Hi All,
Over the years, so far, I have been through three distinct stages of autoimmune issues, during my lifetime:
1. Asthma
2. Hay fever in the fall, (due to ragweed and other weeds with similar yellow pollen)
3. Gluten sensitivity.
Each time my system changed, the previous sensitivity would disappear, before the next one began.
I am obviously entering my fourth stage, now. During the past few days, I have noticed that my eyes are watering a lot, and today, with a fresh norther blowing, they are worse, and I am also quite congested. The reason? The air is carrying tons of oak pollen from the live oak country north and west of us. Pecan trees are also beginning to bloom, so it's possible that they might be contributing to the problem, also. Since neither of these ever bothered me before, it's obvious that a major change has taken place, (or is taking place), inside my immune system.
If the previous pattern remains intact, that implies that I am no longer gluten sensitive at this point. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
This time, however, I find that hard to believe, so I doubt that I'll be taking a gluten challenge anytime soon. On the other hand, eventually, I'll probably be "forced" to try a challenge, or I'll never know if the original pattern still holds true.
Anyone else ever hear of anything similar to this happening to someone, or have you ever experienced it yourself? Any opinions? Any bets on whether I am still gluten sensitive? LOL. This is totally unexpected, and I don't know what to make of it.
Tex
My Immune System Never Ceases To Amaze Me
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
My Immune System Never Ceases To Amaze Me
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.
Hi Tex
Looking back now I would say I have had autoimmune issues for most of my adult life but, just never realised what the cause was and also like you when one went the other seemed to appear. The first problem was as a child when I got hay fever, which seemed to go away around the age of 18 years old.
Round two came after a few years of living in Germany when I suffered really badly from sinus problems, the doctor said it was an allergy to the rape growing in the region of Germany I lived in. During those years I had to use steriods and antihistamine for about 5 months of the year to function.
Shortly after returning to England to live the sinus problems seem to come back! Then MC started so you could be onto something
.
Looking back now I would say I have had autoimmune issues for most of my adult life but, just never realised what the cause was and also like you when one went the other seemed to appear. The first problem was as a child when I got hay fever, which seemed to go away around the age of 18 years old.
Round two came after a few years of living in Germany when I suffered really badly from sinus problems, the doctor said it was an allergy to the rape growing in the region of Germany I lived in. During those years I had to use steriods and antihistamine for about 5 months of the year to function.
Shortly after returning to England to live the sinus problems seem to come back! Then MC started so you could be onto something
.
WOW
Tex, be sure to give it some time before the "gluten challenge".
Wouldn't it be great if it turns out to be true although that "new" allergy can be hard to live with also. At least you have mastered the gluten one. I wish I could say that I can identify a similar pattern but I can't seem to do that. My "former allergies" seem to still be with me even though they don't seem to be as bad most of the time.
Love, Shirley
Tex, be sure to give it some time before the "gluten challenge".
Wouldn't it be great if it turns out to be true although that "new" allergy can be hard to live with also. At least you have mastered the gluten one. I wish I could say that I can identify a similar pattern but I can't seem to do that. My "former allergies" seem to still be with me even though they don't seem to be as bad most of the time.
Love, Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
-- Winston Churchill
Hi Tex!
Very interesting......... maybe there has been a major increase in oak pollen in TX this year? I know that some people only react to allergies when the conditions are right - perhaps there is more pollen this year and more NW winds? I do know that some folks with mold allergies can be symptom-free for years during drought conditions and then have a major flare when a wet spell arrives.
It's probably a wise decision not to do a gluten challenge. I am thinking that your 3 respiratory allergies are mediated thru a different mechanism in your body than your gut intolerances. But this is an fascinating theory and bears watching.
It seems we MCers keep the tissue makers in the money. Between diarrhea and snot we use a lot of tissues, right? LOL! I went thru BOXES during the past year's sinus infection. And, of course, once one has MC one always make sure to carry some tissue with them in the case of emergencies........even after years of remission those old habits (and feelings of fear and humilation) die hard.
Hope the offending allergens are short-lived.
Love,
Polly
Very interesting......... maybe there has been a major increase in oak pollen in TX this year? I know that some people only react to allergies when the conditions are right - perhaps there is more pollen this year and more NW winds? I do know that some folks with mold allergies can be symptom-free for years during drought conditions and then have a major flare when a wet spell arrives.
