One of the problems that is common in people with Fibromyalgia is gut issues.
In my case, multiple food intolerances and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I’m not allergic to any foods, so I’ve been told I’m “just fussy” but that really isn’t the case. When certain foods cause your waist measurement to increase by over 10cm in a few hours (and the subsequent pain associated with that), or causes vomiting and diarrhoea, it’s more than being “just fussy”.
There is an increasing awareness of gut health in the general community. There is also an increasing body of evidence that many chronic health conditions may be linked to gut health. I am hopeful that Fibromyalgia is one of them.
As part of my Fibro journey I’ve been on multiple elimination diets, low salicylate diets, and low histamine diets just to name a few.
It’s been difficult and exasperating and disappointing. Trying time and time again to find a diet that didn’t cause unwanted side effects. A diet that resolved or even reduced the number of IBS attacks while still giving me the nutrition my body needs.
Discovering more and more intolerances and still having pain and bloating was heartbreaking. At times, I would just throw up my hands and say “F*** it!” and eat a whole packet of chips and some chocolate and have a cocktail or a glass of wine. I almost always regretted it. I was considering buying shares in buscopan, and I occasionally missed appointments or social events because I just couldn’t be too far from a toilet.
In April this year I started GAPS. The Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet was created by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride originally for autistic children. I’ll talk a lot about GAPS as so far it seems to be working! I’ve been able to reintroduce eggs – something I haven’t been able to eat for years. I’ve introduced butter, yoghurt, milk kefir and some cheeses, without any unwanted side effects.
The success I’ve had with my GAPS journey makes me hopeful that my gut issues will one day be a thing of the past. In the meantime – lots of experimenting with GAPS legal foods to create tasty new recipes.
