sensitivity/intolerance showing up after elimination?

[Mrs.aLifeofReilly]

Our household has been mostly gluten-free for about 6 months and I personally haven't had any gluten in about 3-4 months. My 2 y/o is allergic to gluten. We're also soy free as DS1 tested allergic to soy, DS2 is allergic to soy through my breastmilk and we're pretty certain DH and I have soy issues also. My son that can't tolerate gluten also doesn't tolerate oats or rice.

I've been having trouble keeping my weight up without the gluten-y carbs (even though I've been FEELING great without them) so I bought myself a very natural whole wheat bread loaf over the weekend. I've been having 2 slices a day since then. Today I had small itchy bumps (kind of like keratosis pilaris) all over my arms and legs and part of my torso(my neck and shoulders and my scalp is itchy too). DH also commented that I was super cranky and 'off' yesterday.

I used to have these bumps as a kid and through my young adulthood (though they were never very itchy) and they disappeared sometime recently. I'm guessing they probably went away during my gluten-free time and are now back, but now itchy too.

I'm going to finish off the loaf and see if the symptoms get worse or if I develop any others. So far no GI issues.

I'm perfectly fine going gluten-free again if needed since it is how we are eating anyway for my son.

I know that for celiac testing (I had a negative blood test a few years ago, but I hear they can be wrong) I have to have been consuming gluten for a while? So maybe I should keep the gluten in my diet so that I can be tested? I don't want to do the testing/biopsy for DS, but I'd go through it myself and if it was positive then DS's gluten issues would probably be celiac also (right now we're not sure if it is celiac or just an intolerance). I'm still nursing DS2 and will be for a while. Would you do the biopsy while nursing?

[mamafish9]

If I were reacting to gluten and still nursing, I'd get off it right away, so I didn't sensitize my nursing babe to gluten as well.

For celiac testing, would you do anything different if you were celiac vs. GF?

For keeping weight on while GF and nursing, fat was key for me - ridiculous amounts of fat...

For your rash, you also might google Dermatitis Herpetiformis - it's a skin rash common to celiacs, and if that's what you have, that (confirmed by a doc) + a blood test for antibodies is often used for celiac diagnosis in place of a biopsy.

[Mrs.aLifeofReilly]

THanks!

Good point about the nursing. The baby is already intolerant to soy, don't need to add gluten to the mix!

With the testing, it wouldn't change much about what we do right now, but could in the future. Plus sometimes we are out at a function and it would be nice to know if a bit of gluten here and there was ok or if it would be severely damaging to my intestines. Plus the tax write off would be nice since we spend SO MUCH on groceries being grain-free.

I do my best to get lots of good fats. We try to eat pretty TF and most of my diet currently consists of eggs, raw milk, cheese, butter and nuts. We eat meat and fish too.

I looked at the images for that rash, but mine don't seem to be as big or red. Mine is more like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ke...ilaris_arm.jpg

[mamafish9]

Why are you going grain free? I personally needed carbs to keep my milk supply decent, but there are lots of gluten free options.

I'd take your reaction as a sign of gluten intolerance at least. Not all reactions are GI - for my DS, it was purely behavioral.

[Mrs.aLifeofReilly]

We eat some quinoa and some corn, but my DS1 is also intolerant to rice and oats. He seems to form new intolerance to anything he has a lot of, so we're trying to limit/rotate the grains he can have (quinoa and corn).

[mamafish9]

I'm thinking baking, to replace your bread.

Millet, sorghum, buckwheat? If he can handle a little corn, try a recipe like this one, maybe? (I use real eggs, not the egg sub, any safe milk, any safe sweetener, this was our fave GF bread).

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.co...h-muffins.html

[rhesp1212]

Can you have potatoes?? When I was nursing and on an elimination diet, I ate a TON of potatoes doused with olive oil. I ate hasbrowned potatoes, baked potatoes with olive oil at just about every meal. This was my only complex carb and is the only thing that kept my weight up (I lost a ton of weight even eating that though). That was my main starch!