Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; causes of flares...

Hey All. After great success with nsd Ive been in a cycle of intense flare/spasm
inflammation feasting 1st on my left ribcage, then traveling around to
it seems every area that i have been using consistently in my exercise routine
these past 10 months.....(presented with raking yard)
2nd to last resort, steroids.but any exercise, lifting would start the flare all over again...
3 weeks ago, Took all sugar and dairy out of diet, what I should have done oh 6 yrs ago when learned about nsd.(ice-cream chocolate fan ) Learning more about my body, leaky gut, other
food allergies,and after using nsaids for yr,I believe this caused a cascade of problems...
My question is, if it is the integrity if the gut, why am I constantly hurting flaring from physical activity? any back and forth sweeping weedeating twisting
kills me,, feeling great last few days, then an hr ago. I pulled something
with light activity, and the spasms start (undulating ribs,what the.??? ) Why is my body so fragile , in light of a very clean diet? Gina ps after using Colostrum spray, my eyes swelled and it
looked like I had 2 blk eyes ! never had that with dairy before. whats up with that
!

Good question, can't answer it but can sympathize. Too much exercise flares me. And too much for me might be a yoga routine or vacuuming my house.
MaryCay

I have the exact same problem. Activity will flare me.

However, over the past two years I have gone from not being able to carry one small grocery bag, or apply enough pressure with a screwdriver to put a screw in a drywall, to getting back into hiking, mountain biking (1-2hrs), and this winter, even a little skate skiing, and that's a workout...

To do that amount of high impact activity though, I have had to keep the diet incredibly 'clean'. NSD is not enough to keep overall levels of inflammation down for me, I follow the autoimmune protocol instead, and have to resort to 400mg ibuprofen 3x a day for the next two days, especially after a skate ski session.

I believe one's overall inflammation-level needs to be brought down, way down, by steady & on going (=permanent) starch/sugar control, in order for the body to be able to adjust to increased activity levels. And this happens over a longer 'recovery timeframe', in my opinion.

Everyone's case is different. My response to diet has been long, clearly NSD is not enough for me, whereas it is for so many others.

Because I'm determined to try and continue to up my amount of sports/activities, I've also managed to wear down my lovely Rheumatologist, who kindly at least listens, and who has 'come around' to rx LDN, which I'm now taking intial doses of as well. (Thanks to 'Sue22' for your posts on LDN & enthesitis.)

I think for those who struggle with activity flaring you without fail, starch/sugar control is even more important. There's no doubt that I will never be 'normal'. I couldn't run a marathon, or ride for as long as non-spondy people, but I have seen an incredible improvement in what I can do physically, and I know it will be an on going maintenace piece for me, to continue to be active, and to slowly, slowly continue to improve.

Time, patience, reduced sugar in all its evil forms = better

Kleb, Ditto, on your post, I have been in flare 1 1/2 months, I finally feel better and think I can resume my activities ..... not!
I have been working on this for awhile. 6 yrs ago I did nsd for 8 months, but did not
cut out sugar or dairy. I KNEW after during this time that the sugar I ate was a problem, but after giving up so many foods, I wasnt ready.
So after nsd lsd eating tons of ice cream choc.
I was able to make the shift in my attitude towards food, after the MOTHER
of flares (spasms), had me crying like a wounded animal (scared my partner)
I realize now I cant ride my bike 6 miles, or do tons of bridges ect,I realize that sugar in all its forms not only aggravates my spondylitis, it causes my face eyes to swell
and horrible circles under my eyes. (secondary allergy ?)
After giving up sugar and dairy, I had more clarity , mind seems sharper ,
and dang!!! Inflammation leaving my body.
Yesterday at work I felt freaking fantastic !!! and then it all came crashing down
after doing an easy transfer with a client... Spasms crap. The silver Lining-
attitude shift and a clean diet clear mind helped me handle the pain better. and
the spasms so far not a 10 and thats good! I will cont a clean diet and look forward to cont research on leaky gut , fermentation , food combos ,ect
there are so many good websites like Farmers Kitchen, Betty Rawker , kickas,
Palio sites for recipes inspiration.
I will take your cue, and go SLOW Gina

Well, thats enough for me, Mary. NO more vacuuming ha!

Hands down the best exercise I do is swimming. There is much less impact on your body while doing various stretches, speedo glove exercises and strength training exercises. My biggest rehab "savior" was the aqua jogger. Without that I wouldn't be able to do the exercises I could today.

Yes, overexertion can start flares, but from my own experience, you don't have to do anything to start a flare: it can start up all by itself. I've had flares start with me being in my daily routine (rut) and not doing anything differently. My diet and activities can remain consistent, and a flare can still start up. AS is just a nasty disease.

I've also found that the flare can end without me doing anything special about it. I used to freak out trying to determine causes and ways to stop flares, but I've found that it's just part of the disease. However, the flare pain makes me lessen my activities until I feel better. Granted, some flares for some people can be so bad that the sufferer needs extra help, so do whatever it takes to find relief. I sometimes resort to Flexeril for help.

And thanks to Enbrel, I also suffer from MS flares. When the AS and MS flares coincide, I just want to scream and crawl into a hole (but crawling hurts too much). I have found that NSD keeps my overall pain at lower levels, both in and out of flares, so it's well worthwhile for me. With NSD, I now rarely suffer horrible rib spasms, which were constantly crushing me before.

So, for me, I keep a healthy diet, I keep active as much as possible, I try not to disconnect from the world, and I don't freak out about flares anymore. 'Stuff' happens.

--Greg

Brian , Hey Ive been to your site, and have read some posts here, congrats on your disciplined balanced approach, you help many by posting you experiences with healing. I agree with swimming, dont do much of it here in Texas, used to swim in
Lake Travis, but its pract. a puddle with the drought. Gina

Greg, I like you sensible approach. specially not freaking out when one happens.
last night I was much more er grounded and did not give panic and tense-up
the chance to "enhance the pain" so to speak. Meditation deep breathing help
and knowing that my approach is working, darn it! thanks for the insight Gina

I just want to add, I have been super strict, grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free, no starchy potatoes/rice, etc for about 16 months now. And for the first few months, there was a lot of yo-yoing, and up and downs with pains. I think it just takes the body a LONG time to rebuild, clear out toxins, inflammation, etc.

Overall, I really do continue with each day to feel better & better on this path! But I still get a set back about once per month with a flare up of pain for a few days, usually after going to dinner at a restaurant, where processed additives like MSG, dextrose, etc, always get the better of me, even in very small doses.

But the good news is, you have responded well to the diet, so you know you are on the right track!! I am excited to hear it continue to unfold and work for you. Just don't give up, as all of us here know what it is like to experience an unexpected flare-up. I just know that the diet for me has been an overall life saver, even if I will never be the super active girl I was years ago!

xoxo