Back to Zyrtec...and it wasn't my imagination.

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:53 am

A few weeks ago my son took our nearly-new bottle of Zyrtec to camp with him. He had to have the original packaging, so I just put 10 or so pills in my case and gave him the rest. Of course, it didn't come home with him. I waited, thinking surely it would turn up in his luggage somewhere, or else the camp nurse would return it. No such luck. Meanwhile, my digestive situation started going downhill. Stomach pain, cramps, D, C, lost a few more pounds I couldn't afford. I had started keeping a food diary again, but it seemed like I was reacting all the time. And my dishydrotic eczema hit an all-time high--my fingers were covered with blisters. Finally had to break down and get some more Zyrtec because after 4 weeks with no rain, ALL of us were having pollen issues. Started up my old regimen of 1/2 a pill at bedtime every night, and within 2-3 days, norman was back.

So, I guess it wasn't a fluke--I do seem to have a histamine issue going on, and the low dose of Zyrtec seems to help. I downloaded an app I saw in another post (whoever recommended it, THANKS!!). The app gives ratings for various foods based on a number of intolerances, and it's a real help in determining what fruits and veggies to buy.

question: is there any indication that histamine issues can get better over time as gluten damage heals, or is this forever? I don't mind that much, but my chef hubby is making basset hound faces.

Post by **tex** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 12:43 pm

Cynthia,

These are uncharted waters, but IMO, mast cell issues should settle down as healing progresses. The cycle of inflammation that you're dealing with tends to be self-perpetuating, so it doesn't take much to keep it going. And remember, stress can trump virtually anything.

I'm glad you were able to verify a remedy.

Tex

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:26 pm

Cynthia,
Sorry as I am that you had to have a flare to figure this out, but I am glad you finally did.

Can you repost the app you are using please. [/b]

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 8:24 pm

Pretty please?

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 9:41 pm

Pretty amazing, Cynthia. It's hard to deny that you have a histamine problem and that Zyrtec is helping you. The lactose in it apparently doesn't bother you. I hope it will take care of all of your symptoms.

Gloria

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Thu Jul 12, 2012 6:15 am

Tex--thanks! Although I don't see myself ever going out and eating anything I want, it's so restrictive now that it's nice to think I might be able to eat more someday. As far as the stress factor goes, I've got that one in spades right now. We are in the process of having to evict a tenant and sell the property. My grandfather fell and shattered a hip a week after my mom had major surgery, and then she got shingles right after that, so there are many worries on that front for both of them. I am looking for a full-time job as my business isn't doing well. Oh, and I have three kids, two of whom are teenagers, the oldest of which I'm teaching to drive. Talk about stress!

Gloria--yes, I think that the one thing that has gotten BETTER since this journey started is my lactose intolerance. I was lactose intolerant in the beginning, but as I've gone along that seems to have become less of a problem. I'm still sensitive to casein, so I won't be adding dairy back into my diet, but at least I don't react to the Zyrtec.

The app is Food Intolerances by Baliza (there are several intolerance apps out there, but this one had the best reviews). It gives the histamine and fructose content of most foods, as well as whether a food is a histamine releaser, and other important info. You can tailor it somewhat to your intolerances, and it will color-code your foods for you. I think it was $4.99--worth it, in my opinion.

What is it about grapes that bother many of us? The fructose content, I guess?

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Thu Jul 12, 2012 6:56 am

Cynthia,

Sounds like you are on the right track to figuring out some of your food triggers. I believe histamine intolerance is far more common than we realized. I struggled with bad histamine reactions for 4 years and now that seems to have resolved. I no longer get D, take antihistamnes and can eat a wide variety of foods (no gluten though). It does take the gut that long to heal, so maybe there is a correlation. I hadn't heard of that app, that's a good find. But in addition to high histamine foods don't forget that some high lectin foods can trigger mast cell degranulation. I think that's why so many of us feel better when we eliminate those on the paleo diet.

Grapes are actually not as high in fructose as some other fruits per the FODMAP diet research. Conventional grapes are sprayed with sulfites, which is a common sensitivity for people with mast cell issues. Wonder if you would react less to organic grapes. And portion size is always an issue, so maybe just a small portion.

You do have alot of stressful events happening at once . . . hope that respolves soon.

Mary Beth

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:06 am

Mary Beth,

Lectins--I looked it up, because I couldn't remember what they were in. Reads like a list of my verified intolerances: grains, legumes, soybeans, peanuts, nightshades, cow's milk...I can't eat ANY of those. I am basically a paleo girl now, though I wasn't trying to be--it just turned out that was what I could still eat. I haven't found a grain yet that really agrees with me, so I'm not eating them, and I've also cut out all nuts. Meat, vegetables, blueberries, green tea, honey, sunbutter--that's my diet. Actually makes eating much easier, because there aren't many choices!