It's probably a wise decision not to do a gluten challenge. I am thinking that your 3 respiratory allergies are mediated thru a different mechanism in your body than your gut intolerances. But this is an fascinating theory and bears watching.
It seems we MCers keep the tissue makers in the money. Between diarrhea and snot we use a lot of tissues, right? LOL! I went thru BOXES during the past year's sinus infection. And, of course, once one has MC one always make sure to carry some tissue with them in the case of emergencies........even after years of remission those old habits (and feelings of fear and humilation) die hard.
Hope the offending allergens are short-lived.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Mini,
The "experts" claim that allergies to oilseed rape are very rare, but of course, that's beside the point if you happen to be one of the unfortunate few who are allergic to it. I see that production acreage of oilseed rape is rapidly growing in England these days, so it will be interesting to see if that becomes a problem again, as the acreage continues to expand. I hope that doesn't happen, of course.
Shirley,
Your statment, "Wouldn't it be great if it turns out to be true . . .", pretty well sums up my thoughts. Yep, it would indeed be nice, but I really don't believe that has happened, so, as you suggest, I'm certainly not going to try a gluten challenge anytime soon, (I'll have to see if this continues for a few years before I seriously consider trying that).
Polly,
You are quite correct - there appears to be much more pollen in the air this year, and we have indeed had an unusual number of days with NW wind during the past week or so. On Saturday, I was at a campsite surrounded by thousands of acres of live oak trees. When I was preparing to grill some pork steaks, country ribs, sausage, etc., for dinner, I noticed that a stainless steel counter top was completely covered by a greenish-yellow powder. When I wiped it off, it dawned on me that it was pollen, and I was amazed at how much of it had settled on the counter top. I've been visiting that campsite regularly for many years, and I don't recall ever noticing any pollen settled on any surfaces before, let alone to that extreme degree.
I don't understand why there is so much pollen, because we had a rather dry winter, and we're having a somewhat dry spring, as well, but maybe the trees are trying to "make hay while the sun shines", because of past problems. Being a student of nature, you will probably find this interesting. For at least the past three or four springs, the Oak Leaf Roller moth larvae have been unusually numerous, and they have caused widespread defoliation of many live oaks in this area of Texas, each spring. Obviously, when this happens, the trees become very vulnerable to other problems that would normally not be serious, and things such as even a moderate drought can kill them. Last year was a year of endless rains during the spring and summer months. The caterpillars once again defoliated many trees, but apparently the flooding interrupted the life cycle of the moths, and they were unable to lay their eggs in May, (or maybe the unusually wet conditions somehow damaged the eggs). At any rate, this year, when the eggs hatched in March, the population was waaaaaaaaaaay down, and so far I haven't noticed any trees even showing any evidence of damage, let alone defoliation. In most of the past years, by now they would have been almost leafless. Anyway, that's why I say that the trees may be trying to make up for losses during previous years. I suppose they're kind of like the whitetail deer - if the does are faced with a severe drought during the winter and early spring, their bodies will simply absorb the fetuses they are carrying, and there will be very few fawns born into the harsh environment. If conditions during the following winter and spring are normal, however, every doe will be carrying twins, and many will be carrying otherwise rare triplets, and the population can virtually "explode" in one year. Nature has ways to compensate for adverse events.
Thanks for your insight. You're correct, of course, in pointing out that these respiratory reactions are mediated differently than food intolerances. I'll definitely be waiting to see what happens next spring, and the next, before I seriously consider doing a gluten challenge.
I find it kind of interesting that I seem to find a reason to threaten to do a gluten challenge every few years or so, but, of course, I never have the guts to actually do it. LOL.
There's very little wind today, so my symptoms are already much improved.
Love,
Tex
The "experts" claim that allergies to oilseed rape are very rare, but of course, that's beside the point if you happen to be one of the unfortunate few who are allergic to it. I see that production acreage of oilseed rape is rapidly growing in England these days, so it will be interesting to see if that becomes a problem again, as the acreage continues to expand. I hope that doesn't happen, of course.
Shirley,
Your statment, "Wouldn't it be great if it turns out to be true . . .", pretty well sums up my thoughts. Yep, it would indeed be nice, but I really don't believe that has happened, so, as you suggest, I'm certainly not going to try a gluten challenge anytime soon, (I'll have to see if this continues for a few years before I seriously consider trying that).
