Gluten Free Diet

I finally went to a doctor today because my pain is so bad and he gave me some interesting suggestions. The Dr. suggests that I go on a gluten free diet and that may help with the symptoms and pain associated with FM. Has anyone here been on this diet and does it work?

I also discuss my breathing problem with him and he believes me the Dr. said that FM patients have inflamation all over and that my bronchiels (sp) may be inflamed. I finally feel like I am getting somewhere and I also was given samples of Cymbalta and if it helps I am going to have to find a way to pay for the meds.

My doctor also suggested gluten free. When I changed my diet, I did notice that my fatigue was less. Another food related suggestion : cut the preservatives. When I stopped eating foods with preservatives in them, my pain in my neck, hands and arms did ease up a bit. I mean it was still there, but much better. Now when I eat either, I notice a difference in the way I feel within 10-15 minutes. Also my youngest was having lots of stomach aches, so I removed the gluten from her diet (which was easier after I went gluten free because there wasn't much besides crackers and bread left in her diet) she stopped complaining of stomach aches two days later. And she was complaining several times a day, every day before her diet change.
Hope that helps.

Wow I just called to see how much Cymbalta was without insurance over $200 OMG I can't afford that I don't know what to do now.

If you want to try one of the nerve pain meds...I think that Gabapentin (generic for Neurontin) is pretty inexpensive..

As I wrote to you on your other threads...I use the Sam's club Pharmacy across town as it's the least expensive of all the pharmacies in my area. You do NOT have to have a membership to use the big box pharmacies.

The other option is to at least call and get the pricing of a med and then ask your pharmacy if they will match it.

Since Cymbalta doesn't have a generic yet..that is why it is still so expensive.

And as both Sherrine and I have mentioned...we do very well for help with muscle spasms using either Robaxin or Flexeril. There is also Baclofen and Zanaflex. They are all pretty cheap. The generic Flexeril is $8 for 60 of them.

As mentioned..Fibro is not a disease of inflammation so I'm not sure where he is getting that. If I'm not mistaken...this particular Dr. is not a Board Certified Rheumatologist...correct?

And there was just a segment on one of the news shows about Gluten Free...There is actually only a very small percentage of the population that is truly Gluten intolerant with testing...but if you want to try something to see if it helps you in any way...go for it. Just realize that it's pretty expensive.

To me the key is moderation with everything. I just limit my sugar, salt, and simple carbs. I moved to eating all organic a few years ago as my regular grocery store has many options now and with coupons..I can stick to my $200 a month food stamp/SNAP budget.

I did it just for myself as I don't have great digestion so wanted to get rid of all the preservatives and artifical ingredients. I have to say that I do have better energy and digestion.

We all have to find the best combination of things/modalities to help our Fibro.

Keep us posted..

Snowbunny21 said...
If you want to try one of the nerve pain meds...I think that Gabapentin (generic for Neurontin) is pretty inexpensive..

As I wrote to you on your other threads...I use the Sam's club Pharmacy across town as it's the least expensive of all the pharmacies in my area. You do NOT have to have a membership to use the big box pharmacies.

The other option is to at least call and get the pricing of a med and then ask your pharmacy if they will match it.

Since Cymbalta doesn't have a generic yet..that is why it is still so expensive.

And as both Sherrine and I have mentioned...we do very well for help with muscle spasms using either Robaxin or Flexeril. There is also Baclofen and Zanaflex. They are all pretty cheap. The generic Flexeril is $8 for 60 of them.

As mentioned..Fibro is not a disease of inflammation so I'm not sure where he is getting that. If I'm not mistaken...this particular Dr. is not a Board Certified Rheumatologist...correct?

And there was just a segment on one of the news shows about Gluten Free...There is actually only a very small percentage of the population that is truly Gluten intolerant with testing...but if you want to try something to see if it helps you in any way...go for it. Just realize that it's pretty expensive.

