Respectfully disagree

Speaking only for myself, stomach issues (IBS) were probably responsible for 60% of my pain and suffering. To be quite honest, I never even checked to see if their was a forum specific to IBS or other stomach issues ?

Fish

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gentle exercises, your neuromuscular massage therapist, chiropractics, and you did say healthy eating has helped you. That's fine to say. You kept it simple. Details aren't necessary. If you think they are, then create an email address through our HealingWell site and put it in your profile. That's what I did. No one knows my regular email address. I only give that out to people I REALLY know. Everything goes through HealingWell and I can't even check my HealingWell email until I'm logged on the site. This way members that are really interested can contact you and you can share your thoughts. But, healthy eating should be common knowledge...especially with the push our First Lady has been doing. We should all be eating fresh fruits, fresh veggies, lean meats, etc. and this information is all over the Internet, too. It doesn't need to take up space on the fibro forum since there is a lot of discussion of foods in the appropriate forums.

Also, we talk a lot on this forum about trying alternative methods to control the pain before doing all the drugs that the doctors want to give. BUT some members need the medication because the alternative things don't work for them as well as they do for us. There is absolutely nothing wrong for a member to be on medications prescribed by their doctors. If they are having problems with the medications then they will most likely try some of the suggestions on this forum. But, the medications given for fibro do nothing for digestive disturbances...another reason to head to the appropriate forums on HealingWell.

Chris, I'm really happy that you have had great results with changing the way you were eating. You did admit you were eating all the wrong things but you found what works for you in that department and that's great. But you could have learned a lot about IBS on the IBS forum...more than on the fibro forum. I know you weren't on this forum until after you got rid of much of your IBS and pain. This proves that IBS was the greater issue for you. Yes, when I'm having digestive disturbances I feel pretty lousy. With cramping, etc., you tighten your muscles and that makes them hurt. This happens with people who do not have fibro. Do you see what I mean?

This decision was a combined effort between Getting By, Acheybody, and myself. I brought up the topic with the other mods to see if they felt the same way and all agree that the discussion of food was taking over the forum. We try to be lenient on this forum but sometimes we have to stop things. I agonized over this for many days because I care about all of you so much and did not want to hurt anyone's feelings. I hope I have been successful at that.

PS



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<font color=#0000ff>Sherrine

I do agree wholeheartedly with Sherrine and Debbie...

Hugs, Karen...

I really appreciate that, AMF.  AND, if someone is mentioning digestive issues on the forum, feel free to direct them to the proper forum on HealingWell.  It really and truly is important to keep this forum for those that need help with pain, fatigue, supplements, medications, alternative things like massage, chiropractics, and accupuncture.  We may not all agree but the members can make up their own minds.  At least we are putting the information out there for them to consider. 

 

Now, let's get busy helping each other to live a much better life in spite of this illness.

 

Sherrine

IMHO, fibro needs a wholistic approach towards how you deal with life. This includes what you eat, what you do to manage stress, pain, mental problems, etc.

Yes, current theme has been a bit on food, there are times that it's all about drugs.

It doesn't bother me if my thread is locked, at the same time, if the community have had enough about discussing about food, the thread would have gone down to the next page very quickly and no one would have really bother with it. How many people here actually go thru all the past threads daily/ weekly/ monthly/ at all?

I do appreciate the jobs the moderators are doing, at the same time, do let the majority decide what they want to talk about.

Hmm...

I do not seem to have have IBS, but my Fibromyalgia pain is directly correlated with my diet.

Diet and food sensitivities are the largest aggravator to my FM discomfort, cognitive issues, sleeping problems, and troubles.

I believe this forum atmosphere works best when members can share opinions in respect, and I also understand that there may be times when a disagreement in opinions should be let go and put to an end to keep the atmosphere supportive (so I welcome any moderator's choice to close a thread), but it makes me feel uncomfortable that if diet is my main FM issue, that those conversations would be discouraged here.

It makes me feel like there is no place for me... or that I'm not welcome to share my issues here. I don't exhibit IBS issues and IBS doesn't seem to be my problem, but rather, food sensitivities and intolerances which surface as FM issues. (I have no abdominal pain, no stool problems, not gas, no anything associated with IBS) Yet diet is my biggest FM 'exacerbator'. Its my diet that 'creates' my FM symptoms for me.

If so many people with FM are not affected by their diet at all, it also makes me wonder if we are all actually experiencing differing syndromes that look alike, which I have proposed before in the past but others have disagreed with. I'm still not sure about that.

Whatever, the case, I would like the freedom to discuss the connection of diet and how it affects and exacerbates my FM symptoms here.

Post Edited (CharmCityLady) : 6/6/2013 8:43:28 PM (GMT-6)

Sherrine said...
The majority of people with fibromyalgia have no issues with food.

What?!? Source please?? Everyone I personally know with fibro has some type of issues with food sensitivities and/or digestive problems etc. I am certain there is no evidence to conclude that the majority of people with fibro have no issues with food. Furthermore food can MAJORLY affect ANYONE'S health. It is crazy to me that we are allowed to talk about strong prescription pharmaceuticals, even those that have not been been "proven" effective for fibro, and there seems to generally be plenty of discussion of conditions other than fibro allowed in this forum (there are threads on non-fibro conditions open right now), but apparently food discussion should be put in the IBS or Celiac forums etc, as though those things are completely unrelated to our fibro?? Fibromyalgia is a body-wide syndrome and there is research about links with fibro and food and IBS. I don't feel it is our best interests to have discussion about diet suppressed.

