What Stood Out As "odd" To You?

[mslee]

Hi

Maybe we could share some odd symptoms that we had before diagnosis? I was fairly educated about health and nutrition, a pro at seeing docs, & being a human guinea pig...but had never heard of Celiac prior to my DX.

Looking back there were clues...

* I noticed as a teenager, every time I ate toasted bread my nose would tickle.

* in my 20's I noticed beer was becoming a problem, I couldn't drink it! It made me feel instantly full and bloated.

*every time I ordered a sandwich or burger, I would tear it apart and eat as little bun/bread as possible

* pizza, eventually became inedible

*trying to eat healthy I started buying all wheat pastas, that was the last straw & when I finally realized I was sensitive to wheat.

But still at that point had heard some people were sensitive to wheat or "allergic" but I had no idea how much damage it could do to me. Guess I know now!

Just so thankful they found it!!!

[Kaycee]

What struck me as odd was when an aunt by marriage introduced me to her life as a coeliac. I thought, that is such a hard restrictive thing to cope with. But I did do a little comparing with my own health, which at that stage was starting to fall apart, but I should've gone further into it. I just thought at the time, I'm too healthy to have anything like that. But the word coeliac has stuck with me, until I through elimination realised I could have a problem with gluten.

Another odd thing is that I never really liked beer, or Sunday bread, which was freshly baked bread, only available on a Sunday.

But I loved bread!

My nose too will tickle when eating sandwiches.

Another odd thing, when I went on a diet, and more or less gave bread away and swapped it for more fruit and veges. I thought I will have a hard time with all this extra roughage as things weren't too great in that area, but the opposite happened. Only temporary as I still hadn't gone completely gluten free, as I didn't realise at the time I had to be gluten-free.

I sleep better now.

I'm not as cranky.

I could go on and on, as there are so many

Cathy

[jerseyangel]

I would always get sick while or shortly after eating in a restaurant. Thinking back, I didn't eat a lot of bread (although I did eat pastas) at home, so when I went out and had either a sandwich or bread before dinner I would break out in a sweat, get overheated and have to go outside and cool off. Sometimes I would get nauseous, too.

At times, I would get a full on panic attack. More than once, I had to spend time waiting outdoors, or in the car waiting for others to finish their dinner. I couldn't even bring myself to go back in--at the time, I had no idea what was wrong with me. It was quite embarassing and frightening.

Also frightening was much later on--in the months before going gluten-free--I had an altered feeling in my left arm (somewhere between numb and asleep) that went up into my face. I also had tingling in my lower legs. I was afraid I had a serious neurological disease.

[ravenwoodglass]

I thought it was odd that I could feel drunk when drinking nonalcoholic beer.

I thought it was odd that I had poison ivy 12 months out of the year, even though I live up north. (We were told I had it 'in my bloodstream')

I thought it was odd that my stomach growled after I ate, not when I was hungrey and was VERY LOUD

[jerseyangel]

I also thought it odd that I would have to go lie down after eating quite frequently. I couldn't even do the dishes until I layed down for a few minutes. There was something about stretching out that helped settle my stomach.

[hawaiimama]

Always thought it was odd I could eat a huge pasta meal and be starving 20 min later. Also wondered why I'd have a HORRID headache the next moring after having a single beer. Why I gupled down toxic levels of iron suplements and still had crazy low ferritin levels.

[Jestgar]

I had stopped eating wheat without realizing it. I had cupboards full of pasta and pretzels and cereals that I had never opened.

Also had the full/bloated feeling after beer and an immediate headache.

And the stomach growling thing.

And I was starving all the time, except for the hour or so after eating some wheat based product (when my stomach would start making that horrible noise).

[darlindeb25]

Also wondered why I'd have a HORRID headache the next moring after having a single beer.

My son asked me a few months ago if my giving him a DQ1 gene is why he has this very problem. He never had a problem with beer until the last year or so, now he gets a terrible headache after 1 beer too.

I never wanted to share gluten intolerance with my kids!

[Jestgar]

I never wanted to share gluten intolerance with my kids!

Yah, well, I didn't want my dad's ugly feet, either, but I'm willing to accept them because of all the good things I got from him.

[curlyfries]

Hmmm......a tickly nose? Is that when just barely inside the nostril itches and won't go away?....something to ponder....

I usually didn't have D, but always had to rush home to the bathroom after eating out.

Patti, I also have had that 'altered feeling', but in my leg........and had problems with tingling from the knees down when I looked down. My fingers would tingle when I coughed or sneezed. I had every test the neurologist could think of.

I started cutting back on breads years before I had any known symptoms.

Taking a shower would wear me out so bad I always had to lie down afterwards.

I really started getting concerned when the nerve endings in my head would suddenly 'jump' or 'zap'.......not easy to describe.

I was always sooo sluggish in the mornings (cereal for breakfast) and sometimes would have a hard time staying awake after lunch.