How Did You Feel After You Switched To Gluten Free Diet?

[mainesgem]

Hi there,

I have been having the following symptoms (some for months/some

for years):

Migraines, menorrhagia (heavy periods), major, constant fatigue, tachycardia (I have 2 take cardiazam for it), periods of bradycardia, weight gain (I was always super thin all of my life until three years ago.), rare spells of complete weakness-feeling like I am going to die (My BP goes sky high, my HR goes high, and I shake badly.), I am thirsty all of the time-I probably drink over 2 gallons of water a day!, and really bad gas pains almost all of the time. Sometimes I get so much gas-I can't even move due to severity of the pain. I was living on GasX everyday, several times a day.

I posted to another board on the wrongdiagnosis forum. Anyway, some people came back and said that maybe it was celiac disease.

So, after googling celiac disease, I am TRYING a gluten free diet. I started monday morning. Monday I noticed a little gas/bloating-but a major reduction in my normal amount of gas. Yesterday-no gas or bloating!!! Today-No gas and a small but noticable reduction in swelling of my stomache area. Praise God!!!

Although I am feeling very nauseous. I have some sort of chest cold and I do not know if the nausea is due to the cold bug that I have or from switching to the gluten free diet.

Can anyone out there relate there experience of switching to a gluten free diet and how and when it changed their symptoms???

It would be great to know if this gluten free diet is working and/or is going to work! I plan on sticking to this "diet" for two weeks at least and then evaluating how things are with my body.

Thanks so much and God Bless!

J.

PS: My Gyn mentioned to me a couple of years ago that he thought I might have celiac disease. But I thought he was nuts because of my weight gain. But, I have since heard some people can gain weight w/celiac disease?!? Is this correct?

I never followed up with the possibility of Celiac disease because I thought the Dr was nuts. But, I have another appt @ the begining of Jan to follow this up....

[Nantzie]

First of all, stop taking Gas-X. The chewable type has gluten in it. Not sure about the other styles. Tums also has gluten. Immodium tablets are gluten-free (I think the liquid has gluten). Try immodium tablets. I had also been taking Gas-X quite a bit right before I found out about gluten.

It sounds from your reaction to the gluten-free diet that you've had a gluten reaction going on. You've gotten some major improvement going on already. I would bet that you're going to continue to see improvement. I really recommend that people stick with it for at least a month.

Also remember to pay attention to other areas of your body. Gluten not only affects your digestion, but it also effects your mood, energy level, skin, body pain, etc.

Remember to guard against cross contamination (read the old messages on this board for more information). Cross contamination will cause a gluten reaction, and is what people struggle with the most here. Not eating the bread is only part of being gluten free.

Also check your shampoos and other haircare products, as well as cosmetics, lotions, prescriptions and over-the-counter meds, etc.

This is why a lot of us recommend at least a month or more of being gluten free to really see the full effect of the gluten free diet. In the beginning of the gluten free diet, a lot of us made mistakes that we never would have suspected. Going through the taco bell drive thru not realizing there's flour in the taco meat, or thinking that you can take the bun off a burger, or the toppings off a pizza, or the croutons off a salad. Or my personal "why God why" aggravation - Red Vines and Twizzlers are made of wheat. Without the support and information on this board, I think that most of us would have been doing all of that and more because what non gluten-intolerant person would ever suspect that any of that would cause a problem.

I hope I haven't overwhelmed you. It takes usually a month or more to figure out all the details. Just do your best, read the old messages on the board and you'll be a pro before you know it.

Nancy

[Sophiekins]

First off - yes, there are lots of people who gain weight while suffering from celiac disease. We may be medical puzzles, (I almost said freaks. . .) but there are lots of us.

Second - the symptoms you are describing sound a lot like what happens to me when I get glutened. . .gas so painful you're almost (if not already) in tears, but nothing you can do about it. . .particularly the shaking (though this is a very new development for me). . .

