Looking For Some Reassurance

[Elfunk11]

I was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity in May and have been on a strict gluten-free diet for 73 days now. Most of my gastric symptoms have disappeared and I'm feeling better. However, I'm still struggling with extreme fatigue and my joint pain flares up from time to time. I felt like I was getting much better, but occasionally I have set backs and days that I feel really bad. I'm starting to fell discouraged and wonder if there may be some other problem with my health.i feel worse now than I did about a month into the diet. For people who have been gluten-free for a while, how long did it take you to feel normal again? Is it normal to relapse on the road to recovery? Some days I feel fine and others I feel like I'm starting from square one again.

[Dugudugu]

It took me 6 months till I realized I didn't woke up completely exhausted. Yes it is normal to relapse on the road till recovery. I still have days that I feel awful, like the huge brainfog 'attack' I had this whole day. Good luck and don't give up.

[BelleVie]

Are you taking any supplements? Maybe try a B vitamin supplement? I've heard they are very good for helping to increase your energy.

[AlwaysLearning]

Yeah, I'd say definitely get tested for vitamin deficiencies. There are quite a few that are common with celiac. Despite having a ton of symptoms disappear when I went gluten free, some still got worse for 4-5 months before I finally figured out that I was missing something. I guessed a couple on my own, but went to see a doctor to confirm before supplementing, and he found some more.

 

For me, vitamin D goes hand in had with fatigue and B12 for mood and abdominal pain. And it doesn't take much to suffer symptoms from some of these. Just being low in the "normal" range can be enough to have symptoms.

But I also am suspicious of many of the gluten-free foods out there on the market for having microscopic amounts. I sometimes think I have a hint of reaction symptoms but not enough to be sure. But I still try to avoid buying it again and am more suspicious of anything from that source. The companies that only make gluten free food and nothing else are the only ones that I've found to be safe so far. Or those I make from scratch.

[nvsmom]

My fatigue improved at 6 months but it didn't go away until I had my hypothyroidism treated to a level that most doctors seem uncomfortable with (TSH is below 1, free T3 is at the top of the chart).

 

If your fatigue doesn't go by Halloween, you might want to check your thyroid. Celiac caused me fatigue, but the hypothyroidism was just as bad for me, if not worse. TSH should be near a 1, free T4 and free T3 should be in the 50-75% range of your lab's normal reference range, and TPO Ab should be low.

 

Best wishes.