Interesting Reactions To gluten-free Diet

[CMCM]

I've been totally and carefully gluten free for 6 days now. I felt hugely better after just one day, and at that point had already lost 1.5 lbs. of bloat which I'd been unable to budge for a good 6 months or more. By day 2 I noticed all stomach bloating and gas has disappeared. I had mild headaches on waking up for several days, but that is gone now. But I've been itchy....back and scalp, mostly. This is new, and strange.

I'm also eating no sugar and no dairy, so I don't know what is related to what at this point, all I know is I feel great suddenly. My overall condition was rotten as of my gluten-free start day, last Friday. For a long time I thought I was lactose intolerant, but several years ago I cut out grains for 6 weeks while on the Atkins diet, and oddly, after that when I incorporated dairy back into my diet (always in limited amounts, though), it no longer seemed to bother me. So I don't think I'm sensitive to dairy on its own...maybe only in combination with eating gluten, then it becomes a problem.

[RiceGuy]

Yes, many have found that once going gluten-free, other symptoms emerge. I've noticed the same sorts of things too. It may be that the increased efficiency of the various bodily systems allows it to react to things which it could not before. It may be that the more severe symptoms masked the lesser ones. There still remains much research to be done in this area, so you may not get a complete answer yet.

Imagine a poor signal on your TV because of interference from something nearby. Once that interference is removed, you can see the picture. The noise crowds out the other signal to an extent that you may not be able to tell if it's even there. Again, this may or may not be a valid explanation, but your symptoms are quite common, and should improve over time. I wish my recovery was as fast as yours! It's been nearly a year for me gluten-free and still a long way to go.

[darlindeb25]

It also can be the toxins still leaving your body. Start taking vitamins now--make sure they are gluten free. We celiacs do not absorb vitamins well--you need to start fixing your body now that you have the poisons leaving. I'm happy for you, it's great you are feeling better so quickly. I have a friend in Florida who would report to us in hours----hour 10, hour 30--it was great. Deb

[chad from fla]

It may be that the increased efficiency of the various bodily systems allows it to react to things which it could not before. It may be that the more severe symptoms masked the lesser ones.

That's how I feel: that before I went off gluten, my body was being poisoned so much that my immune system had to "pick battles" and only react to the really important sensitivities. Now that I don't eat gluten, my body is WAY more sensitive to things...even some new things. It can feel like we're getting "sicker" but we're actually getting better. I try to tell myself that the increased sensitivity is my body's way of demonstrating how much stronger it has become.

[Rachel--24]

That's how I feel: that before I went off gluten, my body was being poisoned so much that my immune system had to "pick battles" and only react to the really important sensitivities. Now that I don't eat gluten, my body is WAY more sensitive to things...even some new things. It can feel like we're getting "sicker" but we're actually getting better. I try to tell myself that the increased sensitivity is my body's way of demonstrating how much stronger it has become.

That was such a good way of explaining things! Its exactly what happened with me. As soon as I went gluten-free the very first day I started reacting to EVERYTHING. It was crazy...I had major food and chemical sensitivities. I could smell chemicals in everything...even paper. It lasted about a week and during that time I honestly felt I was dying. The detoxing or withdrawl or whatever it was was pretty bad for me. The next week I started getting better. I still have mild sensitivities and they always get worse after glutened but never to the extreme of that first week.