Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

A Concerned Husband With Questions...

LenSan

By LenSan
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

LenSan Newbie
LenSan
Posted

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

 

Question:

 

This past year my wife found out she had celiac disease, and so for it has been an up hill battle for her and our family. I know I can’t possibly know what she is going through, but I want to be there for her and let her know she is not alone. However, I have recently noticed she has been extremely irritable and impatient. She becomes mad very easy and does not even notice. Not that this is a huge deal, but her sex drive has also went away.

 

I am no doctor, but what can I do to help her? Are these symptoms of celiac disease? Also, has anyone else gone through this? I want us to be normal again.

 

Thanks,

 

Len

 

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


GottaSki Mentor
GottaSki
Posted

Welcome!

 

Is it possible that your wife has not removed all gluten from her diet?  Many of us become quite irritable when we accidentally ingest gluten.

 

Both of you should read this thread to see if her diet is as strict as needed:

 

Newbie Info 101 - Celiac Disease - Coping With - Celiac.com Celiac Disease & Gluten-Free Diet Forum

 

Hang in there -- many symptoms can take quite awhile to resolve :)

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

How old is your wife?  Besides, possible exposure to gluten in her diet, she may be experiencing issues with her thyroid or going through perimenopause.  I was a crazy woman for the past two years due to the combination of all three issues!  I was diagnosed in March, went gluten free, got back on hormone replacement therapy (to help build bone and sex drive!) and my thyroid stabilized.  Whew!  It was hard on my husband and daughter.  Now, I'm back to my normal grumpy self! :lol:

 

So, nice to hear that you are willing to support your wife.  I am blessed with a husband who's been gluten free for 12 years.  I can say that he gets grumpy too when he gets glutened.

 

Best of luck!

1desperateladysaved Proficient
1desperateladysaved
Posted

Her body could be busy healing and it can take some time.  Thanks for your efforts to assist her.  My children watch labels for me; you can help do that.  Do you have a gluten free house?  It can make life easier.  I have good hopes for your success as you work together.

 

D

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

I suggest you and your wife read this book.  REAL LIFE WITH CELIAC DISEASE by Melinda Dennis and Daniel Leffler

 

Really. It will help you both understand what is going on, how to deal, what else can be going

on besides celiac, and what follow up care she may need.

 

Good for you for being so sweet and wanting to help her.

 

but gee, Len.....going to be blunt here.

 

She has been very, very ill in her body and brain from gluten. This disease is DEADLY...

and involves the entire body. She has been malnourished and suffering and her intestines do not work right now.Think: starving babies in Africa we used to see on TV.Celiac Disease is malabsorption.

And malabsorption wreaks total havoc.I was a walking dead woman from it. I could barely lift my own arms. My husband had to dress me at one point.

 

This means NOTHING in her body works...including hormones. She does not mean to be irritated; she's sick. hon..

 

and so, yeah, sex is not the first thing she is interested in right now.

Would you want to have sex if you had the worst flu of your life and you felt like hell ?Nope.

You may need to take a break on this idea for a while,  Len. Give her some time to heal.

 

She has vitamin deficiencies and anemia and all kinds of horror going on inside...including hormone dysregulation.

 

Please, be patient with your wife. Just be extra sweet... and read the book.

Make sure she is not being glutened inadvertently somehow (this can happen in a shared household, for example),,, and soon, you'll be back to normal. 

squirmingitch Veteran
squirmingitch
Posted

Len, Gluten turned sweet lil ol' loving me into a dyed in the wool fire breathing dragon lady. I could easily have been an ax murderess. I didn't want anyone to even speak to me & for a long time I could not see what a harridan I had become. Sex? Forget about it! 

You see Len, celiac disease affects every. single. cell. in. your. body. And it doesn't matter if we realize how we're acting or not ~~~ it's sort of like you could say, "the gluten made me do it".

