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Sigh. We ordered Mu Shu Chicken and Moo Goo Gai Pan last night. I made sure they didn't use flour in them (I didn't eat the pancakes that go with the Mu Shu because they were made with wheat). Still, during the night, I got a migraine and today I feel not so good. Not crummy, I've had far worse migraines, but definitely not good today. I've got to work. Thankfully, I work from home.
How am I going to deal with Chinese food going forward??? This is so frustrating. I thought I covered my bases, but obviously I didn't. Any suggestions you all have are very much wanted and welcomed.
You may be reacting to soy - many of us do. (I'm not sure that I do, but I am avoiding it anyway, for now.) And many soy sauces do contain wheat. And who knows what's in hoisin sauce?
Also, in that sort of kitchen, cross-contamination is always possible - those woks and utensils could have traces of some other food which does have wheat (any noodle dish, even most rice noodles have wheat).
Or you could be having a reaction to something like MSG, even if it never bothered you before. Finding truly safe take-out/convenience/restaurant meals is such a help to a busy life - I hope you find an easy solution.
I agree with Sara - besides the risk of soy and gluten in the sauces, MSG is a major cause of migraines. Of course, MC is a common cause of migraines, also, during a reaction.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Ditto what has already been said regarding wheat in the soy sauce and soy. Also, I would find a new Chinese restaurant. Never heard of one that uses anything but a rice pancake for Mu Shoi dish.
It will get easier for you as time goes on.
Maggie
Maggie Scarpone
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Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
Thank you all for your comments. I didn't know that MC is a cause of migraines during reactions.
I was sure hoping that soy wasn't another food I would have to avoid.
I am going to talk with the owner of the restaurant as I've frequented it for many years. Maybe there's a way I can still eat there if I can identify foods without gluten, dairy and soy... and have them use clean cooking utensils.
I'm so darn tired today I just want to sleep. 3.75 more hours and work will over for the day. Then I'll rest.
Or, speaking more responsibly.... if I felt that way, I would strongly suspect I had been glutened. It could easily have been gluten, but not soy, from the soy sauce - and the restaurant might not have known, or thought to check. I have read that traditional Chinese soy sauce does not contain wheat, but Japanese shoyu does. And around here, I do see Kikkoman in many Chinese restaurants. You can find a non-gluten soy sauce or tamari, and bring it yourself - I'm sure they'd be open to that.
Hope you can work it out with your restaurant - an oft-frequented restaurant is like a friend!
Sara, when you say I sound glutened to you, I surmise that you are saying gluten can cause exhaustion/ rather constant tiredness. Is this accurate? If so, is it possible that I have been tired for 30 years because of gluten even before I got MC???? That would be mind blowing if it were the case.
I was feeling better with the Entocort and thought that choosing gluten free and dairy free was going to be a snap. I guess I was in denial. Perhaps the shock of my diagnosis has finally worn off and reality is setting in.
I think our symptoms in reaction to each food can vary, but gluten does cause exhaustion for me now. (Last time I know I was inadvertently glutened, the D was only bad for a couple of days, but the fatigue lasted almost a week.) It seems much more extreme than the fatigue I've had on and off over the years. It is possible that you and I have had a couple of unnecessarily low-key decades, where our bodies were more or less able to handle gluten, but at some cost. That's how it "feels" to me, but I don't mean to make that sound like an absolute fact.
It seems as though some folks feel great right up until they are in a full flare for the first time. Others have had nagging 'IBS' symptoms for years. I'm somewhere in between, I think...
Yes, for many/most of us, gluten-sensitivity causes extreme fatigue/exhaustion, along with brain fog, in many cases. Those are common celiac symptoms, also.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Sharaine - My worst experience since going gluten, dairy, soy and egg free was after eating Japanese restaurant. I was in bed feeling like I had the flu for two days. Soy sause has both gluten and soy in it, so I got a double whammy from it. I told the cook that I had those allergies and he tried what he thought was his best not to contaminate my food, but used the same spatula for my food and kept wiping it in the same wet towel. I knew I was eating contaminated food, but mde the choice to keep on eating. Boy, did I learn my lesson! It was my son's birthday and his favorite place to eat. I hate that I won't be able to eat there again. That experience confirmed for me that these food sensitivities are the cause of all of my problems, including fibromyalgia.
Sharaine - I don't know if you cook (I am doing a whole lot more of it these days), but I found a recipe for orange chicken (like P.F. Changs) that was delicious. It used coconut aminos instead of soy. I couldn't tell it didn't have soy in it, but my son thought it wasn't salty enough, so he added some soy to his. It was "allergy free" , so no soy, gluten, eggs or dairy.
Not crummy, I've had far worse migraines, but definitely not good today. I've got to work. Thankfully, I work from home.
