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Critterina's Histamine Intolerance Journal

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
Hi Everyone,

I got to this forum about 18 months ago because I had been so sick and the people here were so knowledgeable. It's actually pretty likely that some of the puzzle pieces that I've received from members here have contributed to my still tromping around on this earth. But that's another story.

Early in 2012 my worst symptoms were (undiagnosed) histamine intolerance, my pulmonologist asked if I could fast, because a 3-day fast was really the only thing (he knew) that could reset the immune system with regard to allergies and sensitivities. Having a lifelong struggle with hypoglycemia, I told him no, and put it out of my mind.

January 2014 He agreed with me that I have histamine intolerance. I showed him the articles, discussed the results of the elimination diet, and how the symptoms go away when I can avoid dietary histamines and return when they are reintroduced. We talked about testing, but neither of us knew of a lab that could assess active histamine and my subsequent search didn't turn up one. He was comfortable with the conclusion (a diagnosis) that I was histamine intolerant based on the repeated onset and cessation of symptoms coincident with histamine-containing foods.

I'll get into symptoms (everyone seems to be different), and food lists (everyone seems to be different), my opinion as to why I'm no longer hypoglycemic, and whatever else later (think of them as flashbacks). But I need to start this today and work forward.

Today I started re-testing foods after a 3-day fast. Today I ate one of my famous homemade cinnamon rolls :balloons::balloons:and I'm still breathing. :balloons::balloons::balloons: Celebrate with me :balloons::balloons::balloons: Let the party begin! :balloons::balloons:

My plan is to continue testing foods and document the results here.
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
(My) Histamine intolerance symptoms:

Pain and sometimes swelling along the seams of my skull
Swelling to closure of my nasal passages
Waking gasping for breath, although I sleep on my stomach (resolves with Afrin nasal spray)
Lowering of my voice by at least an octave
Inability to breathe deeply or sustain notes singing
Spirometry measurements that are reduced 20% from my highest measurements
Green mucus coughed up from my chest (and a broken rib or two from coughing)
Wheezing
Abdominal bloating without gas
Eczema on my heels and the sides and arches of my feet
Overnight weight gain of up to 9 lbs.
Puffiness of the face
Editing 1/2/15 to delete: [Extreme sensitivity to all kinds of chemicals, scents, allergens]
and to add:

Pressure on the inner ears, like someone is squeezing on them, just inside my head, the opposite of what it feels like on an airplane.
(I wrote a doctor with my histamine intolerance and my adrenal insufficiency symptoms and left one symptom off each list by accident. When I wrote about sensitivity above, that was the one I left off the AI list, ear pressure was the one I left off the HI list.)


Not every symptom occurs with each exposure, but when I had a mix of them, they could all be present. The nasal swelling is pretty consistent for all histamine exposure, but some appear to be related to certain foods, like wine and foot eczema.
 
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Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
My food restrictions:
Meats:
No fish or seafood, except one brand of canned pink tuna at Costco in a green can, set of 8
No meat that is refrigerated more than a couple hours after it is cooked (not overnight!)
No aged/preserved/canned/smoked meats (lunch meats, salami, pepperoni, corned beef)
OK to eat canned chicken, one brand of tuna, one brand of sardine - but open and eat or freeze right away
Dairy:
No yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, kefir, processed or aged cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese
Eggs:
No raw egg white (also in protein powders/shakes)
Veggies:
No tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, spinach, eggplant, (and no tomato products like ketchup)
No pumpkin, chayote squash (who knew?)
Fruits:
No peaches, apricots, plums, prunes, nectarine, cherries, or other stone fruit.
No cranberries, papaya, no goji berries (who knew?)
OK in small amounts: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, currants, loganberry, pineapple, erdbeeri (sp?)
Grains:
Any grains are OK (really, I'm not gluten intolerant!), but just the grain, not the "box of" with other ingredients
Nuts/Seed:
Any nut or see is OK
Beans:
No soy beans (tofu, isolated soy nuggets), red beans (kidney, red, aduki)
Fats/oils:
No margarine, anything hydrolyzed, oils with colors, preservatives, or "flavors" (but soy oil is OK)
Spices:
No anise, cinnamon, cloves, curry powder, paprika, chili, red pepper (any pepper except black), nutmeg,
No foods labeled “with spices”
Sweeteners:
No "Pancake syrup", flavored syrups, non-homemade desert fillings, icings, or frostings
Beverages:
No tea, kombucha, flavored milks, beer (allergy), wine, cider, anything flavored/spiced or fermented/aged
No alcoholic beverages except vodka, white rum (tequila in small quantities)
Miscellaneous:
No fermented food, wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar (only white vinegar is OK)
No ketchup, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, miso, most commercial salad dressing, all BBQ sauces
Commercial salad dressings I can use: Annie's Roasted Garlic, Annies Cilantro and Lime (no others!)
Ok in small amounts: prepared relishes and olives, pickles,
No mincemeat
No artificial food coloring, flavors, sweeteners
No benzoates, sorbates, pyrophosphates (not sure these are all HI related*)
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydoxytoluene (BHT), and TBHQ (whatever that stands for)
OK in small amounts (thank God!): chocolate and cocoa, flavored gelatin

