Always Fatigued...

[stromssa1]

Hi everyone,

I am batting around the idea of whether or not I may have some sort of food allergy/intolerance. My mom has had lactose intolerance (and is also allergic to cheese-something she has had since childhood). Anyway, probably one of my biggest issues is sleeping. Here are my symptoms:

1. I go to sleep at night, but my sleep seems light and very "active" (lots of fragmentary, odd dreams, easily awakened).

2. I almost always wake up in the morning with congestion and a full head. This gradually disapates as the day goes on.

3. I have continuous muscle spasms in my upper right shoulder and neck area, which seems to "flare up" more in the morning, as well, especially when I am driving to work. I got it checked out by a chiropractor, who said these muscles were indeed "very tense" and he cracked a few places and gave me some exercises to do. I have for years carried a heavy tote bag on my right shoulder (my left shoulder doesn't seem to be affected). Nonetheless, part of me wonders if these spasms have anything to do with an overall body reaction to something I eat. (I also felt compelled to blame it on my mattress, as it seems I wake up with all sorts of generalized "muscle aches" in the morning...

4. Shortly after I wake up in the morning, I usually have loose, mucousy, smelly stools. Sometimes I skip a day and they are there the next day, and so forth. I can't seem to pinpoint exactly what is causing it.

5. I feel very fatigued and exhausted for the remainder of the day. It takes me forever to do things I used to do with ease. I have no energy or ambition.

6. I also suffer with generalized anxiety disorder and depression. It seemed like, after my grandma's death seven years ago, my overall sense of well-being took a nosedive. I had work-related stress for years after that, and even though I no longer work in that job, it seems as though I react more strongly to stress overall.

7. This all started in my early 20s-before that, I was unaware of any food allergy or intolerance. I am approaching 30 this summer, but feel like I'm about 90.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated...

[Ursa Major]

Your problems could be a combination of things (which could potentially all be caused by a gluten intolerance). You may have celiac disease, your symptoms do fit. You also could have a casein intolerance (not just lactose, but all dairy), and you sound like you may have adrenal fatigue.

If you are still eating gluten, I suggest you see your doctor and ask him/her to order the celiac blood panel be done. That is a first step. If that is positive, your doctor would want to do a biopsy. It would be your choice if you feel you need that. You REALLY don't want to go back to gluten to have those done if you find the gluten-free diet helps you. A gluten challenge is a terrible idea after being gluten-free for a while.

If you don't care about an official diagnosis and just want to get better, try the gluten-free diet to see if it will make a difference.

Most doctors are woefully ignorant when it comes to adrenal fatigue. A naturopathic doctor is a better choice for a health care practitioner if you want to explore that possibility.

You may also have an underfunctioning thyroid.

Anyway, first things first. For many people, all the symptoms you describe clear up on a gluten-free/casein free diet alone.

I hope you figure it all out soon and feel better!

[Nancym]

You sound a lot like me. I started having problems with joints and muscles in my 20's, IBS, etc. Then in my 40's I was diagnosed with an autoimmune arthritis, which was probably caused by food intolerances. Autoimmune diseases can cause fatigue. I've cut out dairy products and gluten and started supplementing Vit. D and I use probiotics (coconut milk kefir) and I feel better than I have in years and years! It took about 1.5 years to get things much better but I could feel continual progress for much of that time. I think my basic recommendation for health is making sure your bowels are well populated with good bacteria, find and eliminate foods that cause you to react (bowels, or other symptoms), make sure you get plenty of sunshine in the summer and/or take D3 supplements and eat a paleo style of diet most of the time. Anyway, that is what works for me right now.

I hope you find your answers.

[Cruiser Bob]

Hi everyone,

I am batting around the idea of whether or not I may have some sort of food allergy/intolerance. My mom has had lactose intolerance (and is also allergic to cheese-something she has had since childhood). Anyway, probably one of my biggest issues is sleeping. Here are my symptoms:

1. I go to sleep at night, but my sleep seems light and very "active" (lots of fragmentary, odd dreams, easily awakened).

Years of working on this, including having tried all sorts of herbs, self hipnosis, sounds, sleep tapes. Try using ear plugs & relaxation/meditation/hypnosis. Short of that Ambien works most of the time for me.

2. I almost always wake up in the morning with congestion and a full head. This gradually disapates as the day goes on.

Interesting - my nose will start to drip before I ingest anything in the morning. We'll have to work on figuring this one out - I'll bring it up over the next few weeks as I'm just getting started on round 3 of trying to work with the traditional medical community.

3. I have continuous muscle spasms in my upper right shoulder and neck area, which seems to "flare up" more in the morning, as well, especially when I am driving to work. I got it checked out by a chiropractor, who said these muscles were indeed "very tense" and he cracked a few places and gave me some exercises to do. I have for years carried a heavy tote bag on my right shoulder (my left shoulder doesn't seem to be affected). Nonetheless, part of me wonders if these spasms have anything to do with an overall body reaction to something I eat. (I also felt compelled to blame it on my mattress, as it seems I wake up with all sorts of generalized "muscle aches" in the morning...

