Nightshade Allergy Symptoms?

[Tarantula44]

Hello, I have been gluten-free and dairy free for a little over a month now (had some tests that "suggest" celiac and with symptoms and family members having celiac my dr diagnosed me with it). It's been a rollercoaster since day one. I did have the crazy miserable withdrawal that some have, the worst seems to be over now. But I am still having reactions to something and I think it's nightshades. I am very strict about my diet, and don't think I'm getting cc. I notice I'm fine for a few days and things are getting better: I'm happier, digestion is so much improved its kind of rediculous, restless leg has stopped, sleeping better. BUT, every few days I'm still getting the following symptoms (which clear up and come back):

Swollen glands (this has been chronic for 3 years)

Sinus inflammation

Nasal/nostril sores

Peeling lips

Brain fog

Feeling generally gross/ill/no appetite/nauseous

Fatigue

Body pain/bone pain

Anxiety

Hypoglycemia symptoms

I have been diagnosed allergic to tomatoes and potatoes which cause me some grief but not terrible but I've never given up all nightshades completely. Could these symptoms be related to nightshades? Im asking because I thought nightshades only caused digestional cramping and joint pain. I just want to know if I'm still recovering from gluten/dairy or if these are symptoms of nightshade allergy. Nightshades are proving SO hard for me to eliminate. They are in EVERYTHING! Thanks to anyone who can give me insight or hope! t

[mushroom]

The more posts I read on this board, and the longer I suffer from food intolerance symptoms myself, the more convinced I become that each person suffers from an intolerance to a food in his/her own particular, unique fashion. What causes stomach cramps in one causes neurological symptoms in another, causes hives/itching/rash in another. I don't think you can take any food and say, this one symptom is indicative of an intolerance to __________ food. This is the quandary doctors face when presented with such a variety of symptoms of celiac disease (well over 300 of them - but no one person will have them all, some have none, some only GI, some only neurological, some many in many combinations.)

So I do not believe anyone can specifically answer your question. There may be one or two people out there who have this particular combination of symptoms and can attribute them to nightshades. But they may just as easily attribute them to something else entirely.

My nighshade reactions, for example, consist of hives, rashes, extreme itching, and latterly, irregular heartbeats and tachycardia. My husband gets sinus inflammation if he drinks wine. Others get sores around their nostrils from gluten. Brain fog is most generally attributed to gluten.

Now, that being said, you say you are only one month gluten free. It generally takes about three months for your body to settle into the gluten free diet and for you to start reaping the benefits of it. We all have ups and downs at the start of the diet, whether cc'd or not; some days will be better than others. Anxiety and brain fog tend to take longer to clear than GI symptoms.

If you are allergic to, or even intolerant of, potatoes and tomatoes it would be wise to avoid the other nightshades (peppers, eggplant, paprika, tomatillos) as well. You can challenge them later. I still have not done that - I am planning a challenge of homegrown tomatoes this summer - but I just quit peppers and eggplant once I discovered the tomato/potato problem.

My bone/body pain did not resolve on a gluten free diet, although four years later I can manage without my medication for a month or two before it returns so ithe diet must have helped somewhat.

I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but you must be patient. This is not an overnight cure. You have spent a lifetime building up to this and it is not going to go away tomorrow. It may take one to two years to recover, depending on your individual body.

Continue to eat strictly gluten free, get rid of all the nightshades, try to identify any other possible triggers, especially among the common allergens and grains, avoid as much processed gluten-free food as you can, i.e., eat clean and mother nature will do her part in helping you feel better. I wish you better health soon.

If in three months you still have all your same symptoms then it will be time to do an elimination diet and keep a food and symptom diary to identify your triggers.

[Tarantula44]

Thanks Mushroom. I definitely understand about foods causing different symptoms in people, I guess my question was, is it possible for nightshades to cause issues like swollen glands, anxiety, sinus inflammation etc at all.

Your input about it taking a while and ups and downs helped. I guess I thought because I went through the withdrawal and got better, I was just going to keep getting better. But when I had a few more rotten days after a few good ones, I thought it might have been something else causing this. But if it could still be general issues from gluten that aren't out of my system that makes sense and I'll remember that. Thanks for your input!

[Watson]

Hi Tarantula44

Your post was a big relief to read as my story and symptoms are virtually identical. I was hoping you could let us know how you're getting on? Did you cut out nightshades and you symptoms clear? I'd love to hear how things are now as I'm getting pretty desperate.

After cutting gluten out of my diet I spent 5 days feeling amazing - better than I'd felt in decades. Then my symptoms all came back again. I'm now eating rice, oil, fruit and veg but this includes nightshades. After reading your story i will now cut these out too but Please let me know your progress if you can.

Thanks very much

[chi1968]

Wow! I echo what Tarantula44 said above -- about feeling great for 5 days, thinking that you are getting better, and then starting to feel bad again!

I never had GI symptoms, but I did have fatigue. After FINALLY feeling like I was getting a good night's sleep after going gluten-free, I suddenly started with GI symptoms. First, it was dairy. Then, I noticed that egg whites gave my stomach issues, so I had to stop eating them.

Now, I was exploring doing the Feingold diet and also reading about NIGHTSHADES. I haven't had tomatoes for several weeks because I THINK they were causing me to feel "foggy" and tired. I'm keeping them out of my diet for a while -- along with some other selected Feingold-suggested foods -- because I want to clear my system of them, to see if I do actually have some sort of reaction when I add them back in.

Just is crappy that we have to feel WORSE after eliminating gluten!

[GFinDC]

Hi,

The nightshades that bother many people are potato, tomato, peppers, and eggplant. You may react to all of them or just some.

[bartfull]

I get psoriasis flares from potatoes, same as I do from gluten and corn.

[Tiredsean]

Tarantula 44 did you figure out your pain cause,we have very similar symptons??