Chronic Pain
Daphnerose86
Posts: 77 Member
Hey everyone! I'm looking for any insight from anyone who has incorporated a diet plan to help with chronic pain.
I don't have a clear diagnosis on what is wrong with me yet. We are doing a guess and check kinda thing and I'm sure some of you have experienced the "is this a side effect of the medicine I'm taking or is this a new problem?" So it seems like every day is a new problem and its been rough.
Are there any diet changes that people have made that have helped with pain? I'm cutting back on gluten, staying away from heavily processed foods and weaning myself off caffeine (which makes me so sad!!)
Are there certain foods I should be eating? I don't mind doing the research if y'all can point me in the right direction. Just trying to heal my body. Thank you so much!
I don't have a clear diagnosis on what is wrong with me yet. We are doing a guess and check kinda thing and I'm sure some of you have experienced the "is this a side effect of the medicine I'm taking or is this a new problem?" So it seems like every day is a new problem and its been rough.
Are there any diet changes that people have made that have helped with pain? I'm cutting back on gluten, staying away from heavily processed foods and weaning myself off caffeine (which makes me so sad!!)
Are there certain foods I should be eating? I don't mind doing the research if y'all can point me in the right direction. Just trying to heal my body. Thank you so much!
2
Replies
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i have found fitness and healthy life has lead to less pain.
you can try the anti-inflamation diet but i found and others found it is mostly scientifically unsupported
what helped the most was losing weight and moving more. on bad days, i tell myself my body overreacts to pain stimulus. and it's ok and will pass3 -
I have Crohn's disease which is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation throughout the entire body primarily focusing on the GI tract. About 3 years ago I started a modified version of the ketosis diet because it seems like the best option for me but rather than going the low 100 grams of carbohydrates a day I try to stay close to 100 grams of carbs a day but still staying below it so you know 95 to 75 grams a day. In the last three years I have gone from 280 lbs to 218 lb. Just with diet once I discovered I was 218 lb I added a 50/50 mix of cardio and calisthenics / weight lifting. I've only been doing that for about 15 days now. But I feel significantly better I have a bad knee along with scoliosis that makes my spine want to curve all the time. I also do a spine focused yoga routine about 3 times a week and that really seems to help as well. The worst thing about having chronic pain is that it really affects your motivation so finding ways to keep yourself motivated is extremely important. So I would say just keep doing research see what the experts say try your best to ignore the shills that are trying to sell you something. Research is key also the more specifically that you know what is causing your chronic pain the better because then when looking at the diet you can tell if it will affect your chronic pain or not.4
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Daphnerose86 wrote: »Hey everyone! I'm looking for any insight from anyone who has incorporated a diet plan to help with chronic pain.
I don't have a clear diagnosis on what is wrong with me yet. We are doing a guess and check kinda thing and I'm sure some of you have experienced the "is this a side effect of the medicine I'm taking or is this a new problem?" So it seems like every day is a new problem and its been rough.
Are there any diet changes that people have made that have helped with pain? I'm cutting back on gluten, staying away from heavily processed foods and weaning myself off caffeine (which makes me so sad!!)
Are there certain foods I should be eating? I don't mind doing the research if y'all can point me in the right direction. Just trying to heal my body. Thank you so much!
@Daphnerose86 sorry to learn of your chronic pain. The causes of pain can be many and sometimes next to impossible to diagnosis. I have lived a life with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) which is considered a form of arthritis.
While it has wrecked many of my life's plan nevertheless I am pleased that life is getting better and better.
At the age of 63 my health was crashing hard and the physical limitations were greatly impacting every part of my life. After the doctors told me to come back in 90 days and start Enbrel injections I decided to change my way of eating but could not do so.
Finally 30 days (Oct 2014) before I was to start Enbrel on a hunch cold turkey I cut out all foods containing added sugars and or any form of any grain. The first two weeks was hellish in my case but then the cravings and binging started to fade very fast. Pain was much lower in just 30 days to the doctors surprise I passed on Enbrel because of potential side effects.
Now I am 67 with better health and health markers than 30 years ago. I can physically walk and move much better. While I did this for pain management I did lose 50 pounds and maintained that loss the past three years.
I do not know why cutting out the added sugars and any form of any grain is/has reversed my years of long health decline but I plan to keep doing the same hoping to make it at least to 110 walking and talking the entire way.
