What Is Wrong With Me?

[j9n]

My symptoms became very severe around July of this year. I have what I call an "attack". I start feeling dizzy, cramping, diarrhea. My blood pressure shoots up and I become very emotional and tired. The foggy head will last for hours. I am almost positive it is a reaction to food of some kind. My whole body seems to want to get rid of it. I dont get them if I only eat chicken and white rice. I am now seeing a GI. I have had ultrasound of gallbladder, thyroid tests, colonoscopy, parasite tests, blood tests, liver panel, etc. Everything is normal. I aked for a Celiac panel and he agreed. They said it came back negative. I asked for a copy and everything said normal but IgG was slightly elevated, 33. I had been staying away from wheat products just in case and after I heard it was ok I began to eat breads. Within 2 hours I started with the dizzy spells and foggy head. Then Friday my stomach was acting up and I took Immodium and Bentyl to counteract any problems. By 9am my head was spinning so bad I could not walk. I went to the ER not knowing what was happening. He basically treated me like a "nervous female", gave me antivert and sent me home. My blood pressure was 170/119 by the way, I was in tears and off balance. After things subsided my blood pressure went down to 108/69. Has anyone had similar symptoms? This is becoming very debilitating and I dont know what to do next.

Thanks so much

Janine

[judy04]

Hi Janine,

I just had to respond to you because your symptoms sound just like mine did

almost a year ago. For several years my eyes would burn and sting.Every

doctor agreed it was allergy. I tested positive for trees, grass,etc. but skin test for wheat was NEG. I always thought I had a problem w/wheat but they just poo-

pooed what I thought and just prescribed more pills. Then last March I began

having spells. I felt as though I was going to faint, got nauseous, and developed

right sided pain followed by diarrhea, along with eyes burning. I was so scared

my blood pressure rose too, i have had hypertension since taking birth control

pills years ago.I had a multitude of tests, scans and scopes.Last Oct my GI doctor

tested me for celiac disease but the genetic test came back NEG..The only abnormal

reading was a very slight allergy to wheat. He told me to try the celiac disease diet, never sent me to a nutritionist, just told me to avoid wheat, barley, rye, and distilled

vinegar. He said nothing about gluten or all of the other things we need to

avoid. On Nov/03 I started the gluten free diet, I came to read the postings

on this board every day. I have learned so much, and you will too

When I was at my worst, I was afraid to drive because I was afraid of getting

sick. I forgot to mention I had brain fog really bad, then I gave up dairy and it went away....

If I were you I would try this diet for a while, watch your sodium intake

and take it easy for a while.It takes a lot of time and patience with this diet

but you will start feeling better every day. Feel free to ask questions on this

board,it is very user friendly and helpful..hope this helps..

[j9n]

Thanks for your reply Judy. I just don't know what to do anymore. I am afraid of food, I am down 15 lbs and starting to lose again. If I only knew what to avoid and what I can have.

When I stopped eating sandwiches for lunch, the afternoon brain fog went away. I always thought it was more from bad air in the building I work in. The ventillation is not very good. Now I know that is not it. Now I have turkey or chicken breast with rice or potato and I feel ok in the afternoon.

Would going to an allergist help? What about a nutritionist? My appt with my doctor is Wed. I haven't talked to him yet about the celiac panel so I don't know what the higher IgG means.

[judy04]

Hi again'

[judy04]

Hi, let me try this again. I realize how you are feeling. I think that you may be

allergic to food of some type which is causing the brain fog.I had to do an elimination type diet. I only ate one thing at a time to see what kind of reaction it would cause. It helps to keep a journal, which you can look back on to see what food you have eaten. It took a long while for me to realize I couldn't eat tomatoes

either. I don't know if food allergies can cause intestinal damage as wheat or milk

can, but I'm learning to listen to what my body is trying to tell me, as it has for

years. I knew there was something wrong, just couldn't figure out what it was.

Thank God I started to have GI symptoms and was able to get a diagnosis.

If I were you I would hold off on seeing an allergist until you see your MD.

If it is food allergy, the best treatment is to stop ingesting what you are allergic to.

There are RAST test which can determine what you are allergic to, but it is better if you can identify them.Please remember you are going to get well,just

eat non processed food for a while, like rice,meat, potatoes,bananas. try to cut out all dairy,eggs[yolks] cheese and yogurt. You can add these later as you begin to heal. Good luck to you...