HELP - Need advice - XD and Migraine came to visit yesterday

Sharaine · Post by **Sharaine** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 7:07 pm

Hello all,
Thank you for your good wishes for this trip I am on to visit my MIL. We just got home from our trip to Pennsylvania. But, I am getting ahead of myself. My problem is that D and XD have come to visit AND I got a migraine last night. I'm trying to eat well, but apparently have hit on toxic food. I need advice.

Before I left for the airport at 4:30am, I ate a tiny bowl (less than 1/2 cup) of Udi's certified gluten free original granola (it's made with certified gluten-free oats) with almond milk. I had half a cup of coffee at the airport .. black.

As soon as my MIL and husband's cousin, Cindy, picked me up at the airport on Saturday afternoon, we went to a seafood buffet. My MIL loves this place and we thought it would have safe options for me. I ate:

>Pineapple slices
> Honeydew melon slices
> Watermelon slices
> Buffalo chicken wings (they were not battered, just cooked in a sauce, I think)
> 1 slice of honey glazed ham .. but the honey glaze looked like jello, so I only ate the inside of the ham slice, not the outside edge. I do realize there could have been contamination from the knife, but fruit wasn't going to make dinner. All the other options had milk or flour or shrimp (I'm allergic to shrimp but can eat crab and clams. Go figure)

That evening I started having a little D. I was a little concerned since we were leaving on Sunday for Pennsylvania.

Sunday I ate a bowl of Enjoy Life Cranapple Crunch granola (it does not have any oats) with almond milk for breakfast before we left. Then for lunch we stopped at Cracker Barrel. They had a special allergy-specific menu and I was able to get cooked carrots and green beans and pulled BBQ pork with no butter, no flour, etc.

For dinner we ate at a small restaurant and they made me baked haddock, plain baked potato and brought me margarine, and a cooked mixed-vegetable side of green beans, red bell paper, and onion. I had a small glass of white zinfandel wine.

During the night I woke up with churning, diarrhea, nausea and a migraine. I had to take acetaminophen because I forgot my Max-Alt for migraines. I didn't get the Tylenol until about 6:00am (headache set in at 1 am; I didn't want to wake my traveling companions). I tried a shower, vomited all of the fish, and had more diarrhea. I finally put a cold cloth on my head and fell asleep until 9.

For breakfast ate the same Cranapple Crunch for breakfast with almond milk. For lunch I got a 100% beef burger at Friendly's with only lettuce and tomato, with ketchup and mustard. I checked on the fries, they were flour free, just had a soy warning, so I ate some of those.

Tonight I still have some of my migraine. We're back home in MD. I ate a slice and a half of Brown Rice Bread with peanut butter and am drinking Gatorade because I am dehydrated.

Can any one or more of you please tell me what I've done wrong? What did I eat that was a no no? My husband suspects the buffalo wings. They weren't that hot (I used to eat really hot buffalo wings in my younger days in Upstate New York).

Please give me advice on what to do. I've got a conference to exhibit at on Friday and Saturday. I've got safe food for the meantime, but then it's back to the cruel, gluten-ed, dairy-ed world. I can't be sick this weekend. It's not an option.

Thank you in advance for any and all suggestions you have for me. I so need them!

Sharaine :emptytoiletpaperroll:

Post by **tex** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:14 pm

Hi Sharaine,

I'm sorry to hear that you've had such a rough time during the past few days. Of course, we are all different, but here are the things that you ate, that would have made me sick, for sure, back when I was recovering:

oats, (quite a few of us here are sensitive to pure oats, including me)
pineapple, (plus oranges, lemons, etc., and anything else that contains citric acid)
watermelon, (watermelon contains a number of chemicals that do not sit well with many people who have MC)
buffalo chicken wings, (most sauces contain either gluten, dairy, or soy, or a combination)
margarine, (most margarine contains either dairy derivatives, or soy, or a combination)
bell paper, (even many people who do not have MC cannot tolerate bell peppers, because of the alkaloid nightshade chemicals that they contain)
onion, (many of us cannot tolerate onions or garlic, until our gut has healed)
lettuce, (lettuce is the single most irritating vegetable available, for most of us, until our gut heals)
tomato, (many of us cannot eat tomatoes, because of their nightshade chemicals)
ketchup, (if tomatoes are a problem, then ketchup is a problem)
mustard, (many of us find that it irritates our gut, while our gut is still sensitive)
French fries, (most restaurants fry them in the same oil used for frying breaded products, so the oil is contaminated, and so is anything fried in it)

The following two might or might not have been a problem for me, for the reasons stated:

honey glazed ham ? (not knowing what's in the glaze, makes it a high-risk proposition)
honeydew melon ? (I never eat them, so I'm just guessing, but since I reacted to watermelons while I was still healing, I would probably have reacted to these, also).

