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Gluten-Free Symptoms - Is This Normal Recovery?

CantWeight

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CantWeight Rookie
CantWeight
Posted

hi, I'm new here and newly diagnosed with gluten intolerance. I've been gluten-free and dairy-free for about one month with only a couple of reactions when dining out because they served me something exposed to gluten. I already eat a low-carb diet so I don't even eat gluten-substitute foods like bread, snacks, etc. mostly just proteins and vegetables. For the last couple of years (or longer, don't know) I was pretty constipated but for about the last month (since gluten-free) I have had diarrhea and felt fatigued. Is this normal in the recovery process? I'm very overweight and been trying to lose weight and haven't been able to lose one pound in months. Arg!

I haven't yet seen a specialist, I was diagnosed by my endocrinologist, so I know just about nothing. Any books you could recommend?

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CantWeight Rookie
CantWeight
Posted
  • Author

Am I posting this is the wrong place? It had loads of views but no response :(

hi, I'm new here and newly diagnosed with gluten intolerance. I've been gluten-free and dairy-free for about one month with only a couple of reactions when dining out because they served me something exposed to gluten. I already eat a low-carb diet so I don't even eat gluten-substitute foods like bread, snacks, etc. mostly just proteins and vegetables. For the last couple of years (or longer, don't know) I was pretty constipated but for about the last month (since gluten-free) I have had diarrhea and felt fatigued. Is this normal in the recovery process? I'm very overweight and been trying to lose weight and haven't been able to lose one pound in months. Arg!

I haven't yet seen a specialist, I was diagnosed by my endocrinologist, so I know just about nothing. Any books you could recommend?

gary'sgirl Explorer
gary'sgirl
Posted

I don't think you posted in the wrong place, sometimes people don't know what to answer or maybe just not the right people read it yet. :rolleyes:

I haven't gotten my hands on any books yet, but I want to and have been thinking of posting a question myself about recomended reads soon.

I think your experience is pretty normal. Many people go through a withdrawal period from the gluten and have some new symptoms - like you describe - for a while. It's different for everyone. The D could be your body cleaning itself out after being constipated for years. The fatigue I think is really common for any drastic change and your body may just be craving a lot of rest to help it recover more quickly now that you have taken the gluten and dairy out of your diet.

Also, keep in mind that a lot of people have to cut out other foods for a while because they are hard to digest or eritate the intestinal walls.

I have had to go off of nightshades, all meat (i can eat some fish), corn, rice, and nuts to name a few. I'm hoping that I will be able to add most of those back in after my gut heals. I am trying rice and corn a little again, but I think I may have to take it back out.

Anyway, keep reading this site - it has some of the best info out there. You can look up other threads that people have started and read some of the articles and lists posted on the sight.

I hope you feel some encouragement about this soon.

Sarah

sa1937 Community Regular
sa1937
Posted

I haven't gotten my hands on any books yet, but I want to and have been thinking of posting a question myself about recomended reads soon.

A book I would highly recommend is Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic by Dr. Peter Green, Director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University (newly updated early this year). It covers a lot of info from a very knowledgeable doctor.

GFLindsey Explorer
GFLindsey
Posted

I'm not really sure what normal symptoms are, but I can tell that I have been gluten free for 3 months and I still don't feel great. I used to get terrible diarrhea and that has gone away -- along with my mouth ulcers and the ringing in my ears. My new symptoms are extreme bloating and nausea after eating.

I would suggest Gluten Free Living for Dummies. I found it really helpful and I got it online for 10 bucks! It helps with all of the hidden sources of gluten. Also, read as much as you can on this site. I learned a lot about the diet -- but it takes time and mistakes. (For example, I was making myself extremely sick by using hand sanitizer before each meal that had tocopheryl acetate -- which had wheat in it. WHO KNEW?!?)

I hope you get to feeling better soon. Are you considering seeing a specialist eventually? I finally had an appointment with a GI doc who specializes in several diseases including Celiac. Totally worth the wait and the money! He really helped me feel like I am getting on the right track to a healthy lifestyle.

Best of luck to you.

