I Have Many Questions

[Essyana]

Hi I am a newbie here. A friend told me to come here. I was diagnosed with hypo-glycemis when I was 30 yo. I 50 in Nov. I've been to many Drs. and nobody found out where that was coming from. I went on a low carb diet and found out I was allergic to many foods. Dairy , tree nuts, soy , eggs and more. My questions are what do I do. I'm at wits end. I weighed 252 lbs. I went on an elimination diet a few months ago. I have fatigue, sore joints. swelling in my tummy and face. Yesterday we were 230 miles away from home so I had to eat something and I ate pizza. So bad!! I woke up with lung conjestion ,stuffed up nose, low grade fever, rash all over my back, bloated tummy,swollen face, rash on neck and my lip. I've been sick for a long time and they couldn't find out what it was. Except for yesterday I 've been eating organic veggies and wild cuaght meats.

I'm very poor , we live on my husband VA diability. I have no INS. Drs are now out. I'm trying to figure this out. A friend said I may have celiac disease.

When I went on the elimination diet I notice the swelling going down . I now weigh 192 lbs. Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is a tough road.

Thank you

[Lesliean]

Welcome to the boards and I am so sorry for what you are going through. You certainly sound like something is going on with food sensitivities that may include Celiac disease. Celiac disease has many symptoms but often includes problems with the gut like diarhea, constipation, gas, pain...

Doctors can do blood tests for Celiac disease and with all the problems you are having I would think they would be willing to. This article talks about the disease symptoms and blood tests:

Open Original Shared Link

Here is the fact page for celiac.com with answers to common questions:

https://www.celiac.com/st_main.html?p_catid...-27105127989.a5

I really wish you good luck and keep writing to let us know how you are and how we can help.

Leslie

[jknnej]

I' m so sorry to hear about your situation.

It is very tough when you don't have insurance. I don't even know how to advise you because I am not familiar enough myself with the insurance situation. Does your husband's VA cover you as well? Are you eligible for any state sponosred health insurance due to income situations?

I assume probably not since you wrote the post...

if you feel better on the elimination diet I would say, stay on it! It is tough because some foods can cost more, but I think if you're careful with your shopping you can do it.

I wish I could think of a way to help you!

We're here for you if you need us,

Jennifer

[antmimi]

That definately sounds like a food allergy. Stay away from pizza and start eliminating things from your diet. When you start feeling a little better, start adding things (BUT do it SLOWLY).

Try fish. I am eating cod. That doesn't sting my stomach.

[antmimi]

One more question, Have you taken any drugs lately, like tylenol, ibuprophen, antibiotics? And does the soreness feel like fire?

[antmimi]

If your rash grows and you feel like you are on fire, you might look into Stevens Johnson's Syndrome. That is from allergies to medicines. And if you have that, RUN, don't walk to the emergency room.

[lambchop]

I know that is so rough when finances are tight (or nonexistent). I wouldn't have been able to deal with my systemic candidas and celiac without my parents help. I started back to school when diag. and the medications and supplements and doctor visits were about $200 to $400 a month. My insurance only covered part of the costs.

Try going on a very bland diet for several weeks or months - very soft foods like rice, applesauce, bananas. When my stomach acts up I'll do this for a week to help it calm down and get the swelling to go down then slowly add the foods back in. My diet consists of rice, potatoes, applesauce and some cheese and butter (I'm not dairy sensative). On occassion I'll add other stuff, but this diet is very safe, although not very nutritional. I take liquid vitamins to make up for it. I try to drink some kind of protein drink since I rarely have any. I stick to safe for the most part and it's pretty cheap (I'm a poor nursing student, so funds are tight).

Since you can't go to the doctor then eliminate gluten, just go and read all these boards and past posts, you will learn alot. Get some book on gluten intolerance and if being on the diet for several months you feel better then just stick with it. It takes about 4 to 6 months before you really notice any difference, so stick with it. You don't need a doctors note to know if the diet is working or not, if it is then there is your answer, don't have the pizza even if you are 300 miles from home, it isn't worth it - I'm sure they had salad or something. Just look at food and ask yourself if the pain and sickness is worth eating that.

Good Luck,

Leslie

[Essyana]

Thank you everybody! Ihad the pizza because I wasn't really thinking. I am now reading past posts and it is helping alot. Thanks again. I'm sure I will have more quesions in the future.

[srdover]

I don't know what area you live in but you should check with your local hospitals to see if they offer any sort of "clinic" for patients who are unable to pay for healthcare. They may call it an "ambulatory care clinic" or "free clinic" or perhaps another name. In the area I live, the larger hospitals offer these services.

You may also want to check with Social Services in your area to see if you qualify for Medicaid. With that, you would get coverage for medications as well as healthcare.

Another option to be aware of is that if you are prescribed medicine you cannot afford to pay for, check with the company who makes the medicine and see if they offer any sort of "compassionate care" program. Some companies offer this program where they will provide the medication free of charge to patients who cannot afford to pay for it.

Good luck!

[lucky28]

Essyana--I too don't have the extra to spend on special foods etc. I don't know where you live but here are some suggestions for shopping

Check in the mex-spanish "goya" section of food store I have found rice flour sooo much cheaper than the health food store ($1+/- a lb)-easy pancakes

potatoes

rice

frozen & garden veggies (my garden is 2.5ft by 8ft and I grow strawberries, tomatoes and zucchini and weed 1x week

meats

chicken

It really is easy to follow a gluten-free diet, - It's much more labor intensive but it can be inexpensive if you just be careful of the food you choose. One thing I crave is mac and cheese but now I just use rice with Kraft lowfat 2% fat shredded cheese (0% lactose). I know it's not the same but it is still cheesy goodness. for sandwiches I use 100% corn tortillas and make a "wrap sandwich" they are about $5 for 200 tortillas (at least here they are)

anyway, I'm extremely tired- 3 12hr shifts in a row but I'll post more after I get some sleep.