I'm Not Feeling Good Physically Or Emotionally!

[Walter S]

I am feeling awful tonight! All I have been doing is running to the bathroom and I do mean RUNNING! The stomach cramps I have on top of it all are almost unbearable! I am getting very upset and frustrated with this whole thing. I feel bad enough that I maybe should get to a hospital tonight, but honestly I am sick of it!!! I have been to so many doctors, etc. in the past couple of months that I just have run out of steam for dealing with this right now. I realize tha is a ridiculous and counterproductive way to be but it's just the way I feel right now. Also, I am getting more stressed about dealing with work. The worse I feel, the more I think there is no way I can go back to work yet, even though I've been out sick for two months already!!! It may wind up being necessary that I even have to make some kind of a career change, but I just don't want that! I have been doing this job since I got out of college. I am only three courses away from having my principal's license/certification, and I have the job that I want. I am well established in my job and I don't know what else I would do if I had to make a career switch. Oh, how I hate this whole mess I am in. I realize I am probably "preaching to the choir" with that one. I think it's safe to assume that everyone on this site is tired of dealing with illness. Basically, I feel very sick to my stomach and I am very upset emotionally tonight, too. I don't even know what else to say. Words can't really describe how lousy I am feeling.

[luckygfme]

i definately know the feeling. not very helpful, but i do hope you start to feel better sooon.

[lonewolf]

So sorry you're feeling bad. I see on your other thread that you just started the gluten-free diet this month. It takes most people more than 2 weeks to feel significantly better, so you're not alone. Breathe, relax, don't worry about your career right now. I was told to make a career change 11 years ago, but my health has improved so much that I'm healthier now than I was before I got so sick. There's hope for you too.

You might want to try a VERY bland diet - rice, fish, chicken, cooked vegetables, applesauce, bananas, water and herbal tea until your digestive tract settles down.

I hope you start feeling better soon - it really WILL get better.

[cyberprof]

Walter, I really feel for you.

And I agree with Liz/Lonewolf. Try a really bland diet, chicken, applesauce, bananas, rice.

Take care of yourself and try to relax.

~Laura

[Nantzie]

I wish I had something helpful to offer. I just hope you feel better soon.

Nancy

[darlindeb25]

Hang in there. It does get better. I think probably at least 80% of us know just how you feel. Don't make any major changes right now in your life. Just keep working on gluten free and give your body a chance to feel better.

[Samanthasmomma]

Try some Chamomile tea, it will help relax you, soothe your stomach and help get some fluids back in you....I know how you feel, Im in the same situation and it gets very frustrating and old!

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I hope you are feeling better today--so sorry you were feeling so lousy yesterday. Any possibility that you had a stomach virus on top of all the other problems?

Hang in there.

[sansglutengrl]

Dear WalterS,

I hope that by now you are feeling a little better. I agree with everyone about the bland diet. As soon as you find something that stays in your belly, stick with it! Also, about the whole going back to work and public restroom issue, have you tried any medication to give you a little peace of mind during the day? I've had really good luck with immodium, some people talk about pepto - and noglugirl can tell you about promethazine (a prescription) to help with the nausea/vomitting issue. Maybe if you try some of these things before you go back to work and you see that they work, you won't be so nervous. Also, are you sure that your whole house/menu is gluten free? You could be getting glutened by hidden gluten and not knowing it. Tell us a little about what you're eating/using. The other thing that you might want to try is an elimination diet. It could be the case that you are eating something that is gluten free but that you are also allergic to, which would give you a gluten-like reaction. I know that it's overwhelming and doesn't seem like it will get any better, but it will. Try not to worry about your career until you feel a little better, I know that's not easy, but it will work out for the best.

-sansglutengrl

[gfp]

I hope you are feeling better today--so sorry you were feeling so lousy yesterday. Any possibility that you had a stomach virus on top of all the other problems?

Hang in there.

I dunno except he could be me when I've been glutened....

Walter .. this sounds so far away right now! IT GETS BETTER....

DO NOT MAKE ANY IMPORTANT LIFE DECISIONS WHEN GLUTENED!

