My husband was doing quite well after going gf for 2 months, (df for 2 years) when he got a serious head cold a month ago. Since then he's had flare ups. He was having 6 day stretches of doing well, then a day or 2 of D. In the past 2 weeks it's gone to 3 or 4 good days, then 1 or 2 bad days. Now today is a bad day after only having 1 good day. We're having a very hard time pinning down a cause. We have a pretty routine diet of mostly chicken, potatoes, rice or rice based foods, sometimes beef, and gluten free bread which does contain some soy. Before he went gf, it seemed that it took 2 days for bad foods to cause D. Now it's so random. The only thing that he has on a daily basis is the gf bread or dry gf cheerios. It seems like he should have D on a daily basis, but maybe his meds help some. I want to start him on a strict diet, but I'm afraid of choosing the wrong things. I think potatoes are generally safe, but I'm worried about chicken. Being the cook in the family, I feel responsible when he has D. I'd appreciate any advice.
I'm pretty sold on ordering an enterolab test, but my husband wants to think about it.
thanks,
Lisa
Seriously confused
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hi Lisa,
It's very common for members here to begin to relapse after being GF for a month or two. It takes a while for the antibody levels to decline, and as long as the immune system is overwhelmed by gluten antibodies, it will concentrate on that. As the gluten antibodies fade away, the immune system begins to notice other problem foods in the diet, and it will begin to produce antibodies to them, according to a certain hierarchy. (This is one of my theories, based on our experience here on the board, and you won't find any doctors who realize that this is what's happening). Anyway, as we begin to react to another food, our reaction patterns vary, but for some of us, they follow a pattern similar to what your husband is experiencing, where they become more frequent, and more intense, as we build up antibodies to a food that we eat on a regular basis, so his reaction pattern is somewhat typical, and suggests that something in his diet is causing a buildup of antibodies.
You're in a tough position, because choosing foods to avoid is pretty much of a guessing game, without the EnteroLab tests. Playing the odds, though, about half of us are sensitive to soy, so it's the next major food-sensitivity, after gluten and dairy, so it would be the most likely food to try avoiding, next. I'm not sure about the percentages, but quite a few of us are also sensitive to eggs, so that's the next likely possibility, after soy. Be careful with the GF cheerios, because a lot of cereal grains are cross-contaminated. Any commercially-processed product can be cross-contaminated, for that matter. Sometimes the manufacturer's GF label can be trusted, but random spot checks often show that a surprising number of supposedly gluten-free foods, are cross-contaminated with gluten, unfortunately.
I hope you can track down the problem soon, before his symptoms become worse.
You're very welcome, and good luck with this project,
Tex
It's very common for members here to begin to relapse after being GF for a month or two. It takes a while for the antibody levels to decline, and as long as the immune system is overwhelmed by gluten antibodies, it will concentrate on that. As the gluten antibodies fade away, the immune system begins to notice other problem foods in the diet, and it will begin to produce antibodies to them, according to a certain hierarchy. (This is one of my theories, based on our experience here on the board, and you won't find any doctors who realize that this is what's happening). Anyway, as we begin to react to another food, our reaction patterns vary, but for some of us, they follow a pattern similar to what your husband is experiencing, where they become more frequent, and more intense, as we build up antibodies to a food that we eat on a regular basis, so his reaction pattern is somewhat typical, and suggests that something in his diet is causing a buildup of antibodies.
You're in a tough position, because choosing foods to avoid is pretty much of a guessing game, without the EnteroLab tests. Playing the odds, though, about half of us are sensitive to soy, so it's the next major food-sensitivity, after gluten and dairy, so it would be the most likely food to try avoiding, next. I'm not sure about the percentages, but quite a few of us are also sensitive to eggs, so that's the next likely possibility, after soy. Be careful with the GF cheerios, because a lot of cereal grains are cross-contaminated. Any commercially-processed product can be cross-contaminated, for that matter. Sometimes the manufacturer's GF label can be trusted, but random spot checks often show that a surprising number of supposedly gluten-free foods, are cross-contaminated with gluten, unfortunately.
I hope you can track down the problem soon, before his symptoms become worse.
You're very welcome, and good luck with this project,
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.
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goldgeogirl
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Tue Jan 03, 2012 1:52 pm
- Location: NV
Thanks, Tex. We'll keep plugging away. A couple years ago, my husband was breaking out in hives. Blood tests showed that he should avoid eggs, casein, beans, and nuts. They showed "low" sensitivies to soy and beef, but not in the "avoid" range. Maybe at the time, his immune system was "focusing" on the casein/eggs? Could that be why the soy or beef didn't test high?
Maybe, but if that was a blood test, their results don't always correlate very well with gastrointestinal issues, because they look for different markers than the stool tests. They're notorious for missing gluten-sensitivity issues. The MRT, (modulator release testing), panel is one of the best, but even that one usually misses the gluten issue.
Beef is usually not a major problem, though it does cause certain symptoms for some of us. For me, for example, it would cause a little bloating, upper back pain, and a headache, but not D, and those symptoms usually lasted less than 24 hours.
Tex
Beef is usually not a major problem, though it does cause certain symptoms for some of us. For me, for example, it would cause a little bloating, upper back pain, and a headache, but not D, and those symptoms usually lasted less than 24 hours.
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.