Why Do People Think I Am Crazy?

[aprilh]

I just don't understand why people have such a hard time with this. They think I am crazy and need to be on paxil. I have had a couple of anxiety attacks in the past and now I am "labeled". Well, I know I am not feeling anxiety when I eat something and get all kinds of wierd symptoms. I am fine if I don't eat. But can't do that. Not only Dr's but my husband and my mom and friends. Just because I don't get the D like my aunt did. I get all kinds of other internal stuff but not D. She thinks that is a good reason. I try to tell her that celiac can cause anxiety and depression.

I am so frustrated and sad and angry all at the same time. I need the support of my family.

It almost makes me question myself. Which I see many poeple do on the forum. They ask if they are crazy????? Probably because this gluten causes just too many wierd things and without a DR's diagnosis I guess.

Anyone else have this problem?

[jayhawkmom]

Your family would rather put you on antidepressants, rather than just supporting you for removing gluten from your diet??

Are you and I related, somehow??

I actually AM on antidepressants, after being DX with postpardum depression after the birth of my 3rd child. Why after the 3rd? And, not the first two?? I have no idea. Why all of a sudden am I having problems with my tummy. ( not taking into account that I've had digestive issues my entire life )

I think it's a whole lot easier for people to assume putting someone on medication will help them, rather than going through the painstaking process of compleetly overhauling your diet.

It's really too bad. And, it just seems that when something is too difficult to understand, people just don't *want* to understand.

I'm sorry you are dealing with this.

[ravenwoodglass]

I just don't understand why people have such a hard time with this. They think I am crazy and need to be on paxil. I have had a couple of anxiety attacks in the past and now I am "labeled". Well, I know I am not feeling anxiety when I eat something and get all kinds of wierd symptoms. I am fine if I don't eat. But can't do that. Not only Dr's but my husband and my mom and friends. Just because I don't get the D like my aunt did. I get all kinds of other internal stuff but not D. She thinks that is a good reason. I try to tell her that celiac can cause anxiety and depression.

I am so frustrated and sad and angry all at the same time. I need the support of my family.

It almost makes me question myself. Which I see many poeple do on the forum. They ask if they are crazy????? Probably because this gluten causes just too many wierd things and without a DR's diagnosis I guess.

Anyone else have this problem?

You are not crazy, and please don't just not eat. There are celiacs whose primary complaint is psychological issues, sometimes only those issues for years. Many also have constipation and some only gas or heartburn. I have been celiac since childhood but other than gas and a very loud tummy my GI symptoms didn't show up till my late 20's. Please use care if you decide to take Paxil, some do okay with it but it caused suicideal ideation and cutting behaviors in my DD and made my DS frankly psychotic. Noone in the family has depression or anxiety gluten-free. I listened to my DS cry uncontollably every night of his childhood. There was nothing I could do to comfort him. Now I lay in bed and listen to him laugh. Are you gluten free yet?

[CarlaB]

Are you and I related, somehow??

ROFLMAO

I am the family nut case, too!!!! I am crazy and a hypochondriac all at the same time. I mean, I've been complaining about my stomach since I was old enough to talk, how can it be that at 43 I am all of a sudden gluten-intolerant and feeling better. I mean, if it was gluten all along, surely someone would have figured it out!!!

I have the support of the family who lives under the same roof as I do since they have suffered from my suffering. My dad was happy to see me put on weight, but other than that, I get more respect from strangers than I do from family.

BTW, my ob/gyn said himself the last time I spoke with him about it, "Why do you need a test to tell you you've got it? Your dietary response is clinical proof enough!"

You do need to have a heart-to-heart with hubby and get him on your side. Listen to what he has to say, then ask him to listen to your take on it.

[aprilh]

You are not crazy, and please don't just not eat. There are celiacs whose primary complaint is psychological issues, sometimes only those issues for years. Many also have constipation and some only gas or heartburn. I have been celiac since childhood but other than gas and a very loud tummy my GI symptoms didn't show up till my late 20's. Please use care if you decide to take Paxil, some do okay with it but it caused suicideal ideation and cutting behaviors in my DD and made my DS frankly psychotic. Noone in the family has depression or anxiety gluten-free. I listened to my DS cry uncontollably every night of his childhood. There was nothing I could do to comfort him. Now I lay in bed and listen to him laugh. Are you gluten free yet?

I am trying as hard as I can to be. Although yesterday I made the mistake of eating grilled chicken on a glutened grill. I didn't even think about it. I have felt pretty good today.

Its good to know others have felt the same, although I don't wish it upon anyone. I was on paxil for a while and it only made me feel MORE anxiety. I think they just want an easy way out. They think I am bringing on symptoms.

[CarlaB]

Be careful when grilling, even the charcoal has gluten!! You need to use natural charcoal. You can grill on a piece of foil to keep your food safe from others' glutenous food.

[ravenwoodglass]

I am trying as hard as I can to be. Although yesterday I made the mistake of eating grilled chicken on a glutened grill. I didn't even think about it. I have felt pretty good today.