Been there done that on the Mattress -save your money for a Tempurpedic - the real one only. Try Yoga -stretching. Sounds like something is pinched or otherwise physically out of whack. You could also take a few minutes and peruse the RLS sites. Southern California RLS web page is a wonderful resource.

4. Shortly after I wake up in the morning, I usually have loose, mucousy, smelly stools. Sometimes I skip a day and they are there the next day, and so forth. I can't seem to pinpoint exactly what is causing it.

Food allergy/intollerance. In a normally functioning body things should not smell. The mucous is probably your own natural defense system coating your gut? I'd consider dropping all the main allergy foods - it sucks for eating, but feeling better is worth it.

5. I feel very fatigued and exhausted for the remainder of the day. It takes me forever to do things I used to do with ease. I have no energy or ambition.

I tire easily and take longer to recover. I'm just guessing that I only absorb (1/2? at least less) a portion of what I eat. I tend to shoot for 8-10 hours sleep. You've also probably got a certain amount of brain fog going on.

6. I also suffer with generalized anxiety disorder and depression. It seemed like, after my grandma's death seven years ago, my overall sense of well-being took a nosedive. I had work-related stress for years after that, and even though I no longer work in that job, it seems as though I react more strongly to stress overall.

See above comments. It's all related, been there done that. I'm normally a glass half full person. I was completely insulted when my GP-10 years ago told me it was depression, all in my head, etc and referred a phychologist. Since then, I've learned a lot. Don't ignore depression and don't buy off on the simple solution of a Rx. An Rx might get you through a tough period. I've been 4 months into a new career -definately lower stress, but I've not seen any results yet on me - I'll give it a year, but I'm not so sure if destressing my work environment is a big help - that's me though

7. This all started in my early 20s-before that, I was unaware of any food allergy or intolerance. I am approaching 30 this summer, but feel like I'm about 90.

I keep having to reminding myself - perspective: It took me a good 10-12 years to fill my bucket to overflowing and 7+ years now of addressing everything. It took a long time for our bodies to tell us something is/was wrong - it may take an equally long time to fell "normal" again - whatever that might be.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated...

Take a whole body/mind approach. Stick with it.

Bob

[missy'smom]

Everything you said perfectly described me for many years. For the GI symptoms, mine got better after going gluten-free but I found both before gluten-free and after, that yogurt on a regular basis helped things to work better.

For the muscle tension, Mine started after delivery of my son and was severe but I started seeing a chiropractor who did adjustments, electric stem, and massage and ultra-sound. The combination was helpful. All only as much as or when needed. I also took a calcium/magnesium supplement(magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant). It took me two years because I had waited so long to go in, my muscles had to re-learn what was normal. But I was able to taper off and stop going. My chiropractor was focused on healing and happy to see his patients not have to come in anymore. I eventually started doing a series of stretches right before bed and that continues to help alot. Even stretching the legs helps with the shoulders. I really haven't had a problem for a long long time. The things I have mentioned were mainly responsible for my recovery but we also got a sleep number bed and I love it. You sound exacly like me so I really recommend trying these things. I think the muscle tension, sleep problem for me were not caused by allergy or celiac disease but certainly lack of proper nutrients from celiac disease and imbalance in blood sugar aggravated it and got in the way of healing. I did achieve near if not full recovery before going gluten-free though.

My sinuses are full in the morning too but I believe mine has been from dust, old mattress and pillows, and mold in previous bedroom( we lived in an area with alot of costal fog). Whenever I address these issues it helps alot but haven't been able to resolve all of these issues so can't tell yet if there is something in addition to these. I still have a few more things to relace and steps to take so we'll see. This does still effect my sleep to some degree.

The other issues you mentioned I had too and were helped by a gluten-free diet because for me, they were symptoms of celiac disease.

Hope this helps with your healing.

[sherylj]

[quote If you are still eating gluten, I suggest you see your doctor and ask him/her to order the celiac blood panel be done. That is a first step. If that is positive, your doctor would want to do a biopsy. It would be your choice if you feel you need that. You REALLY don't want to go back to gluten to have those done if you find the gluten-free diet helps you. A gluten challenge is a terrible idea after being gluten-free for a while

[Ursa Major]

What is the gluten challenge?? I had a biopsy which indicated I have gluten intolerance. My dr. was not very helpful.

I have been avoiding gluten, learning as much as I can, experimented with some rice flours (only found one recipe so far which I want to repeat.)

Sherylj

A gluten challenge is, when an ignorant doctor tells somebody to try a gluten-free diet, and then orders people to go back to eating gluten, to do a biopsy (which most of the time will then be a false negative, even if the person has celiac disease), even if the response to the diet was positive.

