Gluten attack severe insomnia and anxiety?

[BuddhaBar]

New member here :)

I'm a 37 yo woman who got diagnosed with Celiac disease 6 months ago. I've been gluten free ever since.
I've had some troubles with sleeping, but not anything severe, but this time it's REALLY bad.
I don't know if I've been glutened or if this is something else. I'm kind of a hypochondriac sometimes so I'm really scared it's that fatal insomnia thing :/
Anyway, I will try to give you a timeline of what I remember:
Tuesday 17. December: Had a hard time falling asleep. Fell asleep at midnight, woke up 2,5 hours later and couldn't get back to sleep.
Wednesday 18. December: Exhausted. Fell asleep quite early in the evening. Slept ok. Woke up a few times during the night.
Thursday 19. December: Slept pretty bad, but wasn't that exhausted. But I had a fever sensation and thought I had the flu, but I didn't.
Friday 20. December: Slept 3 hours
Saturday 21. December: Same as Friday
Sunday 22. December: Slept ok

Then the real hell started. I can't sleep during the night. At most I sleep 1,5-2 hours and then I wake up, can't go back to sleep and I get anxiety attacks. Goes online, read about horrible diseases that could kill me and get even more anxiety. Usually I fall asleep during the morning or midday and I sleep for 3-4 hours. Then I can't sleep during the evening again. 

Yesterday my bowels got really active. Not diarrhea, but I went to the bathroom several times. I usually have hard stool due to my gluten free diet and it was still hard, but for each time I went to the bathroom, my stool got looser and looser. Today I had watery diarrhea twice. I also get muscle twitches all over my body, reflux, burping etc.

Have I've been glutened? Or is it something else? :/ Does anybody recognize those as gluten symptoms?

I'm scared and anxious!

[BuddhaBar]

Now I've decided to stop worrying so much! Or at least try to not worry. Not sleeping, but I don't care. Gonna stay up for 24 hours listening to happy music and try to reset my sleeping pattern. Hope it works.?

[cyclinglady]

You are probably not dying.  You might have been exposed to gluten.  It sounds like it.    Did you eat any other food prepared by someone else lately? Like a restaurant, friend or family member?  Do you have good safe kitchen practices in place?  Do you eat processed foods not marked gluten free?  Are your meds gluten free?  

Anxiety is common if you have active celiac disease.  So is depression.  It can resolve with time and healing.  

In the meantime, consider trying safe and effective means of battling insomnia.  Like only sleeping in your room.  No devices an hour before bedtime.  Read an old-fashioned book.  A nice boring textbook like Accounting 101 or Economics can make anyone sleepy.  Go to bed in a cool room.  Get to bed by 10:00 pm.  If you wake up, get up and start reading that boring book again.  Get out of bed once it is light.  Get exercise during the day.  

I am sure there are other tips you can google.  

I have periods of insomnia.  I attribute most to hormone shifts which  includes the thyroid.  Is your functioning properly?  

Avoid gluten.  At only six months into the diet and the holiday season, chances are you consumed some gluten somehow....

[knitty kitty]

Hello!  No need to worry.  I had really horrible insomnia and anxiety attacks, too.  I found I was deficient in many vitamins and minerals.  Many newly diagnosed Celiacs have malnutrition because Celiac Disease causes malabsorption.  I was deficient in pretty much every thing:  Vitamin D, the eight different B vitamins, Vitamin C, magnesium, and iron. 

Remember that by going gluten free you are eliminating a source of those vitamins and minerals. All gluten products are required to be enriched (the vitamins and minerals are added back to flours because processing strips them away).  Stay away from gluten free processed foods for the first year or so.  Gluten free products are not required to be enriched, so they are empty calories and contain many ingredients (additives for texture and consistency) that could contribute to further intestinal damage.  

So, you've got to get those nutrients from your diet now.  I found the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol diet helped me heal.  Unfortunately, I  was so severely deficient in some vitamins and minerals that I was required to supplement.  

