Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
I am up right now way past my bedtime with my old familiar gluten symptoms, insomnia and leg pain. Earlier today I had explosive D. My husband is having an outbreak of itchy rash (he's never been diagnosed but we are pretty sure he has DH - he has DQ2 gene) and my son also has D. This has been going on two days and I have no idea what we ate that caused this. We haven't eaten in a restaurant and haven't had any new products. Clearly something "safe" was contaminated and I don't have a clue what it was. This is soooo frustrating!!
Mary Beth
Can't figure out this mystery
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Can't figure out this mystery
"If you believe it will work out, you'll see opportunities. If you believe it won't you will see obstacles." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
Hi Mary Beth,
Oh, don't you just HATE this? And if YOU can't figure it out, it has to be extremely elusive. LOL! My best guess would be that some product contained gluten less than the 20 ppm so that it didn't have to be listed on the label. I know I react to very low amounts.
What grains did you have? I remember a discussion not too long ago where someone (Tex?) said it was virtually impossible to find any uncontaminated grain nowadays. Sigh - it is always so disheartening when we get these flares despite our very best vigilance.
Hopefully, things will settle down ASAP for all three of you.
Love,
Polly
Oh, don't you just HATE this? And if YOU can't figure it out, it has to be extremely elusive. LOL! My best guess would be that some product contained gluten less than the 20 ppm so that it didn't have to be listed on the label. I know I react to very low amounts.
What grains did you have? I remember a discussion not too long ago where someone (Tex?) said it was virtually impossible to find any uncontaminated grain nowadays. Sigh - it is always so disheartening when we get these flares despite our very best vigilance.
Hopefully, things will settle down ASAP for all three of you.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Thanks cave dwelling friends. The only grain I ate before symptoms started was a Mission corn tortilla, so I am guessing maybe some contamination from that. That was the only common meal we ate right before symptoms started. It also contained some Pacific GF chicken broth and Herdez salsa verde. My legs are still achy today and I am tired but I can feel the symptoms waning. When Sean's gets a flare up of the itchy bumps it takes several days for them to go down.
I was down to just a modicum of rice and an occasional tortilla but now it looks like tortillas aren't safe. I inching closer and closer to 100% paleo.
Mary Beth
I was down to just a modicum of rice and an occasional tortilla but now it looks like tortillas aren't safe. I inching closer and closer to 100% paleo.
Mary Beth
"If you believe it will work out, you'll see opportunities. If you believe it won't you will see obstacles." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
Well, if anyone can manage the Paleo diet for optimal nutrition, I'm sure it's you, Mary Beth! I was just thinking I should eat the occasional serving of rice or corn, just in case I'm ever in a situation (traveling, guest in someone's home) where it's difficult to get enough calories from paleo-only foods. I was even thinking of making my own tortillas... but somehow, I keep not quite doing it.
I didn't entirely intend to go so hard-core into the Paleo realm, but it's actually easier in some ways. (And, of course, harder in others.)
Glad to hear the symptoms are waning,
Sara
I didn't entirely intend to go so hard-core into the Paleo realm, but it's actually easier in some ways. (And, of course, harder in others.)
Glad to hear the symptoms are waning,
Sara
Mary Beth,
Have you tried the food Food for Life brown rice tortillas? I have noticed that most mainstream grocery stores now carry them in the freezer. They do have tapioca flour, safflower oil, and a little xanthan gum (I say "little" because I don't react to them, although normally I do if something contains a significant amount of x. gum). Maybe your son would like them.
I hear you about 100% paleo. I can really tell the difference in the way I feel on days that I am not totally paleo.
Happy to hear the symptoms are waning.
Love,
Polly
Have you tried the food Food for Life brown rice tortillas? I have noticed that most mainstream grocery stores now carry them in the freezer. They do have tapioca flour, safflower oil, and a little xanthan gum (I say "little" because I don't react to them, although normally I do if something contains a significant amount of x. gum). Maybe your son would like them.
I hear you about 100% paleo. I can really tell the difference in the way I feel on days that I am not totally paleo.
Happy to hear the symptoms are waning.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Polly,
I'm red reactive to tapioca so I avoid that particular brand. I've alwys done fine with Mission tortillas so I'm not sure if they are truly the problem.
I agree 100% on feeling better with my version of paleo, which includes potatoes and a few starchy vegetables. The simplicity of paleo makes it easier in many ways, it's just not always convenient, although I've adjusted.
Z, sausage is always a bit of a concern if it is not labeled GF. Maybe you can contact them to find out for sure.
Mary Beth
I'm red reactive to tapioca so I avoid that particular brand. I've alwys done fine with Mission tortillas so I'm not sure if they are truly the problem.
