After Celiac Diagnoses - Were You Angry?

[IrishHeart]

and... we're a whole lot more capable of multi-tasking, facing adversity and more qualified at reading research 

and taking data, sifting through it and making sense of it all.

Plus, we know BS artists before they even 'round the block.

 

Tonalyn, did not mean to stray here, but as you can see, once you feel better, you'll be jibber- jabbering away like this too.

Hang in there, hon!

 

and my spidey sense tells me "Gee EFF in DC" is going to chime in here soon.... 

[GFinDC]

Hi Tonalyn,

 

Ok, don't get mad at me, all I said was "Hi"! 

 

Believe it or not, as peaceable and fun-loving a bunch as we are,  we still have had a few people with anger issues at times.  This thread about anger, quick temper, depression is just one thread about those kind of symptoms.

 

Anger, Quick Temper, Depression
https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/34917-anger-quick-temper-depression/

 

This article in the NY Times talks about the gut and how it makes a large amount of a critical brain hormone, serotonin.  That hormone production can be messed up if, drum roll here, the gut is messed up!  So, shocker, what you eat can affect your emotional well being.  If you do a web search on "serotonin, gut, depression" you will find more articles on it.  When there's fire in the gut, there's fire in the head!

 

A brain in the head, and one in the gut By Harriet Brown Published: Thursday, August 25, 2005

Open Original Shared Link

 

[bartfull]

And this one that I started a thread about a few minutes ago: Open Original Shared Link

 

It's about how our gut flora effect our minds, and our moods.

 

(And I am originally from the People's Republic of Connecticut, but now reside in the Cowboy's republic of South Dakota. I'm not even a Gemini. I'm a Virgo, but like our friend Gemini, I am ultra conservative on some issues, and ultra liberal on others. But mostly I just try to lay low and stay out of their way.  ) 

[tonalynn]

I am really starting to love this board and the people on it!

 

gluten-free in DC - your comment above your "picture" made me laugh out loud!

 

Gemini, we seem to have a scary amount in common. Honestly, the first thing I thought of when you said you were in Cambridge, Mass is "OH! Did you go see Stephen King when he was there in September?" Totally off celiac topic, but I am a HUGE fan and he only made 3 stops on his US book tour; New York, Boulder and Cambridge. So how freaky would the coincidence be if you also went to see him? ;-)

 

And just to chime in on the political thing - I'm coming to believe more and more that I'm just a simple Anarchist. I say fire 'em all, there's no such thing as an 'honest' politician, and strip the entire system all the way down to the original Constitution and start all over. Or, the other idea is from comedian Wanda Sykes. She said people should be put in office the way people are picked for jury duty. One day you just go get your mail and it's, "aww crap! I'm Secretary of State next month!" :-)

 

And thank goodness I'm not the only one that hates heat! I tell everyone before they come to my house to dress warm, it's nice and cool in here. If any of my Hashi's symptoms disappear from being gluten free, this one is at the top of my list! The money I'd save on my AC bill in the summer would be astronomical!

 

I know I'm just at the beginning of a very long journey, and it does give me hope that ya'll have gone through it and have come out the other side, so I should too. One thing that really concerns me is the amount of multiple allergy people with celiac I see here. I've heard that once you're completely detoxed from gluten that you become even more sensitive to it, and I'm wondering if that's what happened with other allergies to corn, soy, dairy, etc. I can only handle one crisis at a time here! ;-)

 

Thanks everyone, even when we stray off topic, your comments and anectodes really do give me a boost. So keep them coming! :-)

[IrishHeart]

Wanda Sykes--hilarious!

 

Celiac is an auto-immune disease, not an allergy really, but yes, some of us do have other food intolerances.

Often, they resolve after the gut lining is healed.So, keep that in mind.

 

And yes, some people do have IgE-mediated allergies in addition to celiac, but that's not the norm. Some people who thought they had multiple food and environmental allergies(like me) come to find they do not.

All the inflammation from undiagnosed celiac was creating major havoc in the body.

So, nothing is a "given" with this thing. Many issues can resolve. So keep that in mind, too!

 

Don't worry about what may or may not happen down the road.

 

Rule #1 -- let's get your gut healing first. That's your primary focus.

Rule #2-- just relax, and breathe. 

 

hmm....I should probably make that breathing thing rule #1--otherwise you'll be passed out on the floor.

 

Above all else, I think you will see that humor saves our collective arses every single time..

