Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • 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

Brain Fog


Irishjoe

Recommended Posts

Papa-Hen Rookie

Joe & the rest,

I'm brand new here and writing for the first time.

Brain fog, Chronic Fatigue, forgetful,

"Tired, cranky, irritable, and miserable...and sometimes I enjoy it". :)

In retrospect, my worst days were Pancake Saturdays with the kids...Imagine that!

...did I mention forgetful?

Over the past 10+ years, I have done well losing weight on low-carb diets, and even better at gaining it back when I sought to go back to a "normal" diet. I am one of the souls that can lose up to 6lb of water weight the 1st day. Silly, me, I didn't believe enough in what I was doing, and allowed myself a little of a friends B-day cake...Several years later, and I was back & beyond my previous high weight.

Now down 45 lb from 260 since quitting bread/cakes/etc. in November. Recently read "Dangerous Grains" and came to learn it's gluten sensitivity, and that barley, rye, and others also have gluten. Since then, much more gluten free. The weight just comes off without even thinking about it. No struggle!

I also now know that I'm only one donut away from going back.

(Thank God it wasn't alcohol that I was so addicted to--I would have been a real mess.)

Last time, I got down to 185. I'm more than 1/2 way there.

The weird thing is that I am now to the point where I prefer fruits & fresh veggies to a huge pile of mashed potatoes! Considering similar claims elsewhere at this site, I'm optimistic that I'm really on to something.

I'm also scared as I had a very rough 2+ weeks that I hope are now over as of this afternoon.

Was it just anxiety causing everything, including the stomach aches, or could it have been my body releasing many toxins that had accumulated over my lifetime?

Most on this board indicate that they get much better right away, so this does not seem to be the norm.

Has anyone else had to go through hell to get to heaven?

I look forward to hearing from you and being part of this group.

Thanks,

- Henry

  • 5 years later...

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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Februaryrich Rookie

I also can't make eye contacts with people, for some reason my eyes just go WOOHOO and I can't focus on prints when I read. It goes away after a while on the diet!

Twinklestars Contributor

I will be so glad when I don't turn around in circles in my kitchen anymore, trying to remember which cupboard something is in! :lol:

Ollie's Mom Apprentice

I've been wondering about that no eye contact thing a little more. I wonder if there's any connection to that same behavior in autism (which I know may have some connection with celiac and other food problems)? Like maybe people with celiac and people with autism have a problem with the same area of the brain. I know they say that with autism they can become overstimulated and withdraw. I wonder if it's the same process?

I have diagnosed myself with Asperger's (sounds strange, maybe, but I was too old to have been screened for it when I was going through school, and diagnosing adults with autism is difficult because adults have had time to develop coping mechanisms). Anyway, my family and husband all agree I am a Asperger's "poster adult"

(I also self diagnosed my gluten issues... aren't doctors useful? *sigh*)

When I get glutened, my inability to look people in the eye gets much, much worse. I can't talk properly (like someone else here mentioned, it's like I lose control of my tongue). I stutter. My sensory issues (noise, smells, lights, the feeling of the material of my clothing) gets so much worse. The last time I was glutened, I almost ran screaming out of a public washroom because someone turned on an air hand dryer, and the noise was too much for me to handle.

Basically, when I get glutened, I tell my husband that I feel much more "autistic" than when I haven't been glutened. I makes me wonder how I survived before I went gluten free, because I felt that "autistic" all the time before (I do remember how hard it was... but thankfully that is almost completely behind me, unless I get glutened, of course).

So yes, I am convinced there's a link in some cases to autism and gluten / other food intolerances.

pricklypear1971 Community Regular

I have diagnosed myself with Asperger's (sounds strange, maybe, but I was too old to have been screened for it when I was going through school, and diagnosing adults with autism is difficult because adults have had time to develop coping mechanisms). Anyway, my family and husband all agree I am a Asperger's "poster adult"

(I also self diagnosed my gluten issues... aren't doctors useful? *sigh*)

When I get glutened, my inability to look people in the eye gets much, much worse. I can't talk properly (like someone else here mentioned, it's like I lose control of my tongue). I stutter. My sensory issues (noise, smells, lights, the feeling of the material of my clothing) gets so much worse. The last time I was glutened, I almost ran screaming out of a public washroom because someone turned on an air hand dryer, and the noise was too much for me to handle.

Basically, when I get glutened, I tell my husband that I feel much more "autistic" than when I haven't been glutened. I makes me wonder how I survived before I went gluten free, because I felt that "autistic" all the time before (I do remember how hard it was... but thankfully that is almost completely behind me, unless I get glutened, of course).

So yes, I am convinced there's a link in some cases to autism and gluten / other food intolerances.

