It’s been a year since I found out about my leaky gut and many food intolerances. In that year, I restricted my diet by following the Paleo Auto Immune diet, and I lost 70 pounds. I went from a size 22/24 to a size 8. I’d like to lose 20 more pounds, but if I don’t, that’s okay, too. Right now, I just care about being healthy.
Last September, I was at a physical low point. Everyday I felt that my throat was swollen. I always felt like I was swallowing over something, and some nights I slept sitting up on our couch because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to breathe if I laid down.
When I stood up, I would become dizzy and the room would go black. I would have to stop walking and hold a wall or stand perfectly still for about 5 seconds until the feeling passed. It was horrible to experience this several times a day. I was home alone all day with my then 2 and 3 year old daughters, and I was afraid I’d pass out. Luckily, I never did.
And my intestinal discomfort manifested itself in multiple bathroom trips. It was hard to care for my girls or go anywhere because my stomach was always so unsettled.
When I saw my regular physician, she ordered some tests to check my gallbladder functioning. It came back fine. She more or less told me everything was in my head and that I didn’t have a medical problem.
That’s when I sought a second opinion and found my current wellness doctor. Ironically, he’s a vegetarian and doesn’t hold much stock in the Paleo diet, but because I had intolerances to most beans and nuts, I naturally defaulted to the Paleo diet.
With the help of the wonderful Paleo Mom, I learned that my dizziness and throat issues were due to a histamine processing problem that was a result of my leaky gut. I was already following the Paleo Auto Immune diet, which is healing but restrictive. Taking out histamine containing foods limited my diet even more. I’m not going to lie. Eating this way hasn’t been easy.
However, I’m happy to say that now, on most days, the dizziness and throat issues are mostly gone. I know now that if I eat too many grapes I’ll feel dizzy for a day or so. If I eat too much pork, my throat will bother me.
My leaky gut also continues to heal. I just got back my most recent food intolerance test, and I’m pleased with the results.
When I took my first food intolerance test last year, I had 57 food intolerances. When I tested again this past May, I was down to 45. Now, with this most recent test, I’m down to 35. It’s slow going, but I’m getting better.
The intolerances that are in red and crossed out are the ones I had last test that are now gone. The ones that are blue are new ones I developed since May:
Fruit
Cantaloupe
Cranberry
Honeydew Melon
Lime
Litchi
Watermelon
Vegetables
Asparagus
Brussel Sprouts
CarrotsCauliflower
Corn
Cucumber
Okra
Radish
Spinach
Dairy
Blue Cheese
Casein
Cheddar CheeseCottage Cheese
Swiss Cheese
Milk, Cow’s
Milk, Goat’s
Whey
Yogurt
Seafood
Mussel
Fish
All fish intolerances are gone
Meat
Beef
Bison
Eggs (Yolks)
Egg intolerance is gone
Grains
Gluten
Millet
Oats
Rye
Teff
Wheat
Yeast (Baker’s and Brewer’s)
Malt
Condiments & Seasonings
Cocoa
Ginseng
Mustard
Poppy Seed
Turmeric
Vanilla Bean
Sunflower
Nuts/Seeds
Almond
Ginkgo Biloba
Peanut
Walnut, Black
Beans
Lima Beans
Red Beans
Chickpeas
Licorice
Since I’m still not completely healed, I’m going to continue to follow the Paleo diet. However, I may try to reintroduce some things I miss that I’m no longer intolerant to that I couldn’t have on the Auto Immune diet like eggs and tomatoes. We’ll see how it goes. Also, now that I know how damaging milk and wheat/gluten can be to the gut, even if I were to get them back (which I doubt, but my doctor says it’s possible eventually), I’m going to leave those out of my diet.
Healing is very slow, but I’m in a much better place than I was one year ago. I’m so thankful for that and that I didn’t give up when my primary physician said there was nothing she could do for me.
Have you ever had to seek a second opinion to find help to heal your body?
Leave a Reply