My First 3 Weeks And Questions

[GypsyGirl]

First off, thanks to everyone who's already been so supportive already, this board is wonderful.

Okay, so yesterday marked my 3 week point being gluten free. Wow, what a ride it's already been.

There have been many positives already, and I'm hopeful for more over the next months. I'm much more limber, my head is clearer, I can eat and then go somewhere or do something (as opposed to my long standing life rule of "never eat before you go out!"). I've lost 5 pounds (I had 10 pounds I hate go on with no reason over the last couple of years and have a lifelong history of weight going on or off randomly without being influenced by diet or exercise, try as I might).

Weird stuff:

--The shift in the whole alignment of my intestines and midriff first caused me to hit my head on the floor during yoga (misjudging my limberness), then I found that though I have more stamina and am far less short of breath on dog walks around the neighborhood, I went through a week or two of my leg muscles getting really sore and tired when walking, because I'm apparently now using an all new set of muscles, my posture having shifted. They're slowly building up now, but that is SO weird. LOL I had "good" posture before, due to years of ballet and yoga, so it's not a visible change to others, but a very noticable change to me

--I can hold a pen and write longer without my shoulder blade cramping horribly (a serious problem since middle school).

--The OMG-I-MUST-HAVE-WHEAT-OR-I-WILL-STARVE-TO-DEATH effect has finally worn off, and I'm finding myself intrigued by healthy foods that never would have interested me before. (Used to be that no matter how full and healthy a meal I'd eaten, I would still feel a nagging hunger until I took at least one bite of a wheat biscuit and that would calm it).

I've been trying valiantly to maintain a dual household (still preparing gluten foods for my husband and son) and not get contaminated, but good grief this is hard. I HAVE NEVER WASHED MY HANDS SO MANY TIMES A DAY IN MY LIFE. And I'm going through disposable gloves like mad. I'm not baking (so no flour flying), but there is a constant need to prepare sandwiches, cereals, etc.. Trying my best to segregate the kitchen...

I hadn't been "glutened" to my knowledge, until two days ago. I have no idea what I got into or how, but two nights ago my stomach was puffed up and gurgly for the first time since coming off gluten, then yesterday morning my legs were itching and red again, and last night was the usual dizzy spell followed a few hours later by the inevitable cramps and D, then collapsing in bed to sleep it off. Today I will be sort of wrung out and sore and slightly tired, but recovering. This is a long standing syndrome/pattern for me, but I think I'm learning that it was gluten all along. Still have no idea how I got contaminated (assuming that is what happened, though it seems likely that it is). Or if maybe this is just occasional flare-ups during the detox, but seems kind of sudden and violent for that. Very frustrating...

Been more energetic sometimes and more tired others, which I suppose is normal. I have to give it time, right? I know, can't heal 38 years of damage in 3 weeks.

Any encouragement or insight (or just commiseration:)) is most welcome.

Oh, random question - does anyone else get nasal or sinus congestion or draining along with the gluten attacks? Seems to get mixed together for me.

Be well!

[i-geek]

Honestly, I couldn't fully heal until I made our kitchen gluten-free (except for the husband's beer stuff). I kept getting CC'd from stray crumbs or pasta residue, bun or sauce residue on the grill, or even from things like grabbing a condiment bottle that my husband had previously grabbed with his hotdog-bun-glutened hand. I don't expect him to eat gluten-free outside of the house and I'm not going to fuss over restaurant leftovers or a fast food sandwich if he cleans up well, but we don't do gluten food prep in our house anymore. I suspect that you may have been similarly glutened (especially if you kiss either one of them after they've eaten something with gluten). If your husband insists on gluten food prep, maybe it's time for him to make his own sandwiches. As for your son- there are plenty of gluten-free cereals out there (corn and rice Chex, most of the EnviroKids line). There are corn tortillas and Udi's bread for wraps and sandwiches.

And yes, I had chronic sinus problems and seasonal allergies before I went gluten-free.

[srall]

I had terrible sinus problems too and my sinuses were completely closed up (had to breathe through mouth) when I was detoxing.

I have the same problem with a husband and daughter who still eat gluten. I am getting pretty good about being careful (so far). The biggest mistake I made this month was in true harried mom fashion I tried to make my daughter's school lunch at the same time I was eating my breakfast. Don't do that. I paid.

I'm hoping we don't all have to go gluten free. So far it seems livable.

