Ive recently had my fibromyalgia confirmed. Up until then i was being treated for all my different issues seperately. Including a sulphite intolerance.. i noticed last week several people were asking about itching.
When i was researching fibro i noticed how many foods listed for avoiding, were high in sulphites. If i have a high intake of them my breathing isdues start, as well as sore mouth, severe hives and foggy head. .my symptoms reduced with daily antihistamines and a lower intake. Unfortunately looking for it on the packaging is not that simple.
If any 1 is interested in learning more Im happy to help if I can
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Bruton
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Hi I have fibromyalgia as well as gynaecology conditions and I suffer with hives too. It horrendous. Never had skin problems like this before. I wonder if it’s all the medication we take or the illnesses themselves or both combined.
All they can give me is anti histamines which don’t really help a great deal.
How are you doing with being diagnosed with fibromyalgia? Are you on any medication?
Thanks for the response every 1. Ive recently moved to the new forest. God the stress agravated my symptoms something wicked. Ive written a letter to the gp with my conclusions and they agree its more than likely fibro. I take solpedine for the pain. Hypnotherspy for stress and anxiety. Healing crystals. Ive resorted to allot of alternative therapies because i got tired of the ridicule. If i got sent for 1 more load of cbt id be running it. The sulphites have eased allot of the symptoms, and my hard fought hysterectomy stopped the gynae stuff. I wrote the letter because i couldnt look another doctor in the face again and explain why im on antidepresants. And have them clock watching.
Ive paid a fortune in private treatments like chiropracters and physios and councellers. 1 of the physios rsn out of idea, put a strap round my neck pulled then prayed over me.
You can see why ive resorted to alternative therapies.. they tend to have a more open mind and less judgemental. So apart from a phone call saying highly probable. Call us if you need anything. Im dealing as i have for last 55 years to the best of my ability. The new forest is much calmer, hubbys retiring, so stress is less. Downsized so no mortgage. Just the 2 of us instead of 4 generations a10 of us. And im learning to let things go
That's a start to easing some of the pain, brain fog and frustration but don't forget pacing and nutrition, cutting out preservatives and sugar put into factory made products. Now you can look after you not the whole family. Find a pain free, relaxing hobby or just gaze at the lovely scenery in the country. Go well, as far as possible 👋💐
Hi there and welcome to the forum, it’s always helpful to read posts with advice and information, yes I always have my antihistamine available, a lot of members were saying about the itching last week.
I have had long-term problems with Sulphite intolerance and thence restless leg syndrome, sinus headaches, gut upsets, sore lips/tongue etc. However I have largely overcome it by radically changing my diet.
Sulphites are added to foods to prolong their shelf-life as permitted additives. I noted once in food factory that the drums arrive in the factory with a skull and crossbones on the can! But it is about dilution and safe limits. If you are sensitive to them that dose is close to zero. Sulphites are E224,225,226,227,228. They are not always disclosed because the raw ingredients like flour might have been treated before manufacture.
Avoid cheap wine like the plague! White wines in particular are stuffed with it. Some even put pure pure sulphites around the capsule and one crystal will give you problems for days. Vintage wines are okay because they don't poison the wine. Bottled beers are also "stopped" with sulphites. Canned beers are less of a problem but also risky. Watch out for the first draught Beer out of the tap at the pub - they clean the lines with Sulphites! Most "Hangovers" are Sulphite headaches.
Avoid completely any marked products. Avoid all biscuits, shop bought cakes, dried fruit is a nightmare dose, anything that seems to have a long shelf-life.
De-tox for about two weeks before modifying your diet but then aim to reform your digestive biome (this needs discipline and cooperation from other members of the household).
Here goes; Reduce processed sugar to close to zero, allow only slow sugars and starches in their. place Lower meat intake and keep it lean. Increase vegetable input and focus on dark greens and purple veg, peppers and the like - all very lightly cooked. Start drinking modest amount of kefir (live culture) daily for a few weeks to deal with lactose intolerance. Drink smoothies if you don't take enough fruit go for Green and purple varieties avoid the bright fruits like orange and Mango - too sweet. Plenty of fibre usually via breakfast. Multi-vitamins/mineral tablets and Vitamin D extra everyday. Beetroot is excellent - try steaming not vinegar soused. Drink a glass of fresh Apple-juice daily (unsweetened no sulphites from the chiller cabinet in the supermarket). If you can gain a taste for drinking fresh cider vinegar this is potently good (small glass only required) excellent for the gut biome.
You can improve your lower bowel with indigestible Starch - Potato Starch. (Not Potato flour - not the same thing). Although you cant digest it it encourages good bacteria that cleans the lower bowel. I usually stir into a low fruit Muesli which I either eat dry or with a smidge smoothie instead of milk. Stay off milk products in any form until you feel better then introduce gradually. Not easy to source but popular in Indian Cookery as a thickener. I bought mine on-line. Oily fish like Mackeral or Sardines or take "fresh" Omega 3.
This might sound like a strange diet but it is a natural one and it gives you many of different healthy bacteria in your bowel. If I stick to this then my Sulphite tolerance is way higher. So what I found was that getting my diet right made me sulphite tolerant again.
A big change but you whole health could improve potentially. Good luck
Interesting about the potato starch. ive always read thats high. Thats why anything with an anticaking sgent is a no no, ie grated cheese, and predone potato products. Sugar beet is a no but unbleached cane dugar is better for me. Sea salt yes, rock salt no. Most corn products because they bleach it with sulphur dioxide. Organic unbleached flour I'm ok with. Fresh citrus is fine but citric acid as a preservative or bottled lemon or lime juice no.The consultsnt i saw said oh its easy to do.. sorry to sound arrogant but i swear i knew more than he did.
Interestingly the thing they ayribute the intolerance to is asthmatics. Some do have the intolerance but not all. Of those who do have it most have breathing issues few have the intolerance but no breathing isdues. Heaving read all these replies i cant help wonering how many fibto sufferers are inyolerant..
Ive spent last 55 years being treated for asthma gynae issues, ibs, allergies, cysts, back pain. Even had an mri for ms. I had to fo the research. Only after my daughter showed me an article on fibro and said mum its you..
The diet can get me down but its better than symptom glare upd
Yes sadly true, we have to be our own experts identifying fibro is by eliminating everything else.
It is so hard to find out what is cause and what is effect. I had to do a lot of self-experimenting before I got any good results.
Latest scientific thinking is to recognise there are brain neurons in your bowel and to consider the brain in your head and the brain in your bowel as one organ. Ideally the brain in you head controls what you eat but if your bowel bacteria is wrong because you are eating the wrong things, the bacteria that is winning tells you to eat what it wants by manipulating the bowel-brain signals.
If you can change your biome then your sulphite intolerance might diminish. I have also managed via this route to diminish hay fever and year round nasal congestion.
A lot of this evidence came from observing people with problems after antibiotics. And looking back, that was a factor for me. If that happens, you need to rebuild your stomach friendly bacteria to overwhelm the bad guys. After about 6 weeks you feel better and you tend to want to eat all of the right stuff too.
If you suffer reflux as well then you might have excess acid from SIBO which is Small Intestine Bacteria Overgrowth. That is where the bacteria in the Large intestine as made its way up to the stomach. An antihistamine antacid like Famotidine lowers the allergic reaction that produces too much acid and causes overgrowth in the small intestine. That might be worth a try too.
Not meaning to advertise but body shop aloe gel for skin itching. And their ginger shampoo and conditioner cleared up the psoriasis.. not saying cus im a a bs from home rep. But it is how i came to be 1
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