Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[dlp252]

Donna, thank you for that post about "Inflammation Syndrome", I think I will buy it as arthritic inflammation is a major problem for me.

...

Today I spent with the "Bag Ladies", we have known eachother for ten years now and our name comes because we all have the same bag. One of the women travels to Indonesia and she brought us all the same beautiful bags. We talked today about renting a Tuscan Villa, can't you just see five middle aged women all with the same bag walking through the airport?

You're welcome! The Bag Ladies... That's cute. My friend and I went shopping once...we kind of split up for a while but met up again in the line for the dressing rooms...we looked at what each other had...we had the same clothes to try on! We ended up only buying one item that was the same...I bought it to wear to church so she promised not to wear it to church and I promised never to wear it to her classroom, lol.

OMG!!!

I've turned into an ice cream FREAK!!! I just cannot stop....up to about a quart a day. Is this normal?

BTW...Vincent it tastes great w/out the vanilla....just plain base is good.

No, I don't think it's normal, but what IS in Rachelville!

[Green12]

this sounds really good, Julie. How do you steam tortillas? I usually saute in a pan with butter, but don't always want to....

This is what I did Susan,

I used a steamer basket and put it in to a big enough pan (that has a lid) so the tortillas would be flat, filled the pan with an inch or so of water and brought it to boiling (make sure you watch the water level because you don't want tit to evaporate out and burn the pan) then once I saw steam rising from the boiling water, I placed a couple of tortillas in the basket and put the lid on. I steamed them just for about a minute or so.

Steaming makes the corn tortillas really moist and pliable, it doesn't dry them out, and I think it brings out the sweetness of the corn.

Happy Friday to everyone

Andrea, I love the new picture of the kids!

Donna, so sorry you had an itchy leg reaction

Rachel, very exciting about the rock climbing

MiaMia, I think it was you that mentioned you eat spinach? It is one of the major "big ones" on all of the foods that have naturally occuring histamine. Maybe you could try to go without it for a week and see what happens? Just a thought.

[VydorScope]

MEGAN UPDATE

FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2006 11:43 AM, CDT

Megan's night was pretty good, but her fever is still a major issue. She's still staying around 99 as a minimum and creeping back up often. At this point the doctors don't think this could be a reaction from the bypass machine since she's so far out from surgery. They are starting to test for rejection of the bovine contegra (the cow's vein they used to replace the shunt and valve). This is not good if she is rejecting it and would mean another surgery to replace it. This is not something that usually happens, but the doctors know Megan well and said that if anyone would, she could. They are doing a Tcell count to see if it's elevated for the first step. Another possible thought was a beef allergy. My heart sank with this thought. She hasn't been tested for beef since I don't eat much, so we just don't know yet. The contegra is supposed to be neutralized enough so that it can't cause a reaction, but, again, this is Megan we're talking about, so they're looking at all the possibilities. I'll update as soon as we know something. Please keep praying for this all to resolve. I'm not sure what to pray specifically, so I pray for God in His wisdom to make her better.

Her oxygen saturations have been a little low too, so she's being given more oxygen, but her blood pressure seems to be a little better.

On a bright note, she is smiling more this morning and even sat up and played with her toys for a few minutes and laughed. She looks great clinically too.

Love to all - Jarod, Tanya, Cole, and Megan Hope

OMG!!!

I've turned into an ice cream FREAK!!! I just cannot stop....up to about a quart a day. Is this normal?

BTW...Vincent it tastes great w/out the vanilla....just plain base is good.

I think its perfectly normal Its how I get, I had to curb it by limiting my supply... Like I siad I wore out my previous machine! LOL

[DingoGirl]

Morning all......

Rachel......rock climbing, fantastic! AT the indoor gym you shouldn't get TOO banged up, but who knows. Even as a veteran I have knocked into the wall pretty hard at times...which of course I love because there will be a most excellent bruise and scrape.....good times! Remember, use your LEGS to push off more than your ARMS to pull.....Let us know how it goes. Sean, the owner of the climbing gym where I occasionally work, was brainstorming about forming some classes for our new gym that's opening soon....to which I replied "Old Fat Climber Boot Camp" which is what I need....not really FAT Now but during the climbing days, I literally had about 6 percent body fat...kind of sick....so I guess I really AM fat now, since it's relative....

