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Advice...please

tor101

By tor101
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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tor101 Newbie
tor101
Posted

I need advice - I was diagnosed about a month ago and I have been doing okay with everything. I understand about what and why I need to eat gluten free and cross contamination but....I'm failing. 

 

I still am getting symptoms often even though I am trying to eat all fresh foods and took my own food with me on a weekend trip. 

 

This week has been the worst - Im not able to go to work bc my head is pounding, I'm running to the bathroom for both ends (sorry) and I am just so tired. I cannot keep anything down not even water. I have a doctors appointment this afternoon but I dont even know what they are going to do....

 

I'm so frustrated - physically and emotionally exhausted and just dont even know what to do anymore. 

 

Can I even take something for my headache...everything that I have looked at says they are gluten free but the packaging may not be....I have been out of work so much the past two months I dont know how much longer my office is going to be okay with me taking sick time - though working in the medical field with nurses i think is helping a little bit....

 

okay done rambling...any advice would be helpful, I just feel so lost! thank you!! 

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kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

I'm not understanding what this means " the packaging may not be" gluten-free? If the ibuprofen or acetomenphin says its gluten-free, then it is. Take something for the headache! Hard to think with a headache.

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

You are not failing! Going gluten free has a steep learning curve. On top of that, healing takes lots of time. I did not feel any improvement (even the slightest) until I was six weeks into the diet. Learning curve? Easy for me since my husband has been gluten free for 13 years!

I did not start to feel normal until six months into the diet and another few months to really feel good (had a few fractures to recover from that's occurred three months after my dx).

So, do as Karen suggested and treat your headache. That is one thing you can do to feel better. Give yourself some time and keep reviewing labels and cross contamination practices. It is always good to keep on top of those practices -- even for us oldies!

BTW -- suggest you give up all dairy until your intestinal villi heals.

skullgrl Rookie
skullgrl
Posted

Please read all the newbie threads about cross contamination as well! It can take quite a while for things to start getting better but if you do a lot of research and make sure to avoid things like cross contamination it can make the transition phase a lot easier.

notme Experienced
notme
Posted

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/91878-newbie-info-101/ 

 

yes, take an ibuprofen!  if it says 'gluten free' on the package, it's safe to eat.  and settle down - we all went through this panic :unsure:  read the above link.  it should help you navigate better as far as what is safe and what to beware of.  you can eat more things than you think :)  it takes a little practice but after awhile it will become second nature.  keep a food journal - everything you put into your mouth - and record your reactions.  if your gut is damaged, eat more bland foods until heal up some.  some things will bother you even if they are gluten-free just because your intestines are inflamed.  skip that stuff for now, and maybe dairy for a little while.  i think i skipped it for about 6 months, then i could add it back in.  

 

fyi - my gluten reaction is delayed 48 hours, then it lasts for 12 more days...  everybody is different, but you could be reacting to something you ate 2 days ago.  that's where the food journal is very handy.  welcome and good luck :)  

tor101 Newbie
tor101
Posted
  • Author

Thanks everyone - your advice has been very helpful. 

 

Pretty much what the doc told me this afternoon - take a tylenol, get fluids and rest....which is what time doing.

 

I know its not an overnight process and that it will take sometime....i just, want to feel better ha ha ha! 

tor101 Newbie
tor101
Posted
  • Author

I'm going on day 4 and while the brain fog and fatigue has lifted I still cannot keep anything down and have bad D. I dont know what to do at this point. I called my GI yesterday and he said I need to be on liquids and a BRAT diet....I just dont know what to do - i felt pretty good yesterday evening then I went to bed and its like back to square one in the morning....

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SMRI Collaborator
SMRI
Posted

It's possible you just have a virus.  There is a nasty one going around that causes similar GI issues.  Try the BRAT diet, see if things calm down in a few days, keep drinking water and nothing else and if you don't see an improvement in a couple days, maybe go to your primary dr and see what else could be causing this.

nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

Hang in there.  The first few months are tough because symptoms are coming and going still. If it is a virus, that will make everything worse, and I was hit MUCH harder by viruses when I was undiagnosed - I hardly ever get sick anymore.

 

L-glutamine can help with intestinal healing. It might be a supplement to consider using for a few months.

 

Hope you feel better soon.

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