Brand New, Gluten-free For 3 Days, Have Questions

[chellalee]

Hi Everybody!

I am a brand new celiac.....well, at least brand new to knowing what I have! I am pregnant with my fifth little one, and have been having a number of blood tests run because of SEVERE anemia. After checking 3 or 4 things, including thyroid and hemoglobin H, I asked my midwife to have a celiac panel done on me. I guess we hit the jackpot. My results, for anyone interested....TTG IGA 52, normal being 5-8, and Gliadin AB (IGA) >100 normal being < 17. As far as my uneducated mind goes, this seems like a positive result. I don't have most of the "normal" symptons, including the sympotms that lead to IBS diagnoses....just chronic fatigue due to the unexplained anemia. The more I read this forum and everyone's posts, the more concerned I am getting. I read about everyone having these severe reactions to the tiniest bit of gluten. I'm worried that by going on a gluten-free diet....my reactions will get worse than they are now (practically none). I guess my questions are for those of you who have horrible reactions....did you always get sick from gluten (even when you didn't know it was the culprit) or have your reactions become much worse since starting a gluten-free diet? I've been completely gluten free for 3 days now (I know, I'm just a brand new baby here) and plan to continue on as strictly as I can.....but I worry about my body starting to have bad reactions if I mess up....while right now I have no immediate reaction that I can feel (although it is killing me slowly through malnourishment). So, have your reactions gotten worse since going Gluten Free? Also, has anyone ever bought the gluten guard software for pocket pc, and is it any good? Thanks all. Chellalee

[CarlaB]

Welcome!

If you compare it to smoking, it makes more sense.

A smoker might feel really bad in general, lots of health problems, but smoking a cigarette causes no immediate symptoms.

Then the smoker quits. He feels much better overall. Then he tries a cigarette and ONE cigarette causes him to feel very sick.

This is often the reaction to gluten after being gluten-free for a while.

[Karen B.]

Hi Everybody!

I am a brand new celiac.....well, at least brand new to knowing what I have! I am pregnant with my fifth little one, and have been having a number of blood tests run because of SEVERE anemia. After checking 3 or 4 things, including thyroid and hemoglobin H, I asked my midwife to have a celiac panel done on me. I guess we hit the jackpot. My results, for anyone interested....TTG IGA 52, normal being 5-8, and Gliadin AB (IGA) >100 normal being < 17. As far as my uneducated mind goes, this seems like a positive result. I don't have most of the "normal" symptons, including the sympotms that lead to IBS diagnoses....just chronic fatigue due to the unexplained anemia. The more I read this forum and everyone's posts, the more concerned I am getting. I read about everyone having these severe reactions to the tiniest bit of gluten. I'm worried that by going on a gluten-free diet....my reactions will get worse than they are now (practically none). I guess my questions are for those of you who have horrible reactions....did you always get sick from gluten (even when you didn't know it was the culprit) or have your reactions become much worse since starting a gluten-free diet? I've been completely gluten free for 3 days now (I know, I'm just a brand new baby here) and plan to continue on as strictly as I can.....but I worry about my body starting to have bad reactions if I mess up....while right now I have no immediate reaction that I can feel (although it is killing me slowly through malnourishment). So, have your reactions gotten worse since going Gluten Free? Also, has anyone ever bought the gluten guard software for pocket pc, and is it any good? Thanks all. Chellalee

Pre-diagnosis, I had no unusual reactions until I developed severe iron anemia and a severe deficiency in B-12 and folic acid. But I didn't realize how bad/tired I felt until I went gluten-free. When I went to my doc for fatigue, she gave me a little speech about how women overextend themselves (true). Since going gluten-free, I have much more energy and my health is much better.

Now, if I'm exposed to gluten, I usually know pretty quickly (20-40 minutes) because I'll start burping and then the tummy churning starts but it's nothing I can't handle with imodium. But part of why I feel bad now is I'm used to feeling so much better most of the time. The contrast is pretty startling.

If I were pregnant, I'd be afraid not to go gluten free since the nutrients the mother absorbs are so critical to fetal development. I has been taking B-12 and folic acid supplements when I was diagnosed but I was still very decifient in those nutrients because I couldn't absorb them.

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[sfm]

Hi Everybody!

I am a brand new celiac.....well, at least brand new to knowing what I have! I am pregnant with my fifth little one, and have been having a number of blood tests run because of SEVERE anemia. After checking 3 or 4 things, including thyroid and hemoglobin H, I asked my midwife to have a celiac panel done on me. I guess we hit the jackpot. My results, for anyone interested....TTG IGA 52, normal being 5-8, and Gliadin AB (IGA) >100 normal being < 17. As far as my uneducated mind goes, this seems like a positive result. I don't have most of the "normal" symptons, including the sympotms that lead to IBS diagnoses....just chronic fatigue due to the unexplained anemia. The more I read this forum and everyone's posts, the more concerned I am getting. I read about everyone having these severe reactions to the tiniest bit of gluten. I'm worried that by going on a gluten-free diet....my reactions will get worse than they are now (practically none). I guess my questions are for those of you who have horrible reactions....did you always get sick from gluten (even when you didn't know it was the culprit) or have your reactions become much worse since starting a gluten-free diet? I've been completely gluten free for 3 days now (I know, I'm just a brand new baby here) and plan to continue on as strictly as I can.....but I worry about my body starting to have bad reactions if I mess up....while right now I have no immediate reaction that I can feel (although it is killing me slowly through malnourishment). So, have your reactions gotten worse since going Gluten Free? Also, has anyone ever bought the gluten guard software for pocket pc, and is it any good? Thanks all. Chellalee

Chellalee -

I'm not really sure that reactions get stronger after going gluten free. I think it might be more a question of feeling better for the first time in so long, and having something to compare with that awful feeling. I have heard some folks on here says that they don't have an immediate, obvious reaction to gluten. I'm not sure what that's like, as I know within an hour or two! But before I went gluten free, I was feeling that way every day, so it just seemed like normal for me.

If malnourishment is your main symptom, then sticking with the gluten free diet will help - and being pregnant, you can't afford to lose vitamins or nourishment right now! I hope that helps, and that all goes well with your new little one on the way. Congratulations!

Sheryll

[ArtGirl]

Everyone's reactions are different. Some have no noticeable symptoms, some get very sick, others are somewhere inbetween. My symptoms have decreased when getting glutened and are quite mild and short-lived now.

While it is possible that you might become more symptomatic from gluten after a period of time being gluten-free, you might not; and there's no reason to believe that your symptoms would change to GI issues when they weren't to begin with.

What the symptoms are or may be isn't the issue for you right now. What's most important is your unborn child and giving it the best nourishment possible, and that means you must go gluten-free immediately and stay that way so that you're absorbing all the nutrients you can, as Karen B. stated.