I’ve had these strange joint pains for the past several months. For no apparent reason I have often awoken to two or three swollen fingers and quite a bit of joint pain in my hands and feet. In the Tredway household fingers are at a premium! So it’s pretty important that my hands function correctly. (We joke around about my diabetes control — saying that I’d better watch the ole blood sugars so I don’t have neuropathy later in life. My fingers are important!)

Last week I received a forwarded email (usually I throw such things away) regarding the dangers of Nutrasweet. Now, I’ve heard all sorts of anti-Nutrasweet arguments before from many well-intention friends and my chiropractor’s office. I ignored them thinking, I already have diabetes… Let me live a little! Afterall, I do highly value Diet Coke and Diet Mountain Dew. But in the midst of unexplicable joint pain, I read the email and took it seriously. I did a little internet research on artificial sweetners and made an immediate decision to cut all ties with Nutrasweet.

Today is Day Six of my experiment. I got out of bed and walked without foot pain for the first time in quite awhile. I haven’t had any new finger aches since going cold turkey. I figure I need to give this experiment a few solid weeks to make sure that Nutrasweet is the culprit. But for now, it’s adios to all my favorite diet beverages, lite yogurts, my sugar-free hot chocolate packets and the notion of sweetening coffee or tea (with fake sugar, that is). Guess I’ll be drinking more water. Water’s good… Really…