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Eating Is Exhausting!

RachelCherie

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RachelCherie Newbie
RachelCherie
Posted

I find eating completely exhausting! By this I don't mean that after I eat I get tired. And I don't mean that finding or preparing meals is exhausting. What I mean is that the physical act of eating is taxing. I get out of breath, my face turns red, I feel like I'm running a marathon even after just one or two minutes of eating. And it takes me forever to eat even small things it is so physically draining. I have looked to see if other people have this problem but all I can find is people who get tired after eating and that's not what I'm talking about. I'm wondering if anyone else out there gets worn out by the simple act of eating? 

(I was diagnosed with Celiac disease mid-Feb but have not seem to have found much relief from abdominal pain nausea and diarrhea since going gluten free..)

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cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Were you checked for anemia?

Anyway, the learning curve is steep for celiac disease. Most folks on this forum take up to two to three years to feel better. Be sure to read our Newbie 101 section under "Coping". It contains valuable information about cross contamination, etc.

I hope you feel better soon.

LauraTX Rising Star
LauraTX
Posted

Getting checked for anemia is a good idea.  Do you have any lung or heart conditions?  I have asthma, can't breathe well through my nose, and one of the first signs I get when my asthma is not in control is I will have to stop eating and gasp for air because I get so out of breath during a meal.  I have to eat slowly and breathe well in between bites.  Then up my medication to get it under control.  I have searched online and not found anything really in the lines of that issue.  Just a manifestation of my asthma that I now know is a sign to get it under wraps.

celiac sharon Apprentice
celiac sharon
Posted

Actually there a whole slew of nutrients, including iron that could be causing fatigue. Also, like others said, it really takes time to feel well for some, although I STARTED feeling better in about a week. Just not complete relief even now, four years later. What puzzles me, is it sounds like you DONT have fatigue in other aaspects, if I hear you right? Only with the physical act of eating? Looking into respiratory and heart problems as Laura said is a good place to start. But I would still check all your nutrients.

w8in4dave Community Regular
w8in4dave
Posted

My face used to turn Bright red when I ate, no longer does. I had a Gluten free beer one day and Bam my face turned bright red. You may have other intolerances , I found I had Soy, corn, and also lactose intolerant, I can have some lactose now. and a tinge of corn now. But not much! That causes bathroom issues. Hope you find the answer to your problems.

RachelCherie Newbie
RachelCherie
Posted
  • Author

I started seeing a DO a little over a year ago, originally for chest pain. She ran an EKG and stress test, spirometry etc. No indication of heart or lung problems. She also did extensive blood work (like 10 pages worth of results). Found high cortisol level and thus attributed chest pain to high stress/anxiety. She's run my blood almost every other month since then. None of them have ever shown any signs of anemia. I do have low vitamin D and B and omega 3s. Taking some supplements for that. On my most recent test after a couple weeks of being gluten free my cortisol is down, but my thyroid numbers are up. 

 

I do experience a lot of fatigue in general, just the thing about eating seems more bizarre to me. 
 

When I first started reading I heard most people feel at least somewhat better after a couple weeks and its just disappointing that I don't. It is good to know that I'm not alone and there are others out there who took a while to get there. I just work really hard on this new lifestyle and I'm eager to start seeing the effects. 

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    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

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      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
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      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

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      Contact them.
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