Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):
  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Period-making Things Worse?


Guest adamssa

Recommended Posts

Guest adamssa

Hi all,

I know this might sound weird, but is it the case for anyone? I've been trying to get some kind of gluten sensitivity and candida under control since my gallbladder (was removed, surgery HUGE mistake) died in October. (Have been gluten-free since I sometime in March, I think.) Also major sinus problems. But, anyways lately things seemed to finally be improving a little, until a two week ago when sunddenly everything just majorly worsened out of the blue. Foods that should be harmless are making me dizzy after eating, to the point that I can't even read and can barely keep my eyes open. Even rice cakes, a staple. I know it's not a matter of glutening myself, because I'm pretty sure I don't have celiac, things are just better for me gluten free. The only explanation I can think of is that it started getting worse a week or so before my period, and now seem to be improving a little now that it's ending.

I really hope that's it, because if not I don't know what else to do. I've cut out gluten and sugar and dairy and I've been taking all these supplements as advised by an alternative practitioner. Any thoughts? I try to avoid self-pity, but I am so majorly frustrated and having trouble coping because things have been bad 4 so long and now they get worse. I've stopped talking to my friends about it because I don't want them to think am a hypochrondiac, and some in my family think I choose to dwell instead of getting on w/life....

Thanks,

Sara


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



lorka150 Collaborator

hi sara - this isn't really a response to the period portion, but about the rest.

after gluten-free/casein-free i felt better for about a month, then went down. i, too, was dizzy (SO dizzy!) after eating anything, et cetera... it sounds like you. i was sick often, and couldn't pin point.

i ended up figuring about ten things i could safely eat, and stuck to those four about five months. it was boring, but i felt better - i couldn't even use salt or pepper. about three months ago, i could finally use some spices, and now, i switch up one meal a day. alas, the dizziness hasn't come back (except a few glutenings), and it's a lot better.

it was irritating, having such a small palette (especially because i LOVE to bake and cook... so i did it, smelled it, then passed it along :)).

but it helped.

BRUMI1968 Collaborator

Before I got dx'd, I would be more susceptible to bloating (intestinal, I mean) during or just before my period. I haven't noticed it since. My period is more serious now - I think my hormones are adjusting out.

  • 2 weeks later...
rogue Rookie

Before I was even diagnosed with celiac disease I noticed that my symptoms would always get worse around my period. I still don't entirely understand why. My doctor suggested birth control pills, which totally worked. So if you're not on the pill, I suggest giving it a try.

Guest adamssa

hi again,

lorka, what were the 10 foods you found you could eat?

Things have gotten a little better since I first posted, but am definitely still having major dizziness issues with carbs. I am actually rethinking my certainty about not having celiac after having a reaction from communion, and I've noticed that the times when things have gotten worse were times when cross contamination was a possibility

lorka150 Collaborator
hi again,

lorka, what were the 10 foods you found you could eat?

Things have gotten a little better since I first posted, but am definitely still having major dizziness issues with carbs. I am actually rethinking my certainty about not having celiac after having a reaction from communion, and I've noticed that the times when things have gotten worse were times when cross contamination was a possibility

at the beginning, i could stomach jello/homemade gelatin, most veggies boiled without any seasonings, nut butters, egg whites boiled, tofu pudding, coffee (no one could believe it!). after a bit, i could eat raw veggies and sometimes tuna. this was hard for me because i was a vegetarian, but had to think outside the box for a bit. later on, berries, and citrus fruit. almond milk and herbal tea, too. and soda, but only diet because the sugar killed me.

hez Enthusiast

I can only speak from my experience. I do not/did not have dizzy spells. I always had "d". I notice around my menstrual cycle I still get loose bowels or even "d". For the longest time I kept thinking I had been glutened. After talking to girlfriends and my doc I think the weird bowel stuff is hormonal. So maybe some of the systems are made worse from the fluctuation of hormones. Just a thought. Hope you feel better soon.

Hez


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Guest adamssa

thanks, guys.

lorka, i know what you say about the veggies and nut butters is true, and now i'll give the egg whites and tofu pudding a try too. also, i've found coffee ok/helpful even too! i think it's the caffeine.

Sara

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - par18 replied to SilkieFairy's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      IBS-D vs Celiac

    2. - trents replied to SilkieFairy's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      IBS-D vs Celiac

    3. - SilkieFairy replied to SilkieFairy's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      IBS-D vs Celiac

    4. - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,338
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Erica Johnson
    Newest Member
    Erica Johnson
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • par18
      Been off this forum for years. Is it that important that you get an official diagnosis of something? It appears like you had a trigger (wheat, gluten, whatever) and removing it has resolved your symptom. I can't speak for you, but I had known what my trigger was (gluten) years before my diagnosis I would just stay gluten-free and get on with my symptom free condition. I was diagnosed over 20 years ago and have been symptom free only excluding wheat, rye and barley. I tolerate all naturally gluten free whole foods including things like beans which actually helps to form the stools. 
    • trents
      No coincidence. Recent revisions to gluten challenge guidelines call for the daily consumption of at least 10g of gluten (about the amount in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of 3 weeks. If possible, I would extend that two weeks to ensure valid testing.
    • SilkieFairy
      Thank you both for the replies. I decided to bring back gluten so I can do the blood test. Today is Day #2 of the Challenge. Yesterday I had about 3 slices of whole wheat bread and I woke up with urgent diarrhea this morning. It was orange, sandy and had the distinctive smell that I did not have when I was briefly gluten free. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but the brain fog is back and I feel very tired.   
    • knitty kitty
      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.