Post Punk Kitchen Forum

For the last two weeks, I've been feeling run down, and weak. I nearly fainted last week. I get pounding headaches. I've been dealing with a mid-morning sour stomach and all the worst smelling gas I've had in a long time. I've had trouble going to sleep, too. I suspect the lack of sleep and the headaches has to do with summer SAD, but that doesn't explain my other symptoms.

I spoke to a doctor on Just Answer, and he said that it may be anemia, but I started looking at all the foods I eat, and the iron content is good, so that can't be right (right?). I am not pregnant.

Before I spend a fortune going to a doctor, I was wondering if anyone else has similar symptoms. Perhaps a food sensitivity of some sort? Am I eating too much or too little of something?

I'd go get a full bloodwork panel done.
Also, anemia can happen even if you eat iron rich foods. Especially for people who menstruate, it's easy to be depleted in iron. Some people don't absorb iron from foods very well, either. I eat lots of iron rich foods and still need to take iron pills everyday or else I'll get dangerously low. When it gets low, I feel run down, can't concentrate, almost faint, feel hungry often.

A girlfriend of mine had similar symptoms for years...turns out she had a TON of allergies including gluten, soy, dairy and sesame (that stuff is in practically everything if you eat out a lot)

I would go get blood work done like Paprikapapaya said, and also some allergy tests. Hopefully that kind of stuff is covered on your insurance. I have shitty insurance, and it's covered for me. Just a co-pay for the office visits.

That stinks, I hope you feel better soon!

Thanks, guys. I'll go to the doctor and see if I can get blood work done and some allergy tests. But, I have to figure out how to pay out of pocket because I won't have insurance until next spring, which sucks. I guess I can apply for a care credit card...

I never even thought about gluten, and I eat a lot of it. I eat a lot of soy, too. I really hope I'm not allergic. That will seriously screw up my food budget.

edit: It'll cost me about $2,500 for blood work, and allergy tests, I think. That's based on a google search.

That doesn't sound right at all. I don't know where you are, but I'd go talk to a doctor first of all. That can't be more than a couple hundred at most, and I bet if you look around, you can find a sliding-scale clinic. Go see a doc, and ask about bloodwork. Particularly if you go to a low-income or sliding-scale clinic, they should be able to help you find the cheapest way to get any tests you need done. I know the clinic I used to go to did most bloodwork in-house on the same sliding scale as everything else.

I did a bit more research, and there are very few health options for a single woman with no kids and a job, but there are options. I just have to figure out which one. If anyone is familiar with Texas healthcare, please help me out. I don't understand much of it.

Meanwhile, here's what I am going to do, and feel free to yell at me if this is a bad idea. Because I recently bought groceries full of soy, gluten and other stuff that may be causing my symptoms, I think I will spend the next week or so recording everything I eat, and recording my symptoms.

When it is time to buy more groceries, I will buy what is needed for an elimination diet, and do a DIY food allergy test. I downloaded instructions. I will continue to keep the journal.

If at any point I get worse, I will see a doctor, and I will actually have some info to give him/her about what's been going on with me. Good idea, maybe?

Again, thanks for the tips and stuff.

Start a food journal right away and take it to your dr. I am working with a gastro specialist to figure out my awful digestive problems. I am requesting a food allergy test, but I have already had a endoscopy and other bloodwork. The problem with these issues are that so many different things have the same symptoms.

Done. Thank you, enmommy.

Here's a list of clinics for low income patients in Texas. Hopefully one of these is near you. It's not listed here, but I went to People's Community Clinic in Austin years ago when I was poor and my child needed vaccine boosters for school.

http://echealthinsurance.com/texas-heal ... -in-texas/

I think starting a food/symptom journal is a great idea, and yeah, as far as the anemia thing, many people are anemic, regardless of iron-rich food sources.

Wow! Thanks! I spent most of yesterday looking for clinics in my area, and I only found one that was listed here. Turns out, there are three clinics near me.

I think it's gluten. I was feeling great, today after cutting out sugar and oil and caffeine. I ate one a piece of cake, and with in 20 mins, all my symptoms were back. Damn. I was hoping that wouldn't be it. I am still going to get a check up.

UPDATE: Turns out, I am allergic to gluten, and my iron was low. Almost every symptom I've developed in the last few months has disappeared. I've cut out gluten (for the most part) and I am taking iron. I feel great!

Fabulous! I'm so glad that you are feeling better.

Have you tried the gluten free cookies in VCIYCJ? Those are amazing; I take them to work sometimes for a woman with celiac disease.

Glad you sorted it out!

Thanks, Lavawitch. I've been intimidated by gluten free baking, so not yet. Also, I have to figure out what the hell I'm going to eat on holidays. I usually bring Field Roast or Tofurky...

Thanks vegimator.

These ones are easy! I am not into gluten-free anything.

The only thing is you have to buy a bunch of little bags of weird flours, but that just means you can whip up cookies anytime you want.

I haven't tried this, but the Fatfree Vegan blog has a recipe for gluten free Thanksgiving loaf.

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/11/th ... -loaf.html

I'm glad you were able to sort out what was wrong.

Glad you figured it out. Did you have a blood test to check for gluten? My gastro doctor said that is D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-L-Y not my problem since my blood test for it was fine.

I noticed a lot of my new vegan cookbooks have little side notes on how to change the recipes to make them gluten free.

Having the same problems! Thankfully you shared your story, now I'm encouraged to try the doctor, who I haven't had good experiences with in the past.

Gluten free baking is great. I started out with gluten free baking. Get the babycakes NYC book. Most of the recipes are gluten free. The banana bread is DIVINE. As for the chocolate chip cookies....... they are the meaning of life.