Medical Help

[NoGluGirl]

Dear tarnalberry,

The class of drugs you are talking about is likely SSRIs, or Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors. The trouble with these drugs is, they are very addictive. I wish I had never gotten on one. You cannot stop them suddenly, or you risk flipping out and committing suicide. The withdrawal is something I have been through as well, and is unbearable. They really should have rehab for these terrible pills!

My doctor may or may not like it, but as you do, I research things. It is a good thing, or my gallbladder would have exploded inside of me. I also would have been a full-blown drug addict by now with all of the pills my last doctor pushed on me. Thank goodness I began seeing my current doctor, who is a holistic physician. I have not left her office with pills once!

I think we discussed the hypoglycemia before. It must have been you who said a 50-25-25 ratio of macronutrients served you best. I have not tried that one. Maybe I should. My blood sugar was still a little low when doing The Zone before.

Whether or not the Celiac played a role in that I do not know. I am like you, I say do what works!

Fish oil is very good for a lot of things. My mother cannot tolerate it. She gets D. I have a sensitive system, so it may not help my stomach any. I eat fish, though. Also, Pilates helped with the Fibromyalgia before.

Sincerely,

Jin

[melmak5]

Thanks to you both.

SSRIs and any medication is a personal choice. For me, I have a family member who reacts VERY severely to them, and it is just not a risk I am willing to take right now.

I am willing to do anything else, just not that family of drugs.

I just had some sharp chest pains 45 minutes after eating dinner. So I think I am going to go back to my not eating plan. Its not a long term solution, but every time I eat I am in some form of pain. Maybe all liquids is the way to go for a bit.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Kristina,

Trust me, you made the right choice with not going on any SSRIs. They are a prescription for poison in my opinion. I never would have taken them had my parents not urged me to. Let's just say I learned listening to them about my body never turns out in my best interest. I am not surprised you had a relative that had a severe reaction to them. I am like you, my system is so frail, it is best to err on the side of caution.

Here is something else you may not have heard about the SSRIs. You remember Columbine and the other school shootings I am sure. Well, guess what those teenagers had just begun taking only two weeks prior to the shootings? You got it! The SSRI drugs! I am not surprised, because the research I have done on them has yielded frightening results.

I understand not wanting to eat. The chest pain could be from your gallbladder. I used to feel like I was having a heart attack, and belching is the only thing that helped relieve the misery. Many people with bad gallbladders think they are having heart attacks when they go into the ER. Please do not stop eating altogether! I know how hard it is. HUGS!

Sincerely,

Jin

[ENF]

I take 5-HTP and L-Theanine Suntheanine, manufactured by NOW FOODS. They are gluten-free. L-Theanine is made from decaffeinated green tea, and is very relaxing. 5-HTP, which increases serotonin levels, is made from the bean of an African plant.

[melmak5]

Wouldn't it make more sense to test for my current serotonin levels to see if they are off BEFORE going on any medication/supplement?

I also firmly believe the only reason I am unhappy is because I am in pain and unable to do anything I used to be able to do, not even read. (which makes it really hard to finish grad school)

I broke down and cried and this is the third doctor who five seconds after seeing me cry suggested antidepressants. They don't seem to understand that each one of them has said "I don't think you have celiac disease" and then after they reread my file at my urging, they say "oh yeah, you do."

Its the false hope that I could eat bread and beer again and then the huge crashing defeat that I will never be able to do many of the things I wanted to that equal tears. That and feeling like an alien is trying to make its way through my rib cage.

I really see no benefit form eating solid foods right now.

They cause me abdominal pain and/or bloating to the point it hurts to it or I cannot keep my pants on. I cannot deal with that in my work environment.

And I cannot take muscle relaxants all day because they make me so loopy I cannot function, I actually begin to drool.

[gabby]

My heart goes out to you, and I do hope you get relief soon.

I wanted to offer you my recipe for a hearty soup that is really gentle on the digestive system, is very nutritious, and is also gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, but tasty. I use this soup when something has glutened me, and I need to give my body a rest so it can recover. I highly recommend making a very large pot of this soup. Cool it down, then put into single-serving sizes of new ziploc bags and freeze. NOTE: you need a soup whizzer or blender for this recipe. Make sure the whizzer or blender are absolutely clean and free of anything that could possible contain gluten.

6 chicken legs with thighs attached

half a head of fresh celery (get one with lots of leaves if possible)

1 fresh really big soft tomato (or 2 medium)

one fresh big onion (any kind: white, red, yellow, etc)

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)

5 medium potatoes

Method:

Wash the celery, and chop into big rough pieces.

