What is the list of reactions for people with MC?

[desertrat]

Hey guys, can you tell me of some of your symptoms when you get a reaction to certain foods you eat? Not that I want to push the button and find out myself by eating a pizza, but what are the general symptoms? And how long does it take for you (time wise) to know that the offending food caused it? And please, what is firehose diarrhea? Does that mean it comes out as fast as a fire hose, or burns?
Mandy

[Martha]

I have been very careful, so I don't have a lot of experience with reactions, but this is what I found:

Gluten: diarrhea, and headache, starting about 18 hours after I ate it. (And it was only a tiny piece of communion bread.)

Soy: diarrhea, headache, and extreme fatigue, starting close to 48 hours after I ate it. The D lasted only one morning, the fatigue several days.

Green beans, which I avoid because they are legumes: mild headache and gas about a day and a half later. Sleepiness the following night, not the day I ate it. Gas lasted more than a week.

Green peas, also a legume: mild headache and gas in about 24 hours. Sleepiness in 24 hours. Gas lasted a couple of days.

I haven't eaten any dairy, so I don't know my reactions that that.

Martha

[desertrat]

Wow, Martha, thanks for the reply! It sounds like soy is very unforgiving to you. Hope I don't sound too dense, but when you have been in contact with soy and you get that symptom, is that considered a "flare"?
Mandy

[Gabes-Apg]

Mandy
I am another where soy is unforgiving to the extent i have had to source make up, moisturisors, lip balms etc that are soy free.

here is another post where we talked about reactions
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... t=symptoms

[tex]

Mandy,

Many of us consider a short reaction to be just a simple reaction. We tend to think of a "flare" as an ongoing chronic reaction that is difficult to stop, once it starts.

Tex

[Martha]

Mandy,

I didn't consider any of those reactions a flare, since they didn't last a long time with D. I did have a flare back in Feb, where I had D for a week or more. I haven't figured out what caused that one.

For the ones I mentioned above, I only considered them reactions, like Tex said, since the D, headaches, and fatigue did not continue.

I perhaps should mention that the gluten reaction came one month after going gluten-free. The soy reaction came 6 months after going soy-free, caused by eating a gluten-free pork tamale that turned out to have textured soy protein in it.

The beans and peas I ate on purpose, after 10 months of being legume-free. I wanted to see if a little bit would bother me. I was glad not to get D, but the gas is embarrassing, so it's not worth it to me. There are other things to eat, so I won't choose to eat green beans and peas.

Martha

[beni]

if you enjoy watching Billy Connoly I can recommend watching his discription of prep. for colonoscopy on you tube, I watched it before mine and had to laugh, he explains "Fire hose D. really well, Billy isnt everyones taste but I enjoy "toilet humour" and never get offended by him, Beni

[tex]

Here's a link to that video, for anyone who doesn't have a problem with Billy Connolly's descriptive language, and yes, it contains a good description of "firehose D":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBMsPNI6EZE

Here's another famous humorous account of a colonoscopy, written by Dave Barry. This one was published in the Miami Herald, so it has a G rating:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/02/11/4 ... colon.html

Tex

[Sheila]

I am taking entocort so my reactions are different from someone who is controlling symptoms strictly with diet. I was eating tofutti ice cream pretty regularly, knowing full well that I shouldn't be doing so. I got a 12 hour migraine headache, nausea, joint pain and that cured me of ever eating anything with soy again. If I accidently or intentionally eat a little dairy, gas is the result. I ate some ice cream last month, just couldn't resist, and had NO reaction at all. I think I have been glutened a few times when I've had stomach pain and cramps, no D.

I don't do it often because it just isn't worth it most of the time. I have quite a bit of stress in my life and I find that I'm not having D, just multiple normans or pencil thin bms in the morning.
Sheila

[draperygoddess]

Here's what I've been able to tell so far:

Lactose: bloating within 2 hours, D by the next morning
Casein: cramps and explosive D within 3 hours
Gluten: sometimes bloating and gurgling several hours afterward; loose BM or D next morning; stomach is "off" for days; no energy, "lead legs" for several days
MSG: almost immediate. Blinding headache, nausea, and my stomach feels funny for a day or so afterward

I am currently investigating another couple of culprits (soy, potatoes, oils). The last few times I've had potatoes, I've bloated to 6th month of pregnancy-size. Also feel uncomfortably full, even if I didn't eat much.

[sarkin]

Cynthia,

That's some nice detective work.

Here's a (faintly) hopeful thought about potatoes: when I was first healing, even a small amount of rice made me bloat almost immediately. I was very sensitive to all grains, and probably starchy carbs like potatoes as well. I have since been able to eat rice and corn without that symptom. I mostly avoid those things, but it's nice when I'm in a situation where someone has gone out of their way to make a Sara-friendly meal, and I can at least take a "no-thank-you" helping without fear of instant backsliding.

Hope you have the same luck with potatoes,

Sara

[Lesley]

I haven't found what I react to yet. I get SO constipated. It's hard work and painful, bloaty and gassy to get my bowel going.

Last week I had a reaction to something - I don't know what - in a bread I baked. 10 minutes after eating some I got gurglings galore, cramps, pain all over, heavy leg/foggy head syndrome (more than usual) and then explosive D. It lasted 2 days before back pain Norco got the upper hand. And since then C has ruled.

So I can't tell you what is causing this. No idea at all.

[draperygoddess]

Lesley,

What were the ingredients in that bread? Obviously there was something in there that didn't like you.

Constipation can definitely be as much of a reaction as D. My niece is very gluten-sensitive (probably celiac), and D was never her problem. She was so constipated that she was on prescription doses of Miralax and her anal nerves were damaged. Once she went GF, all that resolved. Gluten isn't your only problem, but the point is that SOMETHING is probably causing the C.

Sara--no such luck, I'm afraid. I've been GF/DF for about 3 months now, and was able to eat potatoes early on, but as I've gone along I've become more sensitive to my secondary triggers. I had a serving of mashed potatoes the size of an egg for dinner last night, was severely bloated by bedtime, and this morning had to make a mad dash to the bathroom at church. This is the same pattern I followed with casein: started out being able to eat a small amount of hard cheese, as the lactose was more of a problem in the beginning, and gradually got to the point where ANY dairy produced bloating, cramps, and D within 2-3 hours. Boo hoo.

[Lesley]

There was a mix of flours. I don't know which did it. The cake I made today made had some of the same ingredients, but so far so good.

Sorry about potatoes. At least you can eat rice and corn.

[draperygoddess]

Lesley,

Maybe by process of elimination, you can figure out what didn't agree with you. Convoluted process, no?

YES, I can eat rice and corn! I'm very thankful. Tonight I just made myself a nice bowl of jasmine rice (my favorite). Always makes my tummy feel better. I'm sad about the potatoes, but I'd rather feel better than eat them. Just glad I'm figuring this out before I go on my cruise in December (though I'm beginning to think I'll have to present the chef with a list!).