Well I've been struggling for quite some time now. It doesnt matter what I eliminate I'm still sick. Its like it HAS to be something that is constantly in my system because I havent had a single symtom-free day for over 3 years now. Even when I limit myself to 2 safe foods I'm still having symptoms so basically nothing has worked. All meds or supplements have worsened my symptoms. All gluten-free packaged foods bother me. I toatlly eliminated casein and still have problems. It was only one supplement I was taking that had milk in it so I stopped taking it...felt better...started eating more foods and totally symptomatic again.

I was eating Enjoy Life chocolate chips with no problems..also did some baking...no problems. I had one cake mix with all safe ingredients and reacted. The mix only had like 4 ingredients and I tolerate all of them...the only questionable ingredient is Xanthan gum. Its also in every gluten-free product I've reacted to and also rice milks and almond milks and a ton of other stuff I cant have. I found out its from CORN. I never thought about corn...but its in everything. Even when I'm only eating meat and veggies (no corn) I'm still having corn everyday in my thyroid meds and any supplements or vitamins I've ever taken most likely have corn.

Pre gluten-free I never ate much candy or sweets....my favorite snacks were popcorn and Tostitos. These were also the first foods I started avoiding long before I ever heard of gluten because the next day I always had a swollen face and a migraine. I had thought it was from the salt or something. I thought everything was thyroid related since I had Graves so I started avoiding all salt.

I did some research on corn and its in pretty much everything...seems more difficult to avoid then both gluten and dairy. Today at work (I work in a grocery store) I started reading all the labels of the foods I used to eat before I got sick. They ALL have corn. Its in bread, soups, microwave dinners, yogurts, cheese (why is corn in cheese?). Anyways, I've never been corn-free because of my thyroid meds and lots of other things I've tried over the last year. I had posted about getting "glutened" by all the gluten-free cereals. Well they are all corn based....DUH. I dont know why I never thought of this since everything I've had problems with have some form of corn in them.

I really need to eliminate the corn to see if I get better but dont know how I can do this when I need to take thyroid pills everyday. What do people do in a situation like this? What if I'm intolerant to corn all this time and its in the medication I need to take?

The other big question is am I really intolerant to gluten and dairy? If I get better off corn I dont know what to think about that. All the foods that have gluten also have corn so I would likely have to stay off gluten anyways....hmmm...does pizza have corn in it?
Also yogurt and ice cream really mess me up but they also have corn. There ARE some brands and flavors that dont have corn so I would LOVE to not have a problem with dairy!!
I would rather be intolerant to corn and gluten both than have to give up dairy for good.

Does anyone have a corn intolerance? Could I have just developed this out of nowhere and NOT have gluten intolerance...or is it more likely that gluten caused this to happen in the first place? I'm actually hoping I'm corn intolerant cuz as hard as it seems I've been struggling a long time now. The symptoms I've gotten from the stuff I've eaten with xanthan gum are severe....also I had powdered sugar yesterday and had another severe reaction. I have no reaction to cane sugar but when I looked at the ingred. of the powdered stuff its cane suger AND corn starch! Right now I feel exactly like I felt before I ever went gluten-free...everything hurts. This would explain why I dont do well with anything processed or with any supplements or vitamins or medications.

I dont see too many people here with corn problems but hopefully someone has some advice about the thyroid meds??

Find a local compounding pharmacy and see if they can make your thyroid meds without corn. That may be a way to try it out.

Thanks,

I dont know anything about compounding pharmacies but will call around tomorrow. If this is something I need to do long-term I'm wondering if it costs more or does insurance cover it the same?