Hmm, I hadn't thought of my fruit reactions as being related to something that's ON the fruit, not IN it. Maybe in the future when I'm feeling better, I can try some organic fruit and see what happens. What about my fresh veggies--are sulfites a problem with them, too? I'm trying to eat only non-messed-with meat, and I don't eat eggs, so I guess the logical next step would be organic produce. I feel like I can justify the extra expense since I'm no longer buying the expensive GF products (my sunbutter is the one exception). I eat so little, it doesn't make a huge difference in the grocery bill.

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:21 am

Cynthia,

Sulfites used to be sprayed on lettuces but not since the 80s. Sulfite reactions are quite common and involve respiratory symptoms, but they always gave me D as well. Vegetables, and some fruite, can have waxes on them that can have reactive ingredients. That's why I try to get organic produce as much as possible. My grocery bill has increased astronomically, but it balances out because we don't eat out very often.

I know that you have a short list of acceptable foods, but you might watch out for the green tea - it's also no on the histamine restricted diet. I had some huge reactions to it. Can you drink black coffee?

Mary Beth

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:23 am

Cynthia,

One more question . . . do you get bladder symptoms? Often people with mast cell problems notice symptoms somwhat like UTI ro interstitial cystitis. This was a huge problem for me and the low histamine diet/antihistamines really helped.

Mary Beth

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:35 am

mbeezie wrote:Cynthia,

One more question . . . do you get bladder symptoms? Often people with mast cell problems notice symptoms somwhat like UTI ro interstitial cystitis. This was a huge problem for me and the low histamine diet/antihistamines really helped.

Mary Beth

Three months ago when I joined this list it became clear to me that mast cells were involved in the problems I was having so I went on a low histamine diet along with eliminating the big 4. I had already eliminated gluten and soy but I took out eggs and dairy too. Then I eliminated more foods based on the Enterolab test. Now I have added back a few high histamine foods without any problems. It makes me nervous but so far so good.

I have had bladder problems that resemble interstitial cystitis and earlier in my life I would get what felt like uti's but no bacteria would be found. I am going to pay more attention to bladder issues as I add back higher histamine foods.

Thanks Mary Beth.

Jean

Post by **tex** » Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:51 am

Cynthia,

FWIW, I agree that sulfites are probably a problem with grapes, and in my case, I suspect that the sorbitol content is also a problem.

Tex

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Thu Jul 12, 2012 3:28 pm

Curiouser and curiouser...

Mary Beth, I can't handle coffee black, but one cup with creamer seems to be okay. I do better with green tea than black, which tends to make me nauseated. I try to alternate between the tea and water so I'm not drinking as much, but I'm probably doing 2-3 cups of tea a day. I haven't noticed a reaction to the tea.

Interestingly, I have never had any bladder problems that I can remember. My younger sister had kidney and bladder infections throughout childhood, but I have only had one UTI that I recall, and that was 20 years ago.

I ask all the questions about the fruits and veggies because I'm trying to ascertain if it's just the histamine levels, or fructose, or sorbitol, or citric acid...I have cut out all citrus and citric acid. Some fruits that I know I have problems with are not supposed to be high-histamine, but are high in fructose or sorbitol. And bananas are a histamine releaser, so I'm not sure if that's why I react to them or not. I've never had a respiratory reaction to a food that I know of. My reactions tend to be primarily digestive, but also skin-related and, to a certain extent, fatigue and depression.

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Thu Jul 12, 2012 6:22 pm

Cynthia
i had managed to get my eating plan low histamine that i no longer required H1 and H2 histamine blockers.
(woo hoo)

then a change of season, and some of the histamine symptoms are back. sometimes it can be the external influences not the foods.

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 7:41 am

Gabes,

Yeah, dealing with the seasonal stuff here, too (though usually my allergies aren't this bad in the summer--we've had a week of rain, so I guess it's the mold count).

What foods do you include in your low-histamine plan? I have seen several different lists, and they seem to contradict each other. So far I have a very narrow food list, and I'd like to add to it if I can figure out what's "safe."

Ate some strawberries and raspberries as part of a fruit salad yesterday (about three of each) and today my fingers are bumpy and my stomach's a little rocky. Don't know if the latter is due to the fruit or the extra sunbutter I ate last night!