Just a few examples of respected medical publications:

Fibromyalgia: The gastrointestinal link
- Daniel J. Wallace MD & David S. Hallegua MD
Quote: "Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) frequently have gastrointestinal symptoms and signs. Patients diagnosed with celiac disease often have a history of FM. Of patients with FM, 30% to 70% have concurrent IBS."

Functional bowel symptoms, fibromyalgia and fatigue: A food-induced triad?
- Arnold Berstad, Ragnhild Undseth, Ragna Lind & Jørgen Valeur
"All but one [of the 84 fibromyalgia patients studied] were diagnosed with IBS, 58% with severe symptoms. Extra-intestinal symptoms suggestive of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia were demonstrated in 85% and 71%, respectively. Malabsorption of fat was demonstrated in 10 of 38 subjects. Food hypersensitivity may be associated with severe, debilitating illness. The comorbid triad of IBS, chronic fatigue, and musculoskeletal pain is striking and may point to a common underlying cause."

Primary Fibromyalgia and the Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Different Expressions of a Common Pathogenic Process
- D. Veale, G. Kavanagh, J. F. Fielding & O. Fitzgerald
"Results indicate that 70% of the PFM patients had IBS and 65%(13/20) of the IBS patients had PFM. This compared with the control groups where 12% and 10% had PFM and IBS respectively. In conclusion, these results indicate that PFM and IBS frequently coexist. A common pathogenetic mechanism for both conditions is therefore suggested."

Fibromyalgia syndrome improved using a mostly raw vegetarian diet: An observational study
- Michael S Donaldson, Neal Speight & Stephen Loomis

Vegan diet alleviates fibromyalgia symptoms
K. Kaartinen, K. Lammi, M. Hypen, M. Nenonen, O. Hänninen, & A.-L. Rauma

Please let me know if you would like more examples of studies and articles about the connections between fibromyalgia and the digestive system. There are lots.

We have to draw the line somewhere....it's really a matter of balance. No one is saying food can never be mentioned at all.

We do talk about off-topic things, but not all the time. For instance, I'll complain about my frozen shoulder or Sciatica now and then, and people will offer support and suggestions, and I appreciate that. But then that's it for awhile. Or someone will bring up their surgery or new diagnosis or wedding or exercise regimen or job.

Briefly.

That's fine. Being a community means talking about the things that affect us - the ups and downs.

But we've been waaay too heavy on the food talk lately - that's the point. Sometimes, a person will bring up a topic having nothing to do with food, and before you know it, they're getting advice about how they should eat. I know this advice is well-meaning, of course, but it's not what the person came here to discuss!

Another thing is that we've established many times that not all of us do well with the same foods (I'm one who can't eat many of the foods always touted.) But still, people keep posting more and more research and opinions about what ALL Fibromites SHOULD be eating....as if we hadn't given our 2 cents' worth, or are not being believed somehow. We know we don't all respond the same way to meds, so why would it be any different with food??

Maybe there should be a forum dealing specifically with underlying causes of Fibro, as you suggested, Liz. I don't know how one would go about that...maybe contact Peter, the administrator? Or situations like yours, CharmCityLady, where your digestive issues don't seem to fit into any category...that's got to be tough. For you and AlmostMedfree - I believe you when you say food is the determining factor in your Fibro pain. So maybe you do have something else going on?....

Again, communicating privately through HealingWell email is a really good way to talk about exactly what you want, with other people who want to, too.

Debbie

Hey, I'm a new member here... when I posted about diet I had no idea that it had been discussed too much lately - and I wasn't even aware that there were forums for other health conditions. Sorry about that.

I think Sherrine was mainly concerned that all the posts about food were moving other posts to the next page. Let's stop this. Food can be brought up occasionally, just not a bunch of threads on it at once. Let's agree to disagree and move on for the forum's sake.

Hugs to all!

Karen...

getting by said...
I think Sherrine was mainly concerned that all the posts about food were moving other posts to the next page. Let's stop this. Food can be brought up occasionally, just not a bunch of threads on it at once. Let's agree to disagree and move on for the forum's sake.

Hugs to all!

Karen...

Sherrine said in the lobster thread which she just closed (which was also discussing a number of supplements and things that I was interested in) "we are not talking about dietary issues on fibro anymore".

So which is it?

And surely some threads could just be merged with others on the same topic, like if there are multiple threads to do with gluten for example they could be consolidated into one instead of getting closed.

First of all, it was an older thread. We do lock those because when they are pulled up it pushes the new threads further down on the forum. I did explain that in my post.

Secondly, the supplement info is there for you to read. I didn't delete anything. I even responded on this thread several times last year.

Thirdly, these two member can easily email each other and one did suggest that and also let people know her email is in her profile.

Lastly, this information can be found on the digestive forums if you would take the time to look. I was scanning the forums earlier today and saw posts on food allergies, the Paleo diet, and being gluten free. The information is there where if belongs and we are not repeating it here.

We talk about supplements all of the time on this forum. I even have two posts in Fibro 101 about supplements.

You are not the one paying for all the space needed for 33 forums on HealingWell. Our administrator does to provide these forums and asks us to keep on topic so that's what we will be doing. The information you are interested in can be found on the digestive forums and it will take you all of five seconds to go to any of them. We've got you covered.

Liz, I just saw your response. We will continue to talk about supplements but it was the above issues that had me lock it. I agree that there are many supplements that can help with the pain of fibro. I use several myself.

Now, I guess I will have to lock this thread, too. I'm tired of repeating myself.

Sherrine