Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Am I Insane?


jnclelland

Recommended Posts

jnclelland Contributor

I dunno whether I want you guys to talk me into this or out of it, but here goes:

I don't have any official diagnosis of anything. I've been wheat- and casein-free since my acupuncturist suggested it over a year ago, and completely gluten-free since October. I've just recently realized that soy is problematic as well, and I've been gradually finding all the places it hides and cutting them out. Since starting all this last summer, I've had huge improvements in eczema, anxiety, and a zillion little things, and I've never felt better in my life. I'm still in a state of denial/grieving about the soy (WAH - I miss Chinese food! I can find gluten-free soy sauce, but not soy-free soy sauce! :( ), but overall I'd rather be healthy.

I never had any GI-type symptoms until very recently, but the past few months I've had several episodes of sudden D that I'm sure were brought on by cross-contamination of some sort. They pass fairly quickly; usually it's just one rush-to-the-bathroom, or sometimes a few within an hour or so. But then I'm fine, except for feeling a bit dehyrated.

The thing is, I feel this need to know WHY. Is it gluten, or dairy, or something else? So I'm toying with the idea of trying some mini-challenges - a few bites of pasta, a few sips of milk, etc. - just to see which substances cause which reactions. Would this be totally insane???? I did try some plain yogurt a few months back, and it made my eczema break out, but this was before I started having problems with D. I haven't knowingly consumed any wheat in over a year, and the thought of it kind of freaks me out. But then, for all I know, my entire problem could be dairy, KWIM?

I guess what I'm really wondering is whether doing a mini-challenge could cause any long-term damage. If not, I suspect that curiosity will get the better of me eventually.

Jeanne


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



jerseyangel Proficient

Hi Jeanne

I don't blame you for being curious. I know that Ursula did some challenges on herself a while back and posted the results.

Good luck with whatever you do--let us know :)

queenofhearts Explorer

About the gluten challenge, I sympathize with the spirit of scientific inquiry, but it sounds kind of scary to me.

Then again I've been diagnosed by biopsy so I feel like I already know the answer.

About the soy sauce, have you tried fish sauce? No, it doesn't taste the same, but you can sub it in recipes for a hit of Asian saltiness... if you haven't tried it, don't be put off by smelling the bottle-- if you just use a splash it isn't overpowering at all. Do check & make sure the brand you buy is gluten-free because some do contain wheat.

Leah

marciab Enthusiast

I had to retry wheat 3 times before I could give it up. So, I understand completely. Now, I can honestly say I am not interested in trying wheat ever again. Each time the reactions took me at least a week to get over.

I am still trying to convince myself that I should give up eggs. They kill me, but I keep trying them about once a month. The reaction time is only 2 days and only gas so they are much harder to give up.

So, I would say go ahead and enjoy whatever you decide to test with. Garlic bread, cake .. yum !! :D

jnclelland Contributor

I guess I'm just feeling frustrated because I had one of these D incidents yesterday, and I'd at least like to be able to tell people - like my doctor, for instance! - "This is what happens when I accidentally ingest X." But I don't really know whether X is gluten, dairy, or something else.

Don't get me wrong - I am NOT trying to see if I can eat gluten or dairy again. I'm happier and healthier without them. I'd just like to know what's responsible for these GI symptoms that I've never had before.

About the soy sauce, have you tried fish sauce? No, it doesn't taste the same, but you can sub it in recipes for a hit of Asian saltiness... if you haven't tried it, don't be put off by smelling the bottle-- if you just use a splash it isn't overpowering at all. Do check & make sure the brand you buy is gluten-free because some do contain wheat.

I didn't know they made gluten-free ones; do you know where to find them? (Of course, what's really a bummer is not being able to do take-out...)

Jeanne

lorka150 Collaborator

Thai Kitchen fish sauce.

mle-ii Explorer
I guess I'm just feeling frustrated because I had one of these D incidents yesterday, and I'd at least like to be able to tell people - like my doctor, for instance! - "This is what happens when I accidentally ingest X." But I don't really know whether X is gluten, dairy, or something else.

Don't get me wrong - I am NOT trying to see if I can eat gluten or dairy again. I'm happier and healthier without them. I'd just like to know what's responsible for these GI symptoms that I've never had before.

I didn't know they made gluten-free ones; do you know where to find them? (Of course, what's really a bummer is not being able to do take-out...)

Jeanne

Same here. I've thought about trying some glutened food to see what symptoms I get and to see if they match up with what I think the symptoms are for me when I think I accidently ingest it. Haven't had the guts (ha ha) to do it yet. :)


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,175
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Chels22
    Newest Member
    Chels22
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Heatherisle
      Daughter has started gluten free diet this week as per gastroenterologists suggestion. However says she feels more tired and like she’s been hit by a train. I suggested it could be the change to gluten free or just stress from the endoscopy last week catching up with her. Just wondering if feeling more tired is a normal reaction at this stage. I suppose it’s possible some gluten might have been present without realising. Have tried to reassure her it’s not going to resolve symptoms overnight
    • DAR girl
      Looking for help sourcing gluten-free products that do not contain potato or corn derived ingredients. I have other autoimmune conditions (Psoriatic Arthritis and Sjogrens) so I’m looking for prepared foods as I have fatigue and cannot devote a lot of time to baking my own treats. 
    • Scott Adams
      I am so sorry you're going through this. It's completely understandable to feel frustrated, stressed, and disregarded after such a long and difficult health journey. It's exhausting to constantly advocate for yourself, especially when you're dealing with so many symptoms and positive diagnoses like SIBO, while still feeling unwell. The fact that you have been diligently following the diet without relief is a clear sign that something else is going on, and your doctors should be investigating other causes or complications, not dismissing your very real suffering. 
    • Oldturdle
      It is just so sad that health care in the United States has come to this.  Health insurance should be available to everyone, not just the healthy or the rich.  My heart goes out to you.  I would not hesitate to have the test and pay for it myself.  My big concern would be how you could keep the results truly private.  I am sure that ultimately, you could not.  A.I. is getting more and more pervasive, and all data is available somewhere.  I don't know if you could give a fake name, or pay for your test with cash.  I certainly would not disclose any positive results on a private insurance application.  As I understand it, for an official diagnosis, an MD needs to review your labs and make the call.  If you end up in the ER, or some other situation, just request a gluten free diet, and say it is because you feel better when you don't eat gluten.      Hang in there, though.  Medicare is not that far away for you, and it will remove a lot of stress from your health care concerns.  You will even be able to "come out of the closet" about being Celiac!
    • plumbago
      Yes, I've posted a few times about two companies: Request a Test and Ulta Labs. Also, pretty much we can all request any test we want (with the possible exception of the N protein Covid test and I'm sure a couple of others) with Lab Corp (or Pixel by Lab Corp) and Quest. I much prefer Lab Corp for their professionalism, ease of service and having it together administratively, at least in DC. And just so you know, Request a Test uses Lab Corp and Quest anyway, while Ulta Labs uses only Quest. Ulta Labs is cheaper than Request a Test, but I am tired of dealing with Quest, so I don't use them so much.
×
×
  • Create New...