Polly,
You are quite correct - there appears to be much more pollen in the air this year, and we have indeed had an unusual number of days with NW wind during the past week or so. On Saturday, I was at a campsite surrounded by thousands of acres of live oak trees. When I was preparing to grill some pork steaks, country ribs, sausage, etc., for dinner, I noticed that a stainless steel counter top was completely covered by a greenish-yellow powder. When I wiped it off, it dawned on me that it was pollen, and I was amazed at how much of it had settled on the counter top. I've been visiting that campsite regularly for many years, and I don't recall ever noticing any pollen settled on any surfaces before, let alone to that extreme degree.
I don't understand why there is so much pollen, because we had a rather dry winter, and we're having a somewhat dry spring, as well, but maybe the trees are trying to "make hay while the sun shines", because of past problems. Being a student of nature, you will probably find this interesting. For at least the past three or four springs, the Oak Leaf Roller moth larvae have been unusually numerous, and they have caused widespread defoliation of many live oaks in this area of Texas, each spring. Obviously, when this happens, the trees become very vulnerable to other problems that would normally not be serious, and things such as even a moderate drought can kill them. Last year was a year of endless rains during the spring and summer months. The caterpillars once again defoliated many trees, but apparently the flooding interrupted the life cycle of the moths, and they were unable to lay their eggs in May, (or maybe the unusually wet conditions somehow damaged the eggs). At any rate, this year, when the eggs hatched in March, the population was waaaaaaaaaaay down, and so far I haven't noticed any trees even showing any evidence of damage, let alone defoliation. In most of the past years, by now they would have been almost leafless. Anyway, that's why I say that the trees may be trying to make up for losses during previous years. I suppose they're kind of like the whitetail deer - if the does are faced with a severe drought during the winter and early spring, their bodies will simply absorb the fetuses they are carrying, and there will be very few fawns born into the harsh environment. If conditions during the following winter and spring are normal, however, every doe will be carrying twins, and many will be carrying otherwise rare triplets, and the population can virtually "explode" in one year. Nature has ways to compensate for adverse events.
Thanks for your insight. You're correct, of course, in pointing out that these respiratory reactions are mediated differently than food intolerances. I'll definitely be waiting to see what happens next spring, and the next, before I seriously consider doing a gluten challenge.
I find it kind of interesting that I seem to find a reason to threaten to do a gluten challenge every few years or so, but, of course, I never have the guts to actually do it. LOL.
There's very little wind today, so my symptoms are already much improved.
Love,
Tex
As Rosan Rosanadana used to always say, "Never mind!"
Polly, you are sooooooo right. I just talked with a buddy from Dallas, who was at that same camp when I was, and when I mentioned that the oak pollen was giving me fits, he said that it is eating him alive, too, and like me, he never had a problem with it before, so my new "immune system stage" is apparently just a false alarm.
We'll see what happens next year, I suppose.
Love,
Tex
Polly, you are sooooooo right. I just talked with a buddy from Dallas, who was at that same camp when I was, and when I mentioned that the oak pollen was giving me fits, he said that it is eating him alive, too, and like me, he never had a problem with it before, so my new "immune system stage" is apparently just a false alarm.
We'll see what happens next year, I suppose.
Love,
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.
Hiya Tex,
Thanks for the nature lesson..........it's always welcome! I think there are also regular natural cycles that can be as much as 15 -30 years or more in between. One example, of course, are the cicadas.
We have a lot of black walnut trees on our property, and two years ago we had a bumper crop of walnuts, the likes of which I had never seen in 30 years of living here. You couldn't even walk around without crunching on 2-3 of them under each foot. Maybe that's a factor with the oak trees.
At least it's reassuring to know that your immune system is not changing.
Love,
Polly
Thanks for the nature lesson..........it's always welcome! I think there are also regular natural cycles that can be as much as 15 -30 years or more in between. One example, of course, are the cicadas.
We have a lot of black walnut trees on our property, and two years ago we had a bumper crop of walnuts, the likes of which I had never seen in 30 years of living here. You couldn't even walk around without crunching on 2-3 of them under each foot. Maybe that's a factor with the oak trees.
At least it's reassuring to know that your immune system is not changing.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.