Puffiness

[behappy123]

Does anyone have any idea what is causing my puffiness. I get it in my face, one cheeck in particulr, my eyelids become droopy, and I have this little puff above my left eye. This occurs every morning, and sometimes my face puffiness doesn't subside as the day goes.

I am off gluten and dairy, but don't have a confirmed diagnosis for my food intolerance issues etc.

I have been eating: corn nuts, almond milk, gluten free corn flakes, rice, turkey, gluten free bread, mustard, sushi. That's about it.

[emaegf]

Give up the corn. You may have an allergy it. Try it for a week and see if it subsides if not see your doctor it oculd be something else totally unrelated to foods.

[FooGirlsMom]

Here's a list of the top 8 allergens for foods. Being gluten-free you are obviously good with the wheat. I didn't realize until I went Gluten-Free that I was reacting to other things on this list. Milk & Soy for example (I don't eat shellfish anyway). Corn is one I'd add to this and make it 9. I react to corn too.

You can see that almonds are on this list. You might think about switching your milk to a gluten-free rice milk (be careful because Rice Dream is barley processed). I use So Delicious Coconut Milk just fine. The unsweetened is really good.

* Milk

* Eggs

* Peanuts

* Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts)

* Fish (such as bass, cod, flounder)

* Shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp)

* Soy

* Wheat

Here are some of the symptoms of sea food allergy:

Shellfish allergy symptoms include:

* Hives, itching or eczema

* Swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat, or other parts of the body

* Wheezing, nasal congestion or trouble breathing

* Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting

* Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting

* Tingling in the mouth

Hope you find your culprit!

FooGirlsMom

[frieze]

  On 1/3/2011 at 3:24 AM, behappy123 said:

Does anyone have any idea what is causing my puffiness. I get it in my face, one cheeck in particulr, my eyelids become droopy, and I have this little puff above my left eye. This occurs every morning, and sometimes my face puffiness doesn't subside as the day goes.

I am off gluten and dairy, but don't have a confirmed diagnosis for my food intolerance issues etc.

I have been eating: corn nuts, almond milk, gluten free corn flakes, rice, turkey, gluten free bread, mustard, sushi. That's about it.

do you sleep with a feather pillow? do you sleep primarily on the affected side?

[Skylark]

  On 1/3/2011 at 3:24 AM, behappy123 said:

Does anyone have any idea what is causing my puffiness. I get it in my face, one cheeck in particulr, my eyelids become droopy, and I have this little puff above my left eye. This occurs every morning, and sometimes my face puffiness doesn't subside as the day goes.

I am off gluten and dairy, but don't have a confirmed diagnosis for my food intolerance issues etc.

I have been eating: corn nuts, almond milk, gluten free corn flakes, rice, turkey, gluten free bread, mustard, sushi. That's about it.

Sounds like an allergy, either environmental or food. Does Benedryl at bedtime help? Are you working with an allergist?

I'd be suspicous of the corn or almonds as both are major allergens. If it's always at night, you may need to clean out your bedroom to eliminate dust mites, pet dander, and other airborn allergens. An allergist can tell you how to do this.

Your diet is awfully limited. As I mentioned in your other thread, you can get a lot more different foods to eat by adding fruits and vegetables.

[behappy123]

  On 1/3/2011 at 5:12 PM, frieze said:

do you sleep with a feather pillow? do you sleep primarily on the affected side?

No I don't have feather pillows, or sleep on the affected side any more than the other. I have even tried sleeping with my head elevated, and it doesn't help. I look horrible in the morning.

  On 1/3/2011 at 6:08 PM, Skylark said:

Sounds like an allergy, either environmental or food. Does Benedryl at bedtime help? Are you working with an allergist?

I'd be suspicous of the corn or almonds as both are major allergens. If it's always at night, you may need to clean out your bedroom to eliminate dust mites, pet dander, and other airborn allergens. An allergist can tell you how to do this.

