# Anyone Else Celiac? Or other food allergies?



## Gizmo (Dec 19, 2010)

I am allergic to wheat, gluten, barely and rye. It started about two years ago and I kept having stomach pains on my right side. I was going to school for cosmetology at the time and I had a slice of pizza from the pizza place underneath the school. When I came back after lunch I broke out in a rash across my chest. I couldn't breath the pain on my side was terrible I started crying, and I really don't ever cry I have a high pain tollerance. So they rushed me to the emergency room. The doctor I got said that it could be the begining of my gaullbladder but it was probably just really bad idigestion. 
So long story a little shorter. :wink: I went back to the emergency room four times within two months with the same pain, but getting worse. So I was finially refered to a gasto doctor. And I had to get an upper and lower GI to see what was going on. She was really worried that it was possible colan cancer considering that I hadn't gone to the bathroom normally since this all began. 
That came back clean except there were signs that I was having really bad acid reflux which I hadn't had at all until I got these the side pain. I was convinced it was my gaullbaldder and everything pointed to that. But I am only 23 they kept telling me I was way too young. But I finially convinced my doctor to do a test to see if my gaullbladder was working. They don't like to do this test because they have to IV inject you with a dye and you are under the xray machine for 2 hours while it goes through your system. 
That test came back bad. My gaullbladder was only working at 2%. So I ended having the surgery to have it removed and they ended up pulling it out and discovering it was full of stones. Which I had had an ultrasound for at one of the emergency room visits and they said there weren't any and the surgon said that there was no way they could have missed them. 
So after that things were a little better I wasn't having the horrible pain when I ate, but still not going to the bathroom normally. 
March was my one year anniversary of having my gaullbladder out and things still weren't going good. Still having bathroom problems and still getting a rash across my chest. Plus I kept gaining weight! I was the biggest I ever was at 200 pounds.
Then about two months ago I was sitting at my desk at work eating a veggie grinder from subway when all of a sudden my mouth and face started to itch and my throat started to swell up. My boss sent one of the guys in the office to get some benydril and then it got better, but it took a few and a while to clear up. So I made an appointment with my doctor for the next day for allergy testing.
He said that I was in anafaleptic shock and to avoid wheat while they did the testing so I did. The test results came back a little over a week later and I found out that I am allergic to wheat, gluten, barley, and rye. So that is a big change in lifestyle. I had to pretty much get rid of everything in the house. It is amazing how much stuff have those things in it, especially wheat. 
No I am baking my own deserts and making my own food. I got two great cookbooks I cook out of all the time. The only thing that is hard is eating out, but there are a lot of resteraunts now that are offering gluten free menu items. I am in a small town and there is even a little general store that has a resteraunt in it and they have gluten free rolls for burgers and sandwhiches and they are really good.
Since I have been wheat free for about 2 months now I have been feeling so....much better. No stomach problems. Going to the bathroom less frequently and normally now. Its really great and I am starting to loose a lot of weight now. 
So is anyone else allergic to wheat or gluten or have some kind of allergy? What is your story and how do you cope with it?

P.S. Sorry about spelling errors. This computer for some reason doesn't have spell check on it.


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

Ha, yes. And oddly enough, my story almost exactly mirrors yours. I just have some other complications as well.

I'm 18, and I started getting sick when I entered high school at age 14. It began very simply, with weekly headaches, fatigue, and muscle pain. Then I began to have GI problems. I began vomiting two or three times a week for no rhyme or reason, and having bathroom issues. I went to the doctor and I was told it was stress from starting high school. Nothing could be done about it. Then, like you, I started developing reflux. Then corneal ulcers. My reflux got so bad that I constantly had a horrible taste in my mouth. All of that just kept progressing until at 15 I was having daily headaches and migraines that I couldn't function with. Then I began vomiting every single day, and having extreme stomach burning. I began to refuse eating because it hurt so badly, and I got so thin that I was told that I was anorexic. I wasn't. I was sick. I went from GI doctor to GI doctor trying to find someone who believed me, all the way getting sicker. I became intolerant/allergic (I'm not iG allergic) to all nuts, cinnamon (I vomit if I even smell it), and dairy. In late 2011, I finally found a doctor that agreed there was something wrong with me, but said I had IBS. They'd done ultrasounds on my organs, blood tests, etc and I looked fine. I even had an endoscopy, and all they said was that my body overproduced bile and I had GERD. I was at a point where I could really only tolerate eating bland foods and only for lunch. I lived on potato, crackers, and chicken.

