suffered with a awful kind of headache for three years

[bucketoflove]

it almost felt like my brain was moving (absolutely awful feeling)

anyway after eventually going wheat free i have found the head feeling has all but gone

but eat anything with wheat in it and it's back with a vengeance 

my question is does anyone have any experience with these kind of symptoms and can maybe tell me what's wrong with me?

I could go on but I will leave it at that for now thanks

 

[trents]

Have you been officially diagnosed with Celiac disease?

I'm just wondering why you would purposely eat something with wheat in it if you know it gives you headaches.

[bucketoflove]

I never knew it was wheat until pretty recently that was causing it, I never understood gluten and all the different foods that contain wheat and gluten, I am only just now making it to be totally wheat and gluten free.

but if I'm honest its left me with more questions and worry

I'm also sure i can tell if a food has traces of wheat or gluten in as the headache starts again

sorry as all this is all kind of new to me I'm just happy in a way to have found the cause of all this

[trents]

Let me say that your next step should be to get tested for Celiac Disease. It is not an allergy to wheat, it is not an intolerance. Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease. The ingestion of gluten triggers an inflammatory response in the small bowel that damages the "villi" (the lining of the small bowel where nutrient absorption takes place). celiac disease has all kinds of spinoffs, many of them related to nutrient deficiencies. Headaches/migraines is one of them. But in the long term, celiac disease is a serious condition that can cause osteoperosis, neurological damage and liver damage, anemia and a host of other things. There is a strong correlation between Celiac Disease and headaches.

There are blood tests to diagnose Celiac disease but that should be the first stage of diagnosis as they are not always reliable. The gold standard test is an upper GI where they biopsy the small bowel lining and examine the condition of the villi under a microscope. An experienced gastro doc can sometimes recognize the presence of Celiac Disease during the scoping by the general condition of the small bowel lining.

[Scott Adams]

Keep in mind that if you do get a blood test for celiac disease you need to be eating gluten daily for 4-6 week before the test:

 

[bucketoflove]

ok well thanks for your replies I had a feeling it was going to be something I should be more concerned about. I know my father has some kind of problem with his bowel but we do not see each other so it's hard to find out what. i am 42 by the way and this just came on out of the blue around 4 years ago and had gotten unbearable.

I think it's time to go and see the doctor as I have noticed an improvement in my insomnia and depression since going wheat/gluten free

it all seems kind of strange at the moment but starting to make sense

I will also continue to read more of the posts here 

 

[Scott Adams]

By the way, we've done lots of articles on the connection between gluten and headaches in sensitive individuals:

https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/celiac-disease-amp-related-diseases-and-disorders/migraine-headaches-and-celiac-disease/ 

[bucketoflove]

thank you I will check it out

[GFinDC]

Hi BOL,

Trents is right about celiac being an AI (auto-immune) condition.  The celiac immune response is triggered by a protein in wheat, rye and barley.  Some of us also react to oats.  It only takes a very small amount of gluten to trigger the immune response and it can continue for weeks to months.

Celiac can cause malabsorption so your doctor should do a test of your vitamin and mineral levels.  Some doctors are not familiar with celiac disease as it was once considered very rare.  So it can be helpful to do an internet search for doctors who are knowledgeable about celiac.

Edited June 24, 2020 by GFinDC

[DJFL77I]

you'll still have the anti bodies for blood test even if you're on gluten free for a short time.. like a week or so..     thats what my Dr says at least..   He already knows i have it via endoscopy biopsy.. but wants the blood test..  I've been on gluten free for about 1 week but he said it doesn't matter just get it asap..  so im going this morning

[DJFL77I]

its still an allergy though.. it causes allergic reaction

[trents]

2 hours ago, DJFL77I said:

its still an allergy though.. it causes allergic reaction

People can have an allergy to gluten (as they can to almost any protein) but Celiac disease is classified as an autoimmune disease. When you read food labels gluten is found in the allergy information but that's because the food companies don't have a category for autoimmune disease triggering ingredients. Antibodies are produced anytime the immune system is engaged, not just with allergies. Think of COVID-19. Consuming gluten causes the body to attack it's own tissues, that's why it's called an autoimmune disease.

[DJFL77I]

well whatever it is its chit

[GFinDC]

2 hours ago, DJFL77I said:

its still an allergy though.. it causes allergic reaction

Hi DFL,

This may come off as splitting hairs to you, but allergies are an IgE immune response, while celiac is an IgA and/or IgG immune response.  If you look up the difference between the types of immune cells you'll find that IgE cells tend to affect the respiratory system etc while IgA and IgG cells generally don't.  So celiac is not an allergic reaction because it doesn't involve IgE cells.  That's probably why doctors don't prescribe anti-histamines for celiac disease patients.

It's all just more fun stuff to learn about your new condition!   

All that being said though, my hayfever allergy symptoms vastly improved after going gluten-free.  They are not gone but I don't need to take allergy meds all the time now.

Edited June 24, 2020 by GFinDC

[trents]

I think it also needs to be said that this is one of the hardest concepts to grasp for newly diagnosed Celiacs, that something you are eating is causing the body to attack itself. I think that's why it's so hard for those new to the experience to grasp that it is not an allergy.

[Awol cast iron stomach]

On 6/24/2020 at 9:32 AM, trents said:

I think it also needs to be said that this is one of the hardest concepts to grasp for newly diagnosed Celiacs, that something you are eating is causing the body to attack itself. I think that's why it's so hard for those new to the experience to grasp that it is not an allergy.

That and often society at large dismisses AI  based food issues/illness. In general they don't believe in them where as IgE mediated allergies are more socially acceptable. Sad but true.