I am considering food tolerance testing and wanted some opinions on it please.

I am suffering from a variety of symptoms which have been thought to be caused by kidney stones, gall bladder, pancreatitis or ulcers but all tests have proved negative including a gastroscopy that I had yesterday. I am now wondering if I have a food intolerance. Both my children were intollerant to dairy products as babies and my son to eggs also. This seems to have settled as they have got older and are both fine now. I can't eat eggs or drink milk as they make me vomit and peanuts give me chronic stomach ache as do some breakfast cereals and toast.

I don't eat fried/greasy/fatty foods, no alcohol, no spicey foods and rarely have sweets or chocolate as I end up feeling awful. I have constant stomach pains, dreadful wind (am constantly burping :gag: ) feel sick most of the time, plus I am tired, bloated and cannot seem to lose weight despite eating a pretty healthy diet and being active.

A few questions :

Has anyone has tolerance testing done and did it provide the answers you were looking for?

Can it be done on the NHS?

Have you paid to get it done and how much did it cost?

Can anyone reccommend where to go?

Sorry for all the questions but I am so sick of feeling ill and just want to get to the bottom of it.

Thanks :thumbsup:

Just a thought - how are you with bread?

Maybe there's a gluten allergy? Bread causes problems for many people.

If you think it may be a problem, perhaps try a few days without it and see if there is any sustained improvement?

I've thought about allergy testing before but I'm too tight to pay £300-00 :hihi:

This is what I was thinking that it may be gluten/wheat. I picked up a leaflet the other week from the chiropractor on Infirmary Road (below the dentist) an dthey do tollerance testing there. It with some kind of machine they put on your hand :suspect: and costs about £52 plus £30 for the initial consultation.

It sounds like gluten intolerance based on the experiences of a friend of mine. Has to be worth finding out for sure.

Holland & Barrett at crystal Peaks are doing it very soon for £42 and they test for 80 items I think.
I know this cos I was going to have it done, I'm having trouble with fruits which make my throat swell up. However, I have a docs appointment today to initiate testing as my research shows you can get tested on the NHS and they will look at the IgE groups rather than just 80 foods.
IgE is the immunoglobulin which is common in certain groups and which causes the reaction (apparently) so for example, kiwi allergy sufferers will suffer from a latex allergy as well most of the time because they share IgE type.
My problem seems to be oranges and guava which don't share a group bizarrely so I'm uncertain but I don't want anaphylatic shock problems.... hence the appointment.

To be tested for everything (and what's the point in only being tested for some things....you might be allergic to one they haven't tested for) it costs considerably more. I belive Lloyds charge about £280-00 for the full range of tests.

I do think it would be worthwhile seeing if yours is a gluten allergy by like I said, cutting out all bread, wheat products for a week and seeing how you go on. It could save you a deal of money too.

Let us know how you go on if you decide to try.

:)

My fiancee has coeliac disease, AKA gluten/wheat intolerance, as well as lactose intolerance. What it means is that eating even a tiny amount of gluten gives her a wide range of unpleasant symptons (headache, bloating, sore belly, etc) and something even more unpleasant when it works its way out. (Love you honey!) Lactose intolerance is usually a genetic thing, but long-standing coeliac disease can cause it too.

The way to check, instead of forking out a fortune on tests, is to cut out lactose/milk and gluten/wheat completely for a week and see if you feel much better after that. It's a nightmare as milk and wheat get everywhere (potato waffles, Spar potato wedges, beer, Tesco salads, ...) so you have to be really strict and check the label on everything. It's worth doing though, you sound like you have the condition too and if so simply cutting out those two chemicals from your diet will literally make you feel a hundred times better.

Two things are getting mixed up here, food allergies and food intolerances. Food allergies are fairly easy to test for using a skin prick test, and usually show obvious skin reactions when the person has an allergy to that particular substance. Food allergies are potentially life threatening and cause symptoms such as rashes, swelling and potentially anaphylaxis.

Food intolerances are the ones that cause gastro-intestinal disturbances. These are very difficult to actually detect in any way other than by using an exclusion diet. Coeliac disease is potentially a fairly serious condition and this can be detected by taking a biopsy from the intestines.

Thanks everyone. I know there are definate differences between allergies and intollerances. I had to have the skin tests done as a child so I know I have various allergies, but none showed up for food then.

