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Food Allergies & Intestinal Healing


Emme999

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Emme999 Enthusiast

Howdy :)

I came across this last night and thought I'd share it with you guys (welcoming your feedback, of course!). I am allergic to dairy, eggs, & sesame so I'm always trying to determine just how careful I need to be so that my body will heal more quickly. This little bit of info. seems relevant!

Food Allergies: The Complicating Factor

When the integrity of the intestinal barrier has been compromised, intestinal toxins are not the only pathogens to be absorbed. The barrier, in a healthy state, selectively allows digested nutrients to enter the small intestine when all is ready. With leaky gut, nutrients can be absorbed before they are fully digested. The body’s immune response, through specific antigen-antibody markers, will tag some of these foods as foreign irritants. Every time that particular food touches the epithelia, an inflammatory immune response is mounted which further damages the epithelial lining. What started as a Candida irritation with shrinking of the cells has now been complicated with active inflammation every time a particular food is eaten. Food allergies are a common secondary problem to Candida, and if present, will maintain the leaky gut continuously, even if the Candida is eradicated.

The most common food allergies are dairy, eggs, gluten grains (wheat, oats, rye), corn, beans (especially soy), and nuts. There are seldom real allergies to meat, rice, millet, vegetables, or fruit, although an allergy to garlic is not uncommon. We have to distinguish a real allergy - that which causes a histamine inflammatory reaction at the site of the SI epithelia - from sensitivity, which may cause uncomfortable symptoms, but seldom is damaging. Sensitivities are usually due to low stomach acid or pancreatic enzyme secretion, that is, poor digestion. In the healing of the intestinal lining, exposure to a significant allergy can sabotage the treatment. For example, one may be very good at restricting wheat, dairy and eggs, but then compromises the treatment by taking garlic tablets.

(from: Open Original Shared Link - regarding leaky gut syndrome)

Anyway - since I'm posting.. I'll see what else I can find :) Let me know if you have any info on this please :)

- Michelle :wub:

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Carriefaith Enthusiast

That makes sence... If you eat something that you are allergic to, it would make sence that it would slow the healing process. The body should focus on healing; however, it makes sence that eating foods that you are intolerant to or not getting enough rest would delay the healing process.

It's really annoying that the most common food allergins are in EVERYTHING! :rolleyes: Just think about it... gluten, dairy, corn, soy, nuts, and eggs are everywhere!

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jenvan Collaborator

That is an interesting article Michelle. I do believe that the reliability of food intolerance tests and the theory of them is a bit shady... When I had my tests done I discussed them with the dietician/biochemist at the lab and she said we couldn't be sure whether eating the foods that tested high would actually 'do' anything to my body. So, I am trying to go through and eliminate some of them and see if it makes a noticeable difference.

I do agree with what the article says about intolerances not being 'true' allergies, and the result of a leaky gut. My intolerance test concluded that I was intolerant to the top 8 allergens, gluten of course, and a slew of fruits and vegetables. I don't think its realistic for me to cut all those out, or that I even need to. Hopefully in time, as I do heal, many of those intolerances should disappear.

On the other hand though, I haven't noticed much improvement in some of the ways I feel, and perhaps my food intolerances are pepetuating that ? Its so hard to know what's really going on. I have read the SCD book and am going to make a decision about trying it after my next round of blood tests.

So, at this point I think its hard to tell how much intolerant foods do or do not affect healing in our gut. There has been so little tests and studies done. Hopefully someone will conduct some in the future... Those are my current thoughts...they may change eventually :P

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rmmadden Contributor

Michelle,

First off I wanted to say that you are one of my favorite "Posters" on this board. You really choose interesting topics and it seems you also do your homework.....Thanks!

After reading this post I wondered how many celiac disease people have also been tested for other allergies? I did the at-home York test but they lost my sample and I've yet to be retested. I need to get that done so I know what else to avoid (I do keep a food journal but as Jen said it's hard to know what exactly is going on). So, I just keep plugging away and hope that tomorrow is a better day.

Thanks Again & Best Of Luck To All!

Cleveland Bob B)

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Emme999 Enthusiast

Carrie - Good point!! All of these omnipresent allergenic foods are a pain in the butt!!