To me the key is moderation with everything. I just limit my sugar, salt, and simple carbs. I moved to eating all organic a few years ago as my regular grocery store has many options now and with coupons..I can stick to my $200 a month food stamp/SNAP budget.

I did it just for myself as I don't have great digestion so wanted to get rid of all the preservatives and artifical ingredients. I have to say that I do have better energy and digestion.

We all have to find the best combination of things/modalities to help our Fibro.

Keep us posted..

He is a Primary Physican and I believe he was saying that because our bodies are in so much pain that it can cause inflamation (I think that is what he was saying) As for Gluten Free I don't know if it will help or not but I am sure it's expensive to live that way so I will try and cut out as much as possible. I receive disability but I only qualify for $16 in the snap program. I guess I like this doctor because he has followed my mother with her open heart sugary better than her heart doctor, actually, he is a PA. I guess I will keep trying things to see if anythings helps. I appreciate the advice here it helps hearing from others who suffer from this and see what works for everyone. Thanks for hte help. (I see I double quoted myself to tired to fix...lol)

I think you misunderstood me he was talking about my (lung) breathing issue, that I have been treated by other patients as an asthma patient and he asked me was I using my inhaler and told him no I don't think it's asthma and he said "your right" and that is when the inflamed bronchi is causing me the issue and it could be related to FM, he does know its a disease of the Nervous system and He was truly trying to help me with my pain. This PA is very knowledgeable and has taken very good care of my mother who had open heart surgery and her cardiologist did not want to follow her closely and he has followed her better than any doctor. I do understand your concern I have been suffering with FM for over twenty years and for that fact I believe I had as a child. So for my benefit I am trying to find some pain relief since I haven't had any in months.

Unfortunately some Rheumatologists will not see you without insurance or there is a fee of almost $300 upfront which I cannot afford. I know you mean well no harm taken.

Barbara123,

As another poster mentioned, going gluten free can be expensive (processed GF specialty foods are expensive). But it doesn't have to be. I am on a very tight budget (single mom with an ex husband who doesn't believe in child support) but we make it work. You mentioned that you are not sure what to eat for breakfast. Here are some ideas. Oatmeal (may contain traces of gluten, but not usually, it will be fine if you don't actually have Celiacs), fruit (my daughter eats a bowl of cut of strawberries, bananas, kiwi, or any other in season fruit every day with breakfast daily. Eggs, avocado on gluten free toast, walnuts, Vans gluten free waffles (they are very good). I will usually have a banana, a handful of walnuts and raisins and and egg or a slice of natural cheese. It is usually a mix and match type of breakfast, but it works for us.
And also, as mention above, you can develop vitamin deficiencies by eating GF. The reason for this is that many of the processed GF foods are missing whole grains. They are made with less nutritionally valued ingredients such as brown rice flour or tapioca flour etc. The best way to avoid this is to eat as many whole foods as possible. Lots of beans and brown rice, chicken, fruit, oats, and vegetables. By the way if you like beans (we do) that will really help keep the cost down. I make 2 kinds of beans every week. So there is always something to grab when we are hungry and in a hurry. The key to eating GF is planning ahead. I hope this helps. Also I believe I read above that you don't have insurance. One thing that helped me tremendously was earthing. I put my bare feet on the grass for an hour a day. Sounds crazy, but after 3 years on pain meds daily, I am now off all pain meds and feel so much better. I started feeling better after earthing daily for 3 days. My sleep started to improve after about 2 weeks. Its easy and its free and it can't hurt. Maybe you would like to try.

You are welcome. It's not a cure all, but if you are sensitive to gluten then taking it out will help you out a great deal. I hope you get some relief soon. I know that having pain daily is very draining. Wishing you well.

Thank you all again, so fart he past two days I have had a lot of pain BUT, the flu like symptoms have subsided a bit so I am very happy for that relief for sure. I wish we all did not have to deal with these issues in the first place and wish everyone a pain free night. :)