For some time now, I’ve had two continuous ailments.
The most disrupting one has been around at least since I was in high school; I had mono the summer before and into my senior year, and ever since have had debilitating fatigue. Whether or not those two are related I don’t know; the effects of mono aren’t supposed to last more than a few months. What I do know, though, is that I become overwhelmed with the need to sleep during the day, even after a good night’s sleep. When we were in Berlin in 2009, I was so tired I had to lie down on a bench on the top of the Reichtag, surrounded by people. The same thing happened at the Pergamon Altar Museum, on a bench in one of the rooms. When my dad and I went to Russia that same year, we took a private tour of St. Petersburg by car and I literally fell asleep in our guide’s face while she was talking directly to me. I’ve banged my head against the wall when I’ve fallen asleep in class, curled up in the grass and slept in front of a palace in Vienna. These are the most extreme examples that I remember, but what teachers and friends perceive as rudeness (falling asleep in your favorite professor’s last lecture of your college career is kind of a no-no) has disrupted my life for almost a decade. I’ve had many different blood tests, seen several different doctors, and been checked for narcolepsy. My iron and B Vitamin levels are good, and as one doctor told me, I’m the only patient he’s seen with a normal Vitamin D level. No one’s been able to figure out what’s going on, and until recently, I gave up trying to find out.
The second trouble is less serious, but still annoying: almost every time I eat, I feel bloated and uncomfortable almost immediately after. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that something’s a little funky-funk in the GI department. For a while I accepted that it was normal to feel this way after eating, but then I started to investigate on my own. As you may recall, I deduced last spring that I have a bit of a problem tolerating lactose. I stopped drinking milk with my coffee (the combination caused the most extreme reaction) and reduced the amount of dairy I consume. (I’ll still eat yogurt, cheese, and the occasional bowl of cow’s milk ice cream, but it’s with the understanding and acceptance that it will most likely be followed by a stomachache.) Still, even when I’m not eating animal products, I often feel really bloated and just… not right.
So I started thinking… maybe I’m eating something that’s causing one- or both- of these problems. When I was younger, I used to get a rash every time I ate mangoes. I grew out of that one, but hadn’t been tested for any other food allergies. So I made an appointment with an allergist, and got my arms all pricked up on Thursday.
One of the way to test for different types of allergies is to get what’s called a “scratch test.” You’re stuck with tiny little pins all over; each pin is dipped in the oil of a certain potential allergen, and if that spot swells up, it’s a positive. One of my arms was tested for environmental allergies (grasses, trees, dust, cockroaches… blegh!) and one for food. I already knew I had pretty bad seasonal allergies, so it wasn’t a surprise when the environmental arm swelled up like Luda’s.
The other arm- for food allergen’s- was much less severe, but still showed positive for a few things: almonds, cashews, casein (a protein in cow’s milk) and wheat.
I was shocked. Almonds? Wheat?! Obviously because I eat these things almost every single day, they don’t cause my throat to constrict and I don’t go into anaphylactic shock (thank goodness). Still, not something to mess around with. Celiac is an autoimmune disease, and a common side effect of it is intense fatigue. Another side effect is eczema, which I’ve suffered from since I was a baby.
What now? The doctor took a few vials of blood, which will be analyzed in the next week or so. The biggest thing they’re screening for right now is Celiac disease; if the blood presents certain antibodies that are consistent with Celiac, I’ll then have an intestinal biopsy to figure it out once and for all. If those antibodies aren’t there, I may just have a wheat sensitivity, which is causing the GI disruption. 
The almonds and cashews and casein could also be causing the stomach discomfort, so over the next couple weeks I’ll be doing the trial-and-error thing with my diet and paying careful attention to how I feel before, during, and after I eat. Almonds and cashews definitely have to go- although the allergist says that things produced in a factory with these nuts shouldn’t be a problem- which is a sad thing, but not the end of the world. And for the time being, until I get the test results back, I’m trying to eliminate wheat and gluten products. I already picked up a few things at Trader Joe’s:
I’m not going to go crazy with this until I know for sure, because there are so many hidden sources of gluten it makes my head hurt. Just yesterday, I was munching on a piece of baklava and sipping beer with a friend before realizing those are things to avoid for the time being! Gluten-free products can also be really expensive. The above Food for Life brown rice bread, for example, was $3.99 at Trader Joe’s, but $8.99 at Gristede’s, one of the worst grocery stores in New York. So I’m not going to completely overhaul the pantry just yet.
It’s going to be tricky. When I got home from the allergist the other day I was starving; I’d had a granola bar in my bag, but couldn’t eat it because it was one of those Kashi bars made with almonds and oats. I stared into the fridge for a few minutes before making a pumpkin cake (dairy, flour, and nut free) and just topped it with peanut butter instead of almond.
