Thinking I may be wheat intolerant?

[emmy]

I'm thinking I may be wheat intolerant...I've thought about getting a food allergy test but they are expensive, I wouldn't get them to test most things (meat, fish, dairy) anyway, and I wondered whether it would just be worth me cutting out wheat and seeing if it makes a difference?

The main symptom I am trying desperately to eliminate is severe fatigue. I saw one doctor who was close to diagnosing me as having M.E. as through blood tests etc he couldn't find anything else it could be. Then I had to see a new doctor who doesn't believe it exists...she thinks the acronym "ME" is a sign of it being a self-pitying illness.

Whatever the truth about its existence is, I am still tired!! If a doctor can't offer me any help, which doesn't surprise me, then I'm going to have to experiment myself.

It's not just a SAD thing...it's just as bad in the lighter months.

I wondered whether it could be a bit of a throw back from a couple of years of very severe bulimia...I was bingeing and purging continually every day, enough to vomit 60 times a day. My binges mainly focussed on the very typical carbs...white toast especially. Does anyone know if this (plus another 10 years of anorexia) could be a cause of an intolerance now? I wouldn't blame my body for seeing it as poison!

I do find that I feel a LOT different after a corn/rice pasta meal than a wheat pasta meal....is that normal, or a sign of intolerance?

If anyone knows anything about all this I'd really appreciate advice/suggestions! I don't want to cut it out if it's unecessary, I rely on it for bulking my diet out (the more quantity of whatever food I eat, the more a binge trigger it is).

[Astrid]

I would think it's almost impossible to determine yourself whether you have a wheat allergy or gluten intolerance (which is a cronic illness). You should get a blood test for coeliac/gluten intolerance. Don't change your diet before having done that. And your question about throw back from EDs: coeliac might develop after changes in diet or other stress factors, but only if you're born with the genetic disposition for it.

[emmy]

I've read that gluten intolerance can often exist but not show up on standard coeliac tests because it is not coeliac disease (ie not as severe)?

[Astrid]

Gluten intolerance and coeliac is the same as far as I know, but wheat allergy is different, and perhaps less severe (the intestines are not damaged like in the case of coeliac?). Coeliac requires absolute exclusion of gluten, while I guess wheat allergy is like most allergies - you can have some as long as you don't get syptoms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_allergy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac

[emmy]

Yes, it was wheat allergy I was thinking of - thank you for clearing that up!
I very much doubt I am coeliac, I didn't mean to get them confused and imply I thought that was the case... but the wheat allergy symptoms sound spot on. Then again, many allergy symptoms are similar.
I may get an allergy test to rule things out. This fatigue is ruining my life and I can't stand sleeping any more!!

[dreamqueen]

I'm thinking I may be wheat intolerant...I've thought about getting a food allergy test but they are expensive, I wouldn't get them to test most things (meat, fish, dairy) anyway, and I wondered whether it would just be worth me cutting out wheat and seeing if it makes a difference?

The main symptom I am trying desperately to eliminate is severe fatigue. I saw one doctor who was close to diagnosing me as having M.E. as through blood tests etc he couldn't find anything else it could be. Then I had to see a new doctor who doesn't believe it exists...she thinks the acronym "ME" is a sign of it being a self-pitying illness.

Whatever the truth about its existence is, I am still tired!! If a doctor can't offer me any help, which doesn't surprise me, then I'm going to have to experiment myself.

It's not just a SAD thing...it's just as bad in the lighter months.

I wondered whether it could be a bit of a throw back from a couple of years of very severe bulimia...I was bingeing and purging continually every day, enough to vomit 60 times a day. My binges mainly focussed on the very typical carbs...white toast especially. Does anyone know if this (plus another 10 years of anorexia) could be a cause of an intolerance now? I wouldn't blame my body for seeing it as poison!

I do find that I feel a LOT different after a corn/rice pasta meal than a wheat pasta meal....is that normal, or a sign of intolerance?

If anyone knows anything about all this I'd really appreciate advice/suggestions! I don't want to cut it out if it's unecessary, I rely on it for bulking my diet out (the more quantity of whatever food I eat, the more a binge trigger it is).

Stupid question...but what is M.E.?

[emmy]

Stands for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, otherwise known as CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome)

[dreamqueen]

Stands for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, otherwise known as CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome)

Ah! Thanks for the clarification.

A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and her family doctor is also refusing to acknowledge its existence and therefore refusing to refer her to anyone who can help her. What's wrong with these stupid doctors anyway??

[Roxy]

Emmy - you could also ask to have your iron levels checked. When my iron levels are low, I get awfully tired, very quickly.

