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Registered: ‎02-16-2018

@GraceLady wrote:

@Ketra wrote:

@LilacTree As SYDSGMA already said the best thing to help with extreme fatigue is rest. Other things that realy help with autoimmune induced fatigue are selenium (you can use supplements or eat one brazil nut a day. It has the full daily requirement), vitamin D3 supplements without the additives and fillers (I take Pure Encapsulations D3 1000iu a day, you may need more - make sure your RA checks your vitamin D levels. It’s extremely important with autoimmune disease). Here comes the hard part, the one I’m still struggling with the most. Try not to eat any processed foods, no sugar except for honey, fruits, lot of vegatables and whole foods. Buy organic meats, vegetables, everything when possible. (I know it’s expensive, but you want to avoid harmful pesticides, antibiotics, additives, etc...)  Try and limit white potatoes, rice and grains. Substitute them for baked sweet potatoes, baked butternut or winter squash. Drink organic teas (chamomile, greem, mint, ginger, organic coffee in limited amounts, lots of water. I have now also developed gluten intolerence which is very common with people who already have Hashimoto’s autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s, Connective Tissue Disease, Lupus, RA and other autoimmune diseases. I have to take my diet very seriously now as things have started to go south with blood work and other symptoms. I can no longer have anything with wheat in it or any other grains. Hopefully, you will dodge a bullet with secondary autoimmune diseases, but it’s good to be informed.

      When you see your new RA it will be worth the wait. You will start to feel better physically and emotionally after the grueling journey of finally getting an accurate diagnosis. Again, make sure he does a vitamin D blood test, as well as a Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) antibody test, and a thyroid Thyroglobulin (TG) Antibody test. These are not the usual thyroid level tests (tsh) that your GP does. Please have him do these three tests as they are very important to anyone with one or more secondary autoimmune diseases. I’m sure you have a list already made of questions and requests of your new doctor. I have to have my list of questions with me each time or I go in there and forget half of what I needed to say, and then have to wait another 3 months to see him. I’m including below some information that I gathered from research and confirmed through resources at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), NCBI PUBMED, and Cleveland Clinic.

This is a list of foods that cure different ailments naturally. Rather than take a blood thinner, you can eat certain foods each day that thin the blood. If you have high cholesterol there are foods that will lower it. My GP tried to put me on statins 12 years ago due to my inherited high cholesterol. I would not go on them due to dangerous side effects. Just recently, finally, it was on the national news channels about 2 or 3 months ago about how dangerous statins are. I eat foods that are vasodilators (expand the blood vessels) and foods that are natural blood thinners each day to keep. I also eat foods that lower cholesterol. Now if you eat things that you are not supposed to, as I have done recently and am paying a dear price for it negates all the good these foods can do. I’m back to eating the way I should now and hopefully no irreparable damage has been done. The list below will help you with many ailments that you have or possibly could have, but can be used as preventative measures. I take my necessary prescription medicines for my autoimmune diseases and pain pills when absolutely necessary. However I limit my prescription medications when possible and use this list to treat and prevent ailments. I hope it’s as useful for you as it’s been for me. In converting the list it messed up my formatting and took out my bold highlights / underlines.  It doesn’t look right, but the information is there.

 


@Ketra  Again, excellent advice.  I was put on a doctor supervised elimination diet.    My disease was progressing, and something else NEEDED to be done.  The detox was pretty brutal, but only lasted a week.  That alone told me I needed to eliminate some of the foods I was eating.  The Reader's Digest version of my diet is "no whites, no caffeine, no sugar, no gluten".  I know it sounds like "no food", but once you get used to it, it is not so bad.

 

No Whites--white rice, potatoes.  Eat brown rice, sweet potatoes (yams) instead, or substitute mashed cauliflower for mashed potatoes.

 

No Caffeine--drink decaf, mineral water (flavored with fruit)

 

No Sugar--including artifical sweeteners.  Use honey, agave

 

No Gluten--breads, pasta, (read all labels and ask at restaurants).  Search for edible gluten free bread (Costco has a two pack that is surprisingly edible and affordable) and gluten free pasta.  Bake desserts using gluten free flour (look for a flour that is a 1:1 replacement, usually available online).