Obviously you have celiac disease, as you've had a biopsy which showed villi damage. Most doctors aren't helpful when it comes to the diet, and many nutritionists know next to nothing about the gluten-free diet, either.

[stromssa1]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your comments and insight. Just to update you: I have been on lactaid for a few days now, and have taken one each time I have had dairy, but the BM issue doesn't seem to have been affected...

Anyway, as of last night, due to being stranded at a hotel due to a winter storm, I had to eat something microwavable, so I ended up eating the following:

1. a small container of macaroni and cheese (microwavable)

2. a butterfinger-flavored granola bar (snack)

3. soy milk (chocolate)

4. some Pringles (snack)

I know, not very nutritious. I woke up this morning and had the same BM problem as always...

Interestingly, I wonder if all of those things contain wheat? I'm not sure about Soy milk...does anyone know?

[FeedIndy]

The mac & cheese most definitely contained wheat, unless you brought something special with you. The milk should have been fine, but the Pringles contain wheat-one of a handful of chips that do. Butterfinger candy bars do not contain wheat, but the granola bar most likely did or at the very least was made with contaminated oats.

[celiesusie]

I've had gallbladder problems most likely due to celiac, and they cause a lot of symptoms, some of them surprising. These are ones that vary, depending on how my gallbladder is:

My right neck is always more or less tight. Certain other muscles also hurt.

I become more disorganized, foggy-brained and tired as stones collect and then after I pass a bunch (I have gone the route of cleanses to save my gallbladder), I can organize anything at least for a little while.

I also have trouble being on time depending on where I am in the stone-passing cycle.

Many people have fatty foul-smelling stools but I do not.

My joints hurt.

Now I've learned what certain twinges in my gallbladder area mean.

I tried a few types of cleanses but recently tried Dr. Schulze's (herbdoc.com) at the recommendation of a fellow celiac, and these seem much better and easier, too.

Another common problem with celiac is depression, considered to be from low seratonin, the neurotransmitter than makes us feel happy & chummy. In the gut, we make 95% of it from tryptophan. That we convert first to 5-HTP, which is a supplement. No matter what the cause is, 5-HTP can help with depression unless someone is susceptible to mania. Fortunately I am not so it worked for me -- it's important to understand how to use this particular supplement, and I used Julia Ross's book, The Mood Cure. I ended up using the other amino acids she recommends and felt years younger mentally. They also helped my gut.

The gut problems caused lots of my muscles to be tight and they didn't loosen up until the gut problems healed to a certain point. What a relief, and I could finally rest better and be relaxed during the day.

You certainly could have celiac, especially since some 90+% of celiacs in the US don't know it, and not all have symptoms.

I hope you find answers sooner than later~

CelieSusie

[stromssa1]

[Thanks for your interesting comments....just an update. Last night, for supper, I had a meal featured in the gluten-free gourmet cookbook: Chicken breasts with rosemary in orange juice (baked), with brown rice. I had carrots on the side, and a cup of soy milk. Well, this morning, I had another bout of diarrhea. I'm wondering about the orange juice. I love orange juice, and usually drink it more than anything else. However, after drinking it, I can feel my stomach doing flip-flops (maybe due to the acid content?). I have the same issue with tomatoes, and with coffee drinks.

Is it common to have an intolerance to all acidic foods? Does that mean you don't have enough alkaline in your system? I have had to deal with lots of stress over the years (or, more to the point, I don't handle stress well). Any thoughts on this? Also, is fructose intolerance very common?

Thanks...

[confused]

[Thanks for your interesting comments....just an update. Last night, for supper, I had a meal featured in the gluten-free gourmet cookbook: Chicken breasts with rosemary in orange juice (baked), with brown rice. I had carrots on the side, and a cup of soy milk. Well, this morning, I had another bout of diarrhea. I'm wondering about the orange juice. I love orange juice, and usually drink it more than anything else. However, after drinking it, I can feel my stomach doing flip-flops (maybe due to the acid content?). I have the same issue with tomatoes, and with coffee drinks.

Is it common to have an intolerance to all acidic foods? Does that mean you don't have enough alkaline in your system? I have had to deal with lots of stress over the years (or, more to the point, I don't handle stress well). Any thoughts on this? Also, is fructose intolerance very common?

Thanks...

Have you ever been tested for an ulcer. I can not have orange juice for that reason. I havent drank coffee since my first 2 years of college, and that was a very long time ago.

I do know that u have to have the 100 percent orange juice for it to be gluten free. What kind did you have.

I am still new to all of this, so im sure others will have better advice

paula

[stromssa1]

I have orange juice from concentrate... I have never been tested for an ulcer...

[gerberer]

I have orange juice from concentrate... I have never been tested for an ulcer...

It may just be that the acids are annoying an already inflamed gut, maybe try cutting them out and reintroducing them later on when things have settled down for you.

Avoid everything that has citric acid in it, will be hard as its one of the most common food additives.