Since Going Gluten Free What Is Better In Your Life?

[Guest AutumnE]

I feel great! New to this but already I have tons more energy, memory is better, less anxiety, full nights of sleep, relationship with dh and patience with my daughter is tremendous (almost talked about separation completely by my choice and I wouldnt dare think it now), arthritis feel so much better ( Im sure it was celiac instead of arthritis) and also as of today Im 16 pounds less in weight!

Im not a hermit anymore and Im no longer afraid to eat in public like I was for over 2 years.

I cant wait to see what 1 or 2 years out and how good I will feel then.

[sparkles]

I can eat chocolate and not get a migraine since going gluten-free. AND I don't have to check for the plunger when using a friend's bathroom....that was so embarrassing!!!!!!! I hated never knowing when that would be a necessity!!!!

[Judyin Philly]

Not spending my life in the bathroom.

judy

[nannyb]

I think that the best part is the energy. I also lost 25 pounds although when I am gluttened I gain back two to four pounds almost immediately. (it disappears when the reaction wears off) People have told me that I had more energy because I was exercising but I know that I could exercise because of the energy.

And lack of pain. The stiffness in the joints particularly upon waking was making me feel years older than I wished.

I also lost all my carpal tunnel symptoms. Great surprise. I had slept with wrist braces for 15 years and even wore them 24/7 for several years. But they went to the trash. The only time I have pain when using the mouse or computer is if I am gluttened.

The IBS went away entirely.

Brain fog - I don't miss that at all.

And according to my biopsies and GI Doc I don't even have Celiac. Hmmm! Well gluten-free rocks anyway.

[Guest ~jules~]

I just started last week and I can already tell the difference. I'm not having to park in the bathroom, my head is so clear, and I have my spunk back, its wonderful. As annoying as this thing is, I'm just glad to be feeling better.

[2kids4me]

I got my kids back - most notably my daughter.

I can't possibly convey in words what it is like each day when I see her smile...really smile... and giggle. We lost that for a long time. She went inside herself and was grumpy and tired and isolated - she just felt crappy and didnt have the energy to deal with other people.

I will always carry the image of Kathryn - it was about 2 weeks after going gluten-free, she begged me to go exploring with her, she climbed up to the top of a big hill and threw her arms up in the air - "I made it to the top, look at me.... come on up mom!"

It was pouring rain and bits of hail, soaked to the bone... and here she was dancing on top of a hill...

It was glorious. and it was all because we were gluten-free.

[Nantzie]

2kids, that should be in a book. That totally made me cry. What a beautiful sight that must have been.

They need to do Chicken Soup for the Celiac Soul.

Nancy

[2kids4me]

Thank you Nantzie, I too marvel sometimes how simply (ha!) eliminating gluten made such a change in my kids.

For my son - it meant the end of wet beds at night, joint pain so bad he limped in the day... and stomach aches that came and went.....

Although I do not have celiac myself , I eat gluten-free because my kids do - and I have found that even though I may be "negative" on blood work, I feel much better gluten-free.

[Kaycee]

Simple

Life is better

I am living again

[StrongerToday]

Getting through the day without a mad dash to the bathroom... not needing to know where every bathroom is... feeling so much better... getting out of the house... better heatlh - no more headaches, stomach aches and I've lost over 50 lbs!!

[ravenwoodglass]

NO PAIN after 15 years of daily torture so bad that I hoped at times I would die. Listening to my DS laugh as he watches TV in his room, he had not laughed in years before diagnosis, that sound can keep me awake anytime The changes in him have even encouraged some of his freinds to explore the possiblity that they need the diet also.

[jerseyangel]

Anxiety is much better--I've not had a panic attack at all since gluten-free.

Chronic anemia is gone, and I have some color in my skin--I'm not ghostly white any more.

My hair, nails, and skin are all very much improved. No more 'mystery bruises', nail ridges and white spots, no more breakouts on my chin.

Eczema on eyelids--gone!

I'm able to think more clearly, and put my thoughts into words--I used to 'get stuck' in the middle of a thought.

The GI issues are improved, still a way to go there, but going in the right direction

[jennyj]

I can go on a long trip and not worry that I can't make it to the destination without tummy grumbles or making it to the next rest area or gas station. Not sitting in church and having the tummy grumbles so loud you see the peoples shoulders in the pew ahead of you shaking because they are trying not to laugh. Not crying because you are so hungry but don't know what to eat that won't upset your system.

[ehrin]

One word - Sex.

I finally desire to have it again!

My boyfriend is ever so appreciative!

Also the constant bloat being gone...

[swittenauer]

Not spending my life in the bathroom.

judy

You took my answer. That is probably I'd say the best thing for my husband that he doesn't spend his life in the bathroom.

[thenamesbabe]

I'm going to say it's a tie between the bloating and the runs to the bathroom!

[Guest AutumnE]

Thanks everyone Its nice to see how everybody's lives have changed for the better. It becomes natural to feel yucky you almost forget how good you can feel.

2kids4me-Your post brought a tear to my eyes. As a mom I can only imagine the helplessness you felt at first and the joy you are able to bring back to your children's lives. Its a very beautiful thing.

I would love a spot to put your story down and the change since going gluten free, its a difficult journey but such a life changing event.

[marciab]

1 - I got off Klonopin because I am no longer jerking (myoclonus).

2 - I can write legibly again. I had myoclonus in my hands.

3 - I always wondered what people meant by "thinking before you speak", but now I can do it most of the time.