Your symptoms of detox all sound pretty similar to mine. For the first two months I walked around saying "This is life changing" over and over to anyone who would listen. I couldn't believe what gluten (and dairy, soy and corn) had been doing to my health.

Keep going!

[SGWhiskers]

I tried for 3 months to do the segregated kitchen. Hubby had to do all the gluten food prep if he wanted it. We finally went on a 2 month gluten free household experiment. It was at that point that I could figure out what mistakes I was making to accidentally gluten myself and not what my husband was doing to accidentally poison me. He learned to eat my food just fine. (I wish I had found Udi's bread. He loves it). Then after he had learned properly what did and didn't have gluten and how to control the spread of his crumbs, I slowly let items back in watching him like a hawk and kindly teaching him about cross contamination. We maintained a gluten light house for the next 1.5 years until I got pregnant. Now the house is gluten free again until the baby is born (and hopefully after). It made me sooo much more sane to know that gluten wasn't lurking on every knob and towel in the house.

I felt awful guilt about making my hubby go gluten free. I think it did help to have him do the gluten food prep for a few months while I found substitute items for a house full of gluten free.

I'm glad you are feeling so much better these days. I'm sorry about your noggin, but that struck me as funny and something that I would do. Take care and feel better soon. My detox symptoms included excessive thirst and sugar cravings then 3 months of literally non-stop eating. I just ate healthy food and avoided the gluten free baked good replacements. I'm glad you are finding relief so quickly.

[GypsyGirl]

i-geek - Yeah, I'm afraid we may end up having to make the house gluten-free eventually. Right now I'm holding off until I can get my son tested and see if he is going to have to go gluten-free as well, because I don't want to strip him of it for days at a time, then let him eat out on the weekend and end up really sick after he's inadvertantly been detoxed (we're homeschoolers, so he almost always eats at home with me). So, we'll see how it goes once we know more. Sorry it was hard for you, as well. I'll definitely look into more gluten-free options for Kidlet so, if nothing else, I won't have to wash my hands QUITE so many time a day!

srall:

I had terrible sinus problems too and my sinuses were completely closed up (had to breathe through mouth) when I was detoxing.

Isn't that just so bizarre? But good to hear I'm not alone (and mine aren't as severe as yours, atm)!

The biggest mistake I made this month was in true harried mom fashion I tried to make my daughter's school lunch at the same time I was eating my breakfast. Don't do that. I paid.

Ooh, ouch, yeah, that's a bad one. I'm constantly having to stop myself from eating something while I prep the gluten stuff. I used to get half my meals eaten while still cooking and working, and now I have to divide tasks far more neatly. Tedious and frustrating.

I'm hoping we don't all have to go gluten free. So far it seems livable.

VERY encouraging to hear that from at least one voice! May I ask how long you've been gluten-free?

SGWhiskers:

It made me sooo much more sane to know that gluten wasn't lurking on every knob and towel in the house. I felt awful guilt about making my hubby go gluten free.

That's the worst part, isn't it? It seems so selfish and asking SUCH a sacrifice of a person with no personal physical reason to make one, and yet it would be SUCH freedom to just have the house stripped clean and be able to go back to functioning "normally" at least at home.

I'm sorry about your noggin, but that struck me as funny and something that I would do.

Oh, it was hilarious. At first I didn't even realize what had happened, I thought maybe I'd just suddenly made progress and was more limber than I had been, but I did one of my usual daily motions and THONK. So much for a picture of loveliness and grace.*g* Then the next day I was leaning down to pick something up off the kitchen floor and smacked my chest into the corner of the kitchen table. It was after that second incident I started to put two and two together and realized why I was misjudging.

My detox symptoms included excessive thirst

That's what happened to me when I went on the yeast control diet 8 years ago (no sugar, no fruit, no refined flours, no refined oils, nothing fermented, and later no dairy). I was thirsty all the time.

then 3 months of literally non-stop eating.

Yes, I am constantly looking for something else I can eat, my diet is already so limited (from allergies as well, which is one reason I hadn't pursued the gluten possibilities in the past, I was afraid I just wouldn't have enough to eat). I've never eaten so much meat and veggies and rice cakes in my life, yet I'm losing weight. Weird.

Thank you everyone for all the supportive comments! Muchly appreciated.

