Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Crazy Balance Thing Going On...


Ruthie13

Recommended Posts

Ruthie13 Rookie

Ok so in a nutshell I


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



masterjen Explorer

I don't know if your symptoms are gluten-related or not, but google the term BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), and see if this sounds like what you are experiencing. If so, ask your family doctor to refer you to an Ear, Nose, Throat specialist (otolaryngologist) if it doesn't clear up.

i-geek Rookie

It could be. I had problems with constantly clogged sinuses (like, since childhood and I'm 31 now) before going gluten-free, and that caused a lot of problems with vertigo. I didn't even realize how big of a problem it was until I went totally gluten-free and it cleared up.

ravenwoodglass Mentor

What you are likely experiencing is gluten ataxia. It differs from vertigo in that you wouldn't have the 'spinning' sensation that often goes with vertigo. You described it perfectly IMHO when you described it as feeling like you are walking on a boat. I have had it since childhood. Mine got so bad I couldn't walk unaided by the time I was diagnosed. The good news is that it is likely the CC you are living with that is causing it. Once you are able to stop the CC it should resolve.

celiacmom2 Rookie

I usually get the off kilter problem in the Spring...I think mine is due to fluid in the ears. My doc always checks my ears and asks me what I am using as nose spray to get it drained and I am not using anything because the sprays all make me feel weird. That could have been from celiac disease though, now I am on a gluten free diet, and once in a while I get glutened but the fluid in my ears doesn't seem to go away, I am still getting sinus headaches. You might want to get your sinuses looked at by your doc to just rule everything out.

I have experienced a problem when I am sitting that about once a month I feel like I am falling forward and I end up grabbing whatever is near me so I don't actually fall. Of course I scare my family and they wonder what just happened so I just say the usual, I have had and still have some anemias from Celiac Disease that I am still working on trying to build back up like my iron count, but not sure if it is that or just allergies. I wonder if that is ataxia( I think that is how its spelled) from Celiac that I have experienced for a long time.

StephanieGF Rookie

Yes, the feeling like you are walking on a boat is exactly what I experience. I think it is the worse part of being glutened. I can deal with gas and other issues, but the dizziness is unbearable. I think for me it is the stress that gluten puts on my body, because other things that cause a stress on my body (food allergies or mental stresses) tend to make me dizzy too.

Ruthie13 Rookie

wow great to know that I'm not going crazy!!..this forum is great for that, just to be able to connect with others experiencing similar things. If I get the chance I'll get checked out by the doc just to see it isn't something else but hopefully it'll disappear once I get my diet under control again. Thanks!


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



BigDogz Explorer

wow great to know that I'm not going crazy!!..this forum is great for that, just to be able to connect with others experiencing similar things. If I get the chance I'll get checked out by the doc just to see it isn't something else but hopefully it'll disappear once I get my diet under control again. Thanks!

I think we've all felt from time to time as though we're crazy and the only person out there experiencing such things. But, no, you're NOT crazy...

In addition to mild to moderate GI symptoms, I get peripheral neuropathy (burning/tingling in toes/feet/lower legs & hands) and the same off-kilter issue you have when I'm glutened. I find that I have a tendency to veer to the right when walking and it takes me longer than normal to adjust to sudden, significant position changes (e.g. standing after sitting or lying down).

I like your description about how your symptoms feel like you're walking on the deck of a rolling ship. I described it as a sensation that I was walking on a floor that was warped and buckled but your's is a much clearer description. When I get that "rolling ship" sensation, it seems as though I can't control my legs & I find that I do a lot of tripping and the veering thing.

But it's the way you describe how it seems that there's a delay where you have to "wait for the back of your head to catch up" that really stood out to me. I experience something that's somewhat similar. Before I was diagnosed, I wasn't sure how to explain what I was feeling to my doctor other than to say that it felt as though I was having what I thought an out-of-body experience might feel like...I knew in my mind that my physical body was walking on the floor but it felt like some "invisible, shadow part" of me was simultaneously walking 6 or 8 inches off the floor and a step or two behind my body. And don't think I didn't worry about being thought of as crazy with a description like that!! LOL.

