Getting well.Off drugs after20 years of hell

I just offer this as a hope to those who are struggling. I know what it is like as I was there. This year after 7 years on humira things started to deteriorate for me; tiredness increased, my right knee was swollen and full of fluid for months, I could hardly walk up and down stairs without pain. I couldnt take part in stuff, I had to stop pilates, and even my favourite sport, riding, which I had done for 40 years even when I couldnt walk - hurt my knee too much.

i took more NSAIDs and got worse - to the point of a three day stint in bed with such acute inflammation I couldnt move to get to the bathroom. That was february 2012. In the end my GP, which for those of you not from the UK, means my general Practitioner, or family doctor, gave me a big steroid injection against the wishes of my Rheumatologist , to help get me back on my feet.

I was resolved to use the relief from the steroid to do a ton of research using the internet and find out if anyone had a better insight into the causes and processes of this disease than the very limited inspiration I was getting from the medics who only seemed to exude a kind of hopelessness and desire to monitor and administer drugs, they also wouldnt acknowledge any relatedness of symptoms as they didnt fit into the different medical boxes. I would say 'why is my gut so uncomfortable ? ' and it would just never be seen as a related symptom, just something to take another drug for. i wanted causes,- why why why does it go into remission, why was I fine when I was pregnant, why did antibiotics give me a temporary respite. And did I get any fulfilling answers? no. That is not good enough for me. I was energised by the steroid and got reading.

I read everything about leaky gut, about immune responses to grains and plant lectins, about modern diet which the establishment theory of low saturated fat and high carbohydrate as being the 'healthy' diet. I just investigated all of the myths and found the scientists and doctors who resist the conventional wisdom. And guess what. They knew about fats, and omega 3 and 6 and why industrially produced oils are bad for you, they knew why grains are bad for many people, they explained how plants are much more complex and their lectins are just not so straightforward to eat as we thought, they explained where the low fat myth came from , why carbs are bad for you and contribute to inflammatory processes and how most auto immune disorsers have some degree of response to grains etc None of which I had ever ever ever been told by my doctors or rheumatologists.

I am now fine. no drugs. No bloating . Absoluteno no pain or swollen joints and hardly any psoriasis. Just a hint. Tons of energy, no brain fog. I have done 3 miles in the gym this am on treadmill, crosstrainer and bike. No sweat. No inflammatary response. I cvould never have done that for the last 20 years. i am so happy i have my life back. A very low carb high saturated fat diet, absolutely no grains or legumes , an odd glass of red wine . i have lost my bloated ness.My food tastes and smells amazing, and my bleeding gums, dry skin, mouthulcers, verrucas, callouses on my feet, pimply arms , are gone - a distant memory. My dentist and optician cant believe the difference. I laugh. My rheumatology nurse told me I can't do it as its too much fat. I said , just watch me . Laughing at the pain and discomfort and ignorance I have lived through for the past 20 years i can only laugh. Try it - check out paleo web sites, any books by Volek and Phinney, any books on LCHF diet, all stuff to do with carbohydrate tolerance, anything by Mary Enig, Gary taubes, Lierre Keith. You will need to be informed , so inform yourself - nobogy else will. theyt will just give you drugs xxx Cooling Inflammation is a good blog too. Good luck xxx

Sounds inspiring. I'm off to the library to get this info and would love it to work for me too. Please tell me - what is a 'paleo website'. Thanks