This is kind of a spin-off of another post here, the one whose friend eats gluten even though she says she has celiac.
I have a friend who says she *was* gluten intolerant. She swears that she was cured of her symptoms -- joint aches, migraines, intestinal issues -- after going gluten free. She's been gluten free for over a year. Then just a few weeks ago she ate some bread because she "couldn't stand it any longer" (her words). And lo and behold, no symptoms. So she ate another piece the next day. Still no symptoms. Then she tried some pasta. Nothing.
What do you think? I'm wondering if she ever was really experiencing those symptoms, although there are a lot of them on her list. All the same ones I got rid of, in fact. But I am NOT willing ever to try eating a piece of bread since I know how bad I feel when I get accidentally glutened.
I've googled around, but can't really find anything reliable on whether or not someone can recover from being gluten intolerant.
My thought is maybe someone could recover from being gluten intolerant, but not from having celiac?
Well, I don't know, but I do know that I am not ever eating gluten again. Just wondered what you all think, those of you who know so much more than I do about this whole subject.
edited to add: I am diagnosed with celiac by a blood test. I never had the endoscopy because I wasn't willing to eat gluten for weeks and weeks and weeks just for that. My doctor agreed, and said the blood test was enough.
I guess you could cure a non- Celiac gluten intolerance. Probably depends on why they were intolerant in the first place. Maybe that reason isn't a factor any more. Problem is, it isn't always clear what the underlying issue is.
This is based on the assumption a person who SAYS they have a gluten Intolerance really has one.
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"A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water."
-Carl Reiner
"Snow and adolescence are the only problems that disappear if you ignore them long enough."
-Earl Wilson
"We build statues out of snow, and weep to see them melt."
IMHO and based on pages and pages of research I have read for 2.5 years.
either you have Celiac an autoimmune disease which is incurable, but treatable!
or a serious non-celiac gluten intolerance (requiring abstinence to feel well )
or you don't.
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"Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way we cope with it makes the difference." Virginia Satir
"The strongest of all warriors are these two - time and patience." Leo Tolstoy
"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else" Booker T. Washington
“If idiots could fly, the sky would be like an airport.”― Laura Davenport
"Do or do not. There is no try. "- Yoda.
"LTES" Gem 2014
Misdiagnosed for 25+ years; Finally Diagnosed with Celiac 11/01/10. Double DQ2 genes. This thing tried to kill me. I view Celiac as a fire breathing dragon --and I have run my sword right through his throat. I. Win.
My two cents worth is::::::: NO to the word"CURE" whether celiac of gluten sensitive... Both can be managed & controlled by a 100% gluten free diet...
And for some people it may take a while for them to start to present with gluten issues. So this person may be one that after going off gluten has become less sensitive as time goes by or for others they become more sensitive to gluten as time goes by...but it will once again catch up with them either way...
I don't know. Maybe for some people this is true. I was horribly allergic to strawberries as a kid and now they never bother me at all. So if someone has a wheat allergy, sure maybe yeah it can change...
Now for personal experience: I don't 'officially' have celiac, but I know i CANNOT eat gluten. Hard to imagine this all would miraculously just go away. Maybe because my gums, teeth, and joints are so much healthier, I tell myself that even if my guts just one day didn't react the violent way they do I still wouldn't want those other symptoms to come back.
If it is an intolerance and not celiac then strictly laying off of the gluten for a few years may allow you to eat it again. But the intolerance can just as easily come back so for some people it is advisable to continue to lay off. That would be me, with dairy! But other people find they can eat it sometimes. Probably not advisable to eat it every day.
My daughter had gluten intolerance and does not currently but... We were told to get ourselves retested every three years because these things can change. If you have food intolerances it is best to rotate the foods that you eat and not to eat something every day.
So... Cured of it? I wouldn't say so. But the word "cure" in and of itself has a variety of meanings. And it is not one that I like to use.
I don't know who diagnosed your friend or how. Or perhaps she just noticed the problems and stopped eating it? My daughter's symptoms (that we know of) were skin rashes and stomach pains. But she is also intolerant to a several things now. Was a lot more prior. So the combination of those things not only led her to being sick to her stomach almost all the time but also problems with attention and learning. She changed her diet and was a different child!
As a sero-negative but firmly diagnosed celiac IMHO NCGI and Celiac are both the same thing. It is known that folks with celiac can go through a 'honeymoon' period after being gluten free for a while. This was seen most often in children diagnosed when they hit their teen years and lead to medical folks thinking that celiac could be 'outgrown' in times past. We now know of course that isn't the case.
It may take a while for symptoms to reappear and they may have a different presentation but usually they will reappear. The person may develop symptoms they don't associate with celiac like neuro issues, liver problems, joint pain etc before the more commonly thought of GI issues appear. I personally think it is a real issue that so many doctors and patients just think tummy issues when they think celiac and thus ignore or just medicate other presentations. Real and at times permanent damage can be done in folks for which the intestinal problems are the least of their symptoms.
