Sugars/Intolerance? Help me Understand.

1356

Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    OP, if eating less fixes the problem, then just eat less until you have insurance and can be allergy tested. you know the solution even if you don't know the problem's medical name.

    Yeah, this is my take on it too.

    I guess what I really wanted from this thread was to understand the difference in carbs/sugar...from fruit, to bread, etc.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    rankinsect wrote: »
    What kinds of carb-heavy foods are these? There are allergens in apples that are similar to many other fruit and nut species, so people with some allergies might be allergic to apples, peaches, apricots, cherries, etc.

    Do you have other allergies? Do antihistamines produce any relief when these symptoms appear?

    No other allergies. A few weeks ago I noticed an itchiness in my throat after eating a lot of kale...but it was only after eating a lot. Otherwise, a salad with a bit of kale has not produced that reaction.

    Sometimes I'll take a tylenol when it hurts and it helps a bit.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Every Saturday I enjoy a high calorie meal. The problem usually happens after this. Maybe I'll try to go just meat and veg for it, and still include a glass of wine and see how I feel.

  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    It could be a food sensitivity rather than an allergy. Food sensitivities can sstart to show symptoms within minutes or up to three days later... that's just when symptoms appear. They can last for hours, days or weeks. Plus the symptoms of food sensitivities goes beyond a tummy ache. Some people get ataxia, neuropathies, arthritis, migraines or just fatigued.

    I would keep a food and symptoms journal for a few weeks. It could help you pin point things.

    Ditto the others with checking blood glucose too. Keeping my blood glucose stable has dramatically reduced my pain levels.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Okay...thanks guys. I was able to pinpoint the sugar/carb thing but maybe I can take it a step further.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    Every Saturday I enjoy a high calorie meal. The problem usually happens after this. Maybe I'll try to go just meat and veg for it, and still include a glass of wine and see how I feel.

    Have you considered sulfurs in wine?
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    thorsmom01 wrote: »
    I would start by noting in your diary each time this happens. You can then go back And see what may be in common on these days. It may have not been the apples but instead something else you ate before the apples. So I would pay close attention to this when it happens.
    I would also start saving up for a trip to the doctor. If it really is bothering you, it's worth seeing a professional. If you put 20$ aside per week, you could afford a visit shortly. There are also public health clinics that are available to those who are not insured that use a sliding scale payment method. They go by how much you make to determine what they will charge you.
    Sometimes putting ourselves first is necessary. You don't know what's going on so its really worth having the proper tests run. Sometimes we have to help ourselves.

    Yup, I definitely agree that a doctor is called for - even uninsured - but I'll reiterate that she needs to consider the insurance ramifications if it turns out she needs treatment. If she needs treatment, exploring her cheapest possible insurance options ahead of time could be a better bet. The Affordable Care Act subsidies or Medicaid would be potential options depending on her state & her income levels.

    Essentially, while insurers can no longer disqualify or raise rates because of pre-existing conditions, if you don't have continuous health coverage (no more than 90 consecutive days uninsured) they may give you an 'exclusion period' of up to 12 months (18 if you enroll late) where any condition for which you received any medical advice, care, or diagnosis within the 6 months prior to your enrollment are not covered. After the exclusion period, insurance will cover it as normal. Essentially it's a way to ensure people don't just wait until they need insurance and then try to buy it.

    However, if the condition is not one for which you've sought medical advice, the pre-existing condition exclusion won't apply.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Every Saturday I enjoy a high calorie meal. The problem usually happens after this. Maybe I'll try to go just meat and veg for it, and still include a glass of wine and see how I feel.

    Have you considered sulfurs in wine?

    Not really since I don't always drink when it happens.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    I don't really understand what I would need "treatment" for, for those who are saying I need to see a doctor. I don't have a deadly allergy or anything.

    Ah. I'm a shy person. Now kind of regretting making this post.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    I don't really understand what I would need "treatment" for, for those who are saying I need to see a doctor. I don't have a deadly allergy or anything.

    Ah. I'm a shy person. Now kind of regretting making this post.

    You are always so supportive, I think we all want to help you. <3
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    I don't really understand what I would need "treatment" for, for those who are saying I need to see a doctor. I don't have a deadly allergy or anything.

    Ah. I'm a shy person. Now kind of regretting making this post.

    You are always so supportive, I think we all want to help you. <3


    Thank you :)
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    I don't really understand what I would need "treatment" for, for those who are saying I need to see a doctor. I don't have a deadly allergy or anything.

    Ah. I'm a shy person. Now kind of regretting making this post.

    I'm sorry the question you really wanted the answer to isn't in my knowledge base :(

    I wish I could help- I hate seeing a friend suffer. I know you're smart and can figure this out. You've done so well at getting I shape.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    kkenseth wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    I don't really understand what I would need "treatment" for, for those who are saying I need to see a doctor. I don't have a deadly allergy or anything.

    Ah. I'm a shy person. Now kind of regretting making this post.

    I'm sorry the question you really wanted the answer to isn't in my knowledge base :(

    I wish I could help- I hate seeing a friend suffer. I know you're smart and can figure this out. You've done so well at getting I shape.

    It's not that bad. It happens when I over indulge. It's most likely my own fault. It is interesting though, as it's not a symptom every one gets when they over indulge.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    I don't really understand what I would need "treatment" for, for those who are saying I need to see a doctor. I don't have a deadly allergy or anything.