I never got around to testing whether I could eat a hard boiled egg the day after I boiled it. Generally, proteins are difficult unless you can cook them fresh or have other kitchen equipment available. Work lunches, when living in a hotel, are mostly peanut butter sandwiches, fruit and/or veg, and coconut water.

I made this list and a "what I can eat" list and carried it to restaurants. Everyone tries to help,even if helping means "Can you eat plain grilled chicken on lettuce? You can? I'll bring you that!" (Yes, with lemon and olive oil, please). About half succeed. About half the time I get sick for 1-3 days. When I don't leave sick, I tip well. Even for the chicken on lettuce.

* I'm not sure the pyrophosphate is related to HI. The mucus membrane inside my mouth peels off in sheets from pyrophosphates. I think that the rest of the GI tract does, too, but I won't describe why I think so.
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
Oh, man, I was going to go back and cross out cinnamon, and put a little :balloons: by it. Apparently we don't have a strikethrough option for the fonts. Well, that's an approach that would only work for two weeks anyway.

I noticed that histamine intolerance is mostly in this forum, not in the
Addressing Biotoxin, Chemical & Food Sensitivities
forum. Seems like I should put a pointer from that forum to this thread, especially if it works for me. Any recommendations?
 
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NilaJones

Senior Member
Messages
647
Hi Critterina, and big hugs to you!

I don't react to eggs that are cooked and then refrigerated. Butt there are a lot of things you react to that I don't.

I have been traveling lately. But not eating out! I get hotel rooms with fridge and microwave, and I bring my crockpot. Cook food in the crock while I am out, freeze the leftovers in the minifridge for the next day. Yes, it is a lot of work.

So, the three day fasting reset you, at least for cinnamon? That is amazing! I would love to hear whether the reset worked for other things. I know one has to wait for the right day, to try a potentially risky food...
 

Gingergrrl

Senior Member
Messages
16,171
@Critterina I do not have histamine intolerance but I keep reading how three days of fasting can re-set your entire immune system. There are other links but I am too tired to find them now.

Did you end up doing the three day fast and what are your thoughts on this in general for ME/CFS or immune system issues?
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
Interesting about the fast! I'm guessing you've seen this http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140605141507.htm

I'd love to try it but I'm a bit unsure about how safe it is.

Nope, never seen it, but it's interesting. Thanks. I just took my doctor's word for it. And actually with no instructions except "nothing but water." I did continue my medications, most of my vitamins and supplements, and even some antacid a couple of times when my pills bothered my stomach to the point I thought I might heave. I had hot water, cold water, and sparkling water once or twice a day. Mostly hot water because I was having a hard time keeping warm, even though my surroundings were the same temperature.

I laid low a lot. Actually the first day I had a 14-hour, 900 mile drive, alone. Didn't need to stop for food,;), but did hit all but two of the rest stops. I had done a trial 1-day fast one day when I didn't feel hungry, so I knew the first day might not be bad. I had protein bars and snacks in the back of the car if I decided to postpone, but I didn't. Then when I got home, the second and third days, I didn't go out and I didn't call or visit anyone. Didn't need to go for groceries! ;)

I did have a headache most of the time. After drinking 12-24 ounces of hot water sometimes it would let up for a bit and I'd feel fine. The second day was the most uncomfortable with the headache and my belly started gurgling. My intestines emptied normally, mostly the first day. Then there was just clear school-bus yellow liquid bile. Not nice. And even though I need a restroom only a couple of time morning and night, I needed it fast when I needed it.

I didn't sleep well. I slept well after my last dinner, but the first night after fasting I was waking up a whole lot, often peeing, but sleeping between. The nights got better as I went along. And I though of Gandhi.

