Skittles

Thanks AmeliaF!

wow thats amazing! What is nettle tea? Is it like an herbal tea? also, can you just get it at the grocery store? or health food stores?

Wanted to share this....I have been on a gluten-free diet for 1 1/2 years but for the longest time still having issues.....something in my body was being attacked randomly like a wild fire. I went completely grain free, sugar free 6 months ago and FINALLY after over a year the buzzing in my ears went away. If I did have any corn or rice I noticed my hands would get tight and my feet would hurt. So I tried nettle tea which claimed to help with inflammation.....BINGO, it worked!!!! I drank a cup every day the first week, now I drink a cup every other day and I can now have small amounts of corn and rice without my hands and feet hurting, and no more ringing in my ears!!!!

Thanks for the link CaliSparrow

what is fermenting?

_{Hi Mary,}

_{WOW this sounds familiar. I'm in much the same boat: I can eat maybe five foods without any problems, and the only safe protein source is tuna...so I can only eat a little bit of it because of the mercury content. I'm really looking for options here.}

_{At the beginning (I went on the GFD three weeks ago), I could eat nothing. I can't even eat the things on the introductory SCD and GAPS diets. I ordered probiotics and digestive enzymes, but they take a month to get here by mail.}

_{What I did was 1) soak all grains for 24 hours (basically a small fermentation process) and 2) ferment some pickles and sauerkraut. The first one makes the grains easier to digest when I do cook them, but it doesn't work for everything. I can finally handle white rice (and I can do polenta, though that's not an option for you), and I plan to try quinoa. But I still malabsorb beans, no matter how much I ferment them first. The more seriously fermented foods -- pickles and sauerkraut -- are my probiotics. I hear kefir works great for people, too (I have some kefir grains on order, since they don't sell it in the stores here), and obviously you can do yogurt if dairy is OK for you. A form of kefir can be made without dairy (the dairy version is pretty lactose-free but not casein-free).}

_{Because of all this, I can eat rice casserole with tuna and also polenta with almond milk. I'm looking into soaking nuts, which may work since I can handle almond milk but not almonds (a test showed I'm not allergic to almonds). Many people here find good things with coconut milk.}

_{So, I would suggest, first, a food allergy test, so you can separate out the stuff that will never work from the stuff you are just malabsorbing now. But it's not necessary; just nice to know.}

_{Then I would suggest getting some active probiotics, digestive enzymes, and some vitamin/mineral supplements (D3, iron if you need it, etc.). There are all kinds of suggestions here (the Newbie 101 threadespecially), but I'm looking into Celiact, since it seems to have these and some good vitamin blends. One person recently said it helped her. Fermented stuff like yogurt, kefir, homemade pickles/sauerkraut/etc. are also probiotic, but not as strong as the pills.}

_{Then I would try soaking the grains you want to try including. But you may prefer the Paleo diet, SCD, or GAPS approaches, which are pretty much grain-free. Lots of people on the forum love these diets and say they worked wonders with their leaky gut. I'd do it, but I malabsorb all other starches and I'm too skinny to survive a ketogenic diet. Can you handle proteins? So far, only tuna is safe for me, and I'm looking into gluten- and soy-free medical drinks to help me out. Some people here have suggested some.}

_{Last, you may want to read up on fructose malabsorbtion. Googling around will get you a wealth of information.}

_{I suffered through 5 weeks of eating tons of gluten every day for my testing. It wasn't pleasant, but it was nice to say goodbye to all the foods I'll never eat again. Just a thought, if you can manage it.}

_{Anyway, there are lots of people here with better advice than me, so hopefully you'll get some good responses from the real experts.}

How long do your symptoms last when you are glutened?

I had that mucus a lot when I was suffering from C, before I went gluten free

I hate that I can't eat Udi's bread bc I find it the best I've tasted so far. But I have issues with corn and potato starch. Anyway I found another gluten-free bread. I know everyone is different and I have to try it myself in order to figure out if I can handle it or not but I just wanted to name off the ingredients and see if anyone else has issues with any of these ingredients. Thanks in advance

Here they are:

white rice flour, water, tapioca starch, eggs, sugar, poly dextrose, sunflower oil, dextrose, yeast, pea protein, sodium carboxy methylcellulose, salt, vitamin blend (thiamine, vitimen B2, niacin, folic acid, iron).

Are probiodics only for after you have been diagnosed and you are in the healing process? Or do you stay on them forever?

I never realized that the boost meal replacers were lactose free.. maybe I will try them.. thanks!

I definitely had horrible digestive issues when I ate brown rice, early on when i went gluten free my reactions were alot worse than they are now - I have not been glutened in the last several months but I have recently become lactose intolerant and possibly corn as well. And the bloated stomach is the first thing that happens - I know how awful that feels. On my bloaty days I try to eat less and drink Boost meal replacements, they are gluten-free and lactose free so OK for me. That seems to help my stomach as its easier to digest. The one thing that has saved me over the years (I went undiagnosed for 8 yrs) was acupuncture. It relieves my digestive system, and it relaxes me and takes me to my Zen place which is exactly where I need to be on those bad days.

Hang in there...

Do you, or anyone else, have a recipe for home made broth?