One deficiency symptom in several of the B vitamins, especially B12, is diarrhea, irritability, and insomnia.  I had it in spades.  Depression is a symptom of Vitamin D deficiency.  I had that too.  Cried all night, no sleep for days. I understand.  

I slept better after I started supplementing Vitamin D, B6 and B12, thiamine and magnesium.  I found an article that explains things...

https://thesleepdoctor.com/2019/02/12/5-vitamin-deficiencies-that-can-affect-your-sleep/

You need to have your doctor check for vitamin deficiencies or insufficiencies.  (You may have a higher metabolic need for certain vitamins or minerals.)  Testing for nutritional deficiencies is part of follow up care for Celiacs.  You don't want to start supplementing until your doctor can get a baseline test of your vitamin levels.  

Your doctor may refer you to a dietician.  Ask about the AutoImmune Protocol (AIP) diet and the Low Histamine Diet.

Instead of sleeping pills (which made things worse for me), I found that passion flower extract was helpful.  Many neurotransmitters, those feel good brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, are actually produced in the small intestine which is where most Celiac damage is.  Passion Flower helps keep those neurotransmitters from being inactivated. And that helped me very much with the anxiety and staying asleep.

Oh, keep a food/mood/pooed journal.  It can help identify problematic foods.  My journal helped me confirm tomatoes and potatoes were a problem for me.  They are nightshades and contain chemicals that promote leaky gut and high histamine levels. 

 Histamine is released by your body in the "fight or flight" situation.  Inflammation causes your body to constantly produce histamine.  Your body also breaks histamine down, but it needs B12, B6, and thiamine (B1) to do so.  If you're insufficient in these vitamins, your body can't get rid of the histamine, so you suffer anxiety and insomnia, like you're constantly in that "fight or flight" situation.  I chose Low Histamine foods while on the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol diet and felt much calmer and clearer.  

I hope you feel better soon.  I encourage you to do some research on vitamin and mineral deficiency symptoms in Celiac Disease.  Research the AIP diet.  Keep playing happy music!  You can get through this bumpy patch.  Keep us posted on your journey's progress.

Best wishes! 

 

 

[BuddhaBar]

Thanks for your comments! My worries about fatal insomnia probably stems from my anxiety which stems from the insomnia. Kind of a vicious cycle. It's probably a combination of various things. First of all I worked 4 night shifts before Christmas and completely reversed my biological clock. Second, I think I'm one of the super sensitive celiacs who reacts to traces of gluten. I think the culprit is candy with glucose sirup or maybe a sausage with dextrose ? I cut out all things with those ingredients for 6 months, but I thought I should try it. Never trying it again!

I am deficient in some vitamins. Vitamin D is the worse. Been low in vitamin D off and on for years. Last time I was really low in vitamin D (my level was 17. Minimum healthy level is 50) I had even more severe muscle twitches than I have now. Better start taking those supplements again! I live in Norway and this time of year we have 4,5-5 hours of sunlight per day in my area. That + being a celiac = low vitamin D.
I'm low in iron too, but I stopped taking the supplements because they we're making my constipation even worse. It's hard at it is. Like a lot of celiacs, I struggle to get enough fiber. Fiber supplements doesn't work very well. They only turn my bedroom into a gas chamber ?

I suspect this is a severe glutening because of the reflux and burping. I had those symptoms for 2 years. After going gluten free those symptoms disappeared within a couple of months, but now they're back. Stool was better today, but still not my "healthy" painful hard lumps ?

I need to calm down my worried mind. I'm only making this worse. Trying to think rationally and it works sometimes, but then I think about those super rare deadly diseases again and I get anxious. "Glad" to hear (don't get me wrong) other celiacs have bouts of insomnia as well. Well, half the world's population has insomnia. 

Still haven't slept though! Went to the doctor and he said I must stay awake until this evening to reset my clock again. I got a 10-pack of Imovane. I'm gonna take one this evening and then we'll see what happens. I've still got Saturday, Sunday and Monday off work. Doc said I should call him on Monday if I still have the problems and then he will put me on sick leave if I need to. We also discussed the possibility of me not working anymore night shifts. I've got sleep issues as it is. No need to make it worse if I don't have too. "No human being is actually capable of working night shifts" he said.

