Where Do You Draw The Line?

[jasonD2]

Where do you draw the line between living your life and taking care of yourself? And even if you think you're taking care of yourself, are you really?

As some of you have read in my previous posts I have made radical dietary changes and eliminated a lot of foods that I am sensitive to and tested allergic to. The only food that truly makes me very ill is dairy, however after getting a digestive workup I discovered I had a mild leaky gut, a slight flora imbalance, a small amt of yeast overgrowth, colonic inflammation and reactions to soy, gluten, dairy and eggs as well as other foods. A have not been diagnosed celiac and truly believe i just have an intolerance.

Since then (over a year ago) I have cut out the foods, started taking probiotics and digestive enzymes and would like to think that I reversed some of the damage. When i accidentally eat something i'm sensitive to now the reaction isnt so bad as it used to be. My biggest ongoing problem is irregular bowel movements & spastic constipation. I can take a supplement or make a change that will improve my GI function, but its always temporary..somehow things always revert back to the way they were and this continues to be the most frustrating part of all of this.

Another big challenge is trying to achieve that balance of enjoying my life and sticking to my regimen...its tough and i've overcome a lot of obstacles, but i absolutely refuse to become a social outcast. ..i.e. i will never bring my own food to a restaurant, I will always have a drink with my friends or on a date, even though alcohol gives me anxiety and palpitations. The important thing is I know my limits and am educated enough to make wise decisions when I travel and am in restaurants with unknown ingredients.

But again is all of this really helping? Will eating a bland diet extend my life , prevent illness or are there things Im not even aware of that are killing me slowly? How am I supposed to live normally and wonder every single day if what im puting into my body is safe?

I realize im all over the place with this post, but I'm in a rush and appreciate you listening

[ang1e0251]

The only food that truly makes me very ill is dairy, however after getting a digestive workup I discovered I had a mild leaky gut, a slight flora imbalance, a small amt of yeast overgrowth, colonic inflammation and reactions to soy, gluten, dairy and eggs as well as other foods. A have not been diagnosed celiac and truly believe i just have an intolerance.

Why do you think you "only" have an intolerance to wheat? Is that a result of testing?

Since then (over a year ago) I have cut out the foods, started taking probiotics and digestive enzymes and would like to think that I reversed some of the damage. When i accidentally eat something i'm sensitive to now the reaction isnt so bad as it used to be. My biggest ongoing problem is irregular bowel movements & spastic constipation. I can take a supplement or make a change that will improve my GI function, but its always temporary..somehow things always revert back to the way they were and this continues to be the most frustrating part of all of this.

Did you ever think you're reverting back because you haven't eliminated all of your allergens? If you have a problem with gluten and you are still ingesting it, that could explain those symptoms. Also some of the other foods you mentioned could do it too.

Another big challenge is trying to achieve that balance of enjoying my life and sticking to my regimen...its tough and i've overcome a lot of obstacles, but i absolutely refuse to become a social outcast. ..i.e. i will never bring my own food to a restaurant, I will always have a drink with my friends or on a date, even though alcohol gives me anxiety and palpitations. The important thing is I know my limits and am educated enough to make wise decisions when I travel and am in restaurants with unknown ingredients.

Social life is a big challenge for all of us. I'm sure your friends would not want you to be sick on their account. After all, isn't the reason you go out with them is to enjoy their company? So make social decisions that combine your health with fun with friends.

But again is all of this really helping? Will eating a bland diet extend my life , prevent illness or are there things Im not even aware of that are killing me slowly? How am I supposed to live normally and wonder every single day if what im puting into my body is safe?

In no way is my diet bland. I took control of that and don't allow it. This diet gets easier as time goes on and you have a repetoire of menus and dishes that you enjoy and can even share. Your life is up to you. You are in charge of the decisions and those can be made in a way that safeguards your health as well as allows you to enjoy your daily food. If you need help with discovering foods or recipes or restaurants, you are in the right place; ask away.

We support you and we care about your ongoing health.

[mommida]

Give yourself some time. You get more comfortable with the diet and you will relax. (Then you will probably relax too much and swear you will read every label no matter what!)

I have no doubt the diet restrictions are worth it!