OMG is right..Good Grief Rachel, I can't believe all you've been through and still feel like crap.
i take synthroid and have since they radiated my thyroid in 3 grade..but don't have a problem with corn on the cob and that's about as 'corn' as corn can get..so again, don't have answers for you but have lots of hugs and prayers.
judy

This site lists a number of compounding pharmacies (scroll down to get CA - there are fewer in NorCal than SoCal, though). It will varying depending on your insurance, of course, but in my experience (I use a compounding pharmacy for the testosterone I've been taking for the past two years) it is somewhat more expensive (depending on the pharmacy, and whether or not you have to have it shipped), and insurance will cover at least some portion of the cost, though you may have to pay up front and submit a claim afterwards.

At least you get to pick what flavor (and sweetener) you get. At the moment, I've got mint and (unfortunately) aspartame. In two days, I try root beer flavor with stevia.

I can't have corn. I get my pain killers and antihistamines compounded. Corn is in a LOT of stuff!

My daughter is intolerant to corn. I am intolerant to all grains, including corn (you may have the same problem, maybe it's lectins? I react to all of them badly). I would NEVER have thought that xanthan gum is made from corn! But you have gotten excellent advice already, I hope you find a compounding pharmacy to make your thyroid meds without corn. It would be amazing if you would have finally figured it out!

I'll be praying for you!

Could xanthan gum somehow be overprocessed in the same way that wheat gluten is and that is what makes your system reject it?

I seem to react to gluten-free breads and cakes the same way I react to regular bread (gas and bloating)--but frozen corn and corn tortillas don't seem to be a problem. I thought it was all in my head until I read your post--sheesh, those doctors are getting to me!

Oh, man, all the money I just spent on gluten-free flours and a bag of xanthan gum...

Thanks for the link Tarnalberry, that helps alot.

Ursula, I hope its not ALL grains but I dont seem to have any problems with rice or potatoes (is potato a lectin?)

Cornbread, Why is your name Cornbread if you can't have corn?
Yeah....I cant believe how much stuff corn is in. They say you usually get an intolerance to the food you eat most. I would have never thought I eat corn the MOST but looking at the ingredients in everything...I ate corn all day...everyday of my life. Plus I always had a bag of Tostitos or some type of cornchip available. No wonder gluten-free diet wasnt working for me. I couldnt even eat a marshmallow without reacting!

I cant believe its taken me this long to notice this. I've pretty much reacted to all the gluten-free stuff like the cereals, all Glutino products, all the breads, all the snack bars and cookies...etc. I've stared at the ingredients to these things over and over and nothing stood out to me. Now I'm feeling dumb because everything says corn starch or corn syrup...every single one of the products has corn in it.

Oh...and here's another one...did you guy's know that ALL baking powder (except one brand) is from corn??
So if I have corn intolerance I cant have any of the gluten-free foods because almost all have corn starch/syrup, xanthan gum, and baking powder. Bummer. I'll have to bake everything. I'm getting a breadmaker for sure now!

That is amazing that you figured it out! Hopefully, eliminating corn will help you finally feel better. As far as the thyroid medicine is concerned, are there any supplements that work the same way as your medicine, but don't contain corn? Just a thought.

Before you toss your flours and xanthan, if frozen corn and tortillas don't bother you but bread and cakes do could you be reacting to the leavening agent, yeasts etc? Just a thought.

Wow did not know that aobut Xnathum Gum or baking powder! My SIL is allergic to corn. Ugh.

Going corn-free would be even harder I think.... but at least you would know and you would feel good and that would be worth it!!! I hope this is the answer you've been searching so hard to find.

My friend's mom has corn intolerence, it's very difficult for her - but she also chooses to have some corn things and just deal with the stomach issues.

I wish you much luck!