Its good to know others have felt the same, although I don't wish it upon anyone. I was on paxil for a while and it only made me feel MORE anxiety. I think they just want an easy way out. They think I am bringing on symptoms.

It is hard at first but with the aid of all the great folks on this board you will soon get used to it. Something that helps me on the now rare occasions when gluten makes 'the little red feet' start stomping in my brain is the knowledge that it is the gluten and it will pass. Encourage your relatives and freinds to come visit the board and read what many of us have been through. You are certainly not alone.

[aprilh]

It is hard at first but with the aid of all the great folks on this board you will soon get used to it. Something that helps me on the now rare occasions when gluten makes 'the little red feet' start stomping in my brain is the knowledge that it is the gluten and it will pass. Encourage your relatives and freinds to come visit the board and read what many of us have been through. You are certainly not alone.

I appreciate this board soooooo much! It has been so helpful.

I have invited my mom and husband to visit the board and also do some research on the subject before they send me off the the insane asyllum. They use the old excuse "you can believe anything on the internet" or "you can look up anything on the internet and believe its you".

I know this is it, although I have not been officially diagnosed. I am thinking about doing the enterolab gene and stool test.

[CarlaB]

I appreciate this board soooooo much! It has been so helpful.

I have invited my mom and husband to visit the board and also do some research on the subject before they send me off the the insane asyllum. They use the old excuse "you can believe anything on the internet" or "you can look up anything on the internet and believe its you".

I know this is it, although I have not been officially diagnosed. I am thinking about doing the enterolab gene and stool test.

This is a good idea. At least they may be more accepting of the possibility that you have it. I think many of us are considered hypochondriacs that believe everything we read.

[nettiebeads]

I appreciate this board soooooo much! It has been so helpful.

I have invited my mom and husband to visit the board and also do some research on the subject before they send me off the the insane asyllum. They use the old excuse "you can believe anything on the internet" or "you can look up anything on the internet and believe its you".

I know this is it, although I have not been officially diagnosed. I am thinking about doing the enterolab gene and stool test.

I'd go for those tests. People who have had them are nearly 100% satisfied. The regular clinical tests have too high of a false negative rate to be as reliable as enterolab. Plus many of the more forward thinking dr.'s think that go by your body's reactions to gluten - on and off - is the most reliable test. It's called the diet challenge and is a reliable dx tool.

There are websites from (gasp) the NIH - national institute of health and NIDD National intitute of digestive disorders that are (bigger gasp) government sponsered. If your relatives and dh don't want to believe them, then THEY have a problem. WE believe you so you have lots of people on your side already. It's hard to for lay people to think that a pill WON'T help but a change in diet will.

Keep us posted on your progress!

Annette

[jukie]

Even after my positive stool tests, DH still wasn't convinced. So for my own peace of mind (and sanity), I also did the genetic test. After finding out that I had a celiac gene and a gluten-sensitive gene, DH is fully convinced and totally supportive...finally!!!

As for that rest of the family, that remains to be seen. I'll be sharing the latest test results with them next week and am curious how they'll respond...especially since having two markers means that it came from both sides of the family!

Trust yourself, trust your body...you're the only one who has to live in it! Yeah, that's what I keep telling myself, anyway.

Good Luck!

[prinsessa]

I had some funny comments when I first went gluten free, but after 6 months on the gluten-free diet the comments have pretty much stopped (at least in front of my face ). I told my husband one day "why do you care if I am gluten free? I'm not telling you to give up gluten." As for the anxiety, I had it much worse before going gluten free. It would keep me up at night. After a month or so on the gluten free diet, the anxiety has pretty much gone away. I hope you are feeling better soon!

[Guest cassidy]

About 6 years ago I was put on antidepressants for my stomach pain that had no "real" cause. The drugs didn't help at all because my pain was caused from celiac. Too bad it took another 5 years to figure that out. In the last few years I had issues with anxiety. I was taking xanax when I needed it and it really helped. I have found that since going gluten-free I don't need it at all. When I get glutened the anxiety comes back and I even get a bit paranoid. So, I really feel that the anxiety was caused from gluten.

My friend has some sort of food allergy or intolerance and her symptoms sound suspiciously like mine. I asked her to ask her doctor for a celiac panel and he told her nothing was wrong with her and maybe antidepressants would help. Something is wrong with her. It is unfortunate that families and doctors don't try to figure out what is causing the problems instead of just throwing medicine at the symptoms.

It is tough when those around us just don't understand. My husband has had a very hard time dealing with my new diet. I hope things get easier for you. Don't doubt yourself, going gluten-free is what you need to do and I'm sure you are feeling better and that is all that matters.

[2kids4me]

I agree totally that you should not doubt yourself. Others have issues with those that have "invisible illness" for some unknown reason. If they cant see some outward sign - a cast, a limp, a deformity - well then it must be in your m...ind

I was avoided by my siblings and my mother kept telling me to "enjoy the kids and dont worry so much, they're fine". This is bnecasue after years fo tetsing and interventions we found out my daughter had Aspergers - until that time, i was told I was "looking for problems and she was just different".