Wow. Makes ME wonder. I get the hairdryer thing. My doctors call it "overstimulated adrenals" in my case - supposedly temporary from corticosteroids and gee - gluten and salicylates. I couldn't take a shower because that involved feeling something on my skin and hearing the water run. I can't imagine feeling that all the time. Kudos to you for figuring it out and learning to manage the situation.

cougie23 Explorer

I will be so glad when I don't turn around in circles in my kitchen anymore, trying to remember which cupboard something is in! :lol:

Yeah..me too!!! I thought the eye contact thing was just a QUIRK on my part!!! WEIRD...chalk another bizzarre symptom up to CELIACS...and people just thought I was CRAZY!!! LOL :lol:

I HATE forgetting what your talking about in mid conversation...or not remembering pin #'s...Or intructions involving more than 3 things!!! not to mention the "clasic" why am I in this room?! OR this is another "classic" having someone looking you in the eye...being really serious..(not being able to look back)... and a second after they finish talking and its YOUR turn...its like ..what??? no clue whatsoever!!!? :blink:

Stuttering too...just out of no where...!!! <_<

This was what it was like last March for me...Its gotten alot better...but I am still acused of being VERY HYPER!!! Among OTHER persistant problems...I tend to TYPE like I THINK!!! LOL :lol::lol::lol::D ........LOL :P

Twinklestars Contributor

Wow. Makes ME wonder. I get the hairdryer thing. My doctors call it "overstimulated adrenals" in my case - supposedly temporary from corticosteroids and gee - gluten and salicylates. I couldn't take a shower because that involved feeling something on my skin and hearing the water run. I can't imagine feeling that all the time. Kudos to you for figuring it out and learning to manage the situation.

And your post just made me go wow PP. One of my children is extremely sensitive to noise. I had just put it down to her being 3, but she gets hysterical if she has to have a shower (but a bath is fine), she bursts into tears if a game get noisy etc. I'll watch her a bit more closely I think. Obviously if I'm diagnosed I'll get all my kids tested, but will be more watchful in the meantime.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



bodhizatfa Newbie

Gluten intolerance affected me in a lot of ways including my brain activity. When my sensitivity was triggered 3 and a half years ago I developped some OCD...something I hadn't experienced before. My mind wouldn't shut-down, I was stressed to the max, I had anxiety, I had racing thoughts to the point where my wife thought I was loosing my marbles. She patiently listened to me while I explained what was going on in my head and reassured me that it was only the OCD talking. I really thought I was going crazy. The brain fog...wow....concentration was null. It got so bad that I started to get really embarassed, because I knew that things were not normal. It took a great deal of effort just to function every day. I did my research and I went on a gluten free diet nine months ago and it all went away. All of my other symptoms went away too. I am so grateful to have found the answer. My symptoms come back to life when I get any gluten in my diet....intentional or not. Even the smallest traces now affect me. Gotta be careful..:)

Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,259
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    ToniT
    Newest Member
    ToniT
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Wheatwacked
      Vitamin D deficiency can contribute to rib pain. Chest pain stemming from the ribs ccould be costochondritis, which involves inflammation of the cartilage connecting the ribs to the breastbone. This pain can range from mild to severe, potentially mimicking heart attack symptoms, and is often worsened by breathing or movement. Other potential causes include muscle strain, rib fractures, or even referred pain from other conditions.  It will also help to chose vegetables low in omega 6.
    • Scott Adams
      Great question! Even if some individuals with celiac disease don’t experience immediate villi damage from occasional cross-contamination, it’s still strongly recommended to maintain strict avoidance of gluten. The immune response triggered by gluten can vary between individuals, and even small amounts may cause systemic inflammation or other symptoms, even if intestinal damage isn’t immediately detectable. Additionally, repeated exposure—even at low levels—could lead to cumulative harm over time. Strict avoidance of cross-contamination remains the safest approach to prevent long-term complications and ensure overall health. Everyone’s sensitivity differs, so working with a healthcare provider to tailor precautions is ideal.
    • Zuma888
    • knitty kitty
      You have one gene for Celiac.  You have a second autoimmune disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is frequently found at a higher rate with Celiac.  HLA genes carry autoimmune disease genes like Celiac and Hashimoto's and diabetes and others.   You have Celiac symptoms of reacting after gluten.  You said "I am however still suffering from the effects of the gluten challenge (food sensitivities, slight brain fog, weird stool, fatigue, swollen thyroid, bodyaches)."  And your anti-thyroid antibodies increase after gluten exposure.  While tTg IgA does not directly attack the thyroid, gluten exposure does trigger the  immune system to produce antibodies against the thyroid in genetically predisposed individuals.  You did not eat sufficient gluten (10 grams of gluten per day for two weeks minimum) to raise the autoimmune antibodies to the point they can be measured in the blood, so your blood tests may well be inaccurate.  You could choose to continue the gluten challenge of 10 grams a day for at least two weeks and get retested.   At the very least, you know that gluten is harmful to your thyroid, and because you are genetically predisposed to Celiac disease, a strict gluten free diet would be beneficial for your overall health.  
    • Zuma888
      Thanks @Scott Adams! I guess my question now is: do the celiacs who can get away with regular contamination without villi damage as you mentioned have to be strict about cross-contamination ? 
×
×
  • Create New...