[tarnalberry]

I've never had eating before going to a restaurant, not drinking, or bringing my own food anywhere make me feel like a social outcast or have my friends treat me oddly.... So, it sounds snarky, and I *definitely don't mean it to*, but... perhaps a perspective change on what you need to feel included? Maybe not... just what struck me when I read the post.

Either way, as the other poster mentioned, every day, every week we do this - whatever our level of restriction - we learn some slightly better way of getting through it.

[Welda Johnson]

Hi Jason,

May I ask if you are young? I am 64 and have dealt with the symptoms of Celiac since age 8. What is great about being young, is that you have a natural ability to "bounce back" when you ingest something to which you are intolerant. As the body ages, it seems to take things more seriously, and, thank God, our bodies are faithful to let us eventually know exactly what is going on. Doctors apparently don't study gluten intolerance or Celiac extensively. I've had the same doctor since 1965 and am always the one teaching him about this disease.

I've learned that if I want to be happy, I will take my dietary needs into strict account. I usually read each and every label, and when I don't, I pay the price. I've learned which restaurants are safe to eat at, and which aren't. I've learned to eat before going out, or take my own bag of food with me, and to ALWAYS be prepared, whether its keeping food in the trunk of my car, or making sure that I have what I need in that bag of food I mentioned.

By the way, I am intolerant of wheat, oats, barley, rye, all milk & dairy, egg whites, yeast, casein, whey, maltodextrin, modified food starch, and msg. Why would I live life any other way than taking good care of myself? Oh yes, I remember when I was young. I was more concerned with other things. Then during my early 30s I was so sick that I felt I couldn't keep going on. That's when I started eliminating foods, but it took years before I truly decided to stick to this diet conscientiously. Now I have 3 grown children and 10 grandchildren. If I intend to be around to get to know all of them well, then I need to be healthy. What could be more important? Nothing that I can think of.

I wish you well on this journey. Please email me at welda@att.net if you'd like. Always, Welda

[jasonD2]

Well no I have cut out gluten and all the other foods i listed...i avoid at all cost, but if something is accidentally ingested its not the end of the world

[kbtoyssni]

I've never had eating before going to a restaurant, not drinking, or bringing my own food anywhere make me feel like a social outcast or have my friends treat me oddly.... So, it sounds snarky, and I *definitely don't mean it to*, but... perhaps a perspective change on what you need to feel included? Maybe not... just what struck me when I read the post.

Either way, as the other poster mentioned, every day, every week we do this - whatever our level of restriction - we learn some slightly better way of getting through it.

A perspective change is what helped me. I see going out to eat as a social event, not a food event. I'm there to hang out with people, not necessarily to eat. So I eat before I go or bring my own food (to fast foodish type places) or order weird stuff like a banana and some milk. And I go out to bars and often don't drink or I order a soda. I do a lot of hanging out and watching movies rather than going out to eat. Once you start doing your own thing with the food, you'd be surprised how much it doesn't matter.

[wschmucks]

Hey there,

I am 24 and can totally relate. And so far I have found that I am more worried about the whole eating out thing/ drinking at bars etc than my friends are-- meaning: they dont notice that I'm not eating/ drinking and it doesnt bother them, so the only one feeling wierd....is me...which IS somthing I can control.

I have worked hard to accept my health condition and understand how the "sacrafices" are going to be for the best. I am diagnosed Celiac so I can see how having intolerances may be harder to justify. But for me I think about all the things I CAN eat and I really enjoy those. I work hard to really enjoy cooking and making new fun things and hosting events so I can participate 100%. As for resturants etc. You cannot stop your life --so go, and relax, order a coke or some wine and enjoy your friends.

You can still have very fulfilling experiences in social settings, just understand they will be different and that is OK. I hope you start to feel better. We can ALL relate to getting tired of our food, and being excluded from a Glutenous world, we all have to work hard to keep our spirits up!

Also if you dont feel like youre getting better dont stop going to Drs. Trust yourself if you think something else is going on, then dont let anyone tell you there isnt.

[Char83]

Jason,

You said that you had gotten testing and found out what you were allergic to and what you were intolerant to, or just had a hard time digesting...my question is: what kinds of tests were those and what kind of DR. did them? I am having a hard time figuring out what my issues are and what tests like these.

thanks,

char

[Jestgar]

As some of you have read in my previous posts I have made radical dietary changes and eliminated a lot of foods that I am sensitive to and tested allergic to. The only food that truly makes me very ill is dairy,

Food allergy testing is not very conclusive. If dairy is the only thing that bothers you, why are you cutting out other foods?