EDIT:
Whoooops! Those first 2 sentences...
?
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/shift-work-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/shift-work-disorder-or-insomnia

[knitty kitty]

BuddhaBar,  

I'm glad to hear you're going to take Vitamin D supplements!  I take them year round.  My Vitamin D level was eleven.  My doctor prescribed D2 supplements which are synthetic and didn't agree with me.  I switched to D3, the natural form, and my body loved them.  I craved those little D3 pills.  I ate them like m&m's.  It was really strange, I know, but my vitamin D level came up rapidly and I started feeling better, and the strange craving went away.  I take a maintenance dose daily now.  I keep my Vitamin D level up around 80.  Newer research I've read says when levels are above seventy, Vitamin D acts as a hormone and does wonderful things, like turning off those cells releasing all that histamine and healing your intestines! 

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin.  If your Vitamin D level is so low, it's probable that you are low in the other fat soluble vitamins, A, E, and K, and Omega 3 fatty acids.  Vitamin A is really important to intestinal health.  I could tell a BIG difference when I started supplementing Vitamin A.  I tried Norwegian cod liver oil supplements, because they contain vitamins A, D, and Omega 3's, but I learned I am allergic to fish (and crustaceans), so that didn't work out so well there.  ? 

If you're having trouble with constipation, you may be deficient in magnesium.  Talk to your doctor about checking your magnesium level, too.  Magnesium helps your muscles relax, too, so you may not feel as tense.  Eating more greens like kale, mustard, or turnip greens are good sources of fiber and magnesium and iron.  

I have trouble taking iron supplements, too.  I count myself lucky to actually like liver, so I eat liver and kale often.  ? Desiccated beef liver supplements are another option.  

You said you ate sausage.  The food industry uses "meat glue" to make sausage and other processed meats (chicken tenders, bologna, etc.) stick together.  The meat glue has the effect of causing inflammation.  You might want to steer clear of processed meats for a while.

Burping and reflux are both symptoms of B12 deficiency.  B12 and other B vitamins like thiamine and niacin are needed for proper digestion.  I had times after a carb heavy meal where I thought I was having a reaction to some contamination, but it was simply that I didn't have enough thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  I was real mess.  B vitamins are water soluble.  They are not stored in the body very long.  They need to be replenished every day.  Constipation can cause the B vitamins not to be absorbed.  Diarrhea can cause B vitamins to be flushed out of your system. (Pun intended.)  Deficiency symptoms can be seen in as little as two weeks!

Gas may be caused by SIBO fermenting those fiber supplements.  The AIP diet will help starve out those bad, gas producing microbes.  Beneficial bacteria will take their place.

I know from experience how night shifts can mess you up.  I couldn't do them either.  When my sleep schedule is upside down, I can't lay there tossing and turning.  I try to do something constructive.  Straightening a closet, rearranging the furniture, knitting complicated lace patterns, researching vitamins, writing in a journal, planning a vacation to a place I've always wanted to go.  I find focusing helps with the anxiety.  Keep your mind occupied with good things. 

Have you tried a weighted blanket?  I pile a bunch of quilts on top of myself and it does seem to help.

I'm upside down right now because I tried eggs to see if I could tolerate them yet.  I can't.  See, you're not alone!   

I hope the sleeping pills help you get back on schedule!

Sweet dreams!

Kitty

 

 

 

[BuddhaBar]

knitty kitty:

Now, that's what I call knowledge! Last time I got checked my b12 was alright. I take b-complex daily. Took my vitamin D an hour ago. I take D3 too. The omega 3 is not a problem here. We eat some sort of fish almost every day. I've been eating very "clean" for many months, but the holiday season with all it's food and candy. I thought I might be able to handle glucose sirup and dextrose as most celiacs can, but unfortunately I think I'm one of the more sensitive ones. There's only 3 types of candy and 1 type of ice cream I can eat because of that glucose sirup in EVERYTHING else. And because it's less than 20 ppm gluten in it, they are allowed to label it as gluten free.

