Fatigue And Joint Pain

[deb08]

Although on a gluten free diet for 2 full months (glutened accidentally 3 times during those 2 months), I am still experiencing symptoms and right now fatigue is severe accompanied by joint pain. Is this normal? GI improved greatly except for the gluten instances, and heart fluttering and leg cramps from the anemia disappeared, but fatigue and joint pain are more prominent now - like in a flare up, which I have had many times before.

[dbmamaz]

I think it took about 2 months for my fatigue and pain to go away, and i've heard others say it took longer depending on how sick they were. If you have an apt to see your doctor, I'd be sure to talk to them about it. Did you have fibromyalgia symptoms before going gluten-free? Some on these forums have gotten rid of it going gluten-free, and hopefully they'll chime in and say how long it took. Keep working on getting cleaner, tho - I've heard people say symptoms from being glutened can last 2-4 weeks, so its much harder to know how well you are really responding if you keep getting glutened . . . its a long learning curve.

[tarnalberry]

I developed fibro after being gluten-free (and CF) for a number of years. So if there's anything that could have triggered a flare that you know of, don't discount it. But many other things can be at play, an accidental glutening you're still recovering from, an uncommon manifestation of the flu, a true fibro flare, etc.

[MDRB]

I found that it took about a month to start feeing better. Having said that, I still had bad days for quite some time. I still get fatigue and stomach symptoms if I accidentally ingest some gluten.

Bare in mind that some people take a lot longer to heal than others. Some celiacs start feelng better within weeks, others it takes years. I would try taking some immune boosting vitamins like echinacea, a multivitamin and maybe some probiotics, to help you heal quicker.

Also re examine your diet. When I first went gluten free I cut out all processed foods unless they were labeled as gluten free. I have no doubt that this lowered my risk of getting 'glutened' and helped me recover much faster. Also watch out for non food items such as toothpaste and makeup that might contain gluten and NEVER EVER share untensils, cooking surfaces or the toaster.

The symptoms of celiacs can be everything and nothing, joint pain is not an uncommon complaint.

Try keeping a food diary including a description of how you are feeling that day. It may help you pin point other allergies or discover some hidden gluten in your diet.

Good luck, I hope you start feeling better soon.

[deb08]

In reply to the fatigue/joint pain question I posted - I have had "flare-ups" of fatigue with joint pain a couple times a year for 6 years or so. When I went on atkins, not eating their low carb breads, I improved dramatically with every symptom. When doing gluten free I improve but not as dramatically - however, it's been years of being glutened and not knowing that was the problemm, so I probably have healing time to go through. I have been gluten free about 2 months but ate movie theater popcorn with the butter topping 3 times and finally realized it was that that was causing the GI and other symptoms. By the way - I then tried the popcorn without the butter topping and was ok. Checked with the theater and read all the ingredients and could not find ingredient in topping that could be causing my problem, but I will avoid it now.

I have to see an allergist for complete testing because I think there is another issue besides gluten. I get a mild reaction even when eating gluten free pasta or bread so I am thinking maybe yeast.

Today I feel better after being fatigued for 3 months. I am hoping it's not temporary and it will imrove so I can exercise again and the joint pain gets better. Maybe the gluten free is finally kicking in.

[home-based-mom]

I have to see an allergist for complete testing because I think there is another issue besides gluten. I get a mild reaction even when eating gluten free pasta or bread so I am thinking maybe yeast.

Today I feel better after being fatigued for 3 months. I am hoping it's not temporary and it will imrove so I can exercise again and the joint pain gets better. Maybe the gluten free is finally kicking in.

Try eliminating anything containing brown rice or rice bran. It greatly reduces the breads and pastas you can eat, but "bran" from any source has become a four-letter-word for me!

[RiceGuy]

Sure, there might be other intolerances, like dairy for instance.

However, from my experience I'd suggest magnesium, and a sublingual B12 supplement. These two turned out to be what I'd call miraculous.

I'd also suggest avoiding nightshades, as the toxin they have does impede motor nerves.

[mftnchn]

Added to the food sensitivity issues could be some other possible issues. I wonder about candidida--whether carbohydrates cause flares but not really from allergies. Also various things can cause leaky gut syndrome, which leads to increased food sensitivities.

Also, you might also check out the lyme disease thread on this forum, which has an extensive symptom list as well. The symptoms are similar to celiac, and fatigue and joint pain are major. I have both lyme and celiac; my lyme disease was in remission until I went gluten free. My theory is that gluten was repressing my immune system which "woke up" and began healing, and "found" the lyme.

Another thing to keep in mind is that healing can take a long time. I am a double DQ2; I found research that said that damage can be more extensive and take longer to clear up. I am gluten-free 11 months now, just barely have been able to add a little milk back in, and can't use soy or corn. My fat malabsorption is now normal, but other measures still show poor levels of amino acids, minerals, vitamins. BMs are improving but not really normal yet. Patience is the name of the game with celiac; we all know it takes 1-2 years for the intestines to heal.

Please keep us posted on what works for you.