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What To Expect, When

Pam M

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Pam M Newbie
Pam M
Posted

I am first week in to gluten free diet and (ever impatient) wondered when I would start to feel better. Just feel tired, worn out, stomach achy etc.... Would be keen to hear when other people started to feel more lively!

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shadowicewolf Proficient
shadowicewolf
Posted

Hard to say. Right now i would guess you are still going through gluten withdrawl and as such, your body is probably throwing a fit at not having what it wants.

 

It took a while.  The main symptoms ("D" and vomiting) cleared up within a week of the diet starting, but the other things took a while.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Many people see noticeable improvement quickly, but there are numerous factors to consider.

Celiac disease damages the body, particularly the small intestine. That damage needs to heal. As soon as you stop eating gluten, you stop making the antibodies. But the existing ones take time to die off. The healing process begins. How long it will take depends on how much damage there is to heal. Younger people seem to heal more quickly than older ones.

I was 46 at diagnosis, with severe damage to my villi. I began feeling somewhat better soon, but had serious symptoms for several weeks. It was several months before I truly felt well.

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Hey Pam and Welcome!

 

Eating simply will help you recover more quickly. Meats, fish, fresh veggies, rice, potatoes, and fresh fruit.  Season with salt and pepper.  Shop on the perimeter of the store and stay away from processed foods, for now.

 

As you feel better, add more items to your menu, one at a time.  Avoid dairy products for a while until your body heals (it can cause you the same issues as gluten)  Dairy products can be added back sucessfully later.

 

But, to your question.  It depends on the level of your damage to your intestines.  If you caught it early, you may experience a quick recovery, if not , a delayed recovery.  But a full gluten free diet is required, so be dilegent.  And good days are ahead of you!

 

 

Feel free to ask any question.  And, again, welcome to the Club.! :)

Pam M Newbie
Pam M
Posted
  • Author

Many thanks all for the advice! Much appreciated. Will give it time and not be too impatient! Lactose is something I will take out as well, but was wondering whether the lactase enzyme supplements would help here? I have always tended not to use too many processed foods - but will steer clear totally for a while. Thanks again!

Pam M Newbie
Pam M
Posted
  • Author

One other question if that's ok. Today I'm suddenly constipated. Is this normal when coming off gluten?

funkflex Rookie
funkflex
Posted

Well I am dealing with constipation from time to time even 5 months into GFD. A couple of spoons of flax seeds in the morning usually helps. Takes some time for it to get through the system. You may also try prunes or hot chocolate if you're into that sort of thing. Cocoa contains a lot of fibre and this helps speed things up.

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Celiac Mindwarp Community Regular
Celiac Mindwarp
Posted

I alternated constipation and D for about 3 weeks when I started gluten-free, having never really had it except when pregnant.

It can take a while for your body to settle.

Welcome :)

Where else could you get to meet people and discuss BMs?Keep asking questions we have all been there and it really helps the transition.

mommida Enthusiast
mommida
Posted

I opened this post to warn of the constipation.  Keep drinking water and fluids.  Try prune juice warmed if you can't stand the taste cold.

 

If you have NO signs of diverticulitis you might try figs.  They are nature's little colon cleansers.

  • 2 weeks later...
Brandiwine Contributor
Brandiwine
Posted

One other question if that's ok. Today I'm suddenly constipated. Is this normal when coming off gluten?

I had some issues with constipation the first couple weeks in GFD. Be sure to get adequate fiber from fresh fruits and veggies should help, and steer clear if rice cakes seemed to give me issues in that area.

pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

It took about 9 months for me to settle into a normal bathroom routine. C was a big gluten symptom for me, as it turned out. When I first started getting "regular" I thought I was getting D, and was irritated that I had to go more often.

Go figure.

  • 2 weeks later...
alesusy Explorer
alesusy
Posted

Patience is the main thing. I don't mean resignation: I mean do not get scared if your symptoms take time to clear. Everybody's different. What I can tell you for sure is that if you manage to get really gluten-free, SOME symptoms should clear soon, in the space of a few days. My main symptom - gastro problems - is still there after 5 months gluten-free: some days are OK, some days with C and worse (rare) days with D. But mental clarity and energy are immensely improved, and the depression has lifted (and I've had more normal BM in these months than in the last ten years). Also muscolar tension (causing huge headaches) is much much better.

 

It's a long road: first your body has to get clean of the antibodies (it takes some months) then it has to start reconstructing villis and then it has to adjust. Your gut may become very sensitive to some foods: my personal basic diet is chicken and rice, lettuce and apples (I luckily adore roast chicken and parboiled rice). Stick to non processed fresh food whenever possible. I was given the same advice and didn't really follow it in the first weeks - I thought I did, but I was continually throwing in other stuff (lots of nuts, gluten-free chocolate, cravings for Coke, LOTS of gluten-free biscuits and processed crackers and processed pasta with other stuff in it - normal wheat pasta is just wheat but gluten-free pasta has lots of additives etc) because, hey, I already had cut out everything with lactose plus my beloved wheta pasta and bread and was trying to compensate. But it's really useful to give your body simple foods in the first months.

 

You may be getting some NEW symptoms you did not have before. Don't worry too much. Keep a food journal and try cutting out the foods that could be responsible. Be gentle to yourself. Personally, if by this time next year I'm still having specific problems I will go looking specifically for other health issues that may be causing them. For now, I'm fiddling with food and studying reactions...

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    • SamAlvi
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      Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Just to clarify, I actually did have my initial tests done while I was still consuming gluten. I stopped eating gluten only after those tests were completed, and it has now been about 70 days since I went gluten-free. I understand the limitations around diagnosing NCGS and the importance of antibody testing and biopsy for celiac disease. Unfortunately, where I live, access to comprehensive testing (including total IgA and endoscopy with biopsy) is limited, which makes things more complicated. Your explanation about small-bowel damage, nutrient absorption, and iron-deficiency anemia still aligns closely with my history, and it’s been very helpful in understanding what may be going on. I don't wanna get Endoscopy and I can't start eating Gluten again because it's hurt really with severe diarrhea.  I appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed and informative guidance. Thank you so much for this detailed and thoughtful response. I really appreciate you pointing out the relationship between anemia and antibody patterns, and how the high DGP IgG still supports celiac disease in my case. A gluten challenge isn’t something I feel safe attempting due to how severe my reactions were, so your suggestion about genetic testing makes a lot of sense. I’ll look into whether HLA testing is available where I live and discuss it with my doctor. I also appreciate you mentioning gastrointestinal beriberi and thiamine deficiency. This isn’t something any of my doctors have discussed with me, and given my symptoms and nutritional history, it’s definitely worth raising with them. I’ll also ask about correcting deficiencies more comprehensively, including B vitamins alongside iron. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to help. I’ll update the forum as I make progress.
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    • lizzie42
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      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
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