Food Sensitivity Testing

[inver]

My daughter (age 12) was diagnosed 5 years ago as a celiac.  Five years on a gluten free diet and she continues to have reactions, severe stomach aches, constipation.  The past few months have been really bad.  Eliminating dairy and a lot of processed gluten-free foods have helped a lot.  Sticking to whole foods helps.  However, she is still reacting to something .  Our house is gluten-free so not cross contamination.  Has anyone tried food sensitivity testing, like the ALCAT test?  Was it helpful?  Do you feel you got accurate results?   Did insurance pay for it?  Who prescribed the test? We're going crazy with the elimination diet, it is just too hard...also I feel that she eats some foods and doesn't react for a few days.  Impossible to figure out!  She has had all conventional testing and allergy testing....everything negative.

Thank you!!!

[Lucas]

Hi!

I used to have the same problem as well. I would recommend a simple blood test that can be done by an allergist. This will show if your daughter has a true allergy to other foods. If she just has an intolerance, it may not appear. I have allergies to gluten, corn, soy, peanuts, and shellfish. Going gluten free did not fix my issues, which is why I needed the blood test. If you do not want to get the blood test, I would recommend cutting these foods out of your daughter's diet. I will say it is very hard at first, but it is definitely worth a shot. Corn is not a "top allergen" in the U.S. so it does not need to be listen on labels under "Contains". Soy and peanuts will be listed however. 

I hope this helps! It worked for me and I went from having years of stomach issues to finally feeling like a normal human being. I wanted to share my story in hopes that it helps your daughter.

[tessa25]

Has she had a repeat of the blood testing for celiac? Have the numbers gone down? If she hasn't had a repeat blood test perhaps she should so that you could see if she still getting gluten. If her blood tests are normal perhaps her doctors could check her for other issues. If her blood tests are high then she could be getting gluten from somewhere like school or at her friends house

[Ennis-TX]

 

Try the blood test for the gluten antibodies as mentioned above first to make sure there is no gluten sneaking in.

Might try extending the elimination diet trial runs by a few days. ALSO random thought, I personally sometimes get a flare up from eating a food that did not bother me for days and it bothers my UC just randomly. And I have to remove it and any kind of spice for a few days then I am fine eating them again once it calms down and the inflammation goes down. Along this line she might be reacting at seemingly random to a spice or ingredient just at certain times. If she has damaged intestines it is not uncommon to react to spice, or certain high histamine or acidic foods at first, Hate to say it but try a more bland and very very simple diet of nut butters, seed butters, egg, steamed veggies simple unprocessed meats (not grilled but baked or steamed) for a few weeks cooking them really soft by using microwave, steamer, baking dish. to prevent making them hard and avoid any spices or condiments. Also avoid stuff that can irritate the gut like onions, garlic, tomatoes peppers, fruits. I find doing this sort of "resets" me faster.

[inver]

Yes she has had repeat blood work and everything was normal.  I've gone to top doctors in the area (NYC). She's been tested for everything all negative.  Wondering if another food sensitivity.  Ennis-- I'm going to try this-- put her on a bland diet for a few days.  Everyone is great! Thank you!

 

 

 

 

[inver]

Lucas, had no idea that corn does not have to be listed.  Hard to believe right? Thanks for the info!!! 

[Ennis-TX]

4 minutes ago, inver said:

Lucas, had no idea that corn does not have to be listed.  Hard to believe right? Thanks for the info!!! 

I also have a high allergy to corn....it is in everything and everywhere. Really makes life tough as it is undeclared ingredient in some proprietary blends, spices, etc. Also used under many many other names, from fiber, matodextrin, vegetable fiber, and some that make no sense at all.

[RollingAlong]

You might also consider histamine.  That can aggravate things and it is tricky to test for.  However, eating "anti-histaminically" is fairly easy and healthy.    My spouse solved a lot of mysterious reactions when he started trying to take histamine into account.  

We found this website to be very helpful.  Open Original Shared Link

Histamine  could be an additional variable to your hunt - good luck!