Of course, we are all different, so these might not have been a problem for you, but they are known to be a problem for many/most of us, at least until our gut heals.

I hope you feel better soon,
Tex

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:45 pm

Hi Sharaine,

I'm so sorry that you've suffered so much as a result of eating out. It's so hard to realize that one of life's former pleasures has become a punishment.

There's not one item in your list of foods that I would be able to eat. Tex has done a great job of listing the problems with many of the foods.

It's best to keep your foods as simple as possible, especially when eating out. We like to say that eating out is like walking through landmines. Buffets are especially problematic because the foods usually have added ingredients to make them more appealing, plus you aren't able to special-order how they are prepared.

Some suggestions for eating away from home:

* Plain meat, poultry or fish without any breading or added ingredients. You can season them at the table.
* Plain baked potato - bring your own topping, or ask for olive oil.
* Steamed vegetables. Many restaurants are using prepackaged vegetables. It's important to ask them if the vegetables have any sauce, such as butter or margarine added to them.
* As Tex mentioned, salads are a big no-no; lettuce is a big problem, as are the fresh vegetables and many dressings.

I hope that you'll be able to dine out with more positive results this weekend.

Gloria

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:54 pm

Sharaine,

I know how awful you feel when this hits... but if you truly lock down your diet this week, I bet you can save your weekend. (I think Tex is right - once something goes wrong, it can be very hard to decode in the aftermath, when so many of your meals were outside your control - through no fault of your own.)

For me, 'lockdown' means homemade chicken or turkey broth, bananas, small amounts of rice, plain tea, maybe a boiled potato... I realize it's hard to cook a vat of soup when you're feeling awful, and your method may be different. My April 'glutened' episode was upsetting, but did not prevent me from teaching on the weekend - I think about the same number of days later.

Your friendly/safe foods may be different, but I think you can get your weekend back. Travel is definitely a big adventure, but despite the risk it's good to get on the road, as safely as we can.

Gloria's tips are great - in addition, if you go out to eat with friends or family, be aware that sharing foods can put your at risk if their forks/spoons are dipping in and out of things you're avoiding, and things you believe are safe. (I love my friends who've caught on to this, bless them.) Sauce "on the side" is a great idea - and people still have to keep their utensils away from the communal dish once they have touched that sauce that may not work for you.

Plenty of fluids, plenty of rest... and feel better soon,

Sara

Post by **tex** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 9:10 pm

Incidentally, regarding baked potatoes, it just occurred to me that I once discovered that a local steakhouse slathers butter onto all of the baking potatoes that they expect to use for that day, and they do it first thing in the morning. Or was it Chili's? Now I can't remember which chain it was.

I have no idea how many other restaurants do this, but it's something to be aware of, for anyone sensitive to casein.

Tex

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 9:27 pm

Tex,

I believe it is Outback Steakhouse, isn't it?

Gloria

Post by **tex** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 10:30 pm

You're probably right. I knew there was some reason why I stopped going to Outback.

Tex

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 5:48 am

Sharaine,

Are you prone to migraines? Migraines are often triggered by food and foods high in amines are always suspect. You ate ham, BBQ pork, wine, and fish which are all high in amines. The spicy sauce on the wings and pineapple would also cause a histamine sensitive person to react. Just a thought as I am one who is very sensitive to amines and it can cause both D and migraine.

Mary Beth

Sharaine · Post by **Sharaine** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 7:19 am

You all are amazing. I knew you would have suggestions for me. What a learning experience this has been. My migraine is still here this morning. I have to work so will nap at lunch.

Mary Beth, yes, I'm prone to migraines. I had them down to one a year until last year when they returned. Now this is my second one in three weeks. It's becoming clearer to me that I've had food allergies for a lot longer than I care to calculate. Growl.

No lettuce? Oh man. How about spinach? Prior to this week, I had eaten spinach salads with carrots, tomatoes and avacados with balsamic vinegar with no apparent problem. Of course, clearly I ate things that caused me problems so now I've irritated things. I'll avoid all the raw veggies for the remainder of this week.

No Smart Balance margarine? I looked at Ghee. I don't remember what it said, I think something about clarified butter, so I did not buy it.

I will go to the store for some potatoes and avacadoes and hopefully a little olive oil. Oh, an rice and chicken to make stock.

I don't have time to be sick this week so I've got to get this under control.

Tex, Gloria and Sara, you all are so helpful. It does scare (perhaps too strong a word, but I'll leave it here) me that nothing I ate this weekend was safe. I love my fresh fruit.