Rachel,
What symptoms are you having still?? Just curious. I too have symptoms of stuff still. I do feel better gluten free, but feel that there is something bothering me still. Have you tried giving up meat before? I know that sounds crazy, but I have many books on meat not being good and why. I think though that you are onto something with the corn and hope you figure it out. I met a lady that couldn't have corn, but I am not sure what her symptoms were when she ate it. Just the meat suggestion, because I know you have tried giving up just about everything else and if this doesn't work. SOmetimes I think that food in general bothers me.
Goodluck and let us know how it goes.
Monica

Hi Rachel--I am corn intolerant, also. My Kinesiologist told me to avoid it back 2 years ago. I have tried it since--in the form of popcorn (organic/made myself) and as corn syrup in sorbet. Bad idea both times! It is true that it seems to be in everything. I just read every label (for everything, it seems!) and stay away from it as best I can. I think that in my case, the amount used as binders in pills--which is the only thing I can think of that I still use that contains corn--does not cause symptoms, so I don't worry about that. I also don't notice much of a problem with small amounts of cornstarch--like a teaspoon in a whole recipe. For me, avoiding corn and corn syrups seem to be enough. I really hope this is the missing piece to your puzzle!

Corn free is really hard, I have been doing it for a month now, and haven't had a trip to the ER yet in anaphalixis. It makes my stomach feel so much better in every way!
I don't eat any processed foods, and there is a way to make corn free baking powder, not sure right now, but I will post the recipe when I get home from school.
It's hard at first, but it should make you feel better soon!

Rachel, here's baking powder: 1 tablespoon cream of tartar, 1/2 tablespoon baking soda, 1/2 tablespoon arrowroot. That's it, it works just as well as the stuff you buy.

http://www.allergygrocery.com/Merchant2/me...CH&Search=xcorn

Here are a bunch of corn free products from Allergy grocery. If you look through the products, you'll see that at least some of them are probably stuff that your local health food store carries. You don't have to buy them on line, but you'll have a head's up on what's corn free without having to read labels. The Agave nector is good. We have that.
Well, good luck with it all. It sounds like you might have found the answer and can finally get feeling better!

Well, now that's an idea I hadn't thought of! Gee--maybe that's why I didn't react to the CHinese dumpling....

Thanks, Ravenwoodglass, I'll have to check into this!

Nope...there is nothing that can subsitute for thyroid meds.

My symptoms are basically poor digestion, cant gain weight, swelling, fluid retention, headaches, fatigue, brainfog, dont feel good when I eat, cant tolerate alot of foods....this is when I'm taking my meds, vitamins and supplements but eating no corn. I have problems with oils...I'm thinking they have corn in them.

If I actually EAT something with corn in it....I feel "glutened". Maybe I've actually never been glutened...maybe I've only been "corned".
I get a worsening of all my symptoms, more reactive to other foods, muscle and joint pains, burning sensations, blurred vision, numbness and tingling, nightsweats and bad dreams.. Thats why I avoid processed foods. The reactions suck...plus I lose weight.

I never get these type of reactions from meat, meat actually makes me feel good but sometimes its hard to digest so I cant eat tons of it.



Molly,

Theres a brand called Featherweight or something like that....suppossedely its the only brand thats corn-free. Ursula posted the recipe...I think I've seen it in one of my baking books.

I think I may have seen you at the game! Were you by any chance on crutches? If you were then I walked right past you. If not then it was another "orange" girl who looked alot like you.



JnkMnky,

I was checking out that site last night. You can type in your allergen and get a whole list of stuff. I saw marshmallows on there!! I was pretty excited about that. I've been kinda p'd off about not being able to tolerate one freakin marshmallow all this time. I was so confused as to why I couldnt have any gluten-free foods. Ummm...maybe its because I needed to be corn-free instead.

Simply V and I were discussing this very thing the last few days in another thread under "Celiac Saliva Test" in pre-diagnosis and symptoms.

Simply V suggested I look into a corn allergy because everything I eat makes me sick, even when I am staying away from gluten. Corn is in almost everything apparently and difficult to completely eliminate. Simply V directed me to a support group on delphi- Avoiding Corn- where there is lots of information on eliminating corn.