The others gave great advice. Both of you should read the newbie 101 & the book IrishHeart suggested. Have patience, we did not get sick overnight & we will not heal overnight. It takes time. But that time will come, I can guarantee you that. 

nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

Celiac killed my sex drive too. When I felt bloated and full to the point of pain in the abdominal area (did not want anything else in there - LOL), had migraines about half the time and felt fatigued, I'm afraid sex was about as appealing as vacuuming... except I could at least frown and sigh while vacuumin gwhere as with "lovin'" I was expected to smile and enjoy myself when I just wanted to sit or sleep even though I love my husband dearly... Every husband's nightmare. It did get better for me (and him) but it did take many many months as well as addressing other health issues like underfunctioning adrenals and thyroid, as well as nutritional supplements.

 

Give it time.  I know it's easier said than done, but hang in there.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


NoGlutenCooties Contributor
NoGlutenCooties
Posted

Hi Len -

 

First, let me say that I think you're brave and very sweet to reach out to a bunch of strangers in this way - and I commend you for really wanting to help your wife.

 

When I started going through pre-menapausal symptoms I would wake up some days very angry and wanting to kill.  For no reason at all.  Other days I'd be on cloud nine - again, for no reason at all.  One day I had a crying fit that scared my cat.  And I very rarely cry.  It sounds to me like your wife is experiencing something hormonal, not necessarily gluten related.  Although... keep in mind that while she's healing from the Celiac her body is going to be going through a lot that can also affect her hormone levels... vitamin deficiencies, etc. - and her body needs to find her new equilibrium.

 

That said... I got tired of waking up angry - and my sex drive also took a nose-dive, which can be very confusing for women because at first you just don't know what the heck is going on.  I started taking Relacore (the version that does NOT have any synthetic hormones in it).  Basically, it is a Vitamin B Complex with a few additional herbs thrown in to help stabilize mood.  Once I was on it for a couple of weeks, I haven't woken up angry once - and my sex drive is back.

They market it as a "belly fat reducer" because it relieves stress, and if you have stress-induced weight gain I suppose it could help you lose weight.  But I think that's just a marketing ploy.  Marketing gimics aside, it has really helped me to feel normal again.

 

(Vitamin B deficiencies are also very common in Celiac people.)

 

Your wife should get her blood work done to see if she has low iron as well.  Or low Vitamin D.

 

Good luck

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. YoshiLuckyJackpotWinner888
      - YoshiLuckyJackpotWinner888 replied to YoshiLuckyJackpotWinner888's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      Water filters are a potential problem for Celiac Disease

      What non organic or nonorganic molecules from a plastic bottle of water can trigger a reaction that I have only experienced during an auto immune experience? There really should not be any organic molecules in such a bottle. I seen a thread where it was mentioned that his refrigerator water filter tested positive for gluten when he had it checked. If...
    2. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Known1's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      8

      Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water

      It’s understandable to want to be cautious, especially after experiencing symptoms. However, there is currently no scientific evidence that reverse osmosis or standard activated carbon water filters expose people to gluten in amounts that would trigger celiac disease. Gluten is a protein, and if any starch-based binder were used in filter manufacturing, ...
    3. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to JoJo0611's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      3

      Yeast extract

      It’s understandable to look for bigger explanations when you’re dealing with complex symptoms, but the current scientific consensus does not support the idea that celiac disease evolved as a defense against Candida. Celiac disease is a well-characterized autoimmune condition triggered specifically by gluten in genetically susceptible individuals (HLA-DQ2...
    4. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to dsfraley's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      14

      9 y/o Son Diagnosed with Celiac Disease; Persistent Symptoms: Does this Sound Familiar?

      It sounds like you’ve put a lot of effort into tracking patterns, and that kind of awareness can be helpful. With celiac disease specifically, though, the only confirmed immune trigger is gluten. Reactions to dairy are common after diagnosis because intestinal damage can temporarily reduce lactase, leading to lactose intolerance — but that’s different from ...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to YoshiLuckyJackpotWinner888's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      Water filters are a potential problem for Celiac Disease

      I completely understand wanting to track down every possible source of exposure after a celiac diagnosis, especially when symptoms are distinct and repeatable. That said, there’s currently no credible evidence that bottled water — including filtered water products like Gatorade water — contains gluten from filter materials. Activated carbon filters are t...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,570
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Chanty
    Newest Member
    Chanty
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • YoshiLuckyJackpotWinner888
      Water filters are a potential problem for Celiac Disease