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Courage does not always roar, sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying "I will try again tommorrow" (Mary Anne Radmacher)
celiac 49 years - Misdiagnosed for 45 Blood tested and repeatedly negative Diagnosed by Allergist with elimination diet and diagnosis confirmed by GI in 2002 Misdiagnoses for 15 years were IBS-D, ataxia, migraines, anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, parathesias, arthritis, livedo reticularis, hairloss, premature menopause, osteoporosis, kidney damage, diverticulosis, prediabetes and ulcers, dermatitis herpeformis All bold resoved or went into remission with proper diagnosis of Celiac November 2002 Some residual nerve damage remains as of 2006- this has continued to resolve after eliminating soy in 2007
Mother died of celiac related cancer at 56 Twin brother died as a result of autoimmune liver destruction at age 15
Children 2 with Ulcers, GERD, Depression, , 1 with DH, 1 with severe growth stunting (male adult 5 feet)both finally diagnosed Celiac through blood testing and 1 with endo 6 months after Mom
Positive to Soy and Casien also Aug 2007
Gluten Sensitivity Gene Test Aug 2007 HLA-DQB1 Molecular analysis, Allele 1 0303
Thanks for the replies. My friend was never diagnosed with anything, but after I was she decided that she'd try gluten free also. When she said it had gotten rid of a lot of symptoms I thought "good, another one that the doctors missed". But now I don't know. I think maybe she was just trying to copy me. But who knows.
Well, I just roll my eyes (inside) when she starts talking about anything medical anyway, because she is a bit of a drama queen about illness. (which is what makes me suspicious about the gluten in the first place).
I would say no, however, I developed a peanut allergy at age 39 and was told by both the e/r doctor (had to go for allergice reacion, first one in my life) and by the allergist that the body changes, and changes often. People can develop allergies at any age, and the body can also change and someone can no longer have allergic reactions to things.
My bottom line is that I think it's possible if it's an intolerance or allergy. Not possible if it's Celiac.
There's my two pennies
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Celiac disease April 2013 -- so glad I got answers and can heal now.
My guess is her symptoms will return in time if she was NCGI or Celiac Disease -- there are those diagnosed with Celilac Disease that have no gastro reaction to gluten ingestion -- also she was gluten-free for long enough to heal damage to her small intestine (if there was damage) and it may take some time for the damage to return which will bring the symptoms back.
If she never has any symptoms return, she likely just felt better eating gluten free -- my hubs does and he has neither NCGI or Celiac Disease - that we know of
I am almost certain that I have had celiac disease my entire life but my GI symptoms came and went - during my teens and late twenties I did not often get the stomach aches and bloating that I had in childhood, early twenties and my thirties. The problem was that my other symptoms grew worse: hair loss, pain, migraines, joint issues, fatigue... those all grew steadily worse but I never equated waffles with my migraines or sore fingers.
I hope your friend continues to feel better, but if gluten really was an issue for her... i doubt it.
There's still not a lot of definitive research on Gluten intolerance, so... I can't say anything for sure, but I would think not.
If she's never been tested for Celiac, maybe now is a good time to do it when she's eating gluten again. If it comes back negative, at least she'll know that it's not that. However, even if she has an intolerance, symptoms will likely come back eventually. (Haven't we all had the "oh, I think that had gluten but I feel fine" until it hits you a few days later.)
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~ Be a light unto yourself. ~ - The Buddha
- Gluten-free since March 2009 (not officially diagnosed, but most likely Celiac). Symptoms have greatly improved or disappeared since.
- Soy intolerant. Dairy free (likely casein intolerant). Problems with eggs, quinoa, brown rice
- mild gastritis seen on endoscopy Oct 2012. Not sure if healed or not.
- Family members with Celiac: Mother, sister, aunt on mother's side, aunt and uncle on father's side, more being diagnosed every year.
There no difference, just a variation or full blown celiac in waiting. Yes sure if you stop eating it long enough you can eat it again without symptoms. I used to get destroyed in the gut any time I ate gluten, didn't eat it for three years and tried some bread... did nothing. Tried some more.. did nothing. Roughly at that time I had the genetic test and was positive for DQ2 so decided I'd perhaps skip the bread for life . Still I did get to the point where it had no effect, it wasn't going to be permanent though.
There are multiple way you can be sensitive to gluten. One form of non celiac gluten sensitivity is that your intestinal barrier is weakened (leaky gut) and allows gluten to cross to your bloodstream and trigger reaction. With careful dietary changes the the intestinal barrier can be restored and food allergies diminish.
I have myself had strong reaction to gluten and within 6 months of clean eating the reaction is gone. I am free to eat gluten if I want (hint: I almost never eat it)
My guess is her symptoms will return in time if she was NCGI or Celiac Disease -- there are those diagnosed with Celilac Disease that have no gastro reaction to gluten ingestion -- also she was gluten-free for long enough to heal damage to her small intestine (if there was damage) and it may take some time for the damage to return which will bring the symptoms back.
If she never has any symptoms return, she likely just felt better eating gluten free -- my hubs does and he has neither NCGI or Celiac Disease - that we know of
Russian Roulette in my opinion.
I totally agree with this post, words right outta my mouth (fingers )
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Vegetarian, Gluten Free diet since 03/2013, sensitivity to raw onions, soy, allergic to Cinnamon
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since I know how bad I feel when I get accidentally glutened.
