Im Very New To This Diseas Im Scared And I Just Wanna Start To Feel Better, How Soon After Changing Your Diet Will Your Symptoms Start To Get Better?

[Kiki]

I am very new to this disease and my number one symptom is naseau. Day in and day out. I was diagnosed 5 days ago. I started the diet, its been 4 days. How soon will i start to feel better, be able to eat, gain some weight, stop feeling so sick... Will it get better.

[cgilsing]

Hi Kiki!

It will get better! I'm not going to lie to you and say it will get better over night but with time it will. Everyone is different and for some people it takes longer than others. It's hard when you are at the stage in the game that you are. There is a lot of stuff to look out for and a lot to learn about. This board is your best friend! There are a lot of knowlegeable people here that can help you get through the comming months. If you ever have questions about food for instance....ask here! Somebody knows. That way you can be sure you are really gluten-free and not back tracking. For now I would suggest eating bland foods that you KNOW are gluten-free. Rice, bananas, tea, to let your stomach heal. As you start to feel better, add something new. Your stomach is probably pretty raw right now from long term damage.

[Lollie]

I agree! And welcome!

I would add a few things to the list of bland food to start with. Try fresh fruit and veggies, plain organic meat, rice, and dairy like yougurt and cheese. If you csn tolerate dairy, not every one can. It will get better it just takes time! Right now you just have tofocus on learning how to be truly gluten free, and healing!

Good luck!

Lollie

[jkmunchkin]

First off, welcome.

How quickly you start to feel better is different for everyone. I started to feel better pretty much immediately. Within the 1st week or so. However there are lots of people that it can take months before they feel better. But the good news is no matter what, you will feel better.

[SueC]

It takes time. It took me 10 months to feel what I would say was better. I have been gluten-free for over a year and I am still not back to 100%. I was convinced I had other problems because it was taking soooo long to see improvement. Everyone is different and I hope you heal quickly. If you don't seem better right away don't worry, you will. It just takes time. Stick to the diet.....It will work and it is worth it when you feel better.

[Rusla]

Welcome Kiki!

Everyone is different so it takes everyone different lengths of time. The main thing to remember is that you have to be totally gluten-free. That means, shampoo's, makeup, lotions etc. If you don't know if something is gluten-free or not then don't go there. I feel so much better than before, the big D quit in about two weeks for me. However, everything takes time because we have decades of gluten in our systems so, don't expect instant cures. I am better but not yet perfect and expect set backs, we all have them. Some of my set backs have to do with just a few crumbs I didn't even see.

[Kiki]

Thannk you so much.... everybody i really have been starting to feel a little down buttt this helped. Umm Just wanna give you a little insight... I am 17 going on 18 and getting ready to go away to college. I had positive blood tests and than had an endoscopy and that was positive for celiacs as well. Im really ecited this place seems to be like a family. Im gunna make sure I make it my best friend and as i learn from you guys hopefully i can pass it on... Kiki

[Rusla]

Kiki--this is a family, a family that understands this disease when sometimes a real family can't. We have lots of young folks like yourself on here and lots, like me, who are still young in our minds and hearts. I will tell you, that without this family, I would not have known as much as I do now. This is because doctors did not tell me anything and I think it is because they don't really know. There is more information and support on here then anyone would expect.

It is a great idea to get friends and family to come on here then, they can see what we go through. This is a place where you no longer have to feel alone because all of us have this or have family, friends that do.

[par18]

Thannk you so much.... everybody i really have been starting to feel a little down buttt this helped. Umm Just wanna give you a little insight... I am 17 going on 18 and getting ready to go away to college. I had positive blood tests and than had an endoscopy and that was positive for celiacs as well. Im really ecited this place seems to be like a family. Im gunna make sure I make it my best friend and as i learn from you guys hopefully i can pass it on... Kiki

