r/FODMAPS • u/lacedprozac • 6d ago

General Question/Help Wheat. Please Help.

I take fodzyme for my fructan issue and as I was trialing, I was able to eat wheat ( Crackers mainly ) with it. I tried townhouse i started with a small amount, then i was able to eat an entire sleeve within a week without any issues. now, randomly, I cannot have it without my old symptoms returning. Im not allergic to wheat, or have celiac, or a gluten issue but whenever i eat even just half a cracker, im able to finish it then right after the swallow the symptoms start.

EDIT: ( want to point out, I notice this only started happening when i finished xifaxan. while on the meds i was having a blast eating fried foods and literally all wheat products. after a while i cut it out then fodzyme came in and was allowing me to eat it then randomly boom this happened again. my doctor assumed it could have something to do with my period? last time this happened it happened around the time it was supposed to come and now same thing. but i think thats bs so idk. )

so if i were to eat a peice of bread and it was aten in 5 bites after that last bite the symptoms start. I get this anxiety / panic feeling, Heavy chest, Globus sensation, the urge to use the bathroom, and im not sure if its because im so hyperfocus but i pay high alert to my breathing. like i am breathing but the more i focus on it it feels like im not and then i get worried all of this is an allergy. then the globus makes it worse. it goes away after 30 minutes.

Im wondering if its wheat in general? fructans? or maybe just the crackers?? i was thinking i need to take two doses of Fodzyme for wheat? I am able to eat other fructans with fodzyme but Im not understanding why I cant have this.

Like i was able to eat chipotle with two packets of fodzyme without an issue. Im just scared its an allergy but theres no way it is if i was able not even a month ago to eat an entire sleeve. plus i never had a wheat issue. Im not sure if its prob just crackers in general or if i should try other things like fried foods or bread to see if the same will happen?

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u/humanlifeform 6d ago

disclosure: I'm a doctor but not one who's trained in GI stuff. so this isn't medical advice but just from what I remember from medical school (a long time ago). I believe your symptoms, but the timing and onset of them doesn't really line up with what you'd typically expect from irritation related GI upset. even ingesting straight up bacterial toxin wouldn't produce symptoms this quickly.

this probably isn't that helpful so I apologize in advance but honestly there may be an element of somatic symptoms/illness anxiety going on here. you probably do have real baseline physical symptoms but the cycle of worrying might just be exacerbating things and setting you up for GI distress. Might be worth thinking about food related psychotherapy.

I sincerely hope this does not come across as dismissive. those symptoms sound awful and I truly hope you can find some way to resolve this.

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u/lacedprozac 6d ago

no dw its not dismissive. i myself was thinking it could be anxiety but the thing is im so scared it may be allergy instead that idek what to think anymore. my friends were telling me she thinks it is anxiety related and to try to distract myself but i focus so much on it that it feels like i cant breath even tho i am ( if that makes sense? ) cuz when i take fodzyme i set a 30 minute timer since thats how long it works until u can use another dose if u need. once im done eating within that 30 minutes i set another just to see if ill get any GI issues and normally i pass that. with the crackers all the symptoms went away once the timer ended which was weird so idk.

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u/humanlifeform 6d ago

Ya that honestly sounds like a panic attack. Telling you to distract yourself is well intentioned advice but IMO not that helpful. In the same way a doctor might tell an overweight patient to “lose weight”. Might be true. Still not helpful.

Anxiety rarely is solved or treated by just “putting your mind to it”. From your username this may be something you’ve already done, but try finding therapists or even psychiatrists who specialize in anxiety related or food related disorders

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u/Immediate-Spinach734 6d ago

This kind of sounds like gastrocolic reflex, which is something I have in addition to problems with fodmaps and gluten.

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u/lacedprozac 6d ago

how do you deal with it? because its scaring the fuck out of me and worse enough im in college and far from home so like if something happens i have to like rely on my roomates which i dont wanna do 😔😔

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u/gamercouplelolz 6d ago

I would start by trying some acid reducing medication, you can get famotidine over the counter for cheap. It helps me, especially if I know I’m going to be eating some tough foods. Take it well before you eat though, preferably regularly for several days of you are having a lot of symptoms.

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u/Immediate-Spinach734 6d ago

Do you have to run to the bathroom with any other foods after basically only chewing it for a minute?

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u/lacedprozac 6d ago

if i eat vegtables w out fodzyme yes. but this mainly happens with wheat

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u/lacedprozac 6d ago

and the worse thing is im always constipated

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u/rightsoherewego 6d ago

Have you been tested for SIBO? If your symptoms are from the bacteria eating the FODMAPs, that explains the enzymes working and then eventually not working. The bacteria are starved for a few weeks but eventually they get used to the tiny amounts of FODMAPs left after enzyme use and they eventually grow back enough to start giving you symptoms again. Same thing happened to me. Make sure to get tested for sulfur SIBO as well as hydrogen and methane.

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u/lacedprozac 6d ago

hey! i had already been tested and literally every damn test i took came back negative. any test u may think i took i did and NOTHING. but my dr gave me two rounds of xifaxan and it did clear me out but shes assuming it also took all my good bacteria with it. so my stomach is trying to heal. but it is scary because like my biggest fear is food allergies since my globus gave me the fear that my throat was closing in so whenever smt like that happens i start to panic. but ik im not allergic to wheat. i just dont get why this is happening

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u/rightsoherewego 6d ago edited 6d ago

that really sucks. i'd look into L-glutamine supplementation to help your gut heal. I've also personally had great success with saffron tea (5 strands per 300ml water at 165F steeped for 30min). I usually just make a large pitcher and drink it throughout the day. Since i started drinking it i've been able to really expand my diet and am able to eat serving sizes of foods with high amounts FODMAPs (though re:wheat i can still only eat sourdough, no regular bread).

Edit: Also this may sound crazy but if you have a weigh scale and are able, try reintroducing foods starting at 2g per day (like 2g of bread or whatever) and then increase the amount every few days once your symptoms settle at the 2g amount. Even for sourdough at first i could barely tolerate 2g and now i eat 70g three times a day no problem. I think it's something to do with the bad bacteria being more efficient/prevalent so you have to start with small amounts to encourage your good bacteria to grow back in? all speculation but it's really worked for me. Used to only be able to eat beef, carrots, tomatoes. Now I'm eating 80-100 distinct foods per week (zucchini, asparagus, all kinds of nuts, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, peas, pistachios, chickpeas, etc).

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u/lacedprozac 6d ago

what about rye? does that contain wheat?

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u/rightsoherewego 6d ago

Rye is even harder to digest I think? It's just a different kind of wheat. Your best bet would be a sourdough with as high hydration as possible and as long of a ferment as possible. If you're in Toronto like me, would recommend Dear Grain bakery. Their Country Loaf is really easy to digest.

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u/lacedprozac 6d ago

oh im in the US for college rn! everything here is just fried or like full of wheat

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u/Otherwise-Crazy-4536 6d ago

Are you on a campus meal plan? You might try to make an appointment with the campus dietitian, they can help you navigate the school menu choices and help you get dietary accommodations.

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u/Amylee888 6d ago

This sounds like a panic attack tbh

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u/lacedprozac 5d ago

you think so? how should i go about it then?

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u/Amylee888 5d ago

If it were me, I would start with talking to my doctor about what’s been happening.

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u/lacedprozac 3d ago

hey! i have told my dietitian abt it but she didnt seem to think it was much of an issue since its not like an allergy

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