New with question

[serene]

I have been struggling with symptoms for a number of years and have had to try to investigate for myself what may be the problem. I have been to a number of doctors as I have suspected for the past 20 years that there was a connection to my symptoms with food, but couldn't quite solve the puzzle. Doctors have generally either thought that I was crazy or humored me. I had positive skin allergy tests for corn and wheat, so I tried eliminating them. I also suspected lactose intolerance, so I eliminated dairy. I have found that a lot of this investigation I have had to do myself as even natrapaths and holistic doctors couldn't figure it out.

But even still, I was having problems. I had not put it together that what I was experiencing was hypoglycemia. I just attributed my problems to allergies, migraines and IBS. I do remember that my mom had told me she suspected that I had hypoglycemia when I was a child, but I was never taken to a doctor for it.

I couldn't understand what was going on, so I tried a further elimination diet. What I was finding was over and over again that I was reacting to any kind of fruit or sweetener. This was very upsetting to me, so I tried all kinds of sugar and had the same problem. I even made sure they were the purest forms of table sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey, stevia. All disasters. I tried all kinds of fruit, even low sugar fruits like lemon and berries and had same problems. I also eliminated wine and balsamic vinegar as I realized they were causing huge problems for me.

I would start to get shaky feeling inside followed by an immediate throbbing pain in my eye. A delayed response would be that I would get a burning sensation in my bladder and had some pain with urinating. I had been tested for all kinds of infection and there was nothing they could find that could explain the burning feeling. When I had too much of the offending food the pain could last for days.

I eliminated all fruit and sugar for about 6 months, but then started to become aware of other symptoms, that had been overshadowed by the bigger problems of the daily eye pain and the fatigue that was so bad throughout the day. I had started to become more aware of my gastro symptoms that still remained. I was experiencing heartburn feeling as well as a rather constant nausea and a feeling of ravenous hunger. I also would experience terrible constipation that could not be relieved, I would go about a week between BM.

It was then that I started to read about FM and had suspected this was the case. I had no idea that vegetables contained fructose! I started to feel a little better. However, I was finding that I could not tolerate most of the items that were listed as being ok for people with FM.

I started out with the PCP to see if I could be tested, but he didn't know what I was talking about, and just tested me for diabetes which I didn't have. He suspected it was the H pylori causing my symptoms, but all that happened was taking the pills with the sugar additives just made me much worse for the two weeks and the worsened symptoms resolved about two days after stopping the pills. Constantly felt like vomiting, but couldn't.

I have since been to see a GI doctor, and I think she believes I am crazy, but is humoring me with a test. I am having the fructose breath test done this week. I'm kind of scared how I will react. I think she believes there is some other explanation for my symptoms, such as an autoimmune disease, but I am suspecting HFI now.

I have been trying the diet that is described here and noticing much improvement. I have had difficulty with staying consistent to it, because I think I am still in a lot of denial about it. Each time I experiment with another food off the list I am reminded of the pain all over again.

I was curious to know if anyone else had experienced the kind of burning pain that I describe with the bladder, urine? I am wondering if it has something to do with the level of fructose in my urine causing the burning?

Thanks!!

[ukbill]

Hi Serene,

Welcome to the forum!

OK starting from the top so we can perhaps get an angle on this.

How do you feel after eating anything with sugar in it?

What are your symptoms and after what time do they occur?

Because I keep getting reminded to tell everyone we are not Doctors on this forum.. however please let me know if you find one who knows anything about HFI?

With regards to HFI there is more experience and knowledge on living with HFI on this forum than just about anywhere in the world.

However if your condition is not HFI then I have to add the codicil that its your life your choice and your diet.. if you get my meaning?

Personally I think the HFI diet (with added vitamin C and Folic acid if you are planning on having children and are female) is possibly the most healthy available certainly far more healthy than being a Vegan for example who have to take a great many extra vitamins and minerals missing in the diet.

Certainly our Diet could be said to be FAR healthier than the Normal North American or UK Diet which is FULL of artificial chemicals, Fructose, hydrogenated fats and trans fats, etc etc.

None of which are present in any quantity in the HFI diet (because we cook everything from fresh ingredients, no ready meals!

I can give you a suggestion to sort out your constipation straight away.

This is caused by the very low fiber diet we have to eat, digestible fiber is converted into sucrose in the gut and leads to inflammation and IBS problems.

