Food and Chemical Sensitivities question for those healed or have seen healing??

Hello,

Please only comment if you are healed or have seen others heal from this. Im extremely sensitive and have tons of fear on this subject so I cant read about others suffering right now, I do truly apologize!

Have you healed from food and/or chemical sensitivities? How bad was it before you healed? Im so scarded Im going to be living in a freagin bubble for God knows how long......uggggggg.....

 

Thank you so much for your time answering my question if you do!

 

I only really noticed three sensitivities during my withdrawal:  alcohol, sucralose and cashews.  Two have fully resolved.

 

Alcohol initially caused me nasty waves, but I can now drink pretty freely with no issues.

 

Cashews once gave me a nasty rash (during withdrawal).  They had never done that before.  I did eat quite a few of them that evening.  Seems like it might have been some kind of histamine response as it was quickly reversed by Allegra.  It's never happened again, and I've eaten plenty of cashews since then.  I did take some time off eating them.

 

The sucralose response is the only one that has remained.  I'll get kind of flush, break out in a sweat, then get really weak for a few minutes.  That didn't happen before benzos, but does now.  Might not be benzo-related.  Who knows???

Following.

I gave it to everything.

Put a tiny bit of coconut oil on sore lips yesterday and it made all my muscles go limp and collapse, head fizz and heat Ali g spine eg .

Get it from all meds and supplements  and an increasing range of foods.

Eat a tomatoes and my muscles go limp and collapse causing choking and inability to hold my head up on neck, arches on feet collapse etc.

Following.

I gave it to everything.

Put a tiny bit of coconut oil on sore lips yesterday and it made all my muscles go limp and collapse, head fizz and heat Ali g spine eg .

Get it from all meds and supplements  and an increasing range of foods.

Eat a tomatoes and my muscles go limp and collapse causing choking and inability to hold my head up on neck, arches on feet collapse etc.

 

Ajusta,

 

Sunflowermh asked for input from only those who have healed or seen other who have, she specifically requested she be spared from negative comments, yours is not helpful.  If you must comment, please provide a full accounting of your other health issues that may play into your sensitivities which may or may not be caused by benzo withdrawal.

 

Pamster

Have you healed from food and/or chemical sensitivities? How bad was it before you healed?

 

Yes, I healed. Healing was gradual. After my taper, things (odors, sounds, bright lights, food smells and tastes) that really distressed me got slowly better.

 

How long until this all went away? Hard to say. A couple of years. I still have a bit of odor sensitivity (laundry detergent) but the rest of it is better.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Katz

Between 8 and 12 months food sensitivities got better for me.

I was already gluten free and dairy free and all organic BEFORE benzo WD. But during acute I could barely eat anything. I ate like the same small things EVERY day. Ugh.

Could not eat any sugar or sugary fruits, no chocolate, no chips, no veggies but green beans and spinach. Dang I can't even remember it all!

But I am 18 months off now and eating everything I used to!!

Can now take supplements too!

Still haven't tried alcohol or caffeine....yet

 

 

I am almost 9 months and am very slowly able to clean things in my home.   I wear a mask and haven’t tried any powerful cleaners. Before this past month, I could not tolerate any cleaning chemicals without having physical symptoms. I am also gluten free and ate organic before this nightmare. Now I follow the plant paradox diet. I just had a dish of Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream on Thanksgiving and that’s the first time I had sugar in 9 months. No problems after that. Be gentle with yourself and give it time. You will slowly heal. 

Following.

Hey Guys, thanks so much for answering!!

 

Pamster...thanks for looking out for me 

 

Hi OregonKatz....you helped me in the beginning with my taper!

 

SouthernBelle08.....that really sounds like me right now, I am able to add a few more foods but its more like the high histamine stuff is the culprit along with chemicals.....

 

Littlewig....what are you able to use for cleaning the house?

 

Once you feel better do you just get over the fear of these sensitivities, im scared these sensitivities and this fear will keep me from getting back to life(fear is at 100 right now, new sxs in the last 2 months) ?

Fear is a symptom and when you recover, this symptom leaves just as they all do.  The only thing I've felt since recovering from this is gratitude, it's magical how all of this fades away, I can remember the pain but no longer feel it. 

Pamster, thanks so much for your responses, and Happy Holidays!!

 

I definitely needed to be reminded that fear is a sxs..... it seems so unreal that this really does end, when your on here seeing so much suffering. When your in the thows of it you feel like this is impossible and that your too sick to recover and that the people in the success stories are lying or are really lucky.  You've been on this forum a long time, correct? You must see alot of healing, people come on here and then vanish after they heal and get their life back?  If anyone believes in healing it must be you?

 

I know deep down in my soul somewhere this will end, but boy does my brain on a daily basis try its very hardest to convince me otherwise.........that's a fabulous sxs as well.....

Funny you should mention success stories, I read them when I was feeling hopeless but I didn't actually believe they were written by real people until I finally recovered and wrote mine. 

 

This process is so strange, it actively works against hope and generates fear and the more we feed it the stronger it seems to get.  I hope you can do your best to fight against the lies the drug is telling you, we call them benzo lies and while they feel real, they're just a bi-product of a stupid drug. 

 

And yes I believe in healing, I've watched many recover and move on with their lives. 

I clean everything with soap and water. Soap being Dawn. I use it in the bathrooms and the kitchen. I still can't handle certain smells of any kind. But I just started using bleach in my laundry again. I couldn't even handle that for the first 8 months benzo free. I haven't worn perfume in over a year. Smells like that instantly get my head symptoms revved up. I just give it time and trust the slow healing process...you will get there.

I chemically injured myself from using too much bleach this isn’t even withdrawl related for me. I can’t use fragrance of any kind, chemicals, hair dye, makeup that’s scented, get my nails done etc. I will say since I have eliminated ALL fragrance I feel so much better even though I miss it so much. Fragrance is in absolutely everything. What I personally use is the free and clear line from seventh generation. My laundry, dish soap, hand soap, shampoo and conditioner, dishwasher detergent, lotions etc are all fragrance free. I use vinegar to clean everything and have no issues with that. Vinegar is a great cleaner and kills bacteria too. Baking soda is a great cleaner as well as hydrogen peroxide. Honest company makes a great disinfectant spray that uses hydrogen peroxide and no fragrance. Your pretty early in withdrawl so after time you will feel better. Just don’t do what I did and use a can of Lysol a week and constant hand sanitizer and bleach. Man I wish I would’ve just risked getting the flu instead of fearing germs because living with sensitivities suck I know first hand. I’m only sharing this all with you because me eliminating all this stuff brought me so much relief from symptoms.