Well yes my daughter was different and finding out what made her different allowed me to help in the way she needed. Then she got sick with Kawasaki and my sister (a NURSE) was annoyed with me and tried to ell me the cardiologist didnt know how to interpret an echo and why was I "sooo upset". The day I found out she had damage to her coronaries was also the same day that my sister's son graduated high school - and she asked that I not draw attention to myself - after all this was her son's day. In other words, she did not want to talk about the results of the echo and how scared I was... she had guests. ( I made the point of coming to see my nephew and joining in the celebration - it was my brother in alw who asked about the results as I was leaving... )- yup, and I'm the one with issues...

When the investigation started for celiac - well that just proved how neurotic I was, I could never be happy with one diagnosis.... I was told I read too much and kids get headaches and stomachaches - i was wasting the doctors time...

The kicker was when my DH told me he found my reactions odd and that I seemed happy to find out they had medical problems, that in some perverse way.... I enjoyed it

I had to explain to him (after I calmed down) that I was happy when they found out what was wrong and that there was something I could do. It meant - a solution to the problem and better health. It also meant the end to testing and investiagtions.

I am on antidepressents too - only so I can cope with idiocy around me some days and from years of questioning my sanity - only to realize I WAS the sane one.

[jayhawkmom]

I was taking xanax when I needed it and it really helped. I have found that since going gluten-free I don't need it at all.

Oh my gosh, I could have written that. Once dx with depression, I started having anxiety attacks. So, I was put on Xanax - only when I feel like I "need" it.

Maybe I should post a list of my symptoms, just for fun.

Why is it that when someone really does NOT feel well, and doctor 1 can't find a problem, they just assume there is absolutely nothing wrong???? That's a generalized question, I don't expect an answer.

[key]

Ok, I am in a really bad mood about this too right now!!! It has been well over a year since I have been gluten free and my mom just told me an hour ago that I needed the biopsy to be sure, because one of my aunts had told her she read this!! It infuriates me! I don't understand why they can't accept it. I have accepted it and deal with it. Whenever I suggest that I have been gluttened and that is why I don't feel well one day, she says I need antidepressants and that is my problem or I am a hypochondriac! I am SO angry at them right now. It is such a frustrating thing to have to try and "prove" to them I have it! A friend told me yesterday, that it must be something else, if I had lived my whole life with this and didn't know it. All of this over a year after finding out.

Monica

[lonewolf]

Sorry to barge in on your thread, but I'm totally sympathizing right now. My MIL called to invite us to dinner tonight. I told her I wasn't feeling well because of being glutened at a restaurant last night (full story in another thread), but that the rest of the family could come and I might come and just not eat. She said that maybe she'd just have the dinner a different night that was better for everyone. Since then, my 2 SIL's have called and told me they heard I was sick. One said, "Too bad you can't come to the party tonight, sorry you're sick." I told her that I wasn't sick, certainly not contagious, that it was something I ate. So she goes on about how mom and dad don't want to get the flu and I probably have that. When I said, no, I ate something with wheat in it accidentally at a restaurant, she laughed and told me that I'm just getting old. (I'm 42, sign me up for the nursing home!) Yeah, I'm just stupid and old and don't know the difference between having the flu and getting sick halfway through a meal. And I guess I'm stupid enough to not know that they're still having the party, but that we were uninvited. Aaarrrggghhh!

[queenofhearts]

Be careful when grilling, even the charcoal has gluten!! You need to use natural charcoal. You can grill on a piece of foil to keep your food safe from others' glutenous food.

Hey Carla, when I tell my husband this he thinks I'm nuts. He's fairly supportive in general (I do have an official diagnosis), but with various cc issues, he thinks I'm going overboard. It doesn't help that I am a meticulous type by nature & he is more devil-may-care. So he thinks it's just me being picky. (Yes, I used to fuss at him for getting raw chicken on the counter & not cleaning it, that sort of "neurotic" behavior.) Do you have the original data on the charcoal? It might help if I could show him something other than posts to this board. You know, something OFFICIAL?

Sigh,

Leah

[Cornhusker]

Hey Carla, when I tell my husband this he thinks I'm nuts. He's fairly supportive in general (I do have an official diagnosis), but with various cc issues, he thinks I'm going overboard. It doesn't help that I am a meticulous type by nature & he is more devil-may-care. So he thinks it's just me being picky. (Yes, I used to fuss at him for getting raw chicken on the counter & not cleaning it, that sort of "neurotic" behavior.) Do you have the original data on the charcoal? It might help if I could show him something other than posts to this board. You know, something OFFICIAL?

Sigh,

Leah

I found this over at Clan Thompson:

Open Original Shared Link

[queenofhearts]

I found this over at Clan Thompson:

Open Original Shared Link

Thanks, I just found this on the other thread! Glad dh & I can both be right on this one. Now I just have to hover over him making sure the coals are fully gray... ummm... he'll love that!

Leah