[Gemini]

I am not actually in Cambridge but live about 30 miles west of the city.  Like I said, they have great restaurants there and I do sometimes make the trek into the People's Republic..for some good gluten-free viddles.     I did not know Stephen King was in Boston but he doesn't live very far away anyway.  I have not read everything he has done because I don't like everything he has done BUT there are those novels that come by every once in awhile that he writes and I love.  I became totally engrossed in "The Dome".  The recent summer series based on the novel was total crap compared to the book. Plus, who did not like "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson?    One of his first novels, "Salems Lot", scared the crap out of me when I read it as a teen-ager. Good stuff!

 

A Constitutionalist, are you?  I like you more and more.  I would not define that as being an anarchist, though. I have no patience with that. But I do believe our founding Father's

were brilliant in the way they set up the system we have today.  It does need tweeking from time to time but I like the basic principles.

 

Hang tight and be patient with your health but I can assure you that things will get better and better as time goes on.....if you put the effort into it.  People tend to become more sensitive to gluten the longer they clean it out of their system.  That was my experience. But if you do the diet correctly, you will not be taking any hits on a regular basis.  It's entirely possible to go a very long time without being sick. It will also become the new normal for you and that's when acceptance comes in.

[frieze]

I was wondering how long it would take to spark a reply out of you on that one, Irishheart!    And this will prove that you can take a Massachusetts Democrat and an Independent Conservative and they can become fast friends.  I would never survive in this state if I let politics choose my friends. I figure if I can live here and survive, I can live anywhere.  But you have to admit......there is that building on Mass. Ave. that has "People's Republic" painted on the side of it...and I didn't do it!

 

They do have great restaurants, though.......

hmm the "Coop" is in Cambridge, yes?

[frieze]

I am not actually in Cambridge but live about 30 miles west of the city.  Like I said, they have great restaurants there and I do sometimes make the trek into the People's Republic..for some good gluten-free viddles.     I did not know Stephen King was in Boston but he doesn't live very far away anyway.  I have not read everything he has done because I don't like everything he has done BUT there are those novels that come by every once in awhile that he writes and I love.  I became totally engrossed in "The Dome".  The recent summer series based on the novel was total crap compared to the book. Plus, who did not like "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson?    One of his first novels, "Salems Lot", scared the crap out of me when I read it as a teen-ager. Good stuff!

 

A Constitutionalist, are you?  I like you more and more.  I would not define that as being an anarchist, though. I have no patience with that. But I do believe our founding Father's

were brilliant in the way they set up the system we have today.  It does need tweeking from time to time but I like the basic principles.

 

Hang tight and be patient with your health but I can assure you that things will get better and better as time goes on.....if you put the effort into it.  People tend to become more sensitive to gluten the longer they clean it out of their system.  That was my experience. But if you do the diet correctly, you will not be taking any hits on a regular basis.  It's entirely possible to go a very long time without being sick. It will also become the new normal for you and that's when acceptance comes in.

A Wooster girl? lol

[JustCricket]

I was diagnosed with Celiac on October 1st, so I've been gluten-free for 44 days now. At my 6 week follow up with my Naturopath on Tuesday, I told her that:

 

A. I don't feel any different or better after 6 weeks off gluten.

B. I haven't lost any weight.

C. My depression seems to be getting worse, and mostly, I am majorly PISSED OFF.

 

People close to me have commented on my mood - I seem to be angrier than normal. I have suspected for several months that my anti-depressants aren't working well enough, and they need to be adjusted or changed (which started the journey that led me to find out I have Celiac).

 

I seem to be really pissed off at having Celiac. After eating gluten for my entire 43 years and loving/craving bread and carbs, I now can't have one of my favorite foods. I'm pissed that I have to scrutinize everything I eat and drink. I'm embarrassed at having to ask for the gluten-free menu at restaurants and asking the server about gluten-free options and food prep, because I've never been one to be so "high maintenance" when going out to eat. I'm pissed off at the wheat industry for modifying a natural grain so badly that now I can't have it. I'm pissed off at Big Business for being so greedy that they didn't care what happened to the people that ate this new wheat, as long as they got a fat wallet. I'm pissed off that I can't just order a pizza anymore. I'm pissed off that I have to spend double, sometimes triple the money for a gluten free version of something I used to eat.

 

And I'm pissed off because dammit, I'm HUNGRY!

 

The Naturopath mentioned I might want to cut out dairy as well, then said we could discuss that later when she saw my face. I think the combination of the death glare as well as being on the verge of a very loud teary outburst told her that cutting out dairy may be too much too soon. You take away my ice cream and someone is going to get hurt.

