clevermanka (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
clevermanka) wrote2012-06-30 06:56 am
clevermanka) wrote2012-06-30 06:56 am
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Round two with Dr. Khosh
I met with Dr. Khosh yesterday afternoon to get the results of my full panel food allergy test. Guess who's allergic to coffee beans, blueberries, cranberries, sesame seeds, mushrooms, and eggs? THIS GIRL RIGHT HERE. I'm also slightly sensitive to tomatoes. Because I haven't eaten dairy or grains in months (years?), those didn't show up on the allergen test, but they showed in the smaller-range panel that Dr. Pickell ran last year, so I'm assuming nothing there has changed. I'm okay with duck eggs in small quantities, so I'm gonna try making mayonnaise with those. But eggs as a meal are off the menu.
At least I'm not allergic to meat.
For those who want a more technical breakdown, I showed IgA antibodies to coffee beans, blueberries, cranberries, sesame seeds, and mushrooms. The eggs spiked on the IgG panel. IgA reactions are an attack on the gut (like celiac), while IgG reactions are mucous-membrane allergens. Some people believe IgG allergies can be treated and those foods eventually re-introduced to the diet, so here's hoping. That would mean coffee is 100% out, but there's the possibility I might be able to eat eggs again someday. And in the grand scheme of things, I suppose that's the better situation.
Guess I should take coffee out of my LJ interests.
Dr. Khosh was impressed with how few allergens showed up in the panel. He said I must eat incredibly healthfully, and voiced his admiration for my dietary habits. He also said that such a low percentage of allergens also meant that it was unlikely my bloating is due to digestive issues. He suspects a hormone imbalance--either excess estrogen or cortisol wonkiness, both of which showed significant irregularities in my 2011 tests. We are, though, doubling up on the digestive enzymes with each meal to see if that helps, too.
Before I left the office, Dr. Khosh did a thorough palpation of my abdomen. My gall bladder, spleen, and liver were all fine--not tender or swollen--and that points toward a hormonal issue, too. Apparently if there was a digestive issue, it's likely that one of those would have been tender or slightly inflamed, but no. He also made the observation "This is definitely not fat. This is bloat," as he was pummeling my stomach. So...that was nice to hear on one hand, but, as I mentioned a couple days ago, also a little frustrating. Because I can't do a damn thing about the bloat. Well, nothing I know about (yet) anyway.
So I'm still incredibly swollen and am rapidly running out of clothes that fit.
But I'm taking two new hormone supplements: One to bring down my estrogen levels, and the other to normalize my cortisol levels. Dr. Khosh said that even if the estrogen wasn't causing the puffiness (although he thinks it's a likely culprit), the way that my estrogen peaks out of sync with progesterone in my cycle is a bad thing. Repeated exposure to excess estrogen is bad for everyone (ha ha yes I know what you're thinking) and he wants to get that under control even if it has nothing to do with my other issues. My cortisol levels are pretty much opposite of normal. I'm at my lowest level first thing in the morning, when it should be at its peak. Then I slowly gear up until I hit my highest cortisol output around 4:00 in the afternoon, which is exactly when cortisol levels should be decreasing, and I stay pretty high until I go to bed. This probably explains some, if not all, of my sleeping issues. The cortisol regulator sounds interesting--he said it could facilitate vivid dreams, and sometimes disturbing or scary ones that deal with past trauma. I have no idea what my subconscious could possibly come up with as far as trauma, but I'm interested to find out. I like dreams, even if they're freaky.
The sleeping issues, by the way, have resurfaced. Wednesday and Thursday nights/mornings I woke up between 4:00 and 4:15 and never really fell back asleep. This morning I woke at 5:15, but I didn't go to bed until 11:00, so that might explain the later hour.
So, for now: Instant elimination of coffee beans, blueberries, cranberries, sesame seeds, mushrooms, and eggs from my diet. Continued use of probiotic until it runs out. Doubled dose of digestive enzyme with every meal, and the estrogen-decreasing stuff with every meal, too. Two of the cortisol-regulators at bedtime.
I see him again in three weeks.
At least I'm not allergic to meat.
For those who want a more technical breakdown, I showed IgA antibodies to coffee beans, blueberries, cranberries, sesame seeds, and mushrooms. The eggs spiked on the IgG panel. IgA reactions are an attack on the gut (like celiac), while IgG reactions are mucous-membrane allergens. Some people believe IgG allergies can be treated and those foods eventually re-introduced to the diet, so here's hoping. That would mean coffee is 100% out, but there's the possibility I might be able to eat eggs again someday. And in the grand scheme of things, I suppose that's the better situation.
Guess I should take coffee out of my LJ interests.
Dr. Khosh was impressed with how few allergens showed up in the panel. He said I must eat incredibly healthfully, and voiced his admiration for my dietary habits. He also said that such a low percentage of allergens also meant that it was unlikely my bloating is due to digestive issues. He suspects a hormone imbalance--either excess estrogen or cortisol wonkiness, both of which showed significant irregularities in my 2011 tests. We are, though, doubling up on the digestive enzymes with each meal to see if that helps, too.
Before I left the office, Dr. Khosh did a thorough palpation of my abdomen. My gall bladder, spleen, and liver were all fine--not tender or swollen--and that points toward a hormonal issue, too. Apparently if there was a digestive issue, it's likely that one of those would have been tender or slightly inflamed, but no. He also made the observation "This is definitely not fat. This is bloat," as he was pummeling my stomach. So...that was nice to hear on one hand, but, as I mentioned a couple days ago, also a little frustrating. Because I can't do a damn thing about the bloat. Well, nothing I know about (yet) anyway.
So I'm still incredibly swollen and am rapidly running out of clothes that fit.
But I'm taking two new hormone supplements: One to bring down my estrogen levels, and the other to normalize my cortisol levels. Dr. Khosh said that even if the estrogen wasn't causing the puffiness (although he thinks it's a likely culprit), the way that my estrogen peaks out of sync with progesterone in my cycle is a bad thing. Repeated exposure to excess estrogen is bad for everyone (ha ha yes I know what you're thinking) and he wants to get that under control even if it has nothing to do with my other issues. My cortisol levels are pretty much opposite of normal. I'm at my lowest level first thing in the morning, when it should be at its peak. Then I slowly gear up until I hit my highest cortisol output around 4:00 in the afternoon, which is exactly when cortisol levels should be decreasing, and I stay pretty high until I go to bed. This probably explains some, if not all, of my sleeping issues. The cortisol regulator sounds interesting--he said it could facilitate vivid dreams, and sometimes disturbing or scary ones that deal with past trauma. I have no idea what my subconscious could possibly come up with as far as trauma, but I'm interested to find out. I like dreams, even if they're freaky.
The sleeping issues, by the way, have resurfaced. Wednesday and Thursday nights/mornings I woke up between 4:00 and 4:15 and never really fell back asleep. This morning I woke at 5:15, but I didn't go to bed until 11:00, so that might explain the later hour.
So, for now: Instant elimination of coffee beans, blueberries, cranberries, sesame seeds, mushrooms, and eggs from my diet. Continued use of probiotic until it runs out. Doubled dose of digestive enzyme with every meal, and the estrogen-decreasing stuff with every meal, too. Two of the cortisol-regulators at bedtime.
I see him again in three weeks.