So the answer is none digestible Fiber Phyillium Husks (the whole husks not the fine ground stuff) is what I was given by my doctors and it has transformed my life (no joke).

2 x 5cc teaspoons full in a LOT of fluid a day is all it takes. you can get this stuff from just about any health food shop. I buy it in Kilo bags and 1 KG (2.2Lbs) lasts me about 12 months, so its cheap also.

Keep smiling

I suspect you have found the answer to your life long problems..

Err they have been life long?? yes?

Bill A.

[serene]

Thank you so much for your response Bill. I appreciate your tips about the constipation, I am amazed how much more regular I am with the lowered fructose in my diet, but I am sure that adding the fiber will help immensely.

I feel like since I started to really limit the amount of fructose that I am getting that I am more sensitized to my reactions. Yes, this has been a problem for me as long as I can remember. It does feel a bit like solving a lifelong mystery as I told a friend.

It has always been a bit hard for me to put into words what my reactions to sugar are like. It sounds strange to say it, but I think that I believed that everyone felt the way that I did!

I think that why I have struggled with the denial for so long is that the reaction doesn't start right away. I will start to have something, like say a little bit of fruit or a few sips of wine and think, "hey I'm fine, there really is no problem here". Then I wait about 15 to 20 minutes and that is when I really start to feel it.

I start to get this real shaky feeling inside, like my heart is racing a little bit. I sometimes start to feel a little bit tingly in my fingers. I feel a little bit weak inside, like the feeling you get after having had the flu. Almost like I would be wobbly if I were to walk. In fact, now that I think of it, I couldn't understand why I would walk like a drunk person after only one glass of wine in the past! This is sometimes, but not always accompanied by a throbbing pain that is localized to behind one of my eyes. (I do not get these headaches any time other than when I have sugar). After about an hour or so I start to get a real tired feeling where it is almost irresistible to sleep. When I am able to, I do sleep, but it is very difficult to manage these reactions if I have to be at work and alert!

I had not put this together until recently that I also have delayed reactions to sugar. After several hours I start to get GI symptoms from sugar. I start to have a feeling of acid reflux. I sometimes get some churning feelings in my stomach. It is often accompanied by an intense feeling of hunger pains. (I am only now realizing what it feels like to not have this after trying the HFI diet and having a much more steady blood sugar and not feeling hungry for hours, yeah!!). The pain that I sometimes get within my bladder tends to be a delayed reaction as well, generally the next day.

I have found that it takes me about 2 days in order for a sugar reaction to go away. I think that I have exhausted my poor body over the years!

I am having my fructose test done on Friday so I am anxious to get the results and hopefully get some clarity here soon. If it is positive I may need to pursue the genetic testing on my own as I'm not sure that the GI will order that.

[ukbill]

Which test?

If they are doing the FM / DFI test then be careful you will be drinking a glass of water that contains 150g of Fructose!

The 50/50 leathal amount (the amount that will kill 50% or us) is between 90 and 200g! although this is introveniously given (via IV) to be this leathal.

The chalenge test should be done after a 12 hour fast and the maximum doseage should be 15mg per kilo body weight not 1.5g as given by my doctors when I was tested.

THis is of course assuming you are HFI.

I cannot drink any amount of wine I get an instant hangover after a couple of small sips about 2 x 5g teaspoons full will do it for me.

I have heard of people who claim to be HFI drinking dry red wine but not sure as to their diagnosis.

I can drink pure beer made form Barley Malt no problem (German Purity standards based beers are safest.

Please let us know the results of the test.

Regards

Bill A.

[ukbill]

How are you if you take glucose?

Just re-reading your last post and I have a feeling you might be more CSID type (there seem to be many varients) than pure HFI.

If you have problems with Glucose also or I should say Dextrose becasue Glucose is normally contaminated with Fructose, then I would point you towards Charlie and a few others who are looking into this as a diagnosis.. however we shall have to see what the test results show

Keep smiling.

[serene]

Thanks for all your feedback! I am a bit worried about the fructose test as well! I am getting the fructose breath test, so I will be drinking some fructose drink . They told me I will need to fast for 12 hours before the test and will need to eat only rice and meat the day before.

I am planning to go from there to see what this test shows as far as any other testing.

I should have clarified that my sugar trials were pre looking into FM or HFI. Since reading on this forum the past couple of weeks, I have tried pure Dextrose and this seems to be fine. I am uncertain but the pure Xylitol (birch sugar) also seems to be ok.

