Having Stronger Longer Lasting Reactions To Gluten

[szelisk]

I seem to be having the big "D" everyday for the past 6 weeks. (At least 4x a day)

I know one of my problems is my attitude about this disease. I work with the medical profession and I keep hearing there is nothing to worry about, no furter follow up is needed. So I guess I stopped thinking about this as a disease, instead just a minor problem which I should be able to overcome. Guess what, I haven't been too successful.

I'm sitting her feeling sorry for myself (I know get off the pitty potty), wondering what I did to deserve this. You see I'm the only one out of my siblings who has this. My parents divorced when my Mom was pregant with me (he was abusive and my mom didn't tell him).

I know I should be grateful to have the celiac instead of the heart disease my siblings have. But I feel so alone. I cannot talk with my husband, or family without getting lectured about becoming a vegitarian to stay away from the gluten and lose some weight.

I find myself crying most night's when my family is asleep and blaming it on a movie if someone finds me. If I had one wish it would to become my old self, happy, self confident and healthy.

[OptimisticMom42]

OK first, a lot of us went through a good pitty party at first. It's part of the process. Give yourself a break on that.

Second, no way could I or a lot of the others on this site be veggies. Many of us have low blood sugar. We need our protein.

Beyond that, at some point you will find that you have matured and forgiven your parents for being real live human beings not perfect creations. So just leave that alone, it'll work itself out.

And having "D" 4x a day probably means you are eating something you should not. If you are gluten free try also removing dairy and soy. This part should be temporary. You need to give yourself time to heal.

Hope you are feeling better soon.

[ghostcat]

Umm that's not entirely true, because I'm an aspiring vegetarian and I have low blood sugar. Always had it, and was vegetarian for years. I'm very active (athletic) and couldn't function with low blood sugar, if being a vegetarian wasn't an option with low blood sugar, I wouldn't have been able to be so active for years.

Yes, I'll admit I've recently, started eating some chicken, fish and eggs while I figure out how to cope with gluten intolerance and what grains and beans will do (thinking about it, "meat substitutes" while healthier than meat, probably aren't as good as beans and grains anyway since they ARE processed.)

But there's NO WAY I would ever go back to eating beef and pork. In general, autoimmune diseases are effected by toxins in the system and what could be more toxic than a horribly tortured being, pumped full of antibiotics and hormones, lives eating other sick animals and lives standing in their own feces? Autoimmune disease is a good indication that one is more prone to cancer, and vegetarians have a 70% lower rate of cancer. I'm sure eating factory farmed meat for years contributed to my autoimmune disease and my mother's breast cancer.

My solution, of the small amount of meat I eat, I make sure to be socially and ethically conscious by only buying animals that are treated well and organic......better for me and better for the planet. It's more expensive, but it should be and I don't need to eat every day. You can smell the difference after you eat healthy for a while......who wants to eat chicken that's had tumors cut off it or leather shelled eggs?

Plus, I've been living with autoimmune thyroid disease for years now and am stable, it's mild and I've never needed my medication increaseed. I have other friends with the disease that are vegetarians and they are slim, active and healthy like myself....I know people who eat meat and whatever else and they struggle with their weight and constantly need their medication increased. The disease defines them instead of being just an aspect of life they deal with. You cannot tell me there's no connection.

I understand that food has psychological meaning for a lot of people and being diagnosed as celiac or gluten intolerant is difficult enough because of all the food options being taken away, but I think being honest about food is important because it has a strong impact on our health. Having low blood sugar is irrelevant if you want to be a vegetarian or not and doesn't mean you HAVE to eat meat. It's just a little more work to find the right foods, right recipes and prepare them ahead of time.

Make a decision on what you want to eat based on your own health needs and ethics, just be honest about it because you'll benefit more.

Second, no way could I or a lot of the others on this site be veggies. Many of us have low blood sugar. We need our protein.