In early 2012 I started having severe back pain on my right side, and finally we pushed the doctor to perform a HYDA scan on my gallbladder. It was functioning as 10% and it was removed 3 weeks later. I felt better for a short time just like you did, gained weight, etc- but I started having chronic diarrhea. I became intolerant to even more foods. My joints started hurting terribly again. I was taking 80 mg of Protonix a day, 8x a usual dose, for my GERD- and I still burned terribly. I still had migraines, which I thought were unrelated, every single day, and I took daily NSAIDS. I became severely anemic and low in folic acid and B vitamins. If I took supplements though, I got very sick. I was put on Cholerstromine to stop my bathroom troubles, but they just caused the opposite problem. Constipation. Then I started vomiting the medication. I started not tolerating food again. Having no gall bladder meant no fatty foods or fried foods, and I couldn't eat anything acidic either- so no fruits or juices.

At that point I was called a hypochondriac and the doctors stopped trying to treat me. I gave up and quit going to them. I coped on my own by taking 2 excedrines every day, 80-100 mg of protonix, and ate very little. I began losing hair and getting terrible facial ulcers that left scars. My eyelashes fell out. My skin started bruising. I weighed 81 lbs. My eyes burned constantly and my throat was always sore. I started getting bronchitis perpetually to the point where I was constantly on antibiotics which made my stomach even worse. I had such severe bathroom problems that on a 30-40 minute drive to work I'd stop at least twice for a bathroom. I drank over 100 oz a day to stay hydrated and ate salt like candy.

I had pretty much given up. I felt so terrible, but no one believed me. Then, in February of this year, I got so desperate that I decided I was going to do anything necessary to fix myself. I threw myself into a diet of only 6 'safe' foods. Eggs, spinach, berries, chicken, rice, and potato. No preservatives, no spices, no sugars, no gluten, nothing. I stopped taking NSAIDS. I got even sicker for about two weeks as I went through a medication withdrawl and my body cleansed itself, but then miraculously my headaches began to disappear. Then the reflux began to abate. Then my bathroom problems lessened and disappeared as well. I am now medication free. I worked up to 12 edible foods. A lot of my problems righted themselves...except for the hair loss, deficiencies, eye ulcers, joint troubles, and chronic bronchitis.

3 months ago, I was watching Mystery Diagnosis on TV and happened to see a woman with my EXACT symptoms. She had Sjogrens Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder. I immediately felt like I was on to something, went to a rheumatologist and immunologist who specialized in Sjogrens, and asked to be tested. I was diagnosed with Sjogrens last month after every test came back positive...which is rare since this is a disease usually found in 40+ year old women. Many women only have a few symptoms. I have every single one, including the rare ones. I also have Celiacs Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Because I have THREE autoimmune disorders I have many problems, and my body has basically turned on itself and began to kill itself. The allergies were merely a symptom of that. 

There is nothing I can do to get rid of my problems now, and my body has been severely worn down, but my intestines are slowly beginning to heal. I am now on a rotation diet for the rest of my life to prevent more allergies. I am currently allergic to at least 20 foods. I am iG allergic (where I would go into anylphylactic shock) to 3. I have mild Osteoporosis because mybody lacked nutrition during the most crucial growth time of my life. I chronically Mal-absorb for an unknown reason, even though that should have gone away when I corrected my diet. They believe it is due to the intestinal destruction. My hope is that it will eventually heal but I really don't know. I'm currently taking iV nutrition so that I can become mostly healthy again, but that isn't a permanent solution. I absolutely cannot tolerate any vitamins of any sort by mouth, and my diet is so strange that I have to get very particular about it to get the right nutrition. I have to drink 100-120 oz of water a day to keep my body from trying to shut itself down, and I manually wet my eyes because Sjogrens causes my entire body to not produce enough liquids (bronchial, which is why I kept getting infections, saliva, tears, sweat...none of it works right). But I am recovering.

