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[Cally]

Hi there
I think I might be having some histamine intolerance symptoms. I am getting repeated bouts of food poisoning when eating food that my family have also eaten and they are not getting ill. 

I cannot believe that a person can be so ill so often. My last time was on the 20 June and then it happened again yesterday after eating out. Three other people are the same food I did yet I am the only one suffering. I have stayed in bed today feeling very sick.

I have read that we can have issues with food at this stage in our lives but it seems to be a big problem for me as I seem to be getting food poisoning every two weeks. It isn't like normal food poisoning either as I don't have diarrhoea. My body/stomach seems to shut down and keeps it all inside for a few days until I recover.  I watched the royal wedding sick in bed as that was another time.  I really need to get this under control as I seem to be sick all the time.  I do have a go appointment on 9th to discuss this but interested to know if low estrogen can cause these kind of symptoms.  I have low estrogen, testosterone and progesterone tested on day 21 of my cycle and just this month had FSH and LH and estrogen levels on day 3. I will post results below.  Thankful for any advice.

FSH.   28 iu/L (3-12)
LH.     14iu/L.  ( 2-13)
Oestradiol.  72 no range given

Comments: result consistent with Perimenopause. 

[Sarai]

I'm sorry to hear you are feeling so bad.
I guess my first thought is being tested for coeliacs and also milk allergy. And sadly you can coeliac and test negative.
I agree histamine could be the problem, I've recently started researching it online as one of my issues is tinnitus that alters like the breeze yet sometimes coincides with certain foods. I do also have a digestive system that also alters for no good reason.
I'm through meno but on patches so have no idea on my oestrogen state.
I would suggest you like ok online at all the big histamine food articles and see if you can see a trigger food in the first instance.

[Taz2]

Hi Cally - sorry you are going through this. The most important thing at the moment is to keep a meticulous food diary together with symptoms and how long they take to emerge after eating. This is the only way to work out what you are reacting to. I wouldn't think it was food poisoning as your family are not ill. It is a food intolerance or allergy. I am intolerant to soya and eggs so I know how you feel.

What are you actual symptoms?

Taz x 

[Cally]

Thanks for replying. Have been tested for coeliacs and came back negative but it's strange as the last couple of weeks I decided to cut out both wheat and dairy to see if things improve. I do have migraine and stomach shuts down for a few days so I feel that there is a build up which causes problems.

It starts with a queasiness and then burning at the top of my stomach. It feels like the food is still sitting there.  I ate at 3pm and all evening I felt sick with a headache so I decided to try to make myself sick at about 10 pm. I managed to bring it up ( sorry!) so it must have sat there for 7 hours.  Today feel sick and sore stomach still with a bad headache.  Stomach feels like it's inflamed almost like gastritis.  I took an antihistamine ( never had one before) the stomach pain went but headache stayed. I will definitely start a food diary so I can show the doctor. Thanks for the other suggestions both    

[helenmelon]

Hi Cally,

My first menopause symptoms started with stomach problems.
I had constant feelings of indigestion, burning stomach, pain, burning mouth syndrome to name a few. My mum and son both have coeliac disease and I had been tested before and was tested again, both negative.
My GP tried PPI's they made my throat swell up, eventually got orodispersable Lansoprazole which worked a little. I had an endoscopy which was thankfully negative for all the nasty things I had already diagnosed my self with.

I also had all the typical menopause symptoms and eventually saw a meno specialist who suggested HRT, my stomach symptoms improved and now only need meds occasionally.

So many parts of our bodies and functions are ruled by our hormones and when you get any sort of imbalance with oestrogen it can affect things you would never associate with the menopause. I still have IBS which was terrible before I started HRT and the worse the symptoms the more I worried then the more I researched things I thought it might be,searching for answers the more I worried I had a serious illness. It was a nightmare.

I hope you find the answers you need, keeping a good diary is good, then at least you can see if any patterns are obvious. I ate only chicken, salad,avocados and an odd jacket potatoes for weeks, eat small amounts. I am totally gluten free, as are my husband and two sons and I think that helps and I now drink lactose free milk.
I'm on Estradot 50 patches and have a relatively new mirena,
Which I'm still getting used to 🙄 but on the whole I feel much better, although HRT is very much trial and error.

I hope you're feeling better today 😘

[Mary G]

Cally, low oestrogen causes no end of problems and gastric problems are very common so this could be part, if not all, of your problem.  Your oestrogen levels are very low (assuming that is pmol) and even if you are peri menopause and your hormone levels are fluctuating, they are unlikely to reach the levels that you need to feel good.

One other thought... you mention that you suffer with migraines which often start when oestrogen levels drop - my silent migraines started then - and it could be that your stomach problems are linked to the migraines.  As you know, when you have a migraine, your digestive systems completely shuts down and you don't digest food for a while. 

When did your migraines start and when in your cycle do you have them?  I think it's going to be a process of elimination for you but my first port of call would be to increase your oestrogen levels and see if you get any improvement.  It could be that the digestive problems and the migraines are linked and higher levels of oestrogen could be the key. 

I agree that it could also be food allergies and it is worth keeping a food diary but once again, allergies become worse for many women with low oestrogen.  My mother found there was a whole load of stuff she couldn't eat post menopause and thought it was indigestion. 

Oestrogen acts like a control centre and is responsible for so many vital bodily functions.  That is why many women find their health deteriorates post menopause. 

[Krystal]

Cally I am sorry to read that you are having gastric symptoms and the distress this causes you. Do you live a stressful live? Are you constantly on the go worrying about things that matter to you eg family or work? You describe symptoms I experienced whilst I went through the menopause. I was working full time looking after aged parents and running a home. I did not think I was stressed but I was. Its not easy to deal with. For women our life continues as it always has done whilst we physically undergo a massive change to the chemical and hormonal levels within our own body.

I found that cutting our dairy and wheat products helped immensely. I was tested for IBS, had a colposcopy and was given Lanzaprozol  and Mebererine for ten years. My GP insisted I had IBS. The Lanzaprozol gave me an intolerance to sunlight so I now have to take an antihistamine daily to counteract this. My advice to you would be to keep a food diary and list everything you eat and to monitor your signs and symptoms. Also to look at your daily/weekly routines and see if anything causes you to worry. Do not do this on your own. Talk to a friend or family member who are in a position to help you by listening.

I suggest you write everything down and take this with you when you see your GP as time with them is limited.

My symptoms only started to subside after I retired and did not have to meet ridiculous targets everyday. I appreciate you are not at that age yet. But may be slowing down a little may help. 

You will eventually get through this and come out the other side feeling better. All the best.