Mental Confusion And Motor Probs From Glutening?

[angel42]

Hi,

I always have a very strong intestinal reaction to glutening but I have started to notice that I am in a total haze after eating gluten. I have also noticed that I am having problems with my hands. I was glutened yesterday and in addition to having an awful stomach ache, I feel very foggy and I keep dropping things. It was very difficult trying to write a check this morning. Is this my imagination? Does this happen to people?

[Rebecca47]

Hi,

I always have a very strong intestinal reaction to glutening but I have started to notice that I am in a total haze after eating gluten. I have also noticed that I am having problems with my hands. I was glutened yesterday and in addition to having an awful stomach ache, I feel very foggy and I keep dropping things. It was very difficult trying to write a check this morning. Is this my imagination? Does this happen to people?

hI ANGEL 42 You are not alone. I get that way also. I have been gluten free since Aug. I have had a few glutenings and feel that way. I feel as if in a fog, at times anyway even dropping things. It gets better with time I hope.

[happygirl]

Angel,

What you are describing is rather common among Celiacs who have been glutened. It is frustrating----but, you are definitely not alone. Many of us call it "brain fog"........its the only way to really describe it!

I hope it passes quickly.

Laura

[pugluver31902]

I call it my "gluten coma." So nope, its not just you! I dont get any intestinal symptoms, just the coma like feeling.

[Laurad-]

I feel very foggy and I keep dropping things. It was very difficult trying to write a check this morning. Is this my imagination? Does this happen to people?

It's definately not your imagination.

My left side stops working when I get glutened; just the other day I accidentally dropped (and broke ) my cell phone because my hand just sort of disappeared. Maybe now I have an excuse to buy a iPhone? (haha, i wish.)

My mom read that taking vitamin B12 supplements might help with these neurological issues. I haven't tried it yet, so I don't know, but I doubt it can hurt, right?

[And She Will Be Curious]

Ah. I have that to some degree as well. Didn't realize it was affecting me SO much until I went gluten-free. When I get glutened, usually unknowingly, the same things happen. Panic and itching and weird sweating and sort of a paranoid type of confusion (I always dart my eyes around as if searching for escape) followed by the mental brain fog. With this fog sometimes comes what you're talking about. I get kind of clumsy in addition to being lethargic, and I can't seem to string my sentences together. It's really weird - mixing up words and such. Lazy tongue that slurs.

[Rosewynde]

I get Brain Fog and weakness 6-12 hours after getting glutened. I've only been on the diet a month so I've not had long term experience, but I think it's related to the body being short on what it needs. I seem to get much better after taking a multivitamin with minerals (gluten free) and/or getting some fluids and electrolytes in me if I'm feeling dehydrated.

[elonwy]

Brain Fog is the worst part of a glutening. I use B12 to get me through the worst of it.

And no, you are not imagining it, and if anyone tells you so (especially doctors grrr) you have my permission to kick them in the shins and blame it on restless leg syndrome.

(I'm not bitter, I was just told I was "imagining things" or "exaggerating" for years by doctors.)

[jerseyangel]

I get these after being glutened, too. Yes, they are most certainly real!

I have GI symptoms for 2-3 days, and then the brain fog sets in and lasts for the better part of 2 weeks or so, sometimes longer. I get crabby, anxious, can't get whole sentences out, and have a hard time sometimes even getting words out of my mouth.

I sometimes find it hard to know exactly where to put my foot down when walking, and am definately clumsier and slower than normal.

[Guest Doll]

Ah. I have that to some degree as well. Didn't realize it was affecting me SO much until I went gluten-free. When I get glutened, usually unknowingly, the same things happen. Panic and itching and weird sweating and sort of a paranoid type of confusion (I always dart my eyes around as if searching for escape) followed by the mental brain fog. With this fog sometimes comes what you're talking about. I get kind of clumsy in addition to being lethargic, and I can't seem to string my sentences together. It's really weird - mixing up words and such. Lazy tongue that slurs.

You sound *exactly* like me. In fact, I was investigated for MS (CT Scan) before my GI symptoms appeared and I began to suspect Celiac. It is truly amazing at the broad range of symptoms Celiac's can have. It was an eye opener to piece all of my symptoms together for sure. The neuro symptoms (dropping things, trouble walking, talking, etc). just appeared and got progressively worse, until I (thank God) starting get the diarrhea and weight loss. If I hadn't, I don't know if I would have figured it out to be tested in time.