I tried maple syrup again a couple weeks ago because I was hoping it was just FM, but that gave me the hypoglycemic reaction. My hint that it probably was not FM was that I can't handle any fruit, including lemons or limes or vegetables that they can eat like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumbers, brussel sprouts etc.

[ukbill]

OK that sounds now much more like HFI.

Xylotol is not metabolised by the body it comes straight out so far as I understand.

When I had it for part of my "Challenge test" it came straight through me BIG style! but then they were giving me 150g of the stuff.. far too much!

If they are having you starve before the test then it sounds more like a standard HFI challenge test than FM test.

If you can get them to test your blood sugar both before the test and then every 10 min for the next hour or two.

If your blood sugar drops below the starting point then you have HFI.

It is very likely that an HFI person will also fail the Hydrogen breath test used to diagnose FM.

So the Hydrogen breath test to diagnose FM really is not much use if the HFI condition is possible and with you that is very likely I would suggest.

As an aside I have grave doubts about Xylatol being safe.. it is used in foods as an anti bacterial, because cells adsorb it and think they have adsorbed Glucose.. however they then cannot matabolise the Xylatol and so the cell dies of starvation..

This is fine as a mouth wash but swallowing it I think is not a good idea.

If all the cells that adsorb it then die.. I would suggest this is not a good thing to have swilling around the body! Where it can randomly be killing cells all over the body!

I do not think this is a good idea.

If in doubt leave it out! is my motto with regards to sugars.

Best of luck with the test.

regards

Bill A.

PS where are you in the world? and ide helps us with advise.

[lucky]

Hello Serene,

I am Lucky, nice to meet you.

I just wanted to clarify something about the FM Hydrogen Breath Test. I think there may be an error in what was posted earlier.

In Canada, the FM Hydrogen Breath test solution consists of 25-50g of fructose dissolved in 150-250ml of liquid (water).

I believe our son (and later rest of family) had it with 25g. The test was done in our local Children's Hospital, but as an outpatient test and NO blood/urine collection. Just breath samples.

Because our son had a serious adverse reaction, he was later referred to the Genetics dept. After DNA analysis for HFI and later FBPase deficiency came back negative, he was given another FM Hydrogen Breath test. This one was called a "Fructose Challenge". Essentially, it is another fructose Hydrogen Breath test... but now with protective iv -and- blood drawn every 15min over a few hours (urine was also taken). On this, the metabolic specialist was present the entire test.

In Canada, there is no "iv" fructose challange. We were told it was far too dangerous to inject fructose into an iv and thereby directly into the blood stream. It is simply not done.

Interestingly... becasue our son reacted so poorly in the first Hydrogen Breath test, the whole family was also tested. Three of the five of us have FM via breath test. BUT only our son was severe. The rest of us (FM) felt little. It may have to do with personal tolerance, current diet (and testing) overload, sensitivity, or damage.

After much investigation, and HFI diet for about 1.5yrs, our son had the "Fructose Challenge" (and only after a neg HFI and FBPase deficiency DNA test). Although his blood work showed metabolic irregularities during the Fructose Challenge, he did not react as severely as in his original FM breath test. So this test was rather uneventful, really and all shocked. And although they don't understand why, it could be that our son had detoxed and healed to a safer level and/or was also protected/corrected with the iv (as in FBPase deficiency). But then again, he was also neg for HFI's most common mutations...

That all being said, if you are FM, you may be very toxic (and your system very vulnerable) at this point like my son. And like him, a metabolic type reaction to the test may warrant further investigation.

To date, our son is still suspicious for FBPase deficiency. This may account for some wiggle room in his later "Fructose Challenge" as he was fully detoxed (and on HFI diet) for almost 2yrs at that time.

Regardless, we are still cautious. And if I've learned anything, it's that one should not be tested using an FM Hydrogen Breath test if HFI (metabolic issues related to consumption) is even remotely suspected...

I would assume that your doctor has ruled that out for now, and instead strongly suspects FM, no?

Perhaps just inquire that the dept. testing you has the protocol to identify and treat you if you have an adverse reaction and go metabolic on them. Truthfully, it would have been very helpful if they took even one blood sample or urine sample when he originally crashed...

Here's a link I just quickly found about Hydrogen Breath tests.