On the topic of baking powder....is it necessary for baking? I'm new at baking and I stopped using the powder because I just felt like it was "bad" for some reason. Everytime I used it I felt worse so I just used baking soda instead. My stuff doesnt come out great but its edible and I'm not picky so I eat it no matter what. What purpose does the tiny bit of baking powder in a recipe serve? Is it gonna make a huge difference in the final outcome?



Julie, I actually read that thread which is what put the thought in my head to begin with. I checked out the corn site and learned about the xanthan gum and all the other stuff...it kind of all made sense when I went back to my food diaries and started looking at the ingredients of what I'd been eating. I think I might email her....she seems to be the expert on corn stuff.

From about.com:

Q. What Is the Difference Between Baking Soda & Baking Powder?

A.
Both baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents, which means they are added to baked goods before cooking to produce carbon dioxide and cause them to 'rise'. Baking powder contains baking soda, but the two substances are used under different conditions.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. When baking soda is combined with moisture and an acidic ingredient (e.g., yogurt, chocolate, buttermilk, honey), the resulting chemical reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand under oven temperatures, causing baked goods to rise. The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so you need to bake recipes which call for baking soda immediately, or else they will fall flat!

Baking Powder

Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate, but it includes the acidifying agent already (cream of tartar), and also a drying agent (usually starch).

Baking powder is available as single-acting baking powder and as double-acting baking powder. Single-acting powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing. Double-acting powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking. With double-acting powder, some gas is released at room temperature when the powder is added to dough, but the majority of the gas is released after the temperature of the dough increases in the oven.

How Are Recipes Determined?

Some recipes call for baking soda, while others call for baking powder. Which ingredient is used depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. The ultimate goal is to produce a tasty product with a pleasing texture. Baking soda is basic and will yield a bitter taste unless countered by the acidity of another ingredient, such as buttermilk. You'll find baking soda in cookie recipes. Baking powder contains both an acid and a base and has an overall neutral effect in terms of taste. Recipes that call for baking powder often call for other neutral-tasting ingredients, such as milk. Baking powder is a common ingredient in cakes and biscuits.

Substituting in Recipes

You can substitute baking powder in place of baking soda (you'll need more baking powder and it may affect the taste), but you can't use baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder. Baking soda by itself lacks the acidity to make a cake rise. However, you can make your own baking powder if you have baking soda and cream of tartar. Simply mix two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda.

Thanks ChelsE!!

Obviously I've been doing it all wrong.
No wonder why I broke my Mom's fork in half yesterday when I was cutting my pancakes!
She was blaming it on my gluten-free baking...the nerve!

LOL!

Acid/base chemistry will get ya every time!
As for the xanthum gum, where does the corn come in? I know the substance itself comes from the cell wall of a bacteria. Is the bacteria grown on corn?

You are right about Simply V, you should contact her because she has lots of information and was offering her help and support. She would be an excellent resource.

About the baking powder and using cream of tartar as a substitute- just a thought, but give it a test run and see how it affects you. You seem to be as sensitive as I am to different foods and substances and when I tried cream of tartar it did not agree with me- but you might be totally fine with it. If that is not the case however, I found this information on a cooking website on substituting cream of tartar:

If you are beating eggs whites and don't have cream of tartar, you can substitute white vinegar (in the same ratio as cream of tartar, generally 1/8 teaspoon per egg white). It is a little more problematic to find a substitute for cream of tartar in baking projects. White vinegar or lemon juice, in the ratio of 3 times the amount of cream of tartar called for, will provide the right amount of acid for most recipes. But that amount of liquid may cause other problems in the recipe, and bakers have found that cakes made with vinegar or lemon juice have a coarser grain and are more prone to shrinking than those made with cream of tartar.


Not exactly foolproof for baking but might get the job done if you can't tolerate cream of tartar.





I'm not exactly sure, but from some of what I read yesterday at the Avoiding Corn group at delphi, corn, or a corn derivative, is somehow used in the manufacturing process of the xanthum gum.

