Hi everyone I just discovered this board recently I was diagnosed in May with FM and have been miserable. I am 34 and a full time student engaged and in a ton of pain. My question is if anyone had tried going gluten free and/or dairy free and if that helped alleviate any symptoms. I went to a health food store today and spoke with someone there who said the pain could be from an allergy to gluten and/or dairy. Of course we are all desperate to find a way to not feel the list of things we feel everyday. Anyone try it, did it work, not work? I personally do not want to try any medications at the moment, but that is my personal preference.
Thanks in advance for any help.advice!
Leah
I have been going gf and df for a few weeks now. I haven't noticed any relief with fibro pain as I have other issues going on that cause me to be in pain all the time
I have fibromyalgia, IBS, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and going thru menopause - ugh !!!!!! Anyway, I went on a strict gluten free diet over 3 mths ago. I am also limiting my sugars and carbs (which you need to watch closely doing gluten free because gluten free foods can be much higher in sugars - so avoid those)....I can absolutely say it has helped my stomach issues alot - I never bloat anymore unless I eat too much sugar. I also have given up dairy for the most part. I use Lactaid milk, lactose free yogurt - but I do still eat hard cheeses and am ok from those. I seem to be less constipated and I have more energy. Unfortunately, my pain is the same. I was hoping on some pain relief, but none yet. This is a bad time of year for me for some reason. Oct/Nov. are awful pain-wise for me and has been for many years. Its worth giving it a try. I lost 6 lbs since going gluten free. It keeps you away from processed foods which are so bad for you anyway, and there are TONS of gluten free products so I don't feel deprived at all. I will continue being gluten free. Give it a try!!! MaryAnn
Yeah I've tried a gluten free diet but to be honest... it's just too much work. You'd be surprised how many products actually contain small amounts of gluten... and if you truly wanna be gluten free you gotta remove it from your diet COMPLETELY. Not to mention how much more it costs to buy those special products (like gluten free bread).
I still don't go overboard with pasta or bread because of my IBS but I do eat some every now and then.
I didn't really notice any difference painwise after going gluten free anyway. But everyone's different so who knows. I still don't think Fibromyalgia is about being intolerant to gluten like so many people make it seem.
Yeah I've tried a gluten free diet but to be honest... it's just too much work. You'd be surprised how many products actually contain small amounts of gluten... and if you truly wanna be gluten free you gotta remove it from your diet COMPLETELY. Not to mention how much more it costs to buy those special products (like gluten free bread).
I still don't go overboard with pasta or bread because of my IBS but I do eat some every now and then.
I didn't really notice any difference painwise after going gluten free anyway. But everyone's different so who knows. I still don't think Fibromyalgia is about being intolerant to gluten like so many people make it seem.
I don't think Fibromyalgia is caused by a gluten intolerance either, but gluten is not good for you and if we can remove any bad things from our already compromised system like gluten, processed foods, refined carbs/sugars, why not? I have very bad stomach problems and going gluten free, for ME has helped tremendously. MaryAnn
I would suggest that you research about eating foods with gluten - educate yourself and then make a decision whether you would like to try it or not. I have had FM for over 25 years and I try everything I can to improve the way I feel. Good Luck MaryAnn
Last edited by moderator2; 10-28-2012 at 01:47 PM.
I have been gluten free for 3-4 years. I don't have celiacs, but am highly sensitive to it. A bit of gluten and I have full-blown symptoms. As others have said, it's a hard diet to follow because gluten is in so many things you wouldn't suspect. But it does get easier after you've learned what's available in your grocery store.
Through trial and error, I've found that I feel better when I limit all grains. When I was eating g-f bread, pretzels, cookies, etc, the g-f diet helped my tummy but didn't help other fibro symptoms much. I've also discovered that grains are addicting for me. I can't eat just a few crackers, I end up binging, then feel awful.
Sugar is also horrible and addicting for me. Halloween has been hard. I can tell almost immediately when I've snuck too much from my kids' bags!
My personal theory is that for me it has to do with blood sugar (courtesy of Wheat Belly book and blog). The carbs in most g-f products don't have much nutritional value and affect me almost as much as sugar. G-F products usually also have tons of cane sugar in them so it's a double whammy. I've actually considered getting a blood sugar tester (like for diabetics) as an experiment, but haven't yet.
