Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[dlp252]

I am back from the health food store and I come home to BAD news!!! Alberto is now a Catagory 1 hurricane and we are in the path.

TAMPA, Florida (AP) — A hurricane warning is in effect for parts of Florida's Gulf Coast as the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season gains strength in the Gulf of Mexico. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

Praying for you and your family and other in the path of the storm.

[Rachel--24]

I don't remember exactly either. My parents were rv'ing and had crossed the bridge within a week of the earthquake. That was the Oakland bridge that was damaged wasn't it?

It was the Bay Bridge that got damaged...a section of it collapsed. In Oakland the Cypress Structure completely collapsed onto the bottom level...I think thats where most deaths occurred. I still remember seeing the pictures. It was really bad.

Well guys..I didnt make it to work this morning. I cant believe it. I woke up, felt normal while I was in bed but when I got up to shower I was sooo nauseaus, dizzy, unfocused and I couldt keep my balance. I couldnt get ready at all. It was really bad I was over the toilet thinking I was going to throw up. I'm someone whop never throws up though so it didnt happen. My heart was beating irregular too.

This happened once before. It was when on my 4th day of Metronidazole and woke up feeling exactly like I did today. Jersey will remember cuz she called to see if the meds were gluten-free. Both that day and today after going back to sleep I'm alot better. Still a little dizzy and wobbley but nothing like earlier...I called my work and I'm gonna go in now. Better late than never.

Jersey, one thing I never mentioned. The last time this happened the day before I had went to a baby shower. I was there early and saw my friend prepare all the food. She cut bread, fruit, put out crackers, etc. Later on I got really hungry and nothing was safe to eat but I went for the watermelon cuz I figured it might be ok. I knew it was cut on the same board as bread and handled with the same hands that cut the bread but I didnt want to be paranoid. Also, I was thinking the bacteria infection could be my problem and not so much gluten since I dont have a celiac gene. I guess I wasnt thinking cc could hurt me. Anyways I felt really sick that night and got really depressed...crying and all that. Next morning I couldnt go to work cuz I was so nauseaus and dizzy.

Yesterday while I was eating my crackers I felt a blister appear on my tongue. I didnt want to believe it was from the crackers and I didnt stop eating them. I dont ever feel funny eating the crackers so I thought maybe the blister had already been there and I just only noticed it while eating the crackers. Anyways I've eaten so many crackers and didnt get this messed up but I wonder if some packages could be more contaminated. This was a new package.

I'm thinking this may be what happenes to me if I get glutened.

If thats the case...I'm doing pretty good on the diet cuz its only happened twice now in 1 year.

If this is a gluten reaction then its delayed and I really get no indication while I'm eating the food except for that blister that happened to appear. Lots of times I get immediate reactions...both oral and also pressure in my head...I think these are from sulfites or msg. If I eat coconut or something like a Lara bar....my tongue will feel funny immediately.

I'm gonna take a break from the crackers obviously. I felt like I had a huge hangover this morning...the room was just spinning everywhere. It was crazy. I couldnt stand up cuz of the dizziness.

My stomach is very loud right now, I have gas, been to the bathroom a couple times already and my mouth is super dry. Does it seem more like I got glutened?

Also Jersey, does it seem like that time I was on Metronidazole I actually could have glutened myself at the shower?

Another thought. Could it have been from smelling the hairspray with Wheat in it? Can it be inhaled through your nose?

[jenvan]

Oh Rachel...hope you feel better very very soon...

[Rachel--24]

Oh Rachel...hope you feel better very very soon...

Thanks Jen.

I lost 5 lbs. since yesterday.

