Aaaaargh! Et Tu Corn? Am So Depressed.

[Foolish-Michie]

I. Can't. Stand. This.

 

After counting myself lucky that amidst all of my terrible celiac symptoms at least I didn't have DH, I now do. And I think it is because of gluten free corn chips (Glutino).

 

I have long suspected that a corn allergy is also at play - largely because within 30 minutes of eating popcorn I pass out cold for hours. I tried several varieties of gluten free pizza all of which had corn starch if not a corn base, and felt terrible each time. And then, because I am a moron, I decided to eat the corn chips (even though I knew it was a bad idea). Three days later, I'm still exhausted and dopey and my back is covered with a lovely, itchy, want to tear my skin off rash.

 

So, corn is obviously now out but I'm concerned about all of the places it hides. By the time my celiac was diagnosed, I had become pretty severely vitamin deficient so am on megadoses of supplements to try to correct the problem. I've emailed all of my vitamin manufacturers because corn isn't labeled as clearly as other allergens but would also love some feedback from others in the same boat. Any great brands you can recommend and/or what else do I need to be on the lookout for?

 

Needless to say, I'm throwing myself a massive pity party at the moment. It has been two and a half months since we figured out what was killing me and while I definitely no longer feel death sitting on my shoulder, I also don't feel anywhere close to well. In addition to the corn exposure, I'm also worried that I might be having some cross contamination exposure. Having just been forced to leave my home overseas because of this disease, I'm staying with friends who seem to eat nothing but gluten. They don't cook so there are no loose flour particles floating around but maybe I'm getting poisoned all the same. I take a lot of precautions but touch things like refrigerator door handles after them all the time. Am I taking too big of a risk staying here?

 

Sob.

[bartfull]

Ouch! As a corn sensitive celiac, I feel bad for you. Heck, I feel bad for both of us!

 

OK, if what you have is DH, I'm pretty sure it can't come from corn. Did you have ANY sign of it before? If you did, it's one of those things that can flair for up to two years even if you are stricktly gluten-free. Iodine can make it flair too so maybe it was the salt? I think it is more likely though that you are getting CC'ed. Maybe someone in the house used your butter or mayo by mistake and didn't mention it? Something like that? Read up here on all the ways we can get CC'ed and see if you can figure it out.

 

As for the corn thing - I STILL haven't found any vitamins that don't have either gluten, corn, or soy in them. (I'm soy intolerant too.) I eat lots of meat and sweet potatoes because they have lots of nutrition in them. For a painkiller I use Tylenol (I am asperin sensitive too.) I have to have it made at a compounding pharmacy because just about EVERY pill there is uses corn as a filler.

 

BUT!!! Just to give us both a bit of hope - after a little over a year I discovered I could tolerate corn starch. They say the protein is processed out of the starch and although it bothered me at first, eventually I was OK with it. I still couldn't tolerate any other form of corn, but the starch made things SO much easier. Then I got accidently glutened and lost it again. It's been several months so I'm thinking about trying again now.

 

If you want to learn about corn, this is a great site: Open Original Shared Link I'm sorry to tell you, corn is about a thousand times harder to avoid than gluten. It is in EVERYTHING, and you're right, if corn is used in PROCESSING, they don't have to label for it so you have to call or email about it every time. What MIGHT have been corn-free this week might not be next week, depending on cost and availability.

 

If you have any more questions, fire away. We CAN get through this!!

[Foolish-Michie]

Ouch! As a corn sensitive celiac, I feel bad for you. Heck, I feel bad for both of us!

 

OK, if what you have is DH, I'm pretty sure it can't come from corn. Did you have ANY sign of it before? If you did, it's one of those things that can flair for up to two years even if you are stricktly gluten-free. Iodine can make it flair too so maybe it was the salt? I think it is more likely though that you are getting CC'ed. Maybe someone in the house used your butter or mayo by mistake and didn't mention it? Something like that? Read up here on all the ways we can get CC'ed and see if you can figure it out.

 

As for the corn thing - I STILL haven't found any vitamins that don't have either gluten, corn, or soy in them. (I'm soy intolerant too.) I eat lots of meat and sweet potatoes because they have lots of nutrition in them. For a painkiller I use Tylenol (I am asperin sensitive too.) I have to have it made at a compounding pharmacy because just about EVERY pill there is uses corn as a filler.

 

BUT!!! Just to give us both a bit of hope - after a little over a year I discovered I could tolerate corn starch. They say the protein is processed out of the starch and although it bothered me at first, eventually I was OK with it. I still couldn't tolerate any other form of corn, but the starch made things SO much easier. Then I got accidently glutened and lost it again. It's been several months so I'm thinking about trying again now.

 

If you want to learn about corn, this is a great site: Open Original Shared Link I'm sorry to tell you, corn is about a thousand times harder to avoid than gluten. It is in EVERYTHING, and you're right, if corn is used in PROCESSING, they don't have to label for it so you have to call or email about it every time. What MIGHT have been corn-free this week might not be next week, depending on cost and availability.

 

If you have any more questions, fire away. We CAN get through this!!

 

Part of me wishes I could just get a PICC line and stop eating altogether :-)

 

Who knows, maybe the DH is from accidental glutening. It takes so little. I'm considering going to stay elsewhere because I have no control over the kitchen here and fingers are constantly dipping into gluten-heavy products and then touching everything. Maybe I forgot to scrub my hands after feeding the kitty her daily treats? Maybe someone used my cutting board? Maybe the frying pan I used had a scratch I didn't see? Maybe I used a fork that had been washed with a glutened sponge instead of in the dishwasher? Ugh. EXHAUSTING.

 

A few Metagenics vitamins are gluten free and corn protein free. As a last resort, I can switch over to their liquid D3, vita C and probiotics. I'm going to switch over to farmer's markets for all of my fruit and veg and call a local beef farm (grass fed) about ordering direct and being specific about the fact that I can have no corn.

 

Thank goodness it is Sunday because I am just so darned tired I can hardly keep my eyes open.

[bartfull]

You CAN stay gluten-free, even in a household full of gluten eaters, but you have to keep ALL of your stuff seperate. Dishes, pots and pans, a sponge, and especially your food. You could get one of those plastic totes for the non-perishables, and a smaller one that'll fit in the fridge for the other stuff.

 

And no matter WHERE you live, you need to get in the habit of scrubbing your hands EVERY time you put something in your mouth. Even out and about, you touch a door or ANY surface, someone might have had gluten on their hands and touched it before you. I live alone and my house is gluten-free, but some visitor may have had gluteny hands so I scrub my hands after touching surfaces in my own house.