CaliSparrow

Folks,

I thought I'd stopped ingesting anything with soy but I was terribly wrong. Somehow we ended up with a lot of soy products in our house. In addition, I found out Tylenol has stearic acid which is a derivative of soy. It also dawned on me that Tylenol is full of chemicals (duh!). This must be the benefit to having a clearer mind. I've been on a steady stream of over-the-counter painkillers for over 10 years . How could I have missed this?

Having been off of Tylenol for a few days now, I can tell you that it is disconcerting to actually feel everything that's going on in my body. My husband tells me that I am definitely improving. When I consider that, at one time, I was in bed most days, I would have to agree. The sensations in my body are distressing, but I know it's good to be fully aware of how our bodies react to things.

Yesterday I cooked with coconut oil and reacted to that. I've noticed in the past that my stomach feels funny after having coconut and I don't know if it's because it's a nut (I can't eat nuts) or if it's something else. Coconut doesn't make me break out like other nuts do so I thought maybe I could get away with eating it. It is causing neurological symptoms. Either that, or I'm just feeling the symptoms more now because I'm off of the Tylenol. Needless to say, today I'll be buying ghee.

Anyway, I'd like to know more about the Paleo diet. Does anyone have a good cookbook they can recommend? I'm no longer eating gluten-free products, nuts, corn, soy, gluten or dairy. Also, any suggestions on easy to grab foods would be helpful (like bananas). Today, I am replacing coffee with green tea.

It's a good thing I was completely ignorant of what this process would entail when I took up the gluten-free banner. It is a crazy ride. All I can say is, my poor body and the abuse it took while I was weak and gullible enough to rely on my dreamteam of doctors who know NOTHING about Celiac! My husband wants me to find a doctor in Functional Medicine. They seem to be all about environmental toxins, food and autoimmune diseases.

This turned out to be more of a blurt. Any help with Paleo easy to grab foods would be appreciated. It's always helpful to hear others' experiences with all of this.

These learning curves are making me weary. At least I'm on the road though.

Cali

I made it 35 days gluten-free and noticed many changes: skin looked better, eyes looked better. My lab results continually got better where Ferritin & hemoglobin were concerned. The last blood test showed high lymphs and low neutrophils but didn't concern me since my body seemed to be going through quite an ordeal once going gluten-free in October. I'm awaiting new test results come Monday.

Last weekend I accidentally consumed gluten, I believe, both Saturday and Sunday. My arms are very weak. There's a lot of petechiae on both arms and my stools are very pale in color. I itch all over (no rash). I am so weak and have spent three full days in bed. Before, when I was glutened, I had symptoms but the constellation of petechiae, pale stool and itching were either not there or not close to being this pronounced. Even though the fatigue was intense, I at least began having a better outlook about the 4th day. Not this time. I'm so weak and feeling thrashed even though I've been in bed (except for lots of laundry two days ago which wiped me out).

Can any of you speak to the increase in symptoms? Could consuming gluten two days in a row increase the symptoms and recovery time this much?

I'm getting worried. I keep telling myself it really is just the gluten. Can gluten have this big an impact on other conditions? I keep thinking of the toenail a girl "picked off" my foot a few years ago. I feel like I'm about to turn into powder.

I began this journey last October. Although the beginning of this was quite eye opening and a lot of terror (waiting for the troll with the big stick to appear everytime I ate!), I feel I have crossed the line from Newbie to _________ (insert next level here). My skin is something I can actually be proud of (since it's an organ, it is encouraging that the healing has started) and my face looks very different. People are commenting that my eyes are bigger & that even my brow is lifting. What a trip.

My mind is much clearer and I no longer have the emotional swings that leave me vulnerable. I am coming out of this with a greater understanding of mental illness and how vulnerable it can leave a person. I've found myself even taking my own strength and pulling back on it so as not to run people over. People, in general, seem more vulnerable to me now. This is all good and positive. It feels like a miracle has been handed to me and a new beginning at life.

