What Changes Happen After Diagnosis?

[happylittlemama]

I know we talk a lot about the symptoms of Celiac on here, but I was curious if anyone was willing to share what things have changed for the good? We are in our 5th week of gluten free and on the parents and babies forum I listed what I had seen changed with my kids, but I didn't do myself. I would like to compare notes if you wouldn't mind.

My hair was dry and getting curlier with each baby I had. Now it's getting straighter and the texture is feeling better...healthier? I think it is starting to grow faster too.

Some of the acne is clearing up. I still get a few zits here and there but they are clearing up within a week or so. It used to take months.

I am still getting occasional headaches. Some of them I can attribute to the summer heat and not drinking enough water, or sometimes being overtired. I'm not getting as many as I used to, which is a huge improvement.

My joints aren't hurting as much as they were, but I still have pain in them and swelling still. I have 3 herniated discs in my neck in 7 different places. That's not getting better, unfortunately. A little OT, but if it's not getting better with physical therapy, should that be considered for surgery? I've been doing 7 weeks of physical therapy now.

More energy! YAY! You would not believe what my house looked like after 4 months of barely maintaining it with 6 kids wrecking havoc in here.

Anyone care to share their improvements?

[glutenfr3309]

I know we talk a lot about the symptoms of Celiac on here, but I was curious if anyone was willing to share what things have changed for the good? We are in our 5th week of gluten free and on the parents and babies forum I listed what I had seen changed with my kids, but I didn't do myself. I would like to compare notes if you wouldn't mind.

My hair was dry and getting curlier with each baby I had. Now it's getting straighter and the texture is feeling better...healthier? I think it is starting to grow faster too.

Some of the acne is clearing up. I still get a few zits here and there but they are clearing up within a week or so. It used to take months.

I am still getting occasional headaches. Some of them I can attribute to the summer heat and not drinking enough water, or sometimes being overtired. I'm not getting as many as I used to, which is a huge improvement.

My joints aren't hurting as much as they were, but I still have pain in them and swelling still. I have 3 herniated discs in my neck in 7 different places. That's not getting better, unfortunately. A little OT, but if it's not getting better with physical therapy, should that be considered for surgery? I've been doing 7 weeks of physical therapy now.

More energy! YAY! You would not believe what my house looked like after 4 months of barely maintaining it with 6 kids wrecking havoc in here.

Anyone care to share their improvements?

let's see, for me personally the biggest thing i noticed was that i could actually get out of bed in the morning!!

i was SO fatigued that sleeping 8 hours at night wasn't enough- i would wake up in the mornings feeling like i had not slept at all. because of the tiredness i had coffee every morning (just the one in the morning). now, i drink decaf because i don't need the caffeine and it doesn't go through me like regular coffee (i just like the taste and it's part of my morning ritual).

it also got to the point that i could FEEL the inflammation in my intestines. that area always hurt- that's how i described it to people- it literally felt like my intestines hurt! my waist went down 1/2 inch as well from that inflammation as did the inflammation on the rest of my body. for years my upper thighs on the sides were extremely sensitive- this has improved as well. i now have normal BMs. never had the D thank goodness but they definitely were not normal before.

i'm not irritable/depressed/anxious.

less headaches!

my skin complexion has improved. i look at photos around the time that i felt the worst and the dark circles under my eyes were horrendous. granted, they're still there, but my overall skin complexion looks better! several people have told me i look healthier now.

my skin isn't AS dry now and i have less of those weird random dry patches.

[ravenwoodglass]

The changes for the better, oh gosh, what can I say! My signature says a lot but the changes go so far beyond what is there. It was like a miracle. I became a different person. Part of that, of course, was not living in constant pain but I am just so much more relaxed in so many ways. It is like I am me again. When I first got hit with celiac in childhood my grandfather, who I didn't see often, said to my parents 'Where did my little sunshine go?' 40 some on years later she came back.

