bacardiandlime
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« on: January 24, 2009, 06:53:30 PM » |
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My doctor thinks I might have a wheat intolerance. There is family history of celiac, and I will have some blood tests next week. The doctor seemed to think it might not be celiac, but just some other kind of intolerance/sensitivity (?).
Has anyone got any information on this? My googling turned up a lot of 'alternative' stuff that sounded like mumbo-jumbo (I'm generally pretty skeptical of 'fashionable allergies' etc). And there seemed to be lists of symptoms of wheat intolerance which included every conceivable health problem!
But the one that concerned me was a couple of passing references to insulin resistance being caused by wheat intolerance. Is this true? I don't know if I have any symptoms of insulin resistance - I have never been overweight (I weigh the same now as I did at 15, BMI of 20), but in the last couple of years I found I tend to get very sleepy after lunch (not just a bit drowsy, but seriously like I've been up for 36 hours falling asleep at the wheel sleepy: consequently, I just skip lunch most of the time and I'm fine). So I guess that's a blood sugar issue (?). I am concerned about diabetes.
Could any health experts here weigh in?
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sciencephd
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« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2009, 06:59:27 PM » |
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Did he do a skin test ? Find out exactly what the blood test is (the name of it). Unfortunately allergy/allergists (including practicing MDs) is full of pseudo-science and untested theories. In general, the best test for a food allergy is to omit the ingredient for a couple months and see what happens.
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dept_geek
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« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2009, 07:06:18 PM » |
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I would also recommend a sleep test simply to help rule out all those nasty sleep diseases. It used to be that I fell asleep if I stopped moving. Getting a sleep test and the proper diagnosis was quite literally a life saver. In general, the best test for a food allergy is to omit the ingredient for a couple months and see what happens.
+1. Omit one ingredient for a long while and see what happens. Then pick another. |
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bacardiandlime
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« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2009, 07:10:48 PM » |
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Thanks for the responses. I did have a skin allergy test a number of years ago (where they tested for everything under the sun, in an attempt to find the cause of sinusitis. They found I was allergic to nothing. I moved to a different climate and the sinusitis went away).
The sleep thing might be worth pursuing: since it only seems to happen with lunch, I just assumed it was blood sugar.
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sciencephd
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« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2009, 07:16:58 PM » |
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I didn't read the second half of your post, and thus missed the symptoms. I can't imagine how gluten intolerance would be high on the list as a possible diagnosis. Did the doctor test for diabetis ?
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I just hate it that I constantly have to like everyone and everything. -- moonstone
O, what a hateful feminist concoction!
Jews, communists, "lesbians", feminists and marihuana addicts --Pyshnov
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bacardiandlime
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« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2009, 07:25:51 PM » |
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I didn't read the second half of your post, and thus missed the symptoms. I can't imagine how gluten intolerance would be high on the list as a possible diagnosis. Did the doctor test for diabetis ?
Oh, the symptoms I have that led the doctor to think I had a food intolerance were stomach cramps and skin problems (hives/acne, arrived very suddenly). I have previously been tested for diabetes and found not to have it (that would have been about 2 years ago). I am concerned about having a risk for it, as it (also) runs in the family. I realise as someone who is not overweight and has a fairly good diet I am not in a high risk category, but I was concerned if this wheat thing could cause insulin problems. |
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« Last Edit: January 24, 2009, 07:26:49 PM by bacardiandlime »
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groundhog
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« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2009, 07:33:45 PM » |
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Are you having the standard anti TTG celiac blood panel? I assume that you are based on the family history of celiac. I'm celiac and I agree that celiac/wheat problems can bring out a lot of weird internet stuff. But there is some support for a continuum of gluten sensitivity with the sensitivity on one end and celiac on the other just as there is a continuum for diabetes. However, based on my research I think there is some connection between insulin and diabetes and gluten resistance in susceptible individuals. For one, the HLA DQ2 gene that my son and I have is known to be a diabetes gene too. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16878175?ordinalpos=11&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum While this is not proof, this pubmed article may be of use to you and/or your doc. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12519846?ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumBefore I was diagnosed with celiac I would have the same reaction to lunch. Try having just protein and veggies and see if that helps. And let us know what the doc says. I have lots of tips if you need them. |
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kissa_mau
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« Reply #9 on: January 25, 2009, 01:54:40 PM » |
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Celiac runs in my family also. The symptoms can get really odd and unpredictable. I definitely think there is a continuum of sensitivity. People some people in my family don't test positive, but become much healthier when they are on gluten-free diets.
My doctor put me on a gluten-free diet, but I didn't notice a difference. I was also so sick from something else, that perhaps it wouldn't make a difference. My cousin is so sensitive that she has to segregate her spoons and everything from the rest of the kitchen. I was definitely not that careful in my diet.
My husband cannot life without bread. But we're going to be in different place for a little while thanks to a distant postdoc, so I'm going to try for a strict gluten-free diet and see what happens.
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bacardiandlime
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« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2009, 10:02:13 AM » |
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thanks for the advice, everyone. I will keep you posted.
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inthelab
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« Reply #11 on: January 26, 2009, 10:06:14 AM » |
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Did he do a skin test ? Find out exactly what the blood test is (the name of it). Unfortunately allergy/allergists (including practicing MDs) is full of pseudo-science and untested theories. In general, the best test for a food allergy is to omit the ingredient for a couple months and see what happens.
The immunologist I trained as says: Skin tests are notoriously inaccurate for food allergies, unfortunately. B&L: you might want to check this site out: http://www.csaceliacs.org/ |
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« Last Edit: January 26, 2009, 10:07:50 AM by inthelab »
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bacardiandlime
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« Reply #12 on: January 27, 2009, 12:46:58 PM » |
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Are you having the standard anti TTG celiac blood panel? I assume that you are based on the family history of celiac.
I asked the nurse who took the blood what it was and she just said 'standard blood test for celiac' so whatever that is. I will know at the end of the week. |
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YOU ARE NASTY
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sciencephd
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« Reply #13 on: January 27, 2009, 01:02:18 PM » |
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The immunologist I trained as says: Skin tests are notoriously inaccurate for food allergies, unfortunately.
I would go further than that. The purpose of the question was to determine if the doctor may have "alternative medicine" tendencies. |
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I just hate it that I constantly have to like everyone and everything. -- moonstone
O, what a hateful feminist concoction!
Jews, communists, "lesbians", feminists and marihuana addicts --Pyshnov
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inthelab
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« Reply #14 on: January 27, 2009, 01:14:26 PM » |
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The immunologist I trained as says: Skin tests are notoriously inaccurate for food allergies, unfortunately.
I would go further than that. The purpose of the question was to determine if the doctor may have "alternative medicine" tendencies. So many allergists do these days, unfortunately. |
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inthelab, I love you for that.
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