Monday, June 24, 2013

Endo & Allergy Testing.

Throughout the 9 or so years that my endometriosis remained undiagnosed, the various doctors and specialists that I was seeing had me on a continuous cocktail of hormones. Mainly, the hormone they were using to treat my symptoms was progesterone. Progesterone pills, the IUD with progesterone, etc.

None of these treatments worked for me. They only elevated my pain to unbearable levels and left me worse off after each attempt.

As it turns out, I'm allergic to progesterone! Haha who'd have thought?

So each time we tried a new treatment that involved progesterone, we were filling my body with something that caused extra inflammation, extra pain, and extra problems. Nobody had ever even told me that it was possible to be allergic to hormones until my first visit with a naturopathic doctor a few weeks ago! I still think it's nuts.



After being tested for that, I got tested for food allergies and things got really sad really quickly.

In order to start my body on the right track for healing and get to a place where we can battle the endometriosis, I have to go 6 months completely eliminating the following :

apples, bananas, barley, soy, dairy, milk chocolate, corn products, egg whites, garlic, grapes, 
 oats, onions, peas, peanuts, peppers, potatoes, rye, strawberries, tomatoes, and wheat.

Dang it.

I've been gluten free for almost 5 months now and that transition wasn't too difficult, but I had to give away so many of my gluten-free specialty foods because they contain either corn, potatoes, or dairy products. Not to mention giving away the rest of the cobbler I just made...

It was a sad, sad day in my world. Haha

Weston and I went to the farmer's market on Sunday and stocked up on fruits and veggies. (Which I think might become a weekly tradition) So far it's been pretty hard 1) being around people who are eating normal food and 2) finding a variety of meals that don't break any rules!

But if it has the potential to help me get better, count me in.
I'm excited to see my body make progress - The doctor said I should start feeling better within the first month of my new diet, so we'll see! I have a lot of hope!

But really really really - if you have endo?
Ask for an allergy test. I wish I'd have done mine years ago.

17 comments:

  1. So you're allergic to that whole list? Or you just have to avoid them for now? Either way, I hope this helps you! You deserve more good days. :)

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    1. Thank you! I'm allergic to the whole list, but they have me on drops and supplements to build my immunity to the things I'm allergic to, so hopefully after 6 months we'll be able to slowly start introducing some of them back in. I'll probably be gluten-free and dairy-free forever though. That's not too bad. :)

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  2. Thanks for this advice! I'm an endo sufferer with thoracic endo as well so I will do anything now for relief. I'm going to book in my allergy test and be proactive about this!

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    1. Yes! I'm so excited to hear that! I really hope that it gives you some new answers and hopefully a path to find some relief!

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  3. So...what CAN you eat? I mean, soy, gluten, dairy, corn...those things are in so much of what most people eat! I'm interested to see what your diet consists of. And I'm pretty amazed at your good attitude!

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    1. It's definitely tricky, but I'm basically on the cave man diet. I'm not sensitive to meat, so I have been eating a lot of chicken and turkey, quinoa, rice pasta, and as many vegetables as I can stomach. I had no idea how many products were derived from corn until this though. Learning a lot!

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  4. Wow, that list seems crazy! Props to you for taking it on with such a positive attitude. I think I'd die. Seriously.

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    1. Haha thanks! Yeah, it's definitely not something I'd choose to do under other circumstances but I already feel less negative side effects, so that's good motivation not to cheat at all and to keep at it!

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  5. no chocolate and no peanut butter... a cruel, cruel, world. Once you start feeling better it will all be worth it though! xx

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    1. Ooooh, girl. The peanut butter killed me, I ate a giant spoon of it almost every day for the last 5 years! But sunflower butter is proving to be a decent substitute, and the great news is, dark chocolate is still totally allowed as long as it doesn't include dairy. Hallelujah! And yes, you're absolutely right. Being sick is actually making me have a healthier lifestyle than I've ever had. Who'd have thought?! :)

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  6. You should talk to your natropath dr about allergy healing in your area. I did it and it saved my butt, but really it saved my stomach. I was allergic to sugar which is in everything! It's amazing the things natural doctors can figure out.

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    1. I'm already very impressed with naturopathic medicine! They have me taking drops three times a day that are basically small doses of the things I'm allergic to. Every month, we'll up the dosage and hopefully in 6 months, my immunity will be at a place that we can start to reintroduce foods back into my diet!

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  7. I'm so happy you followed through and saw the Naturopathic doctor! I'm so hopeful for you to lead a healthy happy life!

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    1. Thank you so much, Debbie! Your recommendation was perfect!

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  8. I'm intolerant to a host of foods as well (actually even more than you if you include the whole list--yikes)...you should check out the recipes on the blog Roost if you haven't already. All of the recipes are grain, processed sugar, and dairy free, and there's lots of recipes for baked goods using almond flour.

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    1. Thank you for the suggestion! I'm always looking for new meal recommendation and that sounds perfect! I can't imagine how you manage being allergic to so many things - you're my new inspiration! :)

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  9. I went off dairy, soy, gluten, sugar, red meat, and limit coffee and alcohol and it helped tremendously with my pain. I do still have occasional flare-ups although usually it's due to accidentally eating gluten :) It's a crazy life, but at least the pain is less and I can enjoy it better. Good luck with your new way of eating, I hope it works out for you... endo can be so cruel.

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