Gluten and food allergies.

This is my first time posting in this forum so here is a little background on me..I do have a point to make.  4 1/2 years ago I had to have emergency and had 12 inches of my large intestine removed.  I was always having severe lower abdominal cramps/pain associated with gas and other GI issues.  2 months after that I almost bled to death when two ulcurs perforated and I had my appendix removed.  1 year after that I had my gall bladder removed after experiencing severe chest pain.  In between those dates I passed two kidney stones.  Needless to say the last 4 1/2 years of my life has been quite expensive.

I have seen no less than 10 different doctors over the past 2.5 years with the complaint of both feet stinging/burning, severe aches and pain in both knees and both feet, ears ringing, dark stools but no blood present, shooting pain down the back of both legs, lethargy and some other problems.  I have had every test known to man run on me and each test comes back stating that nothing is wrong with me so each doctor gives me pain meds..which I am now addicted to but do need.

Last year I was was furious with my doctor and began a search of my own as to what could possibly be causing my problems.  At first I thought I was lactose intollerant and eliminated all dariy...dariy is not really good for you anyway. If yoiu think about it...humans are the only animal that drinks the milk of another animal....kinda gross.  Once I eliminated dairy I noticed a slight improvement but still had the same problems.

Just by chance I ran across something call Gluten Intollerance or Celiacs Disease.  I had noticed that bread and pasta like foods would really casue my body aches to flare up so I thought I was on to something.  Off to my GI doctor I went and asked for a Celiac Panel test to be done..the results came back negative.  I was crushed.  I have had several complete blood tests done and each of them reveals that I am a healthy person.  Then why do I feel like ****?  If I happen to eat something that is high in gluten I feel horrible and my anxiety is sky high...this lasts about 3 days.

I moved on to the next thing...Candida.  Keep in mind that when you mention candida or Ceialcs Diseas to a doctor they get mad...like you are quesioning their judgement or ability.  I noticed that if I eat/drink something that is high in sugar I would get dizzy and extremely irrated.  I began to slowly reduce the amount of sugar in my diet.  I lost about 10lbs but so far do not feel any better.  My research shows if a person does have candida it can take up to 2 years to reverse the problems...I'm now at approx 6 months.  I have seen two doctors that instantly dismiss candida since I am not immune compromised...like having AIDS.  My research also shows that a person with high stress, has had sugery or a diet high in sugar will more than likely have some kind of intestianl candida infection.  All of the above I have experienced.  

Gluten intollerance or Celiacs dieseas is one of the most mis-diagnosed problems in the medical community since doctors are not taught about food allergies.  My best friend who lives next door to me is our family doctor and he has never heard of Celiacs disease.  Celiac is connected with Fibro, Chrons and many other autoimmune disorders.  

The only sure-fire way to find out if this is your problem is to completely illiminate gluten from your diet for two weeks.  This is not easy.  Bread, pasta, ketchup, croutons, oatmeal, anything with wheat, barley or oats has to be taken out of your diet.  In those two weeks if you symptoms go away...BINGO...you found your problem.  

Hope ths helps.

[1nana]

So, was it the gluten causing all your problems?

I was blown away by your comment that your doctor friend has NEVER heard of celiac disease!?!?!? What kind of doctor is he?

[sparkle40]

I had a similar problem with gluten.  Constipation and spasms and trapped gas.  I stayed off of wheat and noticed an improvement.  Some of my other physical symptoms took 2 months to go away.  So I wonder if 2 weeks is long enough for some persons to figure out the problem?

[TrudieC]

To eliminate yeast I would recommend going to a Naturopath who can give you some supplements to kill the yeast and put you on a diet that totally eliminates the sugars and yeasts in your diet.  I did this - no sugar, alcohol, wheat, gluten, corn, dairy for about 2 months with the supplements and made a huge difference in how I felt.

You can have a gluten intolerance instead of Celiac which reacts similarly but will test negative.  You might also want to check out SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).  Your doctor can do a breath test, or, you can try a lower fat Atkins diet and if you feel better you know this is your issue.