Jen - I questioned the validity of the tests at first too (I had mine done in the middle of March). I had been "enjoying" whey protein drinks, whey protein bars, and a ton of cheese on a regular basis. When it came up with a dairy allergy, I was like.. "No way!!" But I cut all the allergens out and crazy things started happening. I'd been in horrible pain from bursitis for months and it went away. My wrist (which was broken or fractured in an accident a long time ago and never healed - but hurt sporadically) stopped hurting. My skin wasn't so freakishly pale. Etc. - Then a few times I've decided to "test" it and see what happens when I ingest something I'm allergic to. Never a good idea :P! My wrist starts hurting within two hours and occassionally my knee freaks out. And *now* (something I didn't feel before) my stomach cramps and hurts for hours (especially with eggs - wow). So, anyway, I've become a believer just from my own experience.

Bob - Thanks :)

I was also wondering how many people with celiac disease have other unchecked allergies that are slowing/preventing their healing. I really think that everyone with celiac disease should at least be tested (through blood test) for the top 8 allergens, if nothing else.

I had the blood test because I figured the "elimination" thing would take forever. Especially because food stays in your body so long! Please read this link: Open Original Shared Link - I've probably posted it about a hundred times but it's so informative & brilliant that I have to post it again. Here is a piece of it that discusses why it is so incredibly difficult to figure out your allergenic foods (or sensitivities) by yourself:

Reasons Why Your Hidden Food Sensitivities May Not Have Been Detected

Most of us can recognize an immediate food reaction (like sneezing five minutes after eating a tomato) and a few of us can recognize some foods which cause delayed symptoms, particularly if they are eaten infrequently. However, for the ten reasons listed below, most delayed type food reactions are not known to the patient and his or her physician.

1. Summation of Feedings

Food molecules are absorbed into the bloodstream when it enters the mouth, and absorption continues for about three or four days. However, it may last up to seven or more days in some instances, particularly in the presence of constipation.

When a food is eaten daily or several times daily, a high blood level of that food is maintained. Then a reaction to a given food occurs while the patient is still reacting to one or more previous meals of the same food, and may also be reacting to one or more previous meals of other allergenic foods as well. Symptoms thus tend to be almost chronic. They seem unrelated to a given meal or a given food.

Anything that causes an increased rate of absorption of a food from the digestive tract is more apt to cause the emergence of symptoms. Increased rates of absorption can occur from intestinal diseases, diarrhea, or taking alcoholic beverages with the food. It can also occur when eating the food on an empty stomach such as when first arising in the morning. Exercising vigorously soon after taking an allergenic food also seems to increase the rate of emergence of symptoms.

2. Delayed and Prolonged Reactions

One problem that has made delayed food allergy difficult to diagnose in the past is that most physicians did not realize that a reaction, even a sudden, severe one, may occur so late and continue for so long a time after a given allergenic food is eaten even once. We did not recognize that such a reaction might not begin or noticeably emerge for many hours and might then last or recur repeatedly for days.

Furthermore, the individual may have eaten several meals in the past few days so that all these portions of the food are absorbing almost simultaneously from different segments of the gastrointestinal tract, causing daily or chronic symptoms.

3. Great Number of Food Ingredients in the System

Most people eat three or more meals daily. Each meal usually contains at least five to ten food ingredients. These foods continue absorbing for about three days. Simple arithmetic tells us that we can consume 15-30 different foods per day or 45-90 over a three day period. All these could potentially influence our immunologic mechanisms. This is a conservative figure since many processed foods such as bakery products, packaged cereals, dried or canned mixtures, mayonnaise, salad dressing, etc., may contain dozens or scores of ingredients. So a person on an average diet may have several hundred food ingredients in his gastrointestinal tract and bloodstream any time. These are not all allergenic, but the potential is there, increasing the difficulty of detecting individual allergens.

There are actually 10 reasons listed, but I think the first three are particularly meaningful. Check out the article for more.

Later guys :)

- Michelle :wub:

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jenvan Collaborator

Michelle-

That is awesome what you figured out with milk! I would looove it if my fibro pain was caused by milk :) I am still experimenting with it...dairy free at the moment. I definitely think there is something to it all...just not sure what sometimes!

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Emme999 Enthusiast

Jen -

Wouldn't it be great if *everyone* was able to figure out what intensifies their pain? Here is a post I did previously on "Allergy Pains" : Open Original Shared Link

I hope you are able to reduce your pain Jen!!

