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Some Good News

alesusy

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alesusy Explorer
alesusy
Posted

The good news it that my anti-transglutaminatose antibodies have gone down. They were at 78 in December when I went Gluten Free, now they are at 17.5: still over the 16 which marks the upper level of sensibility, but way down.

 

The other good news is that I have finally understood - I think - that I have to eat CAREFULLY. Which does ot only mean gluten-free and no lactose, but eat LITTLE, chew WELL, do not eat right before going to sleep. And keep to BASIC simple food. And for now, no spicy foods, no alcohol. Chicken, some meat, some fish, rice, some veggies, lots of fresh fruit (oranges, apples, ananas...), eggs, some gluten-free ham, home made gluten-free bread and muffins, sometimes quinoa, mais and gluten-free pasta. I have to resort to some processed food (crackers and the like) when I travel, otherwise I try not to. (These are just the recommendations we read in these forums for all newbies, I know, but everyone has to learn the hard way, I suppose...)

 

I still have very bad days, but I have understood it is not only gluten. Eating too much, drinking alcohol and/or eating spicy foods means that I feel like crap the day after even if I had no gluten at all, and I get back to the big D. My bowels are still too frail to absorb any kind of traumatic food. I'm also trying to follow my instincts and go for the things that make my water mouth (the exceptions are cheeses and creams which I still would like to eat but cannot - for now, hopefully).

 

I also keep a food diary related to symptoms, extremely useful.

 

My energy levels are generally much better. Still not what I would like them to be, but definitely better..

 

 

 

 

 

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mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

One of the few good things about celiac disease is that it teaches us to eat mindfully :) . that eating is not something that is done by just stuffing something in one's mouth and passing it down the esophagus while watching TV AND reading a book.  That you have come to this realization, that we are what we eat, that food is designed to nourish the body and we have to give OUR bodies the food they need rather than whatever is closest or everybody else is eating, is one of celiac disease's free gifts.   And then the better you feel the more aware you become.  It is all good.  Congratulations on this milestone :)

alesusy Explorer
alesusy
Posted
  • Author

Thank you Mushroom. Very wise words:-)

I've been travelling for two days in France and I'll be travelling again in April for two weeks. This means bringing crackers and stuff to keep up... buying lots of apples... and basically, either choosing the restaurants, or if I cannot do that, eating at least something sure BEFORE I go to the restaurant where everybody else is meeting. I've found my friends most accomodating until now. But what I mean is, dt's easier to eat little... and say "no thanks, no dessert" or "water is fine, thanks" with a smile! It means I have to take responsability for what I eat: I mean - of course I do that, but even if my friends are generally accomodating I cannot expect ten people to eat where I want. So I'll eat before, bring along crackers and just have a salad at the table without making a big deal out of it and without expecting people necessarily to get worried about me. It's my problem, not theirs, so I have to get organized...

funkflex Rookie
funkflex
Posted

The good news it that my anti-transglutaminatose antibodies have gone down. They were at 78 in December when I went Gluten Free, now they are at 17.5: still over the 16 which marks the upper level of sensibility, but way down.

 

Just curious, is this U/mL or some other unit of measurement? On my ttg-iga tests it says the reference area is <7 (U/mL), so I'm curious, do different labs use different reference areas..??? Or are we talking different units of measurement here?

 

Anyways, good to see that the numbers are coming down. 

 

I still have very bad days, but I have understood it is not only gluten. Eating too much, drinking alcohol and/or eating spicy foods means that I feel like crap the day after even if I had no gluten at all, and I get back to the big D.

 

This is my experience as well, I am 99,9% sure that I do not consume any gluten, but sometimes I still feel crap afterwards. Haven't found any patterns yet, but I am suspecting that I should stay away from pancakes and tacos and rather eat soup and wok dishes.

 

I also keep a food diary related to symptoms, extremely useful.

 

I talked to a nutritionist who recommended me to do the same, so that's probably a good idea.

 

My energy levels are generally much better. Still not what I would like them to be, but definitely better..

 

Good to hear. Read that you are traveling, I hope you're trying to stay away from stress as much as you can. Last week I ignored the advice of my GP and overdid it because I was feeling more energetic. I ended up getting a cold and woosh, I was dead tired again. I guess we're more susceptible to illnesses while the TTG levels are up. Just a friendly warning:-)

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