How do I know...

Feel free to discuss any topic of general interest, so long as nothing you post here is likely to be interpreted as insulting, and/or inflammatory, nor clearly designed to provoke any individual or group. Please be considerate of others feelings, and they will be considerate of yours.

Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh

Post Reply
User avatar
Lesley
King Penguin
King Penguin
Posts: 2920
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2011 11:13 pm
Contact:

How do I know...

Post by Lesley »

When I have eaten something I shouldn't have? Or add something new that is not good, if I don't seem to react?
Like you Tex, eating dairy with no apparent reaction, but showing reaction on enterolab tests?

If I add something that doesn't cause D, or even is part of the cause of C (which is dominant right now) and have no obvious reaction, how will I know whether it is doing damage in my gut?

Am I being obscure, or am I making sense?
User avatar
tex
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 35349
Joined: Tue May 24, 2005 9:00 am
Location: Central Texas

Post by tex »

Lesley,

That's a good question. Sometimes there are other symptoms. For example, when I was still recovering, if I ate beef, I happened to notice that within a few hours, I would have slight to moderate bloating, and a few hours later I would develop a light headache, and a pain between my shoulders, which would last roughly half a day. Now, I don't notice any symptoms at all. I have no idea if that means that I'm no longer sensitive to it, or that I've developed a tolerance for it. :shrug: My guess is that I've probably developed a tolerance for it.

In general, research shows that while people who develop a tolerance for a food to which they are sensitive, typically accumulate intestinal damage early on, the damage usually fades away as the tolerance develops, (even though they may still produce antibodies). I'm not sure what the full implications of that may be, but research also shows that such individuals who become tolerant of gluten, usually don't have an elevated risk of lymphoma, the way that someone with symptomatic, untreated celiac disease would have, so there's a chance that people who develop a tolerance may be home free, after a while. :shrug:

On the other hand, the reason why I stopped eating dairy products permanently, after my recent EnteroLab casein test showed a positive result, is because one reason why I had the test done is that the distal joint of one of my index fingers seemed to be showing signs of osteoarthritis, (it seemed to be growing crooked and twisted, even though it was pain free). Now that I've been totally avoiding dairy for several months, it doesn't appear to have changed. This suggests to me that even though I couldn't detect any arthritic pain, (or any GI symptoms), the antibodies may have been a sign that casein was still having some autoimmune effect on my bone health. :shrug:

Probably the best policy is to just follow the advice of the old expression, "If it feels good, do it". (And if it doesn't feel good, don't do it.)

Tex
:cowboy:

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.
Leah
King Penguin
King Penguin
Posts: 2533
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:16 pm
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Post by Leah »

And if you follow that rule Lesley, maybe there are some things you actually can eat that you think you can't !
User avatar
JFR
Rockhopper Penguin
Rockhopper Penguin
Posts: 1394
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2012 8:41 am

Post by JFR »

I have osteoarthritis in my fingers, not too painful but my fingers are slowly becoming deformed. This has been progressing for about 8 years. It's nice to think I might either reverse it or at least stop the progression before it becomes problematic.

Jean
User avatar
tex
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 35349
Joined: Tue May 24, 2005 9:00 am
Location: Central Texas

Post by tex »

Jean,

I doubt that it's possible to reverse the damage. All of the damage that was done while I was still eating gluten, is still there, and I've been GF for almost 10 years, now. The interesting part is that the damage done when I was eating gluten, involved a lot of inflammation - my joints were red and inflamed, and very painful. They hurt constantly. The most recent damage, done to a single joint, on a single finger, (after I resumed eating casein), was always totally painless, and I never noticed any inflammation. In fact, if I hadn't happened to notice that it was growing crooked, I would never have realized that anything was wrong. :shrug:

Tex
:cowboy:

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.
User avatar
Lesley
King Penguin
King Penguin
Posts: 2920
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2011 11:13 pm
Contact:

Post by Lesley »

Nancy - before this flare I was eating a little goat cheese, which didn't seem to bother me. I got persuaded that the casein would cause problems so I stopped.
When I get constipated I eat stuff I shouldn't to force a BM, but it doesn't help. I have NO idea what causes what and why.

Tex, I hope you are having a large ice cream now! Somehow I don't think that a painless joint should stop you doing what comes naturally.
User avatar
tex
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 35349
Joined: Tue May 24, 2005 9:00 am
Location: Central Texas

Post by tex »

Lesley wrote:Tex, I hope you are having a large ice cream now! Somehow I don't think that a painless joint should stop you doing what comes naturally.
I miss ice cream, but if I can see visible bone damage, I have to wonder what might be going on where it could be invisible. I reckon I'll just continue to miss ice cream.

antibodies = reaction

Tex
:cowboy:

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.
User avatar
Lesley
King Penguin
King Penguin
Posts: 2920
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2011 11:13 pm
Contact:

Post by Lesley »

Right now I am super constipated, therefore super bloated. No gurgles or grumbles even though I had an egg 2 days in a row. And no other reactions. I am knocked out, but I had to take Norco because of my tooth problem.

I have NO idea if there are antibodies because nothing more unusual is happening. You found out that you are still reactive to dairy. I have no idea if I am still reactive to eggs. And I won't until I see some reaction.

My cycle makes it VERY difficult to figure out what's going on.

Make some coconut ice cream. It keeps me sane.
User avatar
Martha
Rockhopper Penguin
Rockhopper Penguin
Posts: 1109
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2010 11:07 am
Location: Dallas, Texas

Post by Martha »

Lesley,

I've been using your coconut ice cream recipe. I have a small half-pint Hamilton-Beach ice cream maker, so one can of coconut milk is enough for several times of making ice cream. My favorite so far is chocolate, but the only other flavor I've made is peach, so I really haven't experimented much. Yummy!

Love,
Martha
Martha
User avatar
Lesley
King Penguin
King Penguin
Posts: 2920
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2011 11:13 pm
Contact:

Post by Lesley »

I found a packet of roasted, shelled chestnuts on sale after passover. They make LOVELY ice cream.

Strawberry, made with fresh, pureed strawberries is wonderful. My favorite is lemon. Grated zest and juice added to the mix. I like it tart.
Post Reply

Return to “Main Message Board”