- Michelle :wub:

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Guest GITRDONE

THIS INFO IS AWESOME. BUT I HAVE TWO ?? FIRST WHAT IS THE SCD BOOK???

AND ARE YOU SEEING A ALLERGIST OR A GI DOCTOR TO FIND YOUR ALLERGIES?? :huh:

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Emme999 Enthusiast

I went to a conventional allergist doctor and it was a total waste of time. She tested me for about 36 foods using the skin scratch test and determined that I was allergic to *nothing* then treated me like a neurotic patient and suggested I get some psychological counseling. :angry: Unbelievable!

Fortunately, I had read in other areas that skin testing only reveals about IgE-mediated allergies (which account for a mere 10-15% of all food allergies). These are immediate responses, and most food allergies are not immediate. "IgE antibodies are generally associated with reactions and responses that are very near the time of exposure. The effects of an IgG mediated response are usually delayed, sometimes hours or even days after exposure." (Quoted from my little allergy papers from US BioTek labs, who did my allergy testing.)

You need to have ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) blood testing done to effectively determine your food allergies. It's a simple blood draw, and at the laboratory they introduce different foods to your serum to determine if there is an antibody reaction. A lot of people had them done through York Labs. Great Smokies & US BioTek labs are also good.

Keep in mind that most conventional doctors don't use the ELISA blood testing yet. For some ridiculous reason, the AMA doesn't condone it's use yet. Your best bet is to find a naturopathic doctor or a M.D. who is open to alternative medicine. You can also contact the various labs online and they should be able to provide you with a list of doctors who use their testing methods near you.

The SCD is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet - a book that is supposed to be able to help your intestines heal more quickly by introducing the right foods at the right time. I haven't tried it, or read the book - but it appears to be very difficult and restrictive to me. I doubt that I could do it with my lifestyle and food allergies. If you can, it might be the way to go :)

Good luck! :)

- Michelle :wub:

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jenvan Collaborator

gitrdone-

Go here to ck out the site of the creator of the SCD diet. Open Original Shared Link

I haven't been able to find it yet, but there is also a thread here of those who are doing the SCD and are having success with it. That is a good resource too.

Okay, this isn't the thread I was looking for, but its another on SCD.

Open Original Shared Link

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cynicaltomorrow Contributor

I know there are a lot of people out there who have success with the SCD, but I was on it for about 7 months and wish I never started the damn thing. I now get bloated everytime I eat ANYthing. I'm afraid this diet caused much more damage than good... and think perhaps it intensified some underlying IBS or something. I'm now thinking about going to the doctor to see what he can do about the bloating.

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Jnkmnky Collaborator

My celiac disease kid has no other allergies that I'm aware of. I get concerned reading here how celiacs tend to have a bunch of accompanying food allergies/intolerances. I wonder if it's because I caught him early enough?? Or, and this may tick some people off....I wonder if some Celiacs start *looking* for more food issues??? Is that too rotton to suggest? I don't mean to be rude, but food can become an obsession quite easily for an older person who has suffered for decades with REAL symptoms of celiac disease, then finds it's the FOOD causing the problem. I think it may be a viscious cycle. OR I COULD BE WRONG. I just don't know. I tend to think that the food allergies everyone talks about here might be a little psychological. BUT totally understandable! :unsure:

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Emme999 Enthusiast
My celiac disease kid has no other allergies that I'm aware of.  I get concerned reading here how celiacs tend to have a bunch of accompanying food allergies/intolerances.  I wonder if it's because I caught him early enough??  Or, and this may tick some people off....I wonder if some Celiacs start *looking* for more food issues???  Is that too rotton to suggest?  I don't mean to be rude, but food can become an obsession quite easily for an older person who has suffered for decades with REAL symptoms of celiac disease, then finds it's the FOOD causing the problem.  I think it may be a viscious cycle.  OR I COULD BE WRONG.  I just don't know.  I tend to think that the food allergies everyone talks about here might be a little psychological.  BUT totally understandable!  :unsure:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I hate to burst your condescension bubble, but my food allergies were documented by a blood test. I'm not "looking" for any more difficulties in life, nor do I think anyone else here is. We have enough irritation already.

BTW - this is probably not a good place to say that people's reactions are "psychological" - a *lot* of people here (including me) have been told that their physical problems are really mental ones for a long time. I have to say that I'm more than a little irritated to read your insensitive comment. It was quite thoughtless actually. Rude, in fact. This is not the place to suggest that these problems are "all in our head." I've heard that too many times before.

