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

No Energy. What Am I Missing?


charlieroseburns

Recommended Posts

charlieroseburns Rookie

I have been diagnosed with celiac for several months and am living gluten free. But my lack of energy (muscle and joint paint) is ruining my life. I'm taking b-12 and vitamin d to help with deficiencies and calcium because I cut out dairy. Have you found something for energy levels or body and joint pain. I eat well. I see a dietician regularly. I cook at home so my diet has been good. I am just so tired of feeling sick.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



cyclinglady Grand Master

Time. You need more time. Most people on this forum report that it takes one to three years to heal.

Hang in there!

SMRI Collaborator

Has your thyroid been tested?

beth01 Enthusiast

Nine months gluten free and I still am not feeling well. It takes time. Depends on how long and how sick you were before diagnosis. Keep a food and symptom diary, some people have other food intolerances that can also cause some of the same symptoms as gluten. Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon.

nvsmom Community Regular

Ditto the others.  You probably need more time. The first six months or so can be very up and down.  My arthritis, fatigue and hairloss actually peaked after I had been gluten-free for a couple of months and finally started to fade after 6 months gluten-free. I was convinced that I must have lupus or something else, and I even saw a rhuematologist about it.  She told me the same thing that the veterans around here (like Kareng) told me: It's still from the celiac. You need more time.  

 

I still get minor flare-ups of arthritis after 2.5 years gluten-free, but they are much less severe, don't last as long, and are less frequent. Same thing with the fatigue (mostly) and migraines, C, and other old symptoms.  

 

My one symptom that hasn't really improved is my hairloss and my fatigue (to a much smaller degree) but I have hypothyroidism so I'm guessing that it is causing it.  Hypothyroidism is found in over 1 in 10 celiacs so it's always a good idea to get it checked if you have celiac disease.  TSH, free T4 and free T3, and TPO Ab are good tests to start with.

 

Best wishes.

beth01 Enthusiast

I'm with Nicole, I have had some of my symptoms actually get worse since going gluten free, and I know I've seen others say it. It really does take time.

charlieroseburns Rookie

My thyroid was recently checked and was functioning normally. I made an appointment with a doctor to see if they will check my adrenal glad. My pupils will hardly restrict to a flashlight and re-dilate in under a second, and I read that was a symptom of adrenal fatigue. 
My time outside of work is spent in bed exhausted and in severe pain. Its pretty disheartening that it doesn't sound like this will change any time soon. 

I have been tracking my food and symptoms using Mysyptoms app on my iphone. It's a pretty cool app but has proved useless right now because I feel constantly sick. 

I am so happy to be able to connect with other people who have felt/ are feeling the same way. It was scary when I was diagnosed and had no one else who could relate. 


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



hrenee101 Newbie

I'm right there with you, I was just recently diagnosed and have good days and bad days. Because I am having so many bad days and its affecting my work, I am actually taking some time off from work because I just can't do my job because of it. Everyone keeps telling me that only time will help, well that's hard to hear, when your pain seems to be getting worse or can't keep focused to complete task, or your in too much pain to move. We will get better :) and its really nice to be able to talk to others going through the same situation or others that have went through this in the past. 

1desperateladysaved Proficient

My functional medicine nurse told me that calcium can make celiac worse.  I don't have more details about that, but perhaps you could look into it.  Also, are you also taking magnesium, which If I got it right is needed to use with calcium?  I would consider other food allergies.  Make sure that your supplements are free of gluten and anything artificial.  I got over 30 years of brain fog and fatigue  I have found the human body extremely complicated and have peeled off many layers of ill health and hope that you will soon feel better too.  .

 

Dee

beth01 Enthusiast

I'm right there with you, I was just recently diagnosed and have good days and bad days. Because I am having so many bad days and its affecting my work, I am actually taking some time off from work because I just can't do my job because of it. Everyone keeps telling me that only time will help, well that's hard to hear, when your pain seems to be getting worse or can't keep focused to complete task, or your in too much pain to move. We will get better :) and its really nice to be able to talk to others going through the same situation or others that have went through this in the past.