[jerseyangel]

Hi Rachel--Yea, after reading your post twice, it sounds like you are having a really similar reaction to the one after the shower. I most definately suspect the crackers--this box could very well have been processed right after something else that contained gluten. That happened to me with Barbara's Honey Rice Puffins--I was fine with the first few boxes, and then the first handful from a new box--bam! You probably lucked out up until now, and got batches that were run after many other gluten-free ones. As far as the shower, you could have reacted from the CC of the watermelon--I know that under the same circumstances, I would have. The gas, bathroom visits, dry mouth, dizziness, weepiness--those are all symptoms, for me, of being glutened. I don't feel anything while I'm eating the food, either--a couple hours later, I get gas and maybe start to have some D, but the next day is always worse. That's when the nausea and dizziness come in. Anxiety and depression are all part of it, too. So, yes, it sounds like gluten to me. Even though you don't have the gene, you have determined that you are at least gluten-sensitive, right? The feelings in your mouth from things like a Lara Bar sound different--like Oral Allergy or something similar. I know you're also very sensitive to sulfates and chemicals. That would make more sense in explaining your head pressure, etc. My personal opinion on the hairspray--don't use it! I was using a hairspray that had wheat starch in it for a while after going gluten-free. I didn't know, at the time, to check it. Anyway, I do believe it made a difference when I tossed it--although, to be fair, I was also getting rid of all personal care and make up products w/gluten at about the same time. I just would not take the chance because if you inhale it, a little will go down your throat. Not good. Hope the reaction passes quickly!

Thank you all for your prayers, they are needed. I have to help neighbors board up their windows but as long as I have power I'll be on here every now and then to let you know what's going on. We're getting the outer bands now but I think the eye is going to hit within 24 - 30 hours.

Hi Floridian--You have been on my mind as I watch the new reports about the storm. Please take care, and be safe. I hope it isn't as bad as feared. I will be looking forward to your updates

[dlp252]

Wow Rachel, sorry you are feeling so bad. That sounds a lot like the nagging symptoms I'm having, but I'm just not having them as severe as you are. That's what I've been trying to have several doctors address over the last few months--well, since January and no one has had a good explanation even after lots of testing, so that's what gave me the idea it must be something I'm eating but I could just never quite figure it out.

[AndreaB]

Floridian,

My thoughts and prayers are also with you.

Rachel,

I'd be leary of the hairspray. Hope this passes quickly.

[Mango04]

Isn't it a good thing when your body is in an alkaline state? Isn't that a way to fight disease and stuff? Most people are too acidic, so maybe your urine was just really alkaline in comparison to the norm. I know someone with a severe from of brain cancer who was put on a really strict gluten-free, sugar-free, organic, alkaline diet and she's recovering miraculously. That is an interesting piece of the puzzle though. Hope you're feeling okay today Rachel.

[Green12]

Isn't it a good thing when your body is in an alkaline state? Isn't that a way to fight disease and stuff? Most people are too acidic, so maybe your urine was just really alkaline in comparison to the norm. I know someone with a severe from of brain cancer who was put on a really strict gluten-free, sugar-free, organic, alkaline diet and she's recovering miraculously. That is an interesting piece of the puzzle though. Hope you're feeling okay today Rachel.

It can be harmful to be too alkaline, it's a condition called alkalosis. True that when we are acidic illness and disease set in, and that can be normalized by eating more alkaline forming foods and reducing acidic forming foods and keeping the body ph at a more balanced level (neither too acidic or too alkaline).

Symptoms of Alkalosis:

Confusion (can progress to stupor or coma)

Muscle twitching

Hand tremor

Prolonged muscle spasms (tetany)

Nausea, vomiting

Numbness or tingling in the face or extremities

Light-headedness

So sorry Rachel you are not feeling well and that you have lost 5 lbs That's a sign something in your diet is making you react, yes? When this happens to me, not the weight loss cause that just never happens to me, but the reactivity I just clear out everything I had been eating/using and just eat/use the things I know are safe and then I isolate one by one the newer foods I had added in to try to see what the offending item was. Of course, this is old hat for you and something you are used to doing! I hope you feel better real soon.

Floridian, you and your family are in my thoughts. I hope the storm loses steam and fizzles out as it approaches shore. We can all hope at least

[Mango04]

It can be harmful to be too alkaline, it's a condition called alkalosis. True that when we are acidic illness and disease set in, and that can be normalized by eating more alkaline forming foods and reducing acidic forming foods and keeping the body ph at a more balanced level (neither too acidic or too alkaline).