I agree 100% on feeling better with my version of paleo, which includes potatoes and a few starchy vegetables. The simplicity of paleo makes it easier in many ways, it's just not always convenient, although I've adjusted.
Z, sausage is always a bit of a concern if it is not labeled GF. Maybe you can contact them to find out for sure.
Mary Beth
"If you believe it will work out, you'll see opportunities. If you believe it won't you will see obstacles." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
Mary Beth,
I also eat potatoes and sweet potatoes in my Paleo-ish lifestyle. It makes restaurant and social eating, particularly, a little easier. And oh, you were so right about watching out for those potato chips - I have definitely gained a little weight back! We're looking forward to the winter squash from our CSA - at which point, I think I'll try to dial the potatoes down a bit.
Love,
Sara
I also eat potatoes and sweet potatoes in my Paleo-ish lifestyle. It makes restaurant and social eating, particularly, a little easier. And oh, you were so right about watching out for those potato chips - I have definitely gained a little weight back! We're looking forward to the winter squash from our CSA - at which point, I think I'll try to dial the potatoes down a bit.
Love,
Sara
Mary Beth,
Are you eating yellow corn tortillas, or white corn tortillas? Here's an insider tip:
Virtually all grain elevators in this country, (except rice elevators), handle corn, milo, and wheat. In the upper Midwest, and the Southeast, milo is less common, and wheat is often replaced by soy beans. Anyway, the point is, those elevators handle yellow corn. If I were in your shoes, I would use white corn tortillas, (which I prefer for this reason), because only food corn elevators handle white corn, as a general rule. Food corn elevators don't normally handle wheat, though that depends on their location, and their customer/client base. The point is, your odds of being glutened from a food corn elevator is far, far, lower than it would be at any other type of storage facility, (because they're much more accustomed to dealing with the risk of cross-contamination, due to their customer base), and the only way to know for sure that the corn in your tortillas came from a food corn elevator, is by sticking with white corn tortillas. That's not totally fool-proof, of course, but it's the best we can do, and it's usually a quantum leap ahead of relying on corn from "ordinary" grain elevators.
To improve the odds even more, I stick with Mexican brands. My faves are Guerrero and La Banderita.
http://www.tortillasguerrero.com/es
http://www.olemexicanfoods.com/
Of course, Mission Foods is also a subsidiary of Gruma Corporation, so technically, it's a Mexican brand, but it was a U. S. brand before they bought it, (back in the 1990's), so it has a somewhat different customer base, and it may still have different suppliers.
I wonder if there's a chance that your hubby's DH could be "rubbing off" on you, just from normal contact - an innocent hug might have implications that we never expected. I don't know if that's even possible, but I wonder about the possibility. We all know that DH is not contagious, but I wonder if there might be enzymes, or antibodies present in those DH pustules, (or whatever they are properly called), that might possibly trigger a response in someone who is hypersensitive to mast cell stimulation.
Here's another thought. I don't know if that norther that blew through here Sunday a week ago ever made it all the way down to Houston, but as soon as it blew in, I could detect hay fever symptoms, and our pollen crop around here was pretty much of a flop, with very little pollen produced. It even kicked up my BP for a couple of days. For someone with mast cell issues, I would think that could be a problem. Also, the air was so dry , (in the single digits), that it seemed to magnify the effects of the pollen on the respiratory system, and it also made the pollen hyper-mobile.
Of course, I may be all wet, but at least it's something to consider. One thing's for sure, something's going on, if all three of you are reacting at the same time. If it's a food problem, it's almost surely something that should be safe, but it's not, which means that you can only guess at what it might be. If the tortillas were made from yellow corn, they would be a prime suspect, IMO, but if they were made from white corn, that ups their credibility a notch or two, IMO.
I hope you can figure it out.
Tex
Are you eating yellow corn tortillas, or white corn tortillas? Here's an insider tip:
Virtually all grain elevators in this country, (except rice elevators), handle corn, milo, and wheat. In the upper Midwest, and the Southeast, milo is less common, and wheat is often replaced by soy beans. Anyway, the point is, those elevators handle yellow corn. If I were in your shoes, I would use white corn tortillas, (which I prefer for this reason), because only food corn elevators handle white corn, as a general rule. Food corn elevators don't normally handle wheat, though that depends on their location, and their customer/client base. The point is, your odds of being glutened from a food corn elevator is far, far, lower than it would be at any other type of storage facility, (because they're much more accustomed to dealing with the risk of cross-contamination, due to their customer base), and the only way to know for sure that the corn in your tortillas came from a food corn elevator, is by sticking with white corn tortillas. That's not totally fool-proof, of course, but it's the best we can do, and it's usually a quantum leap ahead of relying on corn from "ordinary" grain elevators.
