IgG and not feeling better

[47jennifer]

I had an IgG test done over the summer after having ongoing digestive symptoms (diarrhea, constipation, pain), fatigue, low iron (ferritin was 6). I showed allergies to tons, including dairy, gluten, soy, strawberries, eggs, legumes, etc. I eliminated those foods, and have been off of them for 8 weeks.

I was expecting to go off and see an improvement in 1-2 weeks, from what I read online. My naturopath also said it should just take a couple weeks. I haven't seen that wonderful improvement though. Is that at all normal or is something else going on?

I think my energy levels are better and my ferritin is up to 12 after a couple months on an iron supplement. I no longer have stomach pain, but still have digestive problems. I am taking probiotics.

I'm hoping someone out there has experience or insight and can direct me to what to try next, if anything. Maybe it just takes a LONG time to feel better?

[kjbrown92]

Do you know the hidden names for everything? Have you checked your supplements' ingredients? What kind of probiotics are you taking (since a lot of times they are grown on dairy)? What level have you gone down to clearing foods -- Have you gone all the way down to the level of soy lecithin and soybean oil on soy for example? What ARE you eating? Are you keeping a food journal? There may be some nutritional deficiencies going on as well... If you give us this info, we may be able to help you better. Sometimes it's something easy that you just missed (hopefully)!

[47jennifer]

To give more info...

I'm learning about some of the hidden names. For example, just learned that "natural flavours" in my herbal tea could mean soy. I have avoided things like "soy lecithin" but have not worried if the package says "may contain..." Do you think I need to avoid may contain items as well?

I eat a ton of nuts (cashews and almonds mostly), fruit (regular and dried), veggies (raw or roasted with oil/herbs), salads, beef, chicken. Homemade gluten free breads and muffins, pancakes. Gluten free grains like rice, quinoa, millet. Rice pasta. Some cereals that are labelled gluten free. Packaged rice cakes and rice crackers. Potatoes, corn.

I have kept a food journal on and off, without seeing any clear trends. I have a hard time doing so as I have a very active 18 month old to follow around all day, and often grab small snacks on the go.

I have read about cross contamination, and we definitely could have some of that going on...but I wasn't sure if for IgG allergies it was necessary? Do I need to worry about toasters or cutting boards or anything? Obviously I avoid the big obvious things and make all the gf stuff first, but should I move on to removing tiny trace amounts too?

It's starting to feel like too much!

[kjbrown92]

Well it's just easier to make sure that you're taking everything out of the things you can't have before looking for new foods that may be a problem. Some things do take longer to get out of your system than others (some people say that gluten takes a couple months). So if you make sure that you've taken it all out, including supplements, meds etc., then you need to look for something else (could be a food chemical like salicylates or could be another food or could be a nutrient issue). Another test that shows a lot of info is a stool test like Genova.

Just so you're aware of it corn is a huge one that is often missed on tests. So the next step for me would be to take out corn and see what happens. If you do that, you pretty much eliminate all processed foods and then you are down to ingredients, which are easier to track.

[mamafish9]

I'm with Kathy, I'd take out corn and see if that makes a difference.