24 replies to this topic

[jeanzdyn]

Oh! Reading this thread just made something 'click' for me! My Mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, BUT I believe that she may have had either Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance. The words BRAIN FOG just now hit me hard --I feel bad thinking that she may have had better brain power if only we had known to get her gluten free! (Mom passed away in 2005.)

Makes one really wonder about the 'relationship' between different diseases and illnesses, doesn't it?


I know that I had brain fog pretty bad before going gluten free. It really worried me sometimes -how bad my brain power was. I just added B12 to my vitamin/supplement regimen a couple of days ago, and already I am noticing better brain function -clearer thinking.
Not saying that I have brain fog 'licked', but I believe that I have some improvement.
BTW -I am gluten free since January 1, 2012.

[squirmingitch]

I was so bad off memory wise that I often could not remember the name of things like "fork", "plate", "knife" & forget (ha-ha) about me remembering just about anything at all! What's for dinner? I don't remember. Did I check the mail today? What day is this? What day is this? What day is this? all in the space of a half hour. My mom's side of the family had Alzheimers including mom. Uncle died of it at 61! I thought OMG! I've got it & got it way early. I'm going to die of it early just like Uncle Bob. I couldn't remember diddly squat.

Fast forward to 6mos. gluten-free & I'm baaaack! I still forget some things but I haven't forgotten the name of a fork in a long time now. I no longer worry about coming off as an idiot half wit when talking to people now. I used to have a fabulous vocabulary & it's coming back. It's so great to be able to call words into my mind again & use them!!!!!! YES!

[Newtoitall]

I'm really glad to see that lots of people are improving the celiac brain situation =D

[cougie23]

I was so bad off memory wise that I often could not remember the name of things like "fork", "plate", "knife" & forget (ha-ha) about me remembering just about anything at all! What's for dinner? I don't remember. Did I check the mail today? What day is this? What day is this? What day is this? all in the space of a half hour. I couldn't remember diddly squat.

Fast forward to 6mos. gluten-free & I'm baaaack! I still forget some things but I haven't forgotten the name of a fork in a long time now. I no longer worry about coming off as an idiot half wit when talking to people now.

OMG...That is SOOOO true....My hubby just couldn't understand why I couldn't remember what I did earlier in the day...he was convinced I didn't do ANYTHING while he was at work! The truth was ...I just couldn't remember! Heck I couldn't remember what I had for breakfast...I couldn't remember if I HAD breakfast! I'd go all day without eating...then realize I hadn't EATEN by 5:00pm, when I was getting dinner ready! and that was years before everything got REAL obvious! right before I was DX! I so relate to the not remembering what a fork was....Ummmmm...you know ...That THINGY!...With the sharp points!
Or I'd stop and have a food related question for the boys while making dinner...and it would sound like this..."Ddddddd...ddddd....ddddo....ddddd...ddd...dddd...DO yyyyyu.....dddddoo....yyyyyu......wwwwwwant?DDDDDDo yyyyyu....wwwwwant? uuuuuummmmm....IIIII forggggot!"My God! I thought I was having a stroke!(It didn't help at the time I was light sensetive, my extremities kept going numb, and I was having chest pains and had had a migraine for 2 months straight!)...REALLY SAD AND PATHETIC....then my arm or cheek would start twitching or I would feel like passing out!(turned out to be celiacs/and caesin...the dairy was causing migraines, muscle seisures and hot flashes...go figure!)
I am SOOOO glad THAT is in the past! THINGS are SOOOO much better now! Still have a little trouble remembering how to spell words, and I have ALOT of trouble still with GLUTEN ATAXIA...my hands,calves and forearms especially! but MAN....things are SO much better by a long shot! you totally brought back some memories there!
One time I was walking and compleatly lost the feeling in my toes on my right foot and 2 toes on my left...gone ..it was like they compleatly disapeared...not tingly(that happens alot too), but disapeared like they wern't there! Trust me when I say THAT is rather unnerving!
But a Glutenfree/caesinfree/nightshade/soy free diet ( well mostly soy free...still rooting out the soy, it rears its ugly head in unlikely places...LOL!)...has made a WORLD of difference! and it will get even better when I can beat this malabsorbtion issue I'm sure!Still have along way to go....its only been since sept. 2011. My Doc says it takes a while especially since I have at least 40 years worth of undiagnosed Celiacs damage to heal(I can trace it back to age 6... when I had stomache issues/ fainting spells and severe migraines!....6 yr.olds shouldn't have chronic migraines or fainting spells! with all the bloodwork and catscans, they NEVER thought to test for FOOD allergies!) ....But that is a story very often told among us Celiacs! ...Better LATE than NEVER!