In time you may find a Way Of Eating that helps your chronic so keep doing what you are doing and best of success.5 -
@joker19843 that sucks so bad! Ive heard great things about the keto diet but I've never looked into it. I will now. It really does make it hard to want to do anything. I work in a factory. The jobs are not physically demanding other than being on your feet for 8 hrs but I'm barely making it through the week. I have to use the weekends to recoup which isn't a solution bc we usually work 6 days. I'm not gonna make six days once we start back up. Ive been doing yoga as well but I've had to modify quite a bit. I just figured the one thing I'm not limited on is my diet for right now until they can figure out what is causing my issues. Congrats on your weight loss and I'm glad you found some things that are helping!!3
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@GaleHawkins im so happy for you!! That's amazing! Can't wait to see you at 110!2
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Agree with @GaleHawkins drastically reducing sugar and grains has major positive effects on ppl with gastrointestinal diseases. Could work for you as well.6
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@Ceenah80 Awesome! I have been reducing my sugar intake and cutting out gluten. Hopefully it helps!2
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Sorry to hear about your chronic pain. I've had constant chest pains from stress/anxiety and hip pains from being out of alignment. I switched to a mostly plant based diet and chest pains disappeared after a month and after six months I've stopped using daily pain killers to none at all. Try cutting out or minimizing dairy, cheese, and meat and see what happens.2
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Out of curiosity, what type of pain? Are you on hormonal birth control?
The reason I ask, I was on Depo shots in my early twenties and eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia. When I stopped the shots, the fibro faded away. After having my son, I started the pill and the symptoms returned. No more hormones, no more pains for me.1 -
Agree with @GaleHawkins drastically reducing sugar and grains has major positive effects on ppl with gastrointestinal diseases. Could work for you as well.
Not a good idea to make sweeping statements like this because it simply isn't true. Not for everyone and not every GI disease. I am on a very very restricted diet and bread, rice, pasta and oatmeal are just about the only solid foods that I can sometimes tolerate as they are easy to digest. High fat would be an absolute killer for me. And this is because of two gastro diseases, gastroparesis and Crohn's.6 -
singingflutelady wrote: »Agree with @GaleHawkins drastically reducing sugar and grains has major positive effects on ppl with gastrointestinal diseases. Could work for you as well.
Not a good idea to make sweeping statements like this because it simply isn't true. Not for everyone and not every GI disease. I am on a very very restricted diet and bread, rice, pasta and oatmeal are just about the only solid foods that I can sometimes tolerate as they are easy to digest. High fat would be an absolute killer for me. And this is because of two gastro diseases, gastroparesis and Crohn's.
Was you off of all foods with added sugar and or any form of grain for at least 90 days before you decided it was not true in your case?
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GaleHawkins wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »Agree with @GaleHawkins drastically reducing sugar and grains has major positive effects on ppl with gastrointestinal diseases. Could work for you as well.
Not a good idea to make sweeping statements like this because it simply isn't true. Not for everyone and not every GI disease. I am on a very very restricted diet and bread, rice, pasta and oatmeal are just about the only solid foods that I can sometimes tolerate as they are easy to digest. High fat would be an absolute killer for me. And this is because of two gastro diseases, gastroparesis and Crohn's.
Was you off of all foods with added sugar and or any form of grain for at least 90 days before you decided it was not true in your case?
It's pretty difficult to be off of all foods with grains or added sugar for 90 days when the only things you can somewhat tolerate and not vomit or cause severe pain are white carbs and ensure/boost (though I mostly just drink my calories now)I have a very severe gastric emptying delay and active Crohn's in my stomach so I need things that are easy to digest. Fat and fiber slow down gastric emptying even more. I'm barely getting in 600-800 calories as it is and if I cut out added sugar and grains my intake would be practically 0 as every time I try to add different things into my diet I spend all night with my head in the toilet. I'm probably going to have to go on TPN or get a NJ tube and both of those have added sugar.4 -
singingflutelady wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »Agree with @GaleHawkins drastically reducing sugar and grains has major positive effects on ppl with gastrointestinal diseases. Could work for you as well.
Not a good idea to make sweeping statements like this because it simply isn't true. Not for everyone and not every GI disease. I am on a very very restricted diet and bread, rice, pasta and oatmeal are just about the only solid foods that I can sometimes tolerate as they are easy to digest. High fat would be an absolute killer for me. And this is because of two gastro diseases, gastroparesis and Crohn's.
Was you off of all foods with added sugar and or any form of grain for at least 90 days before you decided it was not true in your case?
It's pretty difficult to be off of all foods with grains or added sugar for 90 days when the only things you can somewhat tolerate and not vomit or cause severe pain are white carbs and ensure/boost (though I mostly just drink my calories now)I have a very severe gastric emptying delay and active Crohn's in my stomach so I need things that are easy to digest. Fat and fiber slow down gastric emptying even more. I'm barely getting in 600-800 calories as it is and if I cut out added sugar and grains my intake would be practically 0 as every time I try to add different things into my diet I spend all night with my head in the toilet. I'm probably going to have to go on TPN or get a NJ tube and both of those have added sugar.
