To go Gluten Free that is the question ...

[MrsAristotle]

Well I have been chasing a label for 5 years and basically have given up. BUT only of getting a label.

I have a personal assistant who is paid through our government to help me a few hours a week. Anyway she met a guy at a funeral (lol) who has MS. He was walking fairly normally and they got talking, and she said her "lady" me could have MS but was getting no where, so he told her that he had the same problems getting a diagnosis, and by the time he did (only recently) he was nearly in a wheelchair. Well he did lots of research and found the MS Recovery Diet and decided why not follow it, in for a penny in for a pound.

Basically you go Gluten Free, and dairy free.

And within a 12 months he has thrown his stick away. Well I would say that it isnt a miracle cure BUT it seems to help some people perhaps without knowing it are gluten sensitive. (Something that happens more as you get older).

I did lots of reading and found out that Gluten can cause neuro symptoms, tingling in the legs and even burning....(and can compromise the automatic nervous system) so perhaps if eliminated it does actually help the MS sufferer who is already getting all these neuro problems.

I found this very interesting:

http://www.chronic-pain-management-support.com/fibromyalgia-and-multiple-sclerosis.html

One thing i have suffered with is really bad stomach ache and bloating. As soon as I ate bread or pasta I would bloat and get a stomach ache. I didnt run to the loo, (no IBS) BUT felt really uncomfortable.

So I thought what the heck...in for a penny in for a pound. So off I went to the supermarket 8 weeks ago to start buying myself some gluten free products.

I started first with bread, pasta and cereal. My 3 main things lol.

After a few weeks I noticed I had no pain in my stomach, no bloating either..

Then I added things to my repertoire of gluten free stuff....another 2 weeks and my fatigue seemed to lessen....

Then I changed my milk to Soya milk...and i have been as much gluten as I can get for about 8 weeks.

I note that when I fail in my meals and have to eat something with gluten (you cant imagine how much stuff has gluten in it), I immediately get stomach ache and bloating......but not as bad.

Now I have dropped 5lb in weight too, feel tons better, and the stiffness in my legs has improved, in actual fact I noticed the other day the burning that has been with me constantly in my right leg sort of disappeared.....

My fatigue levels are tons better......

Yes I still have tingling legs, and pain in my feet and other stuff I have always had...but then some stuff has seemed to have disappeared....certainly my stiff legs and spasms seem tons better. HOWEVER, I note that now the central heating has to go on in the evening it hasnt stopped my legs in bed going mad and fizzing and tingling for England, and also I still wake up in pain but not as bad.....

Is it a coincidence I have no idea. I have changed nothing else, apart from having got myself a few chickens.....perhaps they are magical chickens and have improved my health lol......

Or is it just a placebo and I feel better because I darn well want to.

I dont know..but i can tell you this, at 60 years old my stomach is now flat, no bloating or wind lol, loosing weight has made me feel so much better too, YET I AM EATING MORE. I have found loads of scrummy gluten free cakes and have been eating them every day lol......I would never have done that before...

I am keeping on my feet longer and know that this helps too.

Sod the professionals who needs them.....I am going to get well one way or another.....

Take control of your illness is my answer to all this....what have we got to loose nothing.

Big hugs. Mariax

[MrsAristotle]

Hi oh i dont go without bread or pasta i just buy it but without the gluten.

The pasta is fine, but the bread can be a bit tough lol but I usually toast it and dont notice.

As to milk its not so important to start with that you stop the dairy. I didnt i just concentrated on the gluten to see if it helped.

The only dairy i eat is milk with my porridge as I have problems with my bones so must keep my calcium up but there is more calcuim in substitutes then cow milk.

illwithoutacause oh no so I cant use Soya i have come to like the taste lol. I have used Rice milk but found it a bit watery. I havent received my book yet so didnt realised about lagume......

I had a vegetarian moussaka with lentils yesterday and forgot it had gluten in the sauce. Just that bit of gluten and my tummy moaned at me, and sadly to say there has been a HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA LOL.........coming from my bed...poor dog tee hee.

I shall have to do some more research on milk substitute as I must keep my calcium up because of my bones.

I tell you what its more of a challenge trying to find a meal without gluten.

I have written to a few manufacturers who do vegetarian foods and not one offer gluten free i mean how mad is that.

I shall have a look at the links later this computer doesnt work well with youtube.

big hugs guys.xxxx

[illinwithoutacause]

another one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc

[illinwithoutacause]

i don't know if they'll let me post this link, but here goes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWikAkkeihs

[illinwithoutacause]

dear mrs. a & sarah,

you can't imagine how much of a bread, pasta, and cheese head i have been all of my life--i pretty much spent my 20s eating cheddar cheese and baguettes.  but i am adhering as much to this MS recovery/best bet diet as i can as of the last month.  it is hard and i feel deprived a lot of the time, but i think it helps me feel better.  i don't know what's causing me to be unwell either, but there's nothing to lose from going gluten free since it is a known cause of inflammation for a lot of people, even those without true celiac.

maria--i don't know if you can find rice milk or almond milk in your area, but the ms recovery diet recommends avoiding soy since it's a legume.  i love legumes so much, too, and have relied on them as a primary source of protein for years, but now i am staying away from them.  even haricot verts  :-(

sarah--i also gained 20lbs since feburary somehow. since i started back on the diet, i lost 5lbs pretty immediately, like mrs. a.  i have found a couple of different brands of rice pasta that actually taste good and fill the void.  i have also started eating lots of quinoa as a grain which is filling.

just thought i'd chip in my $.02 again.

blessings
xoxo

[sarahw244]

Wow!  That sounds awesome.  I have been tempted to try a gluten-free diet as one of my friends from school just found out she is sensitive to it and has said how much better she feels now.

You sound like me; don't care about chasing something that you may never get.  Well maybe we will, but what will it take?  

I would be all-in for this diet, especially if I could lose a little weight.  I seem to have gained 20 pounds in the last 5 months somehow.  Boo!!!  My only reservation would be giving up the dairy.  I live off of milk, it's my go-to drink for some reason.  I suppose it would be hard to give up all the breads, pastas, etc as well.  It seems that is the only kind of stuff I eat, lol!

As you say, who needs the professionals!  I have been thinking for the last few weeks myself that I am going to take a whole new approach to all of this and see if some kind of homeopathic doctor, chiropractor, massage therapist, or someone like that may have something to offer me.  I can't hurt, right?

Hugs right back at ya!
Sarah