[mysecretcurse]

I disagree with some of that ^ Specifically about meat being unhealthy or toxic because the animals are tortured beings. I was a vegetarian for 3 years and used to think that too, but in the end I think meat is just meat, I don't think it's toxic, and if you have emotional guilt for eating it, that could certainly cause you stress.. but the meat itself, I'm sorry, I don't think it's bad for you. Yes sure, organic meat is better and everything but a lot of us cannot get it. They don't carry it in the stores where I live..

I went back to eating meat with much guilt at first. I loved being a vegetarian but it just wasn't working for me for some reason. I know (and trust me, because all this stuff is stuff I used to say and fully believe) that there are vegetarian forms of protien but I no longer believe they are equal to meat. No matter how much I worked out when I was vegetarian, I was always weak and never able to develop any significant muscle mass. Not wanting to admit the truth, I of course said it was just how I was, etc. But wow.. when I went back to eating meat it was crazy the change. My entire body gained weight in the right places, my breasts got bigger, my hips curvier, and everything developed a nice tone. SOMETHING, I don't know what, but something that Im getting from meat was not present in my vegetarian diet. And I was a very healthy eater. Lots of veggie protien, quinoa, hemp protien shakes, etc.

I seemed to start healing from celiac damage faster when I added in meat as well. My digestion improved, for one. And my skin (which for years was a red, p%$#@# scarred mess from celiac skin reaction) began healing faster too. It's weird. I don't know what it is, and I wish it wasn't that way, but for some reason I need meat.

I think it's disgusting how animals are treated in the meat industry and I'm not sure what to do. it's tough.. its basically a choice between protesting something atrocious and taking care of my health. I guess in the long run I feel I can do more good for the world if I live and prosper vs being ill. Maybe one day I will go back to vegetarianism when I feel I have fully balanced my body.

I agree with everything else optimisticmom said too. It sucks, I feel for you.

[ang1e0251]

ghostcat you say you went back to eating meat to help with the GI. That's all we're saying. When eating gluten free, your body seems to need the protein in meat. I know there are vegetarians out there who eat gluten free but there are plenty of them having problems with it like one poster I noticed yesterday who couldn't lose weight. This topic started with her saying she's told to eat vegetarian so she can lose weight. That shows a lack of understanding about our bodies.

And to the poster, you didn't do anything to "deserve" this any more than your siblings did. You wouldn't say to your sibling,"hey, you are bad, you deserve that ol' heart disease!" No, you wouldn't because you know that isn't true. Health happens and we have to deal with it. It's OK to have a pity party but give yourself a limit, like "I will only cry alone at night for one more week, than that's the end of the weeping." I'm not saying take a week, take the amount of time you need but then look for new ways to spend your energy.

Write down some ways you can help yourself stay gluten-free. Maybe plan a trip to a specialty store in another town as a treat. Sometimes they have tasting days for gluten-free food, that might be a fun trip just for you. Join a local support group so you have someone to talk to. Keep talking to us. You can say anything here. If this isn't enough, maybe you can seek some counseling to help you through it. It wouldn't hurt if some of your family could go with you. It sounds like they lack the basic knowledge about your condition.

You aren't alone. You can see that just by reaching out here. We've all had feelings of isolation but you have to work your way out of that. Write down all the positive things about you and say those great qualities back to yourself when those negative thoughts start looping and looping through you head. You are not defined by a bread crumb, you are a person and you are not just your diet.

[Tori H]

I seem to be having the big "D" everyday for the past 6 weeks. (At least 4x a day)

I know one of my problems is my attitude about this disease. I work with the medical profession and I keep hearing there is nothing to worry about, no furter follow up is needed. So I guess I stopped thinking about this as a disease, instead just a minor problem which I should be able to overcome. Guess what, I haven't been too successful.

I'm sitting her feeling sorry for myself (I know get off the pitty potty), wondering what I did to deserve this. You see I'm the only one out of my siblings who has this. My parents divorced when my Mom was pregant with me (he was abusive and my mom didn't tell him).

I know I should be grateful to have the celiac instead of the heart disease my siblings have. But I feel so alone. I cannot talk with my husband, or family without getting lectured about becoming a vegitarian to stay away from the gluten and lose some weight.