Feeling quite sick, ate HALF a bag of baked Lays last night......OMG these are evil.....gluten-free, I AM SURE, but the biggest bloat and pain today and foggy in the head....not a good way to start the day.

things I wanted to address but can't think and feel sick..... WHAT WAS I THINKING, eating all those??

Will keep Meggan in prayers still....that report concerned me....

Everybody, love all your stories and tidbits from life and from childhood.

Julie - so I wil have to buy a steaming basket I guess....dang, those sound good! who would ever have thought we'd get so excited by something as simple as a steamed corn tortilla.....but it is MOST dissatisfying when they crack and are dry, isn't it?

Ugh. gotta go, feeling sick and need something to EXIT MY BODY......there's a bomb in there.....

[Camille'sBigSister]

Feeling quite sick, ate HALF a bag of baked Lays last night......OMG these are evil.....gluten-free, I AM SURE, but the biggest bloat and pain today and foggy in the head....not a good way to start the day.

things I wanted to address but can't think and feel sick..... WHAT WAS I THINKING, eating all those??

Ugh. gotta go, feeling sick and need something to EXIT MY BODY......there's a bomb in there.....

Hey there, Goofy Dog Girl!

Maybe they had msg in them?

Lord have mercy! Get rid of that bomb!!!

Cissie

[Rachel--24]

MiaMia, I think it was you that mentioned you eat spinach? It is one of the major "big ones" on all of the foods that have naturally occuring histamine. Maybe you could try to go without it for a week and see what happens? Just a thought.

Yeah...this is a good point. Spinach always gradually made me sicker whenever I ate it in my salads. I never got a noticeable reaction that made me say "aha...spinach is bad" but when I eliminated it I felt better. Its really high in histamine and also salicylates. I stay far away from spinach now. Miamia...you should try avoiding it for a week or so like Julie suggested.

Julie,

thanks for the tip on steaming the tortillas...I had never thought of doing that. I always microwave mine but now I'm gonna steam them instead. I have a steamer which makes it really easy. Ooooh...I bought some tamales at Whole Foods (or as Chels would say Whole Paycheck) yesterday. I tried one for lunch and didnt get a reaction....it was super yummy. The tortillas I get are pretty good and very cheap...only .79 cents.

I couldnt believe it...I'm so used to paying a fortune for my food now...nothing is ever under a buck.

Gone are the days when I could get like 7 full bags of groceries for under $100.

I'm getting really worried about Megan now....this little girl has been through so much...I'll be praying for some good news and that she doesnt have to go through another surgery. Thanks again Vincent for keeping us updated.

Susan,

I really have no clue about rock climbing....its gonna be a first for me. I'll remember to push with my legs though...thanks for the tip.

Tonight I get to play softball for the first time in like 2 years...I'm pretty excited about it!!

Hope I dont strike out at the plate or anything....its been a long time since I played so I'm a wee bit nervous.

[rinne]

I confess I picked a glamour shot. Press F5 to see for yourself.

You're welcome! The Bag Ladies... That's cute. My friend and I went shopping once...we kind of split up for a while but met up again in the line for the dressing rooms...we looked at what each other had...we had the same clothes to try on! We ended up only buying one item that was the same...I bought it to wear to church so she promised not to wear it to church and I promised never to wear it to her classroom, lol.

Donna, that is too funny. Once two of my sisters and I showed up wearing the same shoes.

Cissie, my baby sister is thirteen years younger than me and is the one who is diagnosed with Celiac. I adored her, it was my sister who is five years younger than me that I fought with. We are now friends but I really had to work at it.

