Low Energy And Feeling Depressed

[hannahs]

I've been diagnosed celiac for a year after 24 years of eating a very glutenous diet. I've found that although I'm much better i just get so down that my body just doesn't recover and cope as well as my friends. I feel like i am constantly battling with my body to keep going. I am a primary school teacher so work is full on and stressful. Does anyone else deal with this heavy feeling that i will never have the energy that my friends do? How do you deal? I'm needing some support at the moment.

[ravenwoodglass]

Welcome to the board. Sorry you are having a hard time. Have you had your vitamin and mineral levels checked? If not it might be helpful to do so. It can take a long time to heal fully and absorb nutrients that our body needs. Some of us have to supplement stuff like the B's and iron long term. If your B12 levels are low it will be helpful to use a sublingual B12 tablet as your body will have a hard time absorbing enough with damaged intestines.

Eat as clean as you can and if you haven't already be sure to read the Newbie 101 thread at the top of this page to make sure you don't have gluten sneaking in somewhere. It may not be the case with you but for me even a small amount of CC will make me depressed and tired. I hope you are feeling better soon.

[cristiana]

Couldn't agree more with ravenoodglass.   B12 levels are so important and for me at the early stages, when my B12 was low,  taking B12 in pretty large amounts made all the difference with my anxiety - I mean like night and day.  And still  if I get tired again I take a sublingual B12 in the morning and I don't fall asleep at night in front of the TV at 10pm!    I also was very low with my blood iron and before DX could not understand why, when I was out on a walk with a load of middle aged plus people,  they were racing on ahead up a hill.  I was literally last and one of the youngest there!  Do get your levels checked if you can and take it from there.

 

The other thing is try not to get down about how long it is taking to get better - it does feel so unfair when you are diagnosed at the same time or after other people you know and they seem to be doing so much better.  I think everyone heals at different rates.  Being a primary school teacher must be a lovely job but it is far from relaxing and maybe even if you were in A1 health the workload might make you feel quite tired anyway.

 

Oh - and my nutritionalist said to me it was very important to get enough protein in one's diet to avoid sugar highs and lows.  So she says I must have eggs, chicken or tinned fish every day and I really think that helps, when I remember.  Make sure you have some protein at breakfast time.

 

All the best.

[sunny2012]

I was diagnosed nearly 20 years ago. I clearly remember feeling better every year for about 5 years. I thought I had "healed" after that much time. What I failed to realize is just how sick I still was. I was so weary all the time (being totally gluten free) that there were days when I was really cross that someone dragged me into the hospital with one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. It was another few years of healing when I realized that I had been in constant pain with total exhaustion as my constant companion. I had just lived with it all my life and learned to ignore it.

 

Now 20 years later, I am finally not getting a cold every time I go to a public place. I can finally walk without cringing with every step. I wish I had known in advance to keep a diary. But my doctor all those years ago thought gluten could be safely used "for a few weeks to lose weight" and I was "lucky to have such a convenient disease". (Thankfully medicine has learned a lot in those two decades!)

 

I would have the doctor test for iron calcium and vit B12 levels. Those tend to recover very slowly. And they are critical to energy levels.

[w8in4dave]

I battle fatigue every day. I was just thinking I have got to get my levels checked!! Is there a food I can eat in the AM that will help with energy?

[1desperateladysaved]

Intense fatigue was an inseparable "buddy" for me for 30+ years.  I don't have it anymore.  The situation was very complicated, I have been peeling layer after layer of my onion of ill health off of me.  To help I used diet, supplements,  exercise, and prayer.  Now you know what is wrong and you can start to peel the layers off to.  I hope someday to hear your success story!

 

Dee

[gilligan]

My iron levels have improved, so I was told I can quit taking it.  Two weeks later, I do feel fatigued a little more than usual.  Dietician said to make sure you get enough fats and proteins, and to start the day with a solid dose of fat/protein rather than carbs.  She agreed with the doctor that it's best not to take anything that you really don't need.  I was thinking of going back on the iron, but I think I will just continue to improve my diet with the right kinds of foods.  Hope you're feeling better soon!

[nvsmom]

Hang in there. As the others said, it really does get easier.  Get yourself a few gluten-free treats on hand so you don't have to go without. It might help you feel better about the diet.

 

Have you had your thyroid checked?  Hypothyroidism is more common among celiacs, and when your thyroid is slow, it can slow your metabolism down by a fair bit.  Check the TSH, free T4, free T3, and TPO Ab

 

Best wishes to you.

[hannahs]

Thanks so much guys! It is nice to know i am not the only one. They have done full blood tests and apparently all my levels are within normal range but i still suffer from major fatigue. I guess in the scheme of things i haven't been gluten free for long.

My thyroid is underactive but i still need to get more tests before they will give me anything for it. I didn't know about the protein and fats though. I will definitely try that! Thanks again! X

[GFinDC]

Hi Hannah,

 

I agree with everything said before.  Some real good advice there.  One thing that helped me a lot with fatigue was taking selenium.  I had been taking vitamin pills but they didn't have any selenium in them.  Some people suggested eating Brazil nuts (high selenium) once in a while and that helped a lot.  Another thing that helped was making sure there was enough iodine in my vitamins and using iodized salt instead of sea salt.  And stopping coffee.

 

When you have celiac disease your intestine can become damaged and not absorb vitamins efficiently.  So it can be important to take vitamins even if you are eating a healthy diet.  We just need more vitamins incoming to absorb the same amount as everyone else.  That should change as we heal tho and return to a more normal absorption rate.  All this is IMHO.  It's good to go by the vitamin level testing as you have been doing.  Getting a copy of your test results and checking them yourself is important tho.  You don't want to be a the very lowest edge of the ranges, or at the high end.

 

We don't all have the same food issues.  Some people find stopping dairy for a while helps them feel better and digest better.  Other find additional food intolerances beyond dairy over time.  It's a learn as you go process.

[sunny2012]

I tend to believe only half of what the blood tests "report". My iron feel drastically recently. I was in hospital for a week. It takes about 6 months for the marrow to recover. When the doctor's office called about my recent blood tests they said, "it's just a little low. You can stop taking the iron." When I got the report it had dropped 4 points from the tests while in hospital. Sometimes they get used to "sick" people and brush off anything that is not really drastic. They are not purposely ignoring patients. They just get so busy with critical situations that they don't have time for those of us who can manage but just feel pretty rotten.

 

By the way, I felt a 4 point drop was unacceptable for me personally so I found a more absorb able form of iron.