I bought some wheat free bread today and ate some as a sandwich at lunch. Usually after about 15 minutes I would have awful stomach ache and be burping for england. Half a bottle of gaviscon usually follows :gag: Today I was fine. I made sure my dinner was wheat/gluten free too and feel relatively ok.

I understand that intollerances build up in your body and can take a few months to settle down after an exclusion diet. I'm going to give it a go and mention it to my doc when I get my biopsy results.

Thanks again everyone! :thumbsup:

I came to this thread because of the symptoms I have.
I am currently having loads of tests due to severe pains & diarrhea when I eat. I already have IBS, hiatus hernia & an inflamed stomach but I've had these years without the symptoms I've been having the past few months. At one point all I could eat was rice & chicken. I use to love dairy & drink about 2 pints of milk a day, this has had to stop. After doing a total exclusion diet & losing 2 stone in 6 weeks my symptoms have improved.
I still get the pain when I eat but not as severe, I usually take a strong pain killer just before I eat & only have 2 small meals a day. I thought I had celiacs but now I can eat bread etc & the symptoms aren't as severe. All I could think of is my stomach isn't working properly not pushing food through my system until its that full that I explode.
I hope you find the answers to your problem fairy as I do with mine & will kepp a watch out for you posting your results & remedies.

Well, it would appear mine is a definite allergy and the doc recommended abstention from eating the culprit foods (oh really, that sounds like a clever idea, wish I'd thought of it instead of eating oranges everyday and almost suffocating.... but go on).
He also gave me anti histamines and instructions to call an ambulance if I have trouble breathing.
So, I won't be going for tests and I guess your doc might do the same, who knows unless you speak to him/her?

I bought some wheat free bread today and ate some as a sandwich at lunch.

ive started buying soya bread from morrisons, not for any health reasons- just coz they NEVER have any blimming brown bread!

they carry a brand called burgens and do 2 types. the first is like a warburtons seeded batch type thing with extra linseed (v. good for you) and all sorts of yummy bits in.

the other one sounds a bit wierd, but is really nice too. its exactly the same but with cranberries in it. the first time i had it, i actually bought it by accident (d'oh!) but didnt regret it at all.

it is a bit pricey, about a quid a loaf, but it definately lasts longer...and for someone who struggles to get through a loaf in a week, or before it goes mouldy, thats definately a bonus.

best of luck,

sophie
x

So is the soya bread wheat/gluten free?

Thanks

So is the soya bread wheat/gluten free?

Thanks

No, it's a low glycaemic index bread but still contains grains and gluten.

there a place behind the hallamshire hospital for food allergy testing its £35!
its a good idea i thinks, your body may have become sensitive to certain foods (usually wheat)and you may just need a break from them.

So is the soya bread wheat/gluten free?

Thanks

i honestly dont know- i had to get a mini warburtons seeded batch because there wasnt even any of the soya bread yesterday- rubbish!

i suspect twiglet is probably right, but a check of the ingredient labels etc will be able to confirm things for you.

sorry if ive got your hopes up and its not suitable.

sophie
x

Bread made entirely from soya will be gluten free. Such a loaf would probably taste like ass though. The only way to know for sure is to check the label.

I did check before I wrote it!. It definitely, categorically, is NOT gluten or wheat free. The product warnings state:

Contains Gluten, Wheat and Soya

It is just a regular loaf that contains soya, it is not purely made from it. Gluten free breads are (in my opinion) truly revolting, and a whole lot more expensive than these.

The loaf I got was from Harvestyme health food shop in Hillsborough. It's a wheat free rye loaf and is actually pretty ok.

Had a slice toasted for breakfast and so far no pain at all. :thumbsup: :clap: :banana: :bigsmile:

The loaf I got was from Harvestyme health food shop in Hillsborough. It's a wheat free rye loaf and is actually pretty ok.

Had a slice toasted for breakfast and so far no pain at all. :thumbsup: :clap: :banana: :bigsmile:

Wheat free bread is different to gluten free bread. It isn't suitable for Coeliacs as it still contains gluten in the rye (hence why it isn't as revolting as gluten free bread!).

Excuse my ignorance here but can you be intollerant to wheat but not gluten?