So - yes, I think it's a rotten comment. Why would you say something like that when this is the reaction you expect? Do you *want* to upset people?

Also, I imagine that untreated celiac disease can lead to other food allergies because of the increased permeability of the intestinal tract, allowing food particles to be released into the bloodstream where they are attacked with an immune response (read a little about 'leaky gut').

You have a valid question - if your catching your childs celiac disease early enough might prevent other food allergies from developing, but I can't think of a more inconsiderate way for you to have posed your thoughts than the way you just did.

- Michelle

p.s. I'd like to add that it might just be that when people become aware of the fact that food might make them ill, they start paying more attention to how their body reacts to what they eat. We're just looking to be healthier, not trying to be masochistic or needy or paranoid. The people here are aggressively seeking wellness, not looking for more ways to suffer.

p.p.s. I hope your child grows up healthier because of the celiac being caught early, and never finds themself talking to someone like you who suggests that his/her problems with food (like gluten) "might be a little psychological." Maybe you ought to think about that before you start throwing those thoughtless comments at us.

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Jnkmnky Collaborator

OUCH! I am sorry for upsetting you and anyone else who reads my post. I have a myopic view of this as I stated BECAUSE my child has no other allergies/sensitivities. So I merely voiced my thoughts from my limited experiences. NOT condemning those who have other allergies/intolerances....real ones, or not. I'm not judging you or anyone else. I thought perhaps, SOME sensitivities were a result of years of debilitating/undiagnosed celiac disease....OR a result of finally finding out food can do the damage undiagnosed celiac disease does. Please accept my appologies.

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Jnkmnky Collaborator

Wait a minute. I do have a point that psychological food issues can arise after years of undiagnosed celiac disease is finally found. I wasn't being mean and accusing you or anyone else of being masochistic or looking for attention. I think people who've been suffering for decades as a result of the "healthy" foods they've been eating, have a very real potential for looking at all food as possibly causing other pains. I think that's reasonable. Frankly, I think you misunderstood my concern...as that's what it was. I was in no way trying to offend. Glad you had tests to confirm your other food issues. I would also point out that there could be a host of other problems with some of these tests that start itemizing additional food "problems" on and on to the point where a person is limited to very few, select foods that won't bring them to their knees. The problem being that some of these tests may not be accurate and lead a person to fear so many foods that they become too limited to many things in life.

I don't think my point needs to be beaten up because you or someone else is touchy about it. I think you were being defensive. I didn' t attack you personally, but your comment calling me "someone like you" was very direct. If all I've done is bring a subject to the table, what harm is there? If a decade of pain from undiagnosed Celiac makes a person jumpy about food in general, that's a psychological reaction, and an understandable consequence of being undiagnosed for so long.

I also suggested that the lack of food allergies in my child could be attributed to early dx. In either case BOTH REASONS indicate a NEED to dx early. Just because you don't like "psychological" ramifications as a result of prolonged suffering doesn't mean they're not BOTH a realistic consequence.

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nikki-uk Enthusiast

It does seem to be the adults celiac disease'ers get more sensitivities and intolerances than the kids.But is this because the adults struggled to get a dx for many years-meanwhile all sorts of damage happening to their immune system and digestive system.

Those dx in childhood do seem to have a better outlook-children never suffer from Refractory Coeliac Disease(non responsive to gluten-free diet.)

My husband suffers from Refractory celiac disease and is currently on steroids.Hehas spend nearly all our married life looking for answers,seeing different doctors-most implied his ailments were in his head.

I cannot deny that my dh does have an odd relationship with food..In the past I begun to wonder if he had anorexia.

Now he's been dx with celiac disease his behaviour towards food makes sense(to me anyway!).I think that maybe as far back as a child he made an unconscious association with food and pain.

He's always eat like a sparrow-never known him to 'pig out'.Also he was always very very fussy about the circumstance he eat.We rarely ate out as he has a problem eating something he hasn't prepared himself.(put him in good stead for celiac disease!)

However, if you see him after he's had milk(extreme cramps and headaches)or fruits(projectile vomiting,migraines)there's no doubt that this is real.He doesn't need any more digestive problems!

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AnnieMarie Apprentice

Hello,

Thanks for this info. Michelle. I'm gratefull to have found out that I have gluten intolerancae and I am only sad that I did not look for an answer sooner. It only took a mention at my colonoscopy visit and my Dr. was testing me.