All of that said.... YES I HAVE ALLERGIES! hahaha. I also have to make every single thing that I eat from scratch, andI have to be very careful not to let my family's food (they all eat 'normal foods') from contaminating mine. I do not eat out unless I can get something very specifically made. That is how I cope because I HAVE to cope that way. It really stinks, but for the first time in 4 years, I feel somewhat healthy, so it is worth it. Most of the time. It has been a HUGE learning curve though because after all I'm only 18, and I can't handle anything processed so I can't just go buy most gluten free foods. They have other allergens of mine in them. My rotation diet requires a huge amount of effort to calculate and plan the right amount of nutrition without me eating the same thing twice in a certain period of time. However, I've learned a LOT and there is a lot of great information out there!


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## Gizmo (Dec 19, 2010)

Endiku said:


> Ha, yes. And oddly enough, my story almost exactly mirrors yours. I just have some other complications as well.
> 
> I'm 18, and I started getting sick when I entered high school at age 14. It began very simply, with weekly headaches, fatigue, and muscle pain. Then I began to have GI problems. I began vomiting two or three times a week for no rhyme or reason, and having bathroom issues. All of that just kept progressing until at 15 I was having daily headaches and migraines that I couldn't function with. In late 2011, I finally found a doctor that agreed there was something wrong with me, but said I had IBS. They'd done ultrasounds on my organs, blood tests, etc and I looked fine. I even had an endoscopy, and all they said was that my body overproduced bile and I had GERD.
> In early 2012 I started having severe back pain on my right side, and finally we pushed the doctor to perform a HYDA scan on my gallbladder. It was functioning as 10% and it was removed 3 weeks later. I felt better for a short time just like you did, gained weight, etc- but I started having chronic diarrhea. I became intolerant to even more foods. I still had migraines, which I thought were unrelated, every single day, and I took daily NSAIDS.


I was also diagnosed with GERD at the begining of all my syptoms. And the medication pretty much did nothing for me. I have also suffered with cronically bad migraines. Last year I ended up in Darthmouth hospital for a day because I had one for 3 weeks that would not go away no matter what I took. They took a CAT scan and also did a spinal tap (worst thing I had had done of all the tests) and everything came back clean. Now that I have sorted out the allergies I have had less migraines I still get them around my period time or when I am under a lot of stress. But I now take a drug called Maxalt that works almost instantly to get rid of them but its super exspensive, its $10 a pill and I am only allowed 9 a month. I am also diganosed with IBS, but since I found out the allergies, and stay away from greasy food it doesn't act up. The HYDA scan is what I ended up getting too. It is amazing how similiar out story is. Though you lost weight and I have seemed to gain, even with not keeping anything down. I am not sure if it is to do with the so called "wheat belly" or wheat bloat that most people get who are allergic to it and eat it. I was looking like 8 months pregnant at one point but since I haven't been eating those foods my stomach has become flatter and I have started loosing weight.
I thought it was hard staying away from the wheat and everything I can't even imagine how you do it. But like I tell my family who asks me how its going. I say, " well I can't eat it, or I die, so its going pretty good." I have to carry an epi pen now and I have benydril EVERYWHERE. I have wanted to start making my own breads and such. They just started carrying the Kind Author Gluten free flowers in my area and I bought that up. I made a strawberry crisp the other day that was really good. 
I have been trying to get my boyfriend to go along with me and try to eat this way too but its a little harder for him because he is such a picky eater. I honestly think a lot of these illnesss and such is because of all the nasty stuff they put in foods now. I really would like to buy a cow and have that as a meat source and a pig, at least I know where it comes from and that it had a good life before dying. And next year I am doing my own garden. So really trying to eat clean and healthy and get rid of all those nasty toxins in my body. I mean I was eating bread a lot and my body just finially had enough of it. But I feel so much better now. 
I am glad you finially figured some things out and are getting healthy and feeling better now! It is nice to find someone who has a similiar story and the pain of having to read all the labels on litterally everything! lol

