How long till I notice a difference??

[sebailes26]

Hi everyone!!

So right now I’m testing out a gluten free diet to see if I have a gluten intolerance. My symptoms: extreme bruising (as in I have 150 bruises on my legs right now), weight loss and inability to gain it back, and hair falling out. I have a few other random things (stomach aches but not after specific foods, fatigue, etc), but I’m not sure if they’re even gluten related or not. 

Anyway, how long will I need to try this diet until I start noticing some changes? I’ve been doing it for about five days now. I know my symptoms will be harder to tell change in them versus if I was having stomach pain. I really want this to work, but I have no idea how long I should give it before I conclude if gluten is the problem or not. Because I mean, bruises take a while to heal. I don’t know how to measure if those symptoms are getting better!

Any advice would be very appreciated because I am overwhelmed!!!

[GFinDC]

Hi, it could take a couple months to 6 months to see a difference.  But everyone is an individual so it varies a lot.  Try reading the newbie 101 thread in the Coping With section.  It has tips for starting the gluten-free diet.

It would be best to keep eating gluten (at least a little) each day until you have yourself tested for celiac disease.   The testing requires the antibodies to be active in the bloodstream for accuracy.