Without making this about what the title says and please understand this is not an attack on people who find that diet helps. This is about how I am finding things and wondering if other people out there have had similar challenges (so it's been good to know that others - MadCat - have persevered for 10 years and found something that works for them.) and I guess I'm looking for a sliver of hope.
I'm venting my frustration at what I find to be a hugely challenging aspect of my life. I hate having P. It affects me in ways that I couldn't have predicted and just once it would be nice to find something (anything) that works consistently. I'm frustrated about the diet thing because I've tried the Pagano diet, I've tried the shakes diet, I've tried excluding wheat and dairy and red meat and all meat etc ... and I'm tired. I am tired of trying to find a pattern and not seeing one. I am just tired of trying and failing.
The P gets better over Christmas (has done for the past 4years) - when I go to Norway and eat mostly pork, cabbage and potatoes for 2 weeks. It shouldn't get better in a country with less light and more cold than the UK but it does. It shouldn't get better during a period when I drink vodka and beer and wine and soft drinks and eat rubbish ... but it does.
That's interesting. Have you thought about what you're not eating/drinking when you're in Norway? Could be the environment too of course.
I've learned that tomatoes and to a lesser extent coffee (with caffeine) give me flairs. So to some extent diet P is about which foods not to eat (on an individual level). On the positive side, anti-inflammatory foods remove the itch for me.
I went on a very strict diet for the first three months of this year which took time to show any effect but really did help immensely by the third month (no cure here just excellent control) - however I'd never be able to follow that diet permanently - may have to during winter of course. These days I'm eating more veggies etc. than before but have a pretty regular diet and with Barney's formula seem to be maintaining control.
I guess we need to tackle P from more than one angle....