[bluebonnet]

i've haven't made a signature yet but i had just about every symptom ... gi, bloating, ataxia, bone and joint pain, insomnia, brain fog, numbness and tingling in arms, feet and legs, vit d deficient, unbelievably dry eyes, dh, hair loss, hypothyroid and just overall blah. i have seen improvement so far and most especially with my gi and dh. i have seen some improvement in the tingling/numbness, brain fog (can concentrate more easily & clearly)and definitely more energy. i'm starting to notice (just yesterday in fact!) that my leg feels stronger and don't give way like they used to and stronger grip. i've also noticed i'm not as anxious. i'm having more nights with longer sleep. for the past almost 14 years i've felt like a walking zombie with 4 or less hours a night. now i've had several days with atleast 6 or more restful hours and wow! that is huge!! i'm hoping my hair grows back in thicker. i miss my big hair. i still have bone and joint pain but i will say i'm starting to see improvement.

for me, with the exception of a few cc's i've been gluten free since january 10, 2010. and then i did a gluten challenge for about a month in may and gluten free again may 24, 2010. it messed up my progress but i'm back on track and feeling the difference!!! i am so grateful.

[Tina B]

I know we talk a lot about the symptoms of Celiac on here, but I was curious if anyone was willing to share what things have changed for the good? We are in our 5th week of gluten free and on the parents and babies forum I listed what I had seen changed with my kids, but I didn't do myself. I would like to compare notes if you wouldn't mind.

My hair was dry and getting curlier with each baby I had. Now it's getting straighter and the texture is feeling better...healthier? I think it is starting to grow faster too.

Some of the acne is clearing up. I still get a few zits here and there but they are clearing up within a week or so. It used to take months.

I am still getting occasional headaches. Some of them I can attribute to the summer heat and not drinking enough water, or sometimes being overtired. I'm not getting as many as I used to, which is a huge improvement.

My joints aren't hurting as much as they were, but I still have pain in them and swelling still. I have 3 herniated discs in my neck in 7 different places. That's not getting better, unfortunately. A little OT, but if it's not getting better with physical therapy, should that be considered for surgery? I've been doing 7 weeks of physical therapy now.

More energy! YAY! You would not believe what my house looked like after 4 months of barely maintaining it with 6 kids wrecking havoc in here.

Anyone care to share their improvements?

Once the severe iron deficiency anemia went away the energy was back up. No more mouth ulcers once a month, no more GI symptoms, bad indigestion, diarrhea, constipation. Hair quality improved and so did skin. A lot of the vague stuff like paper thin nails are all related to the malabsorbtion of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Have not been anemic since I've been gluten free.

[Skylark]

Let's see. I recovered from ... "Gastritis", "IBS", canker sores, borderline anemia, bipolar illness, and fatigue. My hair and nails are stronger too. Oh - I also used to get a rash on my hand that might be DH.

I might have missed something but my story is in my profile.

[GlutenFreeManna]

-More energy!

-No more hair loss, and just last week my hubby commented that my hair was growing in darker (it's blonde, but had turned almost white). I have never colored my hair and I am 30 years old, but I was losing my hair and going grey/white.

-healthy nails that don't peel or break.

-skin is somewhat dry still, but fewer breakouts and no more rashes or hives.

-Less swelling in my hands and feet. I can where my wedding ring again and I have lovely ankles.

-no more fake pregnant belly bloat.

-more regular and lighter periods.

-ability to think clearly (most of the time )

-ability to read books again (and enjoy them) my short term memory had gotten so bad I would re-read a paragraph more than once trying to remember which line I had just read. Sounds weird, but I had this problem.

-ability to remember numbers has improved. Another strange one, but I noticed it today. I have never been able to recall numbers very well. I would always have to write down an address and look at it more than once on the way there, I wouldn't be able to memorize it. Today I had a list of addresses for several places I needed to go. I wrote them all down on a piece of paper and somehow I remembered them with only one glance. I didn't have to look at the numbers more than once while in the car. Perhaps this is just over-all memory improvement, but it seems like a miracle. My brain is working so well for the first time in years!

-No more asthma attacks

-No more anxiety attacks

-less depression/more happiness (today I could not stop singing, I was happy for no reason at all)

-strength in my hands and arms (I used to be too weak to even open a bottle of water. Now I can carry in all my heavy groceries and open my own jars and bottles)

-no more sinus infections

-fewer seasonal allergies

-weight loss of 20 lbs

-no more dry eyes (I can wear contacts again)

-healthier teeth and gums (still have gum disease, but my gums don't bleed as much as they used to)

-No more muscle pain/muscle cramps

-no more joint pain

-no more shaky hands (still happens if I get glutened though)