But I know that even though I have improved in a lot of ways there is still something else going on. My improvements are dramatic!Just a few months ago my hands hurt sooo bad that I could not open a jar and keeping my job was in jeopardy. My fatigue was so bad I became nervous driving. I'm gratefull for these improvements.,however I am just getting over a rash on my faces and still experienceing audible bowel sounds when eating certain foods such as some cheeses,any candy, and fruits. So I am looking into your info.

As for my 12 yr. old son it is harder to tell with him. Unfortunately I think he has had this problem all his life and he may not know what it is to feel "normal". He still is not eating well. I breast fed him and he was a fussy baby. Seen the pediatrican about his "food issues" on and off his whole life. The pediatrican never suspected gluten because childrens reactions are usually more violent he said . He was surprised that my son's test came back positive! So if mine come back positive I may test him further too.

As for my other son who is now 18 this might surprise you. I breast fed him as well but here is the unusual thing about him. When introducing solid foods he would not eat meat! Even when I tried to cleverly diguise it with another food, he would know and spit it right back out. So he was a self starter vegetarian. He stayed that way until about 12 yrs. of age. Thank goodness he did not test positive. But he is also eating some gluten free foods now too! Hey those pankcake and waffles are good!!!!

Thanks Again for the info.

Warm Reguards,

Annie

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skbird Contributor

I, and people close to me, have had many moments of thinking, god, how many food problems can you have? I mean, what does a person eat at some point?

I first discovered a food problem 6 years ago, and no thanks to medical science or even the internet, really, when I discovered I get very sick from nightshade vegetables. I can remember even as a teen asking my mom if it was possible to be allergic to potatoes, and us both laughing about it - but I would often end up getting the "stomach flu" after eating potatoes with the skins on them (90% of the potato's solanine is located in the skin). But even with the dramatic improvements in my health after removing nightshades, I didn't even come close to thinking about other foods. I mean, who has more than one food problem? I even would go online and see how many food intolerances people had listed in their signatures and think, god, how is that possible, horrible to be them!

But at some point I was told I was hypoglycemic and sugar and most starches had to go. Then when I started wheat again, problems came back, big time. So wheat went. Then gluten. Then dairy, but that came back. Still, there were problems. Out went alcohol, out went shellfish. Still something was not right. That's when I put together the aspergillus problem. Now I don't seem to have problems with the foods I should be ok with, unless they are contaminated. And when you have that many food problems, contamination is easy. So it's like walking in a mine field.

But I am not paranoid about it nor do I think I have an unhealthy fixation on all of this, because it improves my life, not lessens it. I think there may be something to leaky gut and all this, I also think my nightshade problem could have been contributing to the underlying connective tissue disease I am looking at now.

I think it's very important to be careful when discussing the idea of people inventing more food problems. No one wants more. Sure, we may still feel like poop and we still may be eating something we can't have. Could be leaky gut, could be lack of balanced nutrition/malabsorption, could be that there are so many pollutants and insecticides permeating our food supply at this point, no wonder we have so many food problems. I consider myself a canary in the coalmine on this issue, we need to clean up our collective act or many more people will end up going down the path of multiple-food-sensitivities.

Stephanie

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Jnkmnky Collaborator

"I think it's very important to be careful when discussing the idea of people inventing more food problems."

I was careful. But being careful doesn't mean NOT bringing it up at all. The notion that an extended, undiagnosed food intolerance that causes any number of 200 symptoms that drs attribute to everything BUT the actual problem....and then in no way has a psychological effect afterwards, is denial at it's worst. I'm not saying everyone here with a food allergy along with the dxd Gluten intolerance is fabricating, imagining the additional food problems. I only asked if people were considered psychological causes for some of the additional food sensitivities. I also wondered if catching celiac disease early prevents additional food sensitivies/allergies. I can see where years of inflammation and leaky gut can result in actual additional sensitivities. That makes sense. But to adamently deny psychological ramifications to years of undiagnosed food issues isn't very realistic. It's not a crime of an outright weakness of character to suffer mentally after years of suffering. Psychological distortions after years of suffering are not something to be ashamed of. If anyone here thinks they're helping by denying the possibility, think again. How can someone seek help if they're told it's in no way possible or that it's too embarassing to have mental issues after years of physical and mental distress?

