Needing Help W/elimination Diet

[dartarro21]

Hi,

I'm new here & have reason to suspect I am gluten intolerant. I've always had a problem with my energy level & vigor, even as a kid, I'm sure my friends became annoyed at my complaints of constant fatigue & sleepiness even when getting enough sleep. I also suffered from childhood asthma & eczema. I originally became aware of gluten intolerance when my mother started experiencing her symptoms a few years ago (stomach pain, diarrhea, dairy intolerance) & started the gluten free diet, although she was never diagnosed. Part of me wanted to start it with her at the time, but the teenage part of me wanted to keep enjoying gluten products until I started seeing the GI symptoms later in life, if at all. She also kind of agreed with this at the time, as the gluten-free food is more expensive. So I went on my merry way. A couple weeks ago however I started noticing my recent symptoms after I went out for Thai food with a few friends. I suffered diarrhea for the next day or two, then nothing, then diarrhea again after I ate a parfait from school. Ever since then (about 5-7 days ago?) I have had constipation despite consuming higher amounts of fiber, fruit & water. My level of fatigue has been higher than my normal & I have been unable to workout. I have just been feeling downright horrible. It wasn't until I tried to explain my excessive sighing/breathlessness symptoms that I came across this site & figured out that I do probably have gluten intolerance like my mother, seeing the high rate of genetics involved. We're sure my grandmother had is as well due to her failing health up until her demise (congestive heart failure, poor teeth & bones, IBS), although she was a western medicine worshipper & wouldn't try anything her doctor didn't suggest like diet change or natural medicine. I also recently read that unusual period pain can be a symptom of gluten intolerance, as my menstrual pain is absolutely unbearable (w/ vomitting, diarrhea, dizziness) unless I take medication before the pain starts.

Anyway, I am now doing an elimination diet/cleanse of the macro rice powder w/blended fruit/juice, fresh fruits & steamed/raw vegetables to see if it helps. I have a few questions

[ShayFL]

Magnesium and Vit C can get things moving (in supplement form). You should take a good gluten-free mulit plus added magnesium and C.

Everyone is different with regard to time to see results. Make sure that rice drink is gluten-free.

There are certified gluten-free oatmeals out there. However, if you are craving something badly, it is a good sign that you shouldnt be eating it right now. Carbs can be quite addictive and we also tend to crave foods we are intolerant of.

Try quinoa flakes in place of oatmeal.

[ravenwoodglass]

I would drop the cleansing preperation and just go with the fruits and veggies and whole natural gluten free foods. Sweet potatoes are an old chinese remedy for both C and D. You may want to try those for a couple of days.

[tarnalberry]

fruits and veggies can be sources of intolerances as well - even rice can. you might want to spend some more time online researching elimination diets (they generally involve a handful of foods - literally 10-12 to start with), and - imho - require a lot of planning. they can be worth it, but you'll want whole, natural foods you get yourself (and can wash yourself), and to have plenty of time to devote to it.

[ravenwoodglass]

One other thing you may want to do is to look for an allergist who will guide you through the elimination process. They will do standard testing for food allergies and then formulate a plan for the elimination diet. Mine started me out with 5 foods and then we added one new food in pure form a week. It is a very time consuming process but in my case it was the way they finally found out that I was celiac. Many allergists will not do the elimination diet process, they are more interested in true allergies that they can give shots for but there are some around who will do them, it may take a few phone calls to find one. Make sure you tell them you need help with food allergies and intolerances when you make the appointment so you don't waste your time and money on a doctor that won't deal with the process.

[dartarro21]

Thanks for all the advice everyone,

I unfortunately finally had to turn to dulcolax because the natural stuff wasn't working, which resulted in painful diarrhea over the weekend. I'm just really frustrated because nothing seems to be getting me back to normal regularity. I have been off wheat, oats & soy now (with these gone the bloating & excessive sighing have finally cleared up, & my fatigue level has improved, thankfully!), eating fruits & veggies for about 10 days now but I've dropped the shake & the cleanse pills & am taking magnesium & vitamin D, as well as continuing with asodophilus.

I can't really get to an allergist or anything extraneous right now because I don't have full health insurance under my parents (just a discount card) & we don't really have the money, but if things don't get better I think I'll have to. In addition we're preparing to move several states away in a few weeks. Do you think that stress is contributing to my problem? I'm still not getting any normal urge to go (other than diarrhea I've had) & I'm afraid it will continue to where I have to see a specialist. I"m just overall frustrated because of that & because I'm feeling really hungry all the time, one thing I miss about wheat is that it filled me up & kept me satisfied for most of the day, even brown rice just isn't very satisfying. It's also really hard to find any kind of snack bars that don't have oats in them, because I'm so used to being able to have those as an afternoon snack.

I'm sorry to keep complaining, it's just with these body problems happening at a stressful time, coping with a new diet, & having to move so far away I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed

Thank you so much again for the support

[aikiducky]

Are you vegetarian? It sounds like you're not eating any meat?

You need to have enough protein and fat in your diet, lack of those can also make it hard for your intestines to regulate themselves. I'd suggest some chicken, or salmon for example, those are usually pretty easy to digest. Some olive oil with your veggies. Maybe that would help?

Pauliina