[curiousgirl]

i-geek - Yeah, I'm afraid we may end up having to make the house gluten-free eventually. Right now I'm holding off until I can get my son tested and see if he is going to have to go gluten-free as well, because I don't want to strip him of it for days at a time, then let him eat out on the weekend and end up really sick after he's inadvertantly been detoxed (we're homeschoolers, so he almost always eats at home with me). So, we'll see how it goes once we know more. Sorry it was hard for you, as well. I'll definitely look into more gluten-free options for Kidlet so, if nothing else, I won't have to wash my hands QUITE so many time a day!

srall:

I had terrible sinus problems too and my sinuses were completely closed up (had to breathe through mouth) when I was detoxing.

Isn't that just so bizarre? But good to hear I'm not alone (and mine aren't as severe as yours, atm)!

The biggest mistake I made this month was in true harried mom fashion I tried to make my daughter's school lunch at the same time I was eating my breakfast. Don't do that. I paid.

Ooh, ouch, yeah, that's a bad one. I'm constantly having to stop myself from eating something while I prep the gluten stuff. I used to get half my meals eaten while still cooking and working, and now I have to divide tasks far more neatly. Tedious and frustrating.

I'm hoping we don't all have to go gluten free. So far it seems livable.

VERY encouraging to hear that from at least one voice! May I ask how long you've been gluten-free?

SGWhiskers:

It made me sooo much more sane to know that gluten wasn't lurking on every knob and towel in the house. I felt awful guilt about making my hubby go gluten free.

That's the worst part, isn't it? It seems so selfish and asking SUCH a sacrifice of a person with no personal physical reason to make one, and yet it would be SUCH freedom to just have the house stripped clean and be able to go back to functioning "normally" at least at home.

I'm sorry about your noggin, but that struck me as funny and something that I would do.

Oh, it was hilarious. At first I didn't even realize what had happened, I thought maybe I'd just suddenly made progress and was more limber than I had been, but I did one of my usual daily motions and THONK. So much for a picture of loveliness and grace.*g* Then the next day I was leaning down to pick something up off the kitchen floor and smacked my chest into the corner of the kitchen table. It was after that second incident I started to put two and two together and realized why I was misjudging.

My detox symptoms included excessive thirst

That's what happened to me when I went on the yeast control diet 8 years ago (no sugar, no fruit, no refined flours, no refined oils, nothing fermented, and later no dairy). I was thirsty all the time.

then 3 months of literally non-stop eating.

Yes, I am constantly looking for something else I can eat, my diet is already so limited (from allergies as well, which is one reason I hadn't pursued the gluten possibilities in the past, I was afraid I just wouldn't have enough to eat). I've never eaten so much meat and veggies and rice cakes in my life, yet I'm losing weight. Weird.

Thank you everyone for all the supportive comments! Muchly appreciated.

I'd have sinus problems too. Post nasal drip.

[srall]

I've been gluten free since the end of March 2010. I am self diagnosed, so I really don't know the level of my sensitivity. So far I don't have separate pans or utensils, although I'm pretty careful, and I've been okay so far. However I know there are lots of folks here who could have a very bad reaction trace amounts of gluten. I just don't know yet if I'm that person. Somedays I have kind of off days and I don't know if that's a normal part of the healing process, or maybe a micro glutening from something I've touched in my house. It's really hard to get this all figured out. My husband is mostly eating gluten free with me. It's really just my daughter and she's such a picky little thing I just can't take her off the gluten if she's okay with it.

Good luck with the recovery.

[MelindaLee]

i-geek - Yeah, I'm afraid we may end up having to make the house gluten-free eventually. Right now I'm holding off until I can get my son tested and see if he is going to have to go gluten-free as well, because I don't want to strip him of it for days at a time, then let him eat out on the weekend and end up really sick after he's inadvertantly been detoxed (we're homeschoolers, so he almost always eats at home with me). So, we'll see how it goes once we know more. Sorry it was hard for you, as well. I'll definitely look into more gluten-free options for Kidlet so, if nothing else, I won't have to wash my hands QUITE so many time a day!

srall:

I had terrible sinus problems too and my sinuses were completely closed up (had to breathe through mouth) when I was detoxing.

Isn't that just so bizarre? But good to hear I'm not alone (and mine aren't as severe as yours, atm)!

I've only been gluten free for a month. I too had the leg pains. I never noticed any bloating issues that other have had, so I don't think my posture was off...I wonder if it is something else??? I noticed a lot of the other symptoms you noted, too. Nose, dizziness, etc. What amazing bodies we have, eh? My DH and DD aren't gluten free, but I really haven't cooked much that has gluten. I do a lot of cooking from scratch (always have). Cookies, cakes, etc, have all been gluten free. No one has complained. (I even made egg noodles from scratch the other day for chicken soup, and everyone loved it!) We still have bread in the house, but DH makes his own sandwiches, and always is VERY good at clean up (probably better than me) We all find ways to make it work. Welcome. Glad to be on this journey with such wonderful people!!

