Symptoms You Never Realized You Had

[sandsurfgirl]

Every once in awhile I'll go "Hey I don't do/have such and such anymore." Things I didn't even realize were due to celiac.

I used to get such dry hands and feet they would crack and bleed and the cracks would be so painful. Gone.

I also used to bump into things all the time. It was a running joke with my husband that he would always hear "BUMP! Owww!" Today I bumped my toe and we realized I hadn't bumped into anything in months! I must've had some mild ataxia or something and not even realized it. I just thought I was clumsy but it never made sense to us because I'm a surfer and a dancer and I have excellent balance.

Anybody else have random symptoms clear up?

[Monklady123]

Yes! Hip pain. I thought it was arthritis. I mean, it is arthritis, but I thought it was so bad just because I was unlucky and I'm getting older. But last weekend I suddenly realized that my hip hurt while lying in bed one evening, so much so that I had to constantly try to shift position. Which made me realize that I hadn't had that pain in quite awhile. Then my brain just made the connection -- I had gotten glutened a few days before (my own fault) and there you go... hip pain.

[TPT]

This is kind of weird. I hope no one takes offense to this, but I see the tendency for people to blame EVERYTHING on celiac disease. However, I too have had hip pain for about a year and half. It seemed better for awhile. (Maybe 3 months ?) I am one of those in limbo, undiagnosed, currently on a "regular" diet. I have been having tons of gluten during the holidays, and my hip pain is back in full force. I thought it was from sleeping in on my not-so-comfy bed. Could be anything, but who knows.

[srall]

I think I blame everything on celiac. Right now I have cold symptoms and I'm more convinced I ate something. I guess the tendency to blame everything on celiac is because so much cleared up: migraines, stomach aches, arthritis, dry skin, clumsiness, cold sores (which I actually think was more related to dairy), chronic illness, anxiety, rashes, lack of motivation...I know once I post I'll think of 10 more things.

[FooGirlsMom]

The tendency to blame things on Celiac, I think, is fairly valid. When you are dealing with an auto-immune disorder, many of us have experienced it attacking nearly every part of our body it seems. I, too, am still amazed at the little things. I never even thought about the clumsiness until I read this post. Then I thought, hey, when I am feeling really good, I'm not clumsy. I was feeling poorly the other day and I was dropping everything and bumping myself constantly yelling, "ow!" Never even dawned on me as it's happened so gradually & been so long. When symptoms come on gradually it defines a new "normal" until those symptoms clear up and you go - hey - wait a minute - was that Celiac-related too??!!!!

I do know that when I had my first attack in my 20s it did affect my immune system in a great way. I got every single cold and flu that went around. After going gluten free by accident I did notice that I hardly ever got sick anymore.

It stands to reason that weirdo symptoms will clear as the entire body heals. I used to think I got heat rash all the time. 50% of the tiny red bumps (looks like razor burn) have cleared on my legs etc. Places I don't shave.

The amount of differences you notice probably depends on how bad your symptoms got. I knew mine were getting severe and seeing a reduction in pain, achiness, etc. I am not surprised at, but things that have been normal for years like those rashy bumps clearing surprised me.

I think until a person experiences the changes it just sounds like we're nuts blaming the entire universe on Celiac but hey...if it's health-related & it really does go away or lessen...I say the proof's in the pudding.

FooGirlsMom

[dilettantesteph]

Yes, I had an amazing number of symptoms which cleared up gluten free and which come back when glutened. I had no idea that I was so sick until I got better. These symptoms had been creeping in gradually my whole life. Also my father had them. I thought they were inherited traits, age related, whatever. I can't even remember them all to list them all off. There is a reason people blame so many things on celiac. It can be responsible for a huge number of things. That doesn't mean that if you have these symptoms that you have celiac. When they go away on the gluten free diet, and then come back whenever you get glutened, some of them only when badly glutened, you can be pretty sure that they were because of celiac. An autoimmune reaction can impact many processes in the body.

I had the cracked hands too.

[tea-and-crumpets]

I have keratosis pilaris (chicken skin) on my arms. I spent so much money on dermatologist visits and special exfoliators to get rid of it and eventually gave up. I've been gluten free for a little less than three months and it's 75% gone. People tell me that my facial skin looks more radiant -- I didn't have acne or anything, but I guess it just looked dull. I had wrist and knee pain. Like someone said up above, you don't notice it until it comes back. I think I must have gotten CC'd because my knees and wrists were just so sore the last few days and I hadn't done anything to strain them.

I'm interested in seeing what other people say has gone away. Maybe I'll recognize something that I hadn't connected with gluten yet.

[compucajun]

I've read about Celiac, and the symptoms it could cause, but I did not read anything about heart palpitations.

I had heart palpitations. At first, it just felt like my heart was racing. After a while, they got worse. I was going to go to a cardiologist, then the whole Celiac thing was diagnosed. After about 3 weeks on a gluten-free diet, they went away. I was seriously glutenated on New Years day, and the next night I had slight palpitations.

Any one else with that issue?

Also, the arthritis pain in my hip is much better on gluten-free diet. I don't wake up with dark circles under my eyes as much. Before being on a gluten-free diet I had pain under my lower right rib, that has mostly gone away (I think it comes back the day after I eat gluten).

Thanks for everyone's help!

[cyberprof]

I had the dry, cracked and bleeding fingers. I still occasionally get them but I think it's because I've touched gluten, so now I wear gloves if I cook for my daughter or in-laws.

I had keratosis pilaris (chicken skin) for my entire life and it went away gradually after going gluten-free.

I have arthritis, but I no longer feel like I've been run over by a truck every morning when I wake up. This changed happened the first week gluten-free and I recognized it immediately.

My anxiety went away almost completely, as did the feeling that my heart was beating in my stomach when laying down trying to sleep.

