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

Need Advice For My Next Step


Sparky123

Recommended Posts

Sparky123 Newbie

Hi guys,

I posted recently about how I was struggling to get better and how lots of different foods were making me ill. Well unfortunately I'm still struggling and need some advice over what to do next.

My background: recently discovered I have a gluten intolerance after being housebound for 2+ years. Had severe fatigue, anxiety, hot flushes during that time. Went gluten free and started to feel better instantly. (Had a celiac blood test which came back negative). First month or so I started my energy started to pick up, but now I'm almost 4 months gluten free and feel awful.

The rest of my family have gone gluten free, and we've overhauled the kitchen to reduce risk of CC. I only eat very plain basic food (porridge with water, plain tuna salad, rice and chicken/salmon). Recently I've had bad reactions (constipation, mild diarrhea, anxiety, fatigue, etc) to so many different foods..

gluten-free bread, Bacon, fruit, tomatoes, cheese, nuts, cereal bars, chocolate, butter.. I could I go on.

Also last week I went I my doctor and he gave me some Pancreatin to see if it helped things. It didn't agree with me at all, competely stopped my bowel movements for a week, and It made me very groggy and unwell.

Sorry this is so long! But I need some advice over what to do next. What tests should I be asking from my doctor? Vitamin levels? Thyroid? I'm getting so frustrated.

Sparky


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



cyclinglady Grand Master

What kind of porridge? I can not tolerate even gluten-free certified oats or quinoa.

Have you read the threads on mast cell activation syndrome? Worth reading.

Sparky123 Newbie

Gluten free oats. Not sure what else id be able to have for breakfast otherwise. What do you have?

I've never had a bad reaction to the porridge, but I'll probably cut it out just to be sure.

cyclinglady Grand Master

Rice porridge, Rice or Corn Chex cold cereal, leftover rice or like, today.....canned salmon on fresh greens!  Yes, for breakfast!  Ate a grapefruit and had coffee.  Then snacked on some sunflower seeds.  

 

I'm allergic to eggs, so they are out for a protein source.  So, I typically have leftover meat (i.e. I cook a bunch of chicken breasts and then freeze them in individual packs).  I can't have milk protein, but  I tolerate soy products very well.  I also try to eat some veggies.  

 

You have to think outside-of-box for breakfast!

cyclinglady Grand Master

So often food intolerances or allergies don't cause severe and swift reactions.  Often they are delayed up to 24 hours or longer.  Reactions can vary with the food.  For example, oats and quinoa reactions follow my first gluten reaction of food sitting in my stomach and pain or tweaking in that area.  Later I get muscle aches, fatigue, etc.   Milk,  though will cause my nose to start running/congesting within five minutes of ingesting.  Later, I'll get gas, abdominal pain and cramping and then constipation.  Garlic will cause mouth tingling and then intestinal symptoms all the way to diarrhea and trigger roscea symptoms.

 

Best to keep a food and symptom journal to help you determine your intolerances.  Not all folks have issues with other foods -- just us lucky ones!   :unsure:

NoGlutenCooties Contributor

I'm not one for solid food in the morning - I drink a protein shake every morning (Whey Protein).  But my mother (also a Celiac) loves buckwheat cereal.  (don't let the name fool you... buckwheat is in no way related to wheat... it's actually not even a grain, but a fruit)

GFinDC Veteran

There are a few threads (make that a lot) of threads on what to eat.  You don't have to eat the usual breakfast type things in the morning.  Try eating dinner or lunch in the morning instead.

 

What's For Breakfast Today?
https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/81858-whats-for-breakfast-today/

What Did You Have For Lunch Today?
https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/87765-what-did-you-have-for-lunch-today/

What's for dinner tonight chat?
https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/75238-what-are-you-cooking-tonight/
 


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



MGR Apprentice

Also some types of bacon, or cooked ham sometimes have hidden gluten among their ingredients- you have to try to get the most natural kinds of these. For breakfast I tend to have fruit and a bowl of natural yoghourt with maple syrup, coffee or tea..

frieze Community Regular

hmm....steak and eggs with homefries are gluten free....just sayin'.

Sparky123 Newbie

Cheers for all the food ideas. I'll be trying loads of stuff hopefully in the future once I can tolerate them.

Surely though its not right that I had a bad reaction to taking Digestive Enzymes (Pancreatin)? I'm sure there is something else going on. Just can't figure out what.

cyclinglady Grand Master

Sure , you can react to the digestive enzymes. You can react to anything!

  • 2 weeks later...
Sparky123 Newbie

Well well well! Think I'm on the right track now, thought I would post what's happening.

As some of you mentioned, pretty much all of the food I've had bad reactions to are high in histamine. Thank you those of you who told me to look into to (aswell as the PM) I would never have found it out otherwise.