I find myself crying most night's when my family is asleep and blaming it on a movie if someone finds me. If I had one wish it would to become my old self, happy, self confident and healthy.

[Tori H]

I really do understand feeling sorry for yourself. I am new to this forum. First day without gluten and just got diagnosed. Feel horrible and have a migraine. This is rough. Any suggestions HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ang1e0251]

I'm sorry you're having a migraine. My friend's son with migraines had to increase his magnesium and add feverfew and B6. Also B12 sublinguals are very helpful to me to feel better. It sounds like you might be going through gluten withdrawals. Just hang in there, it will get better, I promise! Eat as many safe foods as your body wants right now.

[Tori H]

Thanks so much for your reply and being so supportive. How long do the withdrawals usually last?? What is typically? With my Celiac I am getting really bad swelling in my stomach and water retention of over 15 pounds. Day 2 - finally went the bathroom - Crazy! Has anyone else ever gotten fluid gain???

[linda7276]

Thanks so much for your reply and being so supportive. How long do the withdrawals usually last?? What is typically? With my Celiac I am getting really bad swelling in my stomach and water retention of over 15 pounds. Day 2 - finally went the bathroom - Crazy! Has anyone else ever gotten fluid gain???

Yes fluid retention is one of the first signs for me and once you stop the gluten in a few days you will notice yourself peeing a lot more, especially at night, at least for me....grrrr....lol. You will recover but it takes time....hang in there...one day at a time....

[linda7276]

Protein promotes healing of all kinds, it also helps to maintain a stable blood sugar. There is a problem with blood sugar when it is fluctuating all the time, this is not healthy and promotes fat storage, which leads to other problems. When insulin spikes blood sugar drops, hunger strikes, fat is stored, it's a cycle that repeats and repeats and causes metabolic Syndrome X (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fluctuating blood sugars, insulin resistance) which causes a multitude of other problems. The pancreas is where insulin is produced and like any other organ it wears out, and the bodies cells also become resistant to it, so it's very important to have stable blood sugars. Insulin being released all the time also leads to cancer in time...another reason it's important to stabilize blood sugars.

I know this because I've studied it as a nurse, and because I've suffered with low blood sugar, which I now pretty much have stabilized. I eat wild alaskan salmon, organic cage free eggs, sardines, occasional steak, turkey, and some other fish, and I drink goat milk, and eat goat cheese, which I tolerate very well, as these are also sources of protein. Goat milk/cheese does not have casein which is what we react to in dairy. I am not lactose intolerant which is another subject really.

Soy protein has it's own problems, I am allergic to it, and our food is becoming so polluted with toxic chemicals, pesticides, hormones etc, that it's difficult sometimes, but we just have to find what it is we can first of all...tolerate, in terms of reactions and sensitivities....and secondly feel good about eating. But protein is essential for healing and repair, and also for stabilizing blood sugars.

[zero]

szelisk,

I don't consider myself a vegetarian because I don't like the restriction associated with the label. I don't eat meat just because I don't have a taste for it but will eat meat at a restaurant or at someone's house. I also don't have any problems with dairy or soy and eat a lot of rice and beans so I am confident I am getting as much or more protein than a regular meat eater just because I am aware of it. There are also other grains such as quinoa which can provide a healthy dose of protein.

Some celiacs do have problems with dairy and soy especially at the beginning and if that were the case with me I would probably have been more flexible in my diet choices at least until my system stabilizes and then gradually adjusted it to something I find more palatable.

The beginning is tough and it doesn't help to be lectured by family members who are trying to help from a position of mostly ignorance. The only advice that I can think of is to educate yourself more than those around you. Information from the boards can be helpful but is sometimes wrong (perhaps including this one). So I suggest books. My first recommendation is always "Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic" by Green and Jones. Especially for you I would also suggest "Living Gluten-Free for Dummies" by Korn where the author makes a very good point about glycemic indices which you don't see very often. This book also discusses various grain alternatives.

don't worry, it gets better...