Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; 6 Month Update

Hi Debbie,

Forgot to say why not try adding in those fave fruit and veggies you miss, as part of the 'low' starch element? Should give you some more flexibility too...and no matter how much that toast is enjoyable to you now, I think that rotating and having breaks from what you eat helps tolerance.

Re. the rice - the variants of rice certainly give flexibility to the diet - but I wouldn't say I had it regularly as such? (How regular is regular anyway?) To me it would mean once or twice a week maybe? That would certainly be my absolute maximum, especially after recent events - too freaked out to even think about it!!

Explore the fishy stuff more too - there is so much variety and it's generally very healthy stuff, although I'm sure you'll get better info on that from the non-veggie folks here!!

Take care,

Jan



The first and best victory is to conquer self

— Plato

Hi Deborah
About 3 months ago you complained how the NSD was not working for you and I said my experience was similar. It is 6 months since I was diagnosed also but my experience lately has been much better. I am sorry to learn your results have so far been disappointing.

I am reluctant to talk of cause and effect when I have generally changed several things at the one time. However my improvement started after I took a health-shop 15-day de-tox course. I have also continued with a herbal fibre / energy supplement from the same company. I didn't really follow the course as instructed because with my restricted diet and with the further restrictions recommended I had nothing left to eat! Following the course I started to reduce my NSAIDs, something which I had tried before but failed.

Things I have changed. I have given up trying to put back the weight I lost. I now have a large breakfast including fruit, eggs and fish. I also take lots supplements at great cost all of which you are no doubt familiar with. I have no idea if they are making any difference but since I am improving I am not changing anything. On NSAID days I also have a bowl of serial with prunes and milk. For lunch and dinner I have mostly fish and salad only. I allow myself 1 cup of milk coffee and about 2 cups of tea daily with aspartame for sweetener. I have no snacks except a little cheese - no nuts. Nothing sweet after breakfast including fruit. I try to have an early dinner and do not eat again before going to bed. With more fibre and less milk and cream I no longer have a constipation problem. One change in particular I think has made a difference - I have tightened up on discipline and rarely vary from what I have planned.

I exercise about an hour a day on average plus several hours a week croquet, which I have been able to resume following my improvement.

My NSAID dosage has gone down from 7 X 50mg 'Fenac' weekly (prescription) to 3 X 25mg - less than a quarter. Despite the reduction my symptoms are much better. On the day following the NSAID I seem to be almost completely without symptoms, so I time the pills to match physical activity. My weight has stabilised and I think I have put back some fat on my face so people comment how much better I look. I certainly have more energy than before.

My diet is unimaginitive and monotonous I know but as long as I am improving I am going to stick with it. It's also easy to prepare. After I stop improving I will experiment again.

I hope what I have written doesn't sound too triumphal when you are having less fortune. I know everyone is different but maybe there is something helpful for you in my experience.

Cheers

Wally

Sorry for butting in Wally...her is a link on aspartame:
http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/aspartame.html
All the best
Sue

Hi Sue

Thankyou for your aspartame link. I have visited the site and note the adverse comments about aspartame. Most of the article, however, is addressed to people using aspartame for weight loss. I can imagine those with a strong sugar craving, for which they subsititute aspartame, consuming large quantities. One 2 litre bottle of diet soft drink would contain several times as much I use daily. I consume just 2 or 3 tiny tablets a day which have so far not induced any of the symptoms described. Furthermore I vary my non-sugar sweetener from time to time because all of them have similar negative comments.

Almost anything you take will have adverse effects if taken to an extreme. If the quantity I consume caused 'headaches, memory loss, slurred speech and vision problems' then I imagine there really would have been a public outcry. However I keep an open mind on the subject and if you can point to a study which shows such moderate use is harmful then I would consider changing.

Wally

Hi Wally,

Thanks so much for sharing your experience with me. I am very happy for you that the diet is working and maybe you are more disciplined than I am. I have added 1 piece of organic sprouted wheat toast for breakfast and usually have fruit and eggs as well. I have also started eating the occasional banana. I havn't noticed a huge increase in pain from my additions. I did try some rice crackers but they weren't a good idea. I may try the detox, as it is something I havn't tried. I do eat snacks which are usually almonds or fruit. I do not believe all is lost with the diet as I have lost close to 10 lbs. and on my good days feel very good. I also stay clear of dairy except for feta cheese and goat cheese. I have also started taking methotrexate and it is helping a very small amount but it may be too early to tell. I will not throw the diet out the window and will continue to hope for improvement. I take Bextra daily and once tried to decrease and by day three I had to start again. Maybe that is the key to success? Hard to know. It is something to keep in mind and maybe instead of quitting them I could just decrease at a slower rate. My diet is not that exciting either but you know I am used to it now and I feel it will be a way of life for me. Not looking forward to Christmas with all the goodies to try and avoid. Thanks for the update Wally and keep up the good work. I will keep your suggestions in mind.

Debbie

There is no drug stronger than a good attitude.