Thursday, August 18, 2011

Die Off

We have had some weird symptoms pop up in the first few weeks of GAPS.  These symptoms are known as "die off" and is essentially due to the gut detoxing.  Ours have been very mild and manageable.  We are not taking probiotic supplements, only getting probiotics from our food.  We eat probiotic food religiously at every meal and snack.  I have got to say that culturing cream with my yogurt starter is the best discovery I have made in my kitchen this year!  It is extremely tasty and we dollop it generously.  

My main symptom has been dull headaches above my eyes.  They don't slow me down any, just really irritating.  I have also lost weight unintentionally, but it seems to be stabilizing now, so I am not too worried about it.  It is likely water loss from not eating many carbohydrates.  Lastly, my eyes are a bit sticky in the mornings.

Number One had a day where he was sneezing like crazy, it was bizarre. He has also got a few pimple type bumps on his face last week

Number Two has started wetting the bed a couple times a week.  He is also a bit weepier that usual, but he is also transitioning out of taking naps. He has also gotten a couple headaches.

Number Three wets through his diaper most every night.  He also has this rash on his face that is baffling me.  It is around his mouth, he has gotten it a number of times before we started this diet.  I had thought it was a reaction to strawberries, then peppers and tomatoes, but it is inconsistent.  This morning he broke out really bad after having carrot soup for breakfast, which he has had plenty of times without a reaction.  It doesn't appear to bother him at all.  I know rash is a common die off symptom, but since he has had this rash many times in the past, I am wondering if it is something else.

A couple weeks ago we "lost"  all of the pacifiers and the rash went away for 6 days, but then he broke out again... aggravating.

I don't mind seeing symptoms of detox, because it means that this whole thing is working.  It is so hard to know if it is die off we are experiencing or the body not handling a food or environmental change well.  One thing is clear though, I still have a lot to learn.

3 comments:

  1. Carrots have a good amount of sugar in them (they have almost the same glycemic index as sugar), so it could be that he has systemic yeast and the carrot soup helped to feed it. I have seen kids who have yeast issues and it shows up as a rash on their faces.

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  2. When I was detoxing from yeast, I definitely experienced die off symptoms including headaches, nausea, and rashes. Rashes were mainly under the arms. My theory was the yeast was coming out and living on the surface vs. internally since I was basically starving the yeast. If your son has yeast in the mouth, he could definitely get a rash on the face. You could check to see if he has thrush symptoms or a whitish coat on the back of the tongue, but you can't always see it. You can also have him spit into a glass of water in the morning before he eats or drinks anything and before brushing teeth. If the spit dissipates quickly, there is no/little yeast. If it makes clumps and makes strings when falling, there is yeast. A recommendation my homeopathic nurse gave me when I was detoxing was to take hot baths to open the pores. If the detoxing is really severe, you could even see black residue in the bath when done. also you can slough the skin with a dry soft brush to remove toxins which exit thru pores. you can google any of these for further reference. another great book is the Body Ecology Diet. good luck!! melissa

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  3. I think you guys are right. It is likely candida. Just started some probiotics that we will work up into therapeutic doses. Another option is to cut out all fruit, carrots, honey and winter squash, but I don't know how I could get the broth in him with out these.

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