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Day 17 Elimination Diet...No Change

soxfan

Senior Member
Messages
995
Location
North Carolina
Well I am on day 17 and extremely discouraged. I really thought my new doctor might be on to something when he put me on this food plan. I was so hopeful that something I was eating was causing my ongoing chronic fatigue. I would give up a certain food forever if it was the cause.

I have stuck to the plan 100 percent even giving up my beloved coffee for herbal teas. I can't say it was terribly difficult to follow the plan but I did have to buy some gluten free/corn free foods which are more expensive. I have read hundreds of labels to make sure there wasn't something I wasn't supposed to have. I am only supposed to be on this for 21 days but might extend it a week or two .

I did eat a corn vegetable mix one night not thinking but that was my only screw up. I am now on a wait list to see my doctors replacement since he has since moved to SC. Who knows how long that will take.

The only things that have changed and not for the good is my sleep is worse...waking up much more throughout the night and my GI tract has gone crazy. Maybe because of all the fiber but my intestines aren't happy.

I am not sure what is next for me....
 

soxfan

Senior Member
Messages
995
Location
North Carolina
@TigerLilea ...I don't think my doctor is trying to cure me...he is trying to give me some relief from the symptoms. He never said to me it was going to be a cure all. He believes my immune system is overactive due to ongoing inflammation possibly from certain food groups.

In turn causing the chronic state of fatigue....I am not looking for negative comments...
 
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Timaca

Senior Member
Messages
792
I am sorry that you are feeling worse (sleep and GI tract) and also discouraged. We all can understand those feelings.
One thing that has recently helped me, if it is on your food plan, is Manuka honey. I only take about a teaspoon a day (measuring spoon type teaspoon), dissolved in water. That seems to have improved my GI tract (surprisingly).

I wish you answers.....
 

Seven7

Seven
Messages
3,444
Location
USA
Hey mibe didn't work but the rotation diet did the trick. The idea is not to repeat the same food for 4 days and same family every 2 days.
 
Messages
1,478
First of all if you want to preclude what you perceive as negative comments you won't get anything but the answer you want?

However I will give you my twopeneth anyway and you can disregard it as negative if you don't like the content.

If your doctor is ruling out allergies .. that seems ok. Perhaps re post with a specific question? It just reads above like you have been to see doctor who thinks food is causing your fatigue and has given you a special diet to follow?.

My quack radar goes off as soon as I see supposed CFS diets that are: gluten free, dairy free, organic or "additive free". Also 21 days seems a little short to have pinned down this elusive energy draining food? The amount of people with true allergies that are not allergic to nuts or coeliacs or lactose intolerant is a very small number indeed.

There are general improvements you can probably make to your diet, (eating smaller regular portions, avoiding too many stimulants, not overeating on carbs, eating adequate protein, eating nutrient dense foods etc etc.) but I doubt there is a diet that will significantly reduce fatigue or PEM. I'm not sure why you think this would be the case? Is this what the doctor said?
 
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rwac

Senior Member
Messages
172
The only things that have changed and not for the good is my sleep is worse...waking up much more throughout the night and my GI tract has gone crazy. Maybe because of all the fiber but my intestines aren't happy.

Perhaps it is because of all the fiber.
Have you tried something like the potato diet?
 

soxfan

Senior Member
Messages
995
Location
North Carolina
@arewenearlythereyet ..I perceived it as a negative comment because I never used the word " cure" in any of the previous post. If you read them on the original thread I said this was step one for my new doctor who by the way is at Duke Intergrative Medicine so I wouldn't think he is a quack.
When someone is feeling discouraged about being hopeful to a certain treatment then if there is nothing positive to add or a suggestion then don't say anything.

We are all looking for ways to improve our quality of life and just because this diet so far has not made me feel any better doesn't mean I will stop searching. Like I stated in my original thread...the doctor had to start someplace and I had never given this elimination diet a try.

Read the post and you will read why the doctor hoped by eliminating certain foods would help the fatigue ...cure was never a word used by him or me. Obviously if that were the case I wouldn't be here.

No worries...I am done with this thread ...I am not here to defend myself...I will stick with the bloggers who have helpful things to say...peace

@Timaca ...Thank you for the thread..very interesting. Maybe my fatigue is also just from CFS and overdoing....I will keep working with my doctor on ways to improve my quality of life....
 

soxfan

Senior Member
Messages
995
Location
North Carolina
@rwac ...I am only allowed sweet potatoes...yeah it's definitely all the added fiber. Yeasterday wasn't as bad. I read that chia seeds are loaded with fiber and I was probably eating too many with my oats..hemp...buckwheat hot cereal.
 

Mohawk1995

Senior Member
Messages
287
@soxfan understand your frustration with responses. I have had some frustration as well in the past with some posts. I finally got to the point of "looking for encouragement", taking into account and respecting other views and ignoring things that are discouraging. And I do not even have the ME/CFS (family member does and I am in health care), so I am sure it can be challenging listening to many different viewpoints in your situation. I still believe most people have good intentions however.

We chased headaches for years with our son before determining it was ME/CFS. As a result we tried many different diets. Our experience was that diet changes were more likely to make symptoms worse for us than to help. If our son ate total junk food he would feel worse, but for him a regular balanced diet with a few splurges on things he enjoyed did best. Any other "radical" change diets (elimination, low carb, high fiber, etc...) just made him worse. We do not regret doing the diets as they told us "what did not help" and moved us forward to other treatments.

Not bad in my opinion to pursue diet treatments, but don't be afraid to look at something else if it is not helping or especially if you are made worse in any of your symptoms.