You can find powdered citric acid and powdered ascorbic acid, maybe that could be subsitituted for the vinegar in baking projects?

I have a jar of xanthan gum.On the side it says

''Xanthan Gum naturally occurs in the fementation of cabbage and made industrially is used to mimic the effects of gluten in baking and cooking''

It doesn't mention any starches added,so I don't know if it's got corn in it.

I find with baking unfortunately that I better result if I add xanthan gum as well as baking powder.

Corn is definately a possibility. I don't have a corn allergy but I know people here on the board do.

Here is a link on corn allergies:
http://www.cornallergens.com/symptoms/corn...oms-history.php

Maybe you could get an allergy test done? I just had an allergy blood test back in February and one sample tested for about 30 different food allergies.

I think citric acid is usually derived from corn in the US, which is one of the things that makes a corn allergy so difficult - almost all canned goods used citric acid in them, and that almost always means corn. (So, for instance, a bad corn intolerance means no plain canned tomatoes, from what I've read on corn intolerance sites, because of the citric acid used as a preservative.)

Tarnalberry, thats interesting because one of my first posts on this board was a question re: citric acid.....I was reacting to everything w/ citric acid in it and had one very bad episode so I wanted to know if it could contain gluten. I was told its usually derived from corn. You think I might have clued in a bit sooner huh?

Another one I had asked about was vanilla extract...I react to everything w/ vanilla flavoring or extract and now I find out that almost all vanilla contains corn.

Here's a list (for anyone interested) with everything that is derived from corn.

http://www.cornallergens.com/list/corn-allergen-list.php

The list is very intimidating to me...way more than gluten and dairy put together. I never realized how much corn I had in my diet. I guess I loved corn alot because I havent found anything that I used to eat that doesnt have corn in it...except meat. I always chose corn tortillas rather than flour at the mexican restaraunts and I could never get enough corn chips. Who knows....maybe I can still eat wheat. If all my symptoms go away I'll be able to test myself finally.

Does anyone know if corn is in beer?



Actually not only is the citric acid derived from corn but the ascorbic acid and distilled white vinegar are both on the list too.
This is kind of scary.

Does anyone know if corn is in beer?

HAHA! There ya go. Find out about the IMPORTANT food/beverages!

Yeah...its been forever since I've had a beer. After all this trauma I've gone through it would be great to come out of it drinking a cold beer!! Sheeesh the way my lucks been I'll buy some gluten-free beer for a small fortune and then have it kick my a** because its loaded with corn!!

http://www.aaaai.org/patients/advocate/200...wineandbeer.asp

Uh-oh... You may have to look around a bit.

Bummer.

That really sucks because I wouldnt even be able to have gluten-free beer. I'm gonna have to look into the alcohol thing. Besides beer theres not much else I used to drink. I loved Kalua and cream. Sometimes wine coolers. I wonder what people with corn allergy can drink?
I know when I was sick before I started the diet I had some bad reactions to beer and also a red wine. I stopped drinking because it was messing me up bad and I felt hungover for days after one drink. I didnt like that feeling...I used to be able to drink and never get a hangover.

Okay then, that leaves us with lemon juice to use as the acid ingredient in baking!

Molly,

Theres a brand called Featherweight or something like that....suppossedely its the only brand thats corn-free. Ursula posted the recipe...I think I've seen it in one of my baking books.

I think I may have seen you at the game! Were you by any chance on crutches? If you were then I walked right past you. If not then it was another "orange" girl who looked alot like you.

Yep that was me! On crutches and all!

OMG....the more I think about this the more I'm freaking out. I react to all the canned stuff that has citric acid...maybe my corn problem is serious. I never thought about having to give up popcorn permanantly. The MAIN reason I like to go to the movies is for the popcorn. I love nachos, Tostitos, corn dogs, creamed corn and corn tortillas. I went to the gluten-free store and I could only find 2 things that didnt have corn in them. I did find the corn-free baking powder though....its got potato starch instead of corn.