Your diet is awfully limited. As I mentioned in your other thread, you can get a lot more different foods to eat by adding fruits and vegetables.

My Dr. refuses to refer me to an allergist, she said all I can do is eliminate things. UGH! I took Benadryl for 3 nights and it did nothing. Yes, my diet is rather pathetic as I am so annoyed that it seems as though no matter what I cut out, I get puffy or sick. I am going to try to cut out the almond milk, corn, and nuts, and see if maybe that works......

Thank you all for the help!!!

[Skylark]

As far as diet, if you can stand it turkey, rice, lettuce, and pears is a classic elimination diet. Lamb is even better but not many people are allergic to turkey. Those are very low-allergy foods. You'll probably get better if it's a food allergy. It is a little weird that you're not improving with the Benedryl though.

Here's some other info on other causes of facial swelling. Allergy is the most common but not the only possibility.

Open Original Shared Link

Allergist advice for bedrooms is as follows: Wash all the bedding in hot water to kill dust mites. This includes comforters and blankets. Remove as many rugs as possible, shampoo what's left. Clean up draperies or curtains as well. Minimize fabric decorations because they tend to trap dust, dander, and other allergens. Get allergy covers for pillows and mattress. Clean all the floor - no dust bunnies under the bed and dressers. Sleep with windows closed if possible to minimize pollen (less of a problem in winter) and don't allow pets into the bedroom if there is a chance you are sensitive to dander. Make sure the filters on your heating and air conditioning units are clean and functioning. This will often help if it's something environmental.

[behappy123]

  On 1/4/2011 at 6:17 AM, Skylark said:

As far as diet, if you can stand it turkey, rice, lettuce, and pears is a classic elimination diet. Lamb is even better but not many people are allergic to turkey. Those are very low-allergy foods. You'll probably get better if it's a food allergy. It is a little weird that you're not improving with the Benedryl though.

Here's some other info on other causes of facial swelling. Allergy is the most common but not the only possibility.

Open Original Shared Link

Allergist advice for bedrooms is as follows: Wash all the bedding in hot water to kill dust mites. This includes comforters and blankets. Remove as many rugs as possible, shampoo what's left. Clean up draperies or curtains as well. Minimize fabric decorations because they tend to trap dust, dander, and other allergens. Get allergy covers for pillows and mattress. Clean all the floor - no dust bunnies under the bed and dressers. Sleep with windows closed if possible to minimize pollen (less of a problem in winter) and don't allow pets into the bedroom if there is a chance you are sensitive to dander. Make sure the filters on your heating and air conditioning units are clean and functioning. This will often help if it's something environmental.

Thanks so much!

Yeah, well Benadryl does nothing, so I am confused, but if it's autoimmune then obvisouly Benadryl will not help.

I am lost.

I swear yesterday morning I woke up with allergic shiners along with my existing puffiness. I am going to cut out corn, nuts, and almond milk and see what happens.

Yah, I might try that diet, I need to figure this out, I'm losing hope.

[eatmeat4good]

Vitamin deficiencies can cause swelling and puffiness. Vitamin D and Vitamin C in particular though there may be others. Do you take vitamin/mineral supplements? I stumbled across that when I was dealing with the same thing- I increased C and D and started taking vitamins regularly-no missing days. Slowly that weird facial puffiness is going away. I think malabsorption makes your body retain fluid and when your nutrition improves so may the swelling. It may be worth a try

[Looking for answers]

For two months, I battled the same thing. Slowly, I realized in was almonds causing it for me...I had no other symptoms. After eliminating all tree nuts, the puffiness is gone. Now if I eat them, I also get stomach pain as if I were gluten. I would try eliminating all major allergens for a week or so and gradually add them back in (for me, sometimes it takes up to two days for an intolerance to hit).

[TPT]

Hmmmm. I'm not diagnosed with celiac. At least not yet. Since about May, I have had like a double bag under 1 eye. My eye doctor prescribed some meds that never helped. It is on the side I sleep on. It was really bad and puffy when it first started, but never went away.