question about reaction

March 27, 2008

::first post::

I joined the group back in February because I wanted to try and go

gluten-free during Lent (cut my bread addiction). Great recipes, and

I never felt deprived without my wheat. On Easter, I ate a bagel, a

sandwich, and I had a soy drink (soy had also been pretty much cut

out of the diet too). My stomach wasn't happy, but I figured it was

the gluten. Later that night, I had the worst headache in my life,

my eyes felt like they had been punched with a fist, I couldn't keep

food down (what I was eating during Lent), and it's pretty much faded

slowly day by day. Was this a potential allergic reaction? I

thought it might have been a chest cold or something, since my chest

was hurting a lot, I had fever and chills, joints hurting, dizzy

spells, etc, but I don't know.

I can't afford to visit a doctor right now, so I'm just asking for

opinions since I'm almost certain everyone had to deal with an

elimination diet (for themselves or someone else) and the reaction

when something went wrong in reintroduction. Right now, I'm drinking

a lot of fruit juices (no sugar added, 100% fruit ones) and eating

lentil soup because that's pretty much all I can keep down.

Thanks--

Sarah

March 27, 2008

Yes, sounds like a food reaction to me!

Pam

On Wed, Mar 26, 2008 at 10:41 PM, Sarah <rocketcharmander wrote:

::first post::

> I joined the group back in February because I wanted to try and go

> gluten-free during Lent (cut my bread addiction). Great recipes, and

> I never felt deprived without my wheat. On Easter, I ate a bagel, a

> sandwich, and I had a soy drink (soy had also been pretty much cut

> out of the diet too). My stomach wasn't happy, but I figured it was

> the gluten. Later that night, I had the worst headache in my life,

> my eyes felt like they had been punched with a fist, I couldn't keep

> food down (what I was eating during Lent), and it's pretty much faded

> slowly day by day. Was this a potential allergic reaction? I

> thought it might have been a chest cold or something, since my chest

> was hurting a lot, I had fever and chills, joints hurting, dizzy

> spells, etc, but I don't know.

> I can't afford to visit a doctor right now, so I'm just asking for

> opinions since I'm almost certain everyone had to deal with an

> elimination diet (for themselves or someone else) and the reaction

> when something went wrong in reintroduction. Right now, I'm drinking

> a lot of fruit juices (no sugar added, 100% fruit ones) and eating

> lentil soup because that's pretty much all I can keep down.

>

> Thanks--

> Sarah

>

March 27, 2008

A lot of people have gluten allergies or sensitivities and don't realize it

until something changes in their life to trigger a reaction that is

noticeable. Pregnancy, change in diet, or excessive stress are major

triggers of a reaction. Also, when you do an elimination diet, your body

starts to rid itself of toxins that have built up, possibly for years. The

flu like symptoms are common when the body is detoxing. A lot of people also

experience rashes, a gagging or choking sensation, nausea and vomiting,

and/or stomach cramps when dealing with an allergy.

If your having reactions to gluten after the elimination diet, you should

consider going gluten free permanently. You either have an undiagnosed

celiac (allergy) or a gluten sensitivity. The difference is that

sensitivities to certain foods often do not show up in allergy testing and

are difficult to diagnose. The best way to determine if you have a problem

is the elimination diet, and then slowly reintroduce the suspected problem

foods back into your system, one per day. Once you figure out all the foods

that you have a reaction to, you can create a diet plan and eliminate those

foods from your diet all together to avoid further reactions. You mentioned

soy as being part of your lent elimination diet, and some people have

reactions to soy as well, so you should test yourself with the soy alone to

make sure that's not a problem.

Hope this helps you understand and figure out your reactions.

~Jae

On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 12:41 AM, Sarah <rocketcharmander wrote:

> ::first post::