Today: I am allergic to being allergic.
[tweetmeme source=”elizabethev” only_single=false]After a month of following a low FODMAP diet, carefully tracking what I ate and how it made me feel, and spending more time in grocery store aisles reading labels than I ever imagined possible, I returned to the RD yesterday morning for my first follow up appointment.
I continued to keep notes on my diet and symptoms after the four week elimination phase, so I brought notes about what I thought was bothering me.
I’ve avoided all caffeine and artificial sweeteners (except for a sip of Nick’s Diet Coke post-Reach the Beach, but I absolved myself of that sin immediately because I was barely human at that point). The only alcohol I consumed in five weeks was two sips of Champagne, and I didn’t have a single drop of agave or honey.
Lactose was on the original “no” list, so when I had a slice of pizza and just barely lived to regret it (slight exaggeration… slight), I assumed dairy was the culprit. Similarly, when I got a stomach ache after slurping (in a ladylike way) down a cup of tomato soup, I surmised that someone slipped some cream into the pot. And when a tomato, mozzarella and pesto panini nearly did me in, I blamed the mozzarella. Obviously.
Turns out, feeling good is not a matter of guessing. There’s a science to all of this. And medical experts and medical experts because they have medical expertise, not because they guess about what’s in their soup. Duh.
After we reviewed the results of my comprehensive food panel (a blood test I took a few weeks ago), it appears that I am strongly reactive (like, in a negative way) to baker’s yeast, brewer’s yeast, and coffee. I’m moderately reactive to garlic (whyyyyyyyyyy), gluten, grape, peanut, white potatoes, tomatoes (again, whyyyyyyyyyyy), and wheat.
Please note that I am not at all reactive to milk. Lobster’s fine, too. Not that I have any desire to eat one. But still. I guess that’s good to know. In case I swim by one, or something.
Because I’ve felt a lot better since making the first set of changes, my RD set up a plan for the next six weeks using a low FODMAP diet as the baseline, with a few changes to reflect the potential aforementioned allergies. Oh, and I get to add beans back to the mix. Hallelujah for that. Over the course of six weeks or so, I will reintroduce specific foods (in a specific order) for one day at a time, note any symptoms, and go back to my baseline diet for 24-48 hours before introducing a different food or food group. This “challenge phase” will help us narrow or expand my diet based on how I am feeling.
The foods or food groups in question:
- Gluten
- Milk
- Wheat (as long as I don’t react to gluten)
- Baker’s yeast
- Brewer’s yeast
- Tomato
- Peanuts
- Fructose
- Fructans
- Sorbitol and Xylitol
- Garlic (if I don’t react to fructans)
- Lactose-free, low-fat dairy (if I react to low-fat regular dairy)
Sound like fun, right? Right. I’m inclined to want to entirely avoid anything that might bother me (if it feels good, do it… if it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it), but I suppose trial and error is important. I am more than willing to try just about anything once, though. Or twice. Especially if the end result is feeling better. And I promise to stop playing amateur allergy detective. I don’t promise to stop playing amateur regular detective, though.
I’m off to eat six hundred beans, four containers of hummus, and a bowl of sprouts for good measure.
Also On Tap for Today:
- Spray tan time (yes, really)
- #photoadayjune starts tomorrow… because June starts tomorrow
- Breaking out the pink pants 🙂
Do you have any allergies? Or are you the perfect human?
Comments (19)
Megan@ The Running Doc
May 31, 2012 at 11:39 am
I personally don’t have any allergies but my boyfriend has Celiac’s disease and is lactose intolerant. He discovered this about 6 months ago so we’ve cut out all products with gluten and eat very little dairy, though I won’t lie cheese still pops up from time to time. If you’re anything like him, you’ll feel so much better once you figure out what the culprit is and cut it from your diet!
Cara
May 31, 2012 at 11:40 am
This is so interesting! I’m sorry that it must be frustrating, but honestly, it’s great that you are on your way to feeling your best.
Jessica @ Dairy Free Betty
May 31, 2012 at 1:03 pm
Allergies suck – I’m glad you are finally figuring it all out though – hopefully you’ll start feeling incredible ASAP!
MCM Mama (@mcmmama)
June 1, 2012 at 12:04 am
I’m glad you are getting some answers! My boys both had allergies as babies, so I got to play the “what can I eat” game while breastfeeding. Life was much simpler once we knew the older kid had dairy and egg allergies and the younger one was allergic to black beans, raspberries, and lima beans. They’ve since outgrown those but the older one is now allergic to peanuts, almonds, and hazelnuts.
Hope your testing process goes easy on you!
Elizabeth
June 4, 2012 at 9:44 pm
Thanks, ladies! I appreciate the encouraging words. 😉
funandfearlessinbeantown
June 1, 2012 at 9:15 am
I’ve been having some stomach issues lately related to fatty foods. I’m doing a month of probiotics and if that doesn’t work, I’m going to go gluten-free for two months. I totally feel your frustration of the trial and error but I’m trying to keep a positive attitude and do what the doc says!
Elizabeth
June 4, 2012 at 9:44 pm
Hope you’re feeling much better soon. It’s not fun, but I’m crossing my fingers that it’ll be worth it. Hang in there, my friend! 🙂
Theodora
June 2, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Nope, I’m perfect.
Elizabeth
June 4, 2012 at 9:42 pm
You really are perfect. God makes no mistakes. You’re on the right track, baby, you were born this way.
theodorablanchfield
June 2, 2012 at 9:13 pm
In all seriousness–I’m glad you’re getting answers, even if some of them are ones you don’t want.
I don’t know exactly what I’m allergic to per se, and what just bothers me, but I eat a pretty bland diet to appease my jerk of a stomach: no dairy, relatively low in fiber, not too many veggies, allergic to peanut butter…I’m sure I’m missing other stuff 🙁 Wanna talk more about it? Call me, maybe?
Bridget
June 4, 2012 at 10:22 am
Garlic and tomatoes??? Wow! Never heard of those allergies before 🙁 Especially since garlic is usually in very small quantities when its added to a recipe! But very happy it’s not the cheese! Interested to see how this all pans out for you! I’m also seriously about to suggest we meet for breakfast or something before work since other times are harder 🙂 No really…
Elizabeth
June 4, 2012 at 9:43 pm
One of the options was lima beans. Would’ve much rather been allergic to those haha. So glad we have a date on the books!
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RunToTheFinish
June 5, 2012 at 3:36 pm
i definitley have some food allergies, but like you it seems so inconsistent that i’ve been playing my own little guessing game. I know i need to try elminating all and adding things back, but it sounds daunting and so I haven’t. Hope this time gives you more answers!
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Elina (Healthy and Sane)
June 14, 2012 at 8:41 am
That test sounds super helpful. I’m glad you’re on your way to feeling better! The experiments will be worth it.
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Stephanie
May 3, 2014 at 2:31 pm
When you at the foods that gave you a bad reaction, how soon after eating did you see the effects? Within the hour? The next day?