I see my WOE would be out of the question with your health limitations. In my case It took about 6 months for my long term IBS to resolve after I got off of sugar and grains. In my case anti-inflammatory eating is resolving my long term health issues thankfully.
Hope you get better. Below is about Keto for people with major stomach issues that I never hear about before but may not be an option in your case if there was even any interest.
https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22192619
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I find the best way to manage my pain has been through exercise (swimming, strength, and stretching), physio (when needed), and I have recently started a new topical pain med that has me as close to pain free as I have been in years. I haven't tried changing my diet intentionally. I find that when I'm working out regularly I tend to chose more fruits and vegetables, and a good amount of protein (in a variety of forms). I aim more for balanced macros (fats, proteins, and carbs), and micros (vitamins and minerals) rather than elimination. That way I don't feel deprived.3
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GaleHawkins wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »Agree with @GaleHawkins drastically reducing sugar and grains has major positive effects on ppl with gastrointestinal diseases. Could work for you as well.
Not a good idea to make sweeping statements like this because it simply isn't true. Not for everyone and not every GI disease. I am on a very very restricted diet and bread, rice, pasta and oatmeal are just about the only solid foods that I can sometimes tolerate as they are easy to digest. High fat would be an absolute killer for me. And this is because of two gastro diseases, gastroparesis and Crohn's.
Was you off of all foods with added sugar and or any form of grain for at least 90 days before you decided it was not true in your case?
Did you learn the definitions of post hoc fallacy and spontaneous remission before deciding it was true in your case?4 -
singingflutelady wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »Agree with @GaleHawkins drastically reducing sugar and grains has major positive effects on ppl with gastrointestinal diseases. Could work for you as well.
Not a good idea to make sweeping statements like this because it simply isn't true. Not for everyone and not every GI disease. I am on a very very restricted diet and bread, rice, pasta and oatmeal are just about the only solid foods that I can sometimes tolerate as they are easy to digest. High fat would be an absolute killer for me. And this is because of two gastro diseases, gastroparesis and Crohn's.
Was you off of all foods with added sugar and or any form of grain for at least 90 days before you decided it was not true in your case?
It's pretty difficult to be off of all foods with grains or added sugar for 90 days when the only things you can somewhat tolerate and not vomit or cause severe pain are white carbs and ensure/boost (though I mostly just drink my calories now)I have a very severe gastric emptying delay and active Crohn's in my stomach so I need things that are easy to digest. Fat and fiber slow down gastric emptying even more. I'm barely getting in 600-800 calories as it is and if I cut out added sugar and grains my intake would be practically 0 as every time I try to add different things into my diet I spend all night with my head in the toilet. I'm probably going to have to go on TPN or get a NJ tube and both of those have added sugar.
While i cant tolerate those foods and ensure now, they have saved my life on occasion. And yes, the added sugars in tpn and ngtube are necessary. I know the struggle, and I hope you find relief soon @singingflutelady
@Daphnerose86 I'm sorry you haven't figured out your pain yet. I am hesitant to give you any advice on what specific foods to eat, but it never hurts to do a temporary elimination diet like Whole30 to find out what triggers/aggravates your symptoms. Be mindful that food only helps so much - I would suggest to focus as much, if not more, on sleep and stess management.2 -
singingflutelady wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »Agree with @GaleHawkins drastically reducing sugar and grains has major positive effects on ppl with gastrointestinal diseases. Could work for you as well.
Not a good idea to make sweeping statements like this because it simply isn't true. Not for everyone and not every GI disease. I am on a very very restricted diet and bread, rice, pasta and oatmeal are just about the only solid foods that I can sometimes tolerate as they are easy to digest. High fat would be an absolute killer for me. And this is because of two gastro diseases, gastroparesis and Crohn's.
Was you off of all foods with added sugar and or any form of grain for at least 90 days before you decided it was not true in your case?
It's pretty difficult to be off of all foods with grains or added sugar for 90 days when the only things you can somewhat tolerate and not vomit or cause severe pain are white carbs and ensure/boost (though I mostly just drink my calories now)I have a very severe gastric emptying delay and active Crohn's in my stomach so I need things that are easy to digest. Fat and fiber slow down gastric emptying even more. I'm barely getting in 600-800 calories as it is and if I cut out added sugar and grains my intake would be practically 0 as every time I try to add different things into my diet I spend all night with my head in the toilet. I'm probably going to have to go on TPN or get a NJ tube and both of those have added sugar.
