Other Intolerances

[jcstepmom28]

I found your forum through google. I had an (Company Name Removed - They Spammed This Forum and are Banned) test done due to some mysterious rashes and my fibromyalgia. The test came back with several intolerances and I am working on getting these out of my diet. The test did say I am highly intolerant of gluten, although the only time I have gastric symptoms is if I overindulge in bread (my vice!). I

[ravenwoodglass]

Welcome to the board. Have you been tested for celiac? It would be a good idea to do so before you go gluten free. Many celiacs seem to react to a lot of foods before they have healed. There are times when the immune system is basically in hyperdrive because of the undiagnosed celiac which can make us sensitive to a lot of stuff we won't be sensitive once we have healed.

You may also want to check out the 'Other intolerances and Leaky Gut' section of the board.

[jcstepmom28]

No I haven't been tested for celiac. I honestly h.a.t.e. doctors and distrust most of them. The only reason that I consented to this test is because I knew my insurance would help pay for it and because I was having random rashes and was fairly desperate for a solution.

I've been eating gluten-free for a week, except for falling off the bus Saturday with some mini cupcakes, feeling a bit better and a bit worse. Even if I am not truly celiac I can see that this is a much healtier lifestyle than I was living (lean cusines, etc) so I am going to try to continue.

BTW never did figure out the rashes. Closest thing I could think of was that I was in allergy overdrive and then the dogs happened to pick up some fleas and it sent my body over the edge.

[GottaSki]

Welcome!

Was your rash itchy? Celiac Disease can cause Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH) - a skin rash. I'm certainly no expert on DH, but there are many on this board. There is a section of the forum dedicated to DH issues, that may be of some help:

https://www.celiac.com/forums/forum/26-dermatitis-herpetiformis/

You also might want to read the FAQs thread regarding Celiac Disesase - it sounds like you have many symptoms that could be Celiac Disease:

https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/forum-26/announcement-3-frequently-asked-questions-about-celiac-disease/

I know you mentioned you don't wish to be tested, but keep in mind that a full celiac blood panel before you go gluten free can indicate Celiac Disease - if you know you have Celiac Disease, you are more likely to remove gluten from your diet completely for life - which is the only treatment for Celiac. Low vitamin/mineral levels can also indicate Celiac - so if you do get blood work you may want to add Bs, D, K, Iron, Ferritin, Copper and Zinc to the full celiac panel.

If you choose not to be tested, remove ALL gluten for 3 to 6 months to monitor symptoms. Whole foods are the best to eat in the early days as many processed foods impede healing - especially since you already know of other intolerances.

Most Bacon is fine - you just need to check the ingredients or contact the manufacturer when in doubt - email or phone calls work great.

Good Luck to you

[Juliebove]

My daughter and I have food intolerances. We avoid all forms of whatever the intolerance is. So if it were potatoes I would avoid potato starch. We make most of our food from scratch.

[GFinDC]

I avoid potato starch. But it all depends on how our body reacts. If it makes you sick, don't eat it. That doesn't always mean forever though. Often people can start eating things later, say 6 months afterwards and be ok. But everyone is different and some foods may not ever work for you. It takes personal experimentation on these things. An elimination diet is the usual way to identify problem foods.

Staying away from processed foods is the best way to get things figured out. Limiting the number of different foods you eat cuts down the number of suspects.

[jcstepmom28]

Thanks for the warm welcome. The rash was very itchy, all over my body but had no bumps, streaks, etc. In other words, I was itchy with no visible rash. The only marks were from where i had scratched too much. Took 3 rounds of steriods and taking allegra twice a day for me to get rid of it.

[jcstepmom28]

Oh and i don't seem to have gastric symptoms. I know there are a few things that bother me (like greek dolmas) but I have eaten them anyway because they are so tasty, lol.

[GottaSki]

Thanks for the warm welcome. The rash was very itchy, all over my body but had no bumps, streaks, etc. In other words, I was itchy with no visible rash. The only marks were from where i had scratched too much. Took 3 rounds of steriods and taking allegra twice a day for me to get rid of it.

I had a rash like that for several months before I was dx'd and went gluten free. The meds really never cleared it completely, docs didn't think it was DH because I didn't have sores. I can tell you that it went away completely and has not been back since I've been gluten free. I can also tell you that while removing gluten resolved my rash and most digestive symptoms, my fibromyalgia symptoms remained until I had removed other intolerances.

Celiac Disease can be very hard to diagnose when you don't have "classic" symptoms - I'm not saying you have it, but with all the food intolerances you do have I would not rule it out. Sometimes gluten damages your intestines which then become more intolerant of different foods - once the gut is healed you can tolerate many of the items you were intolerant of. BUT if you have Celiac Disease you can never have gluten - that is the best reason to be tested. If you are having an autoimmune reaction to gluten, the damage can be very serious down the road.

So if you haven't already removed gluten, I'd get a full celiac blood panel. If you have already removed gluten - make sure you have removed ALL sources of gluten for 6 months to monitor symptoms.

As for other food intolerances - remove them completely (that means all forms of the foods you are intolerant of) for at least six months than challenge them again. Once removed for the long period of time you will likely have a much quicker reaction to foods you are intolerant of - that's been my experience.

It is possible to be intolerant of foods you are not testing positive for -- if I've remembered your list correctly you may be having a problem with foods from a few different groups of foods. There are several groups of foods that can bother different folks: Grains, Dairy, Legumes or Nightshades (potato (except sweet potato/yams), tomato, peppers (all except black pepper corns), eggplant) are the most common.

Hope this isn't too much info - food intolerances are tough to get to the bottom of.

Good Luck to you

[jcstepmom28]

Lisa you have made me feel tons better just knowing that someone else had the itchies like me!

Other than 2 slips I have been gluten-free for 10 days now, 1 was intentional and yesterday was just plain unavoidable. I was out of town, hungry and needed food fast. I will say that burger and fries did not taste as good as I remembered, lol.

The list of foods and additives is so long that I made myself a spreadsheet so I can get to it on my smartphone. I don't mind sharing it so if anyone knows of a good sub, I'd love to hear it. Only the green level things are ok, and there were only 200 foods tested. Open Original Shared Link

BTW, I am itchy today probably from the fast food I ate yesterday.

[GottaSki]

Keep at it - removing ALL gluten is tough, but once you learn how it does become much easier. Think whole foods - meat, vegies, fruit and rice - avoiding processed foods is best- and if you find yourself at the fast food counter again - at least ditch the bun and get the hamburger wrapped in lettuce - Carl's Jr and In and Out are great for that. I've had better luck at In and Out, but many on this forum have no problems at Carl's Jr.

I found epsom salt/baking soda baths helped on the itchy days

Hang in there!

[jcstepmom28]

I thought about that, but romaine and iceberg are on my do not eat list, along with Rice!!!

I'm not paying today for that bun and fries, thankfully. But that doesn't mean that I'm giving up.