Use and Abuse of Hydrogen Breath tests
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1856094/

[ukbill]

Lucky,

That is a far more descriptive explanation of the hydrogen breath test than I have read on the site before.. thank you, it clears up a lot of misconceptions I had about the test.

I thought I "remembered " the 150g Fructose in solution from someone's description of the test, because it matched the 150g I was given by IV.

I was obviously wrong in the amount given. thanks for clarifying that and also confirming my conviction that FM breath test should ONLY be done if HFI is absolutely ruled out..

However 25 to 50 g of Fructose in solution should not prove fatal to an HFI unless they are really on the edge so to speak.

It should however if Serene is HFI get a good strong response if not some nice projectile vomiting

I once drank a can of full fat coke by accident, and that contains about 30g of sugar (HFCS) so if we assume 70% Fructose that would equate to about roughly 25g pure fructose..

I certainly would not have wanted to have much more than that! I seem to remember I had several hours of vomiting, or trying to vomit anyway, followed by a day of almost total brain fog and feeling like I was walking on a ship. I had as much strength as a limp lettuce, along with aching from severely pulled gut muscles from all the (mostly) attempted vomiting..

Well it would sort of make a diagnosis pretty plain and clear.. assuming Serene is as reactive as I am..

Sorry Serene not wanting to frighten you. By what you have said if you are HFI, then I suspect you are not as reactive as I am.

But it might be safer to speak to your doctors. Even print this thread out and show it them so they might have a better idea of what they are dealing with?

Just make sure they use the minimum amount of Fructose they think they can get away with OK? Whatever the test they are wanting to do, just to be on the safe side.

I recommend that you take some HFI safe food with you to help boost your blood sugar back up if you go Hypo as well.

Sending you best wishes do not worry you will be fine.

[serene]

Thank you both Lucky and Bill for your feedback! I really appreciate the tips for how to handle the test. I am worried about it. Over the past year in particular I have become extremely sensitive to fructose. About a year ago I had a couple days of multiple episodes of vomiting. At that point I had no idea what was going on and was diagnosed as gastritis. I got better after a few months when I started off with eliminating all fruit and sugar and alcohol as well as caffeine (this seems to intensify my symptoms).

But, I started to get bold and added in more vegetables and then dabbled with some fruit and the "gastritis" came back full force. I think what put me over the edge was I thought it would be "healthy" to drink a couple tablespoons a day of apple cider vinegar for my heartburn, OMG what was I thinking!

I went back to doctor and they said it was h pylori, but the sugar additives from the medication made me want to vomit. The severe nausea and wanting to vomit went away after stopping the medicine.

I am pretty sure that given the amount of fructose they will be giving me that I will vomit. Unfortunately, no, the doctor did not rule out anything before going for the fructose breath test. She did a genetic test on me before for celiac, so I know she's not opposed to genetic testing. I think it is just lack of information about the disease. She is expert in the field of celiac, but I think that this is not known well. She couldn't understand why I was reacting to so many different food groups.

I appreciate the tips about bringing some safe foods with me. I will also ask them about testing my blood sugar for hypoglycemic reaction. I took the rest of the day off from work cause I imagine I will be non-functioning.

[ukbill]

Please let us know the outcome of the tests (if you want to share them) and also the dosage level your doctor is using would be good information too.

Best of luck and I hope you do not react too strongly.

[serene]

Thanks so much Bill! I am bringing someone with me to the test just in case.

I decided to get brave and do some experimenting this week, which leads me even more to suspect the HFI. I had always thought that I was gluten intolerant after having had the allergy test that said I was allergic to wheat and corn. But, I decided to check and see. I tried the non whole wheat pasta and I did not have a reaction at all. It seems that I had been reacting to the whole wheat in the past! I had tried wheat crackers last week and had a reaction, but only later realized it said whole wheat so it would have had some fructose.

I had also thought that I was lactose intolerant, but I have been trying dairy, and now that my fructose reactions are under control, I don't think that I am reacting to that either.

It is just amazing, I feel so relieved to know that I am able to safely eat wheat and dairy (without sugar of course). It is so eye opening to realize that it has been sugar all along that has been the problem.

[ukbill]

There are reasons for this, some are psychosomatic (in the mind) and others are because your liver has been having a hard time.

