I was on holiday last week and was in quite a bit of pain and I wasn’t sure if it was the 5 hours of driving or whether it was the aubergine parmigiana that I had? Both had felt painful and stiff in the morning after? I know research hasn’t conclusively said that there is scientific connection but do others keep a diet to help maintain their pain?
If so maybe I should log these things in the buddy app?
thanks
meant to say both hands
5 hours would do that! but unlikely food would.
Would it be the combination of RA and that I should keep driving shorter distances? I've never had this kind of pain before my RA? I used to take long driving holidays across Europe.
I really don’t know and a one off event isn’t really identifiable. I’ve done long haul flights no issues but a trip to Calais in the car and I get stiff. I think don’t put everything down to RA it might be just something that happened and might never happen again. I’d keep a diary of issues and if you’re still worried and it happens over and over then look at lifestyle adjustments. Although I’ve never heard of food doing this.
Forgot to mention that I'm originally from up north so 4-5 hour car journey is not a big thing for me? Which I would regularly drive, I've not done the drive since my condition has started
I love both sometimes parmigiana can be a bit oily I still eat them
Cheers guys! Yeah I wasn't too sure still not sure whether it is RA or just anything else in life?
I have no problems with any sort of food but I definitely couldn’t manage five hours driving - or even being driven.
Normally my husband drives but last week I did a fair bit of driving myself and my body felt terrible, really stiff and muscles I’d forgotten I have let me know they were still there.
At first I couldn’t think what was wrong then I remembered the driving - I had to use my arms and legs and also turn to look over my shoulders etc - things you don’t do when you are being driven - so I came to the conclusion that it was the driving that messed things up.
I gave up eating tomatoes and aubergine for a year, sadly made no difference. I find extended periods of sitting or driving are becoming increasingly difficult
I’ve not noticed any difference depending on what I eat. However, like the others I struggle driving long distances. If I have to drive long distances I have to mss as me a break every hour and half to two hours.
Even as a passenger I tend to seize up after a long journey but driving is definitely worse.
I'd say it's the five hours of driving myself, but it's easy enough to test, wait until you feel better and eat the same food during a week when you don't have to do much driving. See what happens.
hi. I know tomatoes make me flare. Pineapple helps.
When I first had RA decades ago , I would get increased pain and stiffness if I ate food with a lot of tomato in it, like home made pasta sauces. Sometimes I still have increased pain after home cooked chicken , other times OK. We never know what hormones or chemicals are present in our foods . Also it is important to wash all fruit and vedge before eating them as they are sprayed with chemicals , although washing doesnt remove everything added as chemicals are absorbed by the plants. I went on a food elimination diet and introduced groups of foods to see what made my inflammation worse. It is a useful thing to do. You can also be tested for food allergies which might increase inflammation. If I sit for too long I stiffen up, so breaks when driving is always recommended. Good luck.
Good idea testing for food allergies. Do you happen to know where best to book food allergy testing please?
I went for this a very long time ago . It was arranged by my GP at the time, at a London hospital. I had a blood test taken and sensitivity tests on my arm to different foods. Then I had an elimination diet where I had a list of a few foods only to eat for 2 weeks. I then had to introduce foods one at a time. I think the best bet is to ask your GP for somewhere local.They might agree to do it on the NHS, or recommend somewhere locally to you which would be private. I would go with someone recommended by your GP. There are companies that advertise on line but I do not know how reliable they are.
Yes, true, best to by recommendation from professional. Best wishes
It might be worth asking others on here where to go for testing in your location. Good luck.
Thank you
for me it’s wheat that sets me off quite badly, but a 5 hour car stint wouldn’t help!
Yes. I avoid quite a few foods. I'm better on an extremely low carb diet. I avoid all grains and most high carb veg and fruit. I do eat well, with meat fish and small amounts of dairy, greens and berries. If I fall of this regime I'm in a whole heap of pain. A dietary change does help many people. In particular the avoidance of sugar and highly processed foods. My diet is fairly extreme by most people's standards, but it works for me. There is much more research coming out on low carb diets, particular for those with psoriatic arthritis etc. My GP even new about it! Things are changing, because years back this wouldn't even have been acknowledged.
If you think a food is upsetting you do another test of it and see if you get same result. I did an elimination diet and added one food back at a time. I'm not suggesting you need to go this far, it's just what I did.
