Hi everyone

I've been reading many posts and there's a great wealth of information here but I feel that many things are still like 'secrets of the trade'.

Like tracking Flares. I know each of us is different and that for our own sake we MUST learn to listen to our gut, but I think we could get a kick start somehow. I haven't been able to track what food is causing my flares.

In fact, I don't know if it is only one flare or there are many. I wish I knew how long a 'normal' flare lasts. Or how long after the food is eaten the flare starts, or the pain starts. Or if it is possibly that a flare appears because there's constipation and not necessarily because something that usually feeds the Klebs was eaten.

So many questions that if I knew the answer I might even start testing like eating 1 day only 2 or 3 things to check for suspects.

How do you guys keep your food diaries and find what causes your flares?

UPDATE on my NSD: I'm still on a flare that has lasted 4 days, but I can still say I'm better that when I started, for one my neck is ok, my eye doesn't hurt. I had stopped the probiotics and I just started taking them today because I have a feeling that they were helping me a lot. Bought dried cranberries and I can handle my mood a bit better with them.

When I have a "flare" from starch, it usually starts about 8-12 hours after I eat and lasts from 2-4 days, which may be a factor of how much and what type of starch. My flares usually result from getting outside of my routine, such as eating at a friend's or relative's house while traveling or just from trying something new and questionable (like eating some pumpkin pie without the crust a few weeks ago).

I do occasionally have some mystery flares, which tend to be accompanied by bloating and some constipation. I think these may be due to too much sugar, honey, canned fruit, or dairy. I don't always keep a daily journal, so I have to take the time to backtrack and figure out all I ate prior to the flare. Most of the time I stay within my rut (routine), so I know when I ate something questionable.

--Greg

Oh my dear, there is such much to learn that it seem's like it is secret's of the trade. I am so glad you asked this and keep coming back and asking us to break this down for you. I know I forget what it used to be like starting out with this disease.

Flare's are different for each of us. Some of us flare from food, the barometric pressure, stress, and some flare's are just from progression of the disease. I hope others chime in on what causes theirs. Mine has always been the weather changing and the rising and falling of the barometric pressure. Now I am progressing so much that I don't even call it a flare anymore. It is full time pain that has been a constant for over a year. I have had the disease for 25 year's though and not been properly treated. I am still on the NSD but it has not helped me but it has helped many, many other's. Thank you for your post.

There's no easy answer here. I think one of the confounding factors is that if you are in mid-flare, it is hard to identify specific culprits. In my experience, as my pain subsided, it became easier and easier to identify things that I ate that triggered pain and stiffness. Also, as my symptoms subsided, I found out (to my chagrin), that it would only take a little starch to set things off for me.

That's one of the supporting arguments for a fast. The fast helps clear your system out; many people experience less pain during a fast. Once that has jump started things, it _may_ be easier to identify culprits. I was pretty methodical in the beginning. I painstakingly only added one thing a day so that I'd have a better chance of identifying the things that triggered my pain. It was miserable in the early days, but it was something that was invaluable for the long haul. (Note, I was skinny to begin with, so I never went on a long fast. No more than one day without food. I felt more comfortable doing juice or broth fasts. Only vegetable juice from non-starchy vegetables and homemade broths with no starchy ingredients.)

As I improved, I also experienced plateaus - where I wouldn't get better. I'd revisit my current habits, and tweak things again. It was slow and steady improvement for me. Diet wasn't the only thing that helped me, but I do feel it was the only thing that allowed me to sustain my improvement.

As for keeping food diaries, I kept a chart in Excel that documented pain scores by region of the body, notes that capture introduction of any new supplements (and meds if you take 'em), what I ate at various times of the day, and other miscellaneous notes.

Good luck!

>> I think one of the confounding factors is that if you are in mid-flare, it is hard to
>> identify specific culprits.

Amen brother. Yeah it is very difficult to make sense of things until you get out of a flare. 4 days of simple home made food and I am back to normal - meat, seafood, tofu, green vegies, apples, pears, soy sauce, coconut cream, etc

>> as my pain subsided, it became easier and easier to identify things that I ate
>> that triggered pain and stiffness. Also, as my symptoms subsided, I found out
>> (to my chagrin), that it would only take a little starch to set things off for me.

Everything you said is so very true. It only takes a little starch