    I think the problem is nobody knows what you actually DO have, so it's all kind of speculative on what you would actually do to manage or treat this condition once it was diagnosed. Nothing so far sounds like a perfect fit for what you've described - fructose malabsorption would explain the broad spectrum of trigger foods, but normally causes primarily stomach discomfort, errors in fructose metabolism usually have much more severe symptoms, allergies could explain the symptoms but there's not a clear pattern pointing to an allergen or allergens.

    I guess if you want to experiment, try a generic Allegra or Zyrtec next time - if it's a true food allergy (histamine-mediated) then they will likely improve your symptoms; if it's an intolerance, it won't have any effect.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    rankinsect wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    I don't really understand what I would need "treatment" for, for those who are saying I need to see a doctor. I don't have a deadly allergy or anything.

    I think the problem is nobody knows what you actually DO have, so it's all kind of speculative on what you would actually do to manage or treat this condition once it was diagnosed. Nothing so far sounds like a perfect fit for what you've described - fructose malabsorption would explain the broad spectrum of trigger foods, but normally causes primarily stomach discomfort, errors in fructose metabolism usually have much more severe symptoms, allergies could explain the symptoms but there's not a clear pattern pointing to an allergen or allergens.

    I guess if you want to experiment, try a generic Allegra or Zyrtec next time - if it's a true food allergy (histamine-mediated) then they will likely improve your symptoms; if it's an intolerance, it won't have any effect.


    Interesting. I take Allegra sometimes for general allergies. Maybe I'll pop one next time this happens.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    If you can pinpoint it to a specific meal maybe drop a component each week and see if it makes a difference. Doesn't seem like you need to do an overall elimination diet since you can pinpoint it somewhat.

    I'm actually pro elimination diet -- my sister has IBS and managed to identify her triggers (weirdo stuff like melon and avocado and raw broccoli) and has done much better since, just from avoiding them.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,420 MFP Moderator
    There are variety of treatment options depending on the severity of the issue. The question comes down to, is it an allergy or a bigger issue like @yarwell mention with diabetes. If you want to start with a standard elimination diet protocol that can get your started but if the signs still exist, then it can be a bigger issue.

    For some, like my wife who was diagnosed with a medical condition, she has to take prescription supplements, has dietary restrictions and is now doing weekly IV bags for hydration (and for some time she was on beta blockers and a steroid). Her issue was discovered while she was dealing with pancreatitis but ultimately, she was tired often, had a lot of stomach issues.

    The doctor route is generally the best as they can run test to eliminate major issues (vitamin/mineral deficiencies, disease like celiac, etc...)
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    definately sounds like an allergy....
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    kkenseth wrote: »
    I'm PMing you to avoid a dumpster fire here.

    I wish you would post here because I would love to know you opinions.


    So here is my experience with food allergies and it has yet been explained to me.

    If i eat even a part of an oyster, sallop, mussel or clam I feel like I am being stabbed in the stomach and i spend the night snuggling some porcelain instead of my wife. Found this out on a business trip and confirm on my first vday with the wife... sexy right?

    This is the interesting one... I can eat a limited quantity of shrimp (<6 small or 3-4 large) pieces of shrimp... after that, hives, throat closing and anaphylaxic shock. So most people assume shelf fish.... nope... i can pound lobster and crab like its my job. Seriously, 3 lbs of snow crab or 2.5 lbs of lobster with not issue. It makes me sad because i love shrimp cocktail.

    My husband is the same, allergic to shrimp only but other shellfish are fine. His allergist told him it was a particular protein unique to shrimp that he must be allergic to.

    I also suspect I'm becoming less tolerant of mussels and clams, as you said, they seem fine going down but in the middle of the night I will be awakened with a painful and horrific bathroom experience. This is a relatively new development and at first I thought I just had the bad luck to get food poisoning twice in the same year but when it happened a third time and I started thinking of common elements, the steamed mussels (one of my all time favorite things - so sad!) seem to be the common denominator.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    lemmie177 wrote: »
    Sorry to hear about your problem. It sounds painful and confusing.

    I think the advice from @shaumom is great. I had chronic pain and inflammation that would flare up in my leg and wrist (previous injuries) and found that foods were a huge factor after doing an elimination diet. My worst triggers are processed meats, but I also get symptoms if I gorge on wheat products or sugar. While my experience is different from yours, I think you'd benefit from trying it out. Just google "the 4 R's of gut health" or something like that and you'll find a lot of good resources to follow. Basically, its Remove, Repair, Restore, Replace, which is referring to potential intolerances and gut health and flora.
    http://www.precisionnutrition.com/elimination-diet
    arditarose wrote: »
    What is the difference between sugars from an apple or added sugar in cakes or sugar in bread?
    Fruit sugar is fructose while sugar in cakes or breads might be regular white sugar (sucrose) or could be fructose (from high fructose corn syrup), depending on how it was made. HFCS is cheaper than white sugar. Sucrose will break down into glucose and fructose. Glucose and fructose are processed differently by the body.

    It's hard to say without more info, but I'd suspect fructose. Just cause your reaction to apples was so severe. Could be an apple-specific problem, though. Do you react to other fruits? Honey is pretty high in fructose. Do you react to that?

    Fruits and vegetables don't just contain fructose. They also contain glucose and even sucrose, or where do you think white sugar comes from?

Categories