my symptoms really became apparent when i started developing food sensitivites to dairy, wheat, gluten, grains, citrus, sugar, refined foods, eggs, beef, lamb, pork, soy, corn, vinegar, alcohol, caffeine, potatoe family, asparagus, pineapple, bananas... there's more but i can't think of them right now...
basically i've eaten only about 20% of foods for the past 3 years now. and it's not seeming to get any better...
the more restricted my diet the more sensitive i become and the violently i react when i have something 'bad'. from open sores on my face to severe bloating, swelling in the face, sinus congestion, brain fog, memory loss, extreme fatigue etc etc - similar symptoms to psoc...
anyone else have this kind of reaction to foods?
i was told by a nutritionist at a clinic i went to in mexico that i should slowly reintroduce foods that i'm not hyper concerned about.
i have a MAJOR mental block with this now - a self diagnosed eating disorder. i have anxiety about trying to reintroduce foods and even went through a period of bulimia if i thought i had eaten something with one of my sensitive foods in it.
my eating became an obsession and the inevitable weight gain of pcos drove me insane b/c i have eaten 'cleaner' than a bodybuilder getting ready for a competition for years now and still have weight issues and fat % issues.
wanted to try going raw and vegan but my dr. said no - too hard on my system right now and i can't handle the stress of it...
i've been alone in this for years - hoping someone else in here has had a similar reaction and symptoms to the pcos???
Huge hugs I know exactly what you're going through - I have allergies and introlerances to dairy, wheat, gluten, citrus, sugar and some other really bizarre things.
I feel fantastic when I cut all these things out, but then when I accidently (or on purpose) eat something I react to, I'm violently ill. I get tired beyond belief, stressed, angry and irrational, my skin breaks out, my eczema flares up, I bloat... I turn into a monster.
I have had bulimia too - still fighting it. I know it's hard to get over the panics and fears of eating something you 'shouldn't', but your body needs fuel to keep working and do its thing. You have to look at food as fuel - without it, your engine will stop running and you'll feel worse.
Try and take it one day at a time - you can't expect to feel fabulous about food in 24 hours, but if you take it slowly, you'll eventually start to feel more rational about it.
Take care, my site has an eating disorders area if you want to check in there when you get sorted tomorrow (thanks for the PM, btw).
Huge hugs xxxx
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Have you ever undergone food allergy testing?
I bet you that would solve a lot of your worries and discomfort.
I had food allergy testing done by my homeopathic doc, and since I've cut down and almost cut out the foods, I feel a lot better.
My doc suggested that because of the PCOS and the endometriosis, I need to stay away from dairy, caffeine, and because my bowel is infected, wheat and wheat gluten. I cut out all lettuce, the huge salads I was eating for one week, I had no bloating and no pain, if that tells you anything.
Just so you know, I was surprised when my allergies came out below:
apple
avocado
pinto beans
buckwheat
canteloupe
carrot
celery
cherry
cocoa - chocolate
coffee
cranberry
egg
eggplant
lamb
cow's milk
mushrooms
oat
onion
peach
green pepper
pork
sugar cane
wheat
all yeast
I still ingest a few of these once in a while, but my tummy problems have diminished by an easy 90% by cutting out. This list was right on in correlation with *my* symptoms.
I would just suggest that you stay away from the foods that you know make you sick, period. It would be great if you could get an allergy test, it helped me.
Hang in there and good luck!
I have SO MANY food allergies as well, some of which are oats, barley, rye, wheat, buck wheat, all fruit and veggies in raw form, tomato in every form, berries in any form, ALL nuts, soy, tuna, artificial sweetners . . .geez there are more I just can't remember them. I am ashamed to say that I still eat the things that are the least allergy inducing b/c I would go crazy with boredom if I didn't. However, that being said, I have a permanently 'pregnant' tummy, horrible ibs, reflux, eczema, asthma, bleeding rectum, mouth sores etc etc. I know when I am 'good', I feel sooooooooo much better but then I also feel like I am starving for lack of things to eat and that isn't good either (b/c I like the starving feeling too much from being anorexic for so long). I am allergic to RAW veggies and fruit. Most people don't get how restricitve that is until they think of exactly what that means. All my allergies are so 'helpful' with my disordered eating as well. It is a great excuse One day at a time and some really creative cooking and understanding people. SO far the only really understanding ones are my x and my current bf who have seen what happens when I ingest these things. My dad and step-monster try and force things on me all the time and I finally told them that if they could spend the entire day in the bathroom in my place then by all means I will eat it. That is usually enough to gross 'em out and shut 'em up.