Luckily, all of my symptoms did resolve once gluten-free. However, some people with Celiac present with neurological antibodies that *do not* seem to resolve on the gluten-free diet. The reason for this is not clear.

The good thing is, I now know what to look for in people who may present atypically with Celiac (adults especially). I honestly was sure I was developing MS based on my symptoms and was terrified.

[Karen B.]

Red Bull and orange juice help me some through the brain fog but you should see my hand writing during that time.

I tell people it's like getting stomach flu. I think that's the closest thing most people can relate it to.

[Alaska]

I get exactly the same symptoms, usually 6-8 hrs. after. I was also told these were symptoms of candida, which I have also been told I have. Anyone been diagnosed with candida as well as Celiac.

[marciab]

Thanks for posting this. My speech has been so bad lately I was considering getting a nueropsych eval. It doesn't help that a new friend of mine keeps cutting me off mid sentence either. I'm already self conscious, but her cutting me off only makes me feel stupid. My family doesn't cut me off any more. It's funny /sad what your friends and family learn to accept as your norm.

I had forgotten that I used to drop things too. My hand would just let go on it's own.

Anyone's eyes get twitchy ?

About the candida, it's normal for undiagnosed celiacs to get candida. Just take some probiotics first to see if that alone can help, if not you'll need to treat it.

Marcia

[Joni63]

Anyone's eyes get twitchy ?

Marcia

My eyes get twitchy. I guess that's what to call it. When I try to read, my eyes seem to jump from word to word instead of go smoothly. I lose my place a lot. Sometimes my vision gets blurry in my right eye.

[marciab]

My eyes get twitchy. I guess that's what to call it. When I try to read, my eyes seem to jump from word to word instead of go smoothly. I lose my place a lot. Sometimes my vision gets blurry in my right eye.

My eyes skip around over the words too. Makes reading a real pain.

I had strong noticeable twitches in each eye a few days ago when I first got glutenned, but now it's only something I can feel, but not see. They're gooey a lot right now too.

This all just gets sooo annoying !!! But, it sure beats not knowing why something is happening.

Marcia

[blueshift]

The best thing to do is to clean the brain of all the toxins caused by wheat and gluten. The best thing that worked for me is this:

1.)Go to the food store and buy femur bones from the butcher. I usually get about six pieces of them that are cut to about three or four inches in length.

2.) Put the bones in a slow cooker and cover them with water. I use a Rival Crock Pot. I set the temperature to Low and cook it for 48 hours and then, after taking the bones out, I pour it through a screen and into a Rubbermaid container and close the lid. Into the fridge it goes until the next morning.

3.) The lard will have hardened on top by the a.m. so I cut it away and scrape off any of the gelatin stuck to it. Keep the gelatin. Throw away the lard. Take 3 tablespoons of gelatin each day. It will last about 5 days.

4.)I kept making new batches for about two weeks and then noticed that I would finish everything I started out to do and that my reading capabilities increased by a dramatic amount.

Hope this helps.

[GregC]

wow..I went through sleep apnea tests,inner ear disorders,now finally I've come home to what ailes me! I have all of those same things myself..however I get REALLY dizzy and feel like I am being rocked or pushed off my chair immediatly after eating wheat!

[RiceGuy]

I definitely agree with and recommend the B12. A methylcobalamin sublingual to be exact. This along with magnesium has helped me more than I can put to words, and I take them daily. I haven't touched gluten in years.

[dksart]

Yep, brain fog, loss of motor skills, eye twitch, inability to remember how to type. All of that and more every time I get glutenized.

Almost immediately, I get a funny "warning sign" tightening in my jaw then within 15-20 minutes comes that headache and queasy feeling. Then the diarrhea, or constipation and gut pain.

It's not until later on that the joint pain and swelling starts, and then it only gets worse. I can hardly stand in the morning. My knuckles, ankles and hips won't bend. This will last for three to seven days. It hurts so bad, it's hard to believe that little more than two years ago I dealt with that level of pain on a daily basis.

Hopefully I wasn't poisoned severly enough to lower my immune system too much. If so, then I get sick. The last time it happened to me was a few weeks ago, at an after christmas party and I am still fighting the flu.