Gluten intolerance

[Glmurray]

I was gluten free for about a year and feeling great, then I started eating twizzlers and wasn't really thinking about the gluten in them. I was started to feel off all the time. Then I got a really bad cold virus and wanted some warm chicken noodle soup and ate that for about 2 weeks and of course wasn't feeling well because I already had a cold. Then I just completely crashed one day. Started having extreme fatigue and weakness. Muscle pain. Stomach problems. Anxiety and panic attacks. I immediately stopped eating the noodles and went back to gluten free. I noticed that eating oats caused the same reaction. Now it is two months out and I am still feeling weak and fatigued. Other symptoms are: hard time sleeping, muscle pain, crying easily, panic attacks, reactions to almost everything I eat now. However it is gradually seeming to subside. Questions...Can gluten have a cumulative affect where the symptoms just keep getting worse the more you keep eating and eventually cause a crash? Can the symptoms last for 2-3 months or longer? Can oats cause the same reaction (the oats were gluten free)?

[Ennis-TX]

Yes, if your a celiac then your antibodies kept going up and up as you ate it more, celiac is a autoimmune disease where you body reacts to gluten like a virus or germ creating antibodies that end up being misguided and attack other parts of your body (to sum it up and simplify it). The antibodies can take 2-6 weeks to calm back down. Some of us like me and about 10% of other celiacs react to oats exactly or in a similar fashion to gluten.

If you want to be tested for the disease keep eating gluten for a full 6 weeks then go get the blood test done getting a full celiac panel to check for the antibodies. After which you need to keep eating it for the endoscope where they go and check for intestinal damage.

[Glmurray]

So you said 2-6 weeks for me it has been 2 months. Could that be because I ate other things like oats, corn & rice that I also react to during that time & it is keeping my system inflamed?  

[Ennis-TX]

11 minutes ago, Glmurray said:

So you said 2-6 weeks for me it has been 2 months. Could that be because I ate other things like oats, corn & rice that I also react to during that time & it is keeping my system inflamed?  

If you react to oats then yes it would keep it up, if oat did not bother you before hand they might now, sometimes after extended gluten exposure your body develops new intolerance to foods. These can go away after time but for now you might have also developed a new food intolerance. Try keeping a food diary, write down everything you eat and how you feel 2-6 hours after. Change up your diet and rotate some foods/spices out completely for a few days keeping track like this. You might find some foods that are triggering your issues. These might be a newly developed intolerance or you might find you have a gluten cross contamination issue in something.

[Jmg]

Hi and welcome

17 hours ago, Glmurray said:

I was gluten free for about a year and feeling great

What caused you to go gluten free? Have you ever been tested for celiac?  

 

[Glmurray]

I had muscle aches and fatigue and anxiety when eating wheat.  I had some tests done.  They said something was low, I forget now what it was called, but they recommended that because of it.  For some reason I decided to try it again and I don't know if it was coincidence or not, but my health went downhill quickly after I started eating it everyday again.  I just wasn't sure if the symptoms could last for 3 months.  I have read several articles that say it could take 3-6 months to get over one time eating gluten.  

[Jmg]

Symptoms can last for months, I think our own CyclingLady said that effects from her last glutening lasted 6 months. They will go eventually however. In very rare cases of refractory celiac they don't, but this is, extremely, rare. Try and take heart that at least you know the cause of the anxiety. I find it a lot easier to cope with now because I know there's a physical cause for it and I know it will eventually pass. 

I think you may want to give some thought as to whether you want to test again for celiac. A positive diagnosis may be useful to you, both to keep you on the diet and for the additional monitoring of your nutrient levels. Of course that would involve a gluten challenge and you've already experienced that going back to gluten after an absence can be tougher than the first time round. So, given that you now know that gluten is a problem for you. if you don't want to do that my other suggestion would be to live your life as if you have a positive celiac diagnosis. However much of a pain the diet can be, it's a lot easier to negotiate if you know that gluten is absolutely not an option for you. 

I hope you're soon feeling better! 

 

[Glmurray]

Jmg-

Thank you for your reply.  I just don't know if I could go through these symptoms again to be tested.  I think I will just continue to be gluten free and never ever decide to try it again.  This has been a rough 3 months and I am hoping that resting and nutrition will cause a turn around soon.