Part of my motivation to post this journal is to keep me faithful in recording the data, and this community is good for that. But more of the motivation is to share something that works, if it works. Of course, I don't know if it will. But as a scientist, good data means that it faithfully represents the physical world, not that it "worked" as in "cure".

I have no idea how safe it would be for you or for anyone else. It's inconvenient; I can tell you that. Probably best to ask your doctor. Maybe do a trial run, like I did. Be willing to quit if you get too uncomfortable or scared. I imagine you should NOT try it if you are hypoglycemic or have low cortisol (which for me seems like it may have been the same thing all my life.)

One friend online said "That's too hard!" He hasn't lived with the food list and the symptoms. The food list didn't even begin until after 2 months of antibiotics, 8 months of every COPD-type medicine, often in combination, always with side effects, to clear up my chest congestion. The first food list was from the elimination diet; I hadn't heard of HI. It had some mistakes. I though I didn't tolerate oatmeal. Oatmeal with cinnamon, that is. For over a year I avoided oats. I had eliminated all dairy for a year. When I finally put half-n-half in my coffee again, I cried. When I reconciled my list to an HI list, it was always my list that was wrong. Amazing. But difficult when you travel for work like I do.

And add to that trying to stay well for a week in Germany where I don't speak the language and don't have any kind of kitchen except a small fridge in my 9 x 12 (including the bathroom) hotel room. Thank goodness for Google Translate: I did my list in German before I left and brought two copies, although everyone everywhere was always careful to bring my list back to me.

Although I really have to wait until morning to be sure I haven't reacted to cinnamon, because sometimes there is a delayed reaction, I think I have crossed it off my "don't" list. And that alone is worth the 3-day fast, with all it's inconveniences. If I have to do it again, I will. It's worth it, just for cinnamon. I'm just hoping for tomatoes, peppers, cottage cheese, and stone fruits (peaches, cherries). I've learned to live without, well, you've read the list. And I've always been an adventurous eater. No insects, but most other things I'll try willingly. These are the things I miss most.

To begin with, I was going to put cinnamon in my oatmeal. But with no faith in the 3-day fast - an open mind, yes, but no faith - I thought that if I got sick, I needed to make the enjoyment of what I ate worth the pain of being sick. That's why I made the effort to make sweet roll dough from scratch for this test. If I was never going to eat cinnamon again, my last hurrah was not going to be oatmeal. I've started thinking the same about the other things: tomatoes - if I never eat tomatoes again, what would I want them in this last time? I think I should only add one thing at a time, though, so pizza or stuffed shells aren't possible yet.
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
@Critterina I do not have histamine intolerance but I keep reading how three days of fasting can re-set your entire immune system. There are other links but I am too tired to find them now.

Did you end up doing the three day fast and what are your thoughts on this in general for ME/CFS or immune system issues?
I did the 3-day fast, starting last Saturday night and ending Tuesday. Wednesday I was careful in introducing safe foods to my system slowly. Today I did the first test.

I think there might be something to it for immune system issues. I can't believe it could be this simple. And cheap! And I didn't read up on it before I did it. My pulmonologist is the best doctor I've ever had - so I trusted him that it 'could' work. BTW, I don't have ME/CFS, but I did have acute autoimmune issues in 1986.
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
Hi Critterina, and big hugs to you!

I don't react to eggs that are cooked and then refrigerated. Butt there are a lot of things you react to that I don't.

I have been traveling lately. But not eating out! I get hotel rooms with fridge and microwave, and I bring my crockpot. Cook food in the crock while I am out, freeze the leftovers in the minifridge for the next day. Yes, it is a lot of work.

So, the three day fasting reset you, at least for cinnamon? That is amazing! I would love to hear whether the reset worked for other things. I know one has to wait for the right day, to try a potentially risky food...
Nila,

I am SO HAPPY for you, :balloons:that you are well enough to be traveling these days.:balloons:

I've been a "road warrior" for work, it will be 18 years in March. I usually get into a Towne Place Suites or Residence Inn, both of which will have a full kitchen if you ask for it, including full size fridge.

I think it did reset me. I should post tomorrow.

You are so right about having to find the right day to do a test. This Sunday I'm assisting minister in church (meaning I mostly lead the prayers). I'm having breakfast out with a friend (where I've paved the food-list way) Saturday morning. He always gets the green chili cheese omelet, and I'm always so envious (remembering, however, the joys of breathing without meds). I'd so like to do that Saturday, but if I react, I'll be a bass (instead of a soprano) without any lung capacity on Sunday. And it would be adding two foods at once. So should I live wildly? (I'm old: my greatest temptations are coming Saturday morning, not Saturday night! :rofl:)

Love you, Sweetie!
 

