Celiac And Constant Infections

[Lbell4791]

I was diagnosed 9 months ago and I strictly gluten free. For the past couple months I have been battling one infection after another...sinus, ear, urinary, yeast. I can't catch a break...it takes weeks to recover. I am beyond frustrated...anyone else go through this?? Any solutions???

[anti-soprano]

Ahhhhh!!!  We're twins.  This is me at 9 months also.  I've had three glorious non sick days since April 10th and I've had it up to here (well, you can't see it but my hand is above my head).

 

I was a person who avoided the common cold for 5 straight winters.  Although I had various maladies before being diagnosed, I was rarely sick or infected with something.  Since going gluten free- I can't even count them.  Colds, stomach bug- which was the sickest I've ever been in working memory, UTI that didn't respond to first round of meds, allergic reaction to second round of meds.  At this very moment I have a hacking cough.

 

I have no solution but to wait it out.  It's supposed to be better after the year mark.  Gotta believe it!  In the meantime, we should complain to each other because I think my husband is also tired of it!

 

Shellie

 

Edit:  I forgot to mention that it also takes me far longer to recover than whoever gave me the lovely cold or flu.

[nvsmom]

I was just the opposite, I was sick with greater frequency, duration and severity of symptoms before going gluten-free. This past year on the gluten-free diet has been the first year that I haven't ended up on antibiotics because of sinus infections or bronchitis.

 

On the other hand, I often have the senstaion of "fighting off" a cold. i get flu-like symptoms and fatigue that last a few days (or a few months) but I don't actually get sick (no usual fevers, runny nose or extreme cough). When that happens, I have assumed it's some sort of of autoimmune flare-up. I'm hoping that will disappear within a year or so.

 

I hope flu season is finally done with you this year! 

[TessTess]

Going refined food free has really helped me!

Originally I was not eating natural sugars also, but now I've been able to introduce fruit etc back into my diet.

Originally I was only eating:

vegetables, beans, nuts, eggs, wholegrains (no breads or yeasted things), (eg corn tortillas, making my own wholegrain muffins or pancakes), fresh meats, one serve of fruit a day (blueberries, raseberries, strawberries or a small apple), unsweetened almond milk. So no other fruits, fried foods, white rice, sugar, dairy etc

 

Now I still don't eat non whole grains, white rice, cane sugar etc, processed packaged type food, but do eat fruit and to make things sweet I use agave or stevia. I am feeling great and much healthier, no illnesses in the last few months since going on the diet. 

 

Trying to eat plenty of wild salmon, veggies, peppers, have stayed off the dairy mainly because my breastfed baby gets issues from it.

 

Hope things improve soon for you, I highly recommend trying a refined sugar free diet! 

[janpell]

I'm with TessTess on this. You probably have an underlying food intolerance. You should also journal to keep track of everything - foods and symptoms. I would definitely get rid of high offenders - grains, processed foods, soy, dairy, sugar, yeast for a couple of weeks and eat lower carb. good luck.

[notme]

the first year, i still caught everything - maybe a little less the next year,,  now THIS year (i will be 3 (yrs gluten-free) in july) i stayed well the whole entire winter <am usually sick from thanksgiving on through easter with one thing or another.  pneumonia almost every year...  not so much as a sniffle or a sneeze even though i was surrounded by snotty, germy kids who bring home everything from grade school.

 

i like to think of it as the star trek theory.  when my auto-immune was fighting gluten, everything else found a way in (NOT ENOUGH POWER, CAP'N!  TO FIRE THE WEAPONS AND KEEP THE SHIELDS UP!!  JUST CAN'T DO IT!!)  now that my system is back online (not wasting energy/resources fighting the gluten)  my body can fight germs like it is supposed to.  

 

warp speed, mr. sulu...