- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Food Allergy
<a href="http://www.thenest.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="Home D
No allergies - just intolerances? Can't find the balance!!
I'm so happy to see this category in the community boards. I'm new to the bump, and I've been struggling TTC. In addition to my Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, I have these crazy cycles. Right now I'm on CD 78, with my 6th day of Provera, waiting for AF.
I've been thinking a lot about food allergies. I get crazy hives and angioedema in my lips, and I've always attributed it to my thyroid problems. I've also had IBS since I was a teenager. Then I started doing research on the connection between Celiac's Disease and Hashimoto's. I decided to go completely gluten-free.
Here's the thing: I still have hives. Also, my allergist tested me for allergies to gluten, wheat, and cow's milk, and they all came back negative. I know I'm not officially allergic to any of those things, yet I still have problems!
I can't eat too much dairy - literally, the difference between a small ice cream and a large one without stomach problems.
Wheat - I tried it again the other day with a few pieces of pizza and had horrible stomach pains for the next two days.
Sugar seems to bother me a lot as well.
What is up with these food issues? I don't have an allergy - just an intolerance. But I can't find the balance to help myself out!!
<a href="http://www.thenest.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="Home DThis discussion has been closed.
Re: No allergies - just intolerances? Can't find the balance!!
you were only tested for wheat, gluten, milk? I'm surprised he didnt test you for more. Was it a skin test or a RAST test? I would either go to a new allergist or demand a RAST test for the top 8 (plus sugar and what ever else you think of).
I would start a food journal and every time you eat ANYTHING -write down how you feel afterwards. I would also do an elimination diet. Maybe go top 8 + sugar free for a month and then introduce one item every week and see if your symptoms come back.
It sounds very obvious that you cannot handle milk products.. even if the results show up negative for allergies, i would avoid them -you know your body best and your body is telling you that it does not want dairy.
I would avoid sugar also. Go buy agave nectar instead and use that as your sweetener. it's natural and so much healthier. You can even bake with it.
I would also see a nutritionist because this will be a HUGE life style change.
Good luck! but please do get re-tested with a RAST test and make sure they test you for more than just those three.
br
Well the allergist only tested at my request. He's really been in charge of monitoring my hives in conjunction with my Hashimoto's, and I asked him if he wouldn't mind testing the food stuff and he said sure. He's been a really good doctor to me, but he just thinks my hives are from the thyroid. I think they are too, to an extent, but I'm guessing if I made some smarter food choices that might help as well. But you're right - I should ask for more tests. And what he said to me, and you are too, is that if your body doesn't feel good eating it, why eat it?
Such a simply question - but I'm really suffering on the willpower! More often than not, I may have stomach issues the next day but that's it. And when a giant ice cream sundae shows itself to me...well I have no excuse. But I know I need to avoid it. I've heard a lot about agave nectar but haven't yet tried it. You're a fan? Also, a nutritionist would be a great idea too, you're so right there.
What do you do around the holidays?? This is my first time trying to eliminate any foods in my life!
Do you mind me asking you about your gluten intolerance? Can you eat gluten in small doses, or with certain foods, without problems? And what happens when you do eat it? I've been eating it my whole life but noticed I got so bloated and uncomfortable after a big meal of, like pasta for example.
I don't mind at all. I've had bowel and skin issues my entire life. My GP sent me for the Celiac blood test but I tested negative. I got so fed up that I went to see a naturopath and she did the electrode food intolerance test, where they stick electrodes on acupunture points. She found that I was intolerant to gluten so I stopped eating gluten for 2 full weeks (elimination diet) and most of my symptoms disappeared.
I had eczema, migraines, numbness to fingers and toes, diarrhea alternating with constipation, low iron and B12, tired, irritable, high anxiety and depression.
When I do get cravings and "cheat" by eating gluten, I usually don't react until about 3-4 days later. The skin on my stomach, sides and breasts start itching and break out in a rash and I have very mucus-like stools. I react for about 1-2 days then it's gone. I also feel very bloated and crampy after eating gluten.
It happens no matter what I eat, whether it has a lot or a little of gluten. So I just stay away from it altogether, especially now that I?m pregnant I find I react even more. Before I became pregnant I was able to tolerate let's say fries that were cooked in the same oil as gluten containing foods and be fine, but now I react to it.
I know it sucks but I think the only way to know is to cut out gluten for 2 weeks and see if your symptoms go away. Then slowly re-introduce gluten and see if your body reacts.
