The Ups And Downs Of Cd

[Jen H]

Hi everyone,

I'm still fairly new to celiac disease and was hoping I could ask you guys a question. I was diagnosed in August and have been eating gluten-free since then. I've been extremely careful about what I eat and I'm fairly sure I have rid my diet of gluten. Over the past 3 months I seem to have "waves" of symptoms. Some days I feel great and other days I have stomach pain and am exhausted. I'm pretty sure I'm not glutening myself, so is it normal for me to go through ups and downs like this? I'm just so new to it all I don't know what to expect.

Thanks so much!

Jen

[KaitiUSA]

Yes, I was up and down for many months before feeling better.

I know you said your foods have been gluten free but what about your products?

Also, since you are kind of new to the diet it does take time to feel better it took me 8 months to get back to normal but I felt better and saw improvement before then...have you seen any improvement? If you have by now that should be encouraging.

[jerseyangel]

I agree that it takes a while to feel better more or less consistantly. At 3 months, I was still having bad days but after the fourth month, there were definately more good days than bad--thats the point where I felt I had my gluten-free act together and kind of turned a corner so to speak. I'm only five months into it now but the D is gone but some of the other symptoms still remain--but not as severe. I figure that its all part of the healing process and will improve with time (and being strictly gluten-free!!). Sounds like you're on the right track--keep us posted

[jenvan]

It is not uncommon to go up and down. I am 9 mos gluten-free and still riding that rollercoaster. Sometimes it can be attributed to less sleep, more stress, different foods...other times there is no correlation, and who knows what your body is up to. In the scheme of things, you are still just beginning, and I am only really beginning to get some where in terms of healing. Now, I will say if you are having varing digestive issues, not just fatigue, you may want to track your symptoms. Something could be getting in or there may be another food or product that bothers you. I highly recommend food/symptom journals to come up with correlations and track progress. Hope this week/end is a good one for you!

[Jen H]

Thanks for all your replies! Jenvan, I think I'm going to start keeping my food journal again. I was doing great for a while, and then BAM, I started getting stomach symptoms again. I bet you're right-there's been a leak. I've been super careful about checking what I eat, but today I noticed that the wraps I've been eating for lunch seem to affect me. I was sick within ten minutes of eating it. I've been using the corn tortilla wraps from Trader Joes (on the gluten-free list) and Carl Buddig Ham (which is gluten-free on their website). I've been eating this sandwich all week and have had similar symptoms. I'm not sure how that's making me sick, but it seems to be. Have you had reactions from gluten-free foods?

Jen

[jerseyangel]

Could there be cross contamination from the slicer used on your ham? Just a thought.