Well...I was checking my Blog stats not too long ago (I check them from time to time). One of the stats was that I'd gotten a view on my first post about corn allergies, and that it was in a google search for non-traditional corn allergy symptoms. It just kind of struck me that my post was showing up. I made that post on a bad day, and there was a lot I was just barely learning, and a lot I had yet to learn. How helpful was that post to that person really?
I looked back at that post and realized that I never posted about corn again like I said I would. I need to do better about that. As I said in that initial post, I'm one of the individuals affected by a corn allergy. I should be talking about it from time to time. I wish to do so.
To start it off, I'm going to post about symptoms. I'll re-post the traditional and non-traditional symptoms, along with the link to the site that I got those lists from. But, I'll be posting additional symptoms not listed in either of those.
One thing to remember with a corn allergy is that it is a bit of a weird allergy. Not everyone has the same symptoms, and you aren't always going to have the "traditional" or "non-traditional" symptoms - sometimes you're going to have one that isn't on those lists. Sometimes you're one day going to realize that, "Hey...this really weird, obscure thing is from my corn allergy!" So...don't get too caught up in "traditional" or "non-traditional". :) Just say "general symptoms", maybe.
Before I start, let me just specify that I am going to be using my personal experiences, so this is a biased post, though I will try my best to be informative. I do apologize in advance for any inaccuracies in the information I provide. If you notice any, dear reader, feel free to let me know so I can correct it. :) Now then:
Traditional
1. Anaphylaxis*
2. Asthma attacks and/or shortness of breath
3. Breathing and/or swallowing difficulties
4 Drop in blood pressure
5. Intestinal issues such as stomach discomfort/ cramps/ pains, diarrhea, nausea, and/or vomiting
6. Migraine headaches**
7. Rashes and/or hives
8. Tongue, face and/or throat swelling and/or tingling
Non-Traditional
1. Depression
2. Disturbed sleep
3. Eczema***
4. Fatigue
5. "Fuzzy thinking"****
6. Joint pains
7. Hyperactivity*****
8. Inability to concentrate
9. Lethargy******
10. Mood swings and/or behavioral changes*******
11. Night sweats
12. "Raccoon eyes"
13. Recurring ear infections
14. Respiratory conditions
15. Sinus conditions
16. Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
The site is for these lists: http://www.cornallergens.com/symptoms/corn-allergy-symptoms.php
*Anaphylaxis seems to typically refer to throat closing, but is defined by dictionary.com as "exaggerated allergy reaction to a foreign protein resulting from previous exposure to it." I remember there was one day where I had a severe drop in blood pressure and just slept for a very long time. We were told that that was an anaphylactic reaction. Up to that point, we'd just assumed that anaphylaxis was if your throat closed. As you can see, while that's probably what the term is typically used for, it can probably apply to any extreme reaction.
**Migraine headaches are migraines. A migraine is typically characterized by shooting pain on one side of your head, and a lot of the time behind one or both eyes. Further symptoms that help to characterize a migraine can include any to all of the following: Nausea and/or vomiting, dizziness, pulsing vision, "aura" - or seeing spots, clouded vision or partial (temporary) loss of vision, increased sensitivity to noise (any), increased sensitivity to light (any), hypersensitive to touch (i.e.: it hurts if someone were to softly stroke your arm or something to the effect), etc.
***Eczema is defined by dictionary.com, "pathol a skin inflammation with lesions that scale, crust, or ooze a serous fluid, often accompanied by intense itching or burning".
>Serous is defined as, "of, resembling, producing, or containing serum". Or, more applicable to the above, "1. resembling serum; of a watery nature".
****"Fuzzy thinking" is the same as "brain fog", I believe. You just have a very hard time focusing or thinking. It almost feels like someone has placed a filter over your brain.
*****Hyperactivity isn't just jumping up and down and running around all over the place like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. :) Hyperactivity is, to my understanding, the inability to just sit still. You don't have to be running around or talking a million miles an hour to be hyperactive; it's just more noticeable in those cases. Hyperactivity results from an over-abundance of energy. Dictionary.com, "(of children) displaying exaggerated physical activity sometimes associated with with neurological or psychological causes".
******Lethargy is the opposite of hyperactivity. Hyperactivity involves excess energy; lethargy involves a significant lack of energy. Dictionary.com, "1. the quality or state of being drowsy and dull, listless and unenergeticc, or indifferent and lazy; apathetic or sluggish inactivity."; "2. Pathology . an abnormal state or disorder characterized by overpowering drowsiness or sleep."