PeterPositive

Senior Member
Messages
1,426
@Critterina
Interesting list. I am not sure if I have the same problem, (histamine intolerance) but I did suffer from high histamine (and related symptoms) for a long time. Now it's pretty much under control although it resurfaces every now and then in a mild form.

I was curious about some of the foods that you have in your list. In particular tuna fish... which I too can eat without any problem although it should be no-no for histamine release.

Also I noticed potatoes are not in your list while tomatoes, eggplant and pepperoni are. Technically all 4 are from the same family (nightshade / solanaceae)

Another one is yeast. Made quite a lot difference for me and indicated a gut connection.

From a supplement standpoint methylation supplements and zinc have helped quite a bit and while I understand the connection with histamine and methylation I am not sure about zinc. Maybe it can be seen as another co-factor in the cycle.

Cheers
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
@Critterina
Interesting list. I am not sure if I have the same problem, (histamine intolerance) but I did suffer from high histamine (and related symptoms) for a long time. Now it's pretty much under control although it resurfaces every now and then in a mild form.

I was curious about some of the foods that you have in your list. In particular tuna fish... which I too can eat without any problem although it should be no-no for histamine release.

Also I noticed potatoes are not in your list while tomatoes, eggplant and pepperoni are. Technically all 4 are from the same family (nightshade / solanaceae)

Another one is yeast. Made quite a lot difference for me and indicated a gut connection.

From a supplement standpoint methylation supplements and zinc have helped quite a bit and while I understand the connection with histamine and methylation I am not sure about zinc. Maybe it can be seen as another co-factor in the cycle.

Cheers
Hi Peter,

You are right: potatoes are NOT on my list, although anything in the family that grows above ground is. That's the advantage of doing the elimination diet. For example goji berri (I call it wolfberry where it grows in my yard). Same family, same reaction. I'm sure anything potato above ground, or maybe even green potatoes would be bad.

Same for tuna and other fish. If you catch it and fry it up on the beach/river bank, it should be fine. If it's frozen within minutes of being caught and delivered to you frozen, it should be fine. If it's canned (I guess under certain conditions) it may be fine. In an old article where they measured histamine in food in a laboratory, canned tuna varied widely. Again, it was the elimination diet, while I was working in the dark, when I discovered I could use it.


No problem with yeast. I did the gut rebuilding this fall, still waiting the permeability test results. I included zinc as part of that.

The link to the article above was very interesting. I think our immune systems may all go bad/get old in different ways. There was only that one study where they measured histamine in the lab. All other lists are like mine, personal reactions. That may be why everyone has a different list. Note that avocado is not on my list, but it is on some.
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
My lungs were so clear on my morning walk, it was amazing. I came home and had another cinnamon roll for breakfast. Then half of one about 4 pm for a snack. NO reaction! I'm thinking of testing my homemade BBQ sauce tonight...I have some parboiled ribs defrosting. It's got lots of no-nos in it, though.
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
:balloons: Declaring victory over homemade BBQ sauce :balloons: (that's probably been sitting in my extra cold fridge for 2 years)

This one is a very good cause to celebrate because it has both tomato and pepper (nightshade family), and both of them caused very strong reactions in me before.
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
Declaring victory over :balloons:green chili cheese omelet:balloons: and :balloons:home fries with green bell pepper:balloons:. Half for breakfast and half for lunch, so I had a good sized dose.

Not declaring victory over the shampoo that's making my scalp break out. :meh: Stylist said it's not just my scalp, but anywhere hair lays on my skin. At least I know it's not hormone imbalance!
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
It's 12 days now since my first challenge food. I'm so happy, it's like I've been in food jail for three years and I just got out.

I had a slight reaction going out to dinner Saturday, but I really pushed it: A cocktail with cinnamon and tuaca, salmon stuffed with crab imperial, rice pilaf with who knows what in it, and a vegetable medley where I purposely at all the bell pepper. I flushed with the drink, even though I don't have the flush genes, and I did have a little (very little) of the eczema on my foot show up in the following days. But overall, not a bad experience.

Probably the DAOsin would have helped there. I'm probably at the point where if I'm going all out eating histamines, I could notice the difference. Previously the DAOsin didn't make that big a difference.

I need to write about what I did before the fast - I did leaky gut treatment - but that will have to wait for another time.

I'm thinking that another 3-day fast in a few months may kick out the last of this.