Pschological Improvement?...

[csm170]

Hello, My name is Chad and I have recently been diagnosed with celiac disease. I am terrified....I am not scared of the lifestyle changes of even the possibility of other hidden problems(thyroid, adrenal,ect.). I am scared about whether I will be able to have my brain back. I have been having the symptoms (GI and nutrient defeciency related) for over 10 years. In that time, I have been diagnosed with ADHD, a learning disorder, anxiety, and depression. My memory and ability to think clearly have gotten to the point where I feel almost handicapped. I am a first year pharmacy student and I am terrified that I may be dangerous to my future patients if these problems don't see huge improvement. I will be very greatful to hear what to expect in terms of psychological symptom improvemnt, how patient to be, and what I can do to push things along. I sincerely thank you for any input you can give

[Jestgar]

I am scared about whether I will be able to have my brain back.

Yes!!

Spend some time on the board and you'll see numerous posts from people who've gone back to school to complete degrees they had to abandon when they got sick.

I'm in the process of building up my math background so I can apply to a Biostatistics graduate program. Your brain will come back.

[IrishHeart]

YES! for 2 years, I couldn't think straight. I called it "vaseline head". Felt like I was drugged/tripping. I would get agitated if I had to balance my checkbook as I kept making errors. I had to check and recheck every single thing I did, couldn't read or comprehend or articulate clearly and had trouble making decisions about simple things like what to eat. I cried trying to make dinner because I couldn't negotiate more than one pot on a stove (too confusing and overwhelming) and even making a shopping list was a monumental task. I became anxious and depressed as well, holding on to my husband's arm when I went outside.

This behavior is nothing like my outgoing, confident, multitasking, organized personality. I kept crying and screaming what the hell is going on??

...that was my brain ON gluten.. .this is my brain OFF gluten... working just fine and comprehending once more and not feeling like a feverish, frenzied nutcase anymore...I still have a way to go, but I am nothing like the scared, spacey- headed train wreck I was for 3 years. That was hell.

There are many stories of others recovering their brain power on here...it gave me hope and I see it happening for me too!....just hang in there!!

[ravenwoodglass]

Be patient, be strict with the diet, take sublingual B12 and remain hopeful. Many have seen depression and anxiety and thought problems resolve. If I could go from not even being able to read or name a fork when it was held up in front of me at 45 to being able to finish my last semester of college with a 4.0 in my 50's anything is possible.

You should be thinking and feeling a lot better soon.

[eatmeat4good]

I have 2 degrees and had a 4.0 in college.

For 7 years I was tripping on gluten. Told the Dr.'s I had lost 80% of my cognitive ability. They just looked at me blankly. I thought I was crazy and would be forever.

Depression, anxiety, frustration, falling, can't think, spacey, nauseous, took me 3 hours to do one sinkful of dishes at one point. I couldn't organize it in my head to figure out how to do them.

I used to be able to do three things at once, raise a family, work, cook, clean...and I was reduced to a walking zombie.

I used to force myself to play spelling games to "rehab" my brain. At one point, I realized I was a lost cause for sure as I was now unable to spell 3 letter words. My vocabulary decreased severely. I was scared. Like you.

I am 5 months gluten free and I can now think.

I'm not 100% yet, but for the most part, I can now have conversations and not forget what I was saying. My spelling and vocabulary are back. I feel like myself again.

And best of all....it doesn't take me 3 hours to do one sinkful of dishes.

I'm still getting cognitive improvements every single day. Thankfully.

I know what it is like to be scared. I want to encourage you that your brain can recover and psychologically you will improve the longer you are gluten free.

I was as debilitated as you can get. I thought I got schizophrenia at 45. I'm pretty much back to normal now. Hope this happens quickly for you too.

[csm170]

Thank all of you sooo much for replying... Doctors say there will be improvement, but I needed to hear it from people that have been through what I'm going through. I feel hopeful and even excited about taking this head on to get to what's on the other side of treatment. Once again, thank all you for being an inspiration and I am looking forward to getting to know each of you through this blessing of a network!!!

[keithceliac2010]

Thanks to everyone for posting their experience with Brain fog, anxiety, depression, confusion. I, like you Chad am new to the Gluten free family. Been gluten-free for going on 3 weeks. I too, have suffered from chronic severe depression, anxiety, confusion, to the point that menial tasks seemed impossible, especially if that task required deep thought. My brain fog lifted tremendously the first week that i went gluten-free and I am continuing to get the cobwebs out of my brain. Tis almost to good to be true. Feel better physically and mentally than I have felt in over a decade. Thanks for the post Chad.