[Newtoitall]

OMG...That is SOOOO true....My hubby just couldn't understand why I couldn't remember what I did earlier in the day...he was convinced I didn't do ANYTHING while he was at work! The truth was ...I just couldn't remember! Heck I couldn't remember what I had for breakfast...I couldn't remember if I HAD breakfast! I'd go all day without eating...then realize I hadn't EATEN by 5:00pm, when I was getting dinner ready! and that was years before everything got REAL obvious! right before I was DX! I so relate to the not remembering what a fork was....Ummmmm...you know ...That THINGY!...With the sharp points!
Or I'd stop and have a food related question for the boys while making dinner...and it would sound like this..."Ddddddd...ddddd....ddddo....ddddd...ddd...dddd...DO yyyyyu.....dddddoo....yyyyyu......wwwwwwant?DDDDDDo yyyyyu....wwwwwant? uuuuuummmmm....IIIII forggggot!"My God! I thought I was having a stroke!(It didn't help at the time I was light sensetive, my extremities kept going numb, and I was having chest pains and had had a migraine for 2 months straight!)...REALLY SAD AND PATHETIC....then my arm or cheek would start twitching or I would feel like passing out!(turned out to be celiacs/and caesin...the dairy was causing migraines, muscle seisures and hot flashes...go figure!)
I am SOOOO glad THAT is in the past! THINGS are SOOOO much better now! Still have a little trouble remembering how to spell words, and I have ALOT of trouble still with GLUTEN ATAXIA...my hands,calves and forearms especially! but MAN....things are SO much better by a long shot! you totally brought back some memories there!
One time I was walking and compleatly lost the feeling in my toes on my right foot and 2 toes on my left...gone ..it was like they compleatly disapeared...not tingly(that happens alot too), but disapeared like they wern't there! Trust me when I say THAT is rather unnerving!
But a Glutenfree/caesinfree/nightshade/soy free diet ( well mostly soy free...still rooting out the soy, it rears its ugly head in unlikely places...LOL!)...has made a WORLD of difference! and it will get even better when I can beat this malabsorbtion issue I'm sure!Still have along way to go....its only been since sept. 2011. My Doc says it takes a while especially since I have at least 40 years worth of undiagnosed Celiacs damage to heal(I can trace it back to age 6... when I had stomache issues/ fainting spells and severe migraines!....6 yr.olds shouldn't have chronic migraines or fainting spells! with all the bloodwork and catscans, they NEVER thought to test for FOOD allergies!) ....But that is a story very often told among us Celiacs! ...Better LATE than NEVER!

If you don't mind me asking, how did you come to suspect Nightshades? I've seen that a few times but never considered it a whole lot, one other thing, I am quitting dairy in general and sugar if I can avoid it totally, but it is some intense withdrawal I feel like an addict the way I want milk or something lol did you get anything like that? pretty sure one day off it and my back pain is already gone =/

I've been making eggs for breakfast for like, the last 2 years and the last week I don't know what it is but I've constantly left the burner on! going to destroy my damn cookware lol it's weird, I dunno how I can go fine for 2 years and then just start forgetting something so obvious, it's not like I'm rushing for something after it's made o.O

[cavernio]

Hmmm, I had no idea that gluten could make such BAD memory problems...sigh, yet another sign that my dad is also a celiac yet he won't get tested.