While i cant tolerate those foods and ensure now, they have saved my life on occasion. And yes, the added sugars in tpn and ngtube are necessary. I know the struggle, and I hope you find relief soon @singingflutelady
@Daphnerose86 I'm sorry you haven't figured out your pain yet. I am hesitant to give you any advice on what specific foods to eat, but it never hurts to do a temporary elimination diet like Whole30 to find out what triggers/aggravates your symptoms. Be mindful that food only helps so much - I would suggest to focus as much, if not more, on sleep and stess management.
@hamsibian it's the gastopareais that is dictating what I can and cannot eat mostly. What dietitians suggest is 6-8 small meals a day, only up to 1.5 liters a day of fluid, low fat, low fiber . Thanks my weight is dropping a lot (bmi 17.9 at the moment) so I'm thinking tpn or nj will be necessary soon 1 -
singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »Agree with @GaleHawkins drastically reducing sugar and grains has major positive effects on ppl with gastrointestinal diseases. Could work for you as well.
Not a good idea to make sweeping statements like this because it simply isn't true. Not for everyone and not every GI disease. I am on a very very restricted diet and bread, rice, pasta and oatmeal are just about the only solid foods that I can sometimes tolerate as they are easy to digest. High fat would be an absolute killer for me. And this is because of two gastro diseases, gastroparesis and Crohn's.
Was you off of all foods with added sugar and or any form of grain for at least 90 days before you decided it was not true in your case?
It's pretty difficult to be off of all foods with grains or added sugar for 90 days when the only things you can somewhat tolerate and not vomit or cause severe pain are white carbs and ensure/boost (though I mostly just drink my calories now)I have a very severe gastric emptying delay and active Crohn's in my stomach so I need things that are easy to digest. Fat and fiber slow down gastric emptying even more. I'm barely getting in 600-800 calories as it is and if I cut out added sugar and grains my intake would be practically 0 as every time I try to add different things into my diet I spend all night with my head in the toilet. I'm probably going to have to go on TPN or get a NJ tube and both of those have added sugar.
While i cant tolerate those foods and ensure now, they have saved my life on occasion. And yes, the added sugars in tpn and ngtube are necessary. I know the struggle, and I hope you find relief soon @singingflutelady
@Daphnerose86 I'm sorry you haven't figured out your pain yet. I am hesitant to give you any advice on what specific foods to eat, but it never hurts to do a temporary elimination diet like Whole30 to find out what triggers/aggravates your symptoms. Be mindful that food only helps so much - I would suggest to focus as much, if not more, on sleep and stess management.
@hamsibian it's the gastopareais that is dictating what I can and cannot eat mostly. What dietitians suggest is 6-8 small meals a day, only up to 1.5 liters a day of fluid, low fat, low fiber . Thanks my weight is dropping a lot (bmi 17.9 at the moment) so I'm thinking tpn or nj will be necessary soon
Oooh okay, gastroparesis is awful. I've never had it, but know plenty of people who did, and couldn't keep anything down.
When my doctor considered putting me on tpn (ended up not needing it), no joke I asked 10000 questions! If tpn is an option, ask if you can get it through a Hickman instead of a picc line. It will be easier to hide, and doesn't potentially interfere with some activities...especially if you like to weightlift. Also demand extensive training on how to care for it before they send you home from the hospital.1 -
singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »Agree with @GaleHawkins drastically reducing sugar and grains has major positive effects on ppl with gastrointestinal diseases. Could work for you as well.
Not a good idea to make sweeping statements like this because it simply isn't true. Not for everyone and not every GI disease. I am on a very very restricted diet and bread, rice, pasta and oatmeal are just about the only solid foods that I can sometimes tolerate as they are easy to digest. High fat would be an absolute killer for me. And this is because of two gastro diseases, gastroparesis and Crohn's.
Was you off of all foods with added sugar and or any form of grain for at least 90 days before you decided it was not true in your case?
It's pretty difficult to be off of all foods with grains or added sugar for 90 days when the only things you can somewhat tolerate and not vomit or cause severe pain are white carbs and ensure/boost (though I mostly just drink my calories now)I have a very severe gastric emptying delay and active Crohn's in my stomach so I need things that are easy to digest. Fat and fiber slow down gastric emptying even more. I'm barely getting in 600-800 calories as it is and if I cut out added sugar and grains my intake would be practically 0 as every time I try to add different things into my diet I spend all night with my head in the toilet. I'm probably going to have to go on TPN or get a NJ tube and both of those have added sugar.