 

Obviously, alcohol should be avoided.  You don't want to mix any other drug (alcohol) with your meds.  Focus on healthy, clean eating.  Think about the rainbow when eating friuts and vegetables.  Eat a variety.  Get protein from nuts and beans, not just meat.  Fatty fish like salmon give you the most health benefits.  Don't eat too much red meat, but opt for chicken instead.  

 

Many people are dairy sensitive.  Try cutting back and see how you feel.  Something my specialist suggested to me was to try drinking A2 milk.  Most milk in the US is A1 milk.  A2 milk is more digestable, and is the milk available in other parts of the world.  The difference is due to the breed of cow the milk comes from.  A2 milk is available in many Target stores and some Costcos.  There are also the nut milks if you find those tasty.  They even have ice creams made from some of them.

 

Something that has always been very important in Eastern medicine are natural supplements such as the spice Turmeric.  They can be safely added to your treatment for their anti-inflammatory properties, etc.  There is an excellent wild Alaskan salmon oil, organic, and naturally sourced that also provides health benefits to those with autoimmune diseases.  Specialists should be discussing supplements with you.  

 

My pain/inflamation has been reduced since changing my diet.  It is a commitment, but well worth it.  A bonus is that it has helped my chronic migraines, which is not what I had expected.  BTW, very important mention of Vitamin D3.  I was tested and found out that I need 50,000 units weekly (through trial and error) to maintain a normal level, and I live in a sunny climate.  I had calcium leaching from my bones and causing terrible bone pain.  Autoimmune diseases can affect so many things you would never imagine. 


@GraceLady  You’re right. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined what’s happening to my body now. Thank God I have a good sense of humor and a strong faith. Thank you for the information on the Elimination Diet. Here’s to feeling better😊

 



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Posts: 15,519
Registered: ‎09-01-2010

@LilacTree,

I am indeed very sorry to hear of this new diagnosis, on top of all you are already coping with.   I wish you only the very best with your health struggles.

 

Reading health stories like yours, helps me understand on a deeper level the wishes my mother stated to my brothers and I, 15 years ago.   

 

Mom was adamant she absolutely WAS NOT going to spend the last years of her life in a doctors office, taking numerous meds, or having test after test.  As she has aged to her present 85 years, I haven’t been so happy about her refusal to have certain tests, but once she signed and filed, a DNR order, I agreed to support her choices regardless, and feel I truly get the choices she’s made.   Mom’s physician no longer asks her to do anything beyond 3 medical checkups a year, routine blood tests, a yearly urine, and a flu shot.  

 

I sincerely wish you the very best in finding what you need.

 

 

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Posts: 3,113
Registered: ‎09-30-2010

@Ketra   This list is interesting and of value to me.  I appreciate reading through such an extensive list and your thorough explanation of the different categories and possible benefits.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,997
Registered: ‎03-25-2012

@RedTop 

Your mom and I could be best friends.

Formerly Ford1224
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Elie Wiesel 1986
Trusted Contributor
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Registered: ‎02-16-2018

@aroc3435 wrote:

@Ketra   This list is interesting and of value to me.  I appreciate reading through such an extensive list and your thorough explanation of the different categories and possible benefits.


@aroc3435  When I got sick and could no longer work I spent a lot of time in bed. I have the free time on my hands to research things I want to learn about. I have a very curious nature.😁 I’m convinced the information in the list has and is prolonging my life. I think we should all share information that has changed our lives for the better or makes our lives easier. I think that’s part of why we are here. I glad you found it useful.😊

Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,160
Registered: ‎10-04-2010

So sorry to read this.  Honestly, this is not the time for all this, harder to bounce back even if it can't be cured.  I'd say you've had more than your share. Sure will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.  

Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,997
Registered: ‎03-25-2012

@Trinity11 

Please don’t leave the thread.  Your input is important to me.

Formerly Ford1224
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Elie Wiesel 1986