I'll try magnesium. I've counted my daily fiber intake and I'm nowhere near the recommended daily intake. It's hard to find gluten free foods that has more than 9 grams of fiber. My bowel movements are regular. One time every morning, but it's haaaaard. Hope the magnesium can solve it. 

Oh that cod liver oil. Don't talk about it, please, haha. I hate it. I prefer pills ?

Actually, I've just ordered a weighted blanket! Been interested in buying one of those for a while and now they're on sale. The weird thing is, my anxiety is all gone now and I feel I could sleep for 15 hours, but now I'm not allowed to sleep for another 5 hours! Gotta do what the doc told me to do.

[knitty kitty]

BuddhaBar, 

Didn't mean to overwhelm you.  LoL.  I studied nutrition in college and continued to study afterwards hoping to figure out what was wrong with me.  I was very sick and got tired of being told by the doctors it was all in my head and thrown medications to treat the symptoms without finding the real cause.

I was taking a daily vitamin when I became so ill, and  flippantly thought I was covered.  But one B Complex a day was not enough for my increased metabolic needs. I started taking two a day figuring the excess would be simply excreted.  I didn't think it would make a difference, but it did!  

I had those heart palpitations you mentioned in another post.  Thiamine deficiency can cause those.  Mine disappeared soon after I started taking extra thiamine.  

If my experience can help others.... malnutrition can happen with Celiac Disease and doctors are not familiar enough with deficiency diseases to recognize them outside of alcoholism.  The Recommended Daily Allowance is set too low.  The RDA is a minimum to prevent disease, not for optimal health.

Stay warm and snug in your new blanket.  I hope you get your sleep cycle regulated!

Happy travels on your Celiac Journey! 

 

[BuddhaBar]

knitty kitty:
I know what it's like. Going to several doctors with tons of symptoms and they find nothing is wrong with you. Isn't that weird? That something so well known as celiac disease can be missed by so many doctors for so many years?

Slept better, but still not good. It's going to take some time to reset this. Read more about that shift work sleep disorder. It's pretty shitty and one of the worst non-deadly sleep disorders you can have. Here's how it works:
Your brain wakes you up in the middle of the night because the brain is set to awake mode because you've been working at that time for several nights. Then you can't go back to sleep because you are "supposed" to be awake and work now. The rest of the night you are sleepless despite still being tired.
In the morning you fall asleep at the same time you usually fall asleep after a night shift (between 8 and 9), but then you wake up after a couple of hours because it's day and your brain is programmed since birth that you should be awake now.
This disorder is so horrible because no matter when you try to sleep, your brain is set to awake mode! I need to get this sorted out. Talking to my doctor and my boss. I have an option of not working night shift, but I need a doctor to document it. 

The gluten thing is better now. Diarrhea stopped and so did the reflux and all that. 
 

[knitty kitty]

BuddhaBar,

Glad to hear you're feeling better and getting some much needed sleep!!! Yeah!

Did you ever see the movie "Insomnia" with Al Pacino?   I can very well commiserate.  LoL

Kitty

[Beverage]

D3 can help, but absorbtion can be difficult, so take it with K2 MK-7 to help the absorbtion (just 1 K2 a day).  That combo really helps me.  I also suggest working with a good naturopath or holistic type doctor (functional medicine doc).  They have a lot more info than most traditional doctors on the forms of different vitamins that actually work so you are not wasting your money.

[John Spoolman]

On 12/26/2019 at 10:48 PM, BuddhaBar said:

Now I've decided to stop worrying so much! Or at least try to not worry. Not sleeping, but I don't care. Gonna stay up for 24 hours listening to happy music and try to reset my sleeping pattern. Hope it works.?

I've been diagnosed with celiac and gluten-free for over 20 years, and during that time I developed severe insomnia.   A couple years ago I decided to gradually stop taking sleeping pills, becoming convinced I was reacting to something I consumed.  After about 3 years of keeping track, I think I've become sensitive to tannins, of all things, and why being gluten-free and celiac would result in tannin sensitivity I have only a wild guess.

