Hey everybody,

I'd like to start out by saying how great it is to have found this forum. It truly is a wonderful thing.

Introduction:
I'm a 21 year old male college student, who just recently found out that I have AS. I've had back pain for years, but doctors/chiropractors just dismissed it as normal pain due to stress (HS football, physical labor, etc). None of my vertebrae have fused as of yet, but I have almost no ROM in any of my back/neck, and my neck has lost its natural curvature.

I've been on the NSD diet and sulfasalazine for about 2 months now, and I'm pretty sure I can see a difference. I have a pretty high pain tolerance (probably due to dealing with AS for years with no painkillers), so my pain never really got above 3/10, making it hard to guage a change. I am concerned that my ROM doesn't seem to be improving with stretches/excercises.

Here is what I've been eating:
tomatoes, bell peppers, radishes, grapes, oranges, cucumbers, carrots, green beans, pickles, peaches, plums, pears, brocolli, onions, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, rasberries, lettuce, eggs, chicken, fish, steak, blanched almonds, vinegar, garlic, and juices (simply apple and simply orange)

Questions:
1. Do I just need to be patient for my ROM to improve, or am I possibly not cutting out enough starch?
2. Is there anything you find questionable in my diet?
3. I wish to start experimenting with making NSD breads soon... I have seen the threads on using coconut flour, but was wondering if anyone has tried flaxseed flour/meal? Is flax NSD?
4. How do you use iodine to test liquids, such as soup, drinks, fruits, etc? I've only really had clear results on bread/french fries/chips.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I'm really looking forward to figuring this stuff out!

scubasteve

"I see trees of green, red roses too
I see em bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world." - Louis Armstrong