Struggling to get into a good pattern

[Beverage]

On 8/19/2025 at 5:00 PM, Rejoicephd said:

Wow. This is very interesting. I could try putting them out on some grain-free food for a month and see if that helps. Thanks for the tip!

How is it going with changing your doggies' food? Hope it helps.

[Rejoicephd]

Thanks @Beverage for checking in!  I haven't changed the dogs' food yet.  I'm still working through some of the other issues that I need to remedy (transitioning to an anti-inflammatory diet, being sure to get only gluten-free certified items, and buying some new cookware for my kitchen).  Somewhere after that, I have on my list to try out the dogs on a new dog food, but I haven't gotten there yet.  In the meantime, though, I can definitely see that some of my worst days seem to follow when there's a possibility of gluten cross-contamination (I'm still working to cut waaay down on these instances) OR when I eat anything with dairy/ milk protein in it.  So I think I need to really get a better handle on my day-to-day eating habits to reduce all gluten cross-contamination into my food and also any dairy intake, and then at that point, I think I'll start moving over to the dog food thing.  

[Rejoicephd]

Just giving another update... I was referred to rheumatology, and they suspect that I may also be dealing with fibromyalgia (it has not been formally diagnosed, but just suggested at this point).  So, I am continuing with the anti-inflammatory diet and vitamins and still working to keep getting rid of all these hidden gluten sources, but I also do have another possible explanation for some of the issues that I'm dealing with.

[trents]

Autoimmune diseases tend to cluster. Many of them are found close together on the chromosomes. 

[cristiana]

Thank you for the update @Rejoicephd it is good to know that you may have some answers.  Keep up the good work with your diet, and do let us know if you do get a firm diagnosis. 

I took so long to feel better and for my TTG levels to normalise,  but got there in the end, so also bear in mind it does take longer for some of us.

[knitty kitty]

@RejoicephdRejoicephd,

Glad you're continuing the vitamin supplementation.  High dose Thiamine has been shown to improve fibromyalgia symptoms.  Vitamin D also helps.

Interesting Reading:

High-dose thiamine improves the symptoms of fibromyalgia

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3669831/

And...

The Role of Nutrient Supplementation in the Management of Chronic Pain in Fibromyalgia: A Narrative Review

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8586285/

[Rejoicephd]

Thanks @knitty kitty for keeping me thinking about the importance of vitamins. And I appreciate you sending those papers (gives me something for my science brain to work through! I’m a PhD in biology so I like reading these sorts of things). It’s been surprising to see how little is understood about the cause of fibromyalgia. My Vit D went low again on my last blood test so I know I’m back to being deficient there (it did go up for a while but back down again). Whomp whomp. So I’ll be both reading about and taking vitamins. Thanks again for your input. Really appreciate it.

[knitty kitty]

@Rejoicephd,

I took high dose Vitamin D to correct my severe  deficiency quickly.  It's safe to do this.  I felt much better once my Vitamin D level was about eighty ng/mL.   Vitamin D works as a hormone and helps calms the immune system between 80 - 100 ng/mL.   

High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation Can Correct Hypovitaminosis D Prior to Total Knee Arthroplasty

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34737019/

Yes, curious science brain here, too.  I studied Nutrition but switched to Microbiology because I was curious what the vitamins in food actually do in the body.  Lots more links in my blog here: Click on my name and look for activities menu.

[Rejoicephd]

Oh cool! We have similar stories! I’m a microbiologist with an interest in metabolism. Been getting more and more fascinated by nutrition in recent years. 
 

I will check out your blog . Thanks !

[Rejoicephd]

On 8/19/2025 at 9:55 PM, knitty kitty said:

Allegra is an antihistamine.  Histamine is released by the body as part of the autoimmune and immune responses, so an antihistamine would be helpful.  Following the low histamine version of the AIP diet is helpful as well because there's also histamine in foods.  Sometimes our body has trouble getting rid of the histamine it makes and the histamine from our food.  Sometimes the mast cells that make and release histamine get touchy and release histamine at the slightest provocation.  Thiamine helps mast cells not to release histamine so readily.  Look into Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. 

SIBO, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, can also cause high histamine levels.  Following the low histamine AIP diet will starve out the bad SIBO bacteria that feed on carbohydrates we eat.  We don't want to take antibiotics because they kill off both the good and bad bacteria.  We don't want to take probiotics yet because the SIBO bacteria will outnumber them.   The AIP diet will allow the good bacteria to flourish.   Some have Candida infections as well as SIBO.  

Lowering histamine levels is important because high histamine levels for a long time can lead to worsening health problems like Crohn's and colitis and other health problems.

You called it @knitty kitty.  I went to another health care provider for another opinion, and based on some tests they did, they suggested I might also be dealing with a fungal issue (candida and/or mold).  I saw that you mentioned before in this chain that some people on this forum also get Candida infections.  So it seems that I am possibly dealing that issue in my gut as well. I think some of the symptoms that I've been not able to understand now make a lot of sense within this context (such as why eating dairy and sugar sometimes causes me to get headaches, joint pain, chills, feel like I have the flu... if these things are making the candida infection worse by feeding the candida, and then my body responds by trying to fight it off, then I basically am fighting off an infection, which is exactly what it feels like).  The flu-like reaction that I get when I eat dairy is a distinct reaction than the one I get from getting glutened (which is also bad, but different: headache, sharp abdominal pains, gas, diarrhea). That's what made me think there was something else at play. 

[knitty kitty]

Yep,yep,yep, called it from experience.  I've lived through SIBO and Candida myself.  I get a different sorts of reactions to dairy, high sugar consumption, and gluten.  I react to Casein, the protein in dairy.  

Try the AIP diet.  Dr. Sarah Ballantyne designed it and is a Celiac herself.  Her book, the Paleo Approach, has been most helpful.