Symptoms of Alkalosis:

Confusion (can progress to stupor or coma)

Muscle twitching

Hand tremor

Prolonged muscle spasms (tetany)

Nausea, vomiting

Numbness or tingling in the face or extremities

Light-headedness

Oh okay, I'd never heard of that. That's interesting...it does make sense.

[AndreaB]

A mandatory evacuation order has been issued in zones A and B for Citrus County. That includes all residents living west of U.S. 19 and one-and-a-half miles east of U.S. 19.

Now I AM IN TROUBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN'T leave!!!!!

Floridian,

There is no way you can leave? I know you said the folks are in Florida, are they nearby? Is it pandemonium on the highways with the evacuation?

Isn't there anywhere to go?

Now I'm even more concerned for you. I will be tracking this as best I can on the computer. Were you able to get more foodstuff from the health food store?

[dlp252]

A mandatory evacuation order has been issued in zones A and B for Citrus County. That includes all residents living west of U.S. 19 and one-and-a-half miles east of U.S. 19.

Now I AM IN TROUBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN'T leave!!!!!

Wow! You're not alone are you?

[AndreaB]

Floridian,

How many miles east of 19 are you?

[penguin]

Wow- good luck! I'm worried for you and your family...can you corrall the stubborn parents into your house at least?

I'm sure y'all will come out of it just fine! Sending good dry vibes your way!

[AndreaB]

Are your folks in safe places? Could you bring them over to your place so all of you are together? Is Tony home, at work?

[penguin]

No, I'm not alone... I have Tony, my husband and my buddy, and I have a 100 pound Collie and my little kitty AND a set of stuborn parents and inlaws that live close.

I don't know the exact miles but we are right on the line for evacuation.

Wow - don't you wish you were alone

Just kidding. Chin up! Break out the playing cards!

[dlp252]

No, I'm not alone... I have Tony, my husband and my buddy, and I have a 100 pound Collie and my little kitty AND a set of stuborn parents and inlaws that live close.

I don't know the exact miles but we are right on the line for evacuation.

Oh good! I was getting more worried by the minute and the thought of you being alone was too much for me! I am glad you are close to your family too although really would feel better if they were all with you.

[dlp252]

They want to stay in their own homes.... ya know something they are all worse then when my kids were little!!

I know what you mean. My mom and aunt (who live together now) are so stuborn, lol. I never had children but they sure give me an idea of what mine might of been like.

[Rachel--24]

Floridian

After reading the lastest developments I'm really worried for you and your family. I hope you have everything you need as far as food goes. I'll be thinking of you...I cant watch the news cuz I'll be at work. I'm worried if you lose power we wont know if you're safe.

Thanks for posting the list of acidic/alkalizing foods. I think maybe I'm just eating alot of alkalizing foods right now. Its definately better than being acidic from all that I've read.

My reaction is wearing off...I'm getting better as the day goes on. The only things to suspect other than the crackers are sweet potatoes and lettuce. I've been trying a new lettuce from a different farm. So far I feel fine with it but you never know. I've had bad luck with yams and some sweet potatoes but thought I'd try the sweet potatoes again. I know for sure I react to Auxigro. I got a bad reaction to potatoes bought at my work last month but could never determine where they came from because we stopped selling them. I remembered what the bag looked like though...I saw the bag at another store Saturday and sure enough...they were from Cal Organic/Grimmway.

Auxigro really kicks my butt everytime but this dizziness, nausea, room spinning reaction is different so I think its probably gluten from the crackers.

Jersey,

You could be right about the batch being processed right after wheat. I bought all the crackers I ate in one week. Then they ran out of them so I had to wait until they got more. This time I got sick. They had to be a totally different batch.

I gotta stick with the stuff I know is safe until the reaction clears my system then try one thing at a time. At least if I could determine a reaction from the crackers I would know for certain I react severely to gluten. That would put some questions out of my mind.