Good luck
Lisa
Not ttc. DH has had a vasectomy. We have 2 gorgeous boys, 2 and 4. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
I can relate...I have many food intolerances as well. I have also been diagnosed with Celiac and cannot eat any gluten (wheat, rye, and barley). Have you ever been tested for that? I know you mentioned sensitivities to those foods, but wasn't sure if you were completely avoiding them. The problem with Celiac is that it is actually an autoimmune disorder and when you ingest anything with gluten, it causes your body to attack and damage your small intestines. The damage flattens your villi so that when you try to eat other foods, especially dairy, you are unable to absorb them properly and you can become malnourished. It may seem like you have intolerances to lots of other things, when in reality it can be the damaged intestines causing the problems/symptoms. With Celiac, you can never reintroduce gluten after being off it a while, it will always cause you damage if you eat it, but your intestines can heal on a strict gluten-free diet. Gluten is hidden in lots and lots of foods so it is difficult to avoid completely unless you are reading all labels very carefully. If you have never been tested for it, you might want to consider it, although if you are already mostly avoiding gluten, testing would most likely be a false negative. They can do blood work for it and/or a biopsy of the small intestines through endoscopy.
I can also totally relate to being afraid to eat other things for fear of having a reaction. I have been gluten-free for over 2 years but still have gastro issues and a bad attack in January has left me on a much more limited diet. This is one of the reasons I decided to stop the Spiro. I've been on it almost a month and it was causing me lots of stomach pains and extreme fatigue and I have been very afraid that I would get my potassium out of whack by eating too many potassium rich foods, since I rely on a lot of them as subsitutions due to my Celiac. I decided to stop it and see if some of my stomach issues get better. Good luck with everything! Let me know if you have any questions about Celiac.
Lisa
__________________ Lisa - age 39, gallbladder surgery 5/03; lap for Endometriosis 7/03; Hysterectomy 9/03 (uterus only); Celiac 4/04; PCOS; horrible return of the Endometriosis beast in 01/06
I can totally relate to you guys, i have had food allergies all my life but they have gotten worse as i have gotten older. Although i am not as allergic to some of the stuff that you guys are, i tend to have life threatening reactions to foods. I am severly allergic to all types of seafood, shellfish and any kind of fish, berries, some fruits and veggies, and nuts. I have become very OCD about my allergies and refuse to try new things and i am always worried that i will eat something and have a reaction to it. My husband doesn;t have any allergies and sometimes he thinks that i take things to far.. Anyone else have this problem?
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6rounds of Clomid with No O
seeing new RE 7/06
1st round of clomid with Dexamethasone 8/06
8/21/06- P4-0.8 No O
New Cycle with Letrazole started on 9/20/06
!!!BFP-10/24/2006!!!!!!!!!!!
U/S 11/15/06- saw heartbeat! 122
U/S 12/12/06- HB 164
U/S 2/2/07-It's a GIRL!!!!!
EDD-07/05/2007
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yay... and... crappy... glad that i'm not the only one with this insanity but sorry to hear that others are suffering too... it is nice to know that you guys are dealing with the same stuff...
sometimes i get down on myself for over eating some food that is a 'cheat' for me, like puffed rice with agave or putting too many figs in my salad... then i think i'm crazy for that... one time i ate a whole half watermelon and was super sick after... my tummy looked like i was 8 months pregnant!
it's like i am super disciplined and then i lose my mind every once in awhile and when i go... I GO.
at least i'm not out of control with the reactions anymore. haven't tried to reverse the intake manually for about 3 months. (it never did make a difference anyways... i'd still look like a pumpkin and react no matter what i did.)
the cravings are SOOOOOO hard to fight sometimes!!! there are times when all i think about is food. any suggestions?
I'm so sorry you have to deal with this! It sounds like you might benefit from some ongoing help from an eating disorder clinic... even just being paranoid about food in any way can be an eating disorder. It must be hard enough to have the food allergies as an obstacle to eating healthy not to mention the emotional/psychological aspect. I'd also suggest looking into food allergy testing.
I don't have any food allergies that I know of but DH certainly does! I'm probably guilty of criticizing him now & then for being paranoid about food, even though I totally understand. He used to get terrible migraines that made him really sick until he figured out what he was allergic to. His list includes pork, caffeine, chocolate, nuts, dairy, non-organic lettuce, msg, autolyzed yeast extract, aspartame, preservatives: EDTA/BHA/BHT/sodium benzoate, and I'm sure I'm forgetting the others.
