Re: I'm on a similar journey

Forgive me for taking several days to respond. Your reply was very helpful indeed, as I was going through a period in which I couldn't swallow anything, and I was doing my best to keep from getting dehydrated -- pretty difficult when you can't swallow! Since grape seed extract used to help calm my gut, I would have tried to take some, although I'd noticed that the new brand I'd bought never seemed to help as the old brand did. Of course! There is probably gluten in the gelcap! I guess I'll have to cut open most capsules from now on, although I may skip this step with herbs and vitamins from companies to whose products I've never reacted, now that I know what reactions to look for.

Do you cut the capsules with a razor? Do you open all gelatin capsules this way or just those containing liquid?

I am going to email several supplement companies to ask about their capsule materials.

Because of your advice, I'm also slowing down on my detox program. This has been hard to do because I've felt rather desperate, but you're right, slow and steady wins the race.

One of the things I was panicking about this weekend while I was, despite my best efforts to the contrary, becoming dehydrated was the possibility that I might need an IV. I live in a rural area where the doctors don't believe that adults can be diagnosed with celiac disease, and where they don't believe that very many general food or chemical sensitivities can exist. I never sought biopsy proof for celiac disease after I deduced that I probably had it. I wish I had. If I needed to be hospitalized for a few days, I know that they would ignore my dietary needs completely, for they have done this to several of my own patients, thereby turning mild problems into more serious ones. My situation resolved without a trip to the hospital, thank God, but it got pretty bad for awhile.

Thank you for your very helpful response. I think it kept me from getting sicker.