I believe, as a result of what many people have said on the forum, that if a persons Liver is being stressed (if not damaged) by trying to handle more of a particular chemical than it can cope with (like Alcohol and in our case sugar) it will start loosing the ability to deal with the day to day things it has to process as part of a normal diet.

I can imagine Gluten, being quite hard to digest at the best of times for anybody, being one of the first things it might start having problems with.

Also if you think about it most foods that contain Gluten also contain sugar! (cakes, cookies, pies, many breads etc etc) therefore the Psychosomatic Pavlovian (all in the head) reaction kicks in and we feel ill by sometimes just smelling foods.

Many Milk products also are very sweet, most Yoghurts, ice cream, milk chocolate, milk shakes etc so potentially HFI people can think they are Lactose intolerant when they are not its just their mind trying to protect the body.

However one of the milk Proteins a Casein, is hard to digest for adults so that might be the problem or part of the problem too.

This is possibly why so many of us before we are on a proper HFI diet seem to have so many conflicting dietary problems, no matter whether we eventually turn out to be HFI or to have a close cousin of HFI or just really bad DFI or FM.

After going on the HFI diet most people seem to improve and have a better life anyway whatever the underlying condition

Take care and I will be thinking about you on Friday.

[charlie]

Conversely, problems like fructose, lactose and gluten malabsorption occur in the small intestines so if for years they have been battered with trying to cope with foods that inflame them then they will start to react to any food component they are not happy about, take away the biggest trigger and they will settle.

Until you start tests you won't know which is which and it sounds like you are on the first rung of the ladder. Do you have access to the gene test, like Bill says put on your profile where you are in the world so anyone near you may point you in the right direction. The gene test is the safest first step if HFI is suspected.

The breath test seems very random, you have to starve for the FM one too so not sure at this stage which they are testing. However, if the system isn't reacting at the time of the test ie the intestines then I'm not sure how much hydrogen would be emitted. Also if the test isn't done correctly then it may not give a correct answer. According to a paper I read about it you have to hold your breath for 15 seconds first then breath out into the bag ( but the hospital never told meg to do that she just gave a quick puff). But I guess you are old enough to supervise yourself doing that, I'll try and find the link to that but it is somewhere on the malabsorption proboard. Then you can print it out and take it with you. Tread carefully though, there is nothing more irritating to a hospital than a patient turning up with their own instructions and information............... Basically, the timing is crucial to results as the time into the test when the hydrogen elevates shows which part of your digestive system is reacting and therefore what type of sugar malabsorption you have. ie if it shoots up straight away its the stomach and upper small intestines, if towards the 2 hour mark its nearer the large intestines.

www.bhsbrasil.com.br/Hydrogen_Breath_Testing_in_children_07.06.09.pdf

But if you can get bloods and urine taken at the same time then this will spot any metabolic reaction going on. Meg had the sucrose challenge last year and her hydrogen levels didn't raise but an hour into the test she started chewing her hair, rocking back and forth and banging her head on the wall behind her. But they weren't doing bloods so they don't know what was happening.

Good luck, keep us posted.

[serene]

So, I had my fructose breath test done this morning. As I had expected, had a pretty bad hypoglycemic response to the test. Felt really shaky and weak and started to get chills. Had some stomach churning about 20 minutes into the test. The woman said that the test results came back positive. It looks like my hydrogen numbers spiked about an hour into the test. My base result was 0 before the test and the highest number was 22. So, it looks like I have some type of fructose intolerance.

The GI doctor asked me to follow up with her in a few months before she ordered these tests. She also ordered tests for autoimmune disorder, general inflammation, abdominal ultrasound and lactose intolerance.

I had thought that I may not be lactose intolerant, but I think I am after all. I don't react to yogurt and some cheeses but definitely reacted to cream cheese with the stomach symptoms.

I am hopeful though that I may be able to tolerate the wheat once my stomach calms down from the fructose.

The next step is to try to convince the doctor to order the genetic test for the HFI. I really didn't want to have to go through the ordeal of the breath test but I figured that was the only way for her to begin to take me a bit more seriously and not a hypochondriac. I think she actually believed that I was anorexic.

Will keep you posted. Thanks for all the support!!!

[ukbill]

That is a typical reaction for an HFI to have with Fructose.

The chills are I suspect your body having both shock (from the poisoning) and very low blood sugar levels so there is no food for your body's cells to use.

So far as I know, no condition other than HFI causes a rapid drop in blood sugar levels after eating sugar!

