Fibromyalgia and Food Triggers

When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, my rheumatologist recommended an array of things to make me feel better: sleep, medication, mild exercise, massage, warm baths, etc. He also suggested avoiding: strenuous activity, stress, and exhaustion. As we all know, most physicians spend very little time studying food and its effect on the body, so he never mentioned diet as part of my treatment plan. Fortunately, I have a connection to a medical researcher who has a family member with a serious autoimmune disease. He has spent countless hours pouring over medical journals determining the best ways to help his family member live his best life despite his disease. When he learned of my diagnosis, he immediately sent me several medical articles to read and scheduled a call with me to review what I read.

First, we discussed the "microbiome," also known as all of the bacteria, funghi, viruses, etc., that live in our gut, and how important it is to enable our microbiome to absorb nutrients from the foods we eat in the most effective way possible. People with autoimmune diseases often have messed up microbiomes which is why irritable bowel syndrome is one of our side effects. In order to help my microbiome absorb nutrients more effectively, I take a pretty strong probiotic.

Second, we discussed going through the steps of an elimination diet to identify food triggers. Everyone knows they should avoid foods with excess fat, sugar, preservatives, etc., but I had no idea the seemingly healthy foods I was eating could also be part of the cause of my physical pain. Rather than eliminating foods one at a time, the approach he recommended was a bit more extreme but definitely more effective. Since my diagnosis was new and I had only been in pain for a few months, he recommended completely eliminating all food for at least four days and only drinking water and Ensure to allow all food to exit my body. His family member had been suffering for quite some time and had serious damage to his digestive system, so he eliminated food completely for 6 weeks to allow his digestive system to heal. I was grateful that I didn't need to be that extreme! Once my digestive system was clear, I could reintroduce food types one at a time.

After three days on an Ensure diet, I felt remarkably better! I was nowhere near my pre-heart failure normal but I felt better than I had in months. I was able to do things I couldn't do for weeks like walk to work without stopping due to pain from charley horses and cross my legs while sitting in a chair. It was clear that something I had been eating was contributing to my physical pain and I became eager to learn what my trigger foods were. I stayed on Ensure for a few more days to make sure everything was out of my system then I started to reintroduce foods slowly. I would eat something twice one one day, wait three days, then eat it again. If my pain increased within two days of eating a food after trying it twice in one week, I knew it was a trigger.

The first week, I reintroduced rice, meat, cruciferous veggies, and basic fruit. I felt no reaction! I didn't use any sauces or seasonings other than salt, pepper, herbs, and olive oil. It was pretty bland, but I felt better than I had in weeks! I was so grateful I could eat basic foods and was equally grateful for the few pounds I lost! Over the next couple of months I learned that I have some very specific trigger foods. Surprisingly, I have a very strong reaction to white potatoes. If I eat a white potato in any form I will be in bed in serious physical pain within 8 hours and it takes me several days to recover. I reacted the exact same way to french fries, hash browns, baked potatoes, and roasted potatoes. I definitely miss eating potatoes, but the pain is just not worth it.

A few weeks later, I reintroduced wheat. I learned that wheat does not cause pain the same way potatoes do, but it causes my irritable bowel symptoms to flare up. I don't have to avoid it completely like I do potatoes, but why on earth would I intentionally cause myself to fart excessively, be bloated, and literally poop every single time I sit on the toilet?! As much as I crave a delicious sandwich at lunch, fluffy biscuits at breakfast, or just about every delicious dessert on the planet, it's just not worth it, so I avoid gluten. Avoiding gluten is becoming easier as more and more people are developing allergies and sensitivities the only fallback is potato flour and potato starch are often used as substitutes for wheat flour in gluten free alternative foods, so I have to be very diligent about reading nutrition labels and asking what the ingredients are when I am eating out.

I also learned that I react to some dairy. I can eat a yogurt and be fine, but if I drink regular milk or eat really good mozarella, I react as if I were eating gluten. My friends at work helped me identify trigger cheeses by starting a "cheese club" with me. Every Friday afternoon, we take a little break to chit chat and eat cheese, gluten free crackers, and fruit... what better way to wrap up a work week?

For any disease that causes excessive fatigue, it's also a good idea to avoid caffeine and alcohol. Both have serious effects on energy and am energy swing in either direction is going to require some serious recovery time.

So, for now, I do my best to avoid potatoes, gluten, whole milk, my trigger cheeses, wine, and caffeinated soda, but I still feel like my disease is evolving and my trigger foods may be changing. I have been dealing with this diagnosis for about eight months and sometimes I feel like I just get a buildup of bad things and need to start over. Whether it's stress, fatigue, or foods that have yet to be identified as trigger foods, I will start to feel like the pain is building and I lose my ability to function. I know things are bad when I have to stop on my walks to work, crossing my legs begins to hurt, and I struggle to stay awake past my son's bedtime. When that happens, I stop all food and clear my system with three or four days of Ensure and get as much rest as I possibly can until I feel like my "normal" again. There are things out there that I may never be able to identify as triggers but when I can figure out what is hurting me significantly, I will do my best to avoid it!