Wash the tomato and cut into halves

Wash the onion, peel and chop into halves

Get out a large pot that has a lid.

-put in the chopped celery, the tomato, onion

-add the chicken pieces (cut them up if they don't fit into the pot)

-add enough cold water to cover everything in the pot

-add the salt, and the olive oil

Put on med/high heat until it boils. Put on the lid, stir everything up, and then turn the heat down so that the liquid is just simmering in the pot. You don't want it boiling over or anything. Stir the soup about once an hour. Let the soup cook until the chicken falls off the bone (probably 2 hours).

When the soup is done, remove from heat.

-Take out the chicken and place on a plate to cool.

-while chicken is cooling, return the soup to the stove and put on high heat.

-Taste the soup. Add more salt if you like. If the soup is very strong, you can add another 1.5 cups of water

-wash and peel the potatoes, and then chop into big chunks.

-add potatoes to the soup and let boil until the potatoes are very soft (about 15 minutes.)

-when potatoes are done, take the soup off the heat.

When chicken pieces have cooled enough to handle, remove the skin, and all the bones and gristle. Take the remaining chicken and add back to your soup.

-If using a hand-held whizzer, just take the whizzer to the pot and whiz up everything until you get a really creamy consistency. It should almost look like porridge.

-if you are using a blender, then blend small batches of the soup to the consistency of porridge.

In the end you'll have a creamy, hearty and delicious soup that is very easy to heat up, very easy to digest, and simple to freeze and take with you for work, etc. I know it will sound crazy, but I highly recommend eating a bowl of this for every single meal for a couple of days to give your digestive system a rest. It is great for breakfast. You can heat it up in a big coffee mug if you like. And you can have a serving every 2-3 hours if you feel hungry. I like to drizzle a little bit of olive oil on the soup just before I eat it. You may also add more salt if you like. Just don't add any other spices or seasonings.

That's it. If you don't like potatoes or can't digest them, then you can leave out the potatoes. In a separate pot, make about 4 cups of gluten-free rice (not instant). When done, just add it to the soup and blend as per the instructions above.

I hope this helps.

[melmak5]

gabby - thanks for the recipe

I FINALLY was able to schedule a food allergy test. Not that I want to eliminate another food from my diet, but I did realize I have been eating more nuts than usual. Maybe thats it.

[ravenwoodglass]

gabby - thanks for the recipe

I FINALLY was able to schedule a food allergy test. Not that I want to eliminate another food from my diet, but I did realize I have been eating more nuts than usual. Maybe thats it.

So glad to hear you were at last able to get an appointment. It is quite a process but for me it was a lifesaver. I hope it helps you as much as it did me. It was the way I was finally diagnosed so I am a firm believer in the elimination process. Please hang in there and I hope you are getting some relief soon.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear ENF,

Thank you for the information. I have done a lot of research on serotonin. Neurotransmitters are often overlooked.

In all truth, just about everyone in this country probably has a shortage, due to the high amount of transfats and sugar in the diet. The SSRIs are not a good thing to take. Side-effects are bad, and they are highly addictive and dangerous. I am glad you posted about the 5-HTP and L-Theanine.

Dear gabby,

I am so glad you put this recipe up! This will be good on the days I have a rough time. My system is quite frail from yeast, and I could also have Lyme. Glutenings require Promethazine, due to a violent reaction. I have to keep it on hand, just in case.

Dear Kristina,

I know exactly how you feel. Doctors are so stupid! HUGS! I still am dealing with that off and on with physicians. I told them "No more pills!" I cannot blame you for not wanting to take muscle relaxers. I actually deal with pain better than being drugged. I did not even take any pills after my gallbladder surgery. The gas was actually the worst of it for a few days afterward.

There are neurotransmitter tests you can have done. Donna on the OMG Thread is getting hers done. It can disturb sleep and all kinds of things. You might want to go back on there to ask her about it. Or, PM dlp252. I am sure she would be glad to help.

The allergy testing is a good idea. Maybe some answers will finally be revealed! I actually feel a rotation diet is a smart thing to try. Since you are already keeping a food journal, that will be pretty easy. I do believe you could have a yeast problem as well as a gallbladder issue. You mentioned eating more nuts than usual. They are high in fat, and may irritate the gallbladder. If you ate peanuts, since they are legumes, that may be the trouble.

Sincerely,

Jin