To improve the odds even more, I stick with Mexican brands. My faves are Guerrero and La Banderita.
http://www.tortillasguerrero.com/es
http://www.olemexicanfoods.com/
Of course, Mission Foods is also a subsidiary of Gruma Corporation, so technically, it's a Mexican brand, but it was a U. S. brand before they bought it, (back in the 1990's), so it has a somewhat different customer base, and it may still have different suppliers.
I wonder if there's a chance that your hubby's DH could be "rubbing off" on you, just from normal contact - an innocent hug might have implications that we never expected. I don't know if that's even possible, but I wonder about the possibility. We all know that DH is not contagious, but I wonder if there might be enzymes, or antibodies present in those DH pustules, (or whatever they are properly called), that might possibly trigger a response in someone who is hypersensitive to mast cell stimulation.
Here's another thought. I don't know if that norther that blew through here Sunday a week ago ever made it all the way down to Houston, but as soon as it blew in, I could detect hay fever symptoms, and our pollen crop around here was pretty much of a flop, with very little pollen produced. It even kicked up my BP for a couple of days. For someone with mast cell issues, I would think that could be a problem. Also, the air was so dry , (in the single digits), that it seemed to magnify the effects of the pollen on the respiratory system, and it also made the pollen hyper-mobile.
Of course, I may be all wet, but at least it's something to consider. One thing's for sure, something's going on, if all three of you are reacting at the same time. If it's a food problem, it's almost surely something that should be safe, but it's not, which means that you can only guess at what it might be. If the tortillas were made from yellow corn, they would be a prime suspect, IMO, but if they were made from white corn, that ups their credibility a notch or two, IMO.
I hope you can figure it out.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thanks for the lesson Tex. They were white corn tortillas as I prefer those as well.
We were all outside Saturday evening for my son's football game and it was a little windy. My eyes were really irritated and burning. I didn't know if it was from the fires in Magnolia, which isn't too far from here. So maybe something was blowing through.
As for the oozing pustules, ewww! He is not as careful about his diet as I am - he will eat some suspicious foods and pay the price. So it is entirely possible that he got glutened first and passed something to me. We will have to have some new boundaries when he is oozing.
I am feeling much better now, except for tiredness from lack of sleep. I had forgotten how little sleep I used to get and how sensitive I am to gluten.
Mary Beth
We were all outside Saturday evening for my son's football game and it was a little windy. My eyes were really irritated and burning. I didn't know if it was from the fires in Magnolia, which isn't too far from here. So maybe something was blowing through.
As for the oozing pustules, ewww! He is not as careful about his diet as I am - he will eat some suspicious foods and pay the price. So it is entirely possible that he got glutened first and passed something to me. We will have to have some new boundaries when he is oozing.
I am feeling much better now, except for tiredness from lack of sleep. I had forgotten how little sleep I used to get and how sensitive I am to gluten.
Mary Beth
"If you believe it will work out, you'll see opportunities. If you believe it won't you will see obstacles." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
Hi again MB!
I did a little googling and found out that, altho Mission uses dedicated lines for their GF products, wheat is handled in the same facility. So cross contamination could be an issue. Perhaps they left the windows open one day or maybe the cleaning wasn't optimal. ???? Who knows, but I found at least one other person on a celiac site who reacted to Mission corn tortillas.
Polly
I did a little googling and found out that, altho Mission uses dedicated lines for their GF products, wheat is handled in the same facility. So cross contamination could be an issue. Perhaps they left the windows open one day or maybe the cleaning wasn't optimal.
???? Who knows, but I found at least one other person on a celiac site who reacted to Mission corn tortillas.Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
-
Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8367
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Marybeth
strange question, did you check the ingredient listing on the products you had consumed just prior to the reaction?
Since living in my MC bubble, there have been a couple of products that their ingredients changed slightly, it was only after a reaction did i check and realise there had been the change...
One of these times it was the brand of toilet wipes i used, the soy ingredient went from Last (minimal content) to half way (way more soy content) i only checked this when i got a bad rash
now a days, it takes ages to do my shopping as i check the ingredient listing even if i have been purchasing the product for 2 years.
i hope the household is on the improve
strange question, did you check the ingredient listing on the products you had consumed just prior to the reaction?
Since living in my MC bubble, there have been a couple of products that their ingredients changed slightly, it was only after a reaction did i check and realise there had been the change...
One of these times it was the brand of toilet wipes i used, the soy ingredient went from Last (minimal content) to half way (way more soy content) i only checked this when i got a bad rash
now a days, it takes ages to do my shopping as i check the ingredient listing even if i have been purchasing the product for 2 years.
i hope the household is on the improve
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama