gluten-free And Getting Warm?

[henny]

I have been gluten free for two weeks and my GI system is a million times better.

Over the past few days, I have been feeling warmer and warmer. For many years I have been cold constantly, so much so that I was known around the workplace for wearing my coat all day at my desk.

Is this warming trend something that happens with going gluten-free and starting to heal?

It's weird, but it's not bad

[blueeyedmanda]

I am not sure- I have noticed I wear short sleeve shirts because I can tend to get warmer but I am usually always cold--which is something my mom says I got from my dad. I have been gluten free for 4 years now.

[Mother of Jibril]

Feeling cold all the time is a common symptom of hypothyroidism... which (if it's an autoimmune condition) might improve when you go off gluten. Have you ever had your TSH level checked?

[henny]

Feeling cold all the time is a common symptom of hypothyroidism... which (if it's an autoimmune condition) might improve when you go off gluten. Have you ever had your TSH level checked?

my doc never tests me for anything...he just says 'IBS' over and over.

[Mother of Jibril]

Sounds like it's time for a new doctor! Even without insurance, it only costs about $50 to test your TSH.

I'm trying to find a new doctor too. The one who found my hypothyroidism moved to another town (thanks for the warning) and his "replacement" spent less than 30 seconds asking how I was feeling on my new medication. "Just tell me what kind of tests you want... I'll order anything you want." Ironically, she wouldn't do the tests I really wanted (for antiphospholipid syndrome) and ordered something I hadn't asked for (ANA... which indicates lupus and some other autoimmune disorders I was already pretty sure I didn't have).

I was grateful for medical doctors when my son had meningitis this summer, but when it comes to my own health I've had very little success with them

[Mother of Jibril]

ps - Besides feeling cold, here are some other symptoms of hypothyroidism:

- Constipation

- Depression

- Anxiety

- Dry skin

- Heavy, irregular periods

- Fatigue

- Hair loss

- Slow heart rate

- Low blood pressure

- Weight gain, difficulty losing weight

[ShayFL]

NOTE: I was severely hypothyroid but thin and loose stools. That was thanks to GLUTEN. So those symptoms arent always the case. My thinness and loose BM's were why I couldnt get dx properly for nearly 12 years.

[Mother of Jibril]

Good point.

I think the really tricky thing is that if you have more than one autoimmune disorder (which is common), the symptoms can conflict. Lots of people with gluten intolerance get diarrhea; in me it has the opposite effect. Also, not everybody has the same symptoms or the same severity Hypothyroidism can lead to high cholesterol, but that has never been a problem for me.

[Mother of Jibril]

NOTE: I was severely hypothyroid but thin and loose stools. That was thanks to GLUTEN. So those symptoms arent always the case. My thinness and loose BM's were why I couldnt get dx properly for nearly 12 years.

By the way... I'm sorry it took so long for you to be diagnosed!

Looking back, I had a lot of the symptoms of hypothyroidism by the time I was a teenager. It makes me sick to think about how many doctors I saw without getting a diagnosis. I was an athlete in high school and I'm sure I looked like the picture of health. I remember having a physical when I was 17 and my blood pressure was 70/40. The doctor said, "Are you still alive?" Duh... After a while I just assumed all those symptoms were "normal" for me. Being able to fix the problem is like a miracle. Now I'm 32... better late than never!

[Generic]

I admit heat when I eat gluten and often get too warm and throw up. I guess everyone is different.

[Ms. Skinny Chic]

my doc never tests me for anything...he just says 'IBS' over and over.

Anemia makes sufferers very cold. I have iron and pernicious anemia, which have improved greatly. With the appropriate treatment everyone is warm.

[wschmucks]

If you have Celiac-- it is also very common to have low blood iron levels= you feel cold easily. If you have gone on a gluten free diet your body is probably starting to have a higher iron level= you feel warmer again.

It could just be that you were anemic and even if it was only slightly you would feel a change in your body's temperature.

[Krystle56]

I'm kind of like that too, and even though I've only been gluten free for a day and a half, I have noticed a difference. Before, right after I ate I'd get really really cold for about 5-10 minutes. It was the weirest thing ever!

[SGWhiskers]

I'm always cold, but it has gotten a little better since going gluten-free 9 weeks ago. At about week 3-4, I noticed I wasn't always feeling chilled to the bone. My fingernails also started getting a bit pinker. They were always pale and/or a bit purpley. I'm finding that if I dress warmly for the weather, I'm quite comfortable. In the 3.5 years before getting diagnosed, I had crazy hot flashes mixed in with the chronic cold. Now the hot flashes are gone. I hope we both can shed a layer or two this winter.

SGWhiskers