Rachel, I share Andrea's concern about the IceCream but really I am rooting for you. I started a low histamine diet today after my experience with fish yesterday. Thanks to Julie's postings I had a relevation about fish. Everytime I have eaten it in the last while I have had a no feeling that I would ignore because I would think, Blood Type O - fish is good. I woke up feeling pretty good and after eating the fish not good.

[Camille'sBigSister]

Yeah...this is a good point. Spinach always gradually made me sicker whenever I ate it in my salads. I never got a noticeable reaction that made me say "aha...spinach is bad" but when I eliminated it I felt better. Its really high in histamine and also salicylates. I stay far away from spinach now. Miamia...you should try avoiding it for a week or so like Julie suggested.

I'm getting really worried about Megan now....this little girl has been through so much...I'll be praying for some good news and that she doesnt have to go through another surgery. Thanks again Vincent for keeping us updated.

I looked up the histamine list; hate that I can't eat spinach! I love steamed spinach, with a few squirts of fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

I'm worried too. The latest update (Thank you, Vincent.) does not sound good. Oh, God, please help that baby!

Cissie

[dlp252]

I came across this when I searched for "low histamine foods"...someone has probably already posted it, but I thought I'd post again anyway, lol:

Open Original Shared Link

Which says this:

Histamine Restricted Diet

Research published in the Journal of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine (Vol 11, no.4, 249-262) into the effects of a histamine restricted diet on allergy symptoms of patients at Vancouver Hospital, Canada, showed some unexpected but interesting ‘food/mood’ findings.

Unlike an allergic reaction to a food, a food intolerance reaction depends on the individual’s sensitivity threshold as well as how much of a problem food they consume. So, this study looked into the effects of a 4-week low-histamine diet that avoided histamine-containing foods and histamine-releasing foods (see box) in order to reduce the total load of histamine in the body.

The research was primarily aimed at studying the effect on allergic symptoms such as urticaria (hives), angiodema (swelling) and pruritus (itching). 61% of the people in the study reported a significant improvement to these symptoms but, according to Dr Janice Joneja of the Allergy Nutrition Clinic at Vancouver Hospital, there was also another ‘surprising report of considerable improvement’.

This unexpected finding was in the benefits experienced by all three of the 44 people taking part in the study who had also suffered ‘panic-like attacks’ as well as their physical, symptoms. Prior to undertaking the diet, they had suffered feelings of overwhelming anxiety, increased heart rate, clammy skin, feelings of ‘I have to get out of here’ or, in one case, even fainting.

After 4 weeks on the special diet all three of these research participants remained completely free from such symptoms as long as they followed the histamine-restricted diet. And these benefits were experienced despite the fact that they had suffered symptoms frequently (in one case daily) prior to starting the diet.

One possible explanation for the effect of histamine on feelings of anxiety is thought to be due to the vasodilation, or widening of blood vessels, that is associated with high histamine levels. This would lead to hypotension, or low blood pressure, which the body attempts to compensate for by increasing the heart rate, leading to feelings of anxiety.

Dr Joneja advises ‘until a more definitive randomised, controlled trial can be completed, others who suffer similarly may achieve at least some degree of relief by following the histamine-restricted diet. The foods eliminated from this type of diet can be easily replaced with others of equivalent nutrient value and … because the response will be observed quite quickly, a period of 4 weeks on the diet will be sufficient for an individual to determine whether dietary manipulation will help in the management of their symptoms’.

The small number of people involved means that these findings are not considered statistically significant. However, for the three people concerned there has been a 100% improvement in how they feel, apparently entirely due to a change in what they were eating.

And this site (it's a PDF so just posting the link):

Open Original Shared Link

Rinne - beautiful picture.

Oh no, I haven't read the most recent update on Megan...off to go read!

[Canadian Karen]

Rachel,

If you ever experiment with making different kids of ice cream, see if you can invent an ice cream called:

"Arctic Altoids"

Hugs.

Karen

[dlp252]

Rachel,

If you ever experiment with making different kids of ice cream, see if you can invent an ice cream called:

"Arctic Altoids"

Hugs.