I haven't been gluten-free long enough to get better. 2.5 months before starting it again for my biopsies (well, I probably had CC then anyways) wasn't enough to lift my brain fog.

Day 2 of my REAL gluten-free time now. Not long enough :-p

[squirmingitch]

Hmmm, I had no idea that gluten could make such BAD memory problems...sigh, yet another sign that my dad is also a celiac yet he won't get tested.

I haven't been gluten-free long enough to get better. 2.5 months before starting it again for my biopsies (well, I probably had CC then anyways) wasn't enough to lift my brain fog.

Day 2 of my REAL gluten-free time now. Not long enough :-p

Just wait!

[kareng]

I had a hard time......Wait! What were we talking about?

As I got better physically, I tried to work my brain. I would talk to myself my dog to work on words. I did different puzzles on the computer. I think it helps. There are memory games, too. Or just try to memorize a list of something - state capitols, presidents, countries and capitols, dog breeds, etc.

[Sara S.]

I was losing my memory and ability to think. It got to the point where I couldn't read things I needed to read for work. This was still going on 10 months of eating gluten free. Then I started taking methyl-cobalamin (B12), folate, and some other B vitamins (along with the vitamin D I was already taking) and then the brain fog slowly started to lift. It's still not all the way back yet, but I'm completely functional now. I don't know if it was just time (> 10 months on a gluten free diet) or whether I was deficient in B-12 and folate.

[cougie23]

If you don't mind me asking, how did you come to suspect Nightshades? I've seen that a few times but never considered it a whole lot, one other thing, I am quitting dairy in general and sugar if I can avoid it totally, but it is some intense withdrawal I feel like an addict the way I want milk or something lol did you get anything like that? pretty sure one day off it and my back pain is already gone =/

I've been making eggs for breakfast for like, the last 2 years and the last week I don't know what it is but I've constantly left the burner on! going to destroy my damn cookware lol it's weird, I dunno how I can go fine for 2 years and then just start forgetting something so obvious, it's not like I'm rushing for something after it's made o.O

Its just that it got to a point that EVERYTIME I ate Marinara..Stuffed peppers...potatoes..or eggplant , I'd Get a reaction like I did when I was gluttened! Horrilbe stomache pain..instant bloating and nausia...usreally ending in me throwing up 5 minutes to 1/2 an hour later!It wasn't allways like that...but started gradualy mostly with tomatoe products at first...but when I became really sensetive right before DX and definatly after...it became more obvious! though I first thought I was being GLUTENED somehow! Then I read about night shades...even posted a thread asking about it!Thats when I REALLY understood the conection!I USED to eat this stuff ALL the time...but my Celiacs hit that saturation point....and now I'm sensitive to ALL kinds of things I wasn't before! Don't get me wrong...there were signs...Sometimes these things would make me sick...sometimes not...but I never put 2&2 together and allways thought it was SOMETHING ELSE! NowI know better!thanks to my fellow Celiacs!

And yeah...I've set a few fires in my new stove..(using the broiler)...I had 6 inch flames 3 different occasoins setting my tortillas on fire...I like making my own chips using mission yellow corn tortillas/olive oil/hemylaian sea salt...then eating them with Hummas(good way to get your beans/protien!)...but I've forgotten them while waiting and reading the forum...and yes They made a lovely flame as I pulled them out and extinguished them in the sink!LOL! I've left my keys in the freezer...sometimes can't remember the name of things (alot)...but its getting better,It just takes time! I don't know how many times I boiled my tea water away and burned the pot! LOL...finally we got a teapot that whistles when it boils...yeah its loud and annoying...but I don't burn the pot! If only they made one for frying pans!LOL!