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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Joslynn on September 20, 2005, at 13:11:55
I am curring out refined sugar, aspartame, corn syrup.
I am writing this down here to see if it helps me be accountable.
And one must be quite a label-reader to ferret this out of one's diet! They sneak corn syrup into so many things. Grr.
Posted by spriggy on September 20, 2005, at 13:22:47
In reply to I'm cutting out these things, posted by Joslynn on September 20, 2005, at 13:11:55
I REALLY should jump on your bandwagon and take a ride.
I tried to cut out sugar totally- I last three days and then relapsed. I have never, ever felt more toxic in all my life.BUT, I have read if I would've stuck with it, that horrible feeling would've went away.
I just got the South Beach Diet book AND cookbook and am really thinking I need to take my whole family through it.
I have been pretty sick this year- lots of allergies, fibromyalgia, hypoglycemia, possibly lupus, etc..
I need to stick to a very healthy diet (as I sit here drinking my coke!).
Are you considering going organic too or just mainly working on the no sugar thing??
Posted by Joslynn on September 20, 2005, at 14:53:36
In reply to Re: I'm cutting out these things, posted by spriggy on September 20, 2005, at 13:22:47
I'll start out with just no sugar etc. That's enough to tackle for now.
I am not overweight, but I have been noticing that I definitely feel a mood dip the Monday morning after a weekend of bad eating. (I tend to eat ok during the week, but go haywire on weekends, when there are more social events involving food.)
If I want to go organic, I happen to live in an area where this is very hip now, so I could do it. But it does seem to complicate grocery shopping.
Posted by Cass on September 20, 2005, at 18:31:39
In reply to I'm cutting out these things, posted by Joslynn on September 20, 2005, at 13:11:55
You're doing a great thing for yourself. Like spriggy, I have fibromyalgia and lupus among other goodies. Since I improved my diet, my energy level is way up and I am a lot less achey.
Congrats on taking better care of yourself!
Posted by spriggy on September 20, 2005, at 18:53:48
In reply to Re: I'm cutting out these things » Joslynn, posted by Cass on September 20, 2005, at 18:31:39
I am curious how long it took for them to give you a definite lupus diagnosis?
Mine is a suspicion of lupus and a dx of fibromyalgia.
What are your symptoms?
Posted by Joslynn on September 21, 2005, at 15:21:01
In reply to I'm cutting out these things, posted by Joslynn on September 20, 2005, at 13:11:55
Hmm. Well, this is going to be harder than I thought, but not impossible.
Yesterday it took me a very long time to find cereal without sugar. But grainfield's makes a no-sugar raisin bran. (I know raisins have natural sugar, but I have decided that is ok.)
I have discovered that supposedly innoccuous items, such as whole wheat english muffins, sneak in some form of sugar!
Today I did eat a packet of sweetened oatmeal (low sugar not no sugar) because I didn't want to throw out a new box. I also had a forkful of cake that someone brought in to work. But it was just a forkful.
To replace diet drinks (because I'm also going off aspartame) I had some flavored seltzer. Now I am drinking plain green tea, because another thing I am going to avoid is Splenda. (By the way, is green tea supposed to make you feel like your teeth are covered in velour?)
I don't feel any different one way or the other. I don't miss it as much as I thought I would, but the grocery store was maddening last night! So many things they sneak corn syrup into. I used to think I didn't really eat much sugar, but turns out I was consuming a lot more than I realized without even knowing it.
Well, I really want to keep this up, because I want to do everything I possibly can to keep my mood in a good place. I figure, eating better can only help, not hurt.
Oh, another thing, so many recipes say, "for a heathly alternative to sugar, try applesauce" but guess what they put in most apple sauce? SUGAR! However, you can get no-sugar versions. But that is just one example of something I never would have suspected had sugar. I have been sugar naive.
Posted by Cass on September 23, 2005, at 19:20:40
In reply to Cass about your diagnosis.., posted by spriggy on September 20, 2005, at 18:53:48
Hi spriggy,
It took a couple years of seeing doctors before they diagnosed it. Since I was depressed, some of them thought I was just imagining the symptoms. I didn't have great doctors back then, so it was frustrating. I was diagnosed mostly by my symptoms, low grade fevers, joint pain, sun rash, fatigue, raynaud's disease. My blood results don't always indicate Lupus but my symptoms do.
How are you doing?
Posted by spriggy on September 23, 2005, at 22:54:50
In reply to Re: Cass about your diagnosis.. » spriggy, posted by Cass on September 23, 2005, at 19:20:40
You sound a lot like me.
All of my physical symptoms didn't present themselves until after my anxiety (which led me to medication which led me to horrific depression). '
So I don't know which caused which- it's the chicken and the egg thing, ya know??
Well, after I kept telling my doctor I felt sick ( he thought I was bp), I finally switched to a doctor who ran blood work. Immediately my ANA count was positive (and I was running chronic fevers, felt achy, etc.). They ran the ANA test a total of 4 times. I then suddenly started feeling better (through the summer) and my fevers went away.
Then about 8 weeks ago, got sick again (sore throat/fever) and BAM, all the "achiness/fevers/swollen lymph glands" returned.
This time around, weird rashes have been popping up all over and I have the notorious "butterfly" (lupus) rash.
They also found I have Epstein barr (very high titers) and had mono some time in this last year.
I've been chronically sick since last Christmas (before that was healthy as a horse!).
Rx'd with hypoglycemia, thyroid goiter, fibromyalgia, lupus, Epstein barr, etc.. Not to mention anxiety disorder with panic attacks.
I think I went on a serious downward spiral after some pretty traumatic events- it just wore out my immune system and my mental health as well.
Right now, mentally, I am doing better (most days) but physically have felt like a piece of crap.
Anyway, what kind of treatment do you receive? Right now I'm on an anti inflammatory, pain meds as needed, and more Extra strength tylenol/Aleve than one person should probably take.
Did a rheumy diagnose you? That's where I have to go next (just waiting on my insurance).
I've heard it can take them years to find lupus and by that time, people have already concluded they must be crazy.
I'm beginning to wonder myself!
Posted by Cass on September 26, 2005, at 17:59:59
In reply to Re: Cass about your diagnosis.. » Cass, posted by spriggy on September 23, 2005, at 22:54:50
Hi spriggy,
Yes, a rheumatologist diagnosed me. If your rheumatologist is good, that's when you'll start making some strides in diagnoses and treatment. I'm regularly prescribed Plaquenil which is a common drug for mixed connective tissue disorders. It's actually an anti-malaria drug which was found to help Lupus. I take Alleve when I need to, as well.
I can relate to the "which came first the chicken or the egg" issue. I think trauma during childhood triggered my health issues. You know that depression is actually a symptom of Lupus, right? In the case of Lupus, it's not that being sick makes you depressed. Depression can be an actual symptom, like joint pain or fatigue.
This is the end of the thread.
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