Need Advice

[NewToGlutenFreeLife]

Hello,

After hearing about many improved lifes of celiac-positive friends, and many symptoms I learned may be related to allergies, I decided to do an elimination diet this month. I am already a lifelong vegan, so, in addition, I cut out soy, peanuts, corn, gluten, sulfur-rich food (onion & garlic), chilies, citrus (except lemon) and nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, cherries and eggplant). I also gave up coffee, processed food, sugar etc.

After 10 days of this diet I spoke with a doctor that reported a high rate of clinical success with a food allergy panel (blood test). I had heard otherwise previously & still read that poitive results by blood are 55% accurate. Nonetheless, I was convinced by this doctor that a blood test may be a more accurate route to take because I could be allergic to something I was still eating. The Dr. also told me to add back all the food I had elliminated for at least 2 weeks in order to get an accurate test. So that night I had stir-fry with wheat noodles. I was very sick within minutes. My symptoms came back dramatically, along with new symptoms: Diarrhea, Vomiting, loud tinnitus (it had gotten fainter on the elimination diet), all-over body malaise, extreme fatigue, mental "fog," instant stomach bloating, epigastric bloating...in short, I feel aweful. NOW, 4 DAYS LATER, and 100% gluten-free I still feel aweful. I feel worse that when I began the elimination diet. I'm eating very little but my digestive system is in uproar. So now I'm commited to remaining on this strict diet instead of getting testing because I cannot bare to feel this way.

Sidenote: before trying the elimination diet I felt healthy but had fatigue, mental fog, achy (like a flu-but I felt this way over a year), and bloated. I felt hungry but wonderful when I began the diet. My stomach wasn't distended & I felt hollow and clean (like I feel when fasting) even though I was eating enough calories.

Any thoughts? Similar experiences? Suggestions?

[pricklypear1971]

Was the stir fry homemade and msg-preservative free? I ask because most premade ones have nasty nasty stuff in them and you may have a problem with that, too.

[MissKris2]

My symptoms got worse (and I developed some new ones) after I eliminated gluten and then added back in. I think that's pretty common. If the gluten free diet makes you feel better, stick with it!

[domesticactivist]

I'm so sorry! It can be really hard to tell what the problem is when you add everything back at once. I'd go back on the diet that was helping you and then slowly add one thing back in (waiting a few days each time).

Our family has been doing the GAPS diet. It starts off very basic and then adds foods in slowly. We thought more things were a problem than actually are. For instance, we thought nightshades were an issue for our son but he's actually fine with them now that grains are out. Also, foods I thought were NOT a problem for me have shown themselves to be the causes of some of my symptoms. For example, cheese was my bad breath and mental instability, and my parasthesia is hypoglycemia due to spiking my blood sugar and then it dropping in the night.

We're all so individual... it takes experimenting to figure out what works and what doesn't. Our experience with allergy testing was that the IgE tests were useful, but IgG isn't a reliable indicator of an underlying problem.

[NewToGlutenFreeLife]

Was the stir fry homemade and msg-preservative free? I ask because most premade ones have nasty nasty stuff in them and you may have a problem with that, too.

Yes, the dish was homemade & organic. I stir-fried with a little organic sesame oil, ginger & added ground sesame seeds to the dish. The veggies were organic too & nothing new (organic zuccinni, carrot, red cabbage)

[NewToGlutenFreeLife]

I'm so sorry! It can be really hard to tell what the problem is when you add everything back at once. I'd go back on the diet that was helping you and then slowly add one thing back in (waiting a few days each time).

Our family has been doing the GAPS diet. It starts off very basic and then adds foods in slowly. We thought more things were a problem than actually are. For instance, we thought nightshades were an issue for our son but he's actually fine with them now that grains are out. Also, foods I thought were NOT a problem for me have shown themselves to be the causes of some of my symptoms. For example, cheese was my bad breath and mental instability, and my parasthesia is hypoglycemia due to spiking my blood sugar and then it dropping in the night.

We're all so individual... it takes experimenting to figure out what works and what doesn't. Our experience with allergy testing was that the IgE tests were useful, but IgG isn't a reliable indicator of an underlying problem.

Thanks for sharing, My daughters are on the diet with me but they were fine with the wheat pasta. I removed gluten foods from the house for now. I'm still feeling ill from the pasta.

[NewToGlutenFreeLife]

My symptoms got worse (and I developed some new ones) after I eliminated gluten and then added back in. I think that's pretty common. If the gluten free diet makes you feel better, stick with it!

Thanks. I didn't realize this was common. I'm at a loss for what I can eat now...