Stiffness and Pain

My pain and stiffness have both been doing pretty good lately, well, until today. I have been experiencing stiffness all day in my hands and some pain and general weakness in my finger joints, too. I do not know if it was caused from a fall I had yesterday or if it was something I ate, or maybe just happening for some unknown reason.

I was under a bit of stress yesterday and was very tense last night when trying to go to sleep...It was one of those nights were I wished I could just disappear, but no matter how tight I huddled under the blankets things didn't get better. So stress may have caused a bit of a problem with my pain today, but it is nothing but a theory.

It has been beautiful here in Nova Scotia for the last few days, very nice to see the rain has stopped and the sun coming out! I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

A little pain...

I haven't been posting as much lately due to my pain and stiffness decreasing, but I am trying to keep everyone updated and if I find any interesting articles, I will be sure to pass them on!

The pain has been, well, pretty much non-existent for the most part and the stiffness is a lot less than what it used to be. I have noticed something that I would be very interested to know if other women experience. It seems that during menstruation, or the closer to menstruation I get, the more my joints ache and become stiff. The pain is not like it used to be, but it is there and has been for the last 2 days. The stiffness is also there, but not as bad as what it used to be. Do you experience an increase in your RA symptoms during certain times of the month?

I am continuing to eat a vegetarian diet and am enjoying it a lot, too! I've been experimenting with beans, using them to make burgers, "meat" loaf and soon going to try to make a bean roast. They taste great and the consistency is very good, too.

I hope everyone is enjoying their week!

it's raining, it's pouring...

It's official. The next time Environment Canada issues a rain warning for my region, I am going to listen. I thought the storm might bring a bit of rain throughout the weekend, but it hasn't stopped raining ALL day. Wind, rain...Yikes! At least it is warm(about 15 degrees Celsius).

I did something today that I haven't been able to do in years: I played my flute. The last time I picked it up to play resulted in pain and I wasn't able to hold the weight of the flute in my hands long enough to even play a few simple notes. My fingers would ache and it would be hard to move them without pain, making the instrument even more difficult to play.

Today was different. I played for two hours. I played even though I couldn't remember all the notes on the sheet music or all the fingers for the notes. I played what I remembered, and what I couldn't remember I looked up. I am pretty much a novice again, but that is fine with me. It's exciting that I am experiencing almost no pain and less stiffness even on a rainy day.

I do have to admit that I am missing meat a bit, though. I am not eating chicken or fish, or any other form of meat. Some meats turn me off anyways, but the thought of BBQ chicken is mouth watering. In the end, it is not worth the RA. I just need to remember that.

Exciting News!

It's been a few days since my last post, but I am FINALLY feeling better! That cold is a nasty one that seems to attack everything and anything in your body. It started in my throat, went to my sinus's, my body ached, I had headaches and a sore throat, went temporarily deaf from the sinus stuff and now it is in my chest. On the bright side, I am feeling better today than I have been all week!

I found out a few interesting things to help with the common cold during this week, using my body as an experiment...and since I was already sick, it couldn't really hurt, right? I discovered that Tabasco sauce, salt, ginger, black pepper, lemon and honey mixed with a bit of warm water then gargled helps relieve a sore throat. Mind you it burns the tongue. I also discovered how much I hate halls and how badly they upset my stomach, but Fishermen's Friend are lovely and help a dry, scratchy throat more than Halls. They are also easier on the stomach and cheaper on the wallet...

I am also thinking about cutting out ALL sources of meat, including eggs and dairy. The thought of eggs has been turning me off, but cheese, well cheese is always tasty! I am just cutting down on the cheese and avoiding the eggs. I am not eating fish anymore, it just doesn't appeal to me in any way.

Another very exciting thing I have discovered is that my pain is very minimum, hardly there at all and my stiffness! Oh my! Are you ready for the news...? My stiffness, which I have been having for years and years, that causes trouble with me in the kitchen and doing every day things with my hands...It is INCREDIBLY LESS!