Take heart, though. Since going gluten-free, the only time I have those unsettling symptoms is the unusual occasion when I get glutened. It sounds as though your cross-contamination issue is at the root of this and I'd bet that the symptoms will disappear when you're able to fix that problem.

bluebonnet Explorer

i would say its got something to do with gluten ... ataxia is an issue for me ... noticed slight improvement(after 3.5 months gluten free) and now with my gluten challenge it happens frequently. again. (1 more week of gluten and i get my biopsy. i hope this has been worth it as far as the biopsy goes).

anyway, do your best to stay away from it and hopefully after awhile you will notice improvement! :)

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,549
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Blough
    Newest Member
    Blough
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Your post demonstrates the profound frustration and isolation that so many in the Celiac community feel, and I want to thank you for channeling that experience into advocacy. The medical gaslighting you endured for decades is an unacceptable and, sadly, a common story, and the fact that you now have to "school" your own GI specialist speaks volumes about the critical lack of consistent and updated education. Your idea to make Celiac Disease a reportable condition to public health authorities is a compelling and strategic one. This single action would force the system to formally acknowledge the prevalence and seriousness of the disease, creating a concrete dataset that could drive better research funding, shape medical school curricula, and validate the patient experience in a way that individual stories alone often cannot. It is an uphill battle, but contacting representatives, as you have done with Adam Gray, is exactly how change begins. By framing it as a public health necessity—a matter of patient safety and protection from misdiagnosis and neglect—you are building a powerful case. Your voice and your perseverance, forged through thirty years of struggle, are exactly what this community needs to ensure that no one else has to fight so hard just to be believed and properly cared for.
    • Scott Adams
      I had no idea there is a "Louisville" in Colorado!😉 I thought it was a typo because I always think of the Kentucky city--but good luck!
    • Scott Adams
      Navigating medication safety with Celiac disease can be incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with asthma and severe allergies on top of it. While I don't have personal experience with the HealthA2Z brand of cetirizine, your caution is absolutely warranted. The inactive ingredients in pills, known as excipients, are often where gluten can be hidden, and since the FDA does not require gluten-free labeling for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, the manufacturer's word is essential. The fact that you cannot get a clear answer from Allegiant Health is a significant red flag; a company that is confident its product is gluten-free will typically have a customer service protocol to answer that exact question. In situations like this, the safest course of action is to consider this product "guilty until proven innocent" and avoid it. A better alternative would be to ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you identify a major national brand of cetirizine (like Zyrtec) whose manufacturer has a verified, publicly stated gluten-free policy for that specific medication. It's not worth the risk to your health when reliable, verifiable options are almost certainly available to you. You can search this site for USA prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
    • Scott Adams
      What you're describing is indeed familiar to many in the Celiac community, especially in the early stages of healing. When the intestinal villi are damaged from Celiac disease, they struggle to properly digest and absorb fats, a condition known as bile acid malabsorption. This can cause exactly the kind of cramping and spasms you're seeing, as undigested fats can irritate the sensitive gut lining. It is highly plausible that her reactions to dairy and eggs are linked to their higher fat content rather than the proteins, especially since she tolerates lean chicken breast. The great news is that for many, this does improve with time. As her gut continues to heal on a strict gluten-free diet, her ability to produce the necessary enzymes and bile to break down fats should gradually return, allowing her to slowly tolerate a wider variety of foods. It's a slow process of healing, but your careful approach of focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense foods like seeds and avocado is providing her system the best possible environment to recover. Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery, have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months. Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal. This article may be helpful: Thank you for sharing your story—it's a valuable insight for other parents navigating similar challenges.
    • Beverage
      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.