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Delicate Subject - Anyone Else?

Rebecca's mom

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Rebecca's mom Rookie
Rebecca's mom
Posted

Hi all,

My DH has been gluten-free for a couple of months now (gluten sensitive, not celiac disease), and I am wondering if we are the only people who have made this serendipitous discovery. I'm not sure how to put this, but he's - um - "bigger and better" (lots!) when he's gluten-free.

Believe me, I'm not complaining; it's REALLY great - it's like we're 20-year-olds all over again. If anything, I complain if he eats something that he knows gives him trouble (ahem, the Steak Bowl at Taco Bell - thanks for "nothing".....), because for a couple of days afterward, it's not quite the same!

Goodness, this is so embarassing! I don't usually talk about these kinds of things to strangers, but I don't have many friends who have celiac disease, and even if I did, how would I go about broaching the subject? "Oh, by the way, if you eat Gluten-Free, you might not need Viagra for a VERY long time....."?

Anyway, I've bared my soul, so 'fess up people. Has anyone else had this experience? Does it last (I hope the answer is "Yes"!)? Is this the best thing since sliced bread? (It is for DH and me!)

Lord, I hope my family members don't read this -

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jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted
Lord, I hope my family members don't read this -

:lol: I think a lot of us have had this same hope after some of the things posted here!

I'm happy that going gluten-free has had such an effect for the two of you :D It never ceases to amaze me all of the systems that gluten can wreck havoc on.

Rebecca's mom Rookie
Rebecca's mom
Posted
  • Author

I just didn't know if anyone else had experienced this or not - I know we're not imagining things, and the ONLY change that DH has made is to eliminate gluten. I don't think it is a coincidence that we both see a difference (no pun intended....) when he does ingest gluten. Oh, well, I've put the subject out there, so we'll see what folks have to say!

chasbari Apprentice
chasbari
Posted

I can only agree with you and add...

Viva brussel sprouts.. (You might need to keep him away from them....) if you get my drift.

I, too, hope my family doesn't read this!

Rebecca's mom Rookie
Rebecca's mom
Posted
  • Author
I can only agree with you and add...

Viva brussel sprouts.. (You might need to keep him away from them....) if you get my drift.

I, too, hope my family doesn't read this!

Thanks for the laugh (and the confirmation)! That's interesting about brussels sprouts - good information to have -

You know, I bet we could get restaurants and food manufacturers to go completely gluten-free in a matter of mere weeks if people (men, especially!) knew that this could be a "benefit" of a gluten-free lifestyle........

Teresa K.

Tim-n-VA Contributor
Tim-n-VA
Posted

My wife said "No". :(

Ahorsesoul Enthusiast
Ahorsesoul
Posted

I thought I read somewhere that they are doing studies about Prostisitis improving on a gluten free diet. Certainly could explain his improvement.

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Rebecca's mom Rookie
Rebecca's mom
Posted
  • Author
I thought I read somewhere that they are doing studies about Prostisitis improving on a gluten free diet. Certainly could explain his improvement.

Well, he wasn't having any "problems" before, we just noticed an "enhancement", if you will. I guess it was just a matter of middle-aged equipment vs. young-adult stuff...... He hadn't gotten to the point that he was going to need to ask for pharmaceutical help yet, either.

If he ever sees this, I am going to be in so much hot water.....

mimommy Contributor
mimommy
Posted
You know, I bet we could get restaurants and food manufacturers to go completely gluten-free in a matter of mere weeks if people (men, especially!) knew that this could be a "benefit" of a gluten-free lifestyle........

Shhh...you might start a riot at the local health food store.

Just enjoy it, dear. ;)

My wife said "No". :(

Poor guy :(

(rolling on floor laughing) :lol::rolleyes:

Rebecca's mom Rookie
Rebecca's mom
Posted
  • Author
My wife said "No". :(

Thanks for the laugh - I appreciate it!

one more mile Contributor
one more mile
Posted

Congratulations you two. I hope you enjoy it!

Being female I have noticed that my drive did increase a bit. So did my Boyfriend. lol

debmidge Rising Star
debmidge
Posted
Thanks for the laugh (and the confirmation)! That's interesting about brussels sprouts - good information to have -

You know, I bet we could get restaurants and food manufacturers to go completely gluten-free in a matter of mere weeks if people (men, especially!) knew that this could be a "benefit" of a gluten-free lifestyle........

