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Joined: Feb 2015
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Gureamu Offline OP
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Hi All,

I am new to this forum, and also trying the low starch diet for the first time - and hoping to hear from some people who have been there and done it!

I am about two days in to the proper diet so far. I was feeling like some of the pains were going away, but I just had a bit of a setback tonight. (I suspect peppercorns were to blame.)

Anyway, the things I wanted to ask about are:

• Did you ever feel dizzy on the diet?
At the moment, I often feel dizzy (light headed dizzy) - and I did before I started the diet. I suspect that it is from the sulfasalazine. I was taking SSZ for a couple of months, but stopped it a week ago because I don't think it agrees with me. (Headaches, dizziness, stomach issues, feeling really on edge, and more.) However, I guess with the change in diet, my body could be getting used to things.

• How long after eating a trigger food do you feel pains?
I am trying to start working out what else to cut. The other day I had some pains just after lunch. Is that too quick to have been caused by something I ate at lunch?

• Is it a bit mad to stop taking Meloxicam (NSAID) for a little bit to get a better sense of whether the diet is working?
Or is it better to get into the diet more first? I know that Meloxicam has a little starch in it, so that is not a great help. But I also know it must be affecting my insides...

I am sure there will be more questions as I get deeper in!

I also wanted to say that I think this website is fantastic. I spent my lunch break reading the success stories with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. I am so pleased to hear how so many people have been able to get their lives back. I feel emotional just thinking about it again.

I find it really hard to find anyone who understands what this HLA-B27 "adventure" is all about - I think most people think I am a mad or exaggerating. It really makes a difference to read about how other people have been through the same things, felt the same feelings, and are now helping each other to kick AS (and associated conditions!).

G


• Spondyloarthritis since 2013
• Taking: Meloxicam, Omeprazole
• Was taking: Sulfasalazine (but stopped due to side effects)
• Low starch diet: 15th Feb 2015 - 15th April; 29th May - now
• Supplements: Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Zinc, Calcium
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,162
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AS Czar
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WELCOME, Gureamu:


Quote:
• Did you ever feel dizzy on the diet?
At the moment, I often feel dizzy (light headed dizzy) - and I did before I started the diet. I suspect that it is from the sulfasalazine. I was taking SSZ for a couple of months, but stopped it a week ago because I don't think it agrees with me. (Headaches, dizziness, stomach issues, feeling really on edge, and more.) However, I guess with the change in diet, my body could be getting used to things.


Weak, unenergetic, but not dizzy. SSZ made me feel strange, also--like I was living under water. Fasting even for 20 days never made me dizzy; suppose it could be drug issue, but be careful about getting too low blood sugar. Sometimes drinking unsweetened concord grape juice 3X daily helps, also taking glutamine with this is good (500mg-1g each dosage).


Quote:
• How long after eating a trigger food do you feel pains?
I am trying to start working out what else to cut. The other day I had some pains just after lunch. Is that too quick to have been caused by something I ate at lunch?


Typically between 4 to 14 hours after eating a provocative food, a flare might begin. Sometimes the stirrings of a flare might be working below our consciousness, but the next meal could push us over that threshold.

Quote:
• Is it a bit mad to stop taking Meloxicam (NSAID) for a little bit to get a better sense of whether the diet is working?
Or is it better to get into the diet more first? I know that Meloxicam has a little starch in it, so that is not a great help. But I also know it must be affecting my insides...


To be quite honest, it is mad to continue any NSAID as they are counter-productive to the goals of the diet; I would prefer getting relief through the borage seed oil (many capsules to achieve 2g effective GLA dosage--best taken before retiring). Then to use fresh wheatgrass juice 4-6oz for about 3 days in a row on empty stomach. Should be done with flare then, following diet more strictly.

There are so many things we are unaware of that it is best to test almost everything, but please do not hesitate to give us a listing of the foods You are consuming remember that nothing is unimportant--ever detail. Then we could troubleshoot Your specific diet.

Welcome home where we understand what You have been through and have every hope of avoiding the pains and heartbreak of AS in the future--but we are all human, so will backslide on occasion and learn these lessons over again.

HEALTH,
John

Joined: Jan 2015
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Although a low-carb diet causes a significant change in how your body burns fuel, most of its side effects are mild. The most common side effects associated with a low-carb diet are headache and constipation, which are potentially because of a reduced intake of fiber, fruits and vegetables.

