Alien Baby!

[flxmanning]

Hi Everyone!

I am very new to this whole thing and have only been on my gluten-free diet for 2 weeks. I have not had the horrible symptoms associated with my celiac disease since then, but today I am just as sick as I've been so many times before. I had to miss school and my stomach is so big and bloated that I can hardly move or breath (hence the "alien baby"). I honestly look like I'm 9 months pregnant! Today I ate gluten free cereal with raisins,berries, honey, and lactose free milk (I'm lactose-intolerant), "just veggies" dried veggie mix with a couple added walnuts as a snack, and plan, fresh fruits and veggies for lunch. Any ideas as to which one of these is the culprit so that I can avoid it in the future? Is it possible that my system just isn't working properly yet since it's only been a couple of weeks? Why does this keep on happening?

[flxmanning]

Okay, so I've been reading this site for a little while now (since I can't really do much else at the moment), and I've read that many of you are allergic to corn. Well, I had a lot of that today (in the dried veggies, cereal, etc), so could that be causing this? I couldn't get an appointment with my doctor until September 11th (!!!), so I'm kind of lost and just want to get my life back in order so that I can stop being so sick all of the time. If any of you are allergic to corn...do you ever get the stomach the size of Texas after eating some?

[Guest Robbin]

Hi and welcome. I am sorry you are not feeling so well. It can take awhile to get your symptoms under control. Make sure you are not getting any hidden gluten. Do not use a toaster that has been used for gluten, or wooden utensils, non-stick pans if they have scratches, wooden cutting boards, collanders, cast iron skillets -anything that could have hidden gluten. Also, you may want to cut out dairy until you are well healed, as many of us have problems with dairy. You may be able to tolerate it better after awhile longer gluten-free. It is different for everyone, but the healing process can sometimes be slow. Sometimes you feel worse before you feel better. Try to stick to simple, non-irritating foods. Sometimes raw fruits and veggies can irritate as well. There is a lot of experimentation sometimes till you discover what works for you. Take care, and if you have any questions or want to vent frustrations, that is what this forum is all about.