How Long

[damboyz1]

how long after i start my diet will i start to feel better. i know everyone is different but average time frame. i just found out today

thanx. dave

[lizard00]

My major symptoms resolved within a week or two. It was quickly enough to know that gluten was scary stuff for me. I had some lingering fatigue issues, but overall, I started feeling better almost immediately. Not back to normal, just better.

[QueenOfPain]

It just really depends. My headaches and abdominal pain went away pretty quickly. My gastro symptoms didn't improve until my 3rd month of being gluten-free. (But I think that's outside the norm.) Actually my gastro symptoms got much worse the first couple of months of being gluten-free. Hope you have a swift and full recovery!

[damboyz1]

thanx for the input. i get major headaches joint pain fatigue and a list of others this has been going on for quite some time. for the longest time they couldnt figure it out, so if a couple of these go away or subdue il be one happy camper.

[Northern Celiac]

  damboyz1 said:

thanx for the input. i get major headaches joint pain fatigue and a list of others this has been going on for quite some time. for the longest time they couldnt figure it out, so if a couple of these go away or subdue il be one happy camper.

Hey, just got back onto the board and read your post. It all depends on how serious your diagnosis came back.

My diagnosis is quite severe, it has taken 4 months for me to put on 14 pounds and I still have a long way to go.(I am 6'5" and at the time of my diagnosisI weighed approx 134lbs) I don't have joint pain but I do get headaches and sometimes feel quite weak by the end of the day. The best thing you can do is start a diary and track everything you eat. I still have good and bad days but things are getting better. The big thing is though.....DONT CHEAT ON THE DIET. I am so severe that I can't even lick a stamp because of the glue.

Best of luck

[Bermygirl]

I share the question with Dave. I've been dealing with bloating from eating for years. I finally got sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and went to my doctor. My blood test came back negative but I trust my gut and and within minutes of eating anything like bread, cereal, pasta, etc I bloate terribly. Even to the point of being in pain. If I eat only fruits, veggies, meats, fish, rice & potato - I'm fine. One cookie and I'll bloat. I get tired as well.

I'm been tracking my food for a month. I do feel better with a celiac diet. More energy and I sleep better. I'm just so discouraged and depressed over food. I'm scared to eat anything! I'm not losing weight but I eat just enough to keep off fainting.

When does one really feel good?

[adiadv10]

  Bermygirl said:

I share the question with Dave. I've been dealing with bloating from eating for years. I finally got sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and went to my doctor. My blood test came back negative but I trust my gut and and within minutes of eating anything like bread, cereal, pasta, etc I bloate terribly. Even to the point of being in pain. If I eat only fruits, veggies, meats, fish, rice & potato - I'm fine. One cookie and I'll bloat. I get tired as well.

I'm been tracking my food for a month. I do feel better with a celiac diet. More energy and I sleep better. I'm just so discouraged and depressed over food. I'm scared to eat anything! I'm not losing weight but I eat just enough to keep off fainting.

When does one really feel good?

I wanted to tell you that I'm right there with you and feel your pain! I looked ready to give birth every time I ate for years, and when someone asked if I was pregnant last year in August I become pretty much a recluse (plus I felt like crap all the time). I went gluten free in late June, and I'm still having a lot of bad days. I'm very thankful for the good ones, since it's been so many years, but I keep getting very discouraged when the symptoms suddenly pop up, like today. I very carefully track what I eat, so this is either my body still healing, or possibly the non-stick pan with a small scratch in it that I cooked with yesterday. It's going in the trash, along with my old wooden cooking utensils, just in case. And just like you, I'm now terrified of food because I'm so careful and still get keep getting burned by accidental ingestion. From what I keep reading, apparently everyone goes through this for awhile.

The discouragement and depression: I've actually cried more than once when I was craving a particular restaurant's food, especially because dining out was one of the things my husband and I enjoyed so much. I just ditched my family reunion last weekend because I couldn't bear seeing all of that delicious homemade food that I couldn't eat (my guilt over that was alleviated when I accidentally got "glutened" the night before and was sick for 3 days).

