Understanding The Healing Process

[littleburgy]

I have some gluten and food intolerance problems (no confirmed celiac diagnosis) and I have just finished the 2nd week of cutting out gluten, dairy and soy from my diet.

 

I have suffered from hypothyroidism and anemia off and on for some time now. But my most annoying autoimmune problem is eczema. I had it as a child, it went dormant in my teens and 20s but it came back after my mother died when I was 27. I have endured it for over 10 years now and I discovered off and on that it's clearly diet related.

 

In the last couple of weeks, my eczema has improved dramatically, but I still am getting little flare ups here and there that are really annoying. Maybe it's because the improvements really got my hopes up too quickly but I don't know what to expect as far as the healing process goes. Maybe I'm afraid it will never go away or it will come back, but I want it out of my life so badly right now. I realize I can't expect the quick fix that steroid creams bring (and they don't last or address the real problem anyway) but I was putting feelers out there to see what everyone else's experiences have been, and if your eczema more or less went away, how long did it take? 

 

Some days I feel amazing, but today I am really moody and just plain pissed off. I feel like I am going mad, I've developed this really bizarre obsession with food that I haven't seen since I lost weight a couple of years ago. I hope this is just temporary withdrawal from the truckloads of gluten I used to eat and can't anymore.

 

So I guess I needed to rant and to summarize --

 

How long did it take your eczema to heal if it did?

What food intolerance testing do you recommend? I will be discussing this with the GP later this month.

 

Thank you for your time.  

[bartfull]

No exzema, but I did have psoriasis. It started clearing up right away but like yours, it came back. It turned out that not only did gluten bring it on, but several other foods did too. I had to give up corn and soy as well of many other foods. That was at first.

 

For the first couple of years it was a see-saw. It would heal, then it would flare, then it would heal again. Eventually my gut healed (I do have celiac) and I was able to add back all of the other foods that had been giving me trouble. I still get a very minor flare once in a while and have concluded that those flares are caused by stress. For example, two weeks ago my best friend's husband died suddenly. Within a couple of days I had a minor flare. I know it wasn't something I ate that brought it on because I hadn't eaten anything new.

 

My Mom had psoriasis for many many years before she was diagnosed with celiac. I don't remember how long it took but eventually her psoriasis cleared up completely.

 

So give it some time. And you might want to keep a food and symptom journal to pinpoint if any other foods are giving you trouble. For me that was easy because it was usually exactly eight hours after eating an offending food that I would have a flare. YMMV.

[littleburgy]

Thank you for your feedback! Did you get a test to find your food intolerances or did you do an elimination diet?

 

At the moment my diet is pretty strict -- no soy, no dairy, no grains whatsoever. I very clearly had a reaction when I started my gluten challenge and put dairy back in my diet in addition to the gluten, that much I know. My eczema basically exploded and my whole body felt bloated and swelled like a balloon. I'd like to take a break from grains for a few months to see how it goes before I try introducing things like corn, rice or potato.

 

I think what is frustrating with my little flare ups is that it's hard to tell what is food and what is stress or allergies (and I admit I'm not being very patient about them, and I'm probably just feeling testy in general because of the diet adjustments).

[bartfull]

Other than dairy there really are no valid tests for food intolerances. You may see things on the internet about them but they are bogus. Elimination diet is the only real way to find out. It sounds like you're on the right track. Just stick with it until the exzema heals then add one food back at a time.

 

Are you sure it's exzema? There are a lot of rashes associated with gluten. Does yours itch like crazy? Maybe go on over to the DH section and read, look at pictures, and compare symptoms. I know that iodine makes DH flare. That would mean potatoes, seafood, egg yolks and iodized salt would have to be severely limited.

 

It sounds, from what you said about your history, that you may have celiac and not just an intolerance. Check out the Newbie 101 thread in the coping section to make sure you have completely eliminated gluten. And make sure to check your meds and supplements too. Some may have gluten and most have corn. Asperin used to make my psoriasis flare BADLY. I switched to Tylenol and had to have it made in a compounding pharmacy for a couple of years. Now I can buy the regular stuff from the store. I'd like to test asperin again but I have a gigantic bottle of Tylenol that I have to use up first. (I'm not frugal - I'm just cheap!  )

[littleburgy]

My blood test came up negative for celiac, but I'll be talking to the doctor later this month. I hated the gluten challenge so much I just don't want to chase a diagnosis anymore that may never come.

 

I generally haven't been itching and scratching as much as I was before. I'm in a bind because I'm staying with my in laws for easter this week. I enjoy visiting them in one respect but in other ways I find it stressful (and that doesn't help). They're also from Poland so their house is a ****ing BAKERY of baked stuff, and they struggle to understand life without potatoes and bread, nor do they understand the meaning of "I'm full, no more, thanks" but they're being as supportive as they can. However, it will be so much easier when I get home, where I can have an easier time not having to answer to anyone about what I can or can't eat.