Adjustment Period?

[Guest dlf1021]

Hello all!

I started the diet about 3 weeks ago and seemed to be doing really well...and then I did something stupid and decided to eat a dinner roll "just to be sure". Yeah, that will be the last time I question a blood test like that! Since then, all the progress I seemed to have been making has reversed. I had gone from alernating diarrhea and constipation with occassional bloating before the diet to almost no major discomfort and nearly regular bowel movements and now to severe bloating and gas along with a need to just go to the bathroom a lot (not so handy at school). I know that it can take a while for gluten to leave your system once it's introduced and I'm doing my best to stick to the diet as strictly as possible, but I'm beginning to wonder if there's something else going on, like my body's not tolerating some of the gluten-free items I've been eating or if my system's just going haywire trying to adjust to the new diet.

Did anyone else have problems like this when they first started the diet? Does it go away eventually? I'm nearing the home stretch on my senior year in high school and with prom and graduation coming up in the next few months, I really want to be able to feel well.

Thanks in advance for any information or advice anyone can give. I really appreciate it!

[gf4life]

Hi Deb,

You sound a lot like me a few weeks ago. I kept accidently getting some gluten into my diet, and it took a few weeks, some digestive enzymes and a major elimination of many foods (yes, many gluten-free foods) to get my system to calm down. It can take up to two weeks for gluten to get out of your system with each accidental ingestion. How long ago did you eat that dinner roll? And I don't blame you for trying it, you wouldn't be the first to question the diagnosis. At least your body is doing a good job confirming the diagnosis for you!

I am doing much better now. I've been gluten-free for 5 weeks now and on the enzymes for about a week. I wasn't able to tolerate anything but rice and chicken for about a week before that! Now I am able to eat all kinds of veggies (except the gassy ones like broccoli and cauliflower) and fruits, as well as other meats and gluten-free breads, cereals and snacks. I still can't tolerate anything in the bean family, including guar gum.

There is a string of posts called Digestive Enzymes?. If you are interested in learning more about these I suggest you read that string. There is a lot of information there and some recommended gluten-free brands.

God bless,

Mariann

[mario]

it takes some days for gluten to escape the body..I'v been on the diet for 5 days now and, doing great, eating right is just a plus for life..Its the diet that doctors prescribe...

meats

fish

milk

veggies

friuts

gluten-free bread

eggs

juice

cheese

yogurt

salades

Just read the labels and, get the handbook dictionary with all the ingredients..from your celiac assosiation near you...

Canada-->> 1-800-363-7296

Canadian Celiac Assosiation

5170 Dixie Road, suite 204,

Mississauga, Ontario

L4W-1E3

[Guest dlf1021]

mariann-

thanks for your advice, i picked up some digestive enzymes and have begun taking them. it turns out that the ground turkey i had used the other day to make ziti contains natural flavors that have gluten in them. i guess i'll have to switch back to eating beef if i want to make something with ground meat unless i can track down a store that sells organic turkey, sans natural flavors. thank you for your help and advice. the thread on digestive enzymes was extremely helpful.

mario-

thank you. i guess i'll have to see if i can download one of the handbooks and be a little more careful with my food intake. cheating is most definitely not high on my priority list now that i know how wretched i'll feel and for how long.

[mannabbe]

Hi Deb,

I think that eventually all doctors will suggest to their patients that they go through an elimination diet after receiving a celiac diagnosis - as so many people develop secondary immunological responses when they are undiagnosed for years (a la the leaky gut syndrome).

After my celiac diagnosis I actually got worse before I got better. It was as if going off gluten made my body stronger, and therefore it's response to some foods was magnified. I did an elimination diet and found that I"m also profoundly sensitive to dairy, soy, eggs and corn. You could have knocked me over with a feather, I was so surprised!

The elimination diet means removing all potentially reactive foods (corn, diary, soy, eggs, sugar, at a minimum) and after 2 weeks reintroducing them one by one.

All this is to say that it might be hidden gluten that's bothering you - OR it might be something else!~

Laurie

[flagbabyds]

When I first went on the diet I was lactose intolerant. After about a year of being gluten-free I reintroduced dairy and was fine. Because of all the Vili damage on the tips of the Vili that is where the dairy digestive enzymes are and if you had been really sick and the vili got completely destroyed like mine did you should eliminate dairy for a while and see how you feel.