He has reintroduced some foods with restrictions - sometimes he can eat a bit of one 'bad' thing if he makes sure not to have any of the others. Since many of his allergies are related to preservatives(mostly in packaged foods) we have found that shopping organic has really provided more options. He was even able to go back to lettuce after we found out it was just the chemicals making him sick - now he eats organic or garden grown. He is also much more tolerable of dairy if he drinks acidophilus milk in the morning. Many foods he still has to completely avoid but through trial & error he has found some ways around his allergies.
Good luck with your health & happiness!
__________________ Natural Family Planning Advocate To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. color="mediumturquoise">~ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. color="mediumturquoise">Me - 23 Dx PCOS August 2006 DH - 25 Dx MS March 2003 Together Since Oct 31, 1998 ~ Married May 22, 2004
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it was nice to read your post. i too only eat organic and haven't eaten anything that comes in a box or can for a couple years now (it made a big difference) i have mercury poisoning as well so have to avoid spinach and tuna too...
i have had a number of food allergy tests and they come back different every time. i'm sensitive to the foods listed but actually only allergic to egg whites and asparagus... which means to me that my pcos is heightening everything. just don't know how to calm it all down!
I do the old trade off thing too, if I eat an item with wheat then I am extra careful not to get anything else with an allergen in it. Plus, did you know, that the pollen count and environmental allergens have an impact on how one will react to their trigger food?? That amazes me! Sometimes a nice big salad tastes so darn good but let me tell you, the way I pay, you'd think I would never do it again. Boredom plays a huge role for me. I get so bored of the same old diet and the same old restrictions and the same old excuses and explainations I have to give. I spent my whole life of living at home staving off a father who would try and make me "increase my immunity" to foods by eating a little bit. Finally, I consulted my allergist and he said, "Lisa, the one time you do that may be the last time you do anything ever again." That shut-up my dad.
I hate to say this b/c this is a rough thing for all of us, but I am so glad I am not the only one!!! I always thought I was. No one else around me, or even in my family, has food restrictions like I do.
Take care all.
Lisa
Not ttc. DH has had a vasectomy. We have 2 gorgeous boys, 2 and 4. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Food allergies are usually something you have had since you were younger, or can arise at any time during adulthood.
Following a food rotation diet is truly great !
You should never eat the same things every day, for example, if you have Red meat on Monday, don't eat it again until Thursday.
A GREAT book you can pick up, that's jam-packed with information from an incredible guy, don't know if you have heard of him, Paul Chek ?
You can pick one up on his website, or Amazon. "How to Eat, Move and be Healthy." www.chekinstitute.com
i've read a lot about food rotation - not that book though - i will look for it.
it seems to help with my sensitivities... it's hard work though! ontop of the allergies and restrictions to only have the same food ONE time over 4 days makes it difficult. It tends to mean a lot more planning and buying fresh stuff in smaller quantities.
i am supposed to be on the food rotation diet right now but i'm on the road for work (i'm a photographer) and it's enough work just carrying around a cooler with all my organic food in it, and searching for health food stores in all the small towns all over maryland!
when i can do the rotation diet though - it's great. for awhile in the spring i was getting so sick that i was starting to develop allergies to the foods on my tiny little list of 'yes' foods. scary!
now i deal with the headaches, brain fog and constant sinus congestion... and i don't freak out as badly when i wake up bloated or with a swollen face... i just hope it goes down during the day...
celiac's has been mentioned to me a number of times... nobody has ever tested me for it though... if you have any more info on it i would love to hear it,
food allergies like crazy!!! am i alone? 
I know exactly what you're going through - I have allergies and introlerances to dairy, wheat, gluten, citrus, sugar and some other really bizarre things. 
nope - you're not alone 
One day at a time and some really creative cooking and understanding people. SO far the only really understanding ones are my x and my current bf who have seen what happens when I ingest these things. My dad and step-monster try and force things on me all the time and I finally told them that if they could spend the entire day in the bathroom in my place then by all means I will eat it. That is usually enough to gross 'em out and shut 'em up.
It sounds like you might benefit from some ongoing help from an eating disorder clinic... even just being paranoid about food in any way can be an eating disorder. It must be hard enough to have the food allergies as an obstacle to eating healthy not to mention the emotional/psychological aspect. I'd also suggest looking into food allergy testing.
Hormonal Headaches 
