Other Issues - Where To Start?

[Joni63]

Hi everyone,

Haven't posted in a while, but started having some pretty severe stomach pain and bloating which led me to the doctor yesterday. She referred me to a different gastro because the other one was clueless and I didn't want to go back! She also wanted me to go on the BRAT (the t being gluten free) diet until he sees me...this monday.

How did you get dx'd with other food intolerances or leaky gut? Was it a gastro? Allergist? Naturopath?

Even though I stuck to the gluten free diet rigidly, I have found it very difficult to be dairy free and caffeine free. When this recent bout of stomach issues cropped up I had some peanut m & m's (2 weeks ago)and had severe stomach issues which have remained even today.

[Wolicki]

Unfortunately, intolerance testing is sketchy. Most of us figured it out the old fashioned way: a very strict elimination diet. I know it's tough to stay away from dairy, but you just have to be very, very diligent.

Best way to start is free of the top 8 allergens: dairy, shellfish, soy, gluten, peanuts, and I can't remember the rest! Sorry about that.

No processed food. Meats, fruits, veggies. Nightshades are a problem for lots of celiacs, and were for me for a while. The good news is that most intolerances go away. It's temporary while the villi fully heal.

Hope that helps!

[Financialman]

My gastroenterologist finally figured out what was wrong with me however it was by accident. I was only diagnosed in November of 2009 but I have discovered that most doctors don't have a clue about Celiac disease. As Wolicki said most Celiac's have figured out for themselves. Then we had it confirmed by a "medical professional". Have you been tested for any type of peanut allergy?

[mushroom]

II know there are lots of posters on here who have gone to allergists and immunologists and had all kinds of skin pricks and ELISA's and other testing done. I am one of those who doesn't have a lot of faith in such tests and found out the old fashioned way, trial and error. Food and symptom diaries help to see if there is a pattern of response, but only if you alternate your foods and don't eat the same foods every day - you have to rotate things in and out to discover what is bothering you. Don't expect much help from a gastro. Your doctor's advice to settle on a limited set of foods which will provide nutrition and not provoke symptoms is good. From that base, you can slowly add one food at a time and see how you react. Introduce only one new food at a time and wait several days before you add another because there are delayed reactions, and not all of these reactions can be measured by testing, just as not all gluten intolerance can be measured by testing.

[Joni63]

Thanks Wolicki, I have been fighting it and it finally got the best of me. I've been through so many blood tests and ultrasounds the past week. So far the only thing "off" in my blood test is a higher than normal DHEAs. I had an ultrasound a few years back and did have some ovarian cysts which could be the reason, but am getting a lower abdominal scan soon to recheck. Had thyroid scan, upper abdominal scan, sleep study (no results yet)so I'm back to square one and believe it is food intolerances. How long did you eat without all the allergens before you added something back in? And then what did you do add one thing in for a few days or a week before adding additional foods?

Financialman I have not been tested for peanut allergy. I know I am lactose intolerant though and lactaid does not really help a whole lot. I also know I'm sensitive to caffeine and it gives me heart palpitations and vision problems. I'm addicted to chocolate and that is a problem I'm trying to overcome. I did start eating Nature Valley Nut Crunch bars daily since November maybe that is why the nuts are not agreeing with me now. My doctor did suggest an allergist, but like mushroom said I heard it's not always reliable. Do peanut allergies give stomach cramps?

[cahill]

How long did you eat without all the allergens before you added something back in? And then what did you do add one thing in for a few days or a week before adding additional foods?

I had already eliminated Soy, Corn,Nightshades and most grains before starting my elimination diet to find any remaining allergys and /or intolerances .

I currently add about one food a week unless I have a bad reaction then I give my body at least 2 weeks to recover.

A strict elimination diet is tough, very tough but well worth it. If you are planning on doing a strict elimination diet I would suggest eliminating coffee and sugar well before you start, it will make things a bit easier.

If you are planing to restrict just the major allergens to see if they are a problem ,, I would suggest waiting at least 4 to 6 weeks to give you body a chance to recover a bit before reintroducing any of them ,, then reintroduce them one at a time, with at least a week in between each food reintroduced.

good health to you

[cahill]

Unfortunately, intolerance testing is sketchy. Most of us figured it out the old fashioned way: a very strict elimination diet. I know it's tough to stay away from dairy, but you just have to be very, very diligent.