[Ken70]

Stay the course! Diet is not the only component of your recovery. Stress reduction, sunlight or vitamin D exposure, exercise until you sweat, and some more time. I would highly rec. sunlight. Vitamin D was the final part of my recovery.

[tonyalee]

Where do you draw the line between living your life and taking care of yourself? And even if you think you're taking care of yourself, are you really?

But again is all of this really helping? Will eating a bland diet extend my life , prevent illness or are there things Im not even aware of that are killing me slowly? How am I supposed to live normally and wonder every single day if what im puting into my body is safe?

I was glad to read your post because these seem like the exact same questions that I am asking. To feel well, I have to cut out soy, casein, all grains, almonds, all sugars, etc, etc, etc. I keep wondering if all of this EXTREMELY hard work is really worth it? I do feel BETTER (not 100%), but then I'm not always 100% with my diet (when I go out, go to a friend's house, etc) and there are probably a few other foods I need to cut out.

I use to share about my food allergies, but I noticed that people started avoiding asking me over because they didn't know what to feed me. (Ever heard, "Well, I wanted to invite you but I knew you couldn't eat lasagna?") I now refuse to live my life that way. I'm figuring "if the thunder don't get ya, the lightning will." I want to just go back to my old way of eating where anything goes, but I can barely tolerate the hives, the body aches, the chronic sinusitis, etc, etc, etc.

I thought kbtoyssni's advice was pretty good, but I don't know if I can get over the idea of food not being a social event. Food is not just physical nourishment for most of us. I miss the days when my husband and I would travel and scout out all of the facinating and unique restaurants. I miss grabbing a bowl of cereal for breakfast. I miss a million other things. Trying new things (including foods) is a big part of the pleasure of life. I'm working on trying new things that fit into my current diet, and am thankful for the renewed health I have experienced, but it is still a very limiting experience. And sometimes I am still mad as **** that this is what it takes for me to feel pretty good on a daily basis. And sometimes I'm mad as **** that even on a very limited diet, I sometimes have some health issues that need to be resolved.

Gah. This probably didn't help you a bit, but I was happy to know that someone else seemed to feel as I do. Please post if you work it all out!

[AliB]

Jason, it is interesting that you have mentioned taking digestive enzymes. That is my current area of research as i am sure that for many of us, most of our intolerances and sensitivities occur because we lack the enzymes needed to digest certain foods.

Some of us are carb intolerant, some protein or fat intolerant and some can't cope with any of them very well. Some seem to lack cellulase to break down fiber, so they can't cope with fruit and veg, others lack lactase and can't cope with dairy.

It's a bit chicken and egg - did the lack of enzymes come first, or was it the food that caused the damage that results in the lack of enzymes. Who knows? I rather favor the latter - I think our Western diet contains a huge proportion of 'dead' food. Food that may sometimes provide some nutrients, but doesn't provide any enzymes to help the absorption of them, and that lack and resulting array of maldigested food may well contribute to inflammation and damage.

As most people eat little or no raw food they are not putting any credits into their depleting enzyme 'bank'.

Have you checked to see if the brand you are using are giving you a broad enough range of the different enzymes to cover all your food choices? I didn't realise how different they are. I have just been taking some Solgar Enzymes and have ended up going backwards. Apparently they are animal-based enzymes which don't work so well, and they also contain bromelain and papain that some react to, so it could be any of those reason why they haven't worked.

It hasn't put me off trying though as I do feel there is a lot of credence in this - I just need to find a brand that suits me and my needs.

I bought Ellen Cutler's 'Enzymes for health and healing' which is quite interesting. Unfortunately she, and her band of BioSET practitioners are over there in the States and I would be unable to visit her, but she does seem to have good success with her protocol which I will try to follow from the book. I thought of you when I was reading it.

One experience in there is of a guy in a similar situation to you - top Salesperson in his company, and he found entertaining clients extremely difficult with all his extreme food sensitivities. He ended up cutting so many foods that he could only cope in the end with about 35 different things. After following her protocol he is back to normal and able to eat whatever he likes - as long as he takes the enzymes!

Interesting stuff.