TOPIC: Hi!

I hope everyone is doing okay.

I started a GF Cycle diet a year and a half ago, and have been casein and soy free (almost) for almost a year now, I think. I am posting here today because I have noticed that my sensory symptoms have gone way down. These included intense sensitivity to light, sound and touch. The hardest to deal with were sound and touch: a modest noise would be amplified a thousand times and the touch of my clothes on my skin would be too much to bear, never mind a handshake or a hug. Even after learning how to not panic at these symptoms, they were still so hard to deal with, and rendered me pretty useless. I'm now taking an SSRI and an OC to help control my PMDD, but even before I went on these pills I noticed how far down my sensory stuff had gone. Thanks Debra for guiding me to this kind of approach.
Interestingly, those symptoms are very common in autism. I am not autistic but I've been reading about the success some folks have had with taking wheat and dairy out of their kids' diets, which help decrease these symptoms.

ps, I was just reading RMM's post... keep on trucking!
My Doctor also suggested I get off the GF diet and was very dismissive regarding enterolab and my diet experiments. But this is what feels right to me now, my body (and family history) is telling me to stay on it. I'm converted.

Hi AK,

Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your experience with the gluten-free, casein-free, and almost soy-free diet.  I can't tell you what a relief it is to hear how well you're doing AK.  You've been on a very long road my friend.

 I just don't understand why doctors are so negative about Dr. Fine's findings, he's help so many people who now understand the value of his work. The good news is a few of the high profile celiac researchers are beginning to do more intestinal antibody testing. There is a new Italian study that really confirms Dr. Fines findings. I really should post that study. Here it is if you want to take a look and share it with your doctors.

The more women I help steer through the traditional medical maze who test negative for gluten intolerance and then positive through enterolab is astounding. But- the proof is always in the diet, if you stick with it. Compliance is always a stickler if you haven't been diagnosed properly. 

 I've noticed Dr. Fine has revised some of his findings regarding people who test positive for gluten, casein, and soy......it may take a little longer to notice full results. It seems if you have multiple food sensitivities the immune system could be reacting to others foods or body tissues for a while. If you're not feeling 100% it wouldn't hurt after a while to try further food testing. Some of these antibodies stay in the system for over a year. I vacillate back and forth over suggesting a dairy free diet in both the follicular and luteal phase for all as a trial, but it's hard enough to get women to think about gluten adversely affecting them.

I agree with you on the autistic connection.  There is still so much more to learn about how these undigested proteins-peptides affect behavior.

Keep on keepin on my friend.

hi.
Ok.... I have a hugely different outlook now that I have been diagnosed with Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder with [url]mixed states http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_state_(psychiatry)[/url].
Still am happily gluten/dairy/soy free, just want to note that if anyone is experiencing really bad mental-pmdd symptoms that persist after using the diet, for two weeks before yr period and then after it (!) please get checked out for Bipolar. I never knew there was more than one kind of Manic Depression, but indeed there are several, and I have been suffering needlessly due to my ignorance of this fact.
so please, if you have severe rage and are sobbing for days at ovulation time, or have other horrible mental symptoms outside the usual luteal phase, ask yr Dr about this possibility. I'm so glad to get off that SSRI, though I am on other meds now... but it's ok, I have to be.
(I thought all the extra time I spent being symptomatic meant perimenopause) Anyway, now all my puzzle pieces finally fit, and thanks, take care, happy new year, be well.
Ak

Hi AK,

Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your experiences with us here on the board. Yes, many mental illnesses exacerbate during the luteal phase and Bipolar is one of them. As you mentioned diet can help to an extent but sometimes diet isn't enough in those with a diagnosable mental illness. I'm very happy to hear you're still hanging in there with the GF/SF/DF diet and I sincerely hope your doctors are able to give you the kind of help you need to live a fuller happier life.

AK, I moved your thread here so if you would like to come back and give updates about your life with Bipolar this would be a good place for others to learn about food sensitivities in people with a confirmed Bipolar diagnosis. As with the testimonial forum, this forum is open to the public.

[user=2]Debra[/user] wrote:

 I've noticed Dr. Fine has revised some of his findings regarding people who test positive for gluten, casein, and soy......it may take a little longer to notice full results. It seems if you have multiple food sensitivities the immune system could be reacting to others foods or body tissues for a while. If you're not feeling 100% it wouldn't hurt after a while to try further food testing. Some of these antibodies stay in the system for over a year. I vacillate back and forth over suggesting a dairy free diet in both the follicular and luteal phase for all as a trial, but it's hard enough to get women to think about gluten adversely affecting them.

Hi Debra, I read this and wondered if this could also be the case for me - another reason why it's taking longer for me to see improvements...?

Sorry Colleen, just seeing this today.

Colleen, you've only been on the diet three weeks, be patient, you'll see more results in time. It normally takes 2 full cycles to start to notice real positive results. It can take up to 6 months if symptoms are quite severe. I think after 3 cycles if you're still having symptoms it's time to do further testing. Hang in there things will improve.

Need no worries.