Does Everything Make Me Sick?

[clsmith]

Hello!

I am new to the forums, and I am nearing desperation...

I've been gluten-free for over a year. I've been dairy free for about 4 months.

After first going gluten-free I noticed a significant difference. My bloating and constipation disappeared within the week.

Then about a year in I started to experience symptoms again. Then I went dairy free - but nothing is giving me the relief I had after first going gluten-free.

I did notice that some of my hair products have wheat in them. But I feel like there must be something else that I'm allergic to. For example, jus tthe other night I had severe reaction after eating Trader Joe's Gluten/Dairy/Soy/etc. free brownies with almonds and cashews.

And again today, I've eaten all clean foods and I'm reacting pretty significantly: eggs, onions, green onions, sugar, vanilla almond milk, EVOO, chicken, broccoli, and roasted potatoes, and iced tea...

Is there another common allergen in what I'm consuming that I"m not seeing?

Any thoughts or insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[Lisa]

Hello!

I did notice that some of my hair products have wheat in them. But I feel like there must be something else that I'm allergic to. For example, jus tthe other night I had severe reaction after eating Trader Joe's Gluten/Dairy/Soy/etc. free brownies with almonds and cashews.

And again today, I've eaten all clean foods and I'm reacting pretty significantly: eggs, onions, green onions, sugar, vanilla almond milk, EVOO, chicken, broccoli, and roasted potatoes, and iced tea...

Any thoughts or insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

I would suggest that you revisit everything that can pass your mouth, to include your personal products. A daily dose of wheat in your shampoo could make you sick daily. Check your lipsticks, lotions, meds, vitamines, shared home toaster, work cross contamination....etc.

Keep a food diary with your reactions. Eliminate all the possible gluten for a period of time, then....it may be time to look into other causes.

Gluten first.

Oooops....forgot to say WELCOME!

[mushroom]

Some people react to almond milk which has been filtered with barley - I believe it is Silk?? Others will know. I personally cannot eat potatoes, but again, I cannot eat any nightshades including tomatoes.

I believe you will have to keep a food and symptom diary to find the likely culprits. Do you have a list of staples you know you don't react to? You could start with that, if you did, then add one additional food a week.

The other thing to consider is that you still have a leaky gut, and other foods are getting into your blood stream in an incompletely digested state and your body treats them as alien invaders. To heal your gut, you probably would benefit from a combination of a good probiotic, a digestive enzyme that you take with every meal to help break down your food, and possibly some L-glutamine.

Good luck with your sleuthing and healing.

P.S. And since you are still having problems it is probably a good idea to rid your personal care products of gluten also. I know I did.

[shadowicewolf]

If you have pets, you could be getting CC'd from them.

[Lady Eowyn]

Hi clsmith

I know how you feel. I too felt great when I first went gluten very light (before I knew about celiac) then gluten free. Giving up gluten didn't trouble me at all because it had made me feel ill for so many years.

Then along came the other problems - really unfair I thought.

Rice, potatoes and soya are real problems now for me along with all processed gluten-free foods - urgh! they make me so ill. Even worse and unlike some here, I have always done a lot of cooking so am happy to produce gluten-free versions of yummy food - in fact, I think gluten free puddings and desserts are better than the gluten versions but wait ........ they make me ill !!!

Sorry, I have taken over your thread with a moan.

Anyway, I view it all as a 'work in progress' and hope that when I have healed enough small amounts of these other foods can be reintroduced again. I also think I am super sensitive celiac and do hold some suspicions about getting cc'd from some gluten free products.

[Hala]

Hi clsmith

I know how you feel. I too felt great when I first went gluten very light (before I knew about celiac) then gluten free. Giving up gluten didn't trouble me at all because it had made me feel ill for so many years.

Then along came the other problems - really unfair I thought.

Rice, potatoes and soya are real problems now for me along with all processed gluten-free foods - urgh! they make me so ill. Even worse and unlike some here, I have always done a lot of cooking so am happy to produce gluten-free versions of yummy food - in fact, I think gluten free puddings and desserts are better than the gluten versions but wait ........ they make me ill !!!

Sorry, I have taken over your thread with a moan.

Anyway, I view it all as a 'work in progress' and hope that when I have healed enough small amounts of these other foods can be reintroduced again. I also think I am super sensitive celiac and do hold some suspicions about getting cc'd from some gluten free products.

Oh yay, someone else like me!!! After diagnosis I thought having to avoid gluten would be the most difficult part but then all these other intolerances started to raise their ugly heads! Can't tolerate any processed gluten-free products, corn, soya, white potatoes, rice, eggs, lactose and probably tonnes more! Seem to have difficulties with nuts too. Along with being a vegetarian, I feel so limited and I'm feeling so ill most of the time!

How long have you been gluten-free? Are you feeling better yet? I just want to be myself again

[clsmith]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your responses. Glad to know I'm not the only one.

cc'd = cross contaminated (?)

How would one get cc'd from gluten-free foods - Lady Eowyn? I have a suspicion this could be part of what's happening.

And Shadowicewolf - how would one get cc'd from pets? As in their food? (my pup eats gluten-free too).

Thank you all again!

[burdee]

Hello!

