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How Long Until My Symptoms Go Away?

CourtneyLee

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CourtneyLee Contributor
CourtneyLee
Posted

I've been gluten free for 1 week 1 day and I still have my symptoms before I got diagnosed

(diarrhea, bloating, gas, fatigue)

How long do i have to wait :(

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adab8ca Enthusiast
adab8ca
Posted

I've been gluten free for 1 week 1 day and I still have my symptoms before I got diagnosed

(diarrhea, bloating, gas, fatigue)

How long do i have to wait :(

One week is not long at all...Unfortunately it can take time. The dietician I saw told me to give myself a YEAR...I had tons of damage...However, everyone is different,not trying to freak you out that it will take a year! It has been 5 months for me and I am seeing improvement. Give yourself time.

Good luck!

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Everyone is different! The variables here can be the severity of your damage and diligence to the diet.

It took time to create damage in your intestines and will take some time to heal. You can start to feel better in a few weeks, if you eat well and carefully. There are several thread about cooking and meals that might be helpful to you. It's pretty difficult in the beginning and it's a major life style change......until you get the hang of it.

After you get the used to the diet, your life can be pretty normal again and you will feel great! There is a method to the madness!!!! ;)

Read, read and read some more here. It will be your lifesaver!

Welcome!

shopgirl Contributor
shopgirl
Posted

One week is not long at all...Unfortunately it can take time. The dietician I saw told me to give myself a YEAR...

My GI doctor said the same thing. A minimum six months to a year unless I was an exceptional case and I could expect to be normal again within 18 months to two years.

Unfortunately, going on the gluten-free diet isn't like flicking a switch inside your body. It really can take a lot of time to heal. And sometimes it's so gradual, it's difficult to see the progress your making.

Hang in there and try not to get too frustrated.

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

As somebody already said, everybody is different. There's no one answer. It was a few weeks before I saw any major improvement and several months before I was able to do all I had been doing before I fell sick.

richard

jenngolightly Contributor
jenngolightly
Posted

I've been gluten free for 1 week 1 day and I still have my symptoms before I got diagnosed

(diarrhea, bloating, gas, fatigue)

How long do i have to wait :(

It also depends on if you find that you are also intolerant to other foods. Many of us, after giving up gluten, find out that we also can't eat other things like dairy or soy or corn. You should absolutely stay away from dairy right now since your gut is healing. You will probably be able to eat dairy again when your villi get back to normal. Dairy is digested by the tips of the villi, so if your gut is damaged, it can't process dairy right now and you'll have bloating, gas, diarrhea...

You won't know about other intolerances until after you've been away from gluten and dairy for a while. If you see little or no improvement after a month, then you should consider giving up soy. If that doesn't work, you can go back to soy and give up corn. And so on. Just go with the gluten and dairy for now. You can post again in a month if you don't feel better. It's not so bad, I can't eat a lot of things but I feel great now.

In the mean time check EVERYTHING for gluten - including your personal health and beauty products.

Hope you feel better soon!

cap6 Enthusiast
cap6
Posted

I was told to allow 6 months to 2 years to heal. It all depends on your age and severity for the disease. I am at 11 months and while I feel so much better there is still issues. It is hard to be patient but know that each day you follow the diet you are one day closer to healing and feeling better. One day you will wake up and suddenly realize that you feel better!

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IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

I've been gluten free for 1 week 1 day and I still have my symptoms before I got diagnosed

(diarrhea, bloating, gas, fatigue)

How long do i have to wait :(

I know how you feel...I wish it would go away NOW!! But, the reality is, the gut lining takes some time to heal. My doctor wouldn't even "ball park" it for me....just said "No gluten or dairy." (ya, I got that part!!) I did most of my "learning" about what to do from reading the posts on this site. My cousin, a celiac said..."give it 6 months to year"....some people on here say they feel substantially better in 6 months, some say longer. So, it varies from person to person.

But they all say they feel BETTER and that's what I focus on.

When I get frustrated by the thought of how long it takes, I remember how long I have been sick (years)and how it was a mystery why I was so sick every damn day because no one could tell me why. I was scared and depressed because I thought I'd never feel better ever again, BUT NOW...!!! that part's over and I am on the healing path and I am getting better every day, even if I don't see it right now and that, in time, I'm going to be out of this pain and feel great.

I notice small improvements every day and it's only been a month for me. Baby steps, but steps forward and that's a good thing.

There's no quick fix, but there is a fix--and you are doing it!!Lots of helpful people on here to talk to--they have made this a lot easier for me and you can ask any question and someone answers.

Hang in there!

Ginny

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