Well, hello there histamine intolerance!!

I'll start this one giving myself kudos.  I'm well into my 2nd month and I’ve been sticking to my diet pretty closely – if I slip it’s typically me eating rice flour on day 2 or eating some tortilla chips on day 4- and yet I’m still finding that when I look in the mirror there remains this puffy face looking back at me.  It’s frustrating because with my first go around with this diet I not only lost inches, but I woke up in the morning to a much thinner face and extremities that weren’t bloated and swollen looking.  Why can’t I beat this inflammation? 

The foods I’m eating shouldn’t be causing the swelling so the next culprit to check out would be my vitamins.  I already know that some of my vitamins contain allergens like gelatin.  In the past the gelatin hasn’t seemed to affect me this much, though.  So have I become more sensitive to the gelatin or is there something else that’s causing the inflammation?

This scenario took on another life and took me to another level of this allergy world.  In fact, if I see an ingredient that I don’t recognize on the vitamin labels – good example is "vegetable glaze" – I’ve started emailing the companies to find out exactly what generic terms like "vegetable" really means.  What is Country Life using to glaze these pills?  Luckily it turns out the glaze comes from the palm plant and I can rule out the glaze now.  Beeswax?  I’m allergic to honey and the pollen so am I also allergic to anything that bees produce?  According to the nutritionist at the company who did my rotation diet (Alletess) beeswax is OK for me to use or eat.  So it’s not the beeswax.  Damn.  There are no easy answers in this new world I'm inhabiting.

Next level down - While Googling the beeswax issue I came upon a really great blog (beeswax allergies)  about beeswax allergies and that led to a pret-ty big discovery - yes, that is an emphatic statement. Embedded in this particular article was a link to a whole new layer of elimination diets.  And, well, hello there histamine allergies!  

Indeed our bodies produce histamines when an allergen is introduced into our bodies, but histamine allergies refer to being sensitive to additional histamines that come from our diet.  Histamine intolerance can bring on BLOATING, diarrhea, stomach discomfort, hives, itching, etc…  Check, check and check!!!  All of the above!  Well, most of the above no longer applies, but for some reason this bloating is kicking my ass.  I’ve cut out a lot of those foods that contain high levels of histamines – alcohol (for the most part), yeast, fermented foods (well, anything fermented with yeast), cheese – but I’m still eating quite a few things that have histamines and the idea of cutting them out of my diet is daunting.  This daunting list includes fish, chicken, and some fruits and vegetables. 

Unlike the rotation diet that is intended to “cure” the body’s overreaction to the foods, the histamine elimination diet is a “for the rest of your life” diet.  The idea of limiting my diet that much more is painful and angering.  In order to feel better I have to restrict myself and that, to me, is an idea in total opposition to itself.  I guess that’s pretty telling about me and how I define feeling good.  Jesus, is this one of those epiphanies we have in our 30’s about life?  The level of freedom I had with my body in my younger years is no longer and probably due to some of those activities I freely took part in.  This is not how I wanted to be educated about my self, soul, internal compass. 

At this point I feel it’s important to repeat to myself that while these food restrictions are painful and expensive and complicated, my future me is going to appreciate and respect the amount of hoops I forced myself thru in order to get to a healthier body.  For some reason I get a little bit distracted at this point and can hear my sister right now, doubting the validity of my doctor’s diet theories, poo pooing that my allergies are real, and pretty much shitting on the idea that what I’m dedicating myself to for 2 years is a dumb idea.  I’m kind of the antithesis to her black and white world of medicine, and I feel like it infuriates her that I’m not adhering to her type of medicine.  Maybe it infuriates some of my friends that I’m doing something so extreme.  I kind of like this extreme though – I officially have license to complain ALL THE TIME!!  I’m hoping after the first 6 months this will all become old hat and the complaining will lessen.  I’m in deep enough that even my sister’s doubts or anyone else’s will be mitigated once they see the final results which will ultimately be a healthier, happier me.  At least that’s what I’m hoping for.

A few hours later and I may have a better grasp on the inflammation   In talking through the bloating with my therapist, it occurred to me that the facial bloating might be due to the cast and water retention.  When my face began to slim down I was swimming a lot and I was way more active than I am now.  I’m hoping that once this cast comes off and I can return to running around and the swelling will dissipate, too.  It’s all a waiting game for now. 

As for the histamine elimination idea, I'm still on the fence.  The more I read about histamines the more intimidating the whole thing becomes.  Well, intimidating or foolish.  After my initial panic I read somewhere that there are histamines in virtually EVERY food.  When does this madness end??????????  For now I'm gonna stay put, but be ever more vigilant about how foods make me feel - some days I know that I'm looking past a feeling of discomfort simply because I don't want to have to give up another food.  I'm at the mercy of my body for the next few years and I'm getting the feeling what it's telling me is way more reliable than what I'm reading on the internet.