What Is Going On?

[horsegirl]

Three times in the past week & a half, I've developed sharp, shooting pains in my upper abdomen, which feel like they're directly in the stomach. One night it felt like nausea, though no vomiting. The past 2 nights I've been in significant pain, with it feeling like heartburn or something similar last night. Pepto tablets didn't do much to help, & I've been sticking with a bland diet. The pain isn't bad during the day, though I do feel generally queasy & tired. I tried Tums tonight, which helped a little. Tonight I have that familiar aching in my legs, & heaviness in my arms, which I used to get before I went off gluten & soy. I've been extremely careful, & have been virtually symptom free for several weeks now (I started Vitamin D supplementation, which has been so helpful). I don't know how this could be gluten, since I'm so careful, & it's happened 3 separate times lately. All 3 times I had eaten corn tortilla chips earlier in the day, but all 3 brands are "safe" ones I've used for a long time, with no changes in the labels.

Could this be another intolerance? Or something entirely different?

Any suggestions, advice, or wisdom would be appreciated. I feel awful & hope this goes away soon.

Thanks.

[mushroom]

I'm just tossing this out in the wind for what it's worth, but I am beginning to think that lectins are causing my residual problems. Corn is high in lectins and is also highly genetically modified. Lectins, if you start reading about them are nasty things that can interfere with a whole range of body systems and have some very unsavoury consequences, if what I have been reading is to be believed. I must qualify with that statement because it is taking a while to get to the bottom of this. Someone else posted something about lectins which has led to my research on this.

There are a lot of lectins in corn. It was the first known food I reacted to (other than caffeine). All the gluten (and non-gluten) grass grains are high in lectins and they seem to be a big role-player in celiac disease. But they are also contained in nightshades, corn, soy, legumes (all foods which I now have to avoid from personal experience). I just found out that green (string) beans and green peas also have lectins so that will free up some space in the vegetable garden, When you get rid of the corn, tomatoes, green beans, peas, peppers, eggplant, potatoes from the garden, it's amazing how much room you have. Brown rice is also high in lectins, which is why the Asians polish it. The rice bran contains the lectins. Get your B vitamins somewhere else, from a bottle if necessary. Lectins are also the reason that the Asians ferment their soy. After what I have read today about lectins, they are being banished from my diet as much as possible.

[horsegirl]

Thanks for the information about lectins - I was suspecting corn since I had corn tortilla chips on all 3 of the occasions when the stomach pain was severe. But, I eat corn & brown rice very often since eliminating gluten & soy, & have never had any problems. Why, all of a sudden would it come out of the blue like this?

[mushroom]

I had a considerable period of time when I thought everything was fine and I was on top of things. And then about four months ago I started again with the intense bloating, vaso-vagal syncope, heart arrhythmias. It has happened a couple of times, at least, when I have consumed green beans or green peas which I had formerly considered safe foods for me. I have eliminated most other legumes because they bothered me, before I knew about lectins. Now I find out green beans and peas are unsafe too (I thought it was only the dried legumes that were the problem.) So I am back on digestive enzymes three times a day, and am doing a trial "as total as I can" elimination of lectins, at least the foods that contain high concentrations. I have also been formerly safe with brown rice, but now when I look back I am wondering what was triggering all the other attacks and it could have been that because I thought it was "good" for me, not a no-no. I will let you know how it works out. I was puzzled, too, because I had not changed my diet in any way. So that is why I just threw it out there as an idea.

[GFinDC]

Well, what are the ingredients in the corn tortilla chips? What kind of oil are they fried in? If you get sick every time you eat them, then you may have developed an intolerance to one of the ingredients.

I used to eat Tostitos chips but can't now because I have a soy intolerance. No more Glutino pretzels either, they have soy lecithin. I've read that soy lecithin ought to be ok but it is not ok for me. I'd look at the ingredients of the chips. They may have changed an ingredient or a supplier of the ingredients.

I have read some bad things about lectins also.

[Lynayah]

I'm just tossing this out in the wind for what it's worth, but I am beginning to think that lectins are causing my residual problems. Corn is high in lectins and is also highly genetically modified. Lectins, if you start reading about them are nasty things that can interfere with a whole range of body systems and have some very unsavoury consequences, if what I have been reading is to be believed. I must qualify with that statement because it is taking a while to get to the bottom of this. Someone else posted something about lectins which has led to my research on this.