*******Mood swings and/or behavioral changes. Keep reading, because as I get into other symptoms, I will be getting more into this listed symptom. :)
So, I'm not as active on the corn forums as my mom is, and as I probably should be. I always mean to be, but I just have a hard time keeping up with everything. I also feel like I don't have much to contribute on the forums with my current knowledge levels. I'm one of the individuals who when I post, it typically is to ask a question. So my personal knowledge is limited. However, I'll probably be asking my mom for help with this post at some points, and I do remember some of the mentioned reactions people have had. :)
As I list these, aside from the mood swings and/or behavioral changes, I may mention some of the other things in those lists. I apologize for any repetition. :)
Hair
1. Thin hair and/or loss of hair.
2. Stunted hair growth or rapid hair growth.
3. Hair discoloration.
Physical and/or neurological
1. Temporary limb paralysis.
2. Weight gain or weight loss (and inability to gain healthy weight).
3. Hypersensitive to touch.
4. Skin rashes and/or cracked skin.
5. Mild to severe headaches; migraine-level headaches; migraines.
>You may get some of the migraine symptoms individually as corn-reaction symptoms.
6. The "giving out" of knees when walking or standing.
7. Heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat, fluttery heart, etc.
8. Numb limbs.
Gastrointestinal
1. Stomach or abdominal cramping.
2. Bloating.
3. Constipation and/or diarrhea and/or gas.
Emotional and/or psychological
1. Increased (any form of) anxiety.
2. Increased depression.
3. Increased irritability.
4. Increased paranoia.
5. Sudden difficulty in normal social interactions.
6. Increased difficulty in focusing.
7. Lack of motivation.
8. "Hyper focus"; becoming nearly obsessive in completing certain tasks and becoming upset at any hindrance to the completion of said tasks, or upset at inability to complete said tasks. (Example: Perhaps you have a desk with a few stacks of papers and miscellaneous objects on it. Normally this wouldn't bother you, but suddenly cleaning and organizing this desk consumes your thoughts, and you aren't happy and can't focus on anything else until you clean and organize this desk.)
Miscellaneous
1. "Bad teeth"; inclusive of moderate to rapid tooth decay, increased likelihood of cavities, decay of tooth enamel, easier discoloration of teeth, etc
2. Slight to moderate jaundice.
>Jaundice is the yellowing of skin, whites of eyes, and/or gums(, etc).
3. Absence seizures.
>Can be described as "spacing out". You more-or-less "black out" for several seconds. I used to get these a lot, and it certainly presented a challenge in a school setting as I would frequently miss parts of what the teachers were saying. After testing, it was determined that I don't have epilepsy, and they weren't sure what the cause was (I had also gotten some partial seizures). Since getting the corn out of my system as much as we have, I haven't had this problem.
One thing to keep in mind about an allergy is that it can go in layers. For me, once we got all of the obvious sources of corn out of my system (straight corn, corn syrup, corn starch, etc), I would be feeling pretty great for a while. And then I'd be doing bad again. After some poking around, we'd find out I was reacting to a direct derivative (glucose, xanthan gum, citric acid, etc). We would read the labels and once we got the direct derivatives out, I'd be feeling pretty great for a while. And then I'd be doing bad...again. More prodding and it led to some odd things like "sorbitol is broken down and processed using a corn derivative" - so I'm reacting to sorbitol. And so on and so forth. The more corny stuff we've gotten out of my system, the more sensitive to corn I've become. It's like that for other people too.
One last thing: This list is not a complete symptom list. Everyone is different, and the allergy comes out differently for everyone. There are symptoms that are more common than others, but it is entirely possible that if you or someone you know has a corn allergy, you'll see a symptom that's not listed here and that maybe a lot of corn allergic people don't get. What it comes down to is that you know how you feel. If you have a problem that can't be explained and isn't going away, look at allergies. Not necessarily corn, because Heaven knows that there are a million other kinds. But monitor how you feel after eating certain foods. If you notice that something gets worse in correlation to something you've eaten, look at the ingredients of what you ate and start eliminating some of those things from your diet. You may notice that you start to feel better, and that maybe an unexplained, recurring problem starts to get better. Anything is possible with an allergy. And...remember that allergies aren't always food; sometimes it's something in your environment, whether it be indoors or outdoors.