Tannins, also known as polyphenols, are in almost every food, not just tea.  Foods high in tannins include many nuts (almonds, pecans, pistachio nuts), fruits (blueberries, raspberries, black berries and so on), chocolate and other assorted foods.  Google an article called 100 foods with highest polyphenol content, and you'l find several good stories that give a good explanation of what polyphenols are as well as a list of foods.  Some of these I've had to eliminate from my diet, but most are OK if I don't eat them two days in a row.  

My theory is based on the "leaky gut" celiacs have that allows larger molecules (like gluten) into the blood stream, molecules most people keep out of their blood stream.  We know celiacs have an autoimmune reaction to the gluten, but I think the liver gets overloaded with these other molecules and somehow causes sleep disruption.  At any rate, I've restricted my tannin intake and have been sleeping miraculously better, so whatever the reason, it works.  

[BuddhaBar]

Thank you for all your replies! 
Unfortunately, my condition hasn't improved much. Anxiety is worse, bowel movements more frequent, sleep still sucks, muscle twitches are worse, getting palpitations, hot flushes, thirst, tremors, losing weight without trying etc.  
I've booked a doctor's appointment on Monday. I'm beginning to suspect my thyroid. I have about 70% of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism. DAMN! 

[knitty kitty]

3 hours ago, BuddhaBar said:

Thank you for all your replies! 
Unfortunately, my condition hasn't improved much. Anxiety is worse, bowel movements more frequent, sleep still sucks, muscle twitches are worse, getting palpitations, hot flushes, thirst, tremors, losing weight without trying etc.  
I've booked a doctor's appointment on Monday. I'm beginning to suspect my thyroid. I have about 70% of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism. DAMN! 

Ask the doctors when you go to check for thiamine deficiency.  Thiamine deficiency can cause anxiety, diarrhea, palpitations, muscle weakness tremors and weight loss.  

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Thiamin-HealthProfessional/#h5

There's a connection between low thiamine and hyperthyroidism.  

If you feel worse go to emergency care and ask for a banana bag - intravenous vitamins including thiamine and glucose.  You've had diarrhea for a bit now.  Are you dehydrated?  I'm worried.  

 

[BuddhaBar]

I don't have severe diarrhea. It's only watery once in a while. Most of the time it's just soft, but I pass stools more often than normal. I don't think I'm dehydrated. I'm drinking water and urinate like crazy. Almost like a diabetic. I'm gonna ask for a full blood work. Still on sick leave and I will ask the doctor for even longer sick leave. I'm gonna beat this thing whatever it is. Just need some time and today my mind has calmed down which has helped a lot. My anxiety was only making things worse and I kinda realized that today. Getting stressed and anxious over sleep and other things doesn't help at all. It's either thyroid or a vicious cycle of a fucked up circadian rhythm and anxiety. We'll see what my blood has to say about it. 

[cyclinglady]

11 hours ago, BuddhaBar said:

Thank you for all your replies! 
Unfortunately, my condition hasn't improved much. Anxiety is worse, bowel movements more frequent, sleep still sucks, muscle twitches are worse, getting palpitations, hot flushes, thirst, tremors, losing weight without trying etc.  
I've booked a doctor's appointment on Monday. I'm beginning to suspect my thyroid. I have about 70% of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism. DAMN! 

All those symptoms can be attributed to active celiac disease.  Make sure your doctor re-runs the complete antibodies panel.  This is considered normal standard of care to be retested within six months of diagnosis.  

It could be due to hyperthyroidism, but since you have only been diagnosed with celiac disease six months ago, I would guess your problems are active celiac disease.  Celiac disease symptoms can change like a chameleon.  The gluten-free diet has a steep learning curve.  

