Itching and Mood Crash

[Mother Is A Verb]

My background: I began W30 to get to the bottom of several unexplained health issues I've had over the past 3 years. Mainly itching all over that seemed to come and go and usually preceded or coincided with a depressed/down mood. The two always seemed to go together to me but my health practitioners acted like I was crazy and pointed to anxiety and depression as the source of my itching. Among many other tests, I had allergy testing done 1 year ago and it came back above normal (not the highest but slightly elevated) for spinach, broccoli, and karaya gum. I eliminated those for the past year (with occasional accidental exposure). I could tell within 24 hours if I had spinach because I would itch all over like crazy. I also began to notice that within an hour of eating oats, I would itch all over. I've continued to struggle with depression and mood swings. 

My Whole30 so far: I made it through the first 2 weeks with the typical symptoms and results as outlined in "what to expect". Then I was sleeping great, had a ton of energy, and could tell a big difference in the fit of my clothes by Days 17-21. It was awesome! On Day 22 I got dizzy and felt nauseous all morning. I thought maybe I didn't eat enough and we had a very active morning so I tried to fuel up with more protein and fats that day. Days 23-26 I felt tired, lethargic, my mood completely dropped, and I had several severe itching episodes (to the point it was debilitating and I ended up taking Allegra and laying in bed until symptoms presided). I'm not sleeping well at all and I wake up feeling jittery and shaky. 

My questions: Has anyone else had a regression in week 4? 

I've not gone off plan at all. Could this be a new sensitivity to another food? Maybe nightshades? (I can post a list of what I typically eat if that helps).

I'm on Day 30. Yay! Should I continue on the plan and delay reintroduction for now? (I'm thinking yes). 

[ladyshanny]

It's really hard to say, unfortunately no one here is a medical professional. Usually itching and rashes are environmental or food-related. You could certainly post a few typical days of eating and we can see if anything stands out. How have your days changed now since Days 15-21-ish, meal-composition-wise?

What kind of itching are you having? Is there a rash? Dry skin? Is it all over or localized? Feminine itching? Does scratching bring relief or is it one of those itches that you can't find/scratch?

[Mother Is A Verb]

Thank you for responding so quickly. I appreciate any ideas you have to help me get to the bottom of this. There is no rash or discoloration on my skin. The itching is all over- typically my upper body (back, arms, chest, stomach). Though it will go down to my thighs sometimes. It's hard to describe but it isn't the same as itching from a rash or bug bite. The closest I can relate the feeling to is when you get a bad sunburn and your skin begins to peel and itch. It's that kind of intense tingling itching that scratching doesn't help. It's worse right after I shower. 

Here is what I was eating over the last week- 

Breakfast: 2 cups of coffee with 2 Tbls of canned coconut milk in each, 2 eggs fried in ghee, 3 slices of bacon, about 1 cup roasted potatoes (salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil), 1/2 a glass of orange juice.  OR  2 cups coffee with coconut milk, ground sausage cooked with chopped apple and coconut oil (I eat a cereal bowl full of this breakfast mix). Sometimes I'll do my eggs omelet style and throw in mushrooms, bacon, green or red peppers and garlic. 

Lunch: salad made of one whole romaine lettuce wedge, 1/2 avocado, a handful each of chopped carrots, colored peppers, and cucumber,  salt, pepper, oregano, red wine vinegar, and grapeseed oil as dressing. Sometimes I throw in sunflower seeds and raisins. Topped with protein of either 2-3 chicken tenderloins (cooked in olive oil), 1/2 can salmon or can of tuna with homemade mayo. 

Snack: (we eat lunch at 11 and dinner isn't until 6:00 so sometimes I'll need a snack in between) - a large handful of baby carrots with guacamole (avocado, salt, garlic, lemon juice, spoonful of salsa), OR banana with almond butter, OR an apple with a handful of (pecans or almonds or cashews or walnuts). Sometimes I'll do chicken salad (chicken, apples, mustard, almonds, homemade mayo). 

Dinner: tilapia (garlic, olive oil, lemon), zucchini, sweet potato OR 

grassfed beef burger with mushrooms & onions, grilled pineapple, and creole mustard on romaine lettuce leaf, homemade guacamole with carrots , sweet potato fries OR

Crock pot Chicken with artichokes, tomatoes, onion, and kalamata olives. OR 

meatloaf (grassfed beef, salsa, coconut flour, egg) topped with tomato sauce, mashed potatoes (potatoes, ghee, chicken broth), green beans and carrots. 

These are a few examples of dinner I cook. Many times I will eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. 

[ladyshanny]

I don't see a lot here that I would recognize as causing that sort of itching. Are you eating a lot more of something than you normally would? Do you have any other allergies (eg, if you are allergic to latex you would also be allergic to avocado)?

[Mother Is A Verb]

No, I have no other allergies. It seems my symptoms continue to stump everyone. :-(  I am consuming more potatoes than I did before W30 (since I'm eating them with breakfast a lot) so that's why I thought maybe nightshades could be the problem. I do use peppers as my veggie a lot and I cook with tomatoes or tomato sauce all the time. I love spicy food and use red pepper flake and cayenne regularly. I recently bought an eggplant to make this week. When googling how to prepare it, I found all the info on nightshades and how negatively they affect some people. Maybe I'll start there and stay on W30 for another week while eliminating nightshades. What's one more food elimination when I've done 30 days worth! lol. It's worth a shot at this point! :-)  

After reading through many of the posts, I wonder if my lethargy and mood crash could be related to not eating enough fat and protein early in the day. I have been sleeping in later so I'm not eating breakfast until 8:00, where I was eating it by 6:30am. And I've been hungry when going to bed.