Best way to start is free of the top 8 allergens: dairy, shellfish, soy, gluten, peanuts, and I can't remember the rest! Sorry about that.

No processed food. Meats, fruits, veggies. Nightshades are a problem for lots of celiacs, and were for me for a while. The good news is that most intolerances go away. It's temporary while the villi fully heal.

Hope that helps!

The eight foods included in food allergy labeling account for an estimated 90 percent of allergic reactions. These eight foods are:

* Milk

* Eggs

* Peanuts

* Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts)

* Fish (such as bass, cod, flounder)

* Shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp)

* Soy

* Wheat

I was not sure my self ,so I had to look it up

[Joni63]

Thank you chill! Think I will try the one you suggest. Looked at a total elimination diet and I don't know if I could honestly do that one!

I am still bloated and have a stuffy nose all the time. Also just read difficulty losing weight could be a symptom of food allergies.

[cahill]

Thank you chill! Think I will try the one you suggest. Looked at a total elimination diet and I don't know if I could honestly do that one!

I am still bloated and have a stuffy nose all the time. Also just read difficulty losing weight could be a symptom of food allergies.

I agree that difficulty losing weight could be a symptom of food allergies or intolerances .

I am currently about 30 pounds overweight.I have found that as I eliminate remaining allergies and intolerances my weight has begun to drop even though I am eating the same amount of calories and exercising the same amount.

[Joni63]

Good for you! You must feel better too knowing what foods are bothering you.

I did notice when I take out dairy or caffeine I will lost a couple pounds in a few days and it I add one or both back in, the weight will come back one within 24 hours. So I guess some of my experimenting has been telling me something!

I'm just a bit worried about taking out nuts and eggs. I eat them both daily. I seem to require a lot of protein and replacing those with soy would not be an option on this diet. I'm not real fond of red meat or ham or any processed meats, but eat them occasionally. What protein source would that leave...just beans? and for breakfast? I do have a rice proten powder, but I'm not sure what's in it...smoothies?

[cahill]

Good for you! You must feel better too knowing what foods are bothering you.

I did notice when I take out dairy or caffeine I will lost a couple pounds in a few days and it I add one or both back in, the weight will come back one within 24 hours. So I guess some of my experimenting has been telling me something!

I'm just a bit worried about taking out nuts and eggs. I eat them both daily. I seem to require a lot of protein and replacing those with soy would not be an option on this diet. I'm not real fond of red meat or ham or any processed meats, but eat them occasionally. What protein source would that leave...just beans? and for breakfast? I do have a rice proten powder, but I'm not sure what's in it...smoothies?

I will admit eggs was a really tough one for me,, there are so many products that contain eggs. (( I still miss mayo ))

I had eliminated all eggs from my diet and then added them back to test them. Unfortunately I had an extreme allergic reaction.. This Amazed me because I had been eating them daily not 6 weeks before Unfortunately this being a true allergy I will not be able to eat eggs again,, but some foods that are an intolerance I may be able to add back into my diet after my gut heals .

I also was not a meat eater, I was vegan or vegetarian for most of my adult life ,, but my body has chosen that, at least until my gut heals , it is meat ,veggies and fruit .... I had lamb stir fry for breakfast this morning ,,, It was really good. Talk about thinking out of the box

[Joni63]

Oh no! Can I ask what type of reaction you had? That is very scary since you were eating them prior. Is it normal to have an extreme reaction since you removed something entirely for a while? I have read that a lot of people are allergic to eggs and don't even know it.

That is thinking outside the box! I've never had lamb..what does it compare to?

[nmthommy]

Thank you chill! Think I will try the one you suggest. Looked at a total elimination diet and I don't know if I could honestly do that one!

I am still bloated and have a stuffy nose all the time. Also just read difficulty losing weight could be a symptom of food allergies.

Try going to www.enterolab.com They do all kinds of food testing as well as DNA testing. It's all stool samples so it's right from the gut which I hear is more reliable than blood

[cahill]

Oh no! Can I ask what type of reaction you had? That is very scary since you were eating them prior. Is it normal to have an extreme reaction since you removed something entirely for a while? I have read that a lot of people are allergic to eggs and don't even know it.