Realising its a reaction and you will get better very soon is perhaps the most helpful thing I can say...

Take some immodium tablets (not liquid which apparently contains gluten) just to give yourself some respite.... get some rest as in sleep and some rest for your intestines....

I know this feeling sucks... you probably can't sleep.... and your worrying about stuff you certainly can't doi anything about right now....

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Walter? You okay?

[Walter S]

Hello everybody. I'm feeling a bit better emotionally, but not physically. Can someone explain how to go about following the "elimination diet"? Also, I never realized that liquid immodium has gluten! I just figured it is faster acting becasue it's a liquid! Also, I'm sorry for the long delay in responding/posting. I live in NJ and we had a horrible storm and I spent the last 30 or more hours bailing and pumping water out of my flooding basement! I was still having stomach problems and I didn't get any sleep. What a mess, but what can you do?

[Fiddle-Faddle]

My goodness, Walter, you've been through just about everything except being swallowed by a whale!

The elimination diet is when you eliminate all common causes of stomach distress from your diet, which pretty much leaves you with plain broiled chicken or fish (NO seasonings except maybe salt), chicken broth, broiled plain hamburger (no ketchup yet!), white rice, applesauce, and bananas (someone please corret me if these are incorrect!). Then you add foods ONE AT A TIME, every 3 days or so, starting perhaps with a hardboiled egg, then adding cooked carrots a few days later, etc. Condiments come MUCH later!

It's pretty much how you start a baby on new foods--one at a time!

Now, the difficulty here is, some people actually can't tolerate rice--but they can tolerate other things. And some can't tolerate potatoes, or corn. And if you introduce two new things at once, you won't know which one causes a reaction (if any).

It's a major pain in the butt, but hopefully it will eliminate the current pain in your butt!

Another question comes to mind--what are you drinking? Perhaps you are sensitive to something in your water-supply system? Maybe try distilled water for a a week or so, see if that helps. I can't remember if you were drinking tea or coffee, but you should probably just drink plain water for now, especially with all the D, you might be dehydrated.

I'm tempted to suggest Gatorade, except for the artificial flavors and colors. I remember reading that you could make your own, by adding salt, sugar, and a lemon slice (if you are not sensitive to citrus) to water. Google "Gatorade recipe" and see what comes up.

I bet others will come up with better suggestions, but this at least can help you get started.

[gfp]

Hello everybody. I'm feeling a bit better emotionally, but not physically. Can someone explain how to go about following the "elimination diet"? Also, I never realized that liquid immodium has gluten! I just figured it is faster acting becasue it's a liquid! Also, I'm sorry for the long delay in responding/posting. I live in NJ and we had a horrible storm and I spent the last 30 or more hours bailing and pumping water out of my flooding basement! I was still having stomach problems and I didn't get any sleep. What a mess, but what can you do?

Walter a big thing works for me is the sub-lingual immodium....

One thing to explain (facts are normal, I'll make clear when its my interpretation and beliefs)

gluten is classed as a exorphin which means it binds to the bodies endorphin receptors

endorphin controls mood

gluten damages the endorphin receptors

immodium binds to the endorphin receptors

immodium supposedly doesn't damage them

I believe a large part of the depression indiced by gluten is actually withdrawal... the receptors are damaged and so the body can't regualte its moods and we feel like crap at the same time so the mood that dominates is .. well feeling like crap... and that extends to about yourself, about life.. etc .

This seems to be how it affects me.... usually you feel crap so the body makes more endorphins... but in our case the receptors are damaged so they are not actually effective. We can sink low but we can't go to the happy extremes... because our whole endorphin release and adsorbtion is outa whack...

This isn't a great help to you right now but as soon as I think I might have been glutened I take 2 sublingual immodium.

Its the fastest route into the body into the blood and hopefully beats the digestion part.

My theory is get the immoium in 1st... keep the endorphin receptors blocked while the gluten passes by...

Its real hard judge exactly how well this works ... but I really think it helps a lot... its a bit inconvenient to be blocked up if it was a false alarm but the earlier the better... I honestly find not having to spend all the time on the loo as a beneficial side effect...

the depression part is way more important to me....