Please Help!

[arkoflove]

I have been gluten free (save cc incidents) for a good 6+ weeks now. I started to get way better, and then went downhill again. I have an appt with a GI on Monday to really get into all of this. I went gluten free after positive Anti-Gliadin tests (both IGA and IGG). My other tests on the celiac panel were negative tho.

I have cut out milk from my diet, as it seems I have lactose intolerance (discovered after going gluten-free). I still end up feeling really aweful in the evenings...I have been bloating up, struggling with consitpation and thin stools...Almonds and macadamia nust give me the big D...

How do you know if you are Casien sensitive and in what foods do I find that?

I have been eating a lot of chicken, eggs, soymilk, tea, decaf coffee, and soy/whey protein shakes. I am wondering if it is the caffine giving me the shakes and fatigue as the day wears on?

I tend to feel SO tired so much of the time. My arms feel heavy. It feels like such effort to move sometimes. A few months ago I was struggling with GI issues before going gluten free, but I had energy, and I was excercising and in great shape.

I feel like my body is giving out on me. I am getting very afraid- what if I have cancer? Why am I so messed up after I had begun to improve?

I try to stick to a very basic diet, but then I give in to cravings (chocolate, almonds, ect) and feel even worse.

What should I address with the dr on Monday? I wish they were doing the endoscopy immediately, waiting is making this even harder for me.

I feel like this is SO ridiculous, no one in my family has any food allergies or intolerances, and all this has shown up gradually over the past 2 years for me.

Thanks in advance,

Megan

[txplowgirl]

Hi Megan,

You sound to me like you have other food intolerances. Main ones are soy, nuts, eggs, etc. Also, you may not think so but you might also be having cross contamination issues also. Do you share a gluten kitchen or gluten free? Have you replaced your teflon pans, cutting boards and any wooden utensils? Have you checked your shampoo, lotions and makeup?

Hang in there.

[arkoflove]

Hi Megan,

You sound to me like you have other food intolerances. Main ones are soy, nuts, eggs, etc. Also, you may not think so but you might also be having cross contamination issues also. Do you share a gluten kitchen or gluten free? Have you replaced your teflon pans, cutting boards and any wooden utensils? Have you checked your shampoo, lotions and makeup?

Hang in there.

I don't have any teflon pans...changed my makeup, don't share cutting boards. Really have just been eating eggs cooked in a stainless steel pan, and costco rotisserie chicken...I got cc'd with milk in a latte last week, and ate choc chips that threw me for a loop, and am only now starting to use the restroom slightly normally now. After eating the nuts my stomach is churning.

I don't really know where to go with my diet now...should I cut out soy, eggs, and (obviously) nuts? I really feel at a loss as to what to eat if I do that.

Could stevia cause issues too? I use that in my tea and coffee. Decided to put it away for now after how terrible I feel today.

Thanks for your reply!

[ravenwoodglass]

I would cut the soy out for a bit and see if that makes a difference. If you don't improve after a week or two then take out casien. Casien will be clearly labeled on products as it is a form or dairy and is often found in lactose free products as well as margarine and other stuff.

You are early in the diet, are you eating mostly unprocessed foods? That is a good way to start out. Also do check and make sure the tea your drinking is gluten free. You also need to check any scripts, OTC and supplements you take. You could have another intolerance, which is not uncommon, or you may be still getting gluten somewhere.

[txplowgirl]

Hi Megan,

I would say you have a problem with nuts so quit them. I get glutened with rotissire chicken. I would start the elimination diet and keep a food diary of everything you eat and drink for about say 2 weeks. That is nothing but whole foods like fish, chicken, meat, veggies, nothing processed. Take out all dairy, soy, eggs, etc. Add 1 food back in evey 2 to 3 days also try to eliminate msg.

Type elimination diet in the search engine and you will find out more info.

I haven't tried stevia yet, but the only sweetner I can use without making me sick so far is splenda. I have problems with the others, as well as pure sugar. Chocolate even bothers me to the point i'm in the bathroom for a while if I eat a quarter of a bar.

It's just a process of elimination. Hang in there I know it's frustrating but you will get to feeling better.

[The Fluffy Assassin]

To start with, if you think you're casein-intolerant, eliminate the soy/whey protein shakes. Whey is from milk and is considered contaminated with casein by most people here: https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.php?showtopic=23952 You may find that getting rid of this one item is all you need to do. But I agree with the other posters suggesting that giving up soy at least temporarily is probably a good idea. And that eating whole foods you cook yourself (chicken, rice or potatoes, a variety of vegetables, seasoned with salt and pepper only) is the best approach. Good luck!

I have been gluten free (save cc incidents) for a good 6+ weeks now. I started to get way better, and then went downhill again. I have an appt with a GI on Monday to really get into all of this. I went gluten free after positive Anti-Gliadin tests (both IGA and IGG). My other tests on the celiac panel were negative tho.

