How Long Did It Take You To Feel Better?

[CaliSparrow]

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

[GFreeMO]

I go through the one good day followed by several bad days too.  It is truly a pain and I get so annoyed at the recovery process with all of this.  I want a quick fix.  Like an antibiotics to an infection kind of result.  

 

The 2 things that went away for me are the horrible joint pain and migraines.  I am dealing with raw and sore intestines and bowel issues and muscle weakness and a lack of stamina.  

 

I do push myself some.  I keep the house clean and make myself go out for a walk almost daily.  It might just be to down on the corner for a newspaper but it still keeps me doing something.

 

Hopefully, we both start having more and more of those good days.

 

-MO

[RyeSnake]

When I first went on the diet after diagnosis, I went 6 months and thought I could cheat with some pudding with bread in it.  I paid a most memorable price I can remmber 9.5 years ago. Saw a nutritionist who told about flavoring and things I thought she was being over picky about.  I found for myself that over the years I have become more sensitive.  Effected my thyroid and since I am on the meds I have lots of energy now.

Since I have been more wary in watching the ingredients I've this most surviable as time goes on. Still miss one now and then and pay for it but now qute as bad as I've gone 10 years and still going.

 

Rye

[jordan shulak]

I was diagnosed in April 2012 and went gluten-free immediately - I am now just comfortable with my diet (gluten & lactose free). It took a long time to get comfortable eating outside of my own kitchen. I question everything; max & ermas had a "gluten-free Salmon" however when I asked about the suspicious sauce I was told it had soy sauce in it (hidden gluten). I immediately notified the store manager and had the menu updated to reflect the salmon with NO SAUCE! It seems like all the good extra stuff always had hidden gluten (sauces, toppings, dressings, etc. ) I know you may feel frustrated but its very important to continue with the gluten-free diet even if you are still healing (research leaky gut and celiac). Good luck!!