Hmm... Strange

[boroboy77]

youll think im crazy but i fell off the wagon over the christmas, ate whatever i liked. the funny thing is i had no reaction. the most obvious thing usually for me was the feeling sick and the diarrhoea but there's been none of this. i tried to think of why and im thinking maybe its the 5-htp im taking... stress used to be a big problem for me which has disappeared taking this stuff, and i know stress can be related to GI unrest etc. i am not a quack, i just thought id give my twopence worth and see if there's anyone with a similar story. thanks

[Sophiekins]

How were you diagnosed? If you were diagnosed using a celiac blood panel or a multi-sample intestinal biopsy, you have celiac disease and you need to avoid gluten to protect your health. If you were diagnosed by stool sample or elimination diet, yes, it is possible that your digestive problems have resolved with stress management.

It is, however, entirely possible for some celiacs to eat "ordinary" food for months on end without symptoms (witness me, who was free of digestive symptoms and a perfectly healthy BMI for seventeen years). The problem with continuing to eat "ordinary" food in the absence of symptoms if you are a celiac is that it causes permanent damage to your body: I have decreased fertility (ie if I don't have a baby in the next five years, I probably won't be able to), permanently damaged stomach, liver, bladder, kidneys and intestines, peripheral neuropathy, ataxia, vertigo, Reynaud's syndrome, reduced lung-capacity, chronic sinusitis, very limited tolerance of fats, and a compromised immune system. Oh yes, and seizures and calciferous lesions of the brain.

Please think very carefully before you decide to abandon a gluten-free lifestyle.

[Carriefaith]

Have you been diagnosed with celiac disease?

[plantime]

No, this is not a weird phenomena. I, too, gave in on Christmas Day and ate pie with wheat crust. I had a little bit of a tummy ache. Period. Nothing else. I asked my doc about it, and she said that I have probably reached a point in my healing that I can tolerate an occasional mistake. Then she got all stern and bossy and told me not to act like an idiot, and stick to the diet! I got away with a dab that time, but continued eating will cause the intestinal damage all over again.

[boroboy77]

i went back on the wagon after christmas so not really sure what happened... yes ive been diagnosed. ive had a gluten-free xmas the last 3 years previous to '06, and i guess i just cracked. have i undone 3 years of healing? pardon my ignorance but surely one little lapse wont kill me?

[Ursa Major]

No, you wouldn't have undone three years of healing. It would take more than eating gluten for one day. But it takes about three weeks to heal the damage from one mistake. If you keep cheating let's say every three weeks, you'll never give your intestines a chance to heal, and you may as well not bother with the gluten-free diet, as you would, even without obvious symptoms, have the same risk of cancer as if you ate gluten every day.

So, if you stay gluten-free now, I think you'll be fine. Just don't purposely eat gluten again, it isn't worth the risk. And maybe next time you'll get terribly ill.

[tarnalberry]

it's well reported that this sort of thing can happen. the body isn't a static thing that never changes. sometimes, you're not going to notice the symptoms, but it doesn't mean there isn't any damage. this is *particularly* true during the adolescent through mid-20's ages when hormone fluctuations leave people less likely to experience symptoms, regardless of damage.

as ursa noted, however, even occasional cheating defeats the purpose in the long run. remember that you're not doing this so that you feel good today, tomororw, and next week. you're doing this so that you stay healthy for the next three, four, five, or six DECADES. it's hard to focus that long term, but that's the goal.