Oh yeah one of the most annoying things I have heard yet, we were at the local ice cream place and there was a lady who wanted a sandwhich and she said, "well I am kinda gluten free" the most annoying thing ever. Like we can litteraly die from it and she is over there, Im kinda gluten free. Really....:twisted:


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

Yeah they tried giving me Imatrex for my migraines (same amount allow end and same price) but they actually paralyzed my neck and jaw for about 12 hours.  I react very badly to almost every prescription pill I've ever taken. 

I am so glad that you are able to lose a little weight now! It seems that our allergy causes an extreme of over or under weight quite often. I have almost normalized after 5 months of my new diet, and it really is neat to see and feel the difference.

If you want a suggestion for foods you can make, check out the Super Allergy Girl cookbook. It has great information as well!

Check out Hodgeson Mills and Red Mills flours if you can find them. My Kroger and HEB have them and they're really nice flours. I use tapioca, brown rice, potato, and and sweet rice flour.chickpea makes a lovely flour for bread too, but my body can't process it.

I really feel you when it comes to people who are gluten free as a fad or for weight loss. It really irks me when I bring my special food places and people go 'but you're skinny! You shouldn't be doing that.' HA. If I could I would take wheat back in s heartbeat. I miss biscuits SO much...


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## Gizmo (Dec 19, 2010)

Ugh, I know! We have red mill flour in the local grocery store, I got the almond flour/meal for making an apple pork dish, it was really good. 
I was talking to an older lady a few weeks ago who is celiac and she was telling me all kinds of things to be careful about. And prescription pills is one of them. Some still contain wheat and gluten in them so you have to ask your doctor to check and make sure it doesn't have anything you are allergic to in it.
She was really informative and gave me a card for a book written buy a local lady about what. I can't remember what it is called now. I will have to check the book out that you suggested!


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

I have Celiac's/wheat allergy too! [I'm not sure which cuz I didn't get tested -I went GF on a hunch that turned out to be correct...- and I'm certainly not gonna go try gluten-containing, wheat-free, stuff to see if I react :lol: ]

I guess it'll be about 3 years for me in September. Wow. How time flies!! 
I found I'm also really sensitive to soy [depending on how it's processed - really processed, barely soy, things are ok but soy flour isn't], pinto beans are a hugeeee no-no, and corn on the cob [though, my hunch is that this is due to wheat-corn cross pollination].

It was really weird for me. I'd been having issues for years, though not as bad as the stuff you guys went through, but there didn't seem to be a correlation. I'd eat some random new thing and end up in the bathroom for hours. I also was constantly covered in hives.
My mom is super allergic to a lot of stuff so I tried an elimination diet...but, of course, we left bread in it. HA.

Then, when I was 21, things started to get really bad. I was eating things I had eaten all my life, but having terrible stomach cramps on a daily basis. I felt even more "dead" than usual and it was just really really bad. So, out of desperation, I realized that the meals I was cramping up after had a high wheat content and I decided to see what happened if I went GF for a month.

Of course, silly me, I had very little idea of what was actually GF and what was not so that month was really like 65% GF. :rofl:
But it was enough to do the trick. I started feeling a bit better, I was less crampy...after my month was up, I didn't even _want _to see if I'd survive eating some bread. I knew I would probably die. haha

And then the weight came off!! I lost a significant amount of weight - I lost TWO shoe sizes just from how swollen my feet had been! :shock: 

Of course, that year was really hard because I kept accidentally "gluten-ing" myself. But each year gets better! So far, in 2014, I don't think I've *knock on wood* gluten-ed myself once. I've pinto-bean-ed myself...but not gluten! haha
It turns out that I'm so sensitive to gluten that even touching a napkin that doesn't see to have crumbs, but was wrapped around a wheat sandwich, then touching my mouth will mess me up for a few days. 