      By YoshiLuckyJackpotWinner888 · Posted

      What non organic or nonorganic molecules from a plastic bottle of water can trigger a reaction that I have only experienced during an auto immune experience? There really should not be any organic molecules in  such a bottle. I seen a thread where it was mentioned that his refrigerator water filter tested positive for gluten when he had it checked. If I went to physician to get checked for other possible triggers from a water bottle, I don’t think that will go anywhere. Again, distilled water containers cause no reactions. I’m not an industry expert, but something is there.  I don’t think that this is a case of microplastics causing this. Too bad we can’t call upon some third party investigation.  
    • Scott Adams
      Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      It’s understandable to want to be cautious, especially after experiencing symptoms. However, there is currently no scientific evidence that reverse osmosis or standard activated carbon water filters expose people to gluten in amounts that would trigger celiac disease. Gluten is a protein, and if any starch-based binder were used in filter manufacturing, it would not pass through RO membranes or remain in finished bottled water at clinically meaningful levels. Plain water — filtered, RO, or bottled — does not contain gluten unless it is intentionally added (which would require labeling). Steam-distilled water is certainly safe, but it is not considered medically necessary for people with celiac disease. If reactions are occurring, it may be helpful to explore other potential explanations with a healthcare provider rather than assuming filter-related gluten exposure.
    • Scott Adams
      Yeast extract

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      It’s understandable to look for bigger explanations when you’re dealing with complex symptoms, but the current scientific consensus does not support the idea that celiac disease evolved as a defense against Candida. Celiac disease is a well-characterized autoimmune condition triggered specifically by gluten in genetically susceptible individuals (HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8). While some laboratory studies have shown that certain Candida proteins (like Hwp1) share limited sequence similarities with gluten or tissue transglutaminase (tTG), that does not mean Candida causes celiac disease or commonly produces false-positive tTG tests in clinical practice. Anti-tTG IgA remains a highly specific and validated marker for celiac when used appropriately (especially alongside total IgA testing and, when indicated, biopsy). IgG antibodies to Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ASCA) are more commonly associated with Crohn’s disease and are not considered diagnostic for celiac. There is ongoing research into microbiome interactions and immune cross-reactivity, but at this time there is no evidence that yeast exposure from foods triggers celiac autoimmunity in people without gluten exposure. If symptoms persist despite a strict gluten-free diet, it’s best to work with a gastroenterologist to rule out other conditions such as IBD, SIBO, non-celiac food intolerances, or refractory celiac disease rather than assuming a fungal-driven mechanism.
    • Scott Adams
      9 y/o Son Diagnosed with Celiac Disease; Persistent Symptoms: Does this Sound Familiar?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      It sounds like you’ve put a lot of effort into tracking patterns, and that kind of awareness can be helpful. With celiac disease specifically, though, the only confirmed immune trigger is gluten. Reactions to dairy are common after diagnosis because intestinal damage can temporarily reduce lactase, leading to lactose intolerance — but that’s different from casein sensitivity. IgG food panels, including yeast, are generally considered markers of exposure rather than proof of clinical intolerance. Aged cheeses like Irish cheddar are typically gluten-free, though they do contain casein and natural cultures. If symptoms are strong and repeatable, it may be worth working with a gastroenterologist or allergist to sort out true allergies, intolerances, or other GI conditions rather than assuming multiple cross-reactive immune triggers.
    • Scott Adams
      Water filters are a potential problem for Celiac Disease

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I completely understand wanting to track down every possible source of exposure after a celiac diagnosis, especially when symptoms are distinct and repeatable. That said, there’s currently no credible evidence that bottled water — including filtered water products like Gatorade water — contains gluten from filter materials. Activated carbon filters are typically bound with food-grade binders, and if any starch were used in manufacturing, it would not remain in the finished water at measurable or biologically active levels. Plain water itself does not contain protein, and gluten is a protein. Major beverage companies also have strict allergen control programs, and gluten would need to be declared if intentionally added. If symptoms are occurring consistently after certain products, it may be worth discussing with a physician to explore other potential triggers, but at this time distilled water is not considered medically necessary for people with celiac disease.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.