Hi Guys,

I need your advise/guidance.

I'm 35. Prob diagnosed formally at age 23 but first signs appeared at age 18. Pretty functional (high stress job). Have had pain in all areas of spine but the worst at the moment is neck. Hardly any pain in lumbar and thorasic spine. Already have limited ability to crane neck up and turn side to side. Tilting head (the way you would do to hold a telephone between neck and face) is non-existant. Waiting for MRI to confirm fusion. Some times feels like pain is more from the muscles of the neck than the actual spine. Convinced I had fusion of lumbar spine as well but MRI last year showed no evidence of this.

Just recently I'm developing a strange unpleasent sensation in left big toe (not pain but still uncomfortable). I had but of a psychological break down because of this and as a result started the NSD to see if it helps.

I've been on a strict NSD for the last 5 days but haven't had the miraculous results that some of you have. I tried fasting for the the first two days but felt my symptoms where actually worse with this.

I've eaten nothing but eggs (omlet or hard boiled), chicken (grilled in olive oil), non-starch veggies (either raw or blanched), and as for fruits I've stuck mainly with red grapes since they don't test starch positive. Today I add almonds to my list of foods since they don't test positive.

I'm on celebrex 200mg daily and usually take a tablet of robaxacet (tylenol + methocarbamol - muscle relaxant) twice a day.

Am I doing something wrong? I decided to start a course of antibiotics early on but have since reconsidered. (I work in a medical setting and the last thing I need is a super-infection)

I'm really worried about the toe....is this the beginning of the end for me??

Don`t give up......it`s still early days - see where you are at this time next week - sometimes it takes a couple of weeks!

Thanks Johnthain, does this diet work for you?

Hi there, no you aren't doing anything wrong esp if you are iodine testing to be sure no sneaky starches are getting in there.

I suspect you just need more time. MOST people see an improvement (NOT CURE) within the first 3 months and then continue to gradually improve over time. It's a 2 steps forward 1 step back scenario for most people. You've had AS for 17 years so it's not going to just miraculously go away in 1 week.

Patience, commitment and time.. you will get there!

I get pain from time to time in my right toe, in the "knuckle" area, so to speak. It seems to flare up when I'm fighting a cold. It feels very deep in the joint and it always bums me out when that happens. But, then it goes away. Sometimes these kinds of things come and go.
Are you taking fish oil? Maybe you could ask your doctor if it wouldn't conflict with the celebrex?
Best wishes that the NSD gives you relief as you give it some more time. : )

Yeah - you are being impatient!!! It would INDEED be a MIRACLE if you were feeling loads better after 5 days... (sadly...)

Keep to the path and hopefully s-l-o-w-l-y you will see chinks of light w-a-y- down the far end of the tunnel.

"Patience, young grasshopper......."

It works very well - but a lot of discipline is needed and that is not always easy when you are out and about - I think it gets easier as times goes on - you will look at that cream cake one day and think that you dont want it anyway as your taste buds change!! (Hopefully) Keep drinking lots of water at all times - hope you get some results soon - I am sure you will - Very best of luck

Does the fusion get better with time?

you mean does the fusion process is reversible? no. no matter what drug you will take or what diet you will have, fusion process is irreversible.

does the pain & inflammations decrease? for most of us, yes, it does.

Most of "us" as in those who come here to actively pursue solutions, yes.

Just passing time, without paying a lot of attention to diet and/or taking strong meds... improvement is not so likely.

Time alone was certainly making me worse not better, so that I had to find out what was going on so that I could take steps to calm the inflammation (at first I went on daily NSAID, but now am primarily using diet as an approach that works better in the long term).