It is disheartening to hear " it takes time" and have no one be able to give you a time frame. But just think how nice it will be to feel "normal", what ever the h that is lol.

charlieroseburns Rookie

My functional medicine nurse told me that calcium can make celiac worse.  I don't have more details about that, but perhaps you could look into it.  Also, are you also taking magnesium, which If I got it right is needed to use with calcium?  I would consider other food allergies.  Make sure that your supplements are free of gluten and anything artificial.  I got over 30 years of brain fog and fatigue  I have found the human body extremely complicated and have peeled off many layers of ill health and hope that you will soon feel better too.  .

 

Dee

I stopped the calcium and B-12 until my check in on Wednesday with the doctor. It is the only thing I added before I hit rock bottom. I wasn't taking any magnesium. (But they don't contain gluten) Debating on doing allergy testing or continuing trial and error. These Dr. appointments sure do add up. $$$

charlieroseburns Rookie

I'm right there with you, I was just recently diagnosed and have good days and bad days. Because I am having so many bad days and its affecting my work, I am actually taking some time off from work because I just can't do my job because of it. Everyone keeps telling me that only time will help, well that's hard to hear, when your pain seems to be getting worse or can't keep focused to complete task, or your in too much pain to move. We will get better :) and its really nice to be able to talk to others going through the same situation or others that have went through this in the past. 

I hope you start to feel better! It seems we are the beginning of a long journey! Can't wait for the good days to outweigh the bad. :]

Archived

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

  • 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. - Mari replied to Jmartes71's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      15

      My only proof

    2. - Rejoicephd commented on Jefferson Adams's article in Gluten-Free Cooking
      1

      Your Complete Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Plan: Recipes, Tips & Holiday Favorites

    3. - marion wheaton replied to marion wheaton's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      3

      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?

    4. - trents replied to marion wheaton's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      3

