I Feel Miserable And Alone

[captaincramp]

I have been having chronic stomachaches for the past couple of months and recently they have been getting closer and closer together. I am a 14 year old Male, without a formal diagnosis. I have read so much information about celiac disease alone that I know that this is what I must have considering I have had bloating, gas, anxiety, depression, on and off constipation/Diarrhrea and so called "excercise enduced athsma" the inhaler doesnt even work so I dont think I really have have athsma. I have heard that can just be aother celiac side effect. I am at the bottom of the growth chart in weight, yet I eat like a normal 14 year old would. I have a blood test result coming back, but i hvae no hope left for that because I have heard so much abut their lack of accuracy, so I am wondering if I really have Celiac Disease. So far my doctor speculates that I have IBS, yet the WHOLE GRAIN DIET and no caffeine only made me feel worse, so I went gluten free for three days so far. I am feeling better stomach wise, yet my depression, anxiety and gas still occur. Yet there is less cramping. But the weird thing is that I have had hungr feelings only shortly after eating a big bowl of Gluten Free Noodles from the health store. I have heard recovery takes a while in adults, and I completely understand that this disease works like an addiction, but how long will I feel this gut wrenching hunger. Sorry to babble on and on, but I am just so scared that there could be something wrong with me, but it sounds like celiac disease, and I have already had a reaction to the gluten-free Diet, so is this hungry anxious pain normal?? Help would be greatly appreciated, considering school is coming up and I cant afford to live life like this...

[ravenwoodglass]

I am sorry you are feeling so bad right now. It is a good sign that your stomach issues are easing up but it does take a bit of time to heal. Have you had a blood test done for celiac? You can call your doctor and see if they will call in a script for one today before you have been gluten free any longer. If you are going to have an endoscopy for diagnosis you need to keep eating gluten until that is done. If they won't do it then just continue with the diet. Your young and it is likely you will find that you go through a growth spurt soon if gluten is an issue for you and you go gluten free at your age.

You may also go through withdrawl but that should be over by the time school starts again leaving you feeling much better emotionally and even improving your memory and learning. Gluten can effect our brains as well as our bodies, the reason why some of us go through withdrawl.

Do you have your families support with this? I would suggest you have them come here and ask any questions they need to as well as reading as much as you can yourself.

Do check in also on the teen section of the board, you are not alone although it does feel that way right now. If there is anything anyone here can do to help please feel free to ask and this is a place full of folks who have had the same problems you are experiencing.

[kitgordon]

3 days is not a long time. If you feel even a little better gluten-free, you probably have celiac or at least gluten intolerance. I suggest you give it time. For me the "gut-wrenching hunger" lasted almost 2 months. I think it is your body asking for more nutrition to aid in its healing. You say you are somewhat underweight, so if you feel hungry - EAT! As long as it is gluten free.

Good luck!

[sb2178]

Yeah, I was famished for about 3 weeks. At that point, my weight was pretty close to normal again and it started to back off. After over two months I can finally delay meals or eat a light meal and not be hungry to the point of crankiness.

You'll also want to make sure that you are eating from various food groups-- try to get three food groups per meal, and make sure you have a source of protein, fat, and carbohydrates at each meal. Lactose-- from milk and soft cheese-- could also be a problem. If you don't feel better after two weeks, try eliminating dairy as well.

(Just in case you don't already know here's an abbreviated list)

Protein: beans, nuts, seeds, PB, dairy, eggs, meat/poultry, fish

Fat: nuts, seeds, PB, all dairy except non-fat, eggs, most but not all meat/poultry/fish, oils, olives, avocados

Carbs: grains (quinoa, millet, rice, corn, etc), potatoes, beans, vegetables, fruits

[vbecton]

So sorry to hear about your struggles, but it sounds so familiar! I think most of us can relate to your story.

My out-of-control hunger is still ongoing and I'm 3 months on gluten-free. I wouldn't worry too much about that because with Celiac, your body needs to heal and that can take lots of time. Like another poster said, your body is asking for more nourishment and nutrition. Be sure you are eating as healthy and clean as possible. You are probably at the mercy of what your parents buy, but mention to them that you would prefer some grilled meats, veggies & fruits. As a parent, I wouldn't never object to my child wanting that!

My gas is still an ongoing issue, but I can always relate it to something I'm eating. Through this process I've learned I'm intolerant to far more than just gluten. Soy gives me the same reaction as gluten. Coconut (as I've just learned this week) is like a poison to my stomach. I get gas within an hour and then cramping. It's awful!

I hope you find the answers you are looking for, but also remember that eating a gluten-free diet can also be a choice regardless of your medical findings Good luck!

[conniebky]

Wow!

I was going to get around to asking this question.

I've been noticing in the past couple of weeks that after I eat, I get this feeling, not that I'm hungry, but that my tummy is empty.

It's very hard to describe. It feels like it's full of air, (not gas), I was wondering what was up with that.