There are a lot of lectins in corn. It was the first known food I reacted to (other than caffeine). All the gluten (and non-gluten) grass grains are high in lectins and they seem to be a big role-player in celiac disease. But they are also contained in nightshades, corn, soy, legumes (all foods which I now have to avoid from personal experience). I just found out that green (string) beans and green peas also have lectins so that will free up some space in the vegetable garden, When you get rid of the corn, tomatoes, green beans, peas, peppers, eggplant, potatoes from the garden, it's amazing how much room you have. Brown rice is also high in lectins, which is why the Asians polish it. The rice bran contains the lectins. Get your B vitamins somewhere else, from a bottle if necessary. Lectins are also the reason that the Asians ferment their soy. After what I have read today about lectins, they are being banished from my diet as much as possible.

Are you able to tolerate non-GMO corn? Have you tried?

[mushroom]

Are you able to tolerate non-GMO corn? Have you tried?

I used to be able to. Now I'm reacting to it too. I first started reacting when I got to U.S. and started eating Mexican food. Always figured it was the corn, never thought about gluten. Never ate much corn in NZ, just corn on the cob, non-GMO (we have managed to keep it that way still ), so back here it used to be I could always eat the corn and the beef (grass-fed). Well, I can still do the beef, but not the corn any longer (same reaction as gluten, only milder).

[horsegirl]

Well, what are the ingredients in the corn tortilla chips? What kind of oil are they fried in? If you get sick every time you eat them, then you may have developed an intolerance to one of the ingredients.

I used to eat Tostitos chips but can't now because I have a soy intolerance. No more Glutino pretzels either, they have soy lecithin. I've read that soy lecithin ought to be ok but it is not ok for me. I'd look at the ingredients of the chips. They may have changed an ingredient or a supplier of the ingredients.

I have read some bad things about lectins also.

The brands of chips are Fritos corn chips, Kettle brand yellow tortilla chips, & another brand of tortilla chips that state "Gluten Free" on the front. All 3 have only the ingredients of corn, salt, & corn or canola oil. I read every label every time, to make sure there is no soy, because I cannot tolerate soy in any quantity. Maybe it's something totally different, but it seems suspicious that this has happened on 3 separate days in which I had chips. If it was the corn though, then wouldn't the Udi's bread I've been eating all week (because it's the only calming thing I'm tolerating) be upsetting too? It has corn starch as one if the ingredients in it. Could it have been the fat?

[mushroom]

I can tolerate, interestingly enough, small quantities of corn starch in baking. But someone baked some mostly corn grain scones of some type and I had a little taste of one and about died. It's an enigma. Sometimes I wonder if it is combinations of foods but haven't been able to figure it out yet. Someone else used to make some soy free pretzels (can't remember who now) and then Whole Foods stopped carrying them Have you tried Garden of Eatin' corn chips, which contain non GMO-corn. I used to be able to eat those.

[horsegirl]

Thanks for the information, Mushroom.

I truly hope this isn't a corn intolerance. I still find this very hard sometimes, even almost 3 years into it. I was just about to reintroduce dairy to see if I could tolerate it since I've been taking digestive enzymes (and didn't know dairy was even an issue until I was tested by Enterolab), & then this setback with whatever made me sick. I'm finally feeling almost normal again, & have lost 6+ pounds in 4 days just because my stomach has hurt so much I haven't wanted to eat much. Not the best way to lose weight, let me tell you!

[GFinDC]

The brands of chips are Fritos corn chips, Kettle brand yellow tortilla chips, & another brand of tortilla chips that state "Gluten Free" on the front. All 3 have only the ingredients of corn, salt, & corn or canola oil. I read every label every time, to make sure there is no soy, because I cannot tolerate soy in any quantity. Maybe it's something totally different, but it seems suspicious that this has happened on 3 separate days in which I had chips. If it was the corn though, then wouldn't the Udi's bread I've been eating all week (because it's the only calming thing I'm tolerating) be upsetting too? It has corn starch as one if the ingredients in it. Could it have been the fat?

Hi Horsegirl,

Seems like it would help to simplify things. Why not just eat one kind of chips for a while? At least you'll eliminate some of the possible problems. It could be there is cc happening in one of the production lines.

You could also eliminate all chips for a while and test the ingredients individually. If you don't have problems with the individual ingredients, then it almost has to be an issue introduced during production.

