Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group All Flared Up!

while we don't know what triggers my flares (doesn't seem to be stress, weather, barometric pressure, food? (maybe the casein? but probably not. casein probably just causes the lower level inflammation between flares).

there was one time last summer where i fell very hard in the kitchen on the hard oak floor, and that "physical trauma" caused me to go into a very bad flare. but that was also around the time of year when i lately always go into a very bad flare. so the fall may have just triggered what was coming anyway. we'll never know for sure.

the trigger that my rheumy thinks, that i never see mentioned on here by anyone else, is (seasonal) allergies. no proof of it, but something my rheumy wants me to keep considering.

i think if we figure out our triggers, we can start to get this a bit better under control.

i think our triggers differ, person to person.

a lot of people (in the world, they are finding) seem to have gluten and / or casein sensitivities. for me, its not the gluten, but does seem to be the casein (as determined by blood work).

and the person above mentioned a list of things that help. meds are important for many.

others here have found a lot of relief with diet (no starch or low starch for many) though things like dairy and sugar should also be considered. a food / symptom diary was important for me to figure out which foods were flaring my gastritis and IBS, but for me, the arthritis doesn't come on that fast, so i could only tell through blood tests that casein in dairy and eggs were the culprits for me.

and to merely deal with the symptoms, ice is so important for me. heat for the lower level muscle spasms. but ice for the inflammation, pain, and more severe muscle spasms. when in doubt, contrasting heat and ice has great benefit. i still have not found a drug that reduces my pain as well as ice does......except for the prednisone, as it takes away the inflammation.