Dace Rookie
Dace
Posted

You got some good input already about books and such, but I would like to address diet.

You mention being low carb and that the bulk of your diet is protein and veg.

I have a couple questions and then I will give you some feedback, ok?

What does your typical day's food intake look like, what exactly did you eat today or on a typical day?

How long have you been low carb? and specifically what foods do you avoid (besides dairy and gluten)?

Celiacs/gluten intolerance aside, sometimes it takes your body time to recover from a higher carb lifestyle and can take a while to start seeing results, my Hubby is gluten intolerant and cut out most refined carbs in Jan.....it has only been in the last 6 weeks that he has started to see steady weight loss....so hang in there!

lucia Enthusiast
lucia
Posted

hi, I'm new here and newly diagnosed with gluten intolerance. I've been gluten-free and dairy-free for about one month with only a couple of reactions when dining out because they served me something exposed to gluten. I already eat a low-carb diet so I don't even eat gluten-substitute foods like bread, snacks, etc. mostly just proteins and vegetables. For the last couple of years (or longer, don't know) I was pretty constipated but for about the last month (since gluten-free) I have had diarrhea and felt fatigued. Is this normal in the recovery process? I'm very overweight and been trying to lose weight and haven't been able to lose one pound in months. Arg!

I haven't yet seen a specialist, I was diagnosed by my endocrinologist, so I know just about nothing. Any books you could recommend?

_____________________________________________________________________

I'm new as well, and so struggling through the process of going gluten-free. It's been about 5 weeks for me. It is incredibly frustrating and slow.

I've already identified several times when I was "glutened" accidentally - the first time by a barley grain coffee substitute, and the second by a bottle of "superfood" juice that included wheat grass. A third time I came down suddenly with symptoms again, but couldn't identify the source. Everytime I've been gluttened, I've suffered another 5 days with GI symptoms. It's crazy!

I went through gluten withdrawal - very scary! I had headaches, night sweats, low blood pressure so I felt freezing cold, debilitating tiredness.

When my GI symptoms resolve, I still suffer painful neuropathy, dizziness, brain fog, and fatigue. Additionally, I newly am suffering insomnia (no idea where that came from).

I pretty much have spent the past 5 weeks on the couch, same place as I spent the last 3 months before that. haven't had an official diagnosis. I just have to believe there's an end to all this. Everyone at celiac.com is helping tremendously : )

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  • 2 weeks later...
one more mile Contributor
one more mile
Posted

try to see what you have added to your diet. I found when I went of Gluten I added soy. soy gives me DH. So to corn chips.

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      @HAUS, I was at an event in the UK a few years back. I remember ringing the restaurant ahead to inquire about the gluten free options. All I wanted was a few gluten free sandwiches, which they provided and they were delicious. The gluten-free bread they used was Warbutons white bread and I remember mentioning it on this site before. No harm in trying it once. It's fortified with Calcium and Iron. https://www.warburtonsglutenfree.com/warbs_products/white-loaf/ The only other gluten-free bread that I've come across that is fortified is Schar with Iodized salt, nothing else.
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      In the U.S., most regular wheat breads are required to be enriched with certain B-vitamins and iron, but gluten-free breads are not required to be. Since many gluten-free products are not enriched, we usually encourage people with celiac disease to consider a multivitamin.  In the early 1900s, refined white flour replaced whole grains, and people began developing serious vitamin-deficiency diseases: Beriberi → caused by a lack of thiamin (vitamin B1) Pellagra → caused by a lack of niacin (vitamin B3) Anemia → linked to low iron and lack of folate By the 1930s–40s, these problems were common in the U.S., especially in poorer regions. Public-health officials responded by requiring wheat flour and the breads made from it to be “enriched” with thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and iron. Folic acid was added later (1998) to prevent neural-tube birth defects. Why gluten-free bread isn’t required to be enriched? The U.S. enrichment standards were written specifically for wheat flour. Gluten-free breads use rice, tapioca, corn, sorghum, etc.—so they fall outside that rule—but they probably should be for the same reason wheat products are.
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    • JoJo0611
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      By JoJo0611 · Posted

      Thank you. 
    • deanna1ynne
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