What Other Food Allergies Do You Have?

[fran641]

A few months ago I started having stomach pains and terrible gas with bloating. To my knowledge I have not been using gluten. I just had blood work, breath test, ultrasound and CAT scan to rule out gallbladder, pancreas and some other things as the cause. Tests were all clear.

I see that a lot of people seem to develop other food allergies along the way to recovery or at least discover these allergies. How did some of you find out about those allergies like corn, dairy, soy etc? Was it just a process of elimination or testing? I'm going a little crazy because I was feeling so good for the last year and then this started again except for the return of constant diarrhea. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

[mushroom]

  On 6/16/2010 at 10:01 AM, fran641 said:

A few months ago I started having stomach pains and terrible gas with bloating. To my knowledge I have not been using gluten. I just had blood work, breath test, ultrasound and CAT scan to rule out gallbladder, pancreas and some other things as the cause. Tests were all clear.

I see that a lot of people seem to develop other food allergies along the way to recovery or at least discover these allergies. How did some of you find out about those allergies like corn, dairy, soy etc? Was it just a process of elimination or testing? I'm going a little crazy because I was feeling so good for the last year and then this started again except for the return of constant diarrhea. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

Yes, I seem to be one of those who keeps discovering new things I react to. With me, it all seems to be based around foods that are high in lectins, and I get the same response from them all, not your typical gluten response, although it does cause extreme bloating, which in turn sets off what someone I have talked to about it calls a "cytokine storm". This person controls the storm with antihistamines since he claims it is similar to a histamine response. I do not tolerate antihistamines I end up with bursts of tachycardia and erratic heart beats and other scary stuff from the lectins. Took a long while to figure it out because of course docs are of no help. The corn I knew about before I quit gluten, and the reaction was identical to gluten, the soy (high in lectins) caused a very itchy rash, as did potatotes. I have figured it all out through a process of keeping track of responses and elimination. I think if I went back to soy and potatoes now I would probably get the lectin response from them, but NO WAY will I do that. The latest food eliminated was quinoa, also high in lectins (as are the gluten grains, so there is a connection there). All this has probably not been of a lot of help to you, except for the process, and the links between all the intolerant foods (lectins). My main problems before gluten free were bloating, vasovagal syncope (fainting from pressure on the vagus nerve) and diarrhea.

At least my reactions come on on the same day as I consume the food, normally within 4-6 hours, and it normally happens after I go to bed and the abdominal contents rearrange themselves (I have to sleep on my back because of a back problem).

The only suggestion I can make is to keep a food and symptom diary. I don't know how adventurous you are in your diet. Mine is quite limited now so it is not very often that I add something new; that is how the quinoa really stood out. I always double check to make sure I have the right culprit.

[codetalker]

  On 6/16/2010 at 10:23 AM, mushroom said:

The only suggestion I can make is to keep a food and symptom diary.

This is good advice and a good way to discover whatever is bothering you.

In addition to food allergies, perhaps it is worth considering other possibilities as well.

One thing for me that results in similar symptoms is sugar in my gut. As a result, I've learned to keep away from sugars and sweets. If I buy pastries or cookies and eat them over a couple of days, it takes a couple of days afterwards to clear up so there is probably more to this than just sugar in my gut. Nonetheless, sugars and sweets initiate the problem.

Early on when I had limited food choices, I ran into something that caused really severe problems. The problem was combinations of foods eaten during the day (not just during a single meal). A bad combo was fish and nuts with sardines and cashews being the worst. What I'm talking about is something like grabbing a mid-morning snack of a few cashews and then without thinking eating some sardines for lunch. I don't know if it's the same for other people but if you want real misery give it a try.

Good luck figuring it all out.

[charlenabelle]

  On 6/16/2010 at 10:01 AM, fran641 said:

A few months ago I started having stomach pains and terrible gas with bloating. To my knowledge I have not been using gluten. I just had blood work, breath test, ultrasound and CAT scan to rule out gallbladder, pancreas and some other things as the cause. Tests were all clear.