Now I'm going to go back and read what everyone has to say about it

[Gemini]

  On 7/29/2010 at 8:54 AM, captaincramp said:

I have been having chronic stomachaches for the past couple of months and recently they have been getting closer and closer together. I am a 14 year old Male, without a formal diagnosis. I have read so much information about celiac disease alone that I know that this is what I must have considering I have had bloating, gas, anxiety, depression, on and off constipation/Diarrhrea and so called "excercise enduced athsma" the inhaler doesnt even work so I dont think I really have have athsma. I have heard that can just be aother celiac side effect. I am at the bottom of the growth chart in weight, yet I eat like a normal 14 year old would. I have a blood test result coming back, but i hvae no hope left for that because I have heard so much abut their lack of accuracy, so I am wondering if I really have Celiac Disease. So far my doctor speculates that I have IBS, yet the WHOLE GRAIN DIET and no caffeine only made me feel worse, so I went gluten free for three days so far. I am feeling better stomach wise, yet my depression, anxiety and gas still occur. Yet there is less cramping. But the weird thing is that I have had hungr feelings only shortly after eating a big bowl of Gluten Free Noodles from the health store. I have heard recovery takes a while in adults, and I completely understand that this disease works like an addiction, but how long will I feel this gut wrenching hunger. Sorry to babble on and on, but I am just so scared that there could be something wrong with me, but it sounds like celiac disease, and I have already had a reaction to the gluten-free Diet, so is this hungry anxious pain normal?? Help would be greatly appreciated, considering school is coming up and I cant afford to live life like this...

The reason you are feeling so hungry is because you are no longer eating foods that bloat you up. I had the same problem initially and I realized that I was no longer inflating like a balloon after eating gluten containing foods. If your gut is full of gas, you aren't going to feel hungry.

I am in awe that a 14 year old male would take the time to look into their health problems and question what the doctor is telling you! You are very smart and mature for your age and should be congratulated. That doctor should be dope slapped because no 14 year old should ever receive an IBS diagnosis. At your age, your gut should be working like gang-busters, unless you are reacting to food. I would suggest staying on the diet, as best you can, and feel free to eat as much gluten-free foods as possible to make you feel full and happy. This will pass....your body is just hungry for nutrients and will absorb like crazy once it heals a bit. If you feel badly after eating whole grains and better on the gluten-free diet, you have some sport of problem with gluten. Don't fret so much over something being terribly wrong because at 14, the odds of that are extremely low. Good luck to you and don't doubt what your intuition is telling you. All of your symptoms are well known symptoms of a food problem and wheat is one of the biggest problems for many.

[captaincramp]

Thank you so much you guys for your answers. Yes, Gemini I am always worrying about my health whenever something is wrong with me. I go into panic, to find an answer, which can actually be a good thing.I am just curious as to when these are going away. I had similar but less severe symptoms when I was nine, but then they went away and they didnt know what it was. But two months ago those same symptoms came back but they were more severe than before. But judging by how long I have had it compared to other people, I hope it will go away. Does the length of symptoms matter for the time of recovery at all?

[sandsurfgirl]

The hunger at first is really a pain. I was starving for probably 5 weeks or so. I have it all journaled somewhere.

I had suspicions at a young age but there was no info out there back there, or not that I found.

I got diagnosed at 40 even though my problems started as a kid. Do the gluten free diet and if it works you can save yourself a lifetime of damage and illness!

And yes the asthma can be a celiac symptom. Also when you have asthma trouble that doesn't respond to the inhaler it can be due to reflux. One third of all asthma attacks are related to reflux according to my pulmonologist. My asthma, allergies and sinus infections are pretty much gone now that I'm 8 months gluten free. I think I might always have asthma and need to be careful but the improvement is remarkable.

[captaincramp]

Thanks! Yeah, the hunger is eating me alive. And someone was just telling me about cross contaminated rice cakes, so im sad Butthere is plenty of other stuff to eat, so I will most likely eat a giant loin of beef or something like that to make me feel less hungry. These hunger pains are just so terrible. But they are also good because now I pretty much know I have celiac disease.

[ravenwoodglass]

  On 7/30/2010 at 9:24 PM, captaincramp said:

Thanks! Yeah, the hunger is eating me alive. And someone was just telling me about cross contaminated rice cakes, so im sad Butthere is plenty of other stuff to eat, so I will most likely eat a giant loin of beef or something like that to make me feel less hungry. These hunger pains are just so terrible. But they are also good because now I pretty much know I have celiac disease.

That loin of beef sounds like a much better choice than rice cakes. Add in a couple baked potatos or a big bowl of rice and some veggies too.

[GFinDC]

You could also try some Solgar gluten-free vitamins. You may be low on some vitamins, which could make you hungry, Especially when your body may be in a big healing mode now. I suggest looking for vitamins with only a few ingredients, not the multi-vitamins. And make sure you don't get any with dairy, soy, or oat or wheat grass juice. The multi-vitamins are bad because they have so many ingredients it's hard to figure which oneis bothering you. If you take just a vitamin D pill and it makes you sick you can stop that pill.

The same goes for foods. The fewer ingredients the easier it is to identify problems.

I suggest you avoid all soy while you are healing, and dairy can be a problem too.