Nuts are also a popular dairy alternative in cooking; many Indian curries use almond cream, for example, and cashew “cheese” is a common substitute in vegan food, like my favorite Peacefood sandwich and a lot of raw cheesecakes. So I’ll just have to be more careful about making sure I know what’s in my food when I go out to eat, until I know more about what’s going on.
This is all a bit of a surprise and will be an adjustment, but it’s really not the end of the world. There are other nuts in the world besides cashews and almonds, and if it does turn out that I have Celiac- or even a serious wheat sensitivity- we live in a time when gluten-free products are widely available. And as far as cooking is concerned, it’ll force me to be more creative in the kitchen!
I should get my test results back next week, and I’ll keep you posted.
Do you have any food allergies? Any tips for adjusting to a new diet?
To read: 20 New Years Resolutions for 20somethings, How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body. (Coincidentally, Anna and I are about to take a class together….)
honestly dear, i understand! i found out about 2 yrs ago that i was celiac. it’s interesting because i look at my pics from paris where i was a baguette eating fiend, i am so puffy and bloated in the face. i came back home and didn’t have gluten for a while and then decided to have sourdough toast one night. my torso erupted in hives in a butterfly shaped pattern and it was off to the GI for me since things were…well crazy in that dept. i could barely eat and when i did i had that bloat. since i eliminated wheat and dairy from my diet, it has made a WORLD of difference. i wasn’t trying to lose weight but 6lbs just melted off and i have remained at that weight now with little effort (i don’t work out for more than 20mins and no more than 3-4x weekly). while, it can be somewhat burdensome when i go out to eat, i prioritize my battles. if the dish has some dairy, i will eat it but i absolutely do not ingest wheat. i know how awful i will feel afterwards. also, my moods have been more stable as well, i used to be very emotional/irritable after eating gluten and my hormones were all over the place. i just stopped birth control in december and so far things are amazing. my skin is perfectly clear and my mood is balanced. it’s amazing how well you will feel when you remove the things that cause inflammation in your body! best of luck dear
Hang in there! I hope you and your doctors will be able to figure everything out soon, and that you’ll finally be able to feel well again!
I was diagnosed with celiac disease a few months ago. It is an adjustment, for sure, but I can honestly say I was a little relieved when I got my diagnosis. It feels good to have a legit reason for why I was feeling so crappy! If changing my diet (and giving up some of my beloved foods and beer) means that I’ll feel better than I did before, then I’m more than willing to do it.
One thing I want to throw out there since you said your doctor wants to do more tests – You might want to double check with the GI specialist to make sure you should be eliminating gluten at this point. You’ll need it in your system in order for the test results to be accurate. (My regular doctor told me to stop eating gluten when my blood work tested positive, then I had to start eating it again for several weeks before my endoscopy. I should have just waited for the testing to be over…)
Good luck! Keep us updated!
Katie! This sounds so much like what I’m going through right now. I’m headed to the allergist on the 16th for all the same tests. I’ve already taken gluten out of my diet 85-90% and nuts completely out because of eczema and GI issues. It’s so strange.
I hope you get some clarity soon! Hang in there!
Yikes! What a bombshell. I hope for your sake that you don’t have all-out celiac and maybe just a sensitivity. Eating out (as I know you like to do) can be a bit trickier with a wheat allergy.
All that being said, we live in an age that is quite friendly to people with food allergies. Thank God for Trader Joe’s, right?
I hope you’re able to get some answers with your doctors in the upcoming weeks–I’ll be thinking of you!
thank you and i totally understand!! ugh, lately i’ve been experiencing some of the same issues you described. i’ve cut all dairy and to be honest that has helped tremendously, but every once in a while there is still some bloaty gross going on. also, i’ve come to realize my body hates salt! i mean, to the point where miso soup, a serious favorite, is followed by tremendous bloat! keep us all informed as i’m sure i’m not the only one feeling the way you are!
Hi lady- I was diagnosed with a wheat sensitivity almost 3 years ago. At the time I figured food would no longer be pleasurable to me- no rolls at dinner?! No more beer?! What about CAKE!?
Slowly but surely, I realized everything that I had loved in my gluten filled days can be made to suit my new diet. Manifest Vegan is a great site that has helped me a ton, she is vegan and also GF. Yum!
Good luck with everything!
Oh no! Hope its not celiacs! I learned recently that i have no Allergies but kaylin is the pne with the lactose issues!!
I feel for you girl! I did the allergy screening a couple of years ago when I started have chronic pain. For me it was walnuts and avocado (which I’d suspected) combined with a milder casein allergy. Since eliminating the foods I know I’m sensitive and allergic too I’ve felt a bit better, and to me that is worth it. I hope you don’t end up having to go the Celiac’s route, but if you do, take comfort in the other bloggers who have experience with it! I think the world is become much more gluten-sensitive these days anyways. I hope most of all that you can use some of the knowledge you gain to feel better!