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Gureamu Offline OP
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Many thanks for the words of encouragement. It means a lot to be able to talk about this with others.

My current diet is things like this:

• Breakfast is some of these things
- Scrambled eggs (or omelette), bacon, maple syrup, sauerkraut
- Apple, melon, pear, white grapes
- Yoghurt (Rachel's Organic Bio Live - but not the cherry one because it has starch!)
- Cider apple vinegar and honey mixed with hot water

• Lunch is some of these things
- Spinach, rocket, watercress, and other green leaves
- Raw (peeled) carrot, celery, pepper
- Chicken and apple soup (recipe from Carol Sinclair's book)
- Tomato soup (Amy's Kitchen)
- Salami (no starch)
- Ham
- Cheese (cheddar, Jarlsberg)
- Canned fish (in olive oil or vegetable oil only)

Dinner is some of these things
- Gluten free sausages (Heck)
- Beef stew with carrot, celery, and tomato - and beer (recipe from Starch Free Cookbook website)
- Fish and herbs (recipe from Carol Sinclair's book)
- Steamed vegetables: carrot, leek, broccoli
- More salad

Snacks are things like:
- Almonds and macadamia nuts
- Dried cherries, blueberries, apricots, pears, red currants, black currants, blackberries, and raisins
- Beef Jerky (organic)
- Apple juice (only other ingredient is ascorbic acid)
- Herbal teas (peppermint, spearmint and chamomile, blackberry and elderflower)
- Kombucha cordial with water

Anything on there that needs another look? If I am not having success, I will likely eliminate:
- all dairy
- normal sugar
- carrots
- tomatoes
- mushrooms (sadly)

And I am probably not going to have one of those herbal teas again, because I noticed it contains orange rind - and I am trying to exclude oranges.


• Spondyloarthritis since 2013
• Taking: Meloxicam, Omeprazole
• Was taking: Sulfasalazine (but stopped due to side effects)
• Low starch diet: 15th Feb 2015 - 15th April; 29th May - now
• Supplements: Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Zinc, Calcium
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 21
Gureamu Offline OP
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@codyedwards

Luckily, I am not suffering from either of those things. It's a kind of shaky feeling. Possibly a lingering effect of SSZ.


• Spondyloarthritis since 2013
• Taking: Meloxicam, Omeprazole
• Was taking: Sulfasalazine (but stopped due to side effects)
• Low starch diet: 15th Feb 2015 - 15th April; 29th May - now
• Supplements: Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Zinc, Calcium
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 751
Magical_AS_Kicker
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Gureamu,

I think your daily meals looks great! Overall very super low in starch (and most things you listed are starch free), and I would think it will set you up for success.

My best advice keep your eyes set on the prize - a ways down the road, and try not to worry about the immediate and small ups and downs along the way for the first few months. It took a full 6 months on this diet before I really felt like I had a full handle on my AS disease, but I also have a very advanced case, as most of my spine is already fused. I also used to suffer chronic IBD symptoms, but those have completely vanished over time with this diet approach too. Yay!!!

I think you are totally on the right track. For me tomatoes are a huge trigger, also refined sugar is a big trigger for me, along with soy bean oil (which is not starchy, but I developed a severe intolerance to it in the past few years), cow dairy is also a big trigger for me, I randomly had a little grassfed butter 2 weeks ago, and woke up in pain. And beer is out for me also (listed in your stew), but over the years I tolerated hard apple cider and clear liquors pretty well, but now have pretty much stopped drinking alcohol, as a day or two later after having drinks my poor gut will be a little inflamed. Luckily now most of my little flare-ups are shorter lived and only last a day or two when I slip up, as compared to before the diet, they seemed to be never ending. I used to have it bad, seriously, and used to say my middle name was "inflammation". I was diagnosed very late with the AS, so it took a large toll on my body before I knew what I was dealing with.

The first 1 to 2 months of going starch free are usually a bumpy ride, even when you do everything right, it really takes a while to overhaul a body with chronic inflammation and overgrowth of the wrong bacteria, I have yet to meet anyone who had it all figured out in the first couple weeks of their journey.

Wish you the best! And keep us posted!!