So I'm now avoiding high histamine foods, eating stuff that's only got low levels of it, as well as adding in some anti-histamines into my diet. I'm sure this is what's been troubling me. I've only had trouble with high histamine foods AFTER going gluten free and starting to make a recovery. Do you guys think this is happening possibly because I was unwell for a long time before being diagnosed (2 years) so now my gut is a bit damaged and is being hypersensitive to foods? I guess I'll have to just wait and see how things go.

dilettantesteph Collaborator

I agree with the porriage as the first thing to try.  Also the bacon.  If you try those things and still have problems I have suggestion for where to go next.  Look at this paper for people with continuing symptoms on the gluten-free diet and try their approach.  Open Original Shared Link

 

My son and I seem to need to take it one step further and avoid rice too.

 

I hope that you feel better soon.

Archived

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

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - tiffanygosci replied to tiffanygosci's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      12

      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

    2. - RMJ replied to Riley.'s topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      4

      Outgrow celiac?

    3. - knitty kitty replied to Riley.'s topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      4

      Outgrow celiac?

    4. - knitty kitty replied to tiffanygosci's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      12

      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

    5. - trents replied to Riley.'s topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      4

      Outgrow celiac?


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,979
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    volivier
    Newest Member
    volivier
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • tiffanygosci
      Thank you for sharing all of this, Knitty Kitty! I did just want someone to share some commonality with. I did not know This one Deficiency was a thing and that it's common for Celiac Disease. It makes sense since this is a disorder that causes malabsorption. I will have to keep this in mind for my next appointments. You also just spurred me on to make that Dietician appointment. There's a lot of information online but I do need to see a professional. There is too much to juggle on my own with this condition.<3
    • RMJ
      I think your initial idea, eat gluten and be tested, was excellent. Now you have fear of that testing, but isn’t there also a fear each time you eat gluten that you’re injuring your body? Possibly affecting future fertility, bone health and more? Wouldn’t it be better to know for sure one way or the other? If you test negative, then you celebrate and get tested occasionally to make sure the tests don’t turn positive again. If you test positive, of course the recommendation from me and others is to stop gluten entirely.  But if you’re unable to convince yourself to do that, could a positive test at least convince you to minimize your gluten consumption?  Immune reactions are generally what is called dose response, the bigger the dose, the bigger the response (in this case, damage to your intestines and body). So while I am NOT saying you should eat any gluten with a positive test, the less the better.  
    • knitty kitty
      @Riley., Welcome to the forum, but don't do it!  Don't continue to eat gluten!  The health problems that will come if you continue to eat gluten are not worth it.  Problems may not show up for years, but the constant inflammation and nutritional losses will manifest eventually.  There's many of us oldsters on the forum who wish they'd been diagnosed as early.    Fertility problems, gallbladder removal, diabetes, osteoporosis and mental health challenges are future health issues you are toying with.   To dispel fear, learn more about what you are afraid of.  Be proactive.  Start or join a Celiac group in your area.  Learn about vitamins and nutrition.   Has your mother been checked for Celiac?  It's inherited.  She may be influencing you to eat gluten as a denial of her own symptoms.  Don't let friends and family sway you away from the gluten-free diet.  You know your path.  Stick to it.  Be brave. 
    • knitty kitty
      @tiffanygosci, Hello.  I apologize for your thread being hijacked.   I recognize your symptoms as being similar to what I experienced, the migraines, food and chemical sensitivities, hives, nausea, the numbness and tingling, joint pain, tummy problems, sleep problems, emotional lability, and the mom brain.  My cycle returned early after I had my son, and I became pregnant again with all my symptoms worsening.  Unfortunately, I lost that baby.  In hindsight, I recognized that I was suffering so much from Thiamine deficiency and other nutritional deficiencies that I was not able to carry it.   Celiac Disease affects the absorption of nutrients from our food.  There's eight B vitamins that must be replenished every day.  Thiamine Vitamin B1 becomes depleted first because it cannot be stored very long, less than two weeks.  Other B vitamins can be stored for two months or so.  But Thiamine can get low enough to produce symptoms in as little as three days.  As the thiamine level gets lower, symptoms worsen.  Early symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are often attributed to life situations, and so frequently go unrecognized by medical professionals who "have a pill for that".   I used to get severe migraines and vomiting after gluten consumption.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins are needed to turn carbohydrates, fats and proteins into fuel for our bodies.  With a large influx of carbohydrates from gluten containing foods, the demand for Thiamine increases greatly.  Available thiamine can be depleted quickly, resulting in suddenly worsening symptoms.  