I started this diet 11/1/08 with great hope. I have secondary progressive MS and was diagnosed in 1996. I eliminated everything the diet said to and was very careful to follow all the rules/restrictions. On 11/28/08 I posted a question on here entittled "Turkey troubles and disability benefits in Ohio" .I noticed that when I ate Turkey my symptoms seemed worse and wondered if anyone else thought they may have a problem with Turkey-of course no one replied. In December I fell and broke my left ankle and foot. In January 2009 I had an exacerbation which caused me to loose my job, my home and my independence forcing me to move back home (thank God for my mom). The whole time I've been dedicated to this diet and waiting for some kind of improvement. This never happened but thankfully my disability claim was approved in July.
Finally, 2 days ago I had a skin scratch allergy test done, I finally have insurance that will pay for it. I made sure to eat all the foods I'd been avoiding like icecream,pizzza, a McDonals hamburger and small fry the day before my appointment so I would get an accurate reading of what I am allergic too. Surprise, surprise- I am NOT allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts, seeds ,red meat, ect, ect. I am however allergic to garlic, wheat, and wait for it.... Tukey. So if the premise of this diet is correct I spent the last 10 months feeding my body a diet of turkey,turkey,turkey ( I kept wondering why I permentally felt worse and worse as opposed to only feeling worse for a while after the start of the diet) and denying my body certain vegtables,dairy and protein that would have been good for me.
So the moral of the story ( so you don't make yourself worse like I did) is to not assume that just because most people don't have an allergy to certain foods, like turkey, you don't either.
Go get an ALLERGY TEST immediately, and go back every couple of months to make sure the allergy results are consistent.
So, based on the premise of this diet, if I completely eliminate garlic wheat and turkey I will get better eventually- I hope.
Erica, I'm sorry to hear
Erica, I'm sorry to hear what you had to go through to this point but I believe that it will all be worth it. Sticking to this diet and your positive attitude will help you make it through your MS. I was diagnosed in '93 with RRMS which had slowly progressed to PPMS. I was on Copaxone for 12 years; stopped in April, 2008 when I began this diet.
I too went "cold turkey" and gave up all known trigger foods; I had very positive results right off the bat but then I hit a plateau and didn’t notice any progress after the first couple months. I’m certain that I would have made better or more consistent progress if I had taken the ELISA test AND followed all of the diet guidelines more closely. I'm going to get tested asap. I'm not getting any younger.
One other thing, I didn’t think that Copaxone was indicated for PPMS. Has something changed since 2008 when I stopped?
Doug
More than 50 million people
More than 50 million people in the United States have allergic diseases. Some of them have symptoms year-round and others have trouble only when seasonal pollens fill the air. 642-642 Regardless of the frequency or severity, the first step in any effective allergy treatment plan is to see an allergist, 642-825 a physician who specializes in treating allergies and asthma, for evaluation, testing and diagnosis. Many people with allergies never see a physician for testing because of misconceptions about the procedure. 642-845 But allergy tests are convenient, accurate and relatively painless. Along with a patient’s medical history, the results of allergy testing can confirm that symptoms are the result of allergies, 642-873 rather than some other cause, and can identify the specific substances that trigger allergic reactions. An allergist can then determine the most appropriate and effective treatment.
justme, You can read my
justme,
You can read my posted comments to Erica regarding Copaxone. In answer to your question about side effects of Copaxone, in nearly nine years, I only had one reaction...the chest tightness that Copaxone cites as a possible one-time reaction. I experienced it soon after starting Copaxone, but never had another one of those. In the beginning, only had injection-site reactions, lumps, redness, itching, but don't even get those anymore. However, after so many years of injecting, I've developed "dents". I'm tempted to stop the Copaxone, but fearful like my dr. says, "don't change something that's been working so long." However, because of the dents from tissue destruction, I've had to cut back on injections from daily to every other day, with no apparent effects. We'll see what MRI shows in the Spring. If I wasn't already on the Copaxone, I don't know if I would start or not. Can understand your hesitation. Best to you in your decision.
das52
Erica, In answer to your
Erica,
In answer to your question about Copaxone or the diet making you feel better, I would guess from experience that it's more the diet. I had been on Copaxone for nearly nine years before starting the diet, so there's no question for me that my improvement was the diet! On MRI testing, Copaxone had stopped the progression, but I didn't actually feel any different. However, once I began the diet, the difference was like night and day! It's helped me tremendously in strength, stamina, mental focus and concentration, relief of numbness, tingling, and pain. It's been wonderful for me. I've been on the diet for 14 mos. now and don't intend to go off of it! I wish you all the best. Take care.
das52
My doctor did a reduced
My doctor did a reduced version of the elisa test. I am not allergic to gluten, I thought I definitely was, but no. Anyone know how much the full ELISA test costs as my doctor said insurance wouldn't pay for it?
