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Evil Periods

gfmolly

By gfmolly
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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gfmolly Contributor
gfmolly
Posted

Since diagnosis in April, I've been getting better and better, but when my period comes I get nailed with "glutened-like" symptoms: major migraine headache, the big d for days and painful gas and bloating. Does anyone have any suggestions or remedies that seem to alleviate some of the symptoms? I do have endo as well, and have been off the pill since I can't find a gluten-free/lactose free pill on the market, so my hormones are probably out of whack as well. I know that I am not being glutened, because it is clockwork. I have been enjoying feeling more normal. It has taken months to get to this point and it feels really good. I'm not sure I want to feel nasty for a week every month!

Terri

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TrillumHunter Enthusiast
TrillumHunter
Posted

Are you taking any supplements? I was really deficient in B, A, D, E, iron and magnesium. I hope eventually my intestines will heal and I can stop them but in the meanwhile I can tell if I miss them. My cycle was horrible before I was dx'ed. So bad, in fact, I was considering hysterectomy. Since going gluten-free they are light and *almost* pain-free.

Just a thought. Good luck!

I was dx'ed in April, too!

gfmolly Contributor
gfmolly
Posted
  • Author
Are you taking any supplements? I was really deficient in B, A, D, E, iron and magnesium. I hope eventually my intestines will heal and I can stop them but in the meanwhile I can tell if I miss them. My cycle was horrible before I was dx'ed. So bad, in fact, I was considering hysterectomy. Since going gluten-free they are light and *almost* pain-free.

Just a thought. Good luck!

I was dx'ed in April, too!

I'm supposed to be taking iron because I am anemic, but I am so afraid of upset this fragile balance of feeling well! I will go back on the iron and I have a really good multi that I should be taking as well. I do take a probiotic daily, and can really tell if I do miss that. I'll give it a shot this month and see if it helps.

Thanks!

jewi0008 Contributor
jewi0008
Posted
Are you taking any supplements? I was really deficient in B, A, D, E, iron and magnesium. I hope eventually my intestines will heal and I can stop them but in the meanwhile I can tell if I miss them. My cycle was horrible before I was dx'ed. So bad, in fact, I was considering hysterectomy. Since going gluten-free they are light and *almost* pain-free.

Just a thought. Good luck!

I was dx'ed in April, too!

What type of supplements do you take? I currently take a multivitamin, Folic acid and the B Complex. What else is a necessity do you think?

skinnyminny Enthusiast
skinnyminny
Posted

go to the website called cyclediet.com. this is really interesting I ordered the work book their is a gluten free diet plan too, it is just a healthy way of eating to help with the pain of that time of the month, making sure you get enough calcium, exercise, and cutting all a lot of processed food is key I hope this helps

FootballFanatic Contributor
FootballFanatic
Posted

You might not call this a natural remedy but I heard that ibuprofen is the best painkiller for cramps and can have an antidiarrheal effect. That's the closest thing to natural I can think of, but I naturally take pills all the time. :-/

hathor Contributor
hathor
Posted

Are you dairy free? If not, you might try that. My cramps basically went away when I dropped the dairy some years ago. My daughter finds that the more dairy she has during a month, the worse her period. If she has no dairy, she doesn't feel bad at all.

Also, a lower fat diet can reduce your estrogen level and thus may help. Here is an article which has cites to assorted studies about hormones and fat in the diet:

Open Original Shared Link

I concur with the ibuprofen recommendation. It seems to work better than anything else.

How long have you been off the pill? It might take awhile to get over its impact. I remember I got horrid migraines when I was on the pill and had to stop for that reason. It took a few months for that to go away.

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gfmolly Contributor
gfmolly
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for all of the advice. I will check out the Cycle book. That sounds interesting. I am only taking a probiotic, but have a really good iron and multi I should be taking but don't. Like I said earlier, I have really tried to eliminate all possible reactors, so I was afraid to take any supplements, gluten-free or not. I think I will try the I eliminated, even before gluten as a way to try to not get D. My diet is really low in fat as is, I don't think I could go lower. Since Nov. I have lost 16 lbs, and really shouldn't lose too much more. The only fat I get is from olive oil, peanut butter, and the occasional red meat we may have.

I've been off the pill for a few months now, and am about to start the patch. We tried using condoms, but it really doesn't work well for us, so I am going to see how the patch is for me. I have used the patch pre-diagnosis, but it made me really nauseous at the start of the patch, so I'm not looking forward to that!

I've never heard of ibuprofen as an anti-d! Is there a particular brand that works well?

JNBunnie1 Community Regular
JNBunnie1
Posted

Ibuprofen helps me, too. The thing that's helped me the most has been to take a Vitamin A supplement, at least 20,000 IU daily. I used to have periods from hell, no leaving the house. They got better when I was on birth control for a year, but my libido dropped by HALF on birth control, so we use condoms now. So the bad periods came back, and I read that vitamin A helps, and for me it does. Also, you kinda need a certain amount of fat in your diet to be able to digest the vitamins you need. For example, Vitamins A & D are FAT-SOLUBLE vitamins, hard to get enough if you don't have any good fat in your diet.

jmd3 Contributor
jmd3
Posted
Since diagnosis in April, I've been getting better and better, but when my period comes I get nailed with "glutened-like" symptoms: major migraine headache, the big d for days and painful gas and bloating. Does anyone have any suggestions or remedies that seem to alleviate some of the symptoms? I do have endo as well, and have been off the pill since I can't find a gluten-free/lactose free pill on the market, so my hormones are probably out of whack as well. I know that I am not being glutened, because it is clockwork. I have been enjoying feeling more normal. It has taken months to get to this point and it feels really good. I'm not sure I want to feel nasty for a week every month!

Terri

A little bit of hemp oil will relieve pain. A health store would carry it.

you can mix it in a drink, or your salad dressing...

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