I'm not hostile, so please don't take my post that way. I feel as a spectator to this disease, that it goes deeper than the physical reaction to food once you add in years of suffering. I also have the privlege of having a son dx early. Who, maybe as a result of that, has no other food problems. I brought up the points only to underscore a need for early diagnosis in either case. I guess there's actually Three ways of looking at this....1 early dx-no/few food sensitivities

2 late dx-- additonal food sensitivities

3 late dx-- psychological trauma/fear of food.

The best case scenario would be early dx for all.

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Emme999 Enthusiast
It does seem to be the adults celiac disease'ers get more sensitivities and intolerances than the kids.But is this because the adults struggled to get a dx for many years-meanwhile all sorts of damage happening to their immune system and digestive system.

Those dx in childhood do seem to have a better outlook-children never suffer from Refractory Coeliac Disease(non responsive to gluten-free diet.)

My husband suffers from Refractory celiac disease and is currently on steroids.Hehas spend nearly all our married life looking for answers,seeing different doctors-most implied his ailments were in his head.

I cannot deny that my dh does have an odd relationship with food..In the past I begun to wonder if he had anorexia.

Now he's been dx with celiac disease his behaviour towards food makes sense(to me anyway!).I think that maybe as far back as a child he made an unconscious association with food and pain.

He's always eat like a sparrow-never known him to 'pig out'.Also he was always very very fussy about the circumstance he eat.We rarely ate out as he has a problem eating something he hasn't prepared himself.(put him in good stead for celiac disease!)

However, if you see him after he's had milk(extreme cramps and headaches)or fruits(projectile vomiting,migraines)there's no doubt that this is real.He doesn't need any more digestive problems!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nikki -

I think your husband is a lucky man to have someone so caring about his celiac disease and food allergies that they look for more info for them online :)

I imagine it must have been rough for *both* of you while he was seeking answers to his problems. I went to one doctor in particular who really hurt me. It was actually an allergy doctor! After testing me for food allergies (via skin scratch test) she determined that I didn't have *any* allergies and gave me the business card of a psychologist. I was with my boyfriend and he was also infuriated that she treated me like a "head case." After the appointment we went out to his car and I just sobbed.. I was trying so hard to figure out what was wrong with me and the allergist was one of the last hopes. And then to have her suggest that it was a mental problem... wow. Fortunately, I went to another doctor not too long after who was able to help me get a *real* food allergy test and help me to discover some of my food allergies. And that was two months *before* I found out about the celiac disease!

I am really grateful for my supportive boyfriend. I'm sure your husband has a lot of those same thoughts for you ;) Thanks, from someone who understands what it's like to need support.

- Michelle :wub:

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Emme999 Enthusiast

AnnieMarie,

Congrats on your healing so far! :) I know that if you should find that you have additional food intolerances, your healing will come even faster :) This is one of the things that keeps me on the "straight & narrow" ;) My food allergies aren't violent, by any means. The worst problems I have after ingesting foods I'm allergic to are stomach pain or inflammation pain. But, I'm looking to improve my intestinal health as quickly as possible. I would *love* to find out who I am underneath this celiac disease :)

I have a 3 year old, adorable niece who is also a vegetarian. She's so cute!!! :wub: In her words, "I don't eat roast beast!" I think that children are just so much more in tune with their bodies. Maybe they know more than we do ;) I remember when I was a little girl I didn't like chocolate (at all!) and only wanted candy (not the chocolate bars). Maybe it's because somewhere inside I felt that the milk in it was problematic for me - who knows. Unfortunately, my mother took every opportunity she had to put chocolate into my mouth and now I'm slightly addicted ;) *Fortunately* I found some gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate chips that are just plain wonderful :) In all senses of the word ;)

Good luck to you & your family!!

- Michelle :wub:

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skbird Contributor

I guess for me it's the opposite. I had years of mental problems *before* I got diagnosed with food problems, and only since being freed of the bad effects am I no longer considered to have psychological issues. At least no more than the average joe. I had been diagnosed as bipolar before and was on meds for years, spent time in special "hospitals" and what-not.

I don't fear food in general now, only the food I can't eat. It's amazing to me to see that so much emotional/psychological stuff could clear up so overnight.

And BTW, that comment about being careful wasn't necessarily directed at you, sorry you took it that way.