You can ask for a complete thyroid panel, which includes antibodies.  Even if your TSH is normal, you can have elevated antibodies.  When running hyper, my main symptom is feeling warm all the time, not hot flashes.  I get hot flashes no matter what....since I am post menopausal.  I also experience eye muscle pain.  You can get permanent eye damage with undiagnosed Graves Disease.  I had some pretty severe thyroid swings (I have Hashimoto’s and my mom has Graves) when I was peri-menopausal.  My doctor could not keep up with hormone replacement dosage changes.   You might also ask for your females hormones to be checked as you could be experiencing peri-menopause.  I started peri-menopause at age 39.  

Add in other (sometimes normal) illnesses or aging issues to the active celiac disease mix, things can really wack out.  

[John Spoolman]

3 hours ago, cyclinglady said:

All those symptoms can be attributed to active celiac disease.  Make sure your doctor re-runs the complete antibodies panel.  This is considered normal standard of care to be retested within six months of diagnosis.  

It could be due to hyperthyroidism, but since you have only been diagnosed with celiac disease six months ago, I would guess your problems are active celiac disease.  Celiac disease symptoms can change like a chameleon.  The gluten-free diet has a steep learning curve.  

You can ask for a complete thyroid panel, which includes antibodies.  Even if your TSH is normal, you can have elevated antibodies.  When running hyper, my main symptom is feeling warm all the time, not hot flashes.  I get hot flashes no matter what....since I am post menopausal.  I also experience eye muscle pain.  You can get permanent eye damage with undiagnosed Graves Disease.  I had some pretty severe thyroid swings (I have Hashimoto’s and my mom has Graves) when I was peri-menopausal.  My doctor could not keep up with hormone replacement dosage changes.   You might also ask for your females hormones to be checked as you could be experiencing peri-menopause.  I started peri-menopause at age 39.  

Add in other (sometimes normal) illnesses or aging issues to the active celiac disease mix, things can really wack out.  

Be sure your doctor checks your levels of B vitamins, especially B6.  It's very rare to have vitamin B6 deficiency, but not in celiacs!  A lack of B6 can cause sleep problems, including muscle twitching.  

[knitty kitty]

4 hours ago, BuddhaBar said:

I don't have severe diarrhea. It's only watery once in a while. Most of the time it's just soft, but I pass stools more often than normal. I don't think I'm dehydrated. I'm drinking water and urinate like crazy. Almost like a diabetic. I'm gonna ask for a full blood work. Still on sick leave and I will ask the doctor for even longer sick leave. I'm gonna beat this thing whatever it is. Just need some time and today my mind has calmed down which has helped a lot. My anxiety was only making things worse and I kinda realized that today. Getting stressed and anxious over sleep and other things doesn't help at all. It's either thyroid or a vicious cycle of a fucked up circadian rhythm and anxiety. We'll see what my blood has to say about it. 

BuddhaBar, 

Glad to hear your mind is calming down.  Are you getting any sunlight?  Exposure to natural sunlight can help reset your clock.  Open the curtains!   There's full spectrum lights available.

https://verilux.com/pages/full-spectrum-light

 

I hope you continue to feel better and that your doctor will do all tests necessary.  

In the meantime, I found this recent article about Hashimoto's thyroiditis and the AutoImmune Protocol diet.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6592837/

Best wishes!

[knitty kitty]

On 12/31/2019 at 5:49 PM, John Spoolman said:

I've been diagnosed with celiac and gluten-free for over 20 years, and during that time I developed severe insomnia.   A couple years ago I decided to gradually stop taking sleeping pills, becoming convinced I was reacting to something I consumed.  After about 3 years of keeping track, I think I've become sensitive to tannins, of all things, and why being gluten-free and celiac would result in tannin sensitivity I have only a wild guess.

Tannins, also known as polyphenols, are in almost every food, not just tea.  Foods high in tannins include many nuts (almonds, pecans, pistachio nuts), fruits (blueberries, raspberries, black berries and so on), chocolate and other assorted foods.  Google an article called 100 foods with highest polyphenol content, and you'l find several good stories that give a good explanation of what polyphenols are as well as a list of foods.  Some of these I've had to eliminate from my diet, but most are OK if I don't eat them two days in a row.  

