Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[lindalee]

That's interesting, depending on the fish, you may have gotten aluminum and mercury all in one meal!! I used to cover things with foil all the time to cook ... I stopped doing that.

The fish was fresh caught flounder. ...unless it was the cast iron pan??? Cooked some brocoli in that. I cleaned it really good but I did just start using it (to get more iron)...maybe I need to clean that better? How do you degluten those? Looked on the threads but didn't see instructions for that.

[Simply-V]

I haven't looked at the page yet.....I will bookmark it for later though.

I wanted to comment on the white bean, soy and peanuts. I left my binder with my doctor by accident so I don't have ready reference. I am intolerant to the navy bean (does that count for the white bean?), soy bean, pinto bean and kidney bean. I tested ok for peanuts IgE/IgG but don't eat them since I don't want to develop a problem with them and I've read that soy or peanut intolerance will usually lead to becoming intolerant of the other.

I'm IgE to white bean (very slightly, but still there) and intolerant IgG to pinto, kidney and alfalfa. At first I didn't avoid peanuts or soy, because I didn't think it mattered. They tested for those and I was fine, according to the tests. However, I began listening to my body. Any bean makes me feel sick. Soy derivatives and peanut oil.. so far no problems but I eat them very sparingly. Other than the occaisional derivative I've cut out all beans.

Open Original Shared Link

My guess is that they're enough alike in structure that my body considers them all evil.

[CarlaB]

The fish was fresh caught flounder. ...unless it was the cast iron pan??? Cooked some brocoli in that. I cleaned it really good but I did just start using it (to get more iron)...maybe I need to clean that better? How do you degluten those? Looked on the threads but didn't see instructions for that.

Very well could be that!!!! I read that you put it in the self-cleaning oven, then you have to completely re-season it. Fortunately, I never used wheat products on my cast iron, so I didn't have to do that.

[AndreaB]

Thanks Simply V. I bookmarked that one also.

I have one more class to teach for today. We took a break because I had to get an order in. Cut off was 3.

That's interesting about the foil. I don't use it often. Sometimes I cook fish in it, sometimes I just cover a casserole dish with foil. Is it bad to cover things with it if it's not touching the food. I may have to look for some corningware casserole type things if so.

[CarlaB]

Thanks Simply V. I bookmarked that one also.

I have one more class to teach for today. We took a break because I had to get an order in. Cut off was 3.

That's interesting about the foil. I don't use it often. Sometimes I cook fish in it, sometimes I just cover a casserole dish with foil. Is it bad to cover things with it if it's not touching the food. I may have to look for some corningware casserole type things if so.

Yes, because the water condenses on the foil and falls back into the food. I always did it, but my aluminum was very high in my hair analysis. I can't imagine why -- it's just anti-perspirant and foil!!!

[TheDave]

Look at the bright side ... how many months and how many pages before there was a little turmoil in Rachelville???? Now, where's TheDave, he was always good at bringing some humor around here .... at least we all were entertained by his flirting!!

Well at least some people noticed

-Dave

[rinne]

Well at least some people noticed

-Dave

Nice to see you back or have you been lurking along the whole time?

[Mtndog]

Hi TheDave- The pups are getting so big!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you taking good care of Rachel?

[Daxin]

Dave -- Welcome back. Always good to hear from you.

Wow, lots happening here overnight.

Welcome to all the newcomers. I hope you feel at home and find some of the answers you seek. There ALWAYS seems to be someone around with a proverbial pot of coffee on to chat and help us work through all our stresses.

Just wanted to say hi and wish everyone a happy thanksgiving (it Thanksgiving weekend up here!) I guess I should also include wishes for a safe and happy Columbus day long weekend for you all!

[AndreaB]

Well at least some people noticed

-Dave

Dave,

Good to see you.

Do you have a picture update?

[CarlaB]

Hi TheDave ... you should check out the fourty [sic] something women thread ... we're having a good time there, and Rachel visits ... she went there on vacation from Rachelville ...

[DingoGirl]

Nice to see you back or have you been lurking along the whole time?

methinks he's a lurker.....he seems to always pipe in at exactly the right time.....

Hi TheDave ... you should check out the fourty [sic] something women thread ... we're having a good time there, and Rachel visits ... she went there on vacation from Rachelville ...

OMG Carla used [sic] - - I LOVE it when people use that........

HI Ryan - - Happy Thanksgiving! (we don't get too excited about Columbus Day around here - oh, except for the people who have a 3-day weekend!)

[Mtndog]

Ryan- Happy Thanksgiving! How is it celebrated in Canada?

[CarlaB]

OMG Carla used [sic] - - I LOVE it when people use that........

Type A, OCD here ....

[TheDave]

Nice to see you back or have you been lurking along the whole time?

definitely don't read the thread like i used to when i posted. rachel still tells me when you guys are being bad and talking about me, so i check in from time to time

Hi TheDave- The pups are getting so big!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you taking good care of Rachel?