[horsegirl]

Hi Horsegirl,

Seems like it would help to simplify things. Why not just eat one kind of chips for a while? At least you'll eliminate some of the possible problems. It could be there is cc happening in one of the production lines.

You could also eliminate all chips for a while and test the ingredients individually. If you don't have problems with the individual ingredients, then it almost has to be an issue introduced during production.

Hi GFinDC,

I've already decided chips of any kind are on my "no no list" for awhile (maybe that's what I'm giving up for Lent??) I wanted to eat something last night but it was made with corn flour, so I avoided it, though I don't want to become paranoid either! I will rule out plain, cooked corn soon, once my stomach feels back to normal again. I hope that's not what it is!

[mommida]

I was gluten free and much better for 5 years. Started feeling bad in October after a sinus infection and major life stresses. I had major tightening/pressure of the upper stomach area, loss of appetite, queasy with some light vomiiting, pain in the lower ribs on my right side that went through my back, and had some type of attack. Went through every stupid test I never knew existed, and it is my gallbladder. I'm having surgery on Tuesday.

It's not always gluten or food intolerances. So keep a food journal and an open mind. It may be time to make a doctors appointment.

[GFinDC]

Sounds like you have a good plan there Horsegirl. Waiting until things settle down and then testing foods one at a time should work. I hope it is not corn also. I used to eat Fritos but haven't tried them in a long time.

[jerseyangel]

Best of luck on Tuesday, mommida!

[JBaby]

That pain seems familiar to me. Look into acute pancreatitis. I had the pains as you describe whne my gluten issues were severe and un diagnosed. My pancreatic enzymes were tetsted after the pain and 1 of them was slightly abnormal which i learned years later is an indication of celiac disease. I do have flare ups of that pain but my extremities did not feel as yours does. Google pancreatitis and then see your doc. I to was given the med for the heartburn feeling and it made it worse. With pancreatitis flare up your not suppose to eat nor drink for 3 days.

[horsegirl]

JBaby,

I thought about pancreatitis too, in the midst of the pain. However, after about 5 days the symptoms were gone, & now I feel back to normal again. Since I had similar symptoms back before I knew I couldn't eat soy, as well as when I had to go on the gluten trial for a diagnosis, I think it's either a cross contamination issue, or a new food intolerance. For now, I'm not eating corn, other than the corn starch that's in Udi's bread, because that doesn't seem to bother me.

Thanks!

[Lynayah]

I used to be able to. Now I'm reacting to it too. I first started reacting when I got to U.S. and started eating Mexican food. Always figured it was the corn, never thought about gluten. Never ate much corn in NZ, just corn on the cob, non-GMO (we have managed to keep it that way still ), so back here it used to be I could always eat the corn and the beef (grass-fed). Well, I can still do the beef, but not the corn any longer (same reaction as gluten, only milder).

Thank you for your reply. I am beginning to believe that non-GMO makes a big difference with some of us us gluten-intolerant folks. I have nothing to base it on other than gut (pun intended) instinct.

I hope others will post here, too. Thanks again.

[Lynayah]

I used to be able to. Now I'm reacting to it too. I first started reacting when I got to U.S. and started eating Mexican food. Always figured it was the corn, never thought about gluten. Never ate much corn in NZ, just corn on the cob, non-GMO (we have managed to keep it that way still ), so back here it used to be I could always eat the corn and the beef (grass-fed). Well, I can still do the beef, but not the corn any longer (same reaction as gluten, only milder).

PS: My reaction is much the same as yours: same but more mild. It is interesting.

[Lynayah]

The brands of chips are Fritos corn chips, Kettle brand yellow tortilla chips, & another brand of tortilla chips that state "Gluten Free" on the front. All 3 have only the ingredients of corn, salt, & corn or canola oil. I read every label every time, to make sure there is no soy, because I cannot tolerate soy in any quantity. Maybe it's something totally different, but it seems suspicious that this has happened on 3 separate days in which I had chips. If it was the corn though, then wouldn't the Udi's bread I've been eating all week (because it's the only calming thing I'm tolerating) be upsetting too? It has corn starch as one if the ingredients in it. Could it have been the fat?

If a company lists a product at gluten-free, that doesn't mean it isn't processed in a plant that also processes wheat. If soy isn't listed as an ingredient, that doesn't mean that the plant doesn't also process soy.

Everyone out there: Please correct me if I am wrong. Thank you!