My hives are gone [well, mostly...sometimes they show up still...I think there might be something more I don't know about yet], I feel alive in a way I've never felt, no more weird stomach cramping...IT'S THE BEST!! 

I feel so lucky that I've met a number of other people who have Celiac's so we can kinda "band together" and show people that, at least for us, this isn't a fad. But the people who judge me based on my GF-ness, I totally get it. It's the worst. I try to not let people know about it until I really know them just because people can be so insensitive. I actually had a guy offer me some cookies once and I said politely "oh, no thanks!", he made some crack about how I didn't need to watch my weight, and I said something like "haha thanks, but I'm a Celiac - I can't eat gluten." He IMMEDIATELY said "oh. You're one of THOSE." and never spoke to me again. 
Just the worst.
But, I do have other friends who'll bring desserts to share with the group and they'll buy me a special GF cupcake/cookie too so I'm not left out. Or, there's a guy I know who won't eat GF food, even if it's offered to him, not because he dislikes it but because he "doesn't want to steal what _ need to survive." :rofl:

So I try to focus on the nice people and not let the jerks get me down...but people can be SO mean!


Fun thing I discovered: Chipotle. If you get a salad, EVERYTHING you cn put on it is GF [except those tofu sofa-whatever things]. It's the best! So if my friends ever want to have lunch out, we just go to Chipotle and everyone is happy. 



Also, I think it's hilarious that you guys call Bob's Red Mill "Red Mill." :rofl: You guys are cute.  I'm sure it's because Bob's is really local to me [if you guys ever have the chance to go there, let me know, we can go together! It is GF heavennnnnnn. It's SO amazing.], so we all call the brand "Bob's" :rofl: Too funny!! _


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## ForeverSunRider (Jun 27, 2013)

*I'm so excited i'm not alone!*

I recently self diagnosed myself with a gluten allergy.

It started a year or so ago (I'm 21) and I was getting horrible pains in my side and stomach area after eating. They were so bad that I had to curl up in a ball for 20 minutes after eating and I walked in this fancy L shape lol

I've gone gluten free now and no more pain. 

The only problem is....I kind of love bread more than any other food ever created ever. :?

Currently looking for gluten free cookie, pizza, cheesecake, and generic bread option


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

YES! Chipotle = my one true love. My friends tell new people I am allergic to the world and eat air, do its nice to be able to go there and hardly worry about what I eat.

Its reallly insane, but while I was sick I ate sooopoop many saltine crackers because they were bland and didn't make me vomit. I then could say nothing but those, so I thought there was NO was I was a celiac. Turns out, I was literally poisoning myself by eating those when my stomach burned because gluten in a gluten hating empty belly = very raw intestines. I was literally causing my own problems when I thought I was fixing them.

Hahaha, I actually forgot it was BOB'S red mill. Oopsies! But it is near you?! Even more reason to go to Oregon!

Foreversunrider... Glutino has amazing pop tarts. Udis has decent store bought breads and pizza crust. Betty crocker actually has amazing rice chocolate chip cookie and brownie mixes!


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## Gizmo (Dec 19, 2010)

ForeverSunRider said:


> I recently self diagnosed myself with a gluten allergy.
> 
> It started a year or so ago (I'm 21) and I was getting horrible pains in my side and stomach area after eating. They were so bad that I had to curl up in a ball for 20 minutes after eating and I walked in this fancy L shape lol
> 
> ...


Yes I miss bread and I have cravings for it sometimes too! Around here there is no good GF bread. But there are a couple of little restaurants that have GF rolls that are pretty yummy. But for the most part if you want bread you have to make it. 
Pillsbury actually makes a gluten free pizza dough that is already made up in a container. It is in by the butter and eggs at my grocery store.


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## Sony (May 10, 2014)

A few years ago, a doctor thought I had IBS. Then thought I might have diverticulitis. Then my skin started itching. My scalp, my watch band, bra strap, socks... anywhere something touched me. A dermatologist told me I was allergic to clothing. Finally, I went to an allergist that told me to take Zyrtec and it made all the itching go away. 

