Pain reduced by removing aspertame from my diet

I am not one to buy into all the hype about products, I am a diabetic and I ate as sugar free as possible. My daughter read about aspertame poisoning and asked me to try to live without it for a couple of weeks to try her theory out. Her theory was I had Aspertame poisoning.

SO I stopped drinking my diet sodas and read labels found some gum and started drinking water and tea. I eat pretty healthy already but I also had surgery scheduled for a fusion and discectomy and I really wanted to feel better.

Since my surgery I have continued no aspertame my pain in my back is about a 2, I have undiagnosed right upper quadrant pain which is about a 6-7 that my doctor has no idea what could be causing it. I did notice when I was prepping for my surgery my insulin dosage was reduced that the pain level went down but as I recovered my dosage is back and my pain is higher. My trigger point pain is definately reduced. I am more active now since before the surgery I walk about a mile (with my walker) everyday.

Anyway the reason I wrote this is to perhaps help anyone who is sitting around feeling bad and drinking/eating diet drinks, to suggest you too might be helped by avoiding aspertame.

I also forgot to mention I had huge ugly sores on my arms which my Dr was sure was staph infection I had been on 2 different antibiotics but they have almost totally gone away.

I know this might not work for everybody but it worked for me and is still working, try it all you have to loose is pain.

I don't drink diet sodas, never have but I have told my parents for years that aspartame is poison. My Dad died of cancer alittle over a year ago and my mom has a heart condition, horrible arthritis pain and I beg her to stop drinking diet sodas. She is down to one little can per night but I will keep on her. MSG makes my pain worse, another synthetic additive.

Rose, please realize that the number of views can also be from people not registered as members or they might be from another forum or they might be lurkers.  I've posted things and have gotten no responses so that does happen sometimes.

 

Aspertame, aka NutraSweet, has been discussed many times.  There is no proof that there is a problem overall with it or it would be taken off the market by the FDA but I do feel some people are sensitive to it.  I'm diabetic and will use products with Splenda in it and don't have a problem.  But I don't use many of those products either.  Eating more natural is far better.  I, too, now drink water and tea.  Occasionally I'll have a Fresca that has Splenda in it. 

 

I'm glad you found one of the sources of your pain!  That'a great news.  It sounds like you are doing far better now...just in time for summer!  Yeah!

 

Sherrine

I have been in a bad mood lately so excuse me for sounding irritated. I wanted to share because in all of my Drs. Not one dr asked me if I drank diet soda they all however asked how much booze I drank. I drink very occasionally like a wine spritzer maybe two times a year. I wish all my pain went away but it didn't. I also stopped taking cymbalta and lyrica and my brain fog is less and brain zaps have finally stopped. The crap we put into our bodies to try to feel better amazes me I still take pain medication, but not 13 different pills every morning and another handful at lunch dinner and bedtime.

Rose, don't give it another thought!  I haven't been in the best of moods either.  Pain does that to you, you know.  But we are learning and learning what helps us and pass it along.  That's all we can do.

 

I'm glad you shared this because others have had problems with aspartame, too.  I think any chemical we put in our bodies is bad and have now leaned more towards the more natural products.  If you told me I would be doing that twenty years ago, I'd have laughed in your face. But I'm finding I'm getting as good results without all the side effects and that's a huge plus! 

 

I take a lot of pills but 90% of them are supplements.  My rheumy has us write down everything we take daily...prescriptions as well as supplements.  I'd have writer's cramp if I did that!     So I wrote it in Word and now print out a copy and take it with me.  There are 22 different things I take!  Yep, I rattle when I walk but I'm not dizzy, my fog is better, and I have more control.  I like that.

 

Sherrine

I am just reading this post for the first time now. I too have suspected aspertame for a long time. I was a Diet Coke junkie for many years, actually I think I was addicted to the stuff, having as much as six cans a day. I finally stopped drinking it completely about two years ago. I still drink diet soda, but only Diet Rite which has Splenda and I'm hoping that it is safe and doesn't cause issues and I limit myself to one or two a day. You simply don't know who or what to trust any more. I really dislike drinking plain water, I have tried and tried to force myself to drink it, or have it with lemon. I have found Vitamin Water Zero to be quite good and now I can't remember if it has Splenda or no sweeteners at all. Like you, Grandmaroses, I've often wondered about doctors not mentioning Aspertame, asking us how much of it we consume. Instead they keep throwing medications at us which also poison us. Just listen to the commercials for some of these medications and the possible side effects; it's enough to scare you half to death. I not only battle fibro, but also depression and anxiety and I'm fighting it without the use of antidepressants. I realize not everyone can do this and I'm NOT recommending that anyone try it. I do find when my pain levels are high and I am more depressed and anxious, that is when I have very little patience and often snap at people. It's not easy living with daily chronic pain.

Miriam

MT Lady .
I stopped all the artificial sweeteners including splenda I was sent a link about how it was discovered and ever since I just can not imagine how bad it must be. I will try to find the link but it had something to do with it was a surprise discovery researchers were looking for an alternative to rat poison and tada we now have splenda. Of course I probably have some of the facts wrong but in my head thats what I think of so I do not consume it.

I am drinking massive amounts of water, tea, and using lemon,. other fruits to give a little taste tweek. I use cane sugar but very very little and natural raw honey. I do miss having a soft drink but I do not miss all the brain zaps, the sores all over my arms that would not heal, the extra pains throughout my body. My diabetes is a concern so I do testing 4 times a day and I try to be active but that is a little more challenging due to recovering from surgery

I really take time now to read and reread contents in everything trying to find what else my body is finding invasive.

The day I give up my 2 diet cokes a morning (my coffee, as my acid reflux bugs me by coffee) is the day they tell diabetics, like me, its ok to drink sugar soda.

Otherwise, I eat lots of fruits and veggies, I love V8 Fusion drinks, and I got my son to drink it too (I told him it tasted like juice, he tried it and liked it) soo lo behold what my stinker doesnt know who despises every veggie but trees (broccoli) is that I sneak a serving of fruit and vegetables in him every time he drinks it. I make sure he has 3 V8 Fusions a day. I try to eat gluten free, I make this awesome fruit/veggetable bread (gluten free morning glory muffin recipe but i pour it in a bread pan) and I eat that for my sandwhich bread, its so delicious that I dont even do mayo, or any dressing.

Hey, Grandmaroses~

I think you're right--all of the artificial sweeteners are not good for us!  I was a diet Pepsi "addict" for many, many years, although in the last few years, I only had maybe one or two a day, but I gave it up about three months ago, and I think it has helped.  I drink more water and iced tea, and on the few occasions I've had a diet soda, it seemed overly sweet and chemical-tasting...I realized I didn't miss it at all!

On a different note, I know what you mean about pouring your heart out here and then not getting any responses--I think we've all had it happen!

Rose, a couple of years ago, my husband swore that Splenda was causing his panic attacks, and he googled it, and what do you know?!  Others had the same experience!! 

He had given up aspartame a few years earlier, because it gave him headaches.  This artificial stuff is never good for us, and we sure can't rely on the people who make money on these chemicals to divulge the bad things they discover about their products, so my hubby and I have decided that if it doesn't occur in nature, we don't ingest it!