Been Very Sick For 2 Years-changes With gluten-free Diet

[hviola]

I have been very very sick for about 2 years. These symptoms popped up gradually over a period of 3 months when I was going through a lot of stress and a bout of pnemonia. (Although, I have always had problems with digesting, joint pain, and anxiety my whole life.) I have seen every doctor and they say I am in perfect health. I even had to quit my job because Im sick! And the Dr's say nothing is wrong!?! Through more and more research on my own, Im starting to think it is food allergies. So I was trying an elimination diet of the different main allergens. I started with gluten. And after 4 days gluten-free, I am showing improvement.

Here were my symptoms and the improvements so far, if any:

(Some I dont list improvements because its too soon to tell)

I am 29 years old and Female

Bad Fatigue (Gone now for 2 days.)

Brain Fog, cant think, confusion (feels a little better)

Extreme light sensitivity (About 20% better. I went to Walmart without feeling like I would pass out from the light)

Sound/Touch sensitivity

Nausea after eating (a bit better)

Anxiety

Depression

Fatty looking stools (not present for 2 days)

Stools only 2-3 times a week

Stomach cramps with frequent diarreah

Dizzyness/Lightheadedness

Had a spontanious miscarriage at 17 weeks!! For NO reason, nothing wrong with baby or me...

Joint pain-neck, lower back, knees, hips (havent felt any since quitting gluten so far)

A lot of times I just feel like I am stoned or had some drinks. Sometimes it even seems like I took some acid or something.

Get extremely sick when trying to diet (When I diet, I eat more cereal and whole wheat)

Severe tonsil infections since I was 8 years old, got them out at 23 years old!

Does any of this sound like symptoms you guys have gone through? Should I ask my doctor for an allergy panel to see if there are any other food allergies?

[glutenfreegirl]

Hi I have never posted before so I hope I am doing this right!!

Anyway reading your psot I felt like I had writed it myself symptoms and all except for the misscarrage I am sorry for your loss

Iwould definetly get tested however I beleive you have to be eatting gluten for the test to be accurate..

good luck you are definetly in the right place to get help and answers everyone here is so friendly..

quote name='hviola' date='Aug 5 2008, 05:52 PM' post='453779']

I have been very very sick for about 2 years. These symptoms popped up gradually over a period of 3 months when I was going through a lot of stress and a bout of pnemonia. (Although, I have always had problems with digesting, joint pain, and anxiety my whole life.) I have seen every doctor and they say I am in perfect health. I even had to quit my job because Im sick! And the Dr's say nothing is wrong!?! Through more and more research on my own, Im starting to think it is food allergies. So I was trying an elimination diet of the different main allergens. I started with gluten. And after 4 days gluten-free, I am showing improvement.

Here were my symptoms and the improvements so far, if any:

(Some I dont list improvements because its too soon to tell)

I am 29 years old and Female

Bad Fatigue (Gone now for 2 days.)

Brain Fog, cant think, confusion (feels a little better)

Extreme light sensitivity (About 20% better. I went to Walmart without feeling like I would pass out from the light)

Sound/Touch sensitivity

Nausea after eating (a bit better)

Anxiety

Depression

Fatty looking stools (not present for 2 days)

Stools only 2-3 times a week

Stomach cramps with frequent diarreah

Dizzyness/Lightheadedness

Had a spontanious miscarriage at 17 weeks!! For NO reason, nothing wrong with baby or me...

Joint pain-neck, lower back, knees, hips (havent felt any since quitting gluten so far)

A lot of times I just feel like I am stoned or had some drinks. Sometimes it even seems like I took some acid or something.

Get extremely sick when trying to diet (When I diet, I eat more cereal and whole wheat)

Severe tonsil infections since I was 8 years old, got them out at 23 years old!

Does any of this sound like symptoms you guys have gone through? Should I ask my doctor for an allergy panel to see if there are any other food allergies?

[samcarter]

Oh yes, I've had the brain fog. For the past 9 years I've felt like I was getting stupider and stupider. Add to that the depression I've had all my life (even as a little child), and suicidal thoughts.

For a while there it was feeling like i'd been drugged--after a meal of pizza or bread, I would just feel like somebody had given me sleeping pills, or I'd had a few drinks. It wasn't so much fatigue as total lethargy. And in the mornings (especially the morning after pizza) I'd feel like I had a hangover. Never wanted to get out of bed. And the bloating, oy.

I've been gluten free for four days, and it is getting better. I feel like my digestive system is still healing, BUT...interestingly enough, where i used to excrete all my vitamins (could tell because my vitamin pills are yellow, and I'd pee bright yellow the next morning), that's not happening. So maybe absorption is getting better. The brain fog and fatigue are most likely from malabsorption of B vitamins (same for depression and anxiety). Make sure you're taking a good B complex vitamin, gluten free of course, and try to take it with your evening meal to give your body time to metabolize it during the night.

[KristaleeJane]

Hello and Welcome

Well I just want to say that I have or should I say had a lot of the same symptoms, I am 28, and had tonsilitis, and strep throat so much growing up also and they eventually took my tonsils out at 23 also. I have been trying to get pregant for the last 9 mths with no luck, and so sorry to hear about your miscarriage.

I got diagnosed with celiac only about 3-4mths ago, and I am starting to feel so much better now, I had the blood work done and then a biopsy with both confirmed celiac disease.

If a diagnosis is important to you, you make want to consider that you have to be consuming gluten for the tests to be accurate, you shouldn't start gluten free until your tests are finished.

If diagnosis isn't important to you and you want to start the diet on your own then you don't need to worry about this.

Many of your symptoms sound like celiac disease, my doc tried to tell me I had IBS for a while too.

you should have a celiac panal of blood work done while consuming gluten and if they come back with any sign of celiac then your next step would be to have a biopsy.

Good luck

Krista

[Amyleigh0007]

Hi! Allergy testing won't tell you if you have Celiac but it can help in determining if other foods bother you. That is what I am doing on the 11th. KristaleeJane is right about Celiac testing. Make sure you are consuming enough gluten or you could end up a false negative (that's what happened to me).

[hviola]

Hi! Allergy testing won't tell you if you have Celiac but it can help in determining if other foods bother you. That is what I am doing on the 11th. KristaleeJane is right about Celiac testing. Make sure you are consuming enough gluten or you could end up a false negative (that's what happened to me).

I spoke with my doctor today, and he is going to send me to an allergist. He also said he wants to test me (blood tests) for celiac and other food allergies.

Did you get re-tested after your false negative?