 

I don't like to cook. I like to EAT, but not cook. Cooking for one is a chore. I hate prep work, cutting up vegetables and it's just something I've never enjoyed. Plus, I have way too much by the time I'm done  chopping and dicing that after 2 days I don't want them anymore, so they go to waste. I'm asking for someone to infuse me with the love of cooking for Christmas, but I doubt that will happen.

 

Did anyone else feel this angry? Is this normal? I feel like I'm going to be stuck in this stage of Kubler-Ross for a long time. I feel like this is going to ruin my holidays with all the goodies I won't be able to eat. ANOTHER thing to piss me off!

 

If you felt this angry when you were diagnosed, how long did it last? How did you cope? How long am I going to glare at my friends for enjoing their beer that I can't have? Or that delicious looking calzone wrapped in gluten? I've been told "but you can have gluten-free beer and bread that's just as good." This leads me to believe that Celiac's taste buds die out after not having gluten, because they are NOT just as good, they're blah at best. I'm ready to beat the next person that tells me they're just as tasty because I'm convinced they're just pulling my leg to see how mad I'll get.

 

Any other anger-infused celiac's out there? Or recovering anger mongers? You'd think I'd lose a lot of weight just with the engery I'm using to be so MAD!

 

To be honest, I was SO sick just prior to my a-ha! moment, that I was actually kind of happy. Now, before that, I had frequent bouts of irritability and when glutened, I do, but given that I'm seeing a noticeable improvement, those aren't as bad or as often as previous.

 

There are some food products that taste good to me. I found a recipe for homemade gluten-free pizza crust that is actually really good when made fresh. When it sits in the fridge, it's not as good, but it's okay. I like Rudi's gluten-free multigrain bread for sandwiches, too. 

 

Sorry if others have said similar. I like to talk before I read. lol. 

[Gemini]

hmm the "Coop" is in Cambridge, yes?

Yes, it is! 

[Gemini]

A Wooster girl? lol

A closer pronunciation is....."Wistah"!     I actually live a few towns east of Worcester, nearer to Framingham.  But there is Boynton's in Worcester...which has the BEST gluten-free pizza in the state.  At least, from the ones I have tried!

[bartfull]

Mostly I am so glad I live where I do now, but when I hear about all these great places to eat...I lived In Connecticut, not too far south of Worcester and used to go there all the time.

[Poca]

No, not angry. I was relieved. I had been suffering badly from various issues for the previous two years. Although I am a little annoyed that my doctors took such a ridiculous amount of time to diagnose my condition, I have to say that overall I was relieved to finally find an answer.

Lets be honest though, my father had it and he was never diagnosed, so I am doing better than him! At least now, even though my intestines are rather wrecked, I have some chance of a normal-ish existance after this. Yep, I'm relieved. Six months ago I honestly thought I was going to die.

[BrennanaBread]

I am completely new to this site; just registered. I went looking for Celiac something or other and Google led me here. So, to get to the relevant.

 

I just found out I have Celiac after having gastro and other issues my whole life, followed by a solid month of horrible gastro issues, not absorbing any of my food, weird acne, and my hair falling out. My idiot doctor was stumped and diagnosed me with GERD. I took the advice of my non-bio sister with Celiac and cut out gluten completely. Within a week, I was no longer sick. I kept this up for a month. Last week, I got fed up and angry and decided I would test my body and eat a bunch of gluten over the course of two weeks.

 

That was freaking stupid.

 

I'm sick again, because of my own pig-headed stupidity. My hair is falling out in alarming amounts and my scalp feels like someone unleashed fire ants on it. Needless to say, earlier this week, I cut out the gluten for good.

 

Am I angry? Without a doubt. It wasn't until I came to this site that I felt okay accepting that yeah, I am going through the Kubler-Ross stages. The notion that other people were this pissed off too solidified the notion that I'm not alone, and it validated my feelings. I'm terribly angry. I'd like to destroy something and scream! (anybody have a contaminated toaster I can smash?) I can't help but project my anger on others; my girlfriend took me to a hot dog restaurant and ate a delicious looking, gluten-laden meal in front of me while I sat there and literally glowered at the table. My antiepileptic medication makes me excessively hungry, and for a college student used to eating processed, delicious junk, it's daunting to go to the fridge or pantry because there's never a product that combines what I *want* with what I *can eat*. The best thing I've found is Glutino oreo cookies, and sometimes a girl just wants a good, easy sandwich, or burger with a brioche bun, or heck, curly fries! Rage!

