Diagnosed At 51

[Lucydesi]

I was officially diagnosed with Celiac disease about three years ago and cannot begin to tell you how much better I feel not eating gluten. Like many people, over the past 30 years I was misdiagnosed with IBS, diverticulitus (sp), etc. I feel so much better now and have lost a lost of the joint pain, depression, and low grade fever but I find that I still do not feel 100 percent. Granted I am older but I find that despite my efforts at a restaurant, I can feel lousy just a few days later, and it can take me a couple of weeks to recover. I notice my mood is depressed, and my temperature will spike to 99.6 (which is high for me) or so during the work day.

I know that Celiac disease has been harming my body for years, and my gastrointerologist said that in my case probably hormones and/or stress exacerbated the disease process, actually making diagnosis easier. I am going to double-check my medications and foods to ensure that I am totally gluten-free, but at my age and having eaten wheat/gluten for a long time, is the damage already done to some degree? I am blessed that I can work full-time but at times it is very difficult.

Thanks for your input.

P.S. I have been allergy tested and I am slightly allergic to eggs.

[psawyer]

I was diagnosed in 2000 at the age of 46. I had severe issues at the time. I have been gluten-free for over a decade, and my life is the best it has ever been. Other that having to strictly avoid gluten, my health is good. I do have autoimmune diabetes which may or may not be connected to my celiac disease.

[iamsarar]

I am 51 and was just diagnosed a little over a month ago.....has far as not feel 100% I found I didn't get there until I removed gluten for my personal products too, Makeup, lipstick, lotion, shampoo. Anything that was around my mouth or on my hands. After doing this I felt so much better. Have you checked you products also?

[Gemini]

I was officially diagnosed with Celiac disease about three years ago and cannot begin to tell you how much better I feel not eating gluten. Like many people, over the past 30 years I was misdiagnosed with IBS, diverticulitus (sp), etc. I feel so much better now and have lost a lost of the joint pain, depression, and low grade fever but I find that I still do not feel 100 percent. Granted I am older but I find that despite my efforts at a restaurant, I can feel lousy just a few days later, and it can take me a couple of weeks to recover. I notice my mood is depressed, and my temperature will spike to 99.6 (which is high for me) or so during the work day.

I know that Celiac disease has been harming my body for years, and my gastrointerologist said that in my case probably hormones and/or stress exacerbated the disease process, actually making diagnosis easier. I am going to double-check my medications and foods to ensure that I am totally gluten-free, but at my age and having eaten wheat/gluten for a long time, is the damage already done to some degree? I am blessed that I can work full-time but at times it is very difficult.

Thanks for your input.

P.S. I have been allergy tested and I am slightly allergic to eggs.

You may have developed or have had another intolerance which often may not be noticed until you are gluten-free for awhile. I have to avoid most dairy, except for the milk I put in my tea, because that's all I can tolerate. I also do not do well with gums, such as guar and xanthan, which are found in many gluten-free products.

I was diagnosed at age 46 and was very close to having a feeding tube installed, that's how ill I was. I have been gluten-free for 6 years and feel better than I ever did at 35. You will still have moments when the tummy is a problem because Celiacs have very sensitive GI tracts but it's not something which should last indefinitely. I do not use gluten-free skin products, except for hand cream and all lip products, because I do not make a habit of eating my products.

The system I use works well for me and it has not hindered my recovery one bit.

Age should not be a detriment to healing, if you are careful and don't cheat. I suspect you have some other food issues that are popping up, which is entirely normal. Do you consume dairy? That is huge problem for many Celiac's. I would also say that it took me a full 5 years before all of my peripheral issues cleared up so it may take a bit longer for you also. I know....annoying, isn't it? Hang in there because you will get there with a little fine tuning along the way.

[Lucydesi]

Thanks so much for the tips. I am pretty sure MSG is an issue for me, and my mom becomes very ill if she eats it. I don't think I am lactose intolerant because once I quit the wheat/gluten, the burping and bloating went away when eating cereal and milk, and I don't have that if I drink milk now. How did you know that milk is an issue for you? The only way I would say I cheat is that I try to be gluten-free at restaurants, but sometimes you just don't know for sure until later. To the point where I just don't like to eat out any more.

Thanks for the encouragement. You know what is weird - the bread isle in the grocery store smells disgusting to me now. Must be a psychological thing.

This website is giving me renewed hope.

[eatmeat4good]

This place gives me hope too- I just figured this gluten thing out 6 months ago at 47. It was years of being sick for me too. I hover around here obsessively as if my very recovery depends upon it and as if I have to read again and again that yes, gluten really can and did do all those things to your body. I'm glad to know all of you who were diagnosed later in life still recovered and we can too Lucidesi!

[dilettantesteph]

I was diagnosed at age 48 and it is now over three years later. I was diagnosed with IBS when I was in my early 20's. I feel better now than I have since then. All those things, fatigue, decreased cognitive ability, decreased vision acuity, achy joints, weak muscles, etc. which I had attributed to aging were actually from celiac disease. As they went away I felt like I was aging backwards. It does seem to be possible to reverse the damage, but it takes time.

I am one of the super sensitives so I have to keep a food diary and constantly watch what I eat and use and only add one new thing a week. I watch everything that comes near me and eat very few processed foods. I don't eat in restaurants. I got sick every time.

[Gemini]

Thanks so much for the tips. I am pretty sure MSG is an issue for me, and my mom becomes very ill if she eats it. I don't think I am lactose intolerant because once I quit the wheat/gluten, the burping and bloating went away when eating cereal and milk, and I don't have that if I drink milk now. How did you know that milk is an issue for you? The only way I would say I cheat is that I try to be gluten-free at restaurants, but sometimes you just don't know for sure until later. To the point where I just don't like to eat out any more.

Thanks for the encouragement. You know what is weird - the bread isle in the grocery store smells disgusting to me now. Must be a psychological thing.

This website is giving me renewed hope.

Milk became an obvious problem for me after about 2-3 years into the diet. I was doing fine, for the most part, then started to get sick after eating ice cream, puddings or anything that constituted a strong dairy hit. I think it took me those 3 years of healing for the gluten symptoms to totally resolve so that anything else I was reacting to became obvious. The symptoms were the same as a gluten hit....gas, bloating, nausea, and if I consumed a bigger dairy serving, diarrhea. I cut out dairy and that went away by itself. I can tolerate milk in my tea, I think, because it's so watered down. Some cheeses are also OK because the enzymes used to make the cheese partly break down the lactose. It's the lactose and not the casein that bother me.

I wouldn't call eating out at restaurants cheating! I eat out about once every 2 months and tend to frequent high end places only. No fast food or family style restaurants. I have a few places where I do exceptionally well but they know me and I have trained them on what to do. The chefs also have a good knowledge of Celiac Disease. I am super sensitive and react to minute amounts of gluten, yet have managed to dine out successfully. It can be done but it also depends on where you live and how high awareness is of Celiac.

As far as the bread aisle goes, I hear ya! In most mainstream supermarkets, except for Whole Foods, I don't go down the bread aisle because it reeks of cheap wheat. It is psychological and I thank my sense of smell for protecting me. It's weird, yes, but I don't obsess about it. It is what it is and I just avoid the aisle. I feel like the canary in the coal mine!

One added note....you must be a big fan of I Love Lucy, Lucydesi? One of my all time favorite shows. I have seen everyone at least 100 times and it still makes me laugh out loud! There is no talent around like that today....sad.