I decided I didn't want to take something that would cover symptoms anymore, and I'd figure this out and fix it. So the allergist ordered the skin ***** test. I was off Zyrtec for several days, 10 I think. The allergist's assistant wrote from #1-63 on my back, and immediately my back felt lit on fire. Before she even pricked me. She turned around with the tray and said "OMG!" She left, saying she had to get the doc. Apparently everywhere the pen touched me was red and raised welts. I wish I had asked her to take a pic! Anyway, the allergist said it looks like I had dermatographism and the test would be inconclusive. I was instructed to either spend thousands on blood testing or try food elimination.

So, I eliminated grains, corn, soy, and legumes. Few months go by, and I eliminate dairy. More time passes and I eliminate eggs and nuts. Then nightshades and seeds and chocolate. Then I injure my ankle, get prescribed Celebrex and develop an ulcer from it. 

Before Celebrex, I had added dairy back and reacted. So I thought maybe I was allergic to dairy. Now I'm still healing from the ulcer and am waiting for the itching to go away again 

So, I only eat fresh meat (or minimally processed), fruit, veggies, and olive/coconut oils. I've lost a lot of weight, so there's a bonus. When/if this gets figured out, I'm not going back to most of the foods I gave up. This will be a lifestyle change.

When going to a restaurant, I have to order stuff without sauce, without butter, no dressings. Irritating to say the least. Nothing sitting on a bed of rice, I'm not brave enough to try a steak since they finish them with butter. Or cook them in the same pans/grills that butter has been on. I'm positive the broccoli I had a Chili's had butter on it. A few hours after eating it, my scalp was itchy.

We're going to Wisconsin on vacation in a couple of months. I'm packing my zyrtec because I'll be [email protected]#&#d if I go there and not eat CHEESE!!


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## Gizmo (Dec 19, 2010)

Wow, that is crazy. I know it is so.... expensive it was over 800 dollars for my blood testing and that was just the grains panel I still could be allergic to other things. But I try to be very careful and because of my gallbladder not being there and with IBS I can't eat anything high in fat. And obviously non of the grains that I am allergic too. Definitely makes things tough eating out. My boss is lactose intolerant so whenever we celebrate or the company buys us lunch we always have to go extreme, no dairy and no wheat. So that usually ends up being salad lol. But a couple of weeks ago one of the guys made a wheat free dairy free cake.


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

Endiku said:


> Hahaha, I actually forgot it was BOB'S red mill. Oopsies! But it is near you?! Even more reason to go to Oregon!


YES!! It is!! It is LITERALLY 20 minutes from my house. Not even kidding. 

Visit meeeeeee. :lol:

Also, if any of you guys live in states that have a store called Natural Grocers: GO THERE. They have cheap [for GF] GF food and _so much_ of it.
One just opened up 5 minutes from me and oh man. Good bye $$, hello good eating. I actually just bought a loaf of Cinnamon-Raisin bread that is EXACTLY like non-GF Cinnamon-Raisin bread. The crust's a little funny, but the bread part is spot on.
And so on like that - cookie mix, cornbread, CANNED CHILI, breakfast sausage, pizza - SO MUCH PIZZA, soups...it's a miracle store! :lol:

Also, in case anyone is looking for an amazing pancake mix [a huge deal for me - making *enough* for breakfast fast is tough GF! So I tried at least 10 different mixes before discovering this one] - Amazon.com : Krusteaz Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancake Mix, 16 Ounce : Grocery & Gourmet Food ],
Krusteaz also makes a fabulous, easy, GF brownie mix.


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

That's insane! I can't imagine being pricked that much for allergy testing...and oh the expense! I almost talked myself into it once but it would cost me $1025 for the base test. And to be tested for Celiac's would cost me about $850 to go past the cheapie test ( which I was NEGATIVE for. Ha.) Plus I would have to do the gluten test which would mean eating it again and undo months of healing. Noooo thanks!

No natural grocers here, yet  we do have a place called Gluten Free Nation which makes dairy free phenomenal cakes, cupcakes, breads, rolls, etc but talk about expensive!!! I balk at even paying $6 for Udis bread because on a $50 a month budget...yeah.