Emotional stress or trauma, physical activity (athletes and laborers) and physiological stresses like pregnancy or injury (even surgery or infection) increase the need for Thiamine and can precipitate a thiamine insufficiency. Pregnancy requires more thiamine, not just for the mother, but for the child as well.  The mother's Thiamine stores are often depleted trying to meet the higher demand of a growing fetus.  Thiamine insufficiency can affect babies in utero and after birth (autism, ADHD).  Having babies close together doesn't allow time for the mother to replenish thiamine stores sufficiently.   Thiamine insufficiency can cause migraines, pins and needles (paresthesia), and gastrointestinal Beriberi (gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, back pain).   Thiamine deficiency can cause blurry vision, difficulty focusing, and affect the eyes in other ways.  Thiamine deficiency can damage the optic nerves.  I have permanent vision problems.  High histamine levels can make your brain feel like it's on fire or swelling inside your cranium.  High histamine levels can affect behavior and mood.  Histamine is released by Mast Cells as part of the immune system response to gluten.  Mast Cells need Thiamine to regulate histamine release.  Mast Cells without sufficient thiamine release histamine at the slightest provocation.  This shows up as sensitivities to foods, smelly chemicals, plants, and dust mites.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins are needed to lower histamine levels.  Vitamin D is needed to calm the immune system and to regulate our hormones.  Menstrual irregularities can be caused by low Vitamin D.   Celiac Disease is a disease if Malabsorption of Nutrients.  We must take great care to eat a nutritionally dense diet.  Our bodies cannot make vitamins.  We must get them from what we eat.  Supplementation with essential vitamins and minerals is warranted while we are healing and to ensure we don't become deficient over time.  Our bodies will not function properly without essential vitamins and minerals.  Doctors have swept their importance under the rug in favor of a pill that covers the symptoms but doesn't resolve the underlying issue of malnutrition. Do talk to your doctor and dietician about checking for nutritional deficiencies.  Most blood tests for the eight B vitamins do not reflect how much is available or stored inside cells.  Blood tests reflect how much is circulating in the blood stream, the transportation system.  Blood levels can be "normal" while a deficiency exists inside cells where the vitamins are actually used.  The best way to see if you're low in B vitamins is to take a B Complex, and additional Thiamine and look for improvement.   Most vitamin supplements contain Thiamine Mononitrate, which is not easily absorbed nor utilized by the body.  Only thirty percent of thiamine mononitrate listed on the label is absorbed, less is actually utilized.  This is because thiamine mononitrate is shelf stable, it won't breakdown sitting on a shelf in the grocery store.  It's so hard to breakdown, our bodies don't absorb it and can't turn it into a form the body can use.  Take Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine or TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) which the body can utilize much better.  (Ask for an Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test for Thiamine level.  Though not accurate, this test does better picking up on a thiamine deficiency than a blood test.) Are you keeping your babies on a gluten free diet?  This can prevent genetically susceptible children from developing Celiac Disease.   P. S. Interesting Reading  Thiamine deficiency in pregnancy and lactation: implications and present perspectives https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10158844/ Descriptive spectrum of thiamine deficiency in pregnancy: A potentially preventable condition https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37458305/ B vitamins and their combination could reduce migraine headaches: A randomized double-blind controlled trial https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9860208/
    • trents
      @Riley, on this forum we sometimes get reports from people with similar experiences as you. That is, their celiac disease seems to go into remission. Typically, that doesn't last. At age 18 you are at your physical-biological peek in life where your body is stronger than it will ever be and it is able to fight well against many threats and abuses. As Wheatwacked pointed out, absence of symptoms is not always a reliable indicator that no damage is being done to the body. I was one of those "silent" celiacs with no symptoms, or at least very minor symptoms, whose body was being slowly damaged for many years before the damage became pronounced enough to warrant investigation, leading to a diagnosis. By that time I had suffered significant bone demineralization and now I suffer with back and neck problems. Please, if you choose to continue consuming gluten, which I do not recommend, at least get tested regularly so that you won't get caught in the silent celiac trap down the road like I did. You really do not outgrow celiac disease. It is baked into the genes. Once the genes get triggered, as far as we know, they are turned on for good. Social rejection is something most celiacs struggle with. Being compliant with the gluten free diet places restrictions on what we can eat and where we can eat. Our friends usually try to work with us at first but then it gets to be a drag and we begin to get left out. We often lose some friends in the process but we also find out who really are our true friends. I think the hardest hits come at those times when friends spontaneously say, "Hey, let's go get some burgers and fries" and you know you can't safely do that. One way to cope in these situations is to have some ready made gluten-free meals packed in the fridge that you can take with you on the spot and still join them but eat safely. Most "real" friends will get used to this and so will you. Perhaps this little video will be helpful to you.  
×
×
  • 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.