Ok now I'm thinking gluten intolerance, anyone have?

I would suggest a full food sensitivity panel rather than just gluten -- I did one a few years ago, and I had sensitivities to almonds and a few other foods that I would have never guessed. Even if they don't cause direct issues, they can exacerbate any conditions (like Lyme) and can make it harder to recover.

Good luck.

springsjean said...
I thought I figured out it was sugar, so started eating healthy and feeling good and then whammo, could it be all the "healthy" wheat products I bought. I go on Monday to dr. so gonna ask to be tested for insulin resistance or reactive hypoglycemia cause it is definitely what I am eating (besides the lyme) triggering the anxiety and heart palps. Wondering if anyone here with lyme also gluten intolerant?

I have celiac disease and have probably had it since childhood, but I know that Lyme disease can mimic celiac disease and cause gluten intolerance. It can also trigger autoimmune disease, including celiac disease I would assume....? It's very common for people with Lyme to be gluten intolerant.

The other thing you should keep in mind is that you DON'T want to be feeding the bacteria, so you need to keep the carb intake low. Eating lots of wheat (or any grain) is not good because of the carbs.

Hi, My husband and kids have LD and all have tested positive for celiac disease(gluten intolerant). I did not test positive for celiac disease but I found out that if you are not eating gluten products when you get tested it can be a false negative. My doctor took me off gluten to keep down the inflammation in my body. I have noticed that when I eat gluten I feel bloated. If I stay away from it I feel better.

Wow thanks so much for all the tips and advice. Wondering what everyone's symptoms with gluten and/or yeast were? GI, typical yeast infection symptoms or no???

The symptoms I had that disappeared with a gluten free diet were a feeling of heaviness after eating, and horrendous migraines & cramps with each monthly cycle. After I went gluten-free for 6 months, the challenge dose of gluten (the communion wafer) triggered 2 days of diarrhea in addition to the above. And it took 6 weeks for the monthly cycle symptoms to go away. Every time I'm "glutened" (including if I inhale gluten like if I walk by the bakery in the grocery store, or if I go up the bread aisle in the store, or visit someone's house where wheat pasta has recently been cooked), I pay for it for 6 weeks' worth of monthly cycles.

Food allergy tests I've had:

Electro-Dermal Screening (EDS)
NAET (muscle testing)
IgE blood tests (RAST)
IgG blood tests
IgA stool tests for gluten, yeast & casein
Skin prick testing
Skin patch testing
Trial and error (i.e., avoidance & re-challenge)

EDS says I'm allergic to most all foods. I believe it, most foods give me some kind of discomfort.

NAET says I'm allergic to many foods.

IgE blood tests say I have no food allergies.

IgG blood tests say I have about 25 food allergies.

IgA stool tests say I have an immune response to gluten, casein and yeast (probably would show reactions to more foods if such tests existed)

Skin prick tests say I'm allergic to soy, eggs, fish, tomatoes, corn, rice, and tree nuts.

Skin patch testing says I'm allergic to beef, turkey and chicken.

Trial and error agrees with EDS and tells me I have trouble with most foods, most sources of water, and 2 preservatives (Sulfites, TBHQ).

Take care,

Razzle, you seem to be very knowledgeable. I have got real questions for you or for anyone else who feel obliged to answer:

a) Is it possible that one have gluten intolerance, but they continue to eat it without any effect. (for example, i've eaten gluten all my life without feeling anything, doesn't make sense lyme has made me gluten insensitive).

b) if you give up gluten, what's left there to eat? (given that you also have allergies to soy/eggs etc)

c) my doctor thinks i've have candida, but what can i do to get rid of it? can low intake of gluten be helpful if gluten can't be eliminated at all?

d) Celiac disease, i hear is harmless so can we all live with it forever?

Post Edited (pepphell) : 2/15/2010 6:24:30 PM (GMT-7)

pepphell said...
Razzle, you seem to be very knowledgeable. I have got real questions for you or for anyone else who feel obliged to answer:

a) Is it possible that one have gluten intolerance, but they continue to eat it without any effect. (for example, i've eaten gluten all my life without feeling anything, doesn't make sense lyme has made me gluten insensitive).

b) if you give up gluten, what's left there to eat? (given that you also have allergies to soy/eggs etc)

c) my doctor thinks i've have candida, but what can i do to get rid of it? can low intake of gluten be helpful if gluten can't be eliminated at all?

d) Celiac disease, i hear is harmless so can we all live with it forever?

Hi Pepphell,

I'll answer a couple of your questions out of order....

d) Celiac disease is NOT harmless! Far from it! Untreated, it can lead to intestinal cancer. It can also "open the door" for other autoimmune diseases to develop....please read the following article for more info:

www.umm.edu/news/releases/zonulin.htm

b) There's TONS of stuff you can still eat! Here is a link to a wonderful cooking blog written by a lady who's basically allergic to everything! Karina is a great cook and has been gluten free for quite a while....she started this blog before she discovered some of her allergies, and has slowly gone soy, dairy, you-name-it-free too. You should check it out:

glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/

Here is her "how to go gluten free" post:

glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2006/01/morning-after-diagnosis-that-is.html

a) Yes, it is possible to have "silent" celiac disease....that is, you have no symptoms but the doctor finds damaged villi in your intestine during endoscopy. This is a REALLY bad type to have, because I rely on symptoms to tell me when I've been "glutened" by something so I can avoid it in the future. You wouldn't have those symptoms so you wouldn't know..... :(

Good luck!
JoAnn