p$m's Journal, 14 Aug 23

I just had a PT visit and she was lauding hula hooping as a no impact way to move. We are working on retraining all the muscles to work together. I laughed hysterically....... 🤔 until I realized she's right! A lot of muscles have to work together to make that work.  

I also swear by the big, cumbersome exercise ball for core strength. I never realized how weak my core was until I had to keep my butt planted on that ball. It didn't take long to feel the andominal burn just trying to sit.  

Thanks @happy 

can definitely be rough on the fingers hope you find some relief soon  

Be very careful about going gluten free. I had to go wheat-free for 5 years because I had IBS secondary to very bad food poisoning -- but my gastro doctor told me that unless you are diagnosed celiac or gluten sensitve, going gluten-free will likely reduce the fiber in your diet and lose you the benefits of most whole grains -- and there is no science behind health benefits of gluten-free eating for people without these problems. See https://www.everlywell.com/blog/inflammation/does-gluten-cause-inflammation/#types 

@sheltie I really hate the idea of gluten free since I love my bread cakes and cookies but if it means I can unclench my hands without help when I wake up I’ll do it. I wake almost ever morning now with my left hand in a fist which I have to slowly pry my hand open one finger at a time to avoid pain and the snap that happens half way through the opening. Believe me I’m not considering going gluten free lightly. I’d just rather give ip gluten over giving up climbing, and avoiding steroid injection and surgery.  

p&m, when I have medical questions about things I read on social media, I go to the Mayo Clinic website to get answers. That might be a place where you can find out whether there is any merit to the claim that going gluten-free can help you with your problems with your fingers. 

@shir thanks I’m gonna check now!  

@shir well there’s no mention of it in the website unless you consider the joint pain as a symptom of celiac disease which pretty sure is not my issue.  

Gluten and impact joints and a lot of things… been GF for over a decade. Now anytime I even have a little cross contamination (say I go eat at a restaurant and they cross-contaminated me…), I can hardly walk. It has made a huge difference in my life eliminating it. Will be praying for your work situation also. ❤️ 

@4myjoy do you have celiac disease or a diagnosed gluten intolerance? I wonder if there is a test for gluten intolerance. The symptoms for gluten intolerance are just so very general constipation, diarrhea bloating. I get those in varying combinations weekly.  

Sorry about your work situation. It sucks to deal with aholes . It sounds like a blast. I actually enjoy it. I just suck at it. Hula hooping 

You might try Biofreeze in conjunction with gentle exercise/squeeze ball exercise morning and evening. It works for me. If I'm really stressed I upgrade to Mary's Muscle Freeze and squeeze ball. Be careful to wash hands really well with dish soap before moving on to day or sleep!  

I have a lot of auto immune issues and I definitely feel a difference when I go gluten free. I count carbs and so originally I cut out breads, white flour, etc. After about 2 months, I started to notice that my joints didn't hurt as bad. I don't follow a strict no gluten diet but in my opinion it does work!  

Perhaps talk to your doctor before going gluten free. If you are having a lot of joint inflammation, you may want to see a rheumatologist. If you really think you may be gluten-sensitive, go to a gastroenterologist and find out -- because if you are actually either celiac or gluten-sensitive, then you really want to get on top of this problem in a more active way than "Maybe I'll give up gluten." Just be cautious. 

@p$m it has been a super long journey for me. Starting about 14 years ago. Was never originally tested for celiac (back then where I live the docs did not really know or consider food even a potential thing to cause all the issues I was having. Most of the issues were intense pain, but would also once in a while cause numb face/arms/legs, cause me to randomly fall, not sleep, weird almost super tiny blister looking patches on skin, and other things.) Initially they were testing for Lupis, RA, Lymes, MS, or fibromyalgia. They did so many tests, I spent thousands of $$$. If they cannot figure out what is wrong with you, they then say you have fibromyalgia… then they want to give you a major prescription drug that is not good for your body. (I did not want to do this if there was another way.) I believed all my issues had to do with food sensitivities due to when I would fast for 3 days, all my symptoms would disappear… but then the moment I ate, all pain and other issues I would have happen would come back…intensely. While they were analyzing all my test results, I was doing a lot of research on my own. I found out identifying intolerances are very complicated. There is different levels of issues from the things. In addition, reactions to foods can be compounded by lack of sleep, increased stress, or an increase of a variety of the foods you were having issues with. Your reactions can also be from things you ate a day or two ago. The best thing that happened to me was testing my hair from a firm in the UK. They sent me a list of both nutritional deficiencies and intolerances I had… and a list of what foods had what nutrients. I stopped eating all the foods I had intolerances to during lent. All my issues went away. But it took almost the entire time of lent before I seen any difference of the pain and other issues in my body. (In addition I added foods with nutrients that I was deficient in.) All my issues stayed away. Since that time, I do not have these issues unless I get cross contamination. I also I was able to reintroduce most of the foods I had issues with, with exception gluten. I also did work with my neurologist for 3 years until he died. He changed the way he did His practice since I was in his office too… I do not think food intolerance is all of the solution, but do believe it is much of it. So based on my experience, food can make a huge difference in your body ability to manage pain. I believe our medical knowledge in USA is lacking in how diet makes a difference in a person’s life (but there is no $$$ in eat these carrots/Whole Foods/etc.) In the past few weeks I did have a test come back that showed high results, which can indicate an immune response to gluten in the diet…. But the only gluten I get is if it is an accidental cross contamination… I just know my doc said with the numbers I had, I need make sure I stay away from the gluten for sure. Anyway, it has been a journey. Hope you can find your answers easier than I did. I will be praying God helps you as he did for me. Blessings.  

@ocean thanks. Still having committed to the hula hoop idea yet 

Try brisk walking after a light lunch around shaded office areas or park with many trees - you’ll feel better I hope. 🚶🏽‍♂️🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️ 

@sly thanks I’ll try it if it get worse. I only have pain when I wake up. Once I’m out of bed my hand is back to normal.  

@diana thanks. I hear stories like yours a lot. How it helps. I’ve already talked to friends who have gluten free diets due to intolerance.