4 - I can sit in a large group of people and enjoy the conversation because I am relaxed now. I felt too jittery and had a hard time concentrating before.

5 - I have more sustainable energy as of this week. I was bouncing back and forth between bouts of high energy and very low energy all day long. I think they are called adrenaline rushes ??

6 - No more IBS.

7 - No more GERD.

8 - No more mystery rash (DH).

I have to add that I didn't just off gluten though. I got all the "crap" out of my diet and 99% dairy, soy, corn, eggs. And I added healthy fats (omegas). Yep, Type A - here !!

[eleep]

LOTS of things are better, but (on the vain side of things) I have to say that recently I've noticed that my face looks a lot better -- it's rounder and rosier and I think my eyes are brighter and my eyelashes are longer! The lifelong dark circles under my eyes seem to have faded to a point where concealer is generally overkill. This isn't anywhere near as important as the other stuff that's improved, but it is really pleasant to see myself brush my teeth in the morning -- smiling is even easier!

eleep

[Mayflowers]

Mind you I've only been off gluten a few weeks and I think I still get accidently glutenized by marinades, (that don't have gluten listed) and vitamins and even mustard...I'm still learning... I'm also 50 years old. It's never too late to take care of your body!

I've noticed the bloating is much less, in my whole body, not just my stomach. Just the yesterday, I noticed my dark circles under my eyes are getting noticebly lighter! My skin on my face has a different texture...more smooth, and younger looking I have more energy, I can concentrate better. I also noticed I'm not so constantly hungry and unsatisfied like I was when eating wheat. And I also noticed that food is tasting really good now! It's like my taste buds suddenly woke up! Weird!

[2kids4me]

I would love a spot to put your story down and the change since going gluten free, its a difficult journey but such a life changing event.

I have bit of a journal but it would be a longish post - I can have verbal diarrhea when it comes to these things! It covers the time after Kawaski diagnosis and until celiac -If you really want to see it, I can post it - in Wordpad , its about 2 pages long

[emcmaster]

No more bloating that literally made me look like I was 6 months pregnant.

I can wear cute jeans and midriff baring tops out to bars now!

I've lost the 25 pounds that I gained despite counting calories and working out (before my diagnosis).

The pain is severely reduced.

I feel like a normal person!!!

[Guest AutumnE]

Thanks everyone so much, I love the insight to see how a diagnosis can change a person's life so much!

2kids4me- I would love to read it, Its funny I collect all the chicken soup for the soul even if they dont apply to me. I love heartfelt stories!

[myserenityprayer]

No more bloating that literally made me look like I was 6 months pregnant.

I can wear cute jeans and midriff baring tops out to bars now!

I've lost the 25 pounds that I gained despite counting calories and working out (before my diagnosis).

The pain is severely reduced.

I feel like a normal person!!!

I can't wait!!! Reading this thread makes me understand why for a short time when I was first diagnosed (about 1 month ago) I was actually excited that I had Celiac. This past week was just awful-depressed, anxious, hopeless. I was so busy being down that I forgot why I was actually relieved when I was diagnosed and that from here on in things can only get better (i hope...keeping my fingers crossed). I forgot about the bloating. I totally understand what you mean about the pregnant thing. I hope my stomach goes down. I have been asked so many times if I was pregnant. It is so humiliating. And I'm really not that overweight. It's just my stomach-- i guess it is pretty huge. I guess that has a lot to with 25 years of eating gluten. That's one thing I am definitly looking forward too. Thank you to everyone for your posts. Just by reading the few posted so far, my hope is actually coming back. Thank you!

[Nantzie]

1) I went from being sure that I was going to be in a wheelchair within five years (tops), to being able to move furniture around.

2) I went from not even being able to take my kids out in my own backyard, to being able to RUN around the backyard with them.

3) I went from not even being able to take my kids to Walmart because I never knew when I would have the 10 second warning diarrhea and would have to run to the bathroom (try having that and lifting two squirming, kicking kids out of a shopping cart and still having to run to the other side of the store..), to not taking my kids to Walmart for the exact same reason non-celiacs don't like to take their kids to Walmart. Because they scream cry and beg the whole time. Ahhh... normalcy... And Good Lord, how DO they manage to get a toy on EVERY freaking aisle?!?!???

4) I went from snapping at my kids all the time to actually talking to them.

5) I went from only "cooking" things that have instructions on the side of the box and an included seasoning packet to being able to do things like make gravy from scratch starting with a roux (Bob's Red Mill, btw) and not measuring a thing; just going by taste, texture and consistency.

6) I went from being so tired that it was all I could do to stay awake long enough just to get the kids to their nap times so that I could sleep too, to being able to actually be productive and enjoy some quiet time to read a book or watch my Tivo'd TV shows or clean the house.

7) I went from having anxiety attacks and nightmares every night with insomnia so bad that I felt like my brain was buzzing, staring at the clock, staring at the ceiling, watching TV until 4am just trying to distract myself with something long enough to fall asleep, to just "falling" asleep. Just drifting off. I'm still fascinated by the sensation of just falling asleep...

8) I went from thinking that this bloated, doughy, dark undereye'd exhausted looking face that I barely looked at in the mirror anymore was ME, to seeing cheekbones, collarbones and a spark in the eyes, and seeing that I had been lucky enough to uncover the energetic, sparkley, happy person that I had thought was just a dream of my youth.

9) Everything. Everything, everything, everything.

10) Everything.

I'm just so very, very grateful for ALL of it.

Nancy