Mouth ulcers - I had at least one painful, long-lasting mouth ulcer a month for 20+ years. I imagine the same thing was happening in my intestines. Now I only get them in my mouth if I'm glutened. In fact, I can get mouth sores within 30 minutes.

I don't think every symptom can be associated with gluten but all the ones that people have listed here can be reasonably explained by gluten. Not that this is scientific proof - but a negative is hard to prove and we're not trying to get a scientific level of proof here. Just feeling better is proof enough.

[FooGirlsMom]

CompuCajun,

I had the heart palpitations too. I still get them if I eat something I'm reacting to - like soy. It's scary when it happens. I thought I was dying prior to figuring out what was wrong with me. With all the auto-immune symptoms, then the palpitations, then the neuropathy...mercy...I was 42 and not expecting to see 43.

Amazing what a difference almost 3 months makes...

FooGirlsMo

[TPT]

Again.. Me= undiagnosed and still on a regular diet... with chicken skin. Next week I go for patch testing, then onto further investigation into celiac.

[Gluten Glutton]

This is my first post. I'm finally coming out of lurk mode!

I've been gluten-free since mid-October - a whopping 11 weeks. I had the hip pain and always thought it was due to carrying and birthing three 10lb babies (not all at once! ). I didn't realize it until now, but I've only had it once since going gluten-free. The rash on my hands that ends up making them cracked and flaky is nearly gone. I'm hoping the chicken skin on my arms goes, too! I've had it most of my life and it would be a nice bonus to see it disappear or at least get a lot better.

Most of my "classic" symptoms are either completely gone or nearly gone and that doesn't surprise me. But the extra "was that a symptom?" symptoms do!

[beebs]

This is kind of weird. I hope no one takes offense to this, but I see the tendency for people to blame EVERYTHING on celiac disease. However, I too have had hip pain for about a year and half. It seemed better for awhile. (Maybe 3 months ?) I am one of those in limbo, undiagnosed, currently on a "regular" diet. I have been having tons of gluten during the holidays, and my hip pain is back in full force. I thought it was from sleeping in on my not-so-comfy bed. Could be anything, but who knows.

Yes but with 300 odd associated symptoms its hard not to!

I have that chicken skin thing on my arms and legs too - I have only been gluten free for 3 days (and am undiagnosed at this stage) so it'll be interesting to see if that goes away!

[sandsurfgirl]

I've read about Celiac, and the symptoms it could cause, but I did not read anything about heart palpitations.

I had heart palpitations. At first, it just felt like my heart was racing. After a while, they got worse. I was going to go to a cardiologist, then the whole Celiac thing was diagnosed. After about 3 weeks on a gluten-free diet, they went away. I was seriously glutenated on New Years day, and the next night I had slight palpitations.

Any one else with that issue?

Also, the arthritis pain in my hip is much better on gluten-free diet. I don't wake up with dark circles under my eyes as much. Before being on a gluten-free diet I had pain under my lower right rib, that has mostly gone away (I think it comes back the day after I eat gluten).

Thanks for everyone's help!

I had heart palpitations. The last year before diagnosis the heart and neuro issues were BAD. I had trouble breathing, heart racing, palpitations, anxiety attacks, dizzy spells. I got diagnosed in the ER when I went in thinking I was having a heart attack.

[sandsurfgirl]

CompuCajun,

I had the heart palpitations too. I still get them if I eat something I'm reacting to - like soy. It's scary when it happens. I thought I was dying prior to figuring out what was wrong with me. With all the auto-immune symptoms, then the palpitations, then the neuropathy...mercy...I was 42 and not expecting to see 43.

Amazing what a difference almost 3 months makes...

FooGirlsMo

And it only gets better! I'm almost at the one year mark and I cannot believe THAT used to be my life and THIS is my life now!!!!

[mushroom]

Sorry to be the downer in this little celebration, but I still have the cardiac problems, still have the hip pain so I can't lie on my side, still have the psoriatic arthritis, still after three years have all the same old intolerances (except for lactose - YAY!!!!) - and it still have the gas. And I'm still working on all of it

[dilettantesteph]

I'll join you guys and try to come up with a list. It's been over 3 years now. Some of these things didn't go away until I got very gluten free. I eat almost no processed foods or produce with waxy coatings. I also sort and wash all my grains.

Uncontrollable D. I literally went in my pants several times a week even if I stayed within 20 yards of the toilet. Only comes back with bad glutening, but I get stool softening with small glutening.

Stomach pain. Comes back with tiny glutening

blurred vision. Vision went from 20:40 to 20:20. Comes back with medium glutening

blisters and itchy sores on skin. Hasn't come back

swollen and sore joints. comes back with medium glutening

swollen belly. comes back with medium glutening

irritability comes back with small glutening

irrational thoughts comes back with bad glutening

decreased mental capacity comes back with medium glutening

decreased memory: comes back with medium glutening

peripheral neuropathy: comes back with bad glutening

dizziness: comes back with bad glutening

sexual neuropathy: comes back with medium glutening

fatigue: comes back with medium glutening

muscle weakness: comes back with bad glutening

GERD: comes back with medium glutening

sensitivity to sound: comes back with medium glutening

sensitivity to perfume: comes back with bad glutening

dry cracked skin: comes back with bad glutening

depression: comes back with medium glutening

urinary incontinence: comes back with bad glutening

itchy scalp: hasn't come back

PMS symptoms: comes back with bad glutening

pain during menstruation: comes back with medium glutening

migraine headaches: has come back once

back pain: comes back with bad glutening

alcoholic tendencies: hasn't come back

sensitivity to avenin to oats: that's permanent

I think that's most of it. I really was amazed at how many issues were caused by gluten and that it took me so long to realize it.