Ugh! Why Do I Still Feel Sick?

[LMac]

I've been gluten-free for just over 2 weeks. I'm self diagnosed, but my father has celiac disease and a sugar/fructose intolerance, so I recognized the gluten issue. My digestion has gotten so much better (no more D and less bloating).

However, since going gluten free I have been getting headaches more often, almost daily. I have bouts of bloating, not as bad as before but definitely still present. I feel nauseous more days than not. I woke up this morning and within 30 minutes felt so nauseous I threw up. I've never had that happen before (and no, I'm not pregnant)

I've heard that symptoms of being glutened can take as much as a day or two to show up. So my question is, how on earth do I figure out what is making me feel sick? Is it slipping up on the gluten or could it be another allergy? My biggest fear is that it's soy. I've given up dairy (on the chance it effects me) but as a vegetarian, soy is a HUGE part of my diet. I eat frequently enough, eat fruits and veggies and drink lots of water.

This is so frustrating. Any help would be great.

[gf-soph]

I've been gluten-free for just over 2 weeks. I'm self diagnosed, but my father has celiac disease and a sugar/fructose intolerance, so I recognized the gluten issue. My digestion has gotten so much better (no more D and less bloating).

However, since going gluten free I have been getting headaches more often, almost daily. I have bouts of bloating, not as bad as before but definitely still present. I feel nauseous more days than not. I woke up this morning and within 30 minutes felt so nauseous I threw up. I've never had that happen before (and no, I'm not pregnant)

I've heard that symptoms of being glutened can take as much as a day or two to show up. So my question is, how on earth do I figure out what is making me feel sick? Is it slipping up on the gluten or could it be another allergy? My biggest fear is that it's soy. I've given up dairy (on the chance it effects me) but as a vegetarian, soy is a HUGE part of my diet. I eat frequently enough, eat fruits and veggies and drink lots of water.

This is so frustrating. Any help would be great.

It sounds more likely that you are going through a gluten withdrawal than being glutened. I'd give it a couple more weeks before you worry too much about it being a gluten exposure. You are giving your body a big shock by taking out gluten, and a lot of people feel worse before they feel better. Gluten can act on the brain, so your headaches could be withdrawal. The fact that your digestion is better is a big plus.

If you still feel off in a couple of weeks then maybe start looking into cc or other food intolerances, but until then I would just eat as well as you can, get plenty of rest and see if you can ride it out.

Hope you feel better soon

[T.H.]

Well, I know that I felt very sick after going gluten free - nausea and headaches were part of my reaction, too. And it definitely was hidden gluten for me. I didn't feel nauseous at all before going gluten-free, but it totally hit me afterward, within days.

And soy - that does get CC by gluten fairly frequently, yeah, I'm sorry to say.

Honestly? I'd try to drop everything down to as basic as you can get it. Fruits and veggies - make sure you get something with carbs/fat, like potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro root, avocados. I'd usually say meat, but with you as a vegetarian, it gets tricky. Beans, seeds, nuts, grains - they all have higher risks of CC due to processing and growing (soy is often grown on the same fields as wheat after its been harvested, for example. ). Perhaps you can stick to the sources for those that are certified gluten-free down to a certain level. Bob's red mill is processed in a gluten-free facility and tests for 20ppm or less. Pamela's flour mixtures are made in gluten-free facilities and test at 5ppm gluten or less. Lundberg rice is made in a gluten-free facility, but they told me they don't test, so I've no idea what gluten level their's is at. But those might be good choices, at first. None of them do beans, I don't think (not in a gluten-free facility, anyway). However, Ancient Harvest quinoa might be a good choice - many people can tolerate that, and it's a full protein. Along with amaranth, which Bob's Red Mill does process.

You could keep eating soy, but it wouldn't be a bad thing to avoid it for just a week, yeah? Then you could try to add it back in and see how you do. At the very least, dropping everything would help you figure out whether you're reacting to the lack of gluten, or the continued presence of it.

Good luck!

[sandiz]

I've been gluten-free for just over 2 weeks. I'm self diagnosed, but my father has celiac disease and a sugar/fructose intolerance, so I recognized the gluten issue. My digestion has gotten so much better (no more D and less bloating).

However, since going gluten free I have been getting headaches more often, almost daily. I have bouts of bloating, not as bad as before but definitely still present. I feel nauseous more days than not. I woke up this morning and within 30 minutes felt so nauseous I threw up. I've never had that happen before (and no, I'm not pregnant)

I've heard that symptoms of being glutened can take as much as a day or two to show up. So my question is, how on earth do I figure out what is making me feel sick? Is it slipping up on the gluten or could it be another allergy? My biggest fear is that it's soy. I've given up dairy (on the chance it effects me) but as a vegetarian, soy is a HUGE part of my diet. I eat frequently enough, eat fruits and veggies and drink lots of water.

This is so frustrating. Any help would be great.

Read your labels, Soya sauce has wheat in it to ferment it faster. That could have something to do with it.

[GlutenFreeManna]

You could try keeping a food diary to see if you can see a pattern. Be sure you check all ingredients carefully on any processed foods you buy. A lot of the veggie alternatives have wheat in them (Like Boca Burgers) and not all soy milk is gluten free (I think Soy Dream is processed with barley water, but I might be wrong on the brand since I don't drink soy milk). I would take it down as basic as you can and avoid most processed things for a while. Eat fruit and veggies and don't go overboard on the raw things. I know in the early stages for me my stomach could not handle too much raw veggies and I could not do beans at all. Chickpeas, lentils, and nut butters were not as much of a problem for me as whole nuts or beans.