 

Ultimately though, my anger takes a breather when I weigh the risks and benefits of eating gluten food. Do I want to be ill? No? Do I enjoy my hair being attached to my head? Yes? Okay, put on your big girl panties and face the fact that this is life now. It could be worse, and if I didn't abide by it, it would be. My grandmother has told me several times lately that "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger". Taken literally, gluten will kill us eventually. Food that doesn't contain gluten is absorbed and builds our bodies back to health.

 

I hope you're starting to feel better, and feel better about eating gluten-free. At least most ice cream and chocolate are safe! (Fate knew better than to take away my chocolate. Mwaha.)

 

-B

[frieze]

A closer pronunciation is....."Wistah"!     I actually live a few towns east of Worcester, nearer to Framingham.  But there is Boynton's in Worcester...which has the BEST gluten-free pizza in the state.  At least, from the ones I have tried!

ah! I will have to try it!

[tonalynn]

BrenanaBread, while I am not nearly as sick as you are (my hair falling out would make me certifiably insane), I'm glad you admitted how really angry you are, and that I'm not the only one. I too love the easy, pre-made or grab and go food, and going gluten free has pretty much cut all of that out. Feeling lazy and don't wanna cook? Order a pizza....oh, wait, can't do that anymore. My fast food was Subway and Q-Doba, and an occasional milkshake from Sonic. Sorry, can't have those anymore. Here, have a celery stick instead! That's a bit of an over-exaggeration, but that's how it feels sometimes.

 

I don't seem to have many of the physical symptoms people are reporting here. Or I am, but I've been this way my entire life and don't know any different. I'm still mad that it's been over 2 months, and I still don't feel any better. My skin still looks bad, I'm still depressed and super tired, and now I'm unsatisfied because I, like you, can't seem to find food that meets both what I *want* and what I *can eat.*

 

I'm learning to accept it, but the melodramatic Italian side of me is still having a temper tantrum about not being able to eat whatever I want. I'm sure this will get easier in time, but I'm impatient by nature and want it to get easier now! ;-)

 

I hope you feel better too, and I have an old toaster oven you're more than welcome to smash!

[BrennanaBread]

Thank you! I have physical and psychiatric symptoms from it. The psych symptoms I've struggled with my entire adult life have never felt better than they have since I cut out gluten, and my doctor just took me off of my antipsychotics for the first time since senior year of high school. I feel better than ever. 

 

The physical symptoms are clearing up too, but my darn hair is still falling out. Fortunately it's super thick, so it's not totally noticeable. It did make me crazy when I had a bald spot on the front of my head! That is gone now. Yay!

 

I am still temper tantrumming about the gluten, but it gets better all the time. Wanted to throw a fit last night after a crappy McDonald's employee threatened to violate my food, but today I am eating delicious Panera gluten-free soup and enjoying my day. I made rice noodles the other day with red sauce, and there was almost no difference! (re: italian)

[WestCoastGirl]

I have not been DXd. But I am without a doubt gluten sensitive at the very least, to the point that by now, I am barely able to function.

 

Yes, when I first related how I was feeling to gluten intolerance, I was angry. I felt that EVERYBODY else could eat "normally" and I couldn't.

 

But recently I've come to a realization. Everybody can't eat "normally," or what we've come to believe is normal (heavily modified wheat). I know so many people with random issues no doctor can figure out. Strange "rashes," asthma, joint pains, fatigue/exhaustion, bloating, digestive issues, migraines, weird menstrual cycles, arthritis at surprisingly young ages, overweight starting from childhood, inability to concentrate, fibromyalgia, CFS, and the list goes on and on and on. Issues that people below the age of 70 would very, very, very rarely have complained about, especially more than one of those or other things at a time, in decades gone by.

 

*Something* is causing it. And I believe it's food that's doing it. So many weird, random issues aren't so weird and random when I realize that many, many, many wheat intolerant people have them. Our society is heavily based on wheat. I believe it's making us all sick. Or, many of us, anyway.

 

So:

 

1. It's not true that "everybody can eat 'normally' and be just fine." This society is NOT just fine. Nearly every person I know has some weird random issue. And my own anecdotal evidence aside, there's no denying a sharp rise of many of the above issues I stated in the past 25 years or so.

2. Eating a majority of wheat as a staple, and at that, eating heavily genetically modified, heavily processed wheat, is NOT normal. It has never been normal.

 

I actually consider myself lucky for having made the link.