If you would like any suggestions for "gluten-free replacements" for things you like, I've found many. This has really helped me start to get over that feeling of loss and the panic I felt whenever I ate. Please don't starve yourself. I've gone that route before being diagnosed and it seriously damaged my health.

I have a lot of support from my family and friends ... if you don't, I'd be happy to encourage you any time ... we are in the same boat!!

[Karrin]

About a week into the diet I felt 100%, and then about a week later, felt as bad as I had before going gluten free (a cross contamination contributed, no doubt). It's been about 2 months and I still am very on and off. This week has been quite good again - if I were a gas tank I'd say I'm about 35-45% at the start of the day where before I was at a 5, and for me that is amazing. I still have a lot of the bloating, but little things are slowly improving, like my energy level and joint pain, bathroom issues are a little more... predictable. My pains are less frequent, my skin is clearer, my hair healthier and I feel more awake and alert. I still am bloated, however. The distended tummy has yet to go away - though this could be related to my endometriosis as well.

I also wasn't able to tolerate corn at all before (it gave me celiac like symptoms), but I just tested out a gluten free yoplait yogurt (corn syrup) the other day and felt great, and yesterday had popcorn and a few corn tortilla chips - also good! I'm also able to eat small amounts of certain veggies that would have sent me into a world of hurt a few weeks ago, such as cauliflower and black beans - I've missed those A LOT!!

I've learned to be patient in waiting for my body to heal. I have a feeling it could be awhile before I'm at 100%, but I am slowly getting there. You'll probably have a lot of off days for awhile. Make sure when you do that you aren't accidentally coming into contact with any gluten, this forum has been very helpful to me as far as that goes. Check lotions, chapstick, medicines, vitamins, pots, pans, plastic ware, drawers, shared spices, condiments etc. Also, if symptoms persist and you know you've been following the diet and its been a few months, you might want to keep other autoimmune diseases in mind. It isn't uncommon for us. I have RA as well as endometriosis and am currently looking into another autoimmune disease. Also thyroid/parathyroid conditions etc. Don't be afraid to pester your doctor (or get a new one) until you get an answer!

Good luck!

[wendstress]

Everyone's journey is different - the disease affects us in different ways.....

Here is a brief timeline of my recovery:

Weeks 1 and 2 - I FELT AMAZING - Felt 75% better. Wow. Didn't last long. I think my body went from constantly being on the defensive (fighting gluten) to actually starting to heal, and that took a lot of energy.

Weeks 3-12 - Lots of ups and downs even though I was trying to the very best of my ability to be gluten-free - felt 25-50% better depending on the day. Still tons of bathroom trips.

Month 3-4 - Started to be consistently better, but still had a LONG WAYS to go - feeling 60%-70% better

Month 5 - Lost some ground....not sure why? Back to 50% better, very frustrated.

Month 6 - A little better than month 5. Back to 60-70% better. Cut way down on dairy and caffeine to help my gut heal.

Month 7 - First month my symptoms have been fairly minimal. Feeling 80% better.....still plenty of healing to do, but I'm at the point for the first time in a LONG TIME that I no longer worry about how/if the bathroom is going to shape each and every day.

*Just a disclaimer - I have also been diagnosed with lymphocytic colitis, which gives a lot of the same symptoms of celiac disease. The treatment is a little less clear than with Celiac Disease, there are any number of foods that can agrevate LC. During the past 7 months I have been on 2 courses of steroids ("Entocort") to help my large intestine to heal.

Hope this helps you to know that whatever timetable your body is on, it will take time to heal. You will likely have ups and downs. Don't be discouraged - stick with it!

[Jill89]

  lizard00 said:

My major symptoms resolved within a week or two. It was quickly enough to know that gluten was scary stuff for me. I had some lingering fatigue issues, but overall, I started feeling better almost immediately. Not back to normal, just better.

I was diagnoised in March of this year. I have terrible left side pain around my waist that went down into my groin area. For a while I was good, but now it seems to be back. Has anyone experienced this? Low back pain as well.