Erica, I see that you were
Erica, I see that you were advised to go on Copaxone. I'm curious to know if you are still on it and what your reactions/side effects have been? I've been advised to go the Copaxone route, but I'm trying to wait just a little while longer until I can have my food allergy testing done and concentrate more fully on the diet. Any advise on Copaxone would be appreciated!
Hi every body. Thanks for
Hi every body. Thanks for sharing this. It's really a greta one and very useful like tips for those who are willing to use this. Here below is detail about allegry test.
Skin allergy testing is a method for medical diagnosis of allergies that attempts to provoke a small, controlled, allergic response.
A microscopic thermage amount of an allergen is introduced to a patient's skin by various means:
* Prick test or scratch test: pricking the skin with a needle or pin containing a small amount of the allergen
* Patch test: applying a patch to the skin, where the patch contains the allergen
If an immuno-response is seen in the form of a rash, urticaria (hives), or (worse) anaphylaxis it can be concluded that the patient has a hypersensitivity (or allergy) to that allergen. Further vaniqa testing can be done to identify the particular allergen.
The "scratch test" as it's called, is still very commonly used as weight loss surgery an allergen test. A similar test involving injecting the allergen is also used, but is not quite as common due to increased likelihood of infection and general ineffectiveness by comparison. There are other methods available to test for allergy.
Dear FRUSTRATED, You may be
Dear FRUSTRATED, You may be absolutely right but I would encourage you to get re-tested. I ate all the foods I thought were off limits 2 days prior to my test so I would get an accurate reading and really- I felt so crappy it's not like I would have noticed getting worse. I have another appointment Oct.6 to re-test everything again to make sure my results are accurate and consistent. By the time the appointment is I will have eaten all kinds of foods and should be able to get accurate results with what I'm allergic too. And I plan to keep testing every (6?) months or so because our bodies change and I wouls hate to develop a food allergin and not know about it. GOOD LUCK :)
It has been a week and a day
It has been a week and a day since I had the scratch test and found out I am actually sllergic to turkey ,wheat, and garlic. I have not consumed any of the three and daily I feel a little bit better. The biggest difference I notice is when I'm sleeping. I can now sleeo for more then 2 hours at a time and My muscles no longer spasm so tightly that my teeth smash together and I am forced awake everytime I change positions in bed. I am a believer in positive visualization and in telling my body what to do. I am not sure WHY I am now experiencing some improvement ( without the use of steroids!), is it the copaxone, telling my body what to do , or removing the food allergins, or positive thinking (?) like because I belive in the food allergy theory and now know my true allergins I am better because I do not eat them.
I tend to think it is the removel of the food allergins and positively believing this is the cause of my MS. I have been on the copaxone 1 and a half months with no noted improvement and I have been telling my body to improve for at least a year , whatever the reason I am thankful for every small improvement.
i to have primary
i to have primary progressive ms,ive been on the die t abot 14 months.i finally got the elisa tet and found several fods that i thought were fine but i reacted to on the test si have since eliminated and reccomend testing to those who are new to the diet.i also read quite a bit about the testing in the die t but waited for the testing nearly a year.i hope to now start progressing in a positive manner in my recovery.
ken
I did have allergy testing
I did have allergy testing several years ago - and have abided by those results strictly since beginning this diet - less so before. I do wonder if - like there are so many different types of MS - if there are also many different causes. Maybe diet is the key for some - and not for others.
Dear RE, My Dr. talked me
Dear RE,
My Dr. talked me into starting copaxone which I started 7/31/09, it made me feel much worse, however, he wanted me to try it for a couple of months , so I am still on it. Prior to Sept 3rd when I had the allergy test done I would have a piece of pizza or an icecream cone every once in a while ( I already always felt horrible so why not?) and feel terrible after. I always thought it was the milk/cheese. Now I know it was the crust/cone. I have not had a drop of wheat, turkey ,or garlic since 9/3 and I have noticed a definate improvement,
What I don't know is it due to the diet or the copaxone or both? I tend to think it's the diet, I went from eating a ton of turkey to eating none. Also, it would be really coincidental for the copaxone to start making me feel better at the same time I find out the foods I'm allergic to and eliminate them from my diet .
I really hope you start feeling better soon and if you haven't been food allergy tested by a Dr.) , if there is any way you can afford it) I urge you to go. You could be eating food that the book says is O.K. but in actuality you are allergic to it. Good luck!
Re: The importance of
Re: The importance of allergy testing
I have been on the diet for 1 yr 8 mo. My PPMS has continued to progress. I will be eager to hear how you do from here on, Erica