Physical status: On my good days, it is catch-up time since everything around me suffers from neglect and my amazing partner does as much as possible (guilt abounds here). In a perfect world, I would not live this way. So, I am typically over eager to get as much done as possible. The few days following the "good" day, I am very fatigued, achy & weak. Then I begin to recover and spend my "good" day doing as much as possible again. This follows a four-day cycle or longer. It seems as if my muscles are just weak and in need of repair. Sometimes I question what I eat. In the beginning, I only ate the gluten-free food because I did not have the energy to cook (and still don't many days but have solved the problem of where to get healthy, SAFE food). Soy & dairy have also been eliminated from my diet. I am still using the hair dryer stand (it holds the blow dryer) so I'm not exhausted if I do my hair, if that's any indication of physical status...

Sometimes, I wonder if I'm too strict on the diet but am so ready to move on with life and contribute to society that the faster I can heal, the better so I've just taken out anything that doesn't feel quite right or causes the sore organs & soft tissue (or so it seems). There are times I wonder if food is still going into my bloodstream and that it is TIME that will unveil what is safe or unsafe. But the gluten, NO DOUBT, is the biggest offender by far. I want to get this show on the road and if I think I need to eliminate something in order to heal faster, I will!

All that being said, please share how long it took for you witness your own physical renewal. You will not disappoint me if it was a lengthy amount of time. Rather, it will give me the opportunity to relax and give myself the chance to heal without false hope or unrealistic expectations.

If you exercise, please add how you began this again and at what point. Did you push yourself or let it occur naturally as your energy returned?

Cali

Hi folks,

I am so happy! Went on the gluten-free diet in October (to feel better like everyone talks about) and was that ever an eye opener! I honestly had no idea that this could be my problem and really knew nothing about Celiac AT ALL!

My labs just came back since going gluten-free (albeit that is a struggle all it's own) and my Ferritin and Hemoglobin is rising with NO iron supplementation! It's a miracle! My hematologist of three years (who has been pressing me about my GI doc missing something) just called THRILLED. When I told him I was not taking supplements but had merely gone gluten-free, he said, "I hear you, I hear you. Happy New Year dear!".

This journey has been so long. I've spent so many years sick and, no, I don't have a crystal ball but just to THINK this is the answer, well, I am doing cartwheels (in my head because, Lord knows I don't feel well enough for the real ones YET). But I finally have hope.

I'm sure I'll have more to share as the days go by but thank you for your support during this process so far. It is quite the crazy journey at the beginning (WOW what a life changer) but I am so looking forward to continuing the healing process. Thank God for the "fad diet"! It ain't a fad to me. It's a gift.

Sorry for blurting but today is a good day

Cali

Okay, now I'm utterly confused.  I've been sick for about ten years now.  Becoming gluten-free reduced many of my symptoms but the symptoms also became more pronounced after eliminating gluten from my diet and then ingesting it.  This seemed to be THE ANSWER to my search of what is wrong!

My husband joined me in becoming gluten-free for reasons of solidarity.  He has had a problem with corn for quite some time but haven't noticed him sensitive to much else (except junk food).  He is very healthy and is enjoying the last bit of fat melting from his body by simply excluding gluten.

While we were at his parents' house over new years, I started glutening myself to ready my body for testing (and since it seemed futile to try to avoid gluten while there).  Needless to say, I couldn't handle it and discontinued my plans to be tested.

In the meantime, my husband has become sensitive to gluten.  He has some of the same symptoms and I'm worried.  What is the chance he could be gluten intolerant or a Celiac along with me?  Is there some guy ready to snap my picture saying I'd been punk'd?  Does EVERYONE have a problem with gluten???  Do our bodies reject whatever we completely exclude from our diets after a certain amount of time?  We are also noticing the impact refined sugar has on our bodies.  That's the next thing to go and I am sick of researching the ill effects of everything.

Is there anyone who knows someone who excluded gluten out of their diets who added it back in with little effect?  I really am wondering if this is poison to everyone or if there is something that happens when we exclude food from our diets (as in, CAUSING ourselves to be sensitive).  I know Celiac is real and so is gluten sensitivity but this is just unreal.  I don't want my husband to become sick because of food elimination.  Is that possible?

Please share your thoughts and experiences on food allergies and if you have noticed sensitivity to additional types of food.

Cali (Day 3 without gluten & feeling LOUSY & worried about hubby)