How Soon Do You See Results From Gluten-free Diet?

[g-g-ma]

Within 3 days on the gluten-free diet, my pain had lessened. Can it really help that quickly? Then I accidentally ate something I didn't realize had gluten in it, and within hours was in pain again. Does it really happen that quckly or is it just a fluke?

[AndrewNYC]

Yes strange subtle things can occur early on. When I stopped eating gluten my stomach gurgled for 2 days straight. No clue why. I did not feel any better at the time but it would not stop making noise.

[g-g-ma]

Thanks, Andrew. I know what you mean about the noises. I have that too. Tonight I'm hurting again. I had a hamburger at McDonalds, but threw away the bread. I don't know what could be the trouble. I guess I can't expect instant results when I've had stomach problems all my life and just now am trying the gluten-free diet.

[curlyfries]

That gluteny bun touched your burger....cross contamination. Not to mention you don't know what's in that burger. I don't eat at McDonalds or any other fast food place. You need to hang out at this forum, read old threads, and educate yourself more about celiac. Or maybe someone else will respond who feels a little more talkative. It's late and I don't have the energy. Just keep reading.......you will learn sooooooooo much.

And yes, you can feel better that quickly, but you will also have many setbacks along the way....but it will get easier, the more you learn.

[lizard00]

Well, it is possible to find immediate relief from the gluten-free diet;Although most people don't feel totally back to normal right away. And once you remove gluten from your diet, if you are Celiac or sensitive, you usually are more sensitive to it.

If you are not feeling well after eating a McDonald's hamburger, it was contaminated, especially if it came with the bun on it. I find that I can't eat almost no fast food due to contamination issues, and last time I checked the Mcdo's website, they had wheat in their fries. Whether you had fries or not isn't really important, my point is that gluten is a sneaky thing and this diet has a HUGE learning curve. If your hamburger had a bun on it, there was bread on your hamburger. You cannot successfully pull the bun off and leave no trace.

That being said, don't be discouraged. It is not as hard as it seems, we just all get fooled by something now and then. Eating out is ALWAYS tricky, unless it is a gluten free kitchen, which is rare. This website is FULL of valuable information, so read read read. And I'm not sure if you are diagnosed, but if you want to be tested, now is that time to do it. You must be currently eating gluten for the test to even possible be accurate.

Hope that helps, and please feel free to ask away!!!!

[IMWalt]

Within 3 days on the gluten-free diet, my pain had lessened. Can it really help that quickly? Then I accidentally ate something I didn't realize had gluten in it, and within hours was in pain again. Does it really happen that quckly or is it just a fluke?

The day I finally decided to eat gluten-free, I had bad cramps and gas. It was so bad I was probably "passing gas" at least several times a minute. The next day, I started a gluten-free diet, and it was like somebody turned off a switch. I could not believe the difference. All my other gastric issues went away just as quick.

So, yes, results can happen that quick. And, like you, if I eat something that has gluten, either by accident or intentionally, the intestines start up again.

And Yep, like others said, give up the McD's burgers.

Walt

[Kat25]

My symptoms will last about 5-7 days, and that is mostly with cross contamination, it has been almost 5-6 months since I ate gluten food and I'd hate to see how long it would take that to clear. It starts off with my right eye swelling and feeling tired within a few hours, along with the stomach problems and then by the second day my hands ache and so do my feet. At that point anything I eat is bothersome till a week has passed, then I feel almost normal again.

[g-g-ma]

All of you have been so helpful. Thanks! I am actually improving by eating only meats, milk, fresh or frozen veletables and fruits. Nothing processed. I'm not totally OK, but much better. I've even had a few days without any stomach pain.

I've suffered with Arythroderma (an autoimmune disease that attacks the skin) for 14 years and digestive issues all my life. I only recently discovered the connection between celiac and skin, so am definitely going to be tested. I also found that celiac can bring on other autoimmune diseases, which links it even more.

I've found it is up to me to find the underlying cause of the skin disease. The doctors say they almost never find the cause and they only treat symptoms. Arythroderma is debillitating and can be life-threatening. So I continue to research. This is the most promising connection I have found.

Strange to say, but I'd be relieved to find celiac is my problem. It seems a small sacrifice to go gluten-free if it will cure my skin and digestive problems. I'm finding out it is a BIG job to sift through all the material and then to live gluten-free. I'm willing to learn and do whatever it takes. I just want to be healthy.

[AliB]

Within 5 - 6 hours of dropping gluten and dairy my dreadful stomach pain and the raging diarrhea was gone. Within a week the bloating and residual discomfort had gone, but I still found that I was getting reactions and discomfort for a while.

I thought it was due to the poor state of my gut, but I suddenly realised about 4 months in that I was probably getting cross-contamination from oats. I had thought they were safe, and some of them probably are, but the risk of CC with them is like russian roulette! One bag may be fine and the other not.

Like you, I decided to go plain and was following the Specific Carbohydrate diet, but even then it took my bowels several weeks to settle down and become 'normal'.

Lately I have been getting slight problems with constipation and a pounding heart/throbbing body thing which is annoying and disconcerting and am now wondering if I may also be intolerant of casein. Although I had dropped all dairy except butter and a little yogurt, I had a late snack last night with butter and went to bed with pounding thing going on, so today I have not had any kind of dairy at all and will see if it makes any difference.

I am determined to get to the bottom of this!

It is quite common for those who are gluten intolerant to also be dairy intolerant - cows milk is now being investigated as a possible trigger for some of the 'auto-immune' diseases. Apparently casein is similar to gluten - I know it is tough stuff - they used to (and possibly still do) make paint from it! I tried to strip a piece of furniture painted in milk paint once and it was a devil of a job to get off!

Try not to focus on what you are missing, but what you are gaining. Wherever people live in the world they follow a different diet (except for us 'Westerners' who eat everything whether it is good for us or not!). Even say, Asians who emigrate, will still generally eat their traditional diet. We live on 'Celiac' Island and eat the Gluten-Free Diet.

[lizard00]

Strange to say, but I'd be relieved to find celiac is my problem. It seems a small sacrifice to go gluten-free if it will cure my skin and digestive problems.

That is exactly how I felt when I discovered the link to gluten and my symptoms. No meds to control it, just a change in diet. It seems drastic to some, but to me, I saw it as the light at the end of the tunnel. I feel so much better now, I can't even imagine going back to eating that stuff.