That is thinking outside the box! I've never had lamb..what does it compare to?

as soon as i put them in my mouth , my mouth and lips felt like my lips and mouth were plastic ( it is hard to describe ) , my nose started running and was itchy, as soon as they hit my stomach I was nauseous. I had gas pains and extreme diarrhea as my body rushed them out (( if you know what I mean ) and that was just 2 egg whites

lamb testes like really really good beef but better

[Joni63]

Yikes - that's not good! What a hard way to find out what you shouldn't have!

Maybe I will have to try lamb, it sounds pretty good.

I had to modify the diet a bit so I could actually make this work. I decided to keep soy and almonds in for now so I can get the protein I need. Then in several weeks I will see how I feel, test eggs and then other nuts, and take out soy and almonds. Does that sound sensible? Of course this could all change with my appointment at the gastroenterologist tomorrow.

[cahill]

Yikes - that's not good! What a hard way to find out what you shouldn't have!

Maybe I will have to try lamb, it sounds pretty good.

I had to modify the diet a bit so I could actually make this work. I decided to keep soy and almonds in for now so I can get the protein I need. Then in several weeks I will see how I feel, test eggs and then other nuts, and take out soy and almonds. Does that sound sensible? Of course this could all change with my appointment at the gastroenterologist tomorrow.

let us know how you make out at your appointment tomorrow

[Joni63]

let us know how you make out at your appointment tomorrow

Oh geeze chill! What a day!

I have diverticulitis and am still working on getting gluten free flagyl. I did find the cipro though. Getting meds is certainly a chore in and of itself Next time I will get each one listed on a different perscription paper so I can pick and choose which pharmacy will fill each one! Ugh!

My iron is very low:

Total iron 32, Range 40 to 175

Serum ferritin 7, Range 10 to 232

I don't think it was this low when I was first diagnosed!

I guess the good news is I'm on the road to recovery now - hope it doesn't take too long!

I do plan on keeping most of the 8 allergens out for now and rotating a couple of them in about 4 to 6 weeks. I think ignoring the food intolerances (milk and caffiene are definatly out now) might have added to the diverticulitis. Darn peanut m&m's!

[cahill]

I guess the good news is I'm on the road to recovery now - hope it doesn't take too long!

[Joni63]

Thank you!

I did have a little spurt of energy yesterday and felt good for a couple hours today! I'm wiped out now, but its a start!

Trying to get that much needed housework done...ick.

[Joni63]

Ok. I'm tired of tests. The more I read about it the more I think I have leaky gut and malapsorption and candida now that I've been on 2 antibiocs for 7 days to treat a *possible* h. pylori infection. I am terribly bloated, am extremely cautious about gluten (3 1/2 years on diet), and even an abdominal catscan showed nothing! Now they want to rescope me.

Should I just try probiotics and digestive enzymes? If I do, how quickly will I see results? Is there anything else?

[mushroom]

I have seen a lot of recommendations to use L-glutamine to help heal a leaky gut.

[Joni63]

I have seen a lot of recommendations to use L-glutamine to help heal a leaky gut.

Thanks mushroom. This stomach pain is starting to get to me. Antibiotics didn't help...removing dairy, caffeine, eggs, and nuts did not help. I am constantly bloated and in stomach pain!

[mushroom]

I have seen a lot of recommendations to use L-glutamine to help heal a leaky gut.

This recommendation was not intended to exclude probiotics and enzymes, which I thought you were already using They have been my first line of treatment; I still take probiotics. I thought you were looking for something in addition.

[Joni63]

This recommendation was not intended to exclude probiotics and enzymes, which I thought you were already using They have been my first line of treatment; I still take probiotics. I thought you were looking for something in addition.

I thought exactly what you meant...no worries!

[irisheyes13]

For whatever it's worth, I react more violently to soy than gluten. You may want to try eliminating soy. It's tough because soy is in everything including cosmetics but it made a huge difference for me. Also have you eliminated all dairy or only lactose. It could be a casein problem. I got testing through enterolab.com and it helped with the guess work.