The biggest mistake I made this month was in true harried mom fashion I tried to make my daughter's school lunch at the same time I was eating my breakfast. Don't do that. I paid.

Ooh, ouch, yeah, that's a bad one. I'm constantly having to stop myself from eating something while I prep the gluten stuff. I used to get half my meals eaten while still cooking and working, and now I have to divide tasks far more neatly. Tedious and frustrating.

I'm hoping we don't all have to go gluten free. So far it seems livable.

VERY encouraging to hear that from at least one voice! May I ask how long you've been gluten-free?

SGWhiskers:

It made me sooo much more sane to know that gluten wasn't lurking on every knob and towel in the house. I felt awful guilt about making my hubby go gluten free.

That's the worst part, isn't it? It seems so selfish and asking SUCH a sacrifice of a person with no personal physical reason to make one, and yet it would be SUCH freedom to just have the house stripped clean and be able to go back to functioning "normally" at least at home.

I'm sorry about your noggin, but that struck me as funny and something that I would do.

Oh, it was hilarious. At first I didn't even realize what had happened, I thought maybe I'd just suddenly made progress and was more limber than I had been, but I did one of my usual daily motions and THONK. So much for a picture of loveliness and grace.*g* Then the next day I was leaning down to pick something up off the kitchen floor and smacked my chest into the corner of the kitchen table. It was after that second incident I started to put two and two together and realized why I was misjudging.

My detox symptoms included excessive thirst

That's what happened to me when I went on the yeast control diet 8 years ago (no sugar, no fruit, no refined flours, no refined oils, nothing fermented, and later no dairy). I was thirsty all the time.

then 3 months of literally non-stop eating.

Yes, I am constantly looking for something else I can eat, my diet is already so limited (from allergies as well, which is one reason I hadn't pursued the gluten possibilities in the past, I was afraid I just wouldn't have enough to eat). I've never eaten so much meat and veggies and rice cakes in my life, yet I'm losing weight. Weird.

Thank you everyone for all the supportive comments! Muchly appreciated.

[GypsyGirl]

Thanks to all for the help and good wishes.

curiousgirl - Yep, me, too.

srall - your situation sounds very similar to mine. Encouraging to hear you're making it work so far. I'm trying, but apparently got slammed somehow 48 hrs ago. Finding out just what it's like to "get glutened" and still waiting to see how long it lasts. So far all I can say is -- Not Cool. But at least I am having it quite clearly illustrated for me exactly which of my symptoms were coming from gluten, and it's been quite an education!

MelindaLee - Thanks for the encouragement. It's quite a journey, isn't it?

[wheeleezdryver]

I'm another that has the post nasal drip that seems to go along w/ being glutened...grrr...

and i TOTALLY hear ya on the 'i've never had to wash my hands so many times in a day!"...

[sandsurfgirl]

Sounds like you're getting the hang of things!

My family eats what I eat so I don't cook gluten for them. I give my kids Uncrustables sandwiches and if I make the sandwich it goes on gluten free bread.

I make Gluten Free Pantry Basic White bread mix (tastes better than Udi's in my opinion and way way cheaper) and they love it. They don't really know the difference.

I use Tinkyada pasta and they really like that too.

Try weaning them from all that gluten to make it easier for you. For dinner I do lots of meats with veggies, fruits, brown rice, or potatoes. Do frozen french fries. Many are gluten free.

Keep up the good work. Don't freak out if your body does some wacky wonky stuff. It can go through some weird phases while you are in withdrawals and healing.

[GypsyGirl]

wheenleezdryver - Sorry you can relate, but thanks for the sympathy!

sandsurfgirl - Thank you AGAIN for your support and suggestions. I've added your food recs to my shopping list for today's journey to Whole Foods. My mother has now been the first to take a blood test and hers came up "normal", but I'm pretty sure either that's wrong or we're just majorly gluten intolerant (vs Celiac), because her life reads like a history book of Celiac and she's already responding profoundly to the gluten-free diet (begun right after the blood test). I myself think I just accidentally confirmed myself via a "gluten challenge" (in the form of CC), because after 3 weeks of amazing results, I got slammed and it has taken 6 days to start feeling good again. That's pretty much evidence enough for me! Never going back.

Thanks again, everyone!

Be well.