All that said, a ten hour journey to Scotland nearly finished me! 🤣
Have you eliminated Oats (Porridge) and Rice?
Yes everything. Although I do use oat skin moisturiser. Sounds drastic doesn't it? However, I eat very well. Lots of oily fish, meat, eggs. A few berries and ocassional greens. Works for me personally. My gut was an absolute mess before this.
Well done
I just travel by train and find I'm tired after just an hour. Thinking about this, it makes sense as you're constantly balancing out all the movement to stay upright, all subconsciously. Effort which just normal sitting doesn't require. So add actual driving into the mix, and for 5 hours too - I wouldn't be able to move for days after that! It's definitely stuff you don't notice at the time which "gets" you!
The drive would to that to me!
I would definitely say it’s the driving. I used to drive all over the country ten years ago but now it’s half an hour max. I loved driving but my husband does most of it now. I doubt very much it’s the food you had eaten.
Hello. Know we are all different in our food tolerance levels but this combo is one that makes me stiff and flares my joint. Reason I know us my partner started making this as a treat starter and every time we had it I was really ill the next day. Tested it 4 times!! I'm so upset as I love it but had to give it up. Going to try just tomatoes when I'm stable on my meds and see if can cope with just those. Hope helps.
Why not try not eating what you think causes you problems….that should solve it? I have had RA for a very long time & I have not found any food group that brings on any symptoms.
Driving for long periods tires anyone…….so maybe less driving too?,
Id say the driving too. I can't fly anymore even a 2.5 hour flight kills me being cooped up for that long.
anything acidic or with tannins makes my pain worse and always has.
Many thanks for all the replies, so with RA there is potential that a long drive could exacerbate the condition, which definitely something I could do without the pain last year before this all started. Thinking about it I also drove back without the same frozen hands happening in the morning or within the week.
I'm just trying to work out how and why my flares up occur, I think some people have also mentioned stress as a big triggering moment. But there is also research that some food such as tomatoes and aubergine family people have had triggering reactions. Its just not scientific proven, but I still like to believe that if there is enough people to trigger a scientific survey then there might be a small element in this?
Since my potential diagnosis, I have tried to eliminate or reduce the amount of food within the solanaceae family (nightshade) like the peppers, tomatoes and aubergines and did think the aubergine parmigiana it was almost a combination that might cause the flare up? But maybe it was both, the food and driving? I'm still not sure and the jury is still out.
I appreciate the time people have taken to reply, but sounds like long drives will be more of a challenge with RA and that this might need to change how I travel.
I do wholeheartedly believe food does impact our condition. I avoid known inflammatory foods.
I follow Zoe where there are many podcasts about inflammatory foods and a recent article about food and arthritis.
This is a much debated on here, however the scientific evidence is mounting and many of the younger rheumatologists promote healthy eating and exercise.
No never found it made any difference in my case. Whereas 5 hours in a car never mind driving deffo causes me stiffness and pain.
As part of my 'mediterranean' diet, I eat loads of tomatoes (fewer aubergines as I find them difficult to prepare with my hands) and have never had a flare after eating them.
I have had flares after driving long distances - particularly in unfamiliar places when I get rather tense worrying about finding my way, other traffic and traffic signs (I'm aware I get tense, but it happens before I can stop it!) I have tried wearing support gloves and that does help a bit.
when I was first diagnosed I kept a journal for a year and this helped me work out what had impact and what did not.
The 5 hours of driving sounds exhausting! That surely would have caused the pain and fatigue. As for aubergines and tomatoes - I’ve been eating a diet containing both of these for many years without cause for complaint. Rheumatoid disease plus the long journey are the culprits.
Hi , I have a problem with the casein in dairy, which results in similar problems. Also, I find that excessive work over and above the norm results in similar pain. If I were you, and I am not, I'd check the dairy out, and break up my 5 hours into smaller units eg I have a 250 mile trip coming up, and I am overnighting in a cheap hotel , eating no dairy, and hope all goes well.
Thanks for the info, definitely getting used to RA. Looks like long journeys with limited movement is not the best with RA. I don't have too much dairy in my diet at the moment, but do feel like when I'm away it feels your even now less structured in the eating and then the temptation of being on holiday and having nice choices.
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