Third - I'll give you the advice I give most new celiacs: cut out or dramatically reduce your dairy (many celiacs have trouble with dairy in the first few months gluten-free), eliminate corn, soy and oats from your diet as well (if you haven't already done so). Eat small but frequently - try to feed yourself every couple of hours, at least a glass of juice - and fresh. . .fresh fruit, fresh veggies, low-fat light meats (chicken or turkey, poached baked or stirfried), plain wholegrain rice and simple potatoes (boiled, baked, mashed).

And last - you will need to spend more than two weeks on the diet to 'know' if gluten is your problem: the gluten protein remains active and potentially harmful in your bloodstream for up to 30 days from ingestion. . .the first month is basically detox, and every time you whoops, your detox gets set back a little bit further. If you have an appointment at the beginning of Jan, though, I wouldn't recommend going the whole hog if you want positive blood work - some people will say take two or three weeks completely gluten-free and then go gluten-lite until your blood work, others will tell you to keep eating your 'normal' diet until you can get blood work done. Ultimately, you are the one that has to make the decision whether you can stick to being gluten-free without the 'proof' of positive blood work (or with marginal blood work), and whether you're willing to suffer to get a 'confirmed' diagnosis.

[loraleena]

I was nauseous for a month after starting diet. Your body is detoxing and you may be having withdrawal. Gas-x has gluten. Try some gluten free digestive enzymes before your meal. I also found that deglycerized licorice tablets helped with the nausea. Make sure it is deglycerized or you could get high Blood pressure. I used enzymatic therapies brand.

[mainesgem]

I truely appreciate the responses...thank you so much!!! I got a couple of

more questions for you...

In those who have had weight gain with celiac disease...is there any coorelation between

starting the gluten free diet and weight loss??? I am hoping that I lose weight!

Does anyone know of any coorelation between kidney problems and celiac disease?

I just got a blood test back that indicated impaired kidney function.

I am going to try to stay away from dairy products...anyone got any suggestions for

creamer for coffee??? And "milk" for gluten free cereal in the morning?

Also, my son has major food allergies to dairy, eggs, and garlic. If I find that I have celiac disease-

should I get him tested for celiac disease? He is very thin and also has a slightly impaired immune

dysfunction.

I just had coffee with half & half and I feel very gassy!!! Ugggh!

Thanks again to those who responded!!!

J.

[Jestgar]

First off - yes, there are lots of people who gain weight while suffering from celiac disease. We may be medical puzzles, (I almost said freaks. . .) but there are lots of us.

Translation: We are victims of the narrow-minded approach of modern medicine that limits it's understanding of a disease to what is most obvious.

[kbtoyssni]

It is not uncommon to be overweight and celiac. I just read some new research that about 39% of celiacs are overweight at diagnosis. Here's the link: https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1392

I went mostly gluten-free for about two weeks on an elimination diet. At first I thought "I'm not allergic to wheat, I don't feel any better", but when I added it back in I was so, so sick. It took me a week or two to realize how much better I felt since feeling better was so gradual. But after that I would never go back to eating gluten.

[GlutenWrangler]

I was always super thin like you. When my early symptoms began, I never felt satisfied when I ate so I just kept eating. I ended up gaining about 110 pounds. The disease progressed, and then a got a bad stomach virus, so it became much worse. From that point until now, I have lost 95 pounds. Now I'm super thin again. I think that the gluten free diet will help you to lose weight. My mother also has celiac disease. She has lost about 20 pounds since starting the diet. It is restrictive, but also healthier.

Definitely get your son tested for celiac disease. If you have it he could have it too. It would be better to get him started on the diet as early as possible if he does have it.

I have a kidney problem also. I don't know if there is any correlation between celiac disease and kidney disorders, but there could be. I don't have impaired function, but an extremely rare disorder called Loin Pain Hematuria Syndrome. Basically my kidney creates blood clots which cause chronic pain. LPHS is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, just like celiac disease, so the two could be related.

Good luck on the diet. I hope you continue to feel better,

-Brian