Karen

And more on histamine, from Open Original Shared Link

Many Foods Contain Histamine Or Cause The Body To Release Histamine

Histamine is a natural substance produced by the body and is also present in many foods. It is released by the body during times of stress and allergy.

In an allergic response, an allergen stimulates the release of antibodies, which attach themselves to mast cells. When histamine is released from the mast cells it may cause one or more of the following symptoms:

• Eyes to itch, burn, or become watery

• Nose to itch, sneeze, and produce more mucus

• Skin to itch, develop rashes or hives

• Sinuses to become congested and cause headaches

• Lungs to wheeze or have spasms

• Stomach to experience cramps and diarrhea

This chemical (vasoactive amine) is able to create such havoc with the many body functions because it is contained in almost all body tissues. The main body tissues include the lungs, skin, intestinal mucosa, mast cells, and basophils.

The release of histamine can be induced by almost any allergen.

Examples include inhalant allergens, drugs, chemicals, insect venoms, and even some foods.

Histamine in Foods

There are many foods that contain histamine or cause the body to release histamine when ingested. Histamine in food may be responsible for some cases of food intolerance.

Histamine Rich Foods Include:

• Anchovies

• Avocados

• Beer

• Canned Foods

• Cheeses

• Cidars

• Eggplant

• Fermented Beverages

• Fermented Foods

• Fish

• Herring

• Jams and Preserves

• Mackerel

• Meats

• Processed Meats

• Salami

• Sardines

• Sauerkraut

• Sausage

• Some Oriental Foods

• Sour Cream

• Spinach

• Tomatoes

• Tuna

• Vegetables

• Vermouth

• Vinegars

• Wines

• Yeast extract

• Yogurt

Histamine Releasing Foods Include:

• Alcohol

• Bananas

• Certain Nuts

• Chocolate

• Eggs

• Fish

• Milk

• Papayas

• Pineapple

• Shellfish

• Strawberries

• Tomatoes

Histamine Poisoning

At times the ingestion of high concentrations of histamine may lead to histamine poisoning. It is also known as Scombroid Poisoning. High levels of histamine occur in spoilage of foods such as fish products.

[JenAnderson]

And more on histamine, from Open Original Shared Link

Many Foods Contain Histamine Or Cause The Body To Release Histamine

Histamine is a natural substance produced by the body and is also present in many foods. It is released by the body during times of stress and allergy.

In an allergic response, an allergen stimulates the release of antibodies, which attach themselves to mast cells. When histamine is released from the mast cells it may cause one or more of the following symptoms:

• Eyes to itch, burn, or become watery

• Nose to itch, sneeze, and produce more mucus

• Skin to itch, develop rashes or hives

• Sinuses to become congested and cause headaches

• Lungs to wheeze or have spasms

• Stomach to experience cramps and diarrhea

This chemical (vasoactive amine) is able to create such havoc with the many body functions because it is contained in almost all body tissues. The main body tissues include the lungs, skin, intestinal mucosa, mast cells, and basophils.

The release of histamine can be induced by almost any allergen.

Examples include inhalant allergens, drugs, chemicals, insect venoms, and even some foods.

Histamine in Foods

There are many foods that contain histamine or cause the body to release histamine when ingested. Histamine in food may be responsible for some cases of food intolerance.

Histamine Rich Foods Include:

Histamine Releasing Foods Include:

Histamine Poisoning

At times the ingestion of high concentrations of histamine may lead to histamine poisoning. It is also known as Scombroid Poisoning. High levels of histamine occur in spoilage of foods such as fish products.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO EAT!!!!! JEEZ! I don't think I could do that if I wanted to. I'm a total carnivore and cheese hound.

[debbiewil]

Rachel,

If you ever experiment with making different kids of ice cream, see if you can invent an ice cream called:

"Arctic Altoids"

Hugs.

Karen

Ohhh, that shouldn't be hard at all. They have ice cream all the time with candies, cookies, etc. chopped up in them. Just a good basic ice cream, crush up the altoids or run them through the food processer, and mix them in.

