Newbie With Questions

[Guest Paisley]

Hi everyone,

after lurking on this forum for a few weeks and learning soooooo much about why I have been feeling like hell for years, I thought I would finally register.... I am so grateful for finding this site because I finally feel like Im not going crazy and there is a reason why I have been feeling like a hypochondriac for soo long. After years of going to health professionals, having endless tests, sent away with oodles of supplements all to no avail, I finally saw a dietician a few weeks ago who believes my problem is most likely celiacs, and suggested the whole blood test and endoscopy route. I however have been feeling so unwell (muscle aches, fatigue, flu like symptoms at least once a week, mouth ulcers and a whole plethora of digestive probs etc etc) that I decided that day I would start eating gluten free. It has been a week now and I am starting to feel human again!! so I doubt I will venture down the testing road because I don't want to re gluten myself! Why the heck nobody (health "professionals") ever suggested celiacs to me is a mystery.. where are these people being trained???

I have over the last 5 years kept food diaries on and off and reading through them recently noticed that every time I had a day or couple of days of eating pasta, bread etc, my symptoms were really bad, but I never really made the connection...I thought it was other foods I had eaten and so eliminated them, all to no avail obviously.

One symptom I have developed over the last 10mths however (on a more vain note) is constant bags under my eyes which are driving me crazy and making me look so much older (I'm 35). Does anyone else have these and have you managed to get rid of them by going gluten free??? If so, how long did it take for them to go? Is it likely that they are from being gluten intolerant? Sorry for the questions but I can't stand to look at myself in the mirror because of them.

Anyway, sorry for the long speil, but I think this may be the only place I will be able to get any decent answers to my questions..its slim pickings out there....

thanks everyone

Paisley

[Lisa]

Paisley:

Glad to have you out of the closet. It always may me feel good when people learn things from these educated and sharing folk we have on this site.

I am so glad that you are feeling better. Many of us had year and years of misery with no answer.

OK, when you heal after a while and get the proper nutrients into you body, I can assure you that the bags and dark circle will go away. Another benefit of being gluten free!

Again, welcome

[jerseyangel]

Hi and welcome

I agree with Momma Goose--the bags and especially the dark circles are symptoms associated with Celiac. They should fade/improve with some time.

[Guest Paisley]

Thanks for those quick responses........you guys are really on the ball.....

Regarding the healing my body will need to go through, aside from eating gluten free, is there anything you would recommend I take to help my intestines heal? I am so desperate to do everything in my power to become healthy again, and am almost excited by this diagnosis because I finally have an answer and solution..if I had to spend the rest of my life just living on brussel sprouts in order to feel good I would do it!!!

I look forward to the day when someone doesn't tell me I look tired or drained......

Paisley

[Lisa]

After about a year and I was feeling so much better, many people told me how good I looked. Guess they didn't have the nerve to tell me I look like crap when I was sick.

Some people here take Probiotics/Digestive Enzymes. I could not tolerate them because of the lactose. There are some dairy free, but I have not looked into that. I do take a multi-vitamine and sublingual B-12 and that seems to work for me and the energy is almost 100%. Bear in mind, I have been at this for almost 2 years. It will take so time to heal, you've been sick for a long time.

A well-balanced diet cause be your best avenue. Leafy greens, almonds, Yoplait Yogurt, V-8 Juice are some healthy choices.

[alamaz]

my mom used to worry all the time because she said the only time i got bags and black circles as a kid was when i was sick. then i had them from 22-28 permanantly. i've been five weeks gluten-free and *I* think my circles are definitely better and the puffiness has all but disappeared. whoo hoooo!