I am new to the forums, and I am nearing desperation...

I've been gluten-free for over a year. I've been dairy free for about 4 months.

After first going gluten-free I noticed a significant difference. My bloating and constipation disappeared within the week.

Then about a year in I started to experience symptoms again. Then I went dairy free - but nothing is giving me the relief I had after first going gluten-free.

I did notice that some of my hair products have wheat in them. But I feel like there must be something else that I'm allergic to. For example, jus tthe other night I had severe reaction after eating Trader Joe's Gluten/Dairy/Soy/etc. free brownies with almonds and cashews.

And again today, I've eaten all clean foods and I'm reacting pretty significantly: eggs, onions, green onions, sugar, vanilla almond milk, EVOO, chicken, broccoli, and roasted potatoes, and iced tea...

Is there another common allergen in what I'm consuming that I"m not seeing?

Any thoughts or insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Don't assume any food is 'clean' or won' cause reactions. I react to eggs, cane sugar, vanilla and nutmeg (as well as gluten, dairy and soy). All my reactions were confirmed by the ELISA test and my experiences. You could be allergic/intolerant to almost any food. I prefered to spend the money on the ELISA test, rather than restrict myself endlessly to try to figure out what caused my symptoms. However you could try eliminating foods, but I can't recommend any 'safe' foods to start with.

[GFinDC]

HI CL,

You can find lists of the top 8 food allergens on the web. They are a good place to start looking for possible problems. You can also read people's signatures on the forum to find some foods that bother others. We don't all react to the same foods so it is an individual thing to figure out.

[dilettantesteph]

I think that my experience was similar to yours. At first all I had to do was eliminate breakfast cereal and bread and I felt great. Then came about a year of eliminating more and more things. I did eliminate things like shampoo and lotions that contained gluten. I play with my hair and then might handle food or bite a fingernail. Shampoo sometimes washes over my mouth in the shower. I could see how I could ingest a little bit by accident. All these changes helped.

At around a year in I was eating only things processed in facilities that didn't process gluten. I still had some symptoms so I have been moving more towards a produce only diet. I still do eat a few processed foods, but not many. It seems that I am sensitive to terribly low levels of cc, in other words, I am a super sensitive celiac. With this careful diet, I am mainly symptom free. It gets worse every winter as I tend to run out of the safe food from my garden. Also the local farmers can't pasture their animals in the winter because I live in snow country so those food sources start to bother me. Then it gets better again in the warm season. My goal is to grow enough, and to find enough other safe sources of food to be able to make it through the winter.

What really helped me figure out what foods I was reacting to was to keep a food/symptoms journal. I try to make only one change per week. It can take a week or so to notice a reaction. This helps to point out other food intolerances as well as possible cc. Keep track of sources of the foods as well as what the foods are.

Best wishes to you to figure out what is going on in your case.

[wartburg03]

I'm in the same boat right now, so I can sympathize. I only got a couple of weeks of relief after going gluten free before I began reacting to everything! Corn, Gluten-Free oats, buckwheat, coffee, overripe bananas and spinach older than a few days, carrots, coconut, white potatoes... to compound the problem, I've been dairy free my whole life, egg white free since age 9, and soy free for the past few years. I'm also prone to cold sores so I have to avoid arginine rich foods like nuts, brown rice, and mushrooms. So for the past month I've been eating a few veggies, apples, organic beef and chicken, flax milk,egg yolks, sweet potatoes, sweet potato chips, and organic tuna. Exclusively. I'm hoping my body is just freaking out after going gluten free and will settle down someday. Good luck to you!

[Lisa]

I'm in the same boat right now, so I can sympathize. I only got a couple of weeks of relief after going gluten free before I began reacting to everything! Corn, Gluten-Free oats, buckwheat, coffee, overripe bananas and spinach older than a few days, carrots, coconut, white potatoes... to compound the problem, I've been dairy free my whole life, egg white free since age 9, and soy free for the past few years. I'm also prone to cold sores so I have to avoid arginine rich foods like nuts, brown rice, and mushrooms. So for the past month I've been eating a few veggies, apples, organic beef and chicken, flax milk,egg yolks, sweet potatoes, sweet potato chips, and organic tuna. Exclusively. I'm hoping my body is just freaking out after going gluten free and will settle down someday. Good luck to you!

I hope you find that a gluten free diet will be helpful.

[Suebell]

OMG! I am going through the same thing after allergy testing positive to wheat, eggs, and corn. I am one full week free of these items, but had a hives reaction to silk almond milk in my coffee this am. Im itchy-tingling, and my stomach looks like I am eight months pregnant! After a good cry, I think I will stick to apples, rice and peas for a bit. (

[1desperateladysaved]

A rotational diet seems to be helping me with preventing antibodies..  I took an Elisa test and found I had antibodies to all but 11 things I had been eating.  I avoided all of the foods I had antibodies to for 3 weeks. In the meanwhile, I had begun on enzyme supplements to help break down my food.   Now, I have I begun to add foods, I had very low antibodies to, back in. I can add a new food every four days and watch for a reaction.  I think I am getting stronger and feeling better.  I believe my toe with a fungus infection has healed.  It had been ugly for about 5 years.  I am trying to add the vegetables back in.