Good luck. :) I'll be adding a gadget to my Blog pretty soon here to list some helpful links in regards to corn allergies. At least one of which will be a recipe Blog; keep in mind that the main focus for it is eliminating corn. If you're anything like me, you'll likely have to alter the recipes to be friendly for other allergies you may have.
Have a great one, and take care!
-Bryn
As I list these, aside from the mood swings and/or behavioral changes, I may mention some of the other things in those lists. I apologize for any repetition. :)
Hair
1. Thin hair and/or loss of hair.
2. Stunted hair growth or rapid hair growth.
3. Hair discoloration.
Physical and/or neurological
1. Temporary limb paralysis.
2. Weight gain or weight loss (and inability to gain healthy weight).
3. Hypersensitive to touch.
4. Skin rashes and/or cracked skin.
5. Mild to severe headaches; migraine-level headaches; migraines.
>You may get some of the migraine symptoms individually as corn-reaction symptoms.
6. The "giving out" of knees when walking or standing.
7. Heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat, fluttery heart, etc.
8. Numb limbs.
Gastrointestinal
1. Stomach or abdominal cramping.
2. Bloating.
3. Constipation and/or diarrhea and/or gas.
Emotional and/or psychological
1. Increased (any form of) anxiety.
2. Increased depression.
3. Increased irritability.
4. Increased paranoia.
5. Sudden difficulty in normal social interactions.
6. Increased difficulty in focusing.
7. Lack of motivation.
8. "Hyper focus"; becoming nearly obsessive in completing certain tasks and becoming upset at any hindrance to the completion of said tasks, or upset at inability to complete said tasks. (Example: Perhaps you have a desk with a few stacks of papers and miscellaneous objects on it. Normally this wouldn't bother you, but suddenly cleaning and organizing this desk consumes your thoughts, and you aren't happy and can't focus on anything else until you clean and organize this desk.)
Miscellaneous
1. "Bad teeth"; inclusive of moderate to rapid tooth decay, increased likelihood of cavities, decay of tooth enamel, easier discoloration of teeth, etc
2. Slight to moderate jaundice.
>Jaundice is the yellowing of skin, whites of eyes, and/or gums(, etc).
3. Absence seizures.
>Can be described as "spacing out". You more-or-less "black out" for several seconds. I used to get these a lot, and it certainly presented a challenge in a school setting as I would frequently miss parts of what the teachers were saying. After testing, it was determined that I don't have epilepsy, and they weren't sure what the cause was (I had also gotten some partial seizures). Since getting the corn out of my system as much as we have, I haven't had this problem.
One thing to keep in mind about an allergy is that it can go in layers. For me, once we got all of the obvious sources of corn out of my system (straight corn, corn syrup, corn starch, etc), I would be feeling pretty great for a while. And then I'd be doing bad again. After some poking around, we'd find out I was reacting to a direct derivative (glucose, xanthan gum, citric acid, etc). We would read the labels and once we got the direct derivatives out, I'd be feeling pretty great for a while. And then I'd be doing bad...again. More prodding and it led to some odd things like "sorbitol is broken down and processed using a corn derivative" - so I'm reacting to sorbitol. And so on and so forth. The more corny stuff we've gotten out of my system, the more sensitive to corn I've become. It's like that for other people too.
One last thing: This list is not a complete symptom list. Everyone is different, and the allergy comes out differently for everyone. There are symptoms that are more common than others, but it is entirely possible that if you or someone you know has a corn allergy, you'll see a symptom that's not listed here and that maybe a lot of corn allergic people don't get. What it comes down to is that you know how you feel. If you have a problem that can't be explained and isn't going away, look at allergies. Not necessarily corn, because Heaven knows that there are a million other kinds. But monitor how you feel after eating certain foods. If you notice that something gets worse in correlation to something you've eaten, look at the ingredients of what you ate and start eliminating some of those things from your diet. You may notice that you start to feel better, and that maybe an unexplained, recurring problem starts to get better. Anything is possible with an allergy. And...remember that allergies aren't always food; sometimes it's something in your environment, whether it be indoors or outdoors.
Good luck. :) I'll be adding a gadget to my Blog pretty soon here to list some helpful links in regards to corn allergies. At least one of which will be a recipe Blog; keep in mind that the main focus for it is eliminating corn. If you're anything like me, you'll likely have to alter the recipes to be friendly for other allergies you may have.
Have a great one, and take care!
-Bryn
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