Learning to cope

[livycat]

Hello all,

I was diagnosed with celiac via blood test about 5 years ago (I’m now 27). At that time my symptoms were mild, and I regretfully admit that I chose to ignore the severity of the condition and have continued to consume gluten regularly up until the past few weeks, during which I have switched to a gluten free diet due to my symptoms becoming dramatically worse over the past 6 months. CONSTANT bloating, lower abdominal pain, and D have been the hardest to deal with, as they cause the most discomfort. Now that I’ve been making a conscious effort to avoid gluten, the bloating is no longer constant, but it still happens after meals. The D and abdominal pain has scarcely improved, if at all, and I literally dread going to the bathroom. I realize that there is a chance that I’ve still been ingesting trace amounts of gluten despite my best efforts, but I really am careful and I feel like I should be noticing a much more distinct improvement in my symptoms at this point. Not sure if it’s related, but durning the past couple of months, I’ve also been experiencing pretty frequent heart palpitations?? Anyway, I’m just feeling really discouraged and isolated, partially due to just feeling sick all of the time, and also because it seems like so many people don’t take this condition seriously…therefore, I’m finding it impossible to trust any food someone else has prepared. Overall I’m just feeling really overwhelmed by all of the physical and mental pain. Any support and/or advice is greatly appreciated. 

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, livycat!

All of us in this community can relate to the social/emotional part of your experience to one degree or another.

As to your physical symptoms, your are still very early in the healing stage. I would also suggest you look for other foods you may have become intolerant to over time. Chief among the candidates would be dairy, soy, eggs and corn. With celiac disease it is very common to develop food intolerances that are not gluten-related. It might be helpful to keep a food diary for several weeks and look for patterns that might connect symptoms with what you are regularly eating.

There are huge emotional and social adjustments connected with needing to eat gluten free. It takes time for you, your friends and your family to adjust to this change. Eventually, it becomes the new norm and you can get on with life. Unfortunately, there will be a few family members and friends who cannot accept that what you have is a real disease and that avoiding gluten is a matter of life and health. 

[livycat]

Thanks so much for your quick response! I forgot to mention, I’ve actually been dairy free for the last few years, and recently I’ve discovered the lactase pills so I take them any time I do consume something that contains dairy. As far as the other possible culprits, I’m not sure. I’m currently living and working in a national park so unfortunately I don’t have access to any extensive medical testing to find out if other things may be going on, but I’m hoping to start that process once I go back to civilization 😅