Other Intolerences

[Maggie1956]

I'm wondering why some people have just the gluten intolerence and that's it, while others have a lot of other food/medication intolerences.

Are some people more pre-disposed to having the added problems? Maybe it's their family background? I have a few problems with other food and medications, so I thought I might get some answers here.

I've had a few sicknesses as a child which I'm now wondering may have weakened my immune system. Or was my immune system weak in the first place, and therefore I got these sicknesses easily??

I have had mumps, chickenpox, tonsilitis, appendisitis (which were found tucked up near my ribs), scarlet fever, shingles, endometriosis, hypothyroidism. I also had to have a hysterectomy in 2001.

I also had what I think was glandular fever at 21. It was like really bad tonsilitis and I was soooo sick. The glands in my neck were very swollen and painful, and I couldn't eat anything.

By the way, I'm 48 now.

If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear from you. I get a bit confused.

[darlindeb25]

well maggie--i think you hit it on the nose --some of us are just pre-disposed to more intolerances-- it's not fair, but it's the way it is-- all my life i have had trouble with certain scents--lots of avon perfumes have bothered me for years, lemon, as in lemon pledge--terrible for me-- fungus foods, like mushrooms have made me sick for years--- i do wonder if it depends on how long we were intolerant before going gluten-free--i do know that my sister and i were sick for 20 years before finding celiacs------ and now, i am even more intolerant--now some of my favorite scents from "bath & body works" are bothering me--but weird, sometimes i can use the lotions with no problems and the splashes will give me a migraine----- i've never liked soy much, but now i find i have to stay away from most of it--i get constipated, cant sleep, and my joint pain comes back with a vengence-- i too had mumps, chicken pox, measles, a bout of mono as a teenager, and strep throat a few times-- my menopause started at 40--that's when i started to notice irrgularities and by 46 or so, i was on the upside of menopause-- i guess i am one of the luckier ones--i didnt need any medication, i have no hot flashes anymore--its wonderful --dont know if i answered any of your questions or not deb

[lovegrov]

It's the same with people who DON'T have celiac or gluten intolerance. Some of those folks have multiple food problems and some folks have none.

richard

[kvogt]

I believe that as one gets older, your immune system has more difficulty coping with foods that only irritated before, resulting in larger reactions.

[hopeful]

Hi Maggie,

The way I understand it, celiac disease hurts your immune system because you aren't able to absorb nutrients and vitamins that keep you healthy. Allergies, whether in the form of foods or anything else, indicate that your immune system has been weakened. The widely held-belief is that celiac disease starts with an intolerance to wheat gluten. The sinister thing about celiac disease is that this one intolerance throws your body into a downward spiral whereby you pick up more and more intolerances. The sooner you nip it in bud, the sooner you can start improving instead of declining. For the old and feeble, it can lead to death. But you're still young. Don't give up hope. If you do, you'll only get worse.

[aaascr]

A lot of what I have been diagnosed with as an adult was excused as a kid - ie. hay fever, growing pains, lazy, slow-poke, etc. It seems that what ailed us before now has designated names. For instance, my mom had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, no one knew what it was back then (30's), at least not where she grew-up, they just knew she was sick - their answer? They made her eat more calf's liver for protein intake and stay in bed.

I have had a ton of food allergies for 20+ years - just recently diagnosed with celiac disease.

It is just who I am - my body doesn't like a whole lot of proteins, along with a lot of other foods. (no, I don't eat calf's liver either ) Seems that most of what I have is genetically transfered- maternal side.

Since I have gone to mostly organic foods, and little to no "mainstream foods"as well as cook & carry my own food - I have had a lot less difficulty.

But yeah, as we get older our bodies are not as resilient. So now it is up to each individual to find a way to keep it going. With the help of my doctor, I am trying different supplements. I also find time to work-out and enjoy participating in sports.

Now finding the time to be a creative cook that I once was - still working on that one.

Just my 2 cents..

aa

[IrishGirl71]

Hi Maggie,

As you probably already know, the Celiac disease messes with your villi, and makes your stomach very sensitive, which is why so many of us are initially diagnosed with IBS and other conditions.

My doctor told me that once I'd gone gluten-free for 6 months, I just MIGHT find that I would gradually be able to tolerate dairy again (I had been under the impression I was lactose intolerant for many years).

Well it's been about 6 months, and maybe it's just the power of suggestion, but I think it's working and I think dairy is becoming possible for me again, which will be HUGE for me.

I hope you find the same holds true for you.

susan

[tom]

My personal belief is that had i gone gluten-free years earlier i would have fewer add'l food problems. In other words, the more damaged the villi get, the more potential for other foods to not digest properly. Isn't the typical celiac lactose issue due to damge to the area of the villi which secretes lactase ?

[tarnalberry]

Why some people have other intolerances, and some people don't? Because we all have different genes and have experienced different environments. There isn't a good "pat" answer to cover the complexity that is the time dependent chemical mish-mash of our body.

[IrishGirl71]

I think the reason some people have more food intolerances is like Tom said...

It seems that the sooner you catch the problem, the less damaged your villi are, and the better chance they have to recover. When they do recover, you find yourself able to tolerate certain non-gluten foods that you may have had trouble with in the past.