Hi Kiki,

I was Dx'd almost 1 year ago. My symptoms went away in only 2 days. It did however take me about 10 weeks to gain any real weight. All of us are different. The biggest hurdle for me was to realize that I was going to be ok. Even though I did not gain weight right away I stopped losing as soon as I went gluten free. This told me I was healing. I ate a lot in the beginning. I did not eat a lot at one time. I tried to get something in me every couple of hours. A visit to a RD help me to set up a sample menu for a week. This included 3 meals and 2 snacks each day. I also took a muti-vitamin and a calcium tablet each day. I think the key for me was establishing a routine and sticking to it. Organization and planning were helpful as far as shopping for food was concerned. I did not eat out at all in the beginning but are doing so more often now. I would feel confident telling almost anyone that they will be alright as long as they stick to the diet. The body is an amazing thing in that it can respond to things like this fairly quickly. Most of the people I talked to when I first started seemed to lean more toward a longer recovery time. I can tell you from my standpoint that I started to feel good physically almost immediately but was so underweight that it effected me mentally. After gaining those first few pounds I finally started to relax and the rest just took care of itself. Good luck to you.

Tom

[J.P.]

I am very new to this disease and my number one symptom is naseau. Day in and day out. I was diagnosed 5 days ago. I started the diet, its been 4 days. How soon will i start to feel better, be able to eat, gain some weight, stop feeling so sick... Will it get better.

Celiac disease damages the villi in your small intestines. Lactase, the enzyme that digests lactose is producted on the ends of the villi. Your continued symptoms could be caused by lactose intolerance caused by damage to the villi. Lactose intolerance can be reversed, but may not. First you will get rid of the intestinal symptoms, but if the damage was done over a long period of time, it may take a long time to feel well. You should also pay attention to what you ate if you feel different. I started finding that things that did not have gluten in them also bothered my stomach and caused skin irritations. I have figured out two other items, the food coloring blue no. 1 and citric acid. You can have other food intolerances or even allergies. I feel better on the days that I remember my vitamins. I take Natures Made (gluten free) multi vitamins, B Complex, calcium, Co-enzyme Q-10, vit-C (need to find one without orange flavors just in case). You may also make mistakes in your diet because you will pop something in your mouth without even thinking about what is in it, say a breath mint or a piece of candy. Try sticking to meats, vegatables, fruits, potato's, rice, and corn. Prepare items yourself and don't buy processed foods for a while. Soy sauce has wheat in it and lots of things have that in it. Watch out for meats with flavors added, marinades, fake crab meat. Hope you start feeling better real soon.

J.P.

[amybeth]

Welcome, Kiki!

I was diagnosed a year ago, and I am still learning. This board has been a tremendous help! If your doctor has not, yet, make sure you get a full blood panel - checking all vitamin levels. My B-12 was so low, I had to begin weekly injections to start building it back up in my system after I began the diet. I also had to get a bone density scan and really stock up on the calcium. I was also taking some daily medications and had to call the pharmacy and then the drug companies to confirm that they did not contain gluten as a binding agent.

It is a lot to deal with -- and especially with your upcoming plans for college -- you must be feeling a bit overwhelmed. We've ALL been there!

Take it one day at a time! When the time comes, contact the student services department and food services department at your college. They should be able to work with you and help you out to accommodate your new diet.

Good luck!

[ravenwoodglass]

First off welcome, you will find a great group of people here. My DD was diagnosed the year before she went to college also. In fact she did her entrance essay on the 'ritual eating of a snickers bar and the importance emotionally of this 'regular' food item in her restricted diet. The college she chose to attend put her in senior housing so she could have her own stove and refrigerator and allowed her to drop the meal plan. They were very accomodating and it was not a difficult thing to do. It also helped that she chose a school in a larger city, she has many options for shopping for food and also if she wants to go to a resaurant. My DS chose a school in a smaller city and has ended up living off the little safe food he can find at Wally World as the town does not even have a grocery store so choose your school location wisely.

I can't tell you when you will start to feel better, that varies for all of us but be sure to avoid the hidden gluten that is all around us in our shampoos and makeup and make sure you have your own toaster. And although I know you don't feel like doing it right now but you should rejoice that this was found now and not in another 30 years like so many of us. You should give your doctor a sincere thank-you many would have told you that you have IBS, learn to live with it. Many of us heard that for a very, very long time.