I have cut out milk from my diet, as it seems I have lactose intolerance (discovered after going gluten-free). I still end up feeling really aweful in the evenings...I have been bloating up, struggling with consitpation and thin stools...Almonds and macadamia nust give me the big D...

How do you know if you are Casien sensitive and in what foods do I find that?

I have been eating a lot of chicken, eggs, soymilk, tea, decaf coffee, and soy/whey protein shakes. I am wondering if it is the caffine giving me the shakes and fatigue as the day wears on?

I tend to feel SO tired so much of the time. My arms feel heavy. It feels like such effort to move sometimes. A few months ago I was struggling with GI issues before going gluten free, but I had energy, and I was excercising and in great shape.

I feel like my body is giving out on me. I am getting very afraid- what if I have cancer? Why am I so messed up after I had begun to improve?

I try to stick to a very basic diet, but then I give in to cravings (chocolate, almonds, ect) and feel even worse.

What should I address with the dr on Monday? I wish they were doing the endoscopy immediately, waiting is making this even harder for me.

I feel like this is SO ridiculous, no one in my family has any food allergies or intolerances, and all this has shown up gradually over the past 2 years for me.

Thanks in advance,

Megan

[GFinDC]

I suppose you have checked the ingredients list on the nuts you are eating? They could have some form of gluten added during processing, especially if they coated with something. Or they could be cc if processed on line that also processed gluten items.

Casein is a protein in dairy. So most dairy product are likely to have some. I have a pretty strong reaction to casein. It keeps me wide awake for a long time. Casein also does a number on my gut, but it is a slower reaction than gluten. Lactose always made me very gassy, but casein not as much. Of course your symptoms could be completely different. Hard cheese should be mostly casein and little lactose.

I second the soy avoidance idea. Do some searching on soy and thyroid and see what you think. Or maybe search on soy and rat.

[arkoflove]

Could using large amounts of stevia be my issue?

[grainfree]

Many, many on this forum have experienced a honeymoon phase after eliminating gluten to find other food intolerances and allergies emerge. In myself, at one point I thought I was having an anaphylactic reaction to peanut and found it was highly seasoned rotisserie chicken causing the severe reaction. Since then I have found that cravings are starting to disappear with a diet somewhat close to the specific carbohydrate diet which is very much like your diet now. All the other posters have given good advice. Questions about which foods are causing illness can be frustrating and lead to impatience and fear, but please try not to worry. Things may seem a little overwhelming right now, but bring all your questions to your doctor so she/he can address them, and may then advise you about possible further testing. Be well. Edit: It may be that any large amount of anything could cause problems. Only a few more days 'til Monday!!

[ravenwoodglass]

Could using large amounts of stevia be my issue?

If you think the Stevia may be an issue cut it out for a couple of weeks. Also are you using pure stevia or is a mix of stevia and something else? Are you allergic to ragweed? Stevia is related to ragweed and if you are allergic to ragweed you might react to stevia also. If you do decide to drop stevia I would not replace it with sugar alcohols as many even without GI problems have D and gas from sugar alcohols. If you are going with a sugar replacement because you have slightly elevated blood sugar levels and fear developing Type 2 diabetes be aware that when we are ill with anything that will often raise the blood sugar levels. That includes being glutened for some of us. I got prematurely diagnosed with diabetes when a doctor did a blood test when I went to him for help after a severe glutening. My A1C and subsequent testing revealed that I was actully in the normal range.

[ang1e0251]

The worst glutening I ever experienced was from individual packets of stevia. Look at the ingredients of what you're using. The packets had wheat.

Now I use pure stevia extract, quite a lot, every day. I have no problems with it.

[arkoflove]

ravenwoodglass- thanks for your reply. I believe that everything in my diet has been gluten free (save my cc's with what I believe were chocoate chips and mrs butterworths sf syrup) The nuts and tea are gluten free.

The stevia definately was gluten free.

txplowgirl- definately cutting out the nuts! OY. So sad though, I love them. I may do an elimination diet after my Dr. appt, I want them to be able to have accurate test results if they do bloodwork. I really appreciate your info on this!

grainfree- yes, only a few more days! The waiting stinks!

Thank you everyone for your replies. Talking on here is helping me get through everything. It's a difficult journey.

[arkoflove]

So soy is definately a problem for me, I cut it out for a short amount of time, or at least significantly reduced my intake. Yesterday I took a bite of a soy protein bar, and right away my throat and nose started itching and I started to sneeze. This morning I put some in my tea, and I had the same response! It cleared up after a little while. So that would indicate an allergy, right? Would this have an impact on my digestive sysetm also?

[GFinDC]

Hi Ark,

Sounds like it could be an allergic reaction to the soy. I am not sure if you would react in your gut also. I think if you are having a negative reaction of any kind to a food it is probably a bad idea to continue eating it. It seems to me the reactions tend to get stronger with further exposure. Soy is a risky thing for us IMHO.