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Sugar... Was that the answer all along?

MarkB

“TSC’s Happy Hogan”
Veteran
This is more of a personal post but anyone is welcome to join in the conversation if you wish.

I've had severe back / joint pain since my hip replacement surgery back in 2012 aggravated the nerve damage I sustained in the near fatal car accident I was in back in 2001... I've mentioned before the frequent need for lumbar injections (roughly every three months) to help alleviate the pain and discomfort.

Beginning in January this year, after my father's funeral, I decided to make a conscious effort to take better care of myself. Being diabetic, one of those things was to eliminate as much sugar from my diet as possible. Since then I've dropped my sugar intake by probably 90% (some things can't be avoided such as fruits but I take care not to over indulge).

One thing I've noticed that surprised me greatly was the reduction in the level of pain I deal with on a daily basis. It's still there but nowhere near as bad as it was. I never realized how much sugars contributed to chronic inflammation. My last lumbar injection was in August 2022. I'm feeling so much better now and can more effectively treat what pain I do have with the prescribed meds + OTC ibuprofen as needed. It's been eight months since my last round of injections and I don't feel the need for them any more. I don't see my family doctor again until November but I'll be interested in seeing what my A1C level is at that time.

More plans to begin walking / exercising as the weather continues to warm. I hope to lose enough weight where I can (one day) begin cycling and golfing again.

So, if I could condense the essence of this post into one thing it's this; if you experience chronic pain problems like me, eliminate sugar from your diet for a month or two and see how much things change (for the better) for you.
 
Sometimes it is THAT easy.

I have 2 things that cause me great pain if/when I consume them. Sugar is one and the other is Oxalic acid (oxalate). Sugar is an easy one to identify and oh so tasty. I can tolerate it in reasonable moderation but when I go full fat man on it I pay the price. Oxalic acid is a sneaky one, its in the green things (and other 'healthy' things) my wife likes to make me eat when I am not eating sugar. If I eat too much of it I get great pains in my muscles and joints. It builds up in the tissues over time so if you stop eating it cold turkey your body dumps it from the tissues and you feel even worse. your body needs it in small amounts so you don't want to avoid it all together, just limit yourself to smaller amounts. In my case the oxalic acid build up was far worse than the sugar.

Good job on figuring out the sugar connection and doing what it takes to cut back.
 
Congrats on your progress and those things you have done to improve the quality of your life. Keep up the good work.

I’ve gone Keto to reverse my diabetes. 5.7 A1C 6 months after an 8.8.

After reading a bunch of stuff and experimenting on myself, I’m reasonably convinced that the high insulin needed by my body to manage the sugar that I couldn’t or wouldn’t burn off left me with pain, inflammation and damage. I used to take quite a bit of OTC pain meds every night to sleep. Can’t remember the last time I’ve used any.

Cheers
 
People don't realize that high or even moderate levels of sugar can create inflammation. Not saying that people shouldn't eat sugar ever, but it is definitely something that is put in way too many foods. High Fructose Corn syrup is in EVERTHING. Some people can tolerate it better than others. But good for you for figuring this out!
 
Augustus Owsley Stanley III, expert chemist best known for concocting the world’s finest LSD, was the original sound engineer and patron financier of The Grateful Dead. He subsisted solely on beef and milk. While he was completely bankrolling the seminal rock group with the proceeds of his LSD sales, under the guise of Alembic Studios, he insisted the original members follow the same diet.
 
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