The Long and Winding Road to Diagnosis…and then some…

Posted by Ajasgaren in Guest WritersJan 29th, 2009 | 3 responses

Well, I was a normal college student, ate normal college food, drank normal college beer, up until the fall of 2001, the final semester of my senior year.  I actually had minor surgery and afterwards gastro problems hit me like a ton of bricks. 3 gastroenterologists, 1 internist, years of testing… I don’t even remember how many colonoscopies…2 upper GI’s, 2 endoscopies, 2 camera capsule tests, and riding on the train with unmentionable samples for the lab…no diagnosis. 

Finally, someone decides to do some allergy testing (only took 3 years…) lactose-negative (and I always thought I was allergic to that!), sorbitol-positive, Gluten blood test-weak positive… no one has explained that to me yet, but we do get confirmation from the dreaded ELIMINATION DIET!!!  Has anyone else battled that one?  It’s more obnoxious than anything else.  After a few weeks of just eating basic, bland foods, like rice, chicken and veg, one of the first things I added back was wheat.  Not fun.  Like being hit by a truck.  Barley did the same thing.  Corn makes me break out into a rash from another dimension!  I think positive though; as long as I’m not allergic to chocolate, I can be happy in this world.

The other issue I have with wheat is urticaria.  I get bilateral rashes, usually on both arms from eating wheat.  Nothing like being patchy in the summer!

I’ve been in denial at times…tried to add wheat back to my diet in small amounts (organic, non-fortified flours) but it isn’t worth it.  I’ve probably taken 2 years off my life in the process!  My issue is it’s a lot easier to avoid the gluten than to avoid the corn, that’s probably why I cheat on the wheat as much as I do.  So many things sub corn for wheat, it gets very hard, and my corn issues are much worse than the gluten ones.  Then again, I’ve become one hell of a cook…just ask my husband and my dog!  But food subs are another story for another day…Cheers!

 

Lindsay  from Pennsylvania

http://krabstitch.blogspot.com/

Twitter: ajasgaren

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3 Responses to “The Long and Winding Road to Diagnosis…and then some…”

  1. Mike says:
    January 29, 2009 at 3:47 pm

    Thank you Lindsay! I think it is invaluable to hear about other people’s journey!

  2. Poppy Fields says:
    January 29, 2009 at 4:28 pm

    I used to think wheat was in everything, until I tried to eliminate casein, soy and corn. THAT stuff IS in everything! I could be healthier, but a “sensitivity” is not worth tearing my hair out over. Gluten is my bad guy of choice :)

  3. LindsayE says:
    January 29, 2009 at 5:19 pm

    Corn is DEFINITELY the hardest to avoid. At least the others have the benefit of food labeling. Corn is really in everything, though. ugh!! There are a lot of good Gluten Free/Casein Free cookbooks out there, too. That seems to be so common that the resources are out there. Corn, not so much…

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