I see that a lot of people seem to develop other food allergies along the way to recovery or at least discover these allergies. How did some of you find out about those allergies like corn, dairy, soy etc? Was it just a process of elimination or testing? I'm going a little crazy because I was feeling so good for the last year and then this started again except for the return of constant diarrhea. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

Very interesting....Yes, I believe you are correct in that we tend to develop multiple allergies over time. Elimination diet is probably the most effective way uncovering the culprit, and the suggestion about keeping a food diary would be very helpful - this has worked for me in the past.

I went to a wonderful allergist 18 months ago, and he ran all of the typical allergy tests (pollens, dust, animal dander, etc.) but he also tested me for allergies to certain foods. I already knew about my lactose intolerance - I was tested for that 20 years ago, but what I didn't know was that I am allergic to cow's milk, too. So lactose pills don't work for this problem - I just stay away from cow's milk and cheese. However, I do eat goat's cheese as a treat, with lactose pills on the side, just once in a while. Anyway, my point is there could be other allergies you don't know about and it may be worthwhile to see an allergist, if you haven't already.

I, too, have recently had a terrible flare-up with extreme bloating and pain as a daily occurrence (actually, this would happen every afternoon and worsen throughout the evening). As controlled as my diet is, I could not put my finger on the culprit(s). I started sipping aloe juice twice a day, and that seems to have calmed things down....I've had a few pain-free consecutive days recently. This may be a help to you, too, as long as you don't have a problem with aloe. I use George's - it's tasteless.

I hope this helps...best wishes on your path, too.

[missy'smom]

I went in to the allergist to clear up my constant nasal stuffiness and get to the bottom of my dairy problem. I walked out to my suprize, with quite a list of possible food allergies. My allergist is in tune with food allergies and routinely runs large panels so I had skin testing for over 80 foods. I reacted to 26-some whole categories like soy. The ones I reacted to were various meats, vegetables and spices,almonds in addition to soy, legumes and casein. When I eliminated ALL of them for 4 weeks according to the allergist's protocol, I was SO suprized, my stomach was so calm after eating-I just felt nothing after meals. I thought how I felt before was normal or what I get for eating a regimented diet(to deal with other health problems, eating regardless of whether I was hungry or liked the food. I would never have figured out all those 26 on my own. As I have reintroduced the foods, it becomes more clear to me that I really could be allergic or have problems with all these. I am still amazed by this process. Most of my symptoms have been GI but some foods have suprizingly caused classic allergic symptoms-who knew! I do keep a diary to record reactions as I re-introduce. I think I started in December and still have many foods yet to be re-introduced. I have learned to recognize when something is not agreeing with me and now I know why and listen to that and respect it.

[burdee]

  On 6/16/2010 at 10:01 AM, fran641 said:

A few months ago I started having stomach pains and terrible gas with bloating. To my knowledge I have not been using gluten. I just had blood work, breath test, ultrasound and CAT scan to rule out gallbladder, pancreas and some other things as the cause. Tests were all clear.

I see that a lot of people seem to develop other food allergies along the way to recovery or at least discover these allergies. How did some of you find out about those allergies like corn, dairy, soy etc? Was it just a process of elimination or testing? I'm going a little crazy because I was feeling so good for the last year and then this started again except for the return of constant diarrhea. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

I was diagnosed with dairy (casein) allergy by Enterolab when I took their stool test for gluten intolerance, etc. I continued to have symptoms (cramping pain, bloating, constipation), esp. when I consumed soy based products. So I later took another Elab stool test which diagnosed my soy allergy. I continued to have symptoms. So I took the ELISA (blood) test which diagnosed my allergies to eggs, cane sugar, vanilla and nutmeg.

Don't assume your symptoms are always caused by food intolerances or allergies. Gastrointestinal symptoms can also be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal (like Candida) infections. I've taken stool tests (from Doctors' Data and later Metametrix) for gut bugs and have been diagnosed and treated for 5 different bacteria, 2 parasites and candida. So I encourage you to also consider stool tests for bacteria, parasites and/or candida.

SUE

[T.H.]

  On 6/16/2010 at 12:28 PM, charlenabelle said:

However, I do eat goat's cheese as a treat, with lactose pills on the side, just once in a while.

