Wheat/gluten/dairy Allergies--is It Celiac, Candida, Or Something Else?

[MustLoveGoblins]

Hi everyone,

Newbie with a few questions, here.

After two years on Prilosec for acid reflux (this was my doctor's suggestion), which was only somewhat helping, I went to a doctor that's into natural treatments and preventative medicines (as opposed to the just take a drug types). She looked at my fingernails and was able to tell I wasn't absorbing vitamins/minerals well (they have vertical ridges in them), so she suggested I be tested for food allergies and put me on B12 injections and a bunch of other B vitamins. My only other symptoms are low grade fever (this has been going on for years but was infrequent enough that I never thought much of it--it's much more common now, though) and recently (last month or so) I've had some gas and bloating, especially noticeable after something like a smoothie from Jamba Juice (all natural juice/fruit but tons of fruity sugar, of course).

I got the food allergy tests back a couple days ago and had significant allergies to gluten/gliadin, rye & wheat, everything dairy, eggs, and almonds (moderate peanuts and pineapple). Her advice was, obviously, to stay away from dairy and gluten, and she also suggested a lactobacillus supplement. I'm planning to do this, of course... I'm just wondering what it all means. Because my insurance won't cover this doctor, I'd like to wait and see before making more appts. So, I'm appealing to the collective wisdom of the board for now.

Is it likely I have Celiac disease? (I am of northern European descent, but only dairy intolerance runs in my family, as far as I know.) Or could it be a Candida overgrowth, which has in turn caused the allergies? (I have not read of fever as a symptom of Celiac, but I have seen it listed with Candida and the fact that I react to sugar has me wondering.) Maybe it's both. Or neither. Is it likely I've just had these allergies all my life and never reacted strongly enough to realize it?

I suppose my plan is just to eliminate the stuff I'm allergic to and see if that alone helps. I'm wondering if I should try a Candida diet, too, though (low carbs, no yeast, no sugar, etc.). I guess I'm just already overwhelmed by the amount of food that is now off-limits that I'm having a hard time imagining cutting out even more.

So, any advice?

[GravStars]

Hi everyone,

Newbie with a few questions, here.

After two years on Prilosec for acid reflux (this was my doctor's suggestion), which was only somewhat helping, I went to a doctor that's into natural treatments and preventative medicines (as opposed to the just take a drug types). She looked at my fingernails and was able to tell I wasn't absorbing vitamins/minerals well (they have vertical ridges in them), so she suggested I be tested for food allergies and put me on B12 injections and a bunch of other B vitamins. My only other symptoms are low grade fever (this has been going on for years but was infrequent enough that I never thought much of it--it's much more common now, though) and recently (last month or so) I've had some gas and bloating, especially noticeable after something like a smoothie from Jamba Juice (all natural juice/fruit but tons of fruity sugar, of course).

I got the food allergy tests back a couple days ago and had significant allergies to gluten/gliadin, rye & wheat, everything dairy, eggs, and almonds (moderate peanuts and pineapple). Her advice was, obviously, to stay away from dairy and gluten, and she also suggested a lactobacillus supplement. I'm planning to do this, of course... I'm just wondering what it all means. Because my insurance won't cover this doctor, I'd like to wait and see before making more appts. So, I'm appealing to the collective wisdom of the board for now.

Is it likely I have Celiac disease? (I am of northern European descent, but only dairy intolerance runs in my family, as far as I know.) Or could it be a Candida overgrowth, which has in turn caused the allergies? (I have not read of fever as a symptom of Celiac, but I have seen it listed with Candida and the fact that I react to sugar has me wondering.) Maybe it's both. Or neither. Is it likely I've just had these allergies all my life and never reacted strongly enough to realize it?

I suppose my plan is just to eliminate the stuff I'm allergic to and see if that alone helps. I'm wondering if I should try a Candida diet, too, though (low carbs, no yeast, no sugar, etc.). I guess I'm just already overwhelmed by the amount of food that is now off-limits that I'm having a hard time imagining cutting out even more.

So, any advice?

No advice, but I have similar symptoms (acid reflux, bloating, ridges on nails) and am trying to figure out what is going on with myself. It's hard to tell if I react to certain foods, almost anything seems to contribute to bloating and I always feel pretty bad regardless of what I eat (or don't). Where did you get the food allergy tests from?

[Lisa]

It is very possible that you have celiac disease. A blood test could confirm, but not if you have been gluten free. Or, you could go on a gluten free diet and confirm that by yourself, by feeling better. I was dx'd by a biopsy that confirmed the blunting of of villi of the small intenstines.

The board is usually slow on the weekends and with this being a holiday weekend, it may be until Tuesday that you get some really good answers.

