Cheese.
Never been keen on cows milk, but I use oat milk. The rise of veganism the last few years makes alternatives and labels on products much easier to help. Never been one for highly processed foods so cook from scratch.

Strangely when I had a 4 year bout of chronic fatigue about 30 years ago I became intolerant to alcohol and caffeine. I think it helps knowing what foods we as individuals find we are intolerant too and avoid them best we can?

And am no food angel... My diet can always afford some extra tweaking of I'm totally honest!

 

[Auriel]

My eyes are sooo blurry this morning @SBee I read your post oat milk as CAT MILK (that'd be sooo wierd ) yes mine definitely could do with tweaking too (my fibro pain's been sooo bad last few weeks so I've just been grabbing easy foods) ️ ️