Moody And Unsettled

[morelindil]

I have recently started a gluten free diet, well, mostly. I keep finding it in places I wasn't sure of. Since I have made this switch, I have found that I am more moody and a little unsettled. Right now, I am spending time and my parent's house helping them out for about two weeks. I am finding that the extra special attention that they are giving to making dinner, which I really do appreciate, is getting to me. I am not liking that they have to do this, and am dreading spending the next two weeks with my in-laws who are already doing the same thing.

Is this normal? I would rather they fix whatever they had planned or desired to and I would make something that I can eat.

I haven't been diagnosed yet, this diet was stumbled on by accident while moving and not having access to prepared food for awhile and my former boss' wife being diagnosed as gluten intolerant.

Looking around, I see that I am not the only person who is on this and with the plethora of gluten-free products out there it is easy to see that many people are in the same "boat" as I am....yet I feel isolated and alone.

I know a lot of this is just the adjustment....but hearing that others have gone through this.....just might help.

[GlutenGalAZ]

When your body is healing in the beginning you can experience different things such as mood swings, depressed, may feel worse than you have been the list goes on. I had mood swing, felt depressed out of the blue, some normal foods bothered me as well as other symptons. Your body is detoxing in a way I guess you can put it. Keep in mind that some cannot tolerate dairy at first then after a while you can re-introduce it back into your diet.

That is really great though that you have family that is supportive. I have read a lot of posts on here where people have a hard time dealing with family memebers and comments. You do need to be careful though with food that is being prepared by others. If your parents are using pans that have been used with gluten meals then you could have cc problems.

My in-laws took a while to understand what I can and cannot eat (they are still trying to understand it) but we talk about what foods they are making and what ingredients they are using if we are going to eat at their house so that is nice. When my parents come to visit I have to remind them before we eat to not touch their hamburger buns till they are ready to eat and I'll take pickles out of the jar for everyone...we live in different states now so they are not use to this daily and what to be careful of but they are very supportive and wanting to learn...they even talk about when they finally get to move closer that they want to learn how to cook gluten free so we can have dinners with them.

I don't know if you can say it is "normal" for you family to want to cook gluten free for you but I think it is great Just remember that you are VERY lucky to have family that wants to cook gluten free meals for you and experience the way you eat -- very supportive and wonderful.

Good Luck with everything and Welcome to the site.

[ShayFL]

Wrap your head around this. People like helping others. It makes them feel good (not put out). When you are thoughtful and generous to another human being, how do you feel? It should make you feel very good. So let your parents and in-laws feel GOOD!! Let them get that spiritual gratification. And allow yourself to accept their support. It is a win/win.

[curlyfries]

I definitely went thru the moodiness. My kids are grown and I had settled into a mindset of "I don't feel like cooking anymore". Eating out more, takeout and simpler meals at home was my plan. After all those years of feeding a family, I deserve it. Then WHAM!.....celiac puts a kink in those plans. Now I have to spend more time than I ever wanted just THINKING about what I'm going to eat, fix, buy......

Just the other day my MIL called about a family get-together to make sure she fixes something I could eat. I did not want to be having that conversation. Once they understand the ingredients then it's "Make sure you don't use scratched pans"...."No wood cutting boards".......on and on and you can sense when you reach the point of giving them more info than they can handle.

I'm not as enthusiastic about eating out anymore. It just seems to be more bother than it's worth. (although I have been lucky... the few times I have gone out were good experiences. I just have to be in the right frame of mind and accept that I am going to have to expect special treatment.)

Sometimes I feel that the more I expose other people to this, the more I come across as, "It's all about me".....and I am uncomfortable with that.

BUT....it does get better. I am healthier. Stuffing my face with junk is not appealing anymore. Fixing good meals really isn't that difficult. I can be around other people at a party or at work when someone brings treats in and not care that I can't eat the food. And when someone says "I'm sorry, I feel bad that there's nothing you can eat" I can say "That's OK" .....and really mean it.

I feel that I can take care of myself and nobody else needs to worry about it. But sometimes you have to let family and friends be a part of it because they really do care and we are lucky when people in our lives WANT to get it right. Many other celiacs don't have that support.

Hang in there......you are not alone.

[Breezy08]

Hi,

You are definately not alone! When I first went gluten (dairy, yeast) free a few months ago, my doctor warned me I might feel sick and irritable as I detoxed, eventhough I had been eating a traditional healthy diet. She was right! I think it's like coming off an addiction and you go through withdraw. Overall though I found that as I got off it, those feelings got better as well as all the symptoms I was having that I now know were linked to the food allergies! I still occassionally want to throw myself in the middle of the living room floor and have a temper tantrum, but those feelings pass eventually pass.

I too struggle visiting my family and putting them out. My parents are wonderful, healthy cooks and have gone to great lengths to prepare meals without the problematic foods, all without a Whole Foods or speciality store in their small town. As much as I feel extrememly fortunate and appreciate all their efforts, I hate constantly having to answer their questions about what I can or can't eat. I hate feeling like a pain or directing what restaurants are most apt to have gluten-free foods. I'd prefer just to "eat around it" too. I've started bringing my own muffins, crackers and cookies so they don't have to worry as much about my not having a starch to enjoy while they are eating muffins or rolls.

Good luck and hang in there, it gets easier and better all the time!