Debbie

[jerseyangel]

Cissie, my baby sister is thirteen years younger than me and is the one who is diagnosed with Celiac. I adored her, it was my sister who is five years younger than me that I fought with. We are now friends but I really had to work at it.

Hi Rinne--Love your picture! Very lovely

We have something in common--My baby sister is 8 years younger than I am. I always took care of her when we were kids, I took her everywhere with me! We have always been very close. I have another sister who is 4 years younger. We also fought a lot when we were kids, and only now, in the last 2 years or so are we finally getting to be close.

[JenAnderson]

Ohhh, that shouldn't be hard at all. They have ice cream all the time with candies, cookies, etc. chopped up in them. Just a good basic ice cream, crush up the altoids or run them through the food processer, and mix them in.

Debbie

Wow that sounds really good. Should be a hit with the men!

I'm BAAAAADDDDD!

[debbiewil]

Rachel,

If you ever experiment with making different kids of ice cream, see if you can invent an ice cream called:

"Arctic Altoids"

Hugs.

Karen

Bad Karen

Ohhh, that shouldn't be hard at all. They have ice cream all the time with candies, cookies, etc. chopped up in them. Just a good basic ice cream, crush up the altoids or run them through the food processer, and mix them in. The question is - Do we tell people what's in them before serving or not?

Debbie

[jerseyangel]

Rachel,

If you ever experiment with making different kids of ice cream, see if you can invent an ice cream called:

"Arctic Altoids"

Hugs.

Karen

Kind of like an "R" rated chocolate chip mint?

[JenAnderson]

Kind of like an "R" rated chocolate chip mint?

The Curiously Strong Adult Rated Minty Ice Cream

[jerseyangel]

Yeah...this is a good point. Spinach always gradually made me sicker whenever I ate it in my salads. I never got a noticeable reaction that made me say "aha...spinach is bad" but when I eliminated it I felt better. Its really high in histamine and also salicylates. I stay far away from spinach now. Miamia...you should try avoiding it for a week or so like Julie suggested.

Spinach! I tried to eat it because of my anemia. I never felt good after, so I've stayed away from it. Never knew why....I learn something new every day here

Have fun tonight playing softball, Rachel. Just remember, keep your eye on the ball, and wait for the ball to come to you before you swing!

[Camille'sBigSister]

WOW! Donna, that's extraordinary! I'm going to go to that site and print the article. One of my daughters used to have terrible panic attacks, but they're under control now, because her doctor found an anti-depressant that works. It would be terrific if the diet would help her. Well, if she'd follow it.

Cissie

[JenAnderson]

I just noticed something...I'm on my husband's laptop and I have celiac.com on the favorites so I don't have to remember my user and pass. when I got on here, I noticed that the name and email is different from the new one on my computer. Is this normal?!

It's my old name, avatar, # of posts...everything!!

[jerseyangel]

Donna, Thanks so much--this is wonderful information on histamines. I'm going to your link to read more. This makes so much sense to me--why I always felt better on Claritan, and those foods you listed--I just naturally have stopped eating them because I don't like how they make me feel. I'm gonna nail this thing yet!

Andrea, I so love the new picture of the kids! They are all so cute

I'm concerned also about Megan. I pray that these issues are only temporary. That little one deserves a break.

[Camille'sBigSister]

Oh, Lord, but I suddenly feel awful! Bloated stomach, dry mouth - what have I done now! I'm going to bed. Have a lovely afternoon and evening, y'all!

Cissie

[jerseyangel]

Oh, Lord, but I suddenly feel awful! Bloated stomach, dry mouth - what have I done now! I'm going to bed. Have a lovely afternoon and evening, y'all!

Cissie

Cissie--You poor thing! Take it easy the rest of the day--we'll see you tomorrow

[dlp252]

Oh, Lord, but I suddenly feel awful! Bloated stomach, dry mouth - what have I done now! I'm going to bed. Have a lovely afternoon and evening, y'all!

Cissie

Sorry Cissie, hope it goes away fast!