New To Gluten Free

[AussieSoph]

Hi,

this is my first post, i'm a 22 year of Aussie girl and started having stomach problems about a year ago. i'm new to the gluten free thing, but have tried it before a few months ago and it seems to be the only thing that makes me feel better. i have gone back to a total gluten free diet for the last 2 weeks. i was feeling better last week and was really excited, but this week i seem to have gotten even worse! i have bad stomach pains, nausea, tiredness and bloating, and i can't tell what its from as i don't think i've eaten anything with gluten in it. i haven't formally been diagnosed with celiacs disease as my test came back negative, so my doctor said i may just have a wheat intolerance and a gluten free diet was probably still a good idea if it makes me feel better.

i was wondering how long most people take to feel better after going gluten free and what you thought might be making me feel so sick all of a sudden? is it a good idea to go off dairy for a while too? sometimes i feel like this may be giving me a reaction as i have been eating more of it since going gluten free to substitute for all the other things i can't eat.

also, do you find your syptoms worse under stress? i recently moved to New York from Australia and started a new job here, so i wondered if this could possibly be making my reactions even worse.

any advice or hints would be so appreciated. i hate feeling so sick and looking like i'm 4 months pregnant all the time!

Thanks!

[ravenwoodglass]

Welcome to the board and to NY. If you are only a couple weeks in dropping dairy is a good idea. It will help you to heal a bit faster. The diet can take some getting used to and most of us have a few slip ups during the early months. Also it does take some time to heal. Try to go with as much whole unprocessed foods as you can. It makes it easier while we figure out what all we have to look for. If you are near a Wegmans they label all their gluten-free food with a circle G which helps out a lot on keeping shopping time to a minumum. You have found a good place for info and support and I hope you are feeling better soon.

[ang1e0251]

Welcome to the Forum! I'm sorry you're feeling bad. It is tough to pinpoint the why sometimes. The PP gave you good advice. Going off dairy for a bit is helpful when you're trying to get your system to calm down. You are not only new to the dietary changes but when you're in a new country with different water and different food sources it can aggravate your whole body.

It is a good idea to go back to basic food for a bit. Simple whole foods for 2 - 3 weeks till you're feeling well again. Then add in new things but one at a time and only every 3 or 4 days. You need to go slow and let everything calm and heal.

It will get better and easier, really it will.

[TownieHeather]

Hi,

this is my first post, i'm a 22 year of Aussie girl and started having stomach problems about a year ago. i'm new to the gluten free thing, but have tried it before a few months ago and it seems to be the only thing that makes me feel better. i have gone back to a total gluten free diet for the last 2 weeks. i was feeling better last week and was really excited, but this week i seem to have gotten even worse! i have bad stomach pains, nausea, tiredness and bloating, and i can't tell what its from as i don't think i've eaten anything with gluten in it. i haven't formally been diagnosed with celiacs disease as my test came back negative, so my doctor said i may just have a wheat intolerance and a gluten free diet was probably still a good idea if it makes me feel better.

i was wondering how long most people take to feel better after going gluten free and what you thought might be making me feel so sick all of a sudden? is it a good idea to go off dairy for a while too? sometimes i feel like this may be giving me a reaction as i have been eating more of it since going gluten free to substitute for all the other things i can't eat.

also, do you find your syptoms worse under stress? i recently moved to New York from Australia and started a new job here, so i wondered if this could possibly be making my reactions even worse.

any advice or hints would be so appreciated. i hate feeling so sick and looking like i'm 4 months pregnant all the time!

Thanks!

Welcome! And yes, stress definitely makes any problems I might be having worse - whether physical stress or psychological stress (I fasted during my first month of going off gluten - bad idea).

Also, you make it sound as though you have been eating a diet with gluten and then returned to the gluten-free diet. If that's the case, you might be experiencing symptoms of gluten withdrawl. Try searching the forum for this and you'll find a lot of information on it. I've read that about 80% of GI and celiac persons will have gluten withdrawl - I did but didn't realize that was what it was until I came across it on here.

Hope things get better soon