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Issues get worse before they get better???


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Let me start out by saying, I don't know what is wrong with me - I've seen nine doctors so far who have been unable to help me.  I have multiple chemical sensitivity, and chronic swelling above my eyes and on my eyelids.  The swelling seems to be some type of allergic reaction, and I am allergic to balsam of peru (which no one has ever heard of, but it basically means I am allergic to almost all artificial colors, flavors, and fragrances) and have a benzoate sensitivity (so, no chocolate, vanilla, red or purple fruits, tea, most spices, and lots of stuff that isn't Whole30 compliant anyway).  This started last June and has progressively gotten worse.  I will admit, I didn't do a very good job of avoiding my poisons for a long time - specifically chocolate and ice cream - and had a horrible three month long free for all last winter (I was depressed...long story...).  So I can understand why my issues kept getting worse back then.

 

However.

 

I started a new Whole30 in March but off-roaded twice (Easter weekend and a few weeks prior), and restarted my Whole30 on April 6.  Today is day 16.  The swelling above my eyes has gotten significantly and noticeably WORSE in the past 16 days.  It's painful, and it's ugly.  I used to only react to foods that I was allergic to, but now I have a reaction to EVERYTHING.  Even a bowl of plain steamed veggies.  I have heard that symptoms often get worse before they get better, and a week ago I was still able to convince myself that is what was happening, but still?  Is it even feasable to maintain hope that things will start to improve at least somewhat in the next two weeks?  I'm losing hope. 

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I think you should always maintain hope, especially when you are eating a biologically appropriate diet.  You may have to find the thing or combination of things that is setting you off, but going back to ice cream and chocolate certainly isn't the answer.  

 

So basically, yes, stay the course, be strong, stay brave and keep on keeping on.

 

I am not a doctor or medically trained but eating protein, veggies and fats is never going to be wrong.

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Have you or your doctor discussed the possibility of cross-reactivity? When you have someone with so many allergies/sensitivities, you can get a point that the immune system is so fired up that EVERYTHING is a threat, and you react to things that you don't truly have an allergy to.

 

You may consider reading about the GAPS diet and ponder giving the intro diet a try. The focus is on resting and healing the gut and giving time for the "leaks" to close up. (Since leaky gut is a big culprit when it comes to allergies and other immune issues.) It's a serious undertaking, but when you've hit the "allergic to everything!" stage, your symptoms may warrant a more aggressive approach.

 

The cool thing about the intro diet is that it's self-paced. You'll start at step 1 with copious bone broth (gelatin is, in my opinion, probably the #1 food for your gut), reserved meats from your broth, and a list of veggies. Once your symptoms improve, it's time to add a few more things and see how you do. You'll move through reintroducing non-animal fats, some limited forms of dairy, more vegetables, and eventually some nut butter. If you react to anything, take it back out, wait a few days, and try again. If it's still a problem, exclude it from your diet for now and decide later when to try it again.

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Aunt Jane, you don't have to answer outloud.  Have you been through alot of trauma in your life?  Like Shingles, allergies, hives can be tied to stress and all kinds of emotional/physical trauma.  A relative watched his parents drown as a young child, he's suffered with severe allergies all of his life.  The allergy shots have done little to help.  A specialist told him it was tied to emotional trauma.

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You are right, ladyshanny, going back to chocolate and ice cream is not the answer.  I guess I don't see any point in NOT continuing my Whole30, I just want/need to know if it is normal to expect things to get worse before they get better. 

 

Munkers, I considered the GAPS diet last fall.  I have risk factors for leaky gut but no digestive issues (although I know that doesn't necessarily mean everything is okay in there).  The diet sounded completely miserable then, but I'm at a point now where I could do it if I had to! 

 

MeadowLily, I haven't experienced any trauma, but that is an interesting suggestion I hadn't considered.  I am still having trouble with the loss of my mom two years ago to cancer.  She was my best friend.

 

My doctor wants to do bloodwork to test my liver function (I had chronic headaches for 10+ years and during that time took 6-8 OTC pain relievers a day...for ten years...).  She tried five times to draw blood yesterday and couldn't get any - and I have a HUGE vein in each arm!  Frustrating! 

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Munkers, I considered the GAPS diet last fall.  I have risk factors for leaky gut but no digestive issues (although I know that doesn't necessarily mean everything is okay in there).  The diet sounded completely miserable then, but I'm at a point now where I could do it if I had to! 

 

I'm with you on that the GAPS diet is definitely no joke. Compared to a year ago, though, I think there are a lot more resources available to folks, more blogs, more personal stories, etc. and more tips/tricks/recipes to help you stay on track and eating interesting food. I found that to the be the case with the autoimmune protocol as well. When I did it, AIP was just starting to buzz around the paleo bloggers and there was some awareness of it, but for the most part, I was on my own to check recipe lists and comb through blogs to find what I could eat. Now there are blogs that are almost nothing but AIP recipes and even cookbooks!

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Aunt Jane - when did all of these allergies show their face?

I've been sensitive to fragrances for several years.  The food issues started last summer.  My diet was terrible - Lean Cuisine, veggies, and white toast during the week, lots of sweets on the weekends.   You'd think that switching to a whole foods diet would have helped tremendously, but it hasn't.   Removing foods doesn't help at all, and trying to reintroduce them makes it worse. 

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I've been sensitive to fragrances for several years.  The food issues started last summer.  My diet was terrible - Lean Cuisine, veggies, and white toast during the week, lots of sweets on the weekends.   You'd think that switching to a whole foods diet would have helped tremendously, but it hasn't.   Removing foods doesn't help at all, and trying to reintroduce them makes it worse. 

 

Have you sought help from a functional medicine practitioner? You can find one using this website

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Have you sought help from a functional medicine practitioner? You can find one using this website

Thanks, Chris!  I saw one last fall, but his method of treatment (juice fasting) didn't help me.  I have a history of eating disorders, which I think could be part of the reason why.  It was a horrible experience. 

 

I have an appointment with a different functional medicine practitioner next week.

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Are you talking wheat and dairy?   I tried wheat after 90 days for a Slow Roll reintro...it made my head feel cray cray.    It was immediate.  I'm talking weird thoughts and anxiety, my heart started pounding fast.  I tried to lie down and it made it worse.  It was like I'd drank a couple pots of coffee.  That's all I needed to experiment with.   It's soooo not worth it for me.

That is scary!!

 

I definitely have had issues reintroducing non-compliant foods, but lately anything I haven't eaten recently almost immediately causes the swelling to get worse and become very painful.  I had reactions to eggs and cashews, but they are common allergens so I didn't think too much about it, but I had a banana last weekend after not eating one for a few weeks and I had a reaction to it!  It's so frustrating. 

 

I have the same problem with personal care products too.  I stopped using my lotion in case one of the ingredients was causing my issue.  When it didn't get better I tried to use the lotion again and had a terrible reaction to it. 

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I'm sorry you are going through this.

 

Two points: 1. You have experienced trauma--losing your mom can be extremely traumatic and it is perfectly normal to experience a variety of effects from a loss like that, so I wouldn't discount that possibility.

2. Also know that issues with gut health are frequently revealed in the skin. It does sound like GAPS might be a good fit for a while to help your immune system calm down and re-set.

 

I hope things start to get better for you soon, don't hesitate to go after all the help you need to improve things (functional medicine doctors, a different one if the first one doesn't help you, whatever alternative modalities feel right, etc.)

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