Other Foods Causing Problems....

[BeckyW]

My daughter recently tested positive for Celiacs on bloodwork, neg biopsy and has 2 genes for Celiacs. She has been gluten-free for over 2 weeks and has made some progress some days and then some days she seems worse. I believe there are other foods causing problems as I have read many people have problems with. She has been dairy free now for about 1 and 1/2 weeks. I believe fruit may also be a trigger. My problem is what is left for her to eat? I am not sure what to feed her any more. She has no energy and is very thin. Can anyone please give me ideas and suggestions on what foods are "safe" for her to eat?

I am not getting much help from the doctors. The gastro said it is IBS and all the foods he wants her to eat and the ones causing the problem. I have learned more from people on this board from any doctor we have been too! Thank you for sharing your stories and your encouragement.

Becky

[RiceGuy]

Well, as you may know already, there can be hidden sources of gluten in foods, skin/hair care products, and contamination from foods being served to others or while stored in the fridge.

Other possible problematic foods can be soy, dairy, tree nuts, peanuts, corn, yeast, sugars...the list is practically endless. It depends on the individual, but those are very commonly found to cause reactions.

What sort of symptoms is she experiencing now? Is it the same as while on gluten?

[BeckyW]

She is experiencing basically the same symptoms she had when she was eating gluten but not as bad. She had abdominal pain, gas, bloating, C and feels nauseous. I don't think she is getting glutened, we have read every ingredient, called companies before using products and are very careful with food preparation. I think there is some other food triggering the symptoms and not sure how to go about finding this out.

She doesn't want to eat or drink and is having problems with the dehydration. I have many food intolerances and I am pretty sure she also does.

If anyone has suggestions on how to figure this out I would sure appreciate them!

[RiceGuy]

Many recommend keeping a food journal. Mark down everything she eats, the time, etc. Then when symtoms arise, you'll have a better picture of things, and will hopefully see a pattern.

If she has had any of those items recently that commonly cause reactions, I'd start there. Go for the top allergy suspects first (unless she hasn't eaten any of it). Oh, and don't overlook nightshades, like tomatoes, potatoes, etc. Seems those can also be a problem.

[Ursa Major]

Hi Becky, and welcome to this board. I recommend you follow the link in my signature on lectins, it sounds to me as if they could be the problem. Rice and eggs cause me to have almost the same symptoms as if being glutened, and so does soy. Potatoes cause similar problems as well.

Anyway, you would do well to read what it says, and try eliminating lectins to see if it helps.

I hope you figure it out!

[AndreaB]

Soy and dairy are probably the two biggest aside from gluten. Corn is also a problem for many. If you have the funds I would suggest enterolab (Open Original Shared Link) to see if she has an intolerance to dairy, soy, eggs or yeast. That is all the test for aside from gluten issues and genes. If it proves to be too much of a challenge right now to do an elimination diet you could get allergy testing to try and nail down foods she may be reacting to also. I had allergy testing done which led me to get the family tested by enterolab. Anything I put in the signature area is active sensitivity from enterolab testing (aside from my allergy results).

Welcom, the people on this board are great!

[wozzy]

Has she gotten any other allergy tests? Scratch tests, blood tests, ect.

Also, sometimes it can take awhile to start feeling better because of the damage gluten does. 2 weeks may not be enough time to be completely better. Also, depending on how familiar you are with gluten, you could be unknowlingly feeding her stuff with gluten in it, either from the product itself or from cross contamination.

[BeckyW]

Thanks for all your responses. We are currently doing a food journal but I cannot connect any foods to the symptoms. She is always worse at night after dinner, before bed. I think she needs more healing time. She has been allergy scratched tested a few months ago but no foods were positive. My food allergies/intolerances that I react digestively do not always show up on the scratch test either. We just went to a new allergist/ENT who sent her blood out to a lab in Maine. This is the only lab he trusts for the RAST testing - I think it is Allutest or something similar. We are waiting on the results. They take about 3 weeks.

The ENT also gave her a cavemans diet to try. Fresh meat, fruits and veggies and no processed food. I think we will cautiously try this but watch the fruits as they seem to be a trigger. I did buy some babyfood for her to eat too. Hopefully that will give her some nutrition.

Thank you again for your help and please let me know any other suggestions!