Ate A Bunch Of Gluten And Nothing... Questioning And Confused

[CuriousOne]

Yesterday I felt like testing myself. I ate 5 bowls of special K cereal. 3 granola bars (with wheat). At lunch I had a few small sandwiches with wheat.

I don't know why but I just felt like it. Honestly I have not eaten gluten in probably 6 months. However the past few weeks this is the 2nd time I have dabbled.

So far I don't feel anything. No GI compaints. No mood complaints... at least yet. I'll give it a few more days before eating gluten.

I would hate to think I made this whole thing up somehow. But I remember "testing" this before with, it seems, real symptoms...

Maybe I would need to eat gluten for a few more days to get a reaction. But why is that?

I also am confused if I'm getting villi damage or not. Ugh I'm at work gotta go.

[AndreaB]

If you have the funds, I'd highly recommend gene testing. If you have celiac genes you'd not want to mess with the gluten. You may have had other intolerances that we clouding the picture that have been taken care of. Soy is another big one that could have been more of a problem for you than gluten.

Sometimes it takes time to build back up to having a reaction, especially if you've healed alot. With my children I recently tried non gluten-free oats (in cereal) along with barley malt and only one had obvious problems. The thing is we all have celiac genes so we are back to totally gluten free.

[CuriousOne]

Thanks AndreaB,

I just don't understand it logically. Why would it need to 'build up'?? I thought it was a reaction to gluten at the villi, where your body autoimmunes it...

I'm just confused... I didn't continue to test the gluten as I don't think I can afford to do that right now. Plus its like, geez.... why would I have gone through all this... and told everyone that I had issues with gluten, if its not true?

I have "tested" myself in the past... and I remember telling myself I never wanted to do that again... ugh...

What I'm wondering is...if I am just the type of person that my villi have been damaged, OR... that my villi are fine and I just have issues with gluten.

But that doesn't seem to explain why I seem to have good results with supplementing B6/zinc/magnesium/b12.... because according to my own personal theory my villi are still damaged and that is why I still need to take these supplements...

But I feel I've been doing a lot "better" recently... but the past few days I've started not using my supplements as much and I don't know...I feel like I'm sorta returning back to how I was...which... I guess I'm not as happy with that person?

I don't know what is wrong with me. I really just want God to come down from a shining cloud in the sky and say

THOU SHALL NOT EAT GLUTEN

because then I could be like, YEA GOD.... THANKS

But now its like...its this huge mystery what is going on with me... in some ways.

And I also feel like there is so much we don't know. Like... some people say if you eat gluten once then all of your villi just die again. I mean come on... we don't even know!!

The thing that irks me is that I read that candida can also cause the body to attack its own villi... so many thats part of the issue?? Is it? What if candida is just the result of eating too much wheat and dairy stuff on a daily basis...because that stuff could just be harder to digest...

So you end up getting other stuff eating away at all the putrifying waste inside of you... which gives off its own symptoms... and maybe even eats your villi.

I guess I would really just love to have a camera inside of me so I could see what is truly going on. I feel like I have to approach this whole thing blindly. So yes...genetic testing would be good... But even so, is that the end all/be all?? I feel like there is just simply more to this whole story...

Like what about all the gluten intolerant people who get symptoms but don't get villi damage. How do you know your not getting villi damage????

Sorry I'm just confused right now...a head full of questions...questioning.

[ShayFL]

It sounds exactly like conversations I have had with myself. Questioning is natural. We all do it.

For instance, I have cut out gluten, but I have also cut out dairy, yeast, eggs, legumes, nightshades and now citrus. Maybe one of them is the problem. Or none of them. If I get completely better then I can challenge each one to try to determine which one(s) it is. OR if I never get better, then what?? Do I just start eating them all again??

For me, here is the deal. I have decided that I will NEVER eat gluten again. I have two genes DQ1 and DQ3 which are both implicated in neuro symptoms which is what I have!! This is enough for me not to eat it. Regardless of the outcome of all of my dietary exclusions. I dont need gluten. It is not essential. Im not gonna eat it again.

The rest I might challenge at some point. But right now I am making a commitment to all of these for at least 1 year. Nerves take time to heal. So far, I have improved. No more migraines. PN is better and I am no longer pooping all day.

I eat well. I dont feel deprived. I will just keep at it.....

[AndreaB]

CuriousOne,

I don't have the answers for you. The human body is definately complex.

I do know that leaky gut can be caused by candida and that does cause a lot of other intolerances. Logically as you heal your gut you should be able to eat more foods again.

We've been gluten free for 2 years now and my son who reacted to my cereal trial still reacted within a few days.....he's double dq2 which is supposed to be a bad combination. He's much more sensitive. The rest of us would take longer for an obvious reaction.

Sounds like it would be best to remain gluten free though.

[djoyg]

"But that doesn't seem to explain why I seem to have good results with supplementing B6/zinc/magnesium/b12.... because according to my own personal theory my villi are still damaged and that is why I still need to take these supplements..."

This is the part that I found confusing.

When the villi are damaged, no amount of oral dietary supplements will benefit, the intestine will not be able to utilize them just as the intestine can not extract them from the food you are eating. Hence, malabsorbtion syndromes. The deficient vitamins & minerals can only be successfully absorbed via sublingual bloodstream absorbtion or injections. As well, something in the neighborhood of 99% of standard dietary supplements are urinated out in people with healthy intestines. Someone with damaged villi will get no benefit from oral dietary supplements unless the doses are so extremely high as a rx to be required.

If you feel that you are having good results from taking dietary supplements and your budget can afford them, continue to take them. The bottom line is, whatever makes you feel better. The scientific reason they appear to be working is considered the placebo effect.

I'd be thrilled to take any harmless tablet that gave me a sense of feeling better!

[CuriousOne]

DjoyG -

Thats the thing. I am taking a large amount of these particular vitamins. And honestly they really -do- make a difference. I know its not placebo.

So that may mean that my villi are healing, and I just happen to have enough villi to absorb this stuff.... or, that I'm taking -enough- of it to smother the remaining villi I have?

I really don't think its placebo... the first time I took this stuff I had zero idea how it would effect me. In fact I thought it would take a week to notice a difference, but in fact I realized a difference within a half hour. I've taken many different herbs and a few medications so I feel I'm objective enough.

Andrea-

Yeah I think it really would be best to remain gluten free... I mean I don't think I went through all of this for nothing... it could just be that I'm actually getting close to being healed...? I don't know... I just want to be NORMAL!...

Shay- I know what you mean about eating well. I mean...there is no real reason for me to be eating gluten anyways...its just ridiculous. I could just as easily go to the store and binge on some gluten-free cereal with hemp or rice milk.