Your have options:

1. Go gluten fee - which includes, shampoo, face lotion, lipsticks..or any thing that can get into your mouth.

2. Eat gluten as usual for a month and have a blood test, or the gold standard is the Endoscopy exam.

3. Try a blood test to check for Celiac (others will post for the exact test, as I have not done that)

Hope that will get you started.

Lisa

[MustLoveGoblins]

It is very possible that you have celiac disease. A blood test could confirm, but not if you have been gluten free. Or, you could go on a gluten free diet and confirm that by yourself, by feeling better. I was dx'd by a biopsy that confirmed the blunting of of villi of the small intenstines.

The board is usually slow on the weekends and with this being a holiday weekend, it may be until Tuesday that you get some really good answers.

Your have options:

1. Go gluten fee - which includes, shampoo, face lotion, lipsticks..or any thing that can get into your mouth.

2. Eat gluten as usual for a month and have a blood test, or the gold standard is the Endoscopy exam.

3. Try a blood test to check for Celiac (others will post for the exact test, as I have not done that)

Hope that will get you started.

Lisa

Thanks, Lisa. I think I'll stick with option 1 for now and see what happens. I'm not a big fan of having things inserted into any of my orifices (or paying for it).

Mike, I had the food allergy testing done at the Tahoma Clinic, in Renton, WA. They drew blood and tested for something like 95 things. I noticed that everything that came up as severe were things that are in my diet every day (with the exception of goat's milk), which has me thinking the whole Leaky Gut Syndrome thing is at the root. I just don't know whether it's from Celiac or Candida or something else. Mmm, the Internet is great for self-diagnosing yourself with things

[aikiducky]

Just my personal opinion, but if you did happen to have a candida problem, there would have to be an underlying cause for it, that made it easier for the candida to spread. So it would in the end probably still come down to cutting out foods that you are intolerant or allergic to.

Pauliina

[Guest cassidy]

I had reflux my entire life. I had surgery when I was 10 and felt much better. I have had celiac symptoms my whole life but didn't realize they were unusual because that was how I always felt. I thought I had a "funny tummy" because of my reflux and never realized bloating and D were unusual. My reflux came back last November and I was scheduled for another surgery in February because the first one had come undone. I found out about Celiac and went gluten-free in January. I cancelled my surgery 3 days before it was going to happen because my reflux was gone. I figured all this out myself, my doctors laughed at my self-imposed gluten-free diet and thought I needed the surgery.

I felt great for a month or so and then started feeling bad again. My heart was pounding, I had a rash and was getting headaches back, I still had some D, but not like when I am glutened. So, I found a doctor who deals with supplements. She did a three day stool test and found out some nasty stuff. Because of the reflux medicine, I had had reduced stomach acid. This lack of acid caused amoebas and bad bacteria to get through the stomach acid barrier and make a home in my intestines. I also had candida overgrowth. I finished two horrible antibiotics to get rid of the bacteria and amoebas. I was so upset that traditional doctors gave me medicine that was treating a symptom of celiac (reflux) and causing more problems (bacteria, amoeba) and none of them could figure out what was wrong with me (celiac).

For candida I'm taking Nystatin and I'm on a low carb diet. I'm doing the best I can on the diet, but it is challenging. I'm supposed to stay on the nystatin for 3 months. Already, my rash is gone and I've been taking my temp every morning because we want to get pregnant as soon as I'm well. My temp had been higher than normal. After a week on nystatin, it is finally where it is suppposed to be.

So, if gluten came up positive on your test, I would definitely eliminate it. The stool test I did was very expensive and worth every penny. The lab that did it is www.doctorsdata.com. I had the three day comprehensive stool test with parasitology. It would make sense that you have a problem with candida if you have gluten issues. I was becoming more "allergic" to safe foods before I found out about the candida. Now I take probiotics and digestive enzymes and I can tolerate a lot more food.

I would start changing your diet and adding supplements slowly. I keep a journal of how I feel and what I took each day so I can try to figure out what is helping and what isn't. My doctor did tell me that food allergy/intolerance tests aren't very accurate. She said to see how I feel when I eat things and keep track of it that way because the tests don't always work well.

[shai76]

If I were you I would concentrate on eliminating just the things you tested positive for. After a few months try introducing one at a time into your diet and then you will know what you are reacting to and how badly. If you reactions are really life threatening make sure you talk to your doctor before doing anything! Food allergies can be very dangerous. I would not do anything extra right now like the candida thing. You should concentrate all your efforts on reducing the allergens, and also living healthy lifestyle.

[MustLoveGoblins]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I scoured all the local organic food stores this weekend for things I can eat beyond fruit, veggies, and plain meat. It would be great if the gluten/dairy-free diet alone would solve things. I guess I'll just have to see how I feel after a few months.