I'm going to have to try that pancake mix. BOB'S (haha) Red Mill has decent pancake but it is sooooo dense. And bisquick mix = ewewewewew. I HATE shortening and it calls for a lot.


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## EponaLynn (Jul 16, 2013)

I have both gluten intolerance and celiac....Have known for about 6 years now...it gets easier as you get used to it!


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## Gizmo (Dec 19, 2010)

Endiku said:


> That's insane! I can't imagine being pricked that much for allergy testing...and oh the expense! I almost talked myself into it once but it would cost me $1025 for the base test. *And to be tested for Celiac's would cost me about $850 to go past the cheapie test ( which I was NEGATIVE for. Ha.)* Plus I would have to do the gluten test which would mean eating it again and undo months of healing. Noooo thanks!
> 
> No natural grocers here, yet  we do have a place called Gluten Free Nation which makes dairy free phenomenal cakes, cupcakes, breads, rolls, etc but talk about expensive!!! I balk at even paying $6 for Udis bread because on a $50 a month budget...yeah.
> 
> I'm going to have to try that pancake mix. BOB'S (haha) Red Mill has decent pancake but it is sooooo dense. And bisquick mix = ewewewewew. I HATE shortening and it calls for a lot.


The same thing happened to me. When I went to the gastro doctor she tested for for celaic first thing and it came back negative. But then I took the blood panel testing and they tested all grains and I came back severly allergic to gluten, wheat, barley and rye. So dumb.

I don't live that far away from King Arthur Flower and they are making lots of gluten free things now. My boyfriends sister is actually in charge of that department now. They just started to cary it in my local grocery store so I bought the all purpose baking flower and the all purpose baking mix, which you can make pancakes with. I haven't tried the baking mix but I have tried the flower with a couple of deserts and its good. But the thing that sucks is that it comes in a one poud box so there isn't very much there.


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

I have an intolerance to phytates, so a little different, but a lot of overlap.
Basically I avoid all grains and pseudo grains (even gluten free stuff like quinoa) as well as legumes and nuts. Unless they have been sprouted or fermented.

I didn't have any real telling signs that i had a food intolerence, but I was diagnosed with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) a few years ago. It is not well understood and the treatments have such horrible side effects I decided to dig a little deeper. In talking to a naturopath I learned some people think this is a form of autoimune disorder where the immune system attacks your own nerves. So I tried an autoimmune protocol variation of the paleo or primal diet. I felt SO good! But it was very consticting so I dug a bit deeper into autonomic nervous system research papers and nutrition papers. 
I found 2 very interesting things. 1 was that the autonomic nervous system depends highly on enzymatic activity and mineral levels in the blood. 2 was that phytates chelate many of the minerals that the nervous system utilizes. My form of POTS (hyperadrenergic) is thought to be partially caused by slow production of enzymes. I put al these together in my mind and decided i need to give my enzymes the best chance they can get by providing enough minerals and reducing competing forces, such as phytates.
Thus I altered my strict paleo diet, including dairy back into my diet and only restricing phytate containing foods. It has worked for me!


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

Oh man, I feel for you Karlie.  a girl that I met during my graduation had POTS and we quickly bonded since I have a general idea of how it is to be so sick. She was so cool, but POTS sounds like a terrible thing to deal with. I wonder if she knows about the diet. When I met her, she was having a LOT of problems and couldn't stand for more than a few minutes without her legs going numb and her lungs constricting, so we literally carried her to the stage, she walked down for her diploma, and we carried her again. If a diet change could help her, I bet she would have tried it.


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## Ninamebo (May 25, 2013)

A final diagnosis hasn't happened yet, but I am sure that I am gluten intolerant and have really bad reactions to anything high in sugar. There are also so many random foods that really wig my system out. But corn, corn is by far the worst thing, bane of my existence. 

It really sucks when you become so in tune with your body that you just know a stomach attack is coming on and theres really nothing you can do about it aside from balling up in the fetal position and hope it passes quickly. I wish my eating habits were more consistent, but there are just some days when I just know that if I try to eat anything my stomach will spazz out.. so I will go for a day or two eating very little before my appetite returns. 