Hi Skittles! Hang in there...I totally understand about freaking out about what to eat! I too am very limited on foods as well. Like Ciamarie said, white rice versus brown rice affects me differently! White rice, chicken, and beef are my safe foods. A little broth (home made if possible) is great with the white rice.

When I had my freeeeeeeek out--I sat down and made a list of my "safe foods"--I too was starving and have lost alot of weight that I didn't really need to lose. The bloating happens for me when I eat something that I call "poison for my body". A bit dramatic to call it that, but it was how I felt! Once I could see the "safe foods" I could eat--I felt a bit calmer. I had a little more sanity knowing that there are foods I can eat--I just have to find them!

Do you have anyone close that can help you figure out (in person) the foods you can eat? None of us make it through all of this alone! This forum has been a great place for me--at times when I felt hopeless too! Don't give up! Try to not panic. And keep talking here!!! Seriously, I am concerned about you! Just remember, you are surrounded by people who truly understand the panic that eating foods can cause us! Protein in the meat helps my hunger attacks! I seriously get ravenous and *have* to eat...But I try to eat small amounts more often--which may sound scarey to you Just keep talking, OK???

Thanks guys for the support and help. I am just going through a very tough adjustment period. I am finding ti very difficult. I do have an appointment to talk to a psychologist on the 18th of this month so I hope that he can help me with some coping mechanisms. In the mean time I just have to figure out my safe foods. It just seems like everything right now is making me feel awful :/

I feel like I am losing it I don’t know what to do.. my dietary issues are consuming my life. Due to stomach issues I have eliminated gluten (diagnosed celiac), cannot eat gluten free products either as they give me issues, eliminated fructose (which eliminates many fruits and veggies), nightshades, corn, and dairy. I hate eggs but I have been trying to force myself to eat them so that I would have another food in my diet. I had been eating rice which was going okay but I think I am having an issue with that as well.. maybe I am eating too much of it? But I literally don’t have anything else to eat. Meat seems to be the only thing I don’t have an issue with. My stomach is literally growing bigger and bigger by the day. Not fatter, but bloating.. the more I try, I am actually getting worse. My doctor doesn’t help me. I feel like I am going to have a panic attack just thinking about what to eat today. I don’t know what to eat?? I just want to starve myself. I may seem dramatic but I can’t do this anymore. I don’t know what to do. How am I going to survive when everything I eat bloats out my stomach and causes me to be in pain. I am starving. I am freaking out I am losing all hope.. i need help

Do you react the same to white and brown rice?

Does anyone have issues with rice?

I keep hearing to put lots of moisturizer on it but mine doesn't feel dry. Did yours?

Interesting, I didn't know that about the allergies. I've had it on my thighs and the back of both upper arms since i was a kid. I don't trip on it much, but I do know that tub soaks and scrubbing with a moisturizing wash followed by lots of moisturizer has made it disappear for me. Just have to keep it up though.

I just have it on one arm. And no I haven't read that it is directly related to celiac but I did read that it can be related to allergies. So I was just curious if anyone else on here has it. Do you do anything to help it?

Yup, have had it all my life. I never knew it was a "condition" until recently, just thought it was my weird skin...

Don't tell me this, too, is related to celiac??

Does anyone have this skin condition??

Here is the link to a site I found that says you can test up to 600 intolerances: sOpen Original Shared Link

Has anyone heard of this or know anything about it? Or.. know of something similar that works?

I know I have many more intolerances and if there is a test like this that does work it would make life so much easier! hah

So if I am fructose intolerant is it like celiac where you have to cut it out completely? Or do you just try to avoid it or reduce it? I am almost positive that I am intolerant to it

Very interesting! How do I do a gene test?

I believe the current statistics show 1 in 22 - it depends on so many factors.

If you are curious, you could have yourself gene tested. I have a pair of one set of genes which means all of my children have at least one celiac gene. Even if your children inherit a celiac gene it does not mean they will develop Celiac Disease. About 30% of the population carry celiac genes - yet only an estimated 1% of the population develop Celiac Disease.

Does anyone here have an intolerance to fructose? Can you give me a list of foods that are no nos please?

Fructose and lactose!

I've had it done four times now... but I live in the States. I got it through my GI doctor, so you may need to see a specialist in Canada to get it done. I think some primary care doctors here might do it, and I know of other GI docs who know nothing about it, so it varies.

What are being tested for? SIBO? Fructose intolerance? The type of sugar and length of time the test will take also vary depending on what you are being tested for.

I don't have any children yet but when I do I was just wondering what the odds are of them having celiac too?

Where would I go to get a hydrogen breath test?

I am in Canada (Nova Scotia to be specific). Can you get this at you family doctor generally? Or is this something that is done with a natropathic doc?

Anyone have one done before or have any info for me ?

Thanks!

I was off of gluten for about 5 months and feeling very good. One of my biggest problems was constipation but being off of gluten I was not suffering from it anymore. I ate a little bit of gluten and felt ok so I ate a bit more and I was still fine so I thought I could go back on gluten too. However, about a month later all of my symptoms came back. So I am off the gluten again and starting from scratch again and it is taking a little while for my stomach to heal, again! and I really regret ever going back on gluten!

But even if you do eat gluten and you feel fine that doesn't mean that your body IS fine. If you are celiac there is no cure