That sounds very familiar… I have IBS and have never really been able to pinpoint the foods that disagree with me. I saw a naturopath a few months ago and got and IgE blood test done for food sensitivities, which resulted in a long list that also included dairy, almonds and wheat. I’ve made many changes to my diet but haven’t found a lot of relief. Your sleepiness also sounds familiar- the favorite prof’s class- that’s been me. My friends have even taken pictures of me sleeping when I shouldn’t be… Anyways, hope you get some answers and I’m interested in hearing the results!
Aww, I’m so sorry! I don’t have Celiac disease, but I am allergic to wheat, and it causes my esophagus to inflame. I miss wheat so much, but I don’t get stomachaches like I used to and now I can swallow pills. I hope that if you do have celiac, you’ll feel totally better once you stop eating gluten.
I do have a close friend whose daughter has had celiac since she was very young…if you need advice for it Im sure she would be helpful….I do see in the Kosher store’s a LOT of items marked NO Gluten….good luck
jmama
I’m a long time reader, first time commenter : ) I’ve recently gone through something similar, not with the nuts but with wheat. I too experienced extreme afternoon exhaustion, sometimes in the am too, despite getting plenty of sleep and eating a very healthy diet. When I visited home I was eating more wheat and instantly felt physically different, more full, sluggish, and bloated. So I cut it out and all was well! It may seem really limiting but it’s truly not. My favorite carb is now sweet potatoes, also rice and brown rice are pretty widely available. Regular potatoes are good too, though I don’t eat them as often, and at a restaurant you can always sub double the veg for any gluten-y grain. Oh and don’t forget things like corn tortillas. I try to limit most of that though and find I feel best on more of a paleo diet, but those options are great when eating out or having friends over. Best of luck! Hope you’re feeling better soon!
i’ve been DYING to get that allergy test! i have the same problems but have managed to avoid some of the foods that i suspect are the cause. i definitely need to find time to get to the allergy doctor though because i’d be totally interested to see what’s up you know! try goats milk products i’ve learned that they don’t really cause my tum problems!
Hi Katie,
Just going off of my own experience (intolerant to wheat, dairy; allergic to peanuts), I’m going to guess that you’ll find some relief from decreasing your gluten consumption (even if you don’t have celiac disease), because you tested positive to wheat on the skin test…that’s a pretty significant indicator. I’m glad that you continued to look into this even after you weren’t receiving helpful results/responses from your other appointments. I’ve learned that it’s so incredibly important to be assertive when it comes to health stuff!!! I also just wanted to say that 1.)the endoscopy isn’t bad if you end up needing to get one, and 2.) if you do end up needing to go gluten-free it is an adjustment and it does suck in certain ways but it’s worth it to feel better and it’s completely doable!
I hope that the test results come back with something that you can work with!! ~Rachel
Wow. This seems daunting i’m sure at first, but this could be a major breakthrough! How exiting to possibly know what could be causing all of these problems for you. Rearranging your diet will be difficult at first, but to get rid of these symptoms will be life changing!
Oh ya, I also have eczema and have heard that this can be made worse by nuts.
Sorry to hear you had a few positive results, Katie! No matter what you do, make absolutely certain (through a biopsy) it’s celiac before cutting out gluten. Certainly I want you to be your healthiest, but it’s also distressing to watch many bloggers give up gluten (which is in many healthy foods) on a hunch. I hope it’s just a mild sensitivity, and that reducing a few foods in your diet gives you the relief you want
Ah, I’m sorry to hear about those results Katie! I know you’ll be able to adjust well and find just as many amazing foods to eat!
I completely relate to what you’re experiencing right now, Katie! Two years ago, my post-meal GI issues became so unbearable, I could barely function. I had a colonoscopy to check for Celiac, cancer etc., and the results surprisingly came back clean. The doctor attributed my problems to IBS and possible food sensitivities, and encouraged me to experiment with an elimination diet similar to yours. Even though I’ve removed wheat and gluten from my meals (which has made a HUGE difference), I still regularly experience problems! I’ve never considered going to an allergist though; now I’m wondering if casein could be a culprit as well.
Thanks so much for being open about this! Hang in there; I hope you feel much better soon!
I hope it’s not Celiac’s disease! As a baker, I hardly consider life worth living without breads. Luckily, if it’s not Celiac’s disease, you may find relief in simply changing up your gluten intake. I am definitely not an expert here, but I’ve been told that one of the big problems that brings on gluten intolerance is the consumption of processed or commercially-produced wheat products. Store-bought bread, for example, (no matter how many whole grains and other good things are present) is loaded with sugar that baking bread from scratch eliminates. In fact, in studies done on people with gluten intolerance, many people stopped reacting negatively to gluten once they were eating only home-baked bread. (I’m pretty much a major advocate of homemade bread, over here. Go sourdough!)
If you end up being completely and miserably allergic, though, not all gluten-free breads are like dense, tough, chewy bricks of brown rice flour. Using tapioca flour instead makes gluten-frees actually come back for seconds, in my experience.