My theory is based on the "leaky gut" celiacs have that allows larger molecules (like gluten) into the blood stream, molecules most people keep out of their blood stream.  We know celiacs have an autoimmune reaction to the gluten, but I think the liver gets overloaded with these other molecules and somehow causes sleep disruption.  At any rate, I've restricted my tannin intake and have been sleeping miraculously better, so whatever the reason, it works.  

Polyphenols can deactivate thiamine!  Tannins deactivate thiamine!  By cutting out polyphenols you made more active thiamine available and your insomnia resolved! 

Read the section "CHEMICAL DEGRADATION AND COMPLEXATION"

http://thiamine.dnr.cornell.edu/Thiamine_causes.html

Best wishes!

P.S.  Thiamine deficiency affects sleep.   https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/thiamine-deficiency-symptoms

Edited January 2, 2020 by knitty kitty
Added link

[BuddhaBar]

A little improvement. Woke up after 4,5 hours (at 2:30), but this time I was still tired. Had some difficulties going back to sleep again, but I didn't care. Don't know when I fell asleep again, but I guess it was an hour later, at 03:30. Woke up at 5. This means I got a total of 6 hours of sleep this night. YAY! Although I'm tired, there is a difference and I just realized something yesterday evening: I've been having brain fog all this time that doesn't stem from the sleep deprivation. I was still sleep deprived yesterday evening, but suddenly I was a lot clearer and didn't have that feeling of unrealness.

And there's been a development with the stool situation too. Now my stools are back to what they were pre-gluten free. Greyish, fatty, floating, foul smelling. Real celiac poo in other words. My stomach is generally upset too. Gas, bloating, reflux. Still calm in my mind. I ain't gonna make this worse once again. 

Is there a difference in symptoms depending on how you get glutenened? For example, if you eat a huge pizza with loads of gluten in it or if you get tiny tiny amounts of gluten in your system for a longer period of time, is your gluten reaction going to be different?



 

[BuddhaBar]

Now I'm convinced. IT'S GLUTEN! 
Today I got the same "weird feeling" I got during the last glutening. Very hard to describe the feeling. I'm very foggy, my body feels soft and warm. I'm extremely relaxed in an unpleasant way. Feels like I'm on drugs or in a dream. My legs feels like jelly and when I stand up for too long I get the sensation that I'm falling backwards. 
Not so tired anymore though. Still woke up at 2:45, but went back to sleep right afterwards so I got 7 hours this night. I'm getting there...


 

[cyclinglady]

Whether it is a tiny amount or a huge amount, the body will react and start building antibodies.  Symptoms are not always consistent.  Take each day as it comes and avoid gluten 100%.  You can heal!  

[BuddhaBar]

Thank you for all your support through this!
Just want to let you know that I'm alright. I slept through the night for this first time in 3 weeks. I even went back to sleep for a couple of hours and got out of bed at 8. Anxiety attacks are completely gone. Still having some twiching and stuff, but nothing that's bothering me too much. Stool is back to my normal fiber lacking anus destroying rocks, haha. The weird feeling I had yesterday is gone too. I cancelled my doctors appointment on Monday and I'm going to work on Tuesday.
This was probably a glutening. I suspect that I've been ingesting small amounts of gluten during a longer period of time and not just one major glutening. Last time I had a major glutening I reacted in a different way. More like a week long flu, severe brain fog and 3 days of watery diarrhea, but no anxiety attacks or anything like that. 

I hope that someone else who get the same symptoms as I did and gets scared to death will google and find this thread. ?
 

[MisterSeth]

I had this happen pre-diagnoses. I would also wake up needing to take a runny poop and the audio in my dreams kept going in this hypnotic way. Can't believe I thought that was normal

[BuddhaBar]

1 hour ago, MisterSeth said:

I had this happen pre-diagnoses. I would also wake up needing to take a runny poop and the audio in my dreams kept going in this hypnotic way. Can't believe I thought that was normal

Have you heard about the music genre vaporwave? That's how my head felt 10 days ago. Vaporwave is the soundtrack of my gluten brain fog ?