I dunno, I suppose you'd have to ask her....

Dave -- Welcome back. Always good to hear from you.

Thanks! just stopping in most likely.

Dave,

Good to see you.

Do you have a picture update?

Not at the moment, are you talking about me or the puppies?

Hi TheDave ... you should check out the fourty [sic] something women thread ... we're having a good time there, and Rachel visits ... she went there on vacation from Rachelville ...

well considering i AM a forty something woman.....i suppose i should

methinks he's a lurker.....he seems to always pipe in at exactly the right time.....

I lurk every once in a while....not often at all.

[Judyin Philly]

She is also concerned with my mercury level, but even more so, my aluminum level (so much for all the great gluten-free uses of FOIL!! ).

Carla, I got sick the other night eating grilled fish wrapped in foil. I have been suspecting that foil... just saw your post.... maybe that aluminum is the problem.

Rachel - just talked to Judy- sorry about all the stress here. Hang in there and come back when you can.

Lindalee-i looked over that thread..didn't see where they were talking about aluminum foil.

geeze what next

Judy

[AndreaB]

Not at the moment, are you talking about me or the puppies?

The puppies. Those are one of my favorite dogs. If you have lots of pics, give them to Rachel and she'll make sure I get them......right Rachel?

[Daxin]

Ryan- Happy Thanksgiving! How is it celebrated in Canada?

We are having a HUGE turkey dinner with some friends (about a dozen people invited), and before we eat, we all share some thigns we are thankful for from the past year. I think it is pretty much the same as in the ststes no?

This is my first gluten-free thanksgiving,so it should be interesting since the neighbors are making the turkey and stuffing. She is makingme a seperate pot of gravy so I do not get sick, and will set aside some of the meat that was not in direct contact with the stuffing.

[jerseyangel]

We are having a HUGE turkey dinner with some friends (about a dozen people invited), and before we eat, we all share some thigns we are thankful for from the past year. I think it is pretty much the same as in the ststes no?

This is my first gluten-free thanksgiving,so it should be interesting since the neighbors are making the turkey and stuffing. She is makingme a seperate pot of gravy so I do not get sick, and will set aside some of the meat that was not in direct contact with the stuffing.

That sounds great, Ryan! Happy Thanksgiving

[CarlaB]

oh my gosh Ryan... this will be my first gluten free Thanksgiving too... a bunch of people are gonna be at ours this year too... get this.... I was really shocked but everyone wanted the whole dinner for everyone to be gluten free... so there will be no gluten at all... I was so touched I cried... so I know how you feel when someone goes out of their way for you and your needs.... you must have wonderful and caring neighbors...

That's great! I did a gluten-free Thanksgiving last year except for the green bean casserole. No one even noticed!!! That gross Ener-g bread breaks up really easy, I left it out to get stale, then stuffed the turkey with it. I think it had a better texture than wheat bread does for stuffing. They won't miss out on anything at all!

[Green12]

(we don't get too excited about Columbus Day around here - oh, except for the people who have a 3-day weekend!)

I definitely DO NOT get excited over Columbus Day

Ryan, good luck with your gluten-free Thanksgiving

Celia, you have great friends. How wonderful they are going to do a totally gluten-free Thanksgiving for you!

I have been making corn bread stuffing since I went gluten-free. I just make a gluten-free corn bread and let it sit out a day or so and then I use a corn bread stuffing recipe. I can't believe Thanksgiving is around the corner.

Carla, I meant to ask you what all you eat for your allowed starches? Besides gluten-free toast, do you eat potatoes, beets, other gluten-free grains, etc??

Hi The Dave, good to see you

[CarlaB]

I don't count beets as a starch ... even though it might be counted that way in an Atkins style diet. I count potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, gluten-free bread, and the occassional cracker.

I have increased the starch the past few days, but still am eating them moderately. Maybe that's why I'm feeling better -- I don't think I was getting enough. I just couldn't look at another piece of meat with veggies and call it a meal!!! I'm still balancing it out with protein and eating lots of veggies. Some meals I have no starch at all.

The funny thing about the sauna is, well for one, my skin feels great! I'm having some breaking out on my face where I have always had breakouts, but it seems like it's detoxing. I am betting that after some time I will no longer have these breakouts. The other is, my hair analysis revealed a problem with aluminum so I had to stop using anti-perspirant. I was dreading this as those salt sticks never did anything for me, neither did natural deodorants. With the sauna, I really need nothing at all. It's amazing!

[Rachel--24]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and support! It means so much to me that I have such wonderful and caring friends here. I'm feeling better now about continuing with my posts....thanks to all of you who have sent messages expressing how meaningful this thread is to you. I will try not to let my emotions get carried away again.

