.you can tell me what you think about the following: I took many medications for a little while for RA, and I always had side effects so I decided to not take anything for about 3 months now, only an anti-inflammatory every day.
Well, let me tell you that I become stiff very quickly and the pain when I do anything around the house is constant. I literally cannot function. I said to myself I cannot live like this and I still resent taking these terrible medicines. Care to tell me your take on this?
thanks!! Hannah44
9 Replies
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We all resent taking the meds Hannah, but acknowledge that if we want any quality of life, we need to take them. Anti-inflammatories are not the best treatment for RA, and can cause problems with your stomach. I take Methotrexate, Leflunomide and Rituximab
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Thank you and thanks for mentioning what you take. I took already Methotrexate but may be I should try it again with Rituximab. It's good to start my day, here in the US, with good info. Enjoy the rest of your day. Hannah
I used a comprehensive elimination process to work out what foods caused my inflammation. I also changed my diet further to focus on foods that had positive nutritional value at each and every mouthful. The process largely took a year to go through. Now I have zero pain & inflammation and, under doctors orders stopped my drugs steadily over six months between January and July last year. So there is an alternative to drugs. It is not an easy path, but there is a pathway if you are determined. If interested let me know.
I don't say I am "cured" but I do live without drugs and live a normal life without a wheelchair anymore and my rheumy says, "I wish there were more patients like you."
wow, very impressive !! Many thanks !! This elimination process is very difficult. I tried but
could never determine which food I am allergic to, no idea. How do you do that and how one
knows ?? Tell me more...tell me more..please !! would like to try. Not at all an easy path as you say but zero pain and inflammation, a magical thing to achieve in this disease. if you can give me some pointers, I will really be grateful. Thank Andy and enjoy your weekend meanwhile.
Indeed hannah, elimination is not easy. Patience and determination, determination and patience. I followed the paddison program and with that at my back I was able to feel progress most days. When you can feel less pain and steady improvements then that is motivation enough.
Yes, sometimes the improvements were microscopic. Also, for at least one or two months (about six months in) I found my progress stalled. That is when I reviewed my everything in my diet and gave up oils entirely, even extra virgin olive oil. From that moment on my progress was solid.
That said I have just had a tough winter. (When I say tough, nothing that needed any meds or stopped me living a normal life.) My right elbow has been giving me jip with a nagging pain and stiffness in the mornings. I have spent some months eliminating and this time I have dropped most nuts as well as soya. Also very sadly I have done multiple tests and decided chilli has to go.
The key to successful recovery is seeing progress and that is based on learning how to eliminate foods, end of story.
Andy, thank you so very much to share "the story". Hope I can make it my story too.
So, before writing this, I googled "the Paddison Program" I never heard about, I must confess. From what I saw, looks super interesting. It will be my reading for the weekend
to learn what it is about. So, your work is done here, it's up to me now. Will keep you posted when the time is right, meaning when I start and ...finish?? Only time will tell about my determination.... All the best always and thanks again. Hannah
L-Glutamine should help to heal up the digestive system, along with probiotics. otherwise you could be in danger of ending up with nothing you can eat! Try reading some of Patrick Holford's books on digestion, and on arthritis.
If you are motivated to try dietary approaches then I wouldn't want to put you off, as you could be one of the people it works for. However, it seems that for many people it's more successful if you do it in parallel with the drugs, and then taper off the drugs. I thinks that's what Andy Swarbs did from what he wrote in his reply to you.
Sadly it didn't work for me, as every time I tapered off the drugs I flared. However I feel the attention I paid to cleaning up my lifestyle has really helped me tolerate the drugs. I take Methotrexate, sulphasalazine and hydroxychloroquine and have no side effects whatsoever now. These drugs are my friends..... and I've been in remission for about 5 years now.
I am also careful about not relying on anti-inflammatorys because of the risk to my heart. All drugs have risks, and it's a personal choice about how you decide, but that's my preference.
My other comment would be to discuss with your rheumatologist how aggressive your RA is, to help you decide whether you have time to try alternative approaches. Once your joints are damaged then that can't be reversed, and it erosions can happen quite quickly and without your really realising it's happening.
Thanks, how true!! What Andy wrote and what you wrote make sense to me, in different ways
if you know what I mean. The truth is I am still confused with myself which way I want to go.
Last time I saw my rheumy, I told her I don't want to take anymore any drugs, they all give
me side effects and she said OK try that and come back in 3 months. Now I realize that she
could tell me "here is the pro and cons of your decision" it's what a good rheumatologist will
do according to me but she did not, then I realized that my decision to not take drugs was not
really the solution, I could not live with all the pain associated with not taking any drugs but still
reluctant and confuse what to do. And now reading your take on that from you and Andy, it may me think again. You can tell that I am confused, even in my writing, hope my confusion is not contagious. Thanks guys, I will always be grateful to members like you, you are really showing me the ropes as Americans here will say. Talk to you again !! Hannah
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