Gluten / Fructose Intolerance?

[oso0690]

Hello,

I’m new and have joined this forum because of some skin / digestive issues I’m having that are related to my diet.  As a child, I could eat anything and everything without any problem and never had any skin issues.  For the past ~10 years, I noticed that I haven’t been able to tolerate pizza, dates, or raisins without digestive upset (feelings of stomach acid issues, etc.)  Dates and raisins being the highest in fructose content BTW.  I can handle oats, pineapples, bananas, potatoes, glucose powder and popcorn without any apparent ill effects.  I don’t notice anything drastic with spaghetti either.  Now, for the past ~8 months, I have had eczema in the crease of the elbow and below the armpit area.  This is most severe on my left side and mild on my right.

 

I first noticed a significant flare up after consuming a large meal with tons of starches: potato salad, noodles, bread, beans, more bread.  After about 30mins/1hr, the faint area on the crease of my elbow became much larger with bright red spots.  The second time this significant of a reaction happened was when I drank 4cups of V8 Fusion in a short amount of time.  The 3^rd time was last night when I ate 2 100% whole wheat English muffins which contain Vital Wheat Gluten as an ingredient.

 

I went to a family doctor about the rashes who just prescribed me some ointment even after I explained that I don’t care what the rashes look like or if they itch; I’d just like to find out why my body put them there.  I want to believe that if I ‘fix’ what is causing these rashes, my other health problems will go away (insomnia, digestion problems, joint achiness, lethargy, etc.)  I was very disappointed in his ability...

 

Anyway, I’m wondering what I should do as of now.  Should I buy vital wheat gluten and make sure it’s gluten that I’m becoming increasingly sensitive to?  Should I down another V8 and make sure fructose gives a bad reaction?  Is there something else in common with certain fruit and starches that could be allergenic?  Is this a liver issue and should I get that checked?  Should I go to a doctor and get tested for anything else?   What tests?  Are they accurate?  Is an elimination diet the only sure way of knowing for sure?  Have you had similar issues and been diagnosed with something?  Thanks for any advice.

[kareng]

There are blood tests for Celiac disease.  A dermatologist can also biopsy the skin next to the blistery rash to check for DH (the skin version of Celiac).  If you want to be tested for Celiac you must continue to eat a regular gluten containing diet until all tests are finished.

 

Lots of good info here:

 

Open Original Shared Link

[millerb68]

If you have issues with fructose, you might want to take a look at this list: Open Original Shared Link

and do some research on the FODMAPs diet. Essentially, it's different kinds of carbohydrates, proteins and fats that some people have problems tolerating. Dried fruit is on the list, as are grains such as wheat and rye, which contain gluten. Here's another list: Open Original Shared Link

 

I would find another doctor willing to test you for celiac disease rather than prescribing a cream for the rashes. I had rashes as a primary symptom of my celiac disease as well, and it took a while to connect the dots. The creams didn't work, by the way. 

 

Good luck! 

[oso0690]

Thanks a lot for the replies and readings.  I guess my question now is:

 

Is there any benefit to getting medically diagnosed / tested over me personally consuming pure gluten powder / pure crystalline fructose on an empty stomach and seeing how I react to each?  

 

The fact that apparently most doctors have 30mins of knowledge in their lifetime on this, genetic testing only means you may be more susceptible to the disease, blood tests are only accurate if consuming enough gluten, and then having an invasive intestinal biopsy done just to make sure.. and all the waiting..  Only to have the same outcomes: don't eat gluten (or fructose, or FODMAPs like millerb68 mentioned).  I'd imagine if my rashes get significantly worse after eating these two things, my body is telling me all I need to know about gluten and fructose..  Is this not correct?

[millerb68]

I think the benefit to getting tested is a diagnosis for which you can receive treatment. As you probably know, celiac is much more than just digestive issues or rashes -- it's an autoimmune disease that can have effects throughout the whole body. For some people, simply not eating gluten or whatever else causes issues fixes the issue and they can go on with their lives, but others still have a lot of symptoms and related conditions even after stopping gluten for which they need help. That's where a medical diagnosis comes in handy. 

[1desperateladysaved]

For me my situation was so complicated that eating one ingredient in particular would not have been inconclusive.  Like you can eat Vital gluten, but there is also gluten in the bread.  Also you could avoid wheat bread, eating rye instead but that also contains gluten.  I did a total elimination diet and had only rice and peanut butter, but now I know I have allergies to those two!  I am not saying it is impossible to experiment yourself, but only that I ended up appreciating the help I eventually got about 30 years later.

 

I sat in a doctor's parking lot crying once after visiting a dermatologist to help with my eczema and they gave me samples of cream.  For me it helped it to go away, but it would come back with a vengeance. The pharmacist also didn't like selling it to me and exhorted me to be very careful as it was known to damage the kidneys.   I had hoped also that someone could tell me what caused the problem rather than make it go away one time.  That day medical healthcare seemed to be flawed to me.  I wanted to get to the root of something and work at it there.  If I only knew then that I had celiac.

 

I hope you will get whatever defining you need to solve that eczema and whatever symptoms you have.

 

Dee