Trying To Find A Solution

[jenarieb]

Hi there! I'm new to this, and I'm sure there's been posts like this in the past. I'll tell you a little about myself.

I was once a relatively healthy person, but once I hit my 20s, I began having odd symptoms here and there that cannot be easily explained. I was diagnosed with depression and ADHD in my 20s. I was tested for allergies and found no food allergies but indoor/outdoor allergies, some of which struck me as odd. I had a rhinoscopy done and no problems found.

However, I feel that what I do have is potentially food related. I went low carb once (long before I ever heard of celiac or gluten intolerance) and I felt good. Also around that time when I began eating carbs again, I tried seitan and felt absolutely sick to my stomach and hurt a while after both times trying it. I still feel generally blah and unwell. I have a dry cough; post nasal drip; prone to bruising; diminished sense of smell; irritable; foggy; headaches; stomach discomfort; bloating and gas; constipation and diarrhea (not to sound gross but my bowel movements come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colors and textures, some of which are definitely not normal looking); rippled fingernails (not always noticeable because I keep my nails short for work); and of course occasional depression and ADHD. The ADHD suddenly manifested in my late 20s, and as to why it suddenly appeared then I do not know.

As I read about food intolerance's, I felt that maybe some of my issues are related to that. Diet plays a huge role but when I discussed this possibility with a physician, just this morning, pills were again suggested and another allergy panel, even when I stated many times that I tested negative for food allergies. I feel somewhat defeated right now.

I am not sure what I should do. I have thought of a naturopathic doctor, someone who won't be so quick to suggest more pills that I know will truly do nothing. I've tried medications for allergies, depression and the ADHD and not one of them really does a thing for me. I noticed blood test kits you can do at home, but not sure what to think of those. Anyone have a suggestion on what I can do or what they've tried and found that worked? Any input would be appreciated =)

[Skylark]

I sorted out my issues with an allergy elimination diet. I ate nothing but rice, lamb, and greens for two weeks and felt WAY better. If you feel better on the elimination diet, you know it's a food issue. Then add foods back every few days and see what you're reacting to.

The one thing that turned out tricky for me was that while I has a strong and noticeable reaction to wheat, I didn't react much to rye or barley. I happened to want to lose weight and tried dropping the remaining processed carbs (no rye crackers or breads) and suddenly some remaining minor, nagging problems went away and I realized I was gluten-intolerant.

[jenarieb]

Thank you for your response I am looking into starting an elimination diet and hope doing that will find the cause of some of my problems.