New Here, And Sorry If This Has Been Asked Before..

[aggrolounge]

I tested negative for celiac (bloodwork and biopsies) but I don't know what you would call my problem. Gluten allergy, gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity..? Anyway, I've been gluten free for 8 months now and have done really well. I'm almost NOT underweight for the first time in my life. It seems like I have a threshold for how much gluten I can handle.. for example I very rarely get CC'd enough to feel very ill. I'm pretty careful, but I do eat out quite a bit.

My current problem is, I was so excited about trying these sweet potato fries at a local fast-foodish place that I didn't even notice they were battered (dumb, I know, spare me :[). I ate four of them before I noticed. I'm having symptoms like I did before the diet - constant diarrhea, fatigue, brain fog, aches, nausea, sensitive skin.

My question is - what do you guys do to cope with the sickness? I've already been sick for 3 days and other times I've screwed up it's lasted as long as 2 weeks. I am trying to interview several places since I just moved here and I just can't deal with the D. I've just been loading up on pepto bismol, which I'm sure isn't nice to my body. I can't figure out what to eat. I eat rice, I get sick. I eat fruit, I get sick. I eat dairy, I get sick.. etc, etc.

:[

I'm not even hungry right now but I can't afford to not eat with malnutrition and weight loss issues.. and all the anxiety/depression that brings along.

Thanks for reading, sorry that was longwinded!

- Heidi

[i-geek]

Oh, that's a bummer. Sorry you're feeling so ill. I'm not officially diagnosed either (negative for bloodwork on an incomplete panel, doc refused to test further so no biopsy), but determined last December that I had a gluten intolerance. I feel comfortable calling it celiac disease because of my family's strong history of autoimmune disease (on both sides) and the progressive gut damage following accidental intake (the reaction flares up, then my gut gets progressively more irritated as [i assume] the autoimmune lymphocytes kick into gear, then I lose the ability to digest certain foods for several weeks). I treat the condition as celiac disease and am extremely careful about foods now. I don't eat deep-fried foods in restaurants at all unless I KNOW that no gluten foods are fried in that oil (which pretty much restricts me to the fries at Five Guys). I made that mistake once (unbreaded chicken wings in a gluten-free sauce, but the wings were fried in the same oil as breaded foods) and boy, did I pay for that one.

Unfortunately everything will probably make you feel sick until your gut calms down a bit. Lay off the dairy- that will only prolong things. I took a bad accidental gluten hit a few weeks ago, a CC (from something that was supposedly gluten-free) last week, and now I can't digest dairy other than butter because my gut is so wrecked. The casein and lactose are just too much. I'm not having problems with rice, so my husband made a chicken and veg soup with white rice for me (he used our homemade chicken stock but we also like Pacific Naturals stock, which is gluten-free). That's generally settled well. You could leave out the rice, maybe add in some gluten-free corn or corn-quinoa pasta. Fruits can also be a problem due to the fructose so go easy on those. If you do eat fruit, try whole fruits rather than juice so there's some bulk to slow down the fructose (I'm having trouble with OJ right now for this reason). Maybe try veggies like baked potatoes or sweet potatoes, well-cooked carrots, etc. If you can't do anything other than sip chicken broth for a couple of days, that might not be a bad thing to give your gut a break. Hope you start finding some relief soon.

[aggrolounge]

Oh, that's a bummer. Sorry you're feeling so ill. I'm not officially diagnosed either (negative for bloodwork on an incomplete panel, doc refused to test further so no biopsy), but determined last December that I had a gluten intolerance. I feel comfortable calling it celiac disease because of my family's strong history of autoimmune disease (on both sides) and the progressive gut damage following accidental intake (the reaction flares up, then my gut gets progressively more irritated as [i assume] the autoimmune lymphocytes kick into gear, then I lose the ability to digest certain foods for several weeks). I treat the condition as celiac disease and am extremely careful about foods now. I don't eat deep-fried foods in restaurants at all unless I KNOW that no gluten foods are fried in that oil (which pretty much restricts me to the fries at Five Guys). I made that mistake once (unbreaded chicken wings in a gluten-free sauce, but the wings were fried in the same oil as breaded foods) and boy, did I pay for that one.

Unfortunately everything will probably make you feel sick until your gut calms down a bit. Lay off the dairy- that will only prolong things. I took a bad accidental gluten hit a few weeks ago, a CC (from something that was supposedly gluten-free) last week, and now I can't digest dairy other than butter because my gut is so wrecked. The casein and lactose are just too much. I'm not having problems with rice, so my husband made a chicken and veg soup with white rice for me (he used our homemade chicken stock but we also like Pacific Naturals stock, which is gluten-free). That's generally settled well. You could leave out the rice, maybe add in some gluten-free corn or corn-quinoa pasta. Fruits can also be a problem due to the fructose so go easy on those. If you do eat fruit, try whole fruits rather than juice so there's some bulk to slow down the fructose (I'm having trouble with OJ right now for this reason). Maybe try veggies like baked potatoes or sweet potatoes, well-cooked carrots, etc. If you can't do anything other than sip chicken broth for a couple of days, that might not be a bad thing to give your gut a break. Hope you start finding some relief soon.

Yeah I may try a potato first. Or maybe rice? I'm not sure. I mean the last few times I've been sick I've peaked at day 3 so I'm hoping today will be better but idk.

Thinking about maybe getting enzymes to help but I have no idea what to get.

[WheatChef]

The best bet is to treat it before you eat something with gluten. Consumption of regular probiotics, either in capsule or from something like yogurt/kefir/real sauerkraut/kimchi, actually decreases the permeability of your intestinal lining which is the opposite of what gluten does to it. As long as I'm regularly taking probiotics, whenever I get glutened, the symptoms are far less severe or chronic.

However it sounds like you are looking for immediate advice for this particular circumstance. I would highly recommend you focus on anti-inflammatory foods seeing as how the gluten will be causing all sorts of inflammation. Fish oils, coconut water/oil, green tea, any of the cruciferous vegetables, citrus, nuts, just about any culinary herb, aloe vera and avocados. If you can keep them down they should help some.

[aggrolounge]

The best bet is to treat it before you eat something with gluten. Consumption of regular probiotics, either in capsule or from something like yogurt/kefir/real sauerkraut/kimchi, actually decreases the permeability of your intestinal lining which is the opposite of what gluten does to it. As long as I'm regularly taking probiotics, whenever I get glutened, the symptoms are far less severe or chronic.

However it sounds like you are looking for immediate advice for this particular circumstance. I would highly recommend you focus on anti-inflammatory foods seeing as how the gluten will be causing all sorts of inflammation. Fish oils, coconut water/oil, green tea, any of the cruciferous vegetables, citrus, nuts, just about any culinary herb, aloe vera and avocados. If you can keep them down they should help some.

Thank you. That's funny - I had noticed on my own that avocados seem to go over well anytime I am sick. I'm dealing with bronchitis and fever/nausea currently in addition so it's making it harder than it usually is for me. Have to admit, I haven't been consistent with my probiotics but I'm jumping back on that now. I just got a new one with a billion kinds of probiotics in it so I hope that helps.