I know how hard it can be to stay away from gluten. Especially now being pregnant and having MS in 1st tri all I wanted was crackers or bread. I know you say your stomach hurts for a little while then goes away, but you have to think of what the gluten is doing to your body on the inside. I used to think the same thing, ?oh well it?s just dry skin I can live with it if it means I can have bread?. But then I start to think about the damage it does to my bowels and how they are no longer able to absorb nutrients and then my iron starts dropping, it?s scary and keeps my willpower up.
Hope this helps and let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you! It's interesting that you mention skin problems, as hives are another part of this big puzzle I've been having the last few years, and IBS as well. I actually have gone gluten-free for about a month or so...with very occasional exceptions, and I'm having trouble noticing a huge difference. The only thing I definitely could tell was my bloating diminished a ton. After meals, I wouldn't look like I was 6 months preggo!
But I still had hives. It's such a messy situation. Sometimes I think, maybe it's not the gluten at all, but dairy, or sugar, or all 3, and only in certain amounts. Of course, since you are now pregnant, I can totally understand why you are so controlled in your eating. I need to be, I want to be, I'm just having an issue day-to-day keeping up everything.
I am really not overweight - my BMI is in the upper normal range, but I could definitely lose about 15 pounds and be healthy. My portion sizes are.....let's just say large! I hit the gym often but it's not enough.
So many food issues! Well I'm glad to know about how going gluten-free has helped you. Especially when eating it hinders your iron levels and all that. You make a good point! I just need to commit.
First of all, Celiac is not an allergy, so an allergy test will be of no use. It's an autoimmune reaction to gluten. The medical testing for Celiac is a specific blood test and/or upper endoscopy w/biopsies. But the most accurate test is a dietary trial. Also, there is not currently a reliable medical test for non-Celiac gluten intolerance; it's a dietary trial thing too. If you want to get an "official", on-the-record Celiac diagnosis, you'll have to continue to eat a lot of gluten until the testing is complete. The recommendation is 2-3 slices of bread or a similar amount of gluten daily for 3 months prior to testing.
I know you said you've been gluten free for almost a month, "with very occasional exceptions". Sorry to tell you this, but *any* exceptions means you are not gluten free. It's like rat poison: either you're eating it or you're not. You have to be 100% gluten free 100% of the time in order for your body to heal enough to see real results. It sounds like in addition to a gluten problem, you may have a leaky gut. This is teeny tiny holes in the intestine (often caused by the damage done from Celiac) that allow food molecules to pass directly into the bloodstream. This sets off all kinds of reactions to all kinds of foods. It's IgG mediated, which is different from "true allergies", which are IgE mediated (allergy testing checks for IgE allergies). This could explain the sugar issue (I too have a HUGE problem with sugar; I can't have *any* even as a tiny ingredient in a big recipe without a reaction). You also likely have a good/bad bacteria imbalance, also a byproduct of a damaged gut. Don't freak out - all of this can be healed with a very careful diet and time. A full 50% of Celiacs cannot tolerate dairy or soy; the molecules are similar to gluten and cause a very similar reaction in the body.
IBS is not a diagnosis. It's just a term to describe irritated guts, but tells you nothing about *why* they're irritated. Don't let another doctor "diagnose" you with IBS - it's your right to get to the bottom of this and figure out what makes it better.
I've just dumped a ton of information on you, sorry!
From what you've written, it's very clear to me that you have (at least) a gluten problem. Please learn everything you can about gluten ingredients and cross contamination. Get yourself on a good probiotic. Check all of your medications and supplements, lotions, shampoos, and soaps for gluten (and dairy probably) ingredients. Get a full nutritional panel run to see what your deficiencies are. B12, D, Iron and folate are common deficiencies for people with absorption issues. If your Vit. D is low, ask for a bone density scan - a commonly issued test for anyone dx'd w/Celiac.
I know this is completely overwhelming. When I was first diagnosed I felt like I was drowning. But things DO get better. I had infertility, high blood pressure, inability to lose weight, skin rashes, numbness in toes, balance problems, wavy vision and "IBS". It took about a year of being gluten free, but ALL of those things went away. The way I feel now is worth so much more than any food craving. Once you get that stuff out of your system and start to feel better you won't miss the poison.
This message board taught me more than any of my doctors did: https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/ I've been teaching my doctors things about Celiac, ha!