How long for a person to heal after gluten free?

[Jamariya]

I have been gluten free for one year.  I am better, but not healed.  Still swell and get muscle cramps.  For those who are strictly gluten free, how long before your body healed? 

[Ennis-TX]

5 hours ago, Jamariya said:

I have been gluten free for one year.  I am better, but not healed.  Still swell and get muscle cramps.  For those who are strictly gluten free, how long before your body healed? 

The muscle cramps are normally related to a deficiency issue where you can not absorb certain nutrients. The big culprit is magnesium, if your very active or stressed you need even more then normal. A magnesium citrate or magnesium glycinate is suggested.  If you have a sensitive gut or easy stools go with glycinate (Doctors best). If you have constipation or hard stools see about magnesium citrate from natural vitality calm, and start dosing at 1/4 tsp and ease into the full dose. You might need more then normal depending on you as everyone is different. >.< I require about 2-3 times the does spaced through out the day. I use both and rotate citrate and glcyinate.
Vitamin C, Calcium, and a few others could also be the culprit but are less likely. Here si a quick reference chart
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[cyclinglady]

It is hard to answer your question without more facts.  Why did you go gluten free?  Have you been diagnosed with celiac disease?  Have you had follow-up testing?  Your issues might be related to something other than celiac disease.  

I have celiac disease.  Within months my anemia resolved.  I felt better at one year, but it took two years to really feel well.  Everyone heals at a different rate based on their own particulate set of celiac-related complications.  

[Jamariya]

After 30 years of tackling anemia with iron laden vitamins, enduring muscle knots in my back and joint pain, and cannot gain weight well, I began to have increasing leg cramps, hand cramps, and tremors, life threatening reactions to medications and food which resulted in ER trips with full body cramping for hours, highly elevated liver enzymes, blood tests showing major muscle damage, albumin in urine, and enlarged liver (I do not drink alcohol), I reached  age 52.  I have been diligent in seeking help, but having doctor after doctor dismiss me.  The ER treated me like an anomaly.  At age 52,  I went on an autoimmune diet out of desperation and began to feel better.   I reintroduced some items after several months.  When I reintroduced wheat, I was literally screaming on the floor within 30 minutes with severe cramping in my legs and hands.  Six months later, and gluten free,  I finally found a family doctor who would run a comprehensive celiac panel.  But since I had been off wheat for 6 months, it would naturally be negative.  Genetic testing, which I paid for and requested on my own from a lab, showed I have a gene which can predispose me to celiac.  Unless I eat wheat, which I can’t without being hospitalized, the blood test will be negative. I still have not found a gastro doc to listen to me.  I feel so much better, but my ultrasound just showed cirrhosis of the liver.  If I can’t find a doc to listen to me about what the wheat did to me, I’m concerned they’ll not treat me correctly.  I cannot even get a crumb in my mouth without severe consequences.  Cross contamination is an issue.  I am hoping my liver will get better since I’m off gluten now for a year.  So my specific question is, will my liver heal after 53 years of exposure to gluten, which was hurting me, in spite of no doctor recognizing this? And please tell me a good doctor in the southeast who understands gluten intolerance (celiac or non-celiac).  I will travel to get seen!!  BCBS is my insurance. 

[cyclinglady]

Thanks for responding.  I hear you!   So many others on this forum are like you.  Like....my husband.  Medical doctors were not able to help him.  He had chronic sinus infections, horrible snoring and felt like he always had the flu.  My allergist and his GP advised him to go gluten free some 16 years ago.  It took a year to get the diet down (no cheating) and to learn about cross contamination, but that year was with it.  His health recovered and then would relapse if he had a gluten exposure.  Does he have celiac disease?  Who knows?  He is not willing to do a gluten challenge for 12 weeks (we like paying our bills).  

I think your liver can heal.  It is not too late!  

Has your anemia resolved?  I am post menopausal, so my iron-deficiency anemia resolved in just a few months on a gluten free diet.  It took much longer for other things to heal (two years, I’d say).  I went pretty much grain free after my diabetes diagnosis (I eat to my glucose meter).  I am very sensitive.  Eat accidental glutening has often set me back for months and has caused new symptoms like daily hives).  But all usually resolves once I heal.  

This might help determine if the gluten-free diet is helping you to heal. 

This article talks about celiac disease and liver issues well:

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As far as a doctors are concerned.  I have had great medical support. My hubby has not because they just think he jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon.  So, we just work within the system.  That means research8ng and asking for tests we think are necessary.  Fortunately his health is good now.  

 

I hope this helps!  Hang in there!  

 

[Jamariya]

Thank you for your detailed response.  It feels good to hear such similar stories, though it highlights the apathy in much of the medical community on this issue.  My anemia resolved after a few months, though I have some telltale signs of vitamin B deficiency now.  The response previous to yours addressed some other areas that I may be deficient in.  Thank you, again.