So I've got a new doctor who I'm really excited about. I like his philosophy. I believe in what he does. So right now I'm doing a detox/elimination diet. Its something he wants me to do once or twice a year but right now it will show me foods that cause me problems.
The elimination diet is an eight week (longer if needed) schedule of when to bring in what foods back into the diet. The last two weeks I've been able to eat chicken, turkey, fish, nuts and all the vegetables I'd like, plus supplements tailored to my need and condition. Tomorrow I get fruit again. Yeah!!
In less than two weeks I began to feel much better but also found a culprit. Two times I've had foods that unknowingly had corn, a soup that I didn't prepare containing cornstarch and an electrolyte drink that had maltodextrin. Both times I ended up sick for about two days and that was without have had much of either item. Maybe about 1/2 to 1 cup of the soup after a large salad and two servings of the drink. In realizing that both were corn I started looking back and realized corn fits the pattern of my illness.
I've tried telling multiple doctors sugar makes me sick. They all just said it was odd and dismissed it. I would stop eating all forms of sugar other than fruit and then bring it back. Sometimes I'd do fine and other times I would get sick. I couldn't figure out why sometimes I'd get so sick and other times I expected to get sick and didn't. I knew sugary foosd were a culprit but never really thought about it being the type of sugar. I thought I was dealing more with a blood sugar/diabetic issue than an allergy. So I was right, sugar makes me sick, but not all sugar, just corn in all its lovely forms.
So the great news is I can get better! Just cutting it out one week and I could tell the difference.
The bad news is in two weeks of intentionally not eating corn, it still found me. Corn is in practically everything. Thankfully I'm not so allergic that physical touch makes me sick, except when I've had way too much like the glucose drip at the hospital last year. After the sugar drip due to too low blood sugar everywhere there was medical tape or a sticky monitor I broke out in hives, gross, huge, swelling hives. I was given benadryl and told to come immediately back if my mouth, face or throat began swelling. I didn't know it at the time but the light bulbs went on last night and a few internet searches showed I was right. Yep corn in the glucose, corn in the tape adhesives. Yet I've handled adhesives and corn starch frequently without problem so I'm not overly concerned with corn products except for food.
Thankfully I had a doctor's appointment already scheduled for today so I was able to talk to my doctor about it and not have my head spinning with questions for long. He agrees I'm allergic or at a minimum intolerant to corn. At the end of the eight weeks I'll try bringing in more grains, each with a trial period. He's concerned I might have problems with more than just corn. Cross my fingers I don't have to cut all grains out of my diet. Please at least one grain for eating! He wants me to read the Paleo diet and thinks there is a good chance this is how I'll have to live and eat - fruit, vegetables, lean meats, sea food, and nuts. No grains or milk. Though since I don't go into anaphylactic shock I'll maybe still sneak a treat here and there!
Curious about what I have to watch for when shopping? Check out this list at CornAllergies.com. I'm sure all my wheat intolerant friends and family understand this perfectly. Wheat is in everything too. So I'm a littler overwhelmed but excited to know I can get better. Soon this will all be normal. At least since I'm already eating mostly a whole food's diet I don't have a huge amount of relearning to cook but I'm really concerned about eating foods others prepare.
So if I pass on the cookies or candy, I'm not trying to be high fluting or lose weight! Trust me, I want them.