I never really determined 100% that I'm gluten intolerant. I just have my Enterolab results showing positive IgA and Ttg....plus 2 intolerance genes. The GI doctors say I have it based on symptoms and weight loss alone + improvement with diet changes. I dont like to assume anything when it comes to my health so I need some kind of proof w/out putting myself through a challenge. There is still some controversy about Enterolab so sometimes that weighs on my mind as well. The crackers thing would be enuff to set aside any lingering doubts though. Plus if gluten causes what happened to me this morning and that one other time...I'm more scared of it than ever.

[Rachel--24]

Oh yeah...I knew I'd ate something bad last night because I started feeling like it was harder to swallow and was getting acid reflux again. I was getting moody and depressed too...along with a big belly. Today my tongue has a nasty coating and my mouth is DRY. I know moodiness, depression and bloating are normal with gluten. Anyone get difficulty swallowing, reflux or a coated tongue?

[Mango04]

Anyone get difficulty swallowing, reflux or a coated tongue?

Yes, yes and yes. Difficulty swallowing is one of my main symptoms, along with this feeling that someone is trying to choke me.

[jerseyangel]

Oh yeah...I knew I'd ate something bad last night because I started feeling like it was harder to swallow and was getting acid reflux again. I was getting moody and depressed too...along with a big belly. Today my tongue has a nasty coating and my mouth is DRY. I know moodiness, depression and bloating are normal with gluten. Anyone get difficulty swallowing, reflux or a coated tongue?

I do get reflux when glutened, and the difficulty swallowing comes back--I had that really bad before I was diagnosed. The dry mouth is also a big one for me.

[Green12]

Oh yeah...I knew I'd ate something bad last night because I started feeling like it was harder to swallow and was getting acid reflux again. I was getting moody and depressed too...along with a big belly. Today my tongue has a nasty coating and my mouth is DRY. I know moodiness, depression and bloating are normal with gluten. Anyone get difficulty swallowing, reflux or a coated tongue?

That is a major symptom of mine, difficulty swallowing, reflux, esophagial (sp?) spasms, and it has gotten worse with time. When I have eaten something I react to my entire digestive tract from the mouth all the way to the other end is inflamed, tissue extremely irritated, and all of these above mentioned symptoms come on really strong. I never have diarrhea, I get constipated and massive face and belly, and all over body swelling. Along with a myriad of other symptoms of course- but definitely a major piece of it is digestive fallout.

This has been really bad for me the past 2 weeks after all that gluten I ate in the last month. I'm still trying to pull myself out of that whole. The thing is I can get all these symptoms on gluten-free food as well, so for me I think there is something else to it and that gluten just happens to be the doozie of them all.

I have not been diagnosed officially with celiac either, nor have I had any of the other standard accepted tests done, but I have been researching a lot these last couple weeks and I think in my mind it is very obvious that I had celiac a long long time ago and was presenting symptoms. I think why I got so full blown sick 14 years ago is because my body had been slowly breaking down over a period of years and then it just hit me like a ton of bricks.

Hurricane update: there are all different ideas as to what Alberto will do tonight, some say get weaker and some say get stronger... THAT helps ....right now in the hurricane warning area, which is me, the storm surge is expected from 8-10 feet high

YES... the swallowing thing is what got me to all the doctors!!!!

I'm going with it's going to get weaker, the power of positive thinking I'm sending your way Floridian, and all your family and neighbor Floridianites Or is it subliminal thinking?? Please be safe!

[dlp252]

Floridian - I'm going to go with weaker too!!

I seem to get reflux all the time so I can't tell by that. When I had that gluten a couple of weeks ago, my belly really got big and HARD. I have been dizzy since then too. My toungue is almost always coated though I did notice about three weeks ago that it was much less than it used to be, until I ate that gluten, now it's a bit more coated. My sinuses have also been more congested. Sometimes it's hard for me to swallow, but I've never paid attention to why or when because I've never kept a good diary.

[dlp252]

Floridian - just wanted to tell you what our newscasters said here about the storm. They said it would "likely weaken" before coming ashore. The satellite picture looked like the whole state was covered in rain right now....is it raining hard?