[Kim]

Hi Deb.

Flagbabyds had some good advice for you.

I've celiac and gluten-free for 5 years. It can take some people a year for the gluten-free diet to really take hold and your villi to heal.

The most likely culprit of your reaction is accidental ingestion of gluten.

Also, be sure to check that your hand lotion and lipstick/gloss don't have wheat/gluten since you can ingest it that way.

Good luck.

[Guest dlf1021]

mannabbe, flagbabyds, and kim-

thanks for the advice. i'm finally starting to stabilize again and seem to be doing well with lactose, but i suppose it won't hurt to elliminate it for a little while. i already know that i have a slight sensitivity to eggs.

i worry with being sick as to the extent of damage to my villi if any. the only tests i had done were the IgA and IgG antibody tests- my doctor never performed a TtG and i've never had a biopsy so we aren't even positive whether it's celiac disease or just an extreme sensitivity. have to admit that it would be nice to know if i'm actually doing physical harm to myself with each accidental ingestion rather than just causing extreme physical discomfort.

thanks again!

[kenzie]

mannabbe, flagbabyds, and kim-

thanks for the advice. i'm finally starting to stabilize again and seem to be doing well with lactose, but i suppose it won't hurt to elliminate it for a little while. i already know that i have a slight sensitivity to eggs.

i worry with being sick as to the extent of damage to my villi if any. the only tests i had done were the IgA and IgG antibody tests- my doctor never performed a TtG and i've never had a biopsy so we aren't even positive whether it's celiac disease or just an extreme sensitivity. have to admit that it would be nice to know if i'm actually doing physical harm to myself with each accidental ingestion rather than just causing extreme physical discomfort.

thanks again!

Hello everyone. I was just diagnosed with celiac disease 2 days ago. All this is very new to me. I have been trying to find things that are gluten-free. I have not been to successful and so I have not been eating very much at all. I have been pretty much eating fruity pebbles. I am having a hard time just knowing where to begin - in what i need to buy - how to organize things to make it easier for me and my family. If you could send me some encouring words and helpful hints -- i would greatly appreciate it.

thanks :

[judy04]

Kenzie,

I am still new to this (3 mos). My suggestion is to eat very

simply for the first 2 wks, like chicken and rice, fresh veggies,

potatoes, sweet and reg.I also can eat fish and shrimp, gluten-free bread,

gluten-free cereal. Try to eliminate sodas,can drink gluten-free tea( Celestial Seasonings

are good), make sure box has gluten-free on the bottom. My advice to you is

to start a journal of every thing you eat so that you can look back

if you react to something. You might find that you get worse before

you get better, I did. After trial and error I found that I also could

not tolerate milk, eggs, and tomato products. I also reacted to my shampoo

Nexxus, and read the label and found it contained wheat. I come to this board everyday, it is very helpful. Hope this helps a little.

[kenzie]

Judy,

Thank you for your response. It helped. I think I will start a journal this week. I have not had the time this week to do alot of research or shopping. I am eating fresh fruits, salads and fruity pebbles. I would like my meals to be as "normal" as possible for my family. I have called some of the brand name items that we use ask asked them to send me a list of the gluten-free products but the majority of them did not have lists. I find that very frustrating. Where do I find this information out? I am trying to do the research for myself but it feels as though I am heading up the wrong path and need some direction. Thanks for your time.

Kenzie

[gf4life]

Kenzie, this is the best list I have found so far. But as with all lists, they will never be 100% accurate since products change and companies change ingredients far too often. So keep reading the labels, but you can use this as a general guideline to point you to products that are probably gluten-free.

Open Original Shared Link

It is a 34 page pdf file. You can print it out or view it online. But it lists a very large selection of mainstream foods that are available pretty much everywhere in the US.

I hope this helps. And I was a little concerned, since you are not eating very well. And are you sure the fruity pebbles are gluten-free? I can't find them on any gluten-free food list. If they have malt or anything like that then they are not gluten-free. Malt-o-meal brand dino fruity bites are supposed to be gluten-free as far as ingredients go, but they might be contaminated on the production lines.

God bless,

Mariann