2Nd Week Off Gluten And So Sick

[Chrisco]

I am now on my second week of being gluten free and I feel so sick. I haven't been able to eat much because the nausea is so horrible. I am having a hard time working right now because I feel so horrible. Has anyone else felt sicker after going off gluten? I thought I was supposed to feel better. The only thing that has improved has been the constipation. Other than that I feel so run down and sick to my stomach all the time. I started the diet last Sunday and felt great the first week on the diet. Then last Friday I started having GI symptoms again. I really feel like giving up on the diet. My biggest complaint is that this is affecting my work. I can't afford to miss anymore work. I don't know what to do.

[Jestgar]

Tell us more. What are you eating? Did you add in substitutes (gluten-free bread, for example) or just cut things out? Did you increase you intake of soy or milk or corn or anything else?

[Squirrelflight]

I personally found that a few big problems got better when I went gluten free and then started to see that other issues like fatigue, bloating, irritability, headaches, etc starting getting much worse. For me it was an issue of once I cut out gluten I increased other foods that I cant have either.

I am in my first week of going lectin free as well and feel a huge difference. And I'm definitely seeing where I am also sensitive to soy, peanuts (legumes), dairy and possibly eggs.

So rather than give up on the gluten free I would look at going to a real basic diet and then challenge items to add them back in. I was also feeling very discouraged at feeling so bad gluten free. Adding the lectin free feels pretty restrictive but I do have more energy and am in a better mood and just all around feel better.

Michelle

[Streetlegal]

I have been off gluten for three months and I feel worse than I have ever felt.

Ironically, four or five months ago, just before diagnosis, I felt relatively normal. Now, in addition to the negatives of the dietary restrictions, I have far more loose stools, diarrhea, bad gas and fatigue. I am wondering how much longer this can go on before I give up. Sick of it. I can see nothing positive about celiacs.

[mushroom]

For those newbies still experiencing bad gas, you are not alone. After two years, I am again fighting it. Like squirrelflight, I am avoiding lectins (was already soy and nightshade free), and I am again taking digestive enzymes, and I went to my doctor and talked about it, and she said since it was mainly happening at night when I was lying down, it could be a gastric transit problem (too slow), so now I am taking a Motilium to speed things up, just one when I go to bed. So far with this new regime I have not been awakened with racing heart and severe bloating.

I am a great believer in digestive enzymes, because so many celiacs seem to have pancreatic insufficiency where their own pancreas is no longer making sufficient enzymes to digest the food. Just a thought as something you might try. Unfortunately, once we eliminate the gluten it seems as though all the other things that had been trying to get our attention suddenly find an open line instead of a busy signal, and start making their presence felt. I had been having my suspicions about legumes (dried peas and beans and lentils in particular) but started exploring lectins when another poster posted a question. Now my husband (a DH celiac) says he also feels better without lectins too.

[sandsurfgirl]

I'm on week 5 and I'm just starting to feel better GI wise the last couple of days but still not symptom free by any means.

The first 2 weeks I was eating hidden gluten without knowing it. I also had wheat in all of my beauty products. When you eat out, be careful of chicken breast because it can be glazed with wheat starch.

I was also eating gluten free baked goods and on a healing stomache those are too difficult to digest. I didn't start improving my GI symptoms at all until I cut dairy, soy, and went onto a simple diet for healing. For awhile I got sick every time I ate. Now it's getting better.

There are lots of threads on here about withdrawal. Your body goes through a true withdrawal process just like someone withdrawing from alcohol or a drug. I just read that one a few days ago. Healing all that gut damage is exhausting and hard for your body. I have this theory that it's so raw in there, and the reason we start getting sick for awhile is because our body is using every bit of its energy to rebuild from the damage.

This past weekend I stayed in bed all weekend and rested. My husband kept our kids occupied and I literally stayed in bed from Friday to Sunday. I felt better this past 3 days than I have since I got diagnosed 5 weeks ago. I figured my body needs to just rest and heal. I take it easy whenever I can and I might spend some time in bed this weekend too. It took a long time for me to get this sick. It's going to take time to heal.

[Chrisco]

Thank you everyone for your posts. I think I may be having trouble with nuts. I bought a big can of cashews and have been eating a lot of them. Other than that I have been sticking to whole foods. I did not eat any nuts today and I feel a lot better. I'm still having some dizziness and fatigue but no GI problems. I also noticed that if I eat some fruit for breakfast and take my B12 that I feel a lot better throughout the day. I did bake my own gluten free bread on Sunday. It was so good that even my husband loves it. He actually ate more than I did. I found a great cookbook called "You Won't Believe It's Gluten Free". I am not a very good cook however I find the recipes easy to follow and very tasty. I've been sticking to whole foods most of the time but every now and then I have a craving for bread so the bread I baked has been helpful with keeping me on the diet. I'm understanding now that healing is a process and is going to take some time. I thought as soon as I started the diet I would see immediate results. Now I'm understanding the disease more. I'm so grateful for this website and for all of you who are willing to share your experiences and advice. I don't think I would be able to do this without the support of others. Mahalo Nui Loa!

[ravenwoodglass]

It does take time to heal and for many of us once we get rid of the obvious gluten our bodies will be so happy about it that it will react to even the tiniest amount. Do look over everything you come into contact with including your toiletries and cosmetics. Also make sure you have deglutened your kitchen and that you have gotten your own dedicated toaster and condiments, nut butters etc as even a crumb from someone else's wheat bread on a double dipped knife will be enough to make you ill. It also helps to drop dairy at first. The enzymes your body produces to digest dairy are in the same area that celiac damages. Once you have healed you may be able to digest it again with no issues. Go with a whole unprocessed diet at first to speed healing. Avoid restaurants for now and also cut out alcohol until you heal a bit as that will be tough on your system too. As mentioned it is not unusual for us to go through withdrawl. That process will end quicker on a whole unprocessed diet also. Hang in there things will get better.

[Beccels]

Hi!

I am on week 6 of a dairy, gluten and wheat free diet. I have only start to feel slowly better in the 2 weeks, but I have still had really bad days during those two weeks.

In my first 3 - 4 weeks, I was up and down and up and down. My mood was all over the place, I was really teary and grumpy. I felt sick in my stomach, my feet and legs hurt like nothing else, i was so tried ... one day I struggled just to walk up the stairs to the bed room, headaches, gas, weird bowel movements, my face broke out with pimples ... it was awful.

Now I am doing quite well. I would consider myself to feel a little bit better than what I did before I started, so hopefully I will continue to feel better and better.

Advise for you ... drink heaps and heaps of water and try and eat as much fresh fruit and vegis as possible. Your technically detoxing, so your body needs lot of support.

Hang on there! Everyone is different but hopefully you will be feeling a lot better soon.