Fibromyalgia

This topic contains 8 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by Tobikeziah 9 years, 3 months ago.

Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

dallingerblue

10:58 am
29 May 13
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Hi. My name is Annie & I started the Fast Diet yesterday.

I managed the hunger well enough & stuck to the reduced calories but by the evening I had a bad headache & was awake at 5 this morning feeling dreadful with the headache persisting. I did drink plenty yesterday & the headache is not the normal type I get on a regular basis but was across my forehead.

I have suffered with Fibromyalgia for many years & was wondering if there was anyone else in the same boat on here? Is it even advisable to be doing the diet with this condition? I do take a good bit of medication so don’t know if that has anything to do with not feeling good after yesterday. I was going to fast again tomorrow but am reluctant to now as I still feel quite rough.

Annie

Clare

1:45 pm
29 May 13
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HI dallingerblue, Sorry to hear that you are feeling rough. Quite a few people have reported headaches when they start doing fast days – often related to not drinking enough with some reporting that it settled when they drank up to twice as much as normal.
Regarding Fibromyalgia several others have posted who are starting the fast diet with Fibromyalgia.I have put links t their comments below. Interestingly the intermittent fasting does seem to reduce inflammation and many have reported in reduction in pain in inflammatory arthritis. I am hopeful that it might bring some benefit in reducing symptoms of fibromyalgia.
http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/losing-weight/
http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/help-with-inflammation/

How much weight are you hoping to lose or is it for health/lifestyle reasons you are starting the diet? (I am Michael’s wife and also a GP)

minority

8:58 am
30 May 13
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Hi Annie, I am so sorry to hear that you have fibromyalgia. My daughter has it, as well as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E. (as well as other problems), and she has been on the 5:2 regime since February. We have checked with our GP whether it is OK for her to do this and he did not have any objections.

She seems to be coping well with the fasting although she does say she feels hungry (but don’t we all!). She has a small breakfast in the morning and the rest of her allowance at about 8 pm. She also suffers from headaches/migraines but they did not seem to worsen since she has started fasting. I do not know what your particular situation is but the headache could well be due to dehydration or a simple coincidence. If you stick to 2 days a week of fasting with a gap between the days and if you try to drink as much as you can you may find the headaches will pass. If you are at all worried though you could go and ask your GP.

My daughter is trying to lose weight she had gained due to medication and it will be really interesting to see if the fasting has any effect on her cholesterol levels which are high, again due to medication.

My very best wishes, Annie!

minority

minority

9:10 am
30 May 13
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Hi Clare, I too am very interested if fasting will have any positive effect on my daughter’s health problems, although I am not expecting any direct improvement, to be honest, as pain in fibromyalgia is not caused by inflammation, like in rheumatoid arthritis. However, lower cholesterol and especially weight loss would definitely be of great benefit.

minority

dallingerblue

7:01 pm
1 Jun 13
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Many thanks for your encouraging comments. Minority……best wishes to your daughter & hope she’s doing well.

Clare, I would like to lose @ half a stone. I’m not hugely overweight at 10st 2lb but shifting that half stone would be great. I also have high Cholesterol & my GP put me on Statins a few months ago. (I don’t have high BP or smoke etc) However I have not taken them yet as I am quite fearful of the side affects of increased pain, which happened to my brother. So I would like to to see if the diet would help reduce the cholesterol.

I think others with FM would agree that when you are feeling particularly low on energy the cravings for carbs can get quite intense so chocolate & peanut butter sandwiches are frequently on the menu!!

I didn’t repeat the fasting this week but I’m keen to give it another go on Monday. I thought I had plenty to drink on my fast day but probably it wasn’t enough so I will address that. I hate to go to bed feeling hungry so have to make sure I have something last thing at night. A sleeping pill sees me off to sleep but if there are hunger pangs there isn’t a hope or if I wake in the night.

I will not give up though!! Watch this space & thanks again.

Annie

Clare

9:17 pm
2 Jun 13
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@dallingerblue, The diet I hope will help reduce your cholesterol. Good luck with it. It’s a challenge to do when you are low on energy so be kind to yourself. Many people report that it gets easier, if that helps!

wiltldnrUSA

4:15 pm
11 Sep 13
Permalink

July 31, 2013

study could lead to identification of treatable diseases for some with chronic pain syndrome

patients with fibromyalgia — a common syndrome that causes chronic pain and other symptoms — were found to have damage to nerve fibers in their skin and other evidence of a disease called small-fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN).

Unlike fibromyalgia, which has had no known causes and few effective treatments, SFPN has a clear pathology and is known to be caused by specific medical conditions, some of which can be treated and sometimes cured

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/07/nerve-damage-and-fibromyalgia/

Booklady

7:13 am
6 May 15
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Hello everybody,
I have just joined and am due to have my first fast day tomorrow. I am now considerably overweight ( 13 stone 3 at 5.6 inches) and I battle with fibromyalgia. I find that I am so tired physically and mentally forcing myself to move and go to work and battling pain, that I simply don’t have the energy to say no to food! I feel that I have to move my aching body when it wants to stay still, so asking myself to not eat when I feel like a cheese sandwich, is just too much! I hope that on the fast days I will know that it’s only for today and I can eat normally tomorrow.
So good luck to all and here’s hoping…

Tobikeziah

3:45 am
20 Aug 15
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Hi Everyone,

I am in my fourth week of fasting and have CFS and FM both diagnosed 20 years ago after struggling for 6 years with this unknown illness that just wouldn’t improve or go away.
I have decided to do 5 2 because I am borderline Type 2 diabetic(both my parents have Type 2), there is high cancer risk and heart problems in the family. So when I saw the program and these were the issues Michael was facing and saw the improvement he had I wanted to try it for myself.
I have been steadily losing wait for the last 7 months at about 1kg a which is my goal. While I believe 5 2 is speeding up this loss rate that is not my concern. The above issues are as I don’t want those issues on top of CFS, FM and MCS(Multiply Chemical Sensitivity)
FM has flared up again in the last few days. I don’t believe it is due to 5 2. My fast days are Thursday(today) and Sunday. One knee and now the other is just aching intermittently throughout the day and night walking me up.
My view of food is changing. I am not compensating eating on none fast days. I am avoiding foods that make me feel like eating more even though I don’t need it. A documentary on SBS Fat Vs Sugar showed that man made products like ice-cream, glazed donuts, and my weakness, cheesecake that contain a roughly 50/50 fat sugar ratio stop the brain from registering the need to stop.
I am finding that focusing on the health benefits and not the weight is making 5 2
far more doable. Like Michael the weight loss was and added bonus.

Tobikeziah (TK for short)