Just thought I'd pass on some information that might be of interest! I was just reading a news article a couple days ago on a number of companies that, with the recession, have been substituting cheaper foods for the ones they are claiming on their package. Substituting cow's milk for goat or sheep's milk in cheeses was one that they mentioned. No companies were mentioned by name, unfortunately, but thought you might like to know, with your allergy!

[T.H.]

I definitely found a number of allergies, and sensitivities, after going gluten free, yup.

I did have allergy tests, which identified some of them, but not all. In the end, I kept a food journal, and I kept my foods very, very simple. Nothing pre-made. That makes it much easier to keep track of what you are eating.

Then I would check for patterns in how I felt. Some foods had a pattern of a reaction 24 hours after I ate it, so I really had to pay attention. Like Corn gives me terrible joint pain the day after I eat it.

Also, I had to read a lot on where certain allergens were, and do research. Like iodized salt has corn in it, usually (I had been told it was cornstarch as an anti-caking agent, but since then I've discovered the corn is used to help stabilize the iodine). Baking powders had potato or cornstarch in them, etc...

Another thing that helped was to eat the same foods for 2 or so days, and then switch to a new set of foods, not one, single thing the same, not even the salt, for the next couple days. That way, the reactions were spaced enough that a pattern was easier to see.

There's also some conditions that can develop in people who have had gut issues that might be worth looking into? Like fructose malabsorption, which involves fruits, grains, nuts, and veggies (my GI said that in his experience, the breath test for this is completely unreliable until you are ON the low fructose diet for a while before you take the test). Or something to do with gut flora, possibly?

Good luck in finding out the problem.

  On 6/16/2010 at 10:01 AM, fran641 said:

A few months ago I started having stomach pains and terrible gas with bloating. To my knowledge I have not been using gluten. I just had blood work, breath test, ultrasound and CAT scan to rule out gallbladder, pancreas and some other things as the cause. Tests were all clear.

I see that a lot of people seem to develop other food allergies along the way to recovery or at least discover these allergies. How did some of you find out about those allergies like corn, dairy, soy etc? Was it just a process of elimination or testing? I'm going a little crazy because I was feeling so good for the last year and then this started again except for the return of constant diarrhea. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

[Skylark]

With the stomachaches, gas and bloating, fructose malaborption is a really good thing to look into.

[dilettantesteph]

With me it wasn't other food allergies, with the exception of oats. It was sensitivity to small amounts of gluten. Whatever it is, it would work to go on some for sure safe diet consisting of unprocessed foods so that you don't have to worry about cross contamination. You should be able to get healthy within a week or so. Then you can add foods on a week and you will find out what your problems are. I seemed to get more sensitive to trace gluten as time went on.

[kayo]

I'm lactose intolerant, borderline casein intolerant, soy intolerant in addition to being gluten-free. My doc believes I have fructose malabsorption (a.k.a., fructmal). I think she is right. I started a low fructose diet on Monday after seeing the nutritionist who works in the same practice. I am scheduled for a hydrogen breath test and bacterial overgrowth test in a few weeks and I got a food allergy testing apt. next week.

I feel like crap. LOL! And yet, I feel better. I think I'm going through some sort of withdrawal. People here on the board have talked about those first weeks going gluten-free and how awful they felt. I never experienced that. However after nearly a year gluten free my symptoms had improved but hadn't gone away. My weight is still up, I still look puffy and pregnant, I still have all sorts of gas and GI issues. I knew something was still going on.

Since Monday my bloating is way down, I've lost 4 pounds since yesterday (water weight) and this is odd - I'm hot under my skin, particularly my forehead and lower legs. I have a bit of a headache that won't quit but it's not too bad. I'm not as thirsty as I usually am and my skin and eyes seem more moist, less irritated. Sinuses are also clear. Appetite is down.

There's a lot of conflicting info out there on fructmal. But what I have been able to determine, that matches up to me, is that this could be the root of my issues. Some clues, beyond the GI stuff: unable to tolerate lactose, wheat and soy, aversion to sweet tasting foods, inexplicable weight gain. So it may be sugars that are the primary root of my problems and not the proteins.