IF anyone knows of a condition that has this effect please let e know.

Personally I suggest you try the HFI diet full time and see how you do its hard to start with then ridiculousness easy when you get the hang of it.. its far harder if you like sweet flavoured foods however.

It will not do you any harm anyway

You will also find as you take out sweet flavoured foods your ability to taste sugar in foods improves.

I think that was a good positive HFI reaction what do others think?

[serene]

Thank you so much Bill, your input has been tremendously helpful to me as I begin to navigate these waters!

I think that I am slowly beginning to move out of my denial about the likelihood that I do have this disease. I have been grieving a bit this weekend. But, I truly believe that information is power. I am feeling fully confident that my quality of life is only going to continue to improve as a result of learning about this disease and working proactively to try to manage it.

I don't know what I would have done without this board and your support. Truly a lifesaver!!!

[ukbill]

Serene,

Do not think of it as "likelihood that I do have this disease"

To start with yes you will have a few longings for foods that now are known to cause you problems. I still morn the loss of fried onion out of my diet..

However put against this is the ever improving feeling of just really good robust health!

This will take months and maybe years to fully develop as your liver recovers and your body's system adapts to the changing diet.

But trust me when I say you are going to feel a lot better than you ever have done in your entire LIFE!

HFI is truly not hard to live with, it is far harder to be honest if you actuially like the taste of sweet foods.. this is somthing I am VERY much against, giving children Sweet flavoured foods and artificial sweetners is just wrong for children with HFI or even potential HFI.

It make their whole lives so very much harder and knocks their self confidence, which is a poor trade off for the debatable advantage of being able to eat sweet flavoured foods.

There are plenty of good tasty foods to eat as an HFI and once you get round to looking for the taste in foods, and working out where it comes from, you will also really enjoy meal times a lot more.

There are some nice recipies (the none sweet ones) on the forum and many more to be posted when I get a chance to do so.

The HFI safe breads now being posted and are truly wonderful!

If you have never had fresh home made bread before?

That alone is worth all the minor problems having HFI causes!

Fresh bread, butter and ground coffee first thing in the morning is a truly decadent start to any day!

You can now plan on enjoying your life to the full!

HAVE FUN and celibrate your life, I'm sure you will feel like doing precicley that now!

If I have been of assistance to you then thats good, I'm only here to help.

[hfimomof3]

I'm sorry that you have discovered you have HFI but you'll probably feel a lot better once your system has been cleared out for a few months. Eventually you'll find some tasty treats you can eat and you'll learn how to cook sugar-free. Good luck.

[ukbill]

hfimomof3 I do not think there is anything to be sorry about.

serene as an undiagnosed HFI has had a lifetime of illness and indescribable pain.. now she will be healthier and happier than she has ever been, in fact now she can have a life..

A real full life and be able to do things she never would have contemplated doing before because now she knows what is poisonous to her and can avoid it.

HFI food can be every bit as tasty as none HFI food which I know is hard for None HFI people to understand but it is.. the good taste comes from Herbs and spices not fruit and vegetables that's all.

Treats and snacks can be a problem, if bought out at the shops and not cooked at home, I grant you that.

But are not Doctors and health professionals always all telling us not to eat between meals if we want to keep control of our weight?

There are FAR worse things to have than HFI

Diabetes for example.. where the sugars kill you silently and quietly.. and you actually like all the things that while they do not make you feel ill, will kill you all the same if you do not take it careful.

I have lost one best friend to Diabetes and have 1 more on dialysis because his kidneys were destroyed by it, (he could not keep a close enough control on what he ate and drank.) he is currently waiting for his 2nd kidney transplant and even with that is unlikely to see 65 / 70 years of age.

He cannot work or take much exercise and is living a half life which revolves around his dialysis appointments at the hospital, which also stop him being able to have proper holidays.. Now that's something to be sorry about

Compared to that HFI is an absolute doddle.

We with HFI on the other hand do not like the taste (or really should not anyway) of the stuff that causes us problems.

So its easy for us to avoid it all and live long healthy happy lives!

I also know of 5 of us who are over 70 years old now.. (Fred and 4 sisters who live in Birmingham UK) and all are still going strong!

serene has gone through her life not knowing what will make her ill and what will be good for her.. now she knows!

I can imagine the release, happiness and pure Joy she must be feeling.

Please be happy for her not sorry

I know I am