Hey everyone,
I'm sure there's been alot of the same question on this board from newbies, but I hope someone is reading.
I recently decided to give up wheat/grains for a week to see if it would help me lose weight. It did btw, although I also cut sugar. On day 2 I had a pretty bad headache and felt almost flu-ey. I took painkillers and assumed it was withdrawal from sugar.
By day four I felt AMAZING. Better than I can remember feeling in a long, long time. I had never cut wheat completely out of my diet before and suspected that was it. I had heard about gluten intolerance ofcourse but never in a million years did I think I might have issues with, it but now I'm not so sure.
Some background, Im 37yo, I've been overweigth since age 7, when I started piling on weight despite a pretty wholesome, home-cooked diet. I did have a huge apetite for food though and was teased about it by my family - I was always hungry. I'd feel hungry so soon after eating that there was no way I was actually hungry lol... I had alot of headaches as a kid too. Migranes, where all sound and light and smell caused excruciating, throbbing pain. I got pretty severe period pain as a teenager, near passing out, unable to function, I would have diahhrea and vomit.
This has followed me all my life. Overweight, feeling tired all the time, I never wake up feeling rested and full of energy, no matter how much sleep I get, I'm always tired, so tired theres always a dull ache. Most days I feel like my head is stuffed with cotton, I just can't seem to "wake up", I feel very groggy usually until after lunch time and be very tired again at 4pm.
I have night sweats where I wake up completely soaking, also wake up frequently feeling dizzy. I'll have 'fits', usually in the evening where I feel really hot and really irritated (my sister teases me that i've going through menopause since I was 20!) I'm on and off anti-depressants, diagnosed with clinical anxiety, I have aches in my knees, calves and elbows. I've acne along my jawline since early 20-something. (magnesium&vitB seem to help that).
I've always blamed my being overweight for all my complaints and just berate myself for being lazy and greedy and not being able to control my cravings.
Lately I feel like the headaches and migraines are getting more frequent over the last year or and worryingly frequent diahhrea too, which starts with very painful cramps, similar to bad period cramps. I break out in cold sweat and feel weak and faint. This is then followed by much rumbling and what I can only describe as 'peeing through the wrong opening'! I'll feel tired afterwards and very thirsty. I have noticed that this happens during the weekends more and actually I do tend to eat more bread on weekends.
Anyway, back to cutting the wheat out. On day 4 I felt amazing, I couldn't believe it. My stomach was 'quiet'... not constantly rumbling, constantly gassy and bloated and I felt awake and happy! On day 6 I had spagetti. The following morning I woke up with cramps and diahhrea. I cut out wheat again and felt great again. Everytime I go back to it now it seems I feel worse every time? I had pizza and two beers last saturday night and I felt completely exhausted the day after, headache and body aches, heart was pounding, felt i couldnt breathe deep enough and I now have an acne-covered jawline, the biggest breakout I've ever had btw.
So my question is; does this sound like celiac or sensitivity or intolerance?
I'm a bit confused about which is which, but I should I get tested for it just to be safe, right?
Thanks so much for reading,
love & light