[emmy]

dreamqueen - it's mad isn't it? some do, some don't. but it's actually forced me to look for more holistic, natural ways of sorting myself out...through diet or whatever. one day i'd like to get to a point where i don't need to rely on all the western medication i have to take for depression/mania/anxiety etc...but it's a bit too risky for me just to stop those without a decent alternative!

roxy - the doctor who was close to diagnosing me ran blood tests for everything...all my levels were fine (they generally are). that's why he was close to diagnosing me with cfs i think...they diagnose by elimination. the only things that have been suggested to me are cfs (possibly as a result of a glandular illness i had last year) and wheat allergy...

[dreamqueen]

Emmy, if you're on the birth control pill that may also be a problem.

I was on it for years and no doctor ever bothered to tell me it often causes depression and sometimes extreme fatigue - I found out because my boyfriend read about it in the newspaper. I decided to go off the pill and see what would happen...and I stopped being depressed and so tired all the time in about a month.

[emmy]

Yes, I am! I hadn't even thought about that, and it does sort of correlate with when I've been really tired.
I take the progesterone only pill, I'm going to look into that now!
Did you find an alternative?

[sponge]

emmy, you said your blood work was ok? Was your thyroid was tested? Do you have any digestive symptoms?

[emmy]

Yes, my blood work was fine. I'm not sure if they tested thyroid, but I'm pretty sure the doctor asked for full testing (which I presume would have included everything, it generally does given medication I am on).
Digestive symptoms...I get terrible, um, flatulence And often get very bloated. If I eat a 'heavy' meal, which doesn't even have to be a large quantity, I often get stomachache and have to lie down until it relieves itself a bit.

[emmy]

I looked into the POP/mini-pill side effects and it does include fatigue as a symptom. Also loss of libido and loss of periods - I've had both of those side effects.

I had a baguette for tea...I'm feeling heavy, burpy and a bit bloated already.
Part of the fatigue is a strong need to sleep after most meals. I know this is quite common for really big meals as the digestive system needs a lot of energy to do its stuff. I was told I will have this as my digestive system is probably still repairing itself after so much abuse, but it seems to be dragging on a bit too long!

[harpy]

Hi emmy - Sorry to hear about your problems. Could you maybe just try avoiding wheat for a while and see if that helps? There is quite a lot of stuff you can have instead for bulk - rice, oats, other grains.

Another thing to try might be to look at the glycaemic index/load of your meals (loads of information about this on the web); eating a meal of refined carbohydrates without much protein or fat certainly can leave you feeling drowsy afterwards.

[treaclemine]

Could you maybe just try avoiding wheat for a while and see if that helps?

If you think you have a wheat problem, I'd urge OP and others to get tested for celiac disease.

Celiac affects about 1 in 100 people, so it's pretty common.

I've posted more info in : http://www.veganforum.com/forums/sho...d.php?p=401194

[Roxy]

It definately does sound like a digestive problem. I would echo harpy's advice and see if you can cut wheat out of your diet for a while and see if it makes any difference to the way you feel.

[treaclemine]

I'd strongly advise against 'just cutting back on wheat for a while'.

To get a reliable result on a celiac test, you need to be eating plenty of gluten. I know that's potentially painful! But you need to be 100% gluten free if you have celiac disease, or face potential fatal long-term health consequences. Just 'cutting back on wheat for a while' could mask a very serious illness. There's a simple 'screening' blood test which is reasonably reliable if you are eating 'plenty of gluten'.

About 1 in 100 people have celiac disease - but many take years to get a proper diagnosis.

[Roxy]

Well it's a good thing nobody suggested "cutting back". Harpy and I suggested cutting it out altogether. However, we aren't doctors and were only offering some friendly advice.

[harpy]

Treaclemine has a point though in that some of the coeliac diagnostic tests don't work unless you've been eating gluten for a while beforehand.

http://www.nutrition.org.uk/home.asp...hich=undefined

[treaclemine]

I'm not a doctor of medicine either. I'm basing my comments on primary medical research, however, of which plenty is freely available from peer-reviewed journals via the internet.

I'm also not trying to scare anyone.

But ... celiac disease is common, very serious, quite treatable, frequently mis-diagnosed, and easily screened for as long as you are eating plenty of gluten.

This is why my friend who was severely debilitated by undiagnosed celiac disease for many years, and has just celebrated 10 healthy gluten-free years, urges everyone with suspected wheat problems to seek professional medical advice before they change their diet.

I've read up on the situation, and agree with my friend, so I repeat the advice.

[dreamqueen]

Yes, I am! I hadn't even thought about that, and it does sort of correlate with when I've been really tired.
I take the progesterone only pill, I'm going to look into that now!
Did you find an alternative?

Yes, but a non-hormonal alternative. We trust to condoms and we're fine with that although that might not be enough for some. Other options: sponges or IUDs (I hear the IUDs cause a lot of pain going in an out though, and they have to be surgically inserted and removed so not cheap depending on where you are).