While i cant tolerate those foods and ensure now, they have saved my life on occasion. And yes, the added sugars in tpn and ngtube are necessary. I know the struggle, and I hope you find relief soon @singingflutelady
@Daphnerose86 I'm sorry you haven't figured out your pain yet. I am hesitant to give you any advice on what specific foods to eat, but it never hurts to do a temporary elimination diet like Whole30 to find out what triggers/aggravates your symptoms. Be mindful that food only helps so much - I would suggest to focus as much, if not more, on sleep and stess management.
@hamsibian it's the gastopareais that is dictating what I can and cannot eat mostly. What dietitians suggest is 6-8 small meals a day, only up to 1.5 liters a day of fluid, low fat, low fiber . Thanks my weight is dropping a lot (bmi 17.9 at the moment) so I'm thinking tpn or nj will be necessary soon
Oooh okay, gastroparesis is awful. I've never had it, but know plenty of people who did, and couldn't keep anything down.
When my doctor considered putting me on tpn (ended up not needing it), no joke I asked 10000 questions! If tpn is an option, ask if you can get it through a Hickman instead of a picc line. It will be easier to hide, and doesn't potentially interfere with some activities...especially if you like to weightlift. Also demand extensive training on how to care for it before they send you home from the hospital.
I've been on it before and unfortunately outpatient is not available here so must do it inpatient. That's why I am putting it off1 -
@serindipte No BC at all. I was on it for several years when I was younger and then I started getting sick from it so I stopped. I friend was on drop and had all kinds of terrible reactions so I'm definitely steering clear.
I'm not exactly sure what is causing my pain. I thought it was stress related but its been several months since I've had my stress under control and the pain keeps changing. It started with chest pains then added headaches. Now back pain, joint pain, pain in my lower left abdomen (maybe my ovary?) Muscle spasms. My chest pain keeps changing from sharp to dull but its still present. (Ruled out my heart and lungs as the cause) Sometimes my headache is easily ignorable sometimes it turns into an ocular migraine. Sometimes getting out of bed is a hurdle and making it through the work week is getting more difficult. I just bought some orthotics for my tennis shoes hoping that might help with the muscle fatigue. I do yoga (not well bc my wrists hurt a lot) and I walk as much as I can but some days I'm barely making it into the house after work. This could have all been caused by stress and having a late reaction domino effect in my body maybe? The doctors are trying to work it all out but theyre confused too. It just seems to keep getting worse and worse.1 -
@nutmegoreo That's awesome that you found a way to keep the pain at bay. At this point I'm physically unable to work out extensively. When I can I go for walks and yoga but some days I barely have my head above water. But when I'm able I will definitely be getting more physical.0
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@hambien Ill look into whole 30 thank you! Dont worry food is just one factor. My stress has been under control for a while (sleep has never been a prob) which makes me so eager to try anything bc I just seem to be getting worse. Dont worry I'm following all doctors orders.0
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I struggle with chronic pain myself. I am working with a PT who specializes in it and the best thing I’ve found is small amounts of light exercise. I am on the whole 30 eating plan (no grain, no sugars, no dairy, no alcohol, nothing processed) and it seems to help a little. I hope you figure something out that works2
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Daphnerose86 wrote: »@nutmegoreo That's awesome that you found a way to keep the pain at bay. At this point I'm physically unable to work out extensively. When I can I go for walks and yoga but some days I barely have my head above water. But when I'm able I will definitely be getting more physical.
The first couple weeks of getting active again are always plagued by an increase in pain. It's after those initial weeks that it improves. Is physiotherapy an option for you? I would highly recommend it, if it is possible. I read your other post. Very happy to see you are working with your doctor. As for dietary changes, how about a registered dietician? Getting the right professionals around you can be very important.1 -
@Daphnerose86 I also struggle with chronic pain and struggle to get up and go to work every day, and make it through work. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and arthritis, which seems to be affecting all my joints now and most of my muscles. I am trying to watch my diet and lose some weight, which I hope will lessen the pain in my joints. I have a lot of pain in my SI joints, hips, neck, and some days my feet. I can only walk for exercise (some days) and do stretches. I am an arthritis medicine and off and on prednisone, which makes you want to eat more! My friend had me try a vegetarian diet for 2 weeks, but it did not help. Let me know if you find anything that helps, and I will do the same! I did find that moist heat helps my joints briefly. But know that you are not alone! We gotta keep moving and searching for a cure, that's all we can do! (sorry I wrote a book!) 0
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This video is a big help in understanding how pain works.
https://youtu.be/C_3phB93rvI 0
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