      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,422
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    HAUS
    Newest Member
    HAUS
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Mari
      Years  ago a friend and I drove north into Canada hoping to find a ski resort open in late spring,We were in my VW and found a small ski area near a small town and started up this gravelled road up a mountain. We  got about halfway up and got stuck in the mud. We tried everything we could think of but an hour later we were still stuck. Finally a pickup came down the road, laughed at our situation, then pulled the VW free of the mud. We followed him back to the ski area where where he started up the rope ski lift and we had an enjoyable hour of skiing and gave us a shot of aquavit  before we left.It was a great rescue.  In some ways this reminds me of your situation. You are waiting for a rescue and you have chosen medical practitioners to do it now or as soon as possible. As you have found out the med. experts have not learned how to help you. You face years of continuing to feel horrible, frustrated searching for your rescuer to save you. You can break away from from this pattern of thinking and you have begun breaking  away by using some herbs and supplements from doTerra. Now you can start trying some of the suggestions thatother Celiacs have written to your original posts.  You live with other people who eat gluten foods. Cross contamination is very possible. Are you sure that their food is completely separate from their food. It  is not only the gluten grains you need to avoid (wheat, barley, rye) but possibly oats, cows milk also. Whenever you fall back into that angry and frustrated way of thinking get up and walk around for a whild. You will learn ways to break that way of thinking about your problems.  Best wishes for your future. May you enjpy a better life.  
    • marion wheaton
      Thanks for responding. I researched further and Lindt Lindor chocolate balls do contain barely malt powder which contains gluten. I was surprised at all of the conflicting information I found when I checked online.
    • trents
      @BlessedinBoston, it is possible that in Canada the product in question is formulated differently than in the USA or at least processed in in a facility that precludes cross contamination. I assume from your user name that you are in the USA. And it is also possible that the product meets the FDA requirement of not more than 20ppm of gluten but you are a super sensitive celiac for whom that standard is insufficient. 
    • BlessedinBoston
      No,Lindt is not gluten free no matter what they say on their website. I found out the hard way when I was newly diagnosed in 2000. At that time the Lindt truffles were just becoming popular and were only sold in small specialty shops at the mall. You couldn't buy them in any stores like today and I was obsessed with them 😁. Took me a while to get around to checking them and was heartbroken when I saw they were absolutely not gluten free 😔. Felt the same when I realized Twizzlers weren't either. Took me a while to get my diet on order after being diagnosed. I was diagnosed with small bowel non Hodgkins lymphoma at the same time. So it was a very stressful time to say the least. Hope this helps 😁.
    • knitty kitty
      @Jmartes71, I understand your frustration and anger.  I've been in a similar situation where no doctor took me seriously, accused me of making things up, and eventually sent me home to suffer alone.   My doctors did not recognize nutritional deficiencies.  Doctors are trained in medical learning institutions that are funded by pharmaceutical companies.  They are taught which medications cover up which symptoms.  Doctors are required to take twenty  hours of nutritional education in seven years of medical training.  (They can earn nine hours in Nutrition by taking a three day weekend seminar.)  They are taught nutritional deficiencies are passe' and don't happen in our well fed Western society any more.  In Celiac Disease, the autoimmune response and inflammation affects the absorption of ALL the essential vitamins and minerals.  Correcting nutritional deficiencies caused by malabsorption is essential!  I begged my doctor to check my Vitamin D level, which he did only after making sure my insurance would cover it.  When my Vitamin D came back extremely low, my doctor was very surprised, but refused to test for further nutritional deficiencies because he "couldn't make money prescribing vitamins.". I believe it was beyond his knowledge, so he blamed me for making stuff up, and stormed out of the exam room.  I had studied Nutrition before earning a degree in Microbiology.  I switched because I was curious what vitamins from our food were doing in our bodies.  Vitamins are substances that our bodies cannot manufacture, so we must ingest them every day.  Without them, our bodies cannot manufacture life sustaining enzymes and we sicken and die.   At home alone, I could feel myself dying.  It's an unnerving feeling, to say the least, and, so, with nothing left to lose, I relied in my education in nutrition.  My symptoms of Thiamine deficiency were the worst, so I began taking high dose Thiamine.  I had health improvement within an hour.  It was magical.  I continued taking high dose thiamine with a B Complex, magnesium. and other essential nutrients.  The health improvements continued for months.  High doses of thiamine are required to correct a thiamine deficiency because thiamine affects every cell and mitochondria in our bodies.    A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function.  The cerebellum of the brain is most affected.  The cerebellum controls things we don't have to consciously have to think about, like digestion, balance, breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, hormone regulation, and many more.  Thiamine is absorbed from the digestive tract and sent to the most important organs like the brain and the heart.  This leaves the digestive tract depleted of Thiamine and symptoms of Gastrointestinal Beriberi, a thiamine deficiency localized in the digestive system, begin to appear.  Symptoms of Gastrointestinal Beriberi include anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, headaches, Gerd, acid reflux, gas, slow stomach emptying, gastroparesis, bloating, diarrhea and/or constipation, incontinence, abdominal pain, IBS,  SIBO, POTS, high blood pressure, heart rate changes like tachycardia, difficulty swallowing, Barrett's Esophagus, peripheral neuropathy, and more. Doctors are only taught about thiamine deficiency in alcoholism and look for the classic triad of symptoms (changes in gait, mental function, and nystagmus) but fail to realize that gastrointestinal symptoms can precede these symptoms by months.  All three classic triad of symptoms only appear in fifteen percent of patients, with most patients being diagnosed with thiamine deficiency post mortem.  I had all three but swore I didn't drink, so I was dismissed as "crazy" and sent home to die basically.   Yes, I understand how frustrating no answers from doctors can be.  I took OTC Thiamine Hydrochloride, and later thiamine in the forms TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) and Benfotiamine to correct my thiamine deficiency.  I also took magnesium, needed by thiamine to make those life sustaining enzymes.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins, so the other B vitamins must be supplemented as well.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   A doctor can administer high dose thiamine by IV along with the other B vitamins.  Again, Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine should be given if only to rule Gastrointestinal Beriberi out as a cause of your symptoms.  If no improvement, no harm is done. Share the following link with your doctors.  Section Three is especially informative.  They need to be expand their knowledge about Thiamine and nutrition in Celiac Disease.  Ask for an Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test for thiamine deficiency.  This test is more reliable than a blood test. Thiamine, gastrointestinal beriberi and acetylcholine signaling.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12014454/ Best wishes!
×
×
  • 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.