Should't I Be Feeling Better?

[kdonov2]

i started a gluten free diet and i noticed that a few days into it, i felt absolutely awful. im so fatigued, and whats worse is that my stomach hurts so bad, its insane. in between the ribs, i feel like ive been punched. lower down near the intestines, my tummy feels very sore and the intestines feel inflamed and irritated. i no longer get the immense swollen belly that i used to get, but it is still a bit puffy. ive heard a lot of people mention that they feel great after going gluten free and they have this abundance of energy and increased appetites and such. i cannot relate. i used to exercise everyday, but right now im so tired and my stomach hurts far too much to consider it. does anyone know why this is happening? are there any herbal supplements i should take? any input would be greatly appreciated.

[GlutenWrangler]

Many people go through a period of worsening symptoms when they start the gluten-free diet. Now that your body is no longer being assaulted by gluten on a daily basis, it has the opportunity to purge itself of all of the toxins that have built up over time. On top of that, many people also experience gluten "withdrawal". This process can make symptoms much worse for a brief period of time. Think of it as your body in recovery mode. Plus, your body no longer has to adapt to dealing with gluten, so if you do consume any gluten accidentally, your reactions will most likely be more severe than they used to be before you went on the gluten free diet. So overall, you're most likely experiencing a normal reaction to the gluten-free diet. If your symptoms continue for an extended period of time, you might want to check for hidden sources of gluten somewhere in your diet. Since you have just started the diet, hopefully someone can direct you to one of the "Newbie Kits" floating around here. Good luck,

-Brian

[helgih88]

i started a gluten free diet and i noticed that a few days into it, i felt absolutely awful. im so fatigued, and whats worse is that my stomach hurts so bad, its insane. in between the ribs, i feel like ive been punched. lower down near the intestines, my tummy feels very sore and the intestines feel inflamed and irritated. i no longer get the immense swollen belly that i used to get, but it is still a bit puffy. ive heard a lot of people mention that they feel great after going gluten free and they have this abundance of energy and increased appetites and such. i cannot relate. i used to exercise everyday, but right now im so tired and my stomach hurts far too much to consider it. does anyone know why this is happening? are there any herbal supplements i should take? any input would be greatly appreciated.

Wow, I'm on the same side here. I started gluten free a week ago and so far my stomach is a lot better. But the downside is that I'm really tired the whole day just like before, even worse than usual. If I don't get any caffeine (which actually aggravates your intestine more) then I'm practically asleep. I think I've had this intolerance for my whole life without treatment so it's probably the reason I'm responding so slower than some. I don't get the extreme reactions like many others but since the stomach aches are gone (among with the big D) so this has to be it. Today I spent a lot of time lying on my bed because I was so tired, I felt like I hadn't slept at all the whole night. I hope we both get better, otherwise the problem may be bigger (it may take many weeks or months to clear up fatigue, even years for older people... see more posts). I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow to see If I have Crohn's disease like my mom but I'd rather have celiac and my symptoms fit celiac better . I was wondering, when you quit eating gluten, do you get more allergic reactions to your food (because of swollen intestine) since it stays there for a longer period of time? Could that be one of the reasons why fatigue sometimes get stronger? Sometimes when I just eat a banana it almost puts me to sleep. I also feel like milk shuts me down, just minutes after having it (why god, why? ).

And regarding those foods that make me tired, blood test didn't show any allergies (then again, I don't know if my doctor checked every single thing).

[GlutenWrangler]

Blood tests are notoriously inaccurate for allergy testing. If you're feeling that tired after eating certain foods, you're most likely either allergic or intolerant. I have had the same exact reaction to foods that I'm allergic to. Skin prick testing is much more accurate for food allergies. If you haven't already, you might want to see an allergist. If you continue having these reactions to certain foods, you may want to consider eliminating those foods from your diet, at least for a little while. This will allow your system to calm itself down. Then you can re-introduce them one by one to see if you still have that reaction. Take care,

-Brian