Elimination Diet - Feel Like Crap!

[JenniferLynn]

Hi All!

I've had chronic constant and pretty severe headaches for three years that just started out of the blue one day. I've been to all the docs and have had all the tests done...and they all say I'm healthy...but I don't feel healthy. My nervous system is also out of wack and I get nervous very easily/anxious. I am seeing a chiropractor who specializes in headaches and who thought I might have a gluten intolerence. Well thanks to Enterolab, I do have a gluten intolerence along with soy, dairy, yeast, and eggs. I eliminated gluten and dairy from my diet about 5-6 weeks ago with NO relief. When the test results came back from Enterolab with the other intolerences, I cut those out this past Sunday. Monday and Tuesday I had even worse headaches than normal...and Weds the headache wasn barely any better. But today (Thursday) my head is KILLING me and I have sore gooky eyes and feel like CRAP. I'm sure this is a withdrawal symptom of some kind, but feel like my head will literally explode.

Does anyone else have a similar story? How long did you have to go off of gluten/other foods before you saw an improvement in your symptoms? I hear it can take 3-6 months for improvement. So far...I am skeptical that this is what's causing my headaches since I've been gluten-free for 5+ weeks.

Please share your stories with me so I don't think I'm the only one experiencing this stuff!

Thanks! - Jen

[gf-soph]

I've been on an elmination diet for 2 months now, and have just got well enough to start introducing things. I have been gluten-free for almost 2 years, but still had lots of problems, mostly GI but also a lot of brain fog/mood issues.

When you say elmination diet, have you just cut out the foods you mentioned, or are you right down to a very basic diet? There are so many things that could cause headaches. You may want to look at some of the other recent threads about elimination diets for an overview of the different approaches, and go from there.

For what it's worth, I definitely had worse headaches for the first week on the elimination diet, then found I got them from artificial sweeteners. I also found a horrible reaction to eggs, and a reaction to rice that affected my mood and concentration, though I suspect it's because I went overboad with the amounts.

The simpler the elmination diet is to start with the more likely it is that you will be able to pinpoint the culplrit foods.

Also, remember to keep enough nutrition in your diet to stay well. If you are unwell to start with cutting out the wrong foods could leave you feeling off as your body isn't getting the right nutrition. I am doing the diet under the supervision of a dietician, and have also used sustagen hospital formula to keep my general nutrients up. It's got dairy and corn in it so I know it wouldn't work for most people, but it's ok for me.

Food and chemical intolerances can build up over many days, and can take anywhere from a day to 2 weeks to die down. Don't start despairing for a while yet!

It's worth adding the standard question too - are you 100% strict about gluten? Have you replaced your non-stick cookware etc. Have you checked supplements, and even body products? If not, get super stict with the gluten, as if it's the problem you can be very sensitive to it.

Oh, and have you had any nutrient levels checked? I got horrible headaces when I was B12 deficient, and I think also some from when I was iron deficient.

Good luck!

[lucia]

Sounds like withdrawal to me, given the timeline. Just hang in there. If it is withdrawal, it will pass. (If not, you can look into other issues, but I don't think you'll need to.)

[Looking for answers]

Probably just withdrawal. Do you happen to drink diet soda? Many people get severe headsches from aspartame.

[ravenwoodglass]

Are you taking anything for the headaches or were you taking something and then stopped when you started the elimination diet? If you were regularly taking something for them and then stopped suddenly you could be experiencing rebound headaches. If you are presently taking something script or over the counter make sure by calling the maker that it is gluten free. You may just be experiencing withdrawl in which case it should pass soon but if the headaches get more severe do talk to your doctor, especially if you have been on a script for them.

[tarnalberry]

Also, are you getting enough food? When we eliminate a number of things, we may not get enough food (or eat a lot of things that bother us). For me, I have to watch that I get enough (and balanced enough) food to avoid the horrid low blood sugar headaches that accompany hypoglycemia.