You can be Intollerant to virtually anything. I'm intollerant to wheat but not oats or barley that also contain gluten. I've given up trying to understand it, I just go by the try it and see plan and if it causes me pain I don't have it again. The doctor's have told me it's IBS and every year it seems like there's something else I can't eat.

I put it down to over exposure to certain foods. A few years ago, I was broke and could not afford to eat properly so I lived on bread and noodles for six months. About a year later I developed these problems and have had them ever since.

I hope you find out what it is and start to feel better.

Excuse my ignorance here but can you be intollerant to wheat but not gluten?

You can be intolerant to either, and obviously if you are wheat intolerant you just need wheat free food not gluten free.

Coeliac disease is a different specific condition in which gluten reacts with the small bowel and causes the person's immune system to attack their bowel lining, which can result in malnutrition due to the bowel losing its ability to absorb vital nutrients. Obviously this can be quite serious, requires proper diagnosis and then a totally gluten free diet.

Thanks.

i am pretty sure it's not as serious a coeliac's as that would have shown up on the gastroscopy surely?

Must just be wheat I reckon.

Well I have been wheat free since Tuesday and my symptoms have decreased dramatically. I'm not 100% ok but feel so much better now. And to top it off I have lost half a stone in weight!! Surely that can't just be co-incidence? My weight has been the same for ages no matter how hard I try to lose it, it just wouldn't shift. Apart from cutting out wheat I haven't changed my diet ( I eat healthily anyway) so it really must be down to that.

Yippeeee!!! :thumbsup: :D :thumbsup: :D :thumbsup: :D

Glad it seems to be all sorted! :clap:

I want a food alergy, or sensitive teeth, or some other trendy affliction.

Nothing trendy about being in constant discomfort or pain, or being awake half the night because your skin is itching so much that you scratch while asleep until you're bleeding.

Hey I get the itchy skin thing too. I have no rash or dryness just constant itching especially at night. I scratch till I bleed sometimes and could willingly rip my skin off at times as it drives me mad.

Try 'Eurax' cream. it says not to use on broken skin (yeah right), takes about 10-15mins to kick in (stings if on broken skin), but then works for about 8-10 hours for me.
For the less maddening, cold/cool water, padded dry and then 'Cuticura' antibacterial talcum powder seems to help.

Try 'Eurax' cream. it says not to use on broken skin (yeah right)

You're not supposed to use steroid creams on broken skin, unless you want scars of course.

Eurax isn't a steroid; steroids cause thinning of the skin, not the scarring; and eczema casuses its own scars anyway, creams or no creams.
The main irony is that many of the creams aimed at use for eczema say 'do not use on broken skin' when most eczema almost by definition has broken skin.

Eurax isn't a steroid; steroids cause thinning of the skin, not the scarring; and eczema casuses its own scars anyway, creams or no creams.
The main irony is that many of the creams aimed at use for eczema say 'do not use on broken skin' when most eczema almost by definition has broken skin.

Eurax is a steroid cream, it contains hydrocortisone. It can cause discolouration of the skin which could be interpreted as scarring, which is why it should never be used on the face.

The main irony is that many of the creams aimed at use for eczema say 'do not use on broken skin' when most eczema almost by definition has broken skin.

"broken" I would count as bleeding, not just inflamed and itchy.

An update!

I went for intolerance testing today and it was very revealing. The tests showed that I am intollerant to peppers, bananas, plums, grapefruit, cherries, pork fat, carp, duck, and a couple of E Numbers, and highly intollerant to eggs, wheat, milk (and associated dairy products), yeast, sugar and mushrooms. I also have very high levels of Candida Albicans.

I have been advised to cut all those things out of my diet for at least 3 months and I'm not even allowed to eat any fruit because of the natural sugars. :o

It hasn't come as any great suprise as milk and eggs always make me sick and bread/wheat products give me chronic stomach ache.

So I have a very restricted diet for the nest 3 months to cleanse my sytem and rid it of the high levels of Candida.

Does anyone know and decent sites that have recipies etc to cater for such a diet?

Many thanks :thumbsup:

hi, where did you get your intolerance testing done and how much did it cost? im getting an endoscopy in a few weeks to see what could be causing my IBS like symptoms, but im sure some if it is down to intolerances. ive been looking on the net but its £230!!!! :o