Well...I wish I could say my short break was relaxing and totally free of any stress or anxiety. Actually it was up until Friday night. As some of you know, I found my Lyme Disease test results in my mail that I'd been carrying around the last 2 weeks. Yup...all that stress and worry and I had the results with me the whole time!

I was pretty shocked to discover that they werent quite as negative as I'd previously thought.

It looks like Lyme Disease is more than just a strong possibility at this point....I might actually have a diagnosis or treatment coming very soon.

The problem with the results was that they didnt meet the labs criteria to actually diagnose Lyme. I guess some "bands" are highly specific for lyme and if any 2 of these bands come back positive then a diagnosis is made.

In my case one of these bands was definately detected and positive. Two more of these "critical" bands were found to be Indeterminate (IND).....meaning they were detected but were weak in intensity. Apparantly too weak to actually register as a positive. A negative band means no band was detected at all. In the case of an "IND", I am told that its basically a weak positive....the main thing is that if it were negative the band would not have been seen at all.

If either of these IND's were stronger in intensity then I would have tested positive for Lyme Disease....as both of these particular bands are highly specific for Lyme.

The report from the lab stated that if these particular bands are IND with the presence of another positive band (which I had) it may suggest clinical significance. The recommendation is to try another method of testing and/or repeat the Igenix test in 4-6 weeks.

I shared the results with someone more knowledgeable about the particular bands and their significance and it was her opinion that I likely do have Lyme Disease based on clinical symptoms and these lab results. The lab states that a diagnosis should not be made based on lab results alone. The results should be interpreted in conjunction with clinical symptoms and patient history.

I think that the results are significant considering I have most of the symptoms caused by Lyme Disease. Technically the results are negative so when I pushed the nurse for the results over the phone she didnt lie by telling me they were neg.....she said the Dr. would explain it all to me at my appt. At the time I didnt understand what he would need to explain if the results were negative. I figured Lyme was ruled out. Obviously now I understand.

I have no idea what the Dr. is gonna tell me tomorrow but I think if he's as good as I think he is....he wont dismiss the results. If he does I will want another opinion for sure....from a Dr. who specializes in treating Lyme patients.

I'm told that the bands that came back IND may come back positive after getting on antibiotics. The treatment will cause my immune system to produce a greater amount of antibodies so that another test could likely come back positive. It could be that my immune system isnt producing enough antibodies since I've been chronically ill for 4 years now.

I wish the results had been more definative but I'm also thinking it did give me some very useful info. to go on. Just curious as to how the Doc is gonna want to proceed. I realize that its extremely difficult to get a Lyme diagnosis as the tests available arent very sensitive.

Igenix is the best lab so I'm assuming these bands probably wouldnt have been detected at all if other less reliable labs were running the test. So...I am happy that at least *something* was found even if it wasnt enough to make a clear-cut diagnosis.

I'm not exactly jumping up and down for joy right now but it could be so much more worse. What if I had Lyme and these IND bands werent seen at all and the whole possibility of Lyme Disease got tossed out?? That would be a much more tragic thing to have happen and unfortunately it seems like it happens quite a bit. Hopefully my Dr. is on the ball. Will have to wait one more day.....amazingly I'm pretty calm right now but Friday night was a whole other story. I was really upset not really understanding what it all meant but holding yet ANOTHER inconclusive test result in my hands. Very frusterating.

I've been researching again so now that I know a little more about the tests I dont feel like the results are entirely meaningless. I think they are very telling. Hopefully my search for answers will be coming to an end and a new chapter of healing will start.

Oh....I also think mercury could play a part in all this but I dont think the Dr. will be spending much time on that subject tomorrow. I'll let everyone know how it all goes down though.

Here is a very good link about the Western Blot Lyme test and what the results could mean for anyone who may be interested in this stuff....

<a href="Lame Advertisementscripts/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=042077;p=" target="external ugc nofollow">Lame Advertisementscripts/ultimateb...f=1;t=042077;p=</a>

EDIT:

Never mind about the link...it dont work.

It really wasnt a lame advertisement though. It was good stuff.

Thanks again for all the support!

Much love to all,

Rachel

[Judyin Philly]

Judy... I love you...

I love you too sunshine

j

Rachel, just saw your post so adding to celia's.

Boy your some researcher..I can't make heads or tails out of the 'bands' so this just means after your apt tomorrow and you report back, we'll all have more scinecetificness (?) to learn ...yeah..your a big hepl to us all for sharing your struggle back to good health. good luck tomorrow.

love

j

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Holy cow--just parachuted in here after not being able to even try to keep up with this thread for a few weeks now. Something told me I should peek in and see what's going on with you, Rachel. Wow.

I'm glad you're geting some answers, and that those answers point to a light at the end of the tunnel. I hope your appointment goes well tomorrow--keep us posted, okay?