I'm a 22 yr old female.

When I had allergy testing I had huge wheals form for every type of wild grass- and also for dust mites.
smaller wheals formed for roaches, soy and WHEAT.
They told me that it's FINE to keep eating wheat and that the only reason I tested positive for wheat is because I have an allergic (read:sneezing) reaction to all the wild grasses and they are very similar.

First of all- from a purely scientific standpoint- if my body recognizes the wild grasses and something to FIGHT- and it recognizes the wheat to also be a grass to fight- then wouldnt it also recognize the wheat as something to fight if i INGESTED it????

OK.
also- i have some symptoms of celiac disease - im slightly anemic, constipated etc. no weight loss tho and i never had trouble with my bones or anything.

BUT- when I was 3 I had my tonsils removed due to terrible allergies and constant infections.
When I was 6 my appendix burst (one cause of appendicitis could be a swelling of the lymph tissue in that area--
WHen I was 16 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease (a type of lymphoma- rebel lymphocytes multiplying and causing tumours.)

Two weeks ago I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease. Which is where lymphocytes attack my thyroid. Which means I'm hypothyroid. SOme of the symptoms of hypothyroidism are the same as celiac disease.


Celiac disease is linked with an increase risk for autoimmune diseases and also lymphoma in the small intestine.


I seem to feel a bit better when I stop the wheat and I definitely get a puffy lower abdomen when I start eating wheat/carbs again.

any advice/help/viewpoints would be appreciated.

there seems to be a connection here...

my aunt on my dads side also has celiac disease.
my dad and his twin have hypothyroidism but have never been tested for hashimoto's disease.

BethanyN,

Yes, "from a purely scientific standpoint- if my body recognizes the wild grasses and something to FIGHT- and it recognizes the wheat to also be a grass to fight- then wouldnt it also recognize the wheat as something to fight if i INGESTED it????" I quite agree. You have had a lot of health issues in your life, indicating that your body is repeatedly attacking itself in its efforts to deal with other things that it can't cope with.

There is an interesting thread at the moment in the Diet & Nutrition Board:
"metabolic typing"
http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=450471
which started out talking about a "doctor" using some questionable methods to "prescribe" a special diet for someone, and then the thread has gone on to discuss gluten and milk intolerances. You might find it interesting.

You will only know for sure if eating gluten is a cause of your problems if you go through a period of a gluten-free diet. If your body starts feeling better after a couple of months, then you know it's the gluten. If it is the gluten, then it's the gluten. Period. No, you won't be able to continue eating it. As I discuss in the thread I mentioned above, it may be that if your diet included only a bit of wheat now and then, your body would have been able to handle it. But (I'm assuming this applies to your diet) the modern western diet includes wheat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snacks, every day. If you have a genetic predisposition to gluten intolerance or allergies, then this is just too much for your body.

I'm open for more discussion, and perhaps others will chime in here, as well.

--Rheanna

Bethany,

Does your constipation get better when you go wheat free? Maybe this is why your abdomen gets puffy because you are more constipated? Constipation goes along with food allergies. I have heard different theories on eliminating foods from different allergy doctors. Some say total avoidance, others say you can eat it as long as you tolerate it (I think that it is more total avoidance if you are a small child and you might outgrow the allergy if you rest your immune system?). If you do decide to eliminate it, watch out for additional food allergies. There is a phenomenon called "masking". I have talked to others here who have experienced this (along with my daughter). When a person is very allergy prone to foods, if an allergic food is removed from the diet then this frees up the immune system to get allergic to the next food. My daughter had anemia and constipation with her food allergies also (her hemoglobin was 10 since birth, she is normal now). Food allergies are connected with autoimmune diseases too. Have you considered going to a good alternative doctor? My daughter's health is totally normal now and she was really sick before she received treatment from a good alternative doctor. Have you considered taking probiotics?

The short answer is you're going to have to eliminate wheat and see how you feel. Pollen cross-reactions with food are common, and your doctor is correct in saying you are not necessarily allergic to the food. It depends on a few factors, including how high the reaction to wheat scored.

I had a similar experience, I am allergic to many grasses, weeds and trees. I tested positive to a variety of foods the 2 biggest being eggs and tomatos. I also barely tested positive to wheat, potatoes, and onions. I was told that those were cross reactions, the wheat with grass, and the potatoes and onions with birch pollen. The potatos and onions give me no problems at all when I eat them. I have noticed that sometimes if I eat WHOLE WHEAT, I will feel a little sluggish. But I have no problems with refined wheat. This makes sense to me, since the whole grain is the part that has the allergenic proteins. It only seems to be an issue when it is grass season though.

Given your thyroid disease though, it might be smart to get tested for celiac. If nothing else, but for the peace of mind.

Health stores offer a variety of foods that are gluten free so if you're looking for food alternatives try a health store.