Stephanie

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Emme999 Enthusiast

Stephanie,

Nice commentary :) I am very impressed that you were able to figure out all of your allergy stuff! I can't even imagine figuring out something so specific as aspergillus! Man!! Did you keep the mother of all food journals or what?? You are my hero ;)

Everybody -

I found some additional comments from the "Dangerous Grains" book that I wanted to post:

(from the Introduction)

"Celiac patients are also not informed that they may have multiple delayed-onset food allergies. It is rare, indeed, that a celiac who continues to experience chronic symptoms after going gluten-free is tested for additional allergic foods. Yet, when celiac patients who remain symptomatic on a gluten-free diet are tested for additional food allergies, they often report good to excellent relief of symptoms with food allergen elimination."

and (from "Life After Gluten" - chapter 5)

"Additional food allergies are the rule among the gluten sensitive. Testing for common food allergies such a milk, soy, and eggs is a critical part of the program for regaining health after identification of a problem with gluten. IgG ELISA blood testing for delayed food allergies is our current recommendation."

and (from "Taking a Position on Gut Disease" - chapter 10)

"Given the evidence, we argue that treatment of any medical condition connected with a leaky or malabsorbing gut ought to automatically include a food-gluten-sensitivity workup, possibly leading to a recommendation of a gluten-free/food allergy-free diet. Beyond intestinal diseases, conditions associated with a leaky or flat gut include a variety of liver diseases, pancreatic disseases, and several eating disorders. Of course, we make the same recommendations for autoimmune diseases, along with a host of other chronic conditions where laboratory evidence points directly to gluten as a factor in the disease process. ... Do not misunderstand. It is far from clear whether gluten actually causes the underlying disease, but it is very clear that exclusion of gluten is likely to provide some degree of relief from many bowel symptoms. By excluding gluten, many patients may be able to stop the escalating cycle of increased intestinal permeability, leakage of gluten into the bloodstream, increased antibody production, increased tissue damage, increased intestinal permeability, and increased need for symptom-chasing prescription medications."

I think that the longer you have untreated celiac, the more likely you are to develop food allergies - but I am unsure how long it take for them to develop after the intestinal damage has already occurred. I (personally!) think that *everyone* with celiac disease should be tested for food allergies, whether they present obvious symptoms or not. Before my allergy tests, I would *never* have known that I had problems with eggs or sesame! Never! :blink: But I think that avoiding them is helping me to heal faster :) I feel *so* good today!! And I just started the gluten-free diet a couple months ago :)

Life is good :) I want to make it better ;)

Good luck to everyone!!

- Michelle :wub:

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lisawil Newbie

<_< Hello from Australia - this is my first post, but i have been reading many posts for a week now. I was diagnosed from blood test and then biopsy Jan 03 and have been relatively gluten free since then.

Last Nov i had blood allergy tests done and showed up for severe dairy allergy, and also reacted to coke, coffee, grapefruit, pears and rice! The last two are generally considered some of the safest foods when doing an elimination diet! I only had the blood test done when i couldnt stand the hives any longer. i started getting hives (sometimes itchy and welts, other times swelling on my face, usually lips) at various times, and over the last year it became more regular until lately it is daily.

So i take daily antihistamine tablets now to counteract and halt the itch and swelling. And yet i have been trying to eliminate dairy from my diet for 6 months now (majority of the time i'm very good but it gets hard when we travel or go out to lunch). So we are still not certain that it is the dairy that is causing the hives. We are holidaying in California for a month from 22 aug - and i have been researching the online forums and shops for gluten free and dairy free options. Our supermarkets in OZ are pretty good for soy milk, goats milk and all have some gluten free bread and flours etc in them. I was told to avoid soy milk as severe dairy allergy usually extends to soy - so at home i use goats milk. how easy is it to get in California supermarkets? Will have to make do with soy in my hot tea from starbucks when we are out and about though.

Appreciate any suggestions to making travelling life easier.

Cheers

Lisa

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dperk Rookie

I have read this message thread with interest. Thank you Bean for giving me this info. I kept wondering why I was developing all of my problems with foods - and it makes sense now. I have been following the SCD diet for a couple of months, and it seems to help. - although I can't do the eggs and dairy.

My question is:

in all of your reading, can this go away?????

Is there some hope that if there is healing, there won't be the reaction to some of these foods and they can be eaten again (except for gluten of course)????

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