I'll check in later.

Hugs, Sharaine

Post by **tex** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 7:41 am

Sharaine,

If you just have to have lettuce, try romaine lettuce. Some of us can tolerate it without any problems, but iceberg lettuce is definitely a problem for all but a very few of us, while our gut is so sensitive.

Severe migraines were a frequent problem for me, too, when I was reacting, but they disappeared, after the diet took effect. A couple of years ago, I discovered that MSG also triggers migraines for me, and apparently MSG causes migraines for many people. The MSG-related migraines that I had after I was in remission, did not involve a headache - only the auras, and the visual photosensitivity, etc.

Tex

nancyl · Post by **nancyl** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 8:05 am

Good tips for all of us regarding restaurant eating, especially checking on those baked potatoes.

Sharaine, I do hope you salvage the weekend. It's still early and you have several days.

I thought I'd share this cooking tip for romaine lettuce. I haven't had a salad for almost a year now and really miss them. My grandkids, who do all the cooking at family events, started grilling romaine lettuce. You cut it in half lengthwise, slather it with olive oil on both sides, add kosher salt, ground pepper and grill it for about 2-3 minutes on each side till it gets a little browned. Then add some grated fresh parm cheese. I can tolerate a tiny bit of the cheese. It is very good and gives one the feeling of having a bit of a salad.

Nancy

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 9:45 am

I love cooked/wilted romaine but hadn't thought of grilling it! (The parmesan would kill me - I'm glad to leave that out...) I have made soup with romaine in the past, but it was never as good as the version I had in a little restaurant near my former job. Maybe time to re-experiment.

Sharaine,

I know what you mean about being afraid. I don't think it's too strong a word. It's miserable being sick, and makes you worry about the future - even beyond getting through the week. Don't worry right now about losing certain foods forever - just lose them till you feel better. It's a lot more fun to try a small amount of salad or fresh fruit when you overall have the D dialed waaay back down, and when your system can take a little bobble without tipping all the way into full migraine/XD mode.

I had aura-like symptoms, photosensitivity and weird visual effects when first sick, but never headache. And I am not a lifelong migraineur, so this was new. That hasn't happened to me since, and you may be able to get yourself back on track and stay there with that chicken stock and a nice, simple diet. You've got some days till that weekend...

Hope you keep feeling better,

Sara

dgshelton · Post by **dgshelton** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:24 am

Sharaine - I'm so sorry you're having such a tough time! Being on vacation and not being able to control what you're eating can be very difficult. I have a couple more suggestions, commercial barbecue sauce is made with tomatoes and also the caramel coloring they use in it has gluten I it. I made barbecue chicken last night and when I looked at the ingredients in the KC Masterpiece sauce, they looked fine to me, but I decided to look it up on the Internet and sure enough, Heinz says that it is not gluten free. We ate at outback a few weeks ago and even though I told them I was allergic to gluten, dairy, soy and eggs, my sweet potato came swimming in butter, not on the inside, but the outside and my salmon also had some oil on it. I'm pretty sure it was some kind if butter or margarine, which would either contain dairy or soy, or both. It's really hard to eat out when you have allergies, but it can be done. You just have to be adamant about telling the waiter or even the chef, if you have to that you absolutely can't have those things.

I hope you are feeling better soon and can enjoy your trip!

Hugs,

coryhub · Post by **coryhub** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:13 pm

Sharliane,
I found your post enlightening. I'm new to this site and just beginning to change my diet to non-gluten fare. I read your post thinking maybe the gluten has been the reason for the headaches I been experiencing.
Wouldn't it be nice if eating gluten-free not only frees me from gut burn & D, but lessens my headaches! My hardest thing this week has been sticking to gluten free eating as I have such a limited grocery list of items to eat. I can't live off gluten free waffles forever. Can anyone tell me if the grade A maple syrup I put on them is okay? I put maple syrup on my plain yogurt and that's been alright.
Thanks to everyone in this forum for the shared information. I now eat sensible, eat natural, buy local, buy fresh, no gluten, .......so much to remember. Eating used to be something I took for granted. My flare up is ongoing but I now have for the future.

Cory

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:19 pm

Cory,

Maple syrup is OK for me now, but when I was really sick, all sweeteners seemed to make things worse. If you're still flaring, you might take a week or two off from dairy as well, and see if it helps.

You just need a few reliable go-to foods to get through the crisis, and you can worry about expanding to more interesting fare when your system gets back to a calmer state - hopefully pretty soon.

Many of us have seen improvements in lots of seemingly unrelated symptoms since correcting our diets. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if your headaches are related, and respond to your diet changes, too.

--Sara