I wonder if corn can cause malabsorption? I never was able to figure out why my malabsorption score was so high and I was still losing weight even though I'd been off gluten 4 months when I got tested. I will be soooo excited if my symptoms disappear....I want so badly to challenge gluten and dairy and hopefully get some answers. Even if I could tolerate gluten I dont know if there's anything that I could eat w/out corn in it. Also after having spent the last 8 months learning everything I could about gluten I think I'm pretty much terrified of the stuff.



How funny! I saw you right when I got there...way before the game started. That was a fun day.

Can you imagine??? That would be so cool if you've figured this out. What are we paying doctors for anyway???? Someone should start a website called "medicalmysteries.com" and have chat rooms devoted to symptoms and let the little, unpaid, non-hmo, uneducated folks like us sort out the maladies. Hey... nobody steal my idea.....

That was a really fun day. Have been to 4 more games inc. the double header!

Hope you are feeling better soon on the corn free diet,

BTW iodized salt has corn in it!
I was very surprised Just so you know, get the non-iodized one.

I was thinking about that today!

I've spent...I don't even wanna know how much money on doctors...for WHAT? They havent figured one single thing out and I've done all the work. WTF
If I could go back in time....well first I'd make sure to eat alot of ice cream, pizza and corn dogs...but also I'd never waste one cent going to the doctors office. What did they do for me? Lets see...they nuked my thyroid for no reason so now I have to take pills everyday which have corn in them...which was probably the cause of my symptoms all along! Its sooo wrong!

I think we could "fix" alot of people and do a much better job than the docs are doing....sheeesh JnkMnky, you could be onto something here.




Wow 4 more games already! Sheesh you must be missing alot of school! Anyway you're lucky...I usually only go to 3 or 4 per season.

Yeah...I read that about the salt. I only use sea salt so I'm safe as far as that goes. Hmmm...does that mean if you buy something that has salt as an ingredient it could be corn? Thats crazy!

I'm really not eating any processed food at all. Just making it all myself and my parents. It probably will be healthier in the long run
I had spring break last week, and went to them al during that week.

OH my gosh Rachel, have you thought about being, say, a nutritionist or something like that? You have learned SO MUCH the hard way, and could (already do) help so many others.....doctors REEEEAAALLLY don't know everything, sometimes practically anything, and we, the guinea pigs, end up figuring most things out after giving them all of our money!!

Susan

That made me laugh! That would be so ironic....me, the one who never ate anything that didnt come from a package and take more than 5 minutes to prepare. That would be so bizarre if I was to become a nutritionist of all things!

I do love that I can help people with what I've learned though. Theres a few people in my life that I think I can really help but they are the type who would rather take meds and wait for the doctors to "fix" them. I enjoy helping people online because these are the people looking for answers and who are "proactive" when it comes to their health. When I first started joining the message boards I had no clue what was wrong with me and I never thought food had any part in it. A person can learn alot in one year if they are determined enough. There are so many knowledgeable people here who want to help others. Its a great thing.

Rachel-
Have you had allergy tests done? I have and corn never showed up but your symptoms and story is so similar to yours its almost frightening. I also considered corn more or less safe but I ma not gettting better so maybe its not. Like I said I was just wondering if you had had food allergy tests done and whether or not corn showed up.
Miamia

Molly,
I saw that you were diagnosed with GERD. WHat were you symptoms? How did you find out about corn and soy? What were you symptoms with that? I am wanting to know, because I am still having problems.
THanks,
Monica

With the GERD it was because I had had major allergy attackkks from corn and soy. They then did like 5 epis and major steroid IVs and then that caused the heartburn. Burping, acid backup, sore throats, and throwing up acid. They put me on zantac and prevacid, and it really helped.
Finding out about the corn and soy was through allergy tests, blood and skin, that both came up positive.