A Little Input Please

[beth01]

I was diagnosed three weeks ago and have been as gluten free as I can right now ( mistakes have been made by the newbie).  I was wondering ( and I know this sounds like a rather stupid impatient question), when will I start to feel better?  I am still waking up every day nauseous, and am still relying pretty heavily on the dicyclomine for the cramping and am still using my heating pad every day for the pain.  I have had two glutenings in the last three weeks, have been keeping a food diary, and am trying to stay away from any processed foods.  I started vitamins right away, cleaned my house from top to bottom ( no gluten here), cut out dairy, just fresh fruits, veggies, and whole meats.  I have eaten Chex, kind of my go to food right now, seems it the only thing that doesn't make me feel like crap. The insomnia is getting worse, the constipation is back with a vengeance, and along with it all is the frustration.  I know it takes time and possibly years for your body to heal from this especially after being sick for over 20 years, but I haven't worked in months and the money is running out and I am not sure how long before I start to feel better so I can go out and get a job without having to call in sick or have to take a nap. lol

After re-reading this I sound like a whiner and am asking questions that you might not be able to answer since everyone is different, but thought maybe a little feedback might be helpful and maybe a little advise as to things I can change.  Thanks for taking the time to read my pity party and thank in advance for any advice given

 

[cyclinglady]

Hang in there! If you can avoid the glutenings, you should feel relief soon. It took me about six weeks to see improvement. Everyone heals differently though. Some take a bit longer and others less.

Good job on cleaning gluten out of your house. Do not eat out until you are feeling better. Every glutening sets off your system and can take 1 to 3 weeks to recover. Be diligent. Keep snacks with you to avoid eating at restaurants. Simple foods to encourage healing.

You will get better!

[GFinDC]

I'd dump the Chex cereal for now.  Some people report reactions to it.  Instead eat eggs, meat or cooked veggies for breakfast.  The simpler your diet is (fewer foods) the better for healing.

 

Some starting the gluten-free diet tips for the first 6 months:

Get tested before starting the gluten-free diet.
Get your vitamin/mineral levels tested also.
Don't eat in restaurants
Eat only whole foods not processed foods.
Eat only food you cook yourself, think simple foods, not gourmet meals.
Take probiotics.
Take gluten-free vitamins.
Take digestive enzymes.
Avoid dairy if it causes symptoms.
Avoid sugars and starchy foods. They can cause bloating.
Avoid alcohol.
Watch out for cross contamination.

[Telith]

Just a question, before you knew Gluten was the culprit, what made you feel better?  When I get glutened, I buy ginger ale, and let it go flat while I drink an energy drink.  I don't know if it's the caffeine or the increase of my metabolism or just the brain to body connection of "something is wrong, we need to step up our game" placebo effect but it just makes me feel better. Even the smell of Blue Amp just makes me feel better.  It's horrible for me, no doctor will ever recommend it, but dammit I feel better and I feel better enough that I'm able to focus on what I can actually do to make my symptoms go away for real.  Which is important.

 

You may want to look at what you're cooking with, I know it's a pain in the ass to replace everything, but you don't have to do it all at once, just enough to be able to make sure you're not accidentally getting old contamination making this worse.

 

I started physically feeling better after two weeks, but I had no appetite, was afraid of food, and my digestive symptoms have always taken a back seat to migraines, fatigue, brain fog, and depression, which all lasted much longer.

 

I personally would suggest rice porridge (It's pretty much just over cooked rice as soupy or thick as you want it) with whatever you feel like adding.  I use broth when I'm truly feeling horrid and then slowly add veggies, cheese, and protein like fish or chicken as I feel better/ actually feel hungry instead of knowing I need to put fuel into my body.

 

Everyone is different, we all have our own tricks. Unfortunately it takes a while to figure out which tricks work for you.  That's been the hardest part for me.

[nvsmom]

Are you eating Chex with milk?  About 50% of celiacs are lactose intolerant at diagnosis because our villi which make the lactase that digests the milk sugars (lactose),and if our villi is damaged, it just can't make enough lactase to handle milk. Fortunately most celiacs regain the ability to handle milk after about 6 months gluten-free.

 

I would advise dumping milk for a few months and see if that helps.  Hopefully you'll start feeling better soon.  Most people start seeing some improvements in the first month, but we usually advise that a good 6 months gluten-free are needed to get a better picture of how the gluten-free diet is helping you.

 

Best wishes.

[Fenrir]

I'm about 10 days in of being gluten-free. I don't think I've been glitened yet but I have seen some marginal improvements.

 

My bloating, gas, joint pain and headaches are improved. Overall GI function is better. However, no improvement yet in the upper right quadrant pain.

 

I'm guessing it could take a while for everyting to fix itself.