Newly Celiac

[SimplyCeliac]

Hi everyone,

A few years back my doctor told me that he believed I might have Celiac disease and to start trying to remove gluten from my life. A month ago he confirmed that I have Celiacs. He also told me to remove processed sugar from diiet because it doesn't help with the disease

So now I am trying to figure out this new lifestyle and I have all sorts of questions that I  need help with.

Food wise:

It is very hard to find gluten-free foods that don't have sugar in them. How do you tell the difference between good sugar and bad sugars? I understand the difference between natural and not, but some products seem to be all-natural, but have a high sugar count. Does that make sense?

I pretty much eat on bananas all day because they are the easiest thing to grab and go with my busy lifestyle. Does anyone have any tips on things that stay well and can be eaten quickly [like in a minute or less]?

Depression:

I have been suffereing depression for a few years now as well. Has anyone experienced their depression improving after removing the gluten completely or does it get worse? I finally had mine under control and now I feel depressed everyday. Does it get better?

Fatigue/Forgettfulness/ Lack of caring:

I am constantly tired and just not there anymore. I forget things like not other; I also have frequent blackouts where I don't remember what exactly I was doing. I also have lost interest in a lot of things.  I don't know whether this is the disease or something else.

Beauty Products:

I know they say to avoid gluten in beauty products. Does anyone have any brands they can recommend? From supermarket brands to salon products, I would like to get a grasp on what i can use. Lip Balm in particular because I"m a chapstick addict.

Cross-contamination:

How worried should I be about this?

I suppose those are the questions I can think of right now. Besides that, does it get better?

 

[kareng]

Welcome to the club!

 

There is no Celiac reason to eliminate sugar.  Not sure what the doc was going for there.  Maybe he just didn't want you eating a bunch of gluten-free junk?  

 

On beauty products - the ones that might get in your mouth are the most important to be gluten-free.  For example, I don't worry about mascara but I do worry about my face lotion as I am always getting it in my mouth.  Those little egg lip balms are gluten-free.  Have fun "flavors". Eos?  

 

 

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[Georgia-guy]

Welcome to the club, and happy early birthday! (Sorry, I cheated and looked at your profile)

As for your questions:

-Sugar, I have no clue how to tell the good from bad aside from maybe if you look at the ingredients and see if it says "cane sugar" (but don't quote me on that one)

-Quick foods, there are several snack bars (I know nature valley has an almond crunch I think it is) that are gluten free. Just check the labels! Kroger has the shelf tags for most of their gluten free products that say "gluten free" on them.

-Depression and lack if caring I'm gonna combine cuz they go hand in hand. I have noticed my overall outlook on life has improved. Most of my lack of caring/interest in things was mainly because I always felt like sh**, so as I've been off gluten and feeling better, I have more interest in things.

-Beauty products....I'm naturally sexy so I don't wear any.

[beth01]

Since Karen and Georgia guy commented on some of the other issues, I am going to comment on the depression.

 

The way I have looked at my new diagnosis is kind of like going through the 5 stages of grief.

 

1. Denial and Isolation - how can I not be able to have gluten?  I was eating it every day, that can't be my problem.  The lab results tell me I can't, but I want a damn Choco Taco ( I really need to figure out a way to make them gluten-free).  Then the isolation - I can't go out with my friends anymore, they are all going to think I am a freak.  I might as well just stay home.

 

2. Anger - You are mad at everyone, mad at the doctors for taking so long to diagnose you, mad at your spouse because they just don't understand - they can eat all that yummy goodness and you can't, mad that no one truly understands what you go through on a day to day basis, how much pain and anxiety you have had.

 

3. Bargaining - I think the doctors are wrong, maybe I should go get a second opinion.  Maybe if I eat a nice big old bowl of shredded wheat, I won't get sick - they're wrong.  Maybe if I eat a little it won't harm me.

 

4.Depression ( the fatigue and not caring is a part of this, the forgetfulness is more brain fog) - This is really unfair.  One minute you are up, the next you are down.  You are fighting with friends, fighting with spouses, again no one understands.

 

5. Acceptance - You finally realize this is a good thing.  I now know what my problem is, I can fix it.  It takes time, but it does get better.  Once you get your diet under control, it gets even easier.  I am not nearly depressed as I was three months ago, but glutenings really have a bad effect on my moods. 

 

The brain fog lessens, but it is one of the things for me that is taking a long time.  I started to feel worlds better within a week of my diagnosis. My migraines have gone completely and I was having them four times a week ( I should say I haven't had one in three months, don't know if they are gone forever).  I still have pain and nerve damage, but those might never go away.  For the first time in my whole life I know what it's like to be regular ( or as regular as my body will let me).  I am not nearly as emotional as I was three months ago, but it's still hard.  Most on here will say that the first year is the worst. You are going to find that people in your life are either going to be very understanding or they aren't going to be at all.  At least with my experience so far there doesn't seem to be an in between.  This forum is a wonderful source of information full of a lot of people that understand just what we are going through.

 

Good luck with your new endeavor and welcome to the club!

[NatureChick]

 

Sugar:

Though sugar of any sort doesn't help anyone, I'd probably just do low sugar for now rather than try to eliminate all of it and go gluten free at the same time. Though trying gluten-free foods is one way of lessening the ways in which you feel deprived early on, long-term, you'll probably end up cooking more foods for yourself from scratch so the amount of sugar in your diet will go down anyway.

Beauty Products:

I tried eye shadows and foundation from a brand called 100% Pure. I'm not a huge fan of how the foundation applies, and the color selection for the shadows is limited but they are good enough for how infrequently I wear makeup. But I do like that all of their ingredients are less toxic than those that you find in mainstream products. 

Cross Contamination: Take it seriously. The first few months will likely include lots of accidents so don't bee too surprised when they do. Most people spend at least the first 3-4 months getting glutened on a regular basis until they figure out some hidden sources or realize that what they hoped would be safe actually isn't.