Teresa K.

Just start the rumor and WATCH the food manufacturers respond to this new market

demand of GLUTEN FREE food. Companies which heretofore were unwilling to market

gluten free items would want to be the GIG's best friend if this rumor was out and

believed (and maybe became true).....

Tim-n-VA Contributor
Tim-n-VA
Posted

I made my answer concise for the humor but since we are trying to share info...

My wife said "No" to the question about physiological differenece. She did say that the reduction of mood swings on my part helped with the overall mood/attitude/etc on her part resulting in improvements in that sense.

ianm Apprentice
ianm
Posted

I noticed a big improvement once I went gluten free. Stamina and many other improvements were noticed. My girlfriend was very happy. I don't think I can go into details on this forum. :DB)

Rebecca's mom Rookie
Rebecca's mom
Posted
  • Author
My wife said "No" to the question about physiological differenece. She did say that the reduction of mood swings on my part helped with the overall mood/attitude/etc on her part resulting in improvements in that sense.

Yes, both my husband and I experienced improvements in mood (and desire) as well. And, oh boy, can we each tell if the other one has accidentally gotten "glutened", simply by the surly attitude / behavior.......

RollingAlong Explorer
RollingAlong
Posted

yes. :)

DH is also NCGS. We saw further improvement when he gave up casein and still later, soy. I should say that we may have confounded our variables on these last two. There was a 12 week gluten challenge in there and things got really bad for awhile... don't think so though,

I've been looking into this and it has something to do with tryptophan metabolism. Your body needs that for serotonin and that is a big player in mood, libido, and um, performance.

Thanks for breaking the ice on this one. I felt he could not be the only one out there. And I agree, this is one effect of gluten that gets very little publicity but could be a real publicity bonanza! I think it is why the Paleo and Primal type diets are so popular, they get rid of the gluten, but from the other direction, so to speak. I mean, people focus on what they are gaining, not what they are giving up.

Brussel sprouts?? really? can't hurt to try it....

Rebecca's mom Rookie
Rebecca's mom
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for confirming that for me - I was starting to think that people might think we were perverts or sex addicts or something like that...... It's good to know that other people have had the same experience, but again, how do you tell people about that? It's not as if it would come up in polite conversation, you know?

Maybe some medical professional will "report" on it - there's no money to be made in the Pharmaceutical industry, but boy there would be an explosion in gluten-free products in restaurants and on grocery store shelves once that information was out there! And best of all, there are no pesky side effects, and there isn't a "window" of opportunity -

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    • SamAlvi
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By SamAlvi · Posted

      Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Just to clarify, I actually did have my initial tests done while I was still consuming gluten. I stopped eating gluten only after those tests were completed, and it has now been about 70 days since I went gluten-free. I understand the limitations around diagnosing NCGS and the importance of antibody testing and biopsy for celiac disease. Unfortunately, where I live, access to comprehensive testing (including total IgA and endoscopy with biopsy) is limited, which makes things more complicated. Your explanation about small-bowel damage, nutrient absorption, and iron-deficiency anemia still aligns closely with my history, and it’s been very helpful in understanding what may be going on. I don't wanna get Endoscopy and I can't start eating Gluten again because it's hurt really with severe diarrhea.  I appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed and informative guidance. Thank you so much for this detailed and thoughtful response. I really appreciate you pointing out the relationship between anemia and antibody patterns, and how the high DGP IgG still supports celiac disease in my case. A gluten challenge isn’t something I feel safe attempting due to how severe my reactions were, so your suggestion about genetic testing makes a lot of sense. I’ll look into whether HLA testing is available where I live and discuss it with my doctor. I also appreciate you mentioning gastrointestinal beriberi and thiamine deficiency. This isn’t something any of my doctors have discussed with me, and given my symptoms and nutritional history, it’s definitely worth raising with them. I’ll also ask about correcting deficiencies more comprehensively, including B vitamins alongside iron. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to help. I’ll update the forum as I make progress.
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

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    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

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      Son's legs shaking

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    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
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