[judy05]

Hi,

I'm gluten intolerant. I tested Neg on my biopsy, no damage to

the villi, and do not have the gene for celiac, yet I get terribly

sick if I eat gluten or drink/eat dairy, casein, except for extra

sharp cheddar cheese.

[Maggie1956]

My personal belief is that had i gone gluten-free years earlier i would have fewer add'l food problems. In other words, the more damaged the villi get, the more potential for other foods to not digest properly. Isn't the typical celiac lactose issue due to damge to the area of the villi which secretes lactase ?

Yes, that sure makes sense Tom, and everyone else.

Having eaten all sorts of things containing gluten all my life, plus having things which my body had some intolerences to, would cause the stomach to be raw, and my villi to be damaged.

As you said tarnelberry, it has a lot to do with the genes as well. My dad had big problems with allergies and 'a sensitive stomach', so I guess I inherited that. I believe he was a celiac as well. He passed away August 2004 at 88 from bladder cancer, so I guess I'll never really know.

Irishgirl, it's nice to think that one day soon, I may be able to eat the other non-glutenous food that I've had to give up, because of severe pain. I hope you will be able to have dairy again soon too.

I'm not too sure what casein is? Is it cheese and such? I get a migraine from too much tasty cheese.

Thanks everyone for your helpful messages.

[cdford]

And the good news is....

If you are like those of us in my family, your other sensitivities will get better with time. Of a four page list, my daughter is now down to gluten and two others. I haven't had an asthma attack in months now. It almost seemed worse at first but then little by little it got so much better.

[cynicaltomorrow]

I don't think that the intolerances have much to do with age. I think it has a little to do with how long you have lived with the intolerance before going gluten-free. I'm only 19, but I was sick throughout my whole adolescence. Since going gluten-free 7 months ago, I haven't been able to tolerate dairy (not sure if it's just the lactose intolerance due to villi damage, even though my biopsy was neg) and I've recently decided that sugar is making me sick as well, so I'm getting ready to start the selective carb diet. Within recent years, my mom has developed some auto-immune responses. She has almost died from taking NSAID's and had her immune system attack her hair follicles. I assume this is where I get some of my problems. I also had pneumonia when I was 9, so I'm sure this weakened my immune system. I had a terrible case of strep throat last year that I was sure was going to kill me, haha (not even the antibiotics worked). I was also diagnosed with mono a couple months back, but seeing as how I was only sick for 1 week, I think it might've been due to candida overgrowth (I read that it can cause a presence of the EBV). Anyway.. that's all my stuff.

[Jeap]

I have had "stomach" problems all of my life. I'm 44 now and I've been diagnosed for 6 months. The diet has really helped, now I'm trying to get my head to understand that I don't have to panic any more. Getting over the panic process is going slower than I would like.

I have found I am not tolerating sugar. I use to be a real sugar guy. Just give me something chocolate with sugar in it and I was happy. Now even the gluten-free stuff with sugar in it makes me sick, like a pecan pie. This is a bummer, but I have been able to keep the weight off by not eating it. Is anyone else having this problem? Can I look for this to get better in time?

[Guest barbara3675]

The only thing I can add is that I think some of you are on to something with the sugar thing. I have fibromyalgia and in reading about it, they say that among other things, sugar, white bread, pasta, red meat, dairy and white potatoes are bad for you if you have that condition. I tested, through Enterolab, as being gluten and casein sensitive, so all of this does make sense. My fibro is from my shoulders to my fingers and is much worse if I am eating lots of sugar and carbs. Come to think of it, I haven't been eating as much red meat lately either and the arms are somewhat better. I am 59 and all of this has just come to light in the last year. First the fibro set in and then I got diagnosed with celiac disease etc., all related as I see it. This message board is so important for people to make connections about their lives as most people just don't have anyone to talk about these things. Just writing it all down and seeing what others say is great.

Barbara

[llj012564]

Ive been gluten-free C/F egg free ...well you name it free since Feb04 ... I eat only fresh fruits and veg chicken and very little red meat . I have been lactose intolerent since I was born so Im pretty sure that the gluten-free diet isnt going to make that any better....would be great if it did but im not going to hold my breath. My Dr did say with some people it does get better after time with the diet so there is the chance that I could go back to dairy Ill let you know if I start to see pigs fly ....just an inside joke sorry I have a friend at work who was Dx about the same time as I was ... she was unable to eat dairy for a while but lucky for her she is now able to enjoy dairy no problem Nope no resentment on my part at all so there is hope for some people Lora

[Maggie1956]

That's a really good point Barbara. I have fibromyalgia in most of my body, and it flares up a lot.

I'll have to try and track it. Maybe write it in my food journal evenrytime I ache, and work out what I've eaten. Then I might be able to tell if there is a link between what I've eaten, and the pain happening.

Hmmmm? Interesting. I bet the sugar has something to do with it!

[kvogt]

Regarding fibromyalgia, I've read that the niteshade plants: potato, tomato, eggplant and chilli pepper contribute to the problem.

[Maggie1956]

Regarding fibromyalgia, I've read that the niteshade plants: potato, tomato, eggplant and chilli pepper contribute to the problem.

That IS interesting!

I haven't ever been able to eat chilli peppers or capsicum.

I know if I eat too much tomato it tends to cause me some discomfort. Potato has also recently shown itself to cause abdominal cramps too.

Thanks so much for the info.