Andrea


I'm now a KICK AS (and Kick IBD) success story!! After going low starch Paleo to heal my gut, I can now eat nearly all starches, grains & foods without inflammation, flare-ups, or pain. I used a modified SCD diet approach (minus dairy! plus cacao ♥). Cheers to healing & thriving again! I blog at http://www.forestandfauna.com/about/
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Hello there,

Glad you found Kickas, hope it helps you as much as it has me. Keep coming back if you have questions.

Originally Posted By: Gureamu

• Did you ever feel dizzy on the diet?
At the moment, I often feel dizzy (light headed dizzy) - and I did before I started the diet.


I did... I had issues with energy and the diet for some time. The dizziness in my case was needing to get more food/fuel in me.

What helped... nuts/raisins mix, being able to eat organic yogurt again and 3 day apple fast.

Originally Posted By: Gureamu
• How long after eating a trigger food do you feel pains?


Depends on the food... but if I am doing well and eat something with too much starch I can feel it in the low back within 1-2 hours typically. I may have some stiffness for a bit longer afterwards.

Originally Posted By: Gureamu
• Is it a bit mad to stop taking Meloxicam (NSAID) for a little bit to get a better sense of whether the diet is working?


I do not want to discourage medications at this point.. I think the first goal for anyone should be to get out of pain. Once you accomplish that, I would look at reducing medications.

Personally I think NSAIDs long term can be counterproductive as I believe in leaky gut from my personal experience. But I also needed NSAIDs at times to take some of the edge off my AS pain when had issues with energy.

There may be some better medication options however.. azulfadine, LDN come to mind.

Best to you, keep posting if you have questions.

Tim


AS may win some battles, but I will win the war.

KONK - Keep ON Kicking
Joined: Feb 2015
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Gureamu Offline OP
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@ Andrea

Many thanks for your words of encouragement - and for looking over my diet. It's really useful to hear some of the things that have an effect for you. I will add alcohol to my "watch closely" list!

I was reading another post on these forums where Zark talked a bit about the "bumpy ride". Zark said:

Quote:
When I eat too much yoghurt, eggs, butter or meat I get tense around my upper arms and shoulders.. I even feel kinda wound up and not at ease. Wheatgrass / barley greens / spinach all help with that really really well. Don't know for certain why, but of course I have theories.

https://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=496990&page=2

I think this is similar to how I have been feeling. I felt pretty good today, but I have taken John's suggestion and bought some Wheatgrass and will give that a try.

I'm also going to be trying out some of your great recipe ideas!


• Spondyloarthritis since 2013
• Taking: Meloxicam, Omeprazole
• Was taking: Sulfasalazine (but stopped due to side effects)
• Low starch diet: 15th Feb 2015 - 15th April; 29th May - now
• Supplements: Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Zinc, Calcium
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 21
Gureamu Offline OP
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@ Dotyisle

Many thanks for your reply.

I have been eating lots of nuts and raisins, but I think, like you, I need MORE!

And I am getting more and more interested in the 3 day apple fast. The first time I read about it, I thought "Wow! That sounds crazy!" - but the more I think about it, the more it appeals. I will probably give that go in a few weeks - once I am sure the SSZ is gone from my system!

Thanks also for the suggestions about medication. I think you're right that the first thing to do is get used to the diet, get to a stage where I think I have reduced some pain, and then see what happens when I take the pills away! (And I'll ask my doctor about alternatives at my next appointment.)

One question that comes to mind after today: Does cabbage have an effect on anyone? I've had sauerkraut for a few days and that seems fine, but this evening I had some plain old cabbage and now I'm feeling a bit achey and stiff.


• Spondyloarthritis since 2013
• Taking: Meloxicam, Omeprazole
• Was taking: Sulfasalazine (but stopped due to side effects)
• Low starch diet: 15th Feb 2015 - 15th April; 29th May - now
• Supplements: Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Zinc, Calcium
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 21
Gureamu Offline OP
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Just wanted to add that I read something by Zark (I think) today where he said Echinacea provoked a strong reaction for him.

I have been drinking so much Echinacea tea thinking it was better for me than caffeine - it would be horribly ironic if that was giving me pains! On the quarantine list it goes.

So useful to hear what other people have suffered from to help me think of things to try cutting out!


• Spondyloarthritis since 2013
• Taking: Meloxicam, Omeprazole
• Was taking: Sulfasalazine (but stopped due to side effects)
• Low starch diet: 15th Feb 2015 - 15th April; 29th May - now
• Supplements: Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Zinc, Calcium
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