Oh the woes of the food intolerant. I used to think broccoli and kale for breakfast was really strange, now it's a normal thing. And eggs for days. Tis hard being this way when I belong to a big typical Italian family.. no homemade fresh lasagne bolognese for me.


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

Ninamebo said:


> A final diagnosis hasn't happened yet, but I am sure that I am gluten intolerant and have really bad reactions to anything high in sugar. There are also so many random foods that really wig my system out. But corn, corn is by far the worst thing, bane of my existence.
> 
> It really sucks when you become so in tune with your body that you just know a stomach attack is coming on and theres really nothing you can do about it aside from balling up in the fetal position and hope it passes quickly. I wish my eating habits were more consistent, but there are just some days when I just know that if I try to eat anything my stomach will spazz out.. so I will go for a day or two eating very little before my appetite returns.
> 
> Oh the woes of the food intolerant. I used to think broccoli and kale for breakfast was really strange, now it's a normal thing. And eggs for days. Tis hard being this way when I belong to a big typical Italian family.. no homemade fresh lasagne bolognese for me.


If corn really gets to you, it may be phytates! Corn and soy are super high in phytates. As well as in everything that also has gluten which makes it really hard to separate what the irritant is!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Sony (May 10, 2014)

Corn... it's in everything! Some of the chemicals they put in food was made from corn. Maltodextrin, dextrin, dextrose are just a few of the things made from corn. It was so difficult when I first started to look at labels and google ingredients while at the store.


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## Jumping4Joy (Jan 29, 2014)

I'm not allergic to gluten, but I am allergic to peanuts and I understand how hard it is. I am a very anxious person and I dread going to places I've never eaten before. Every time I eat something that's packaged like the gluten-free pillsbury cookies, I think I'm having symptoms of anaphylaxis. I'm happy that there are a lot more gluten free options out there, but it's just kind of saddening that there aren't more peanut free lines and stuff. And if you have a nut allergy and want to go gluten free (I have tried) it's very hard because a lot of gluten free brands run on the same lines as nuts. Good luck to all of you and be safe!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Gizmo (Dec 19, 2010)

Sony said:


> Corn... it's in everything! Some of the chemicals they put in food was made from corn. Maltodextrin, dextrin, dextrose are just a few of the things made from corn. It was so difficult when I first started to look at labels and google ingredients while at the store.


Yes! It is irritating how sneaky they can be sometimes by disguising things with big fancy words. One of my gluten free cookbooks has a list of all the words to watch out for on labels.


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## tmhmisty (Jun 8, 2014)

Subbing!
I don't have any food allergies/intolerances but my bf has celiac and I strongly suspect an intolerance to casein.


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## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

I'm lactose intollerant and am allergic to rosemary. I'm slightly allergic to a bunch of other stuff so I try to eat it in moderation.

I can't tell you how many times I've sent food back because it had dairy in it. Or biting into a piece of bread with rosemary and immediately feeling a blister form in my throat.

There are lots of products out now for people like us so that we can sort of enjoy life. I will sometimes buy a whole container of fake ice cream made from almonds and eat the whole container in one sitting because I'm so happy to have an ice cream treat that I can enjoy without getting sick. 

It's not nearly as tough as what you're dealing with but I hope you find relief soon.


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## Sony (May 10, 2014)

I went to a steakhouse yesterday for lunch and ordered the wood grilled shrimp, steamed broccoli, and house salad.

I asked them if they had any olive oil, since most salad dressing is made from soybean/vegetable oil. I was so excited when she came back with a little saucer and said "EVOO!!"

So I dressed my salad with salt & pepper & olive oil, and then when I ate my broccoli... I felt sure I tasted butter. It was such a bummer. Today my scalp is not pleased. Could be the tomato in the salad (I gave up nightshades but decided to give it a try) or if the broccoli truly had butter. I'm 90% sure it did. I had to send the salad back the first time because it had cheese on it. I apologized but that might have made someone in the kitchen mad. 

Fail


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