I am so happy to see this change! I was at work today cutting tomatoes and noticed it wasn't hurting. I was preparing Spicy Chicken Salad for the sandwiches at work, slicing lots of chicken nuggets and chicken burgers...Normally I would have to stop every few minutes to give my hands a rest. This time, I didn't have to stop once. Not once! I am very happy and excited about this!

It will be interesting to see how things go tomorrow, because we have a rain storm starting tonight. If I am pain free and stiff-free tomorrow, I will be ecstatic. I am already ecstatic, but I'll be even more so tomorrow!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and enjoying the weather. Does anyone have snow yet?

Take care!

Feeling kinda sick...

I'm not feeling so great today. I woke up with a dry, sore throat and tried drinking hot tea, sipping water and sucking on peppermints and hard candy but it is still dry and sore. So I decided to lay down after work and woke an hour later to feeling like my tonsils are swollen. My fingers are aching, swollen and stiff but I don't know if the RA is causing the sore throat or if a cold or virus is causing the sore throat and my RA to act up.

It's been a busy week and I am hoping to get better quickly because I have a cousin I haven't seen in eons coming up this weekend with his wife. I really don't want to spend my time with them sick. Especially on Halloween!

Other than all of that, I've been feeling pretty good. I had fish today but have been sticking to tofu and vegetarian dishes other than that. I noticed the stiffness wasn't as bad this week and I hardly had any pain. Energy levels were up(except for today) and my sleeping patterns were good, too.

I still think this vegetarian(plus fish) lifestyle might be the answer for me. I've been making some interesting dishes and even my boyfriend likes them, especially the Breast of Tofu(recipe here). It's pretty good!

That's all for now and I hope everyone has a fun, safe Halloween!

This week's goal

It's been one of those hectic days where I sit back and just hope Friday will come a little faster. My stress level has gone up and down like a roller coaster, and things are now starting to smooth out. I had thought I needed to get a new job due to the person I am filling in for coming back to work, but it turns out she isn't coming back for a while, if ever. So now I do not need to find a new job, which is great, but I was really looking forward to a few days off. I guess I will just have to wait until my vacation in December!

Pain is a bit bad today. I have not had red meat for a while now, and had chicken on Saturday. I feel good, except for the pain. I really hope I do not have another flare up so soon. I'm trying to listen to my body, and I know I over did it today with my very long walk(I got lost and ended up getting off the bus way too early and had to walk the rest of the way to a meeting). It's also been raining all day and I have been having a bit too much sugar.

So the goal for this week is to continue eating a vegetarian diet(with the exception of fish every now and then) and reducing the amount of junk food sugar I am consuming. I just need to remember tomorrow is hump day. Soon it will be the weekend, and Halloween!

Dr McDougall

I was doing some research today and found a very interesting article about diet and arthritis that I would like to share with you. I say diet, but really it is more of a lifestyle change, eliminating certain foods while eating more of other foods. Here is the link, and in today's blog I will be talking about the article and some key points that I think may be of interest.

The article is from Dr McDougall's website and talks about his way of treating patients, which is by a vegetarian or vegan diet. Dr McDougall eliminates certain foods depending on what disease or condition he is treating. For arthritis he also eliminates gluten from the diet.

A few interesting points he stresses is the importance of low fat in the diet. He says "Those vegan diets that have failed to help arthritis patients have been high in vegetable oils, which are known to damage intestinal integrity" and he also mentions that little to no oil be used, including flaxseed oil.

I was under the impression that flaxseed oil was very good for you, but I guess if one saw it as a must, they could stick with the actual flaxseed. I am not sure what I make of this yet, but am still eliminating meat from my diet.

I have been doing good so far, at least with the red meat. Right now my biggest problem is with dairy. I just can't seem to say no to the cheese. I hear that nutritional yeast has a cheesy like flavor and is great on top of casseroles and the like. I may have to give it a try.

My other concern is eliminating fish from my diet. I am a born Newfoundlander, and love my fish. I don't eat it every day, but usually have it once to twice a month. I am pretty sure I have no reaction to fish, and am really thinking about riding my diet of all other meat and poultry.

What is your take on Dr McDougall's diet and study?