Glutened And Frightened

[revenant]

I don't really know why Im posting but last night I was glutened and right now, 24 hours later I feel like I'm losing my mind!! I haven't eaten gluten for around 6 months... My brain feels completely numb, but is throbbing at the same time and evyerthing is scary. I don't know what else to say I can barely comprehend simple things like a word.... I thought this computer screen was a picture frame that represented my soul and when it froze I thought I was going to die. What the heck is this!!! I looked in the mirror about an hour ago and IT WASN'T ME. The thing just kept staring at me but I WASN'T LOOKING.. My eyes blurred and my face disfigured, my eyes went crazy and I think I'm only making this worse by freaking out but I'm so scared. I think my body is sending out a natural response to be frightened.... Even as I'm typing these aren't my hands... And I feel pumped with adrenaline, probably fear induced but to an extent that I could never mimick!! Gosh I hope I don't have a panic attack

I was just meditating in bed, and I went to the bathroom to pee and while I was walking there I saw my mom and I didn't know who she was! Or why she was there! Oh gosh I'm about to have a panic attack..... I don't know what good typing this is doing but I guess i'm just trying to calm myself down.. I hope somebody replies soon, I'm not used to this, this is a more...severe reaction.. But I did always have a kind of psychotic.. perception, that was off.. a little bit before I went gluten free I just didn't notice it... It's like my perception is off and my brain is telling me certain things are other things and then making it come true!

I'm going to stop ranting like a complete maniac and just breathe deeply and hope somebody replies...... Could this all be in my head???

Edit: Okay wow . The near-panic-attack is gone but i'm stil in this weird perception world. My hands still aren't mine...But the body fear is gone.... Thank god. What a weird combination of things, I hope the panic doesnt' return. I guess writing this relieved something. How long do 'mental' effects last usually for whoever is reading this? I feel like I'm talking about drugs at this point. I guess in a way I am!

[YoloGx]

I am so glad to hear the worst of it is over for you. Writing here was and is a good choice. Keeping a journal can also really help. So often gluten affects the brain. Creates anxiety and weird perceptions. I grew up with this as a common occurrence. The thing is to not be afraid if that is possible. Deep breaths. My parents were anthropologists so I grew up knowing that shamans are a natural part of every society. It made me realize there is a purpose for sensitives like us. We don't have to go down the path of fear if we choose not to.

Drinking some water with baking soda helps me. Also eating plain yogurt. Or make a veggie shake of things like parsley, celery, cabbage etc. to clear the brain. Dandelion tea also helps detox the liver.

Obviously don't drive or operate complicated machinery. If you are not allergic to pineapple or papaya, eat them if they are around. Or take some papain/bromelain capsules.

Avoid sugar...

When able, go for a walk, take a sauna, get some exercise to get it out of your system.

Hope you feel better soon!

Bea

PS--check out this link on the connection of gluten and candida that another poster sent out earlier today. It talks a lot about gluten etc. affecting the central nervous system. Open Original Shared Link

[revenant]

Thanks for the reply

I love the way you view 'us sensitives'. That is a very comforting way to see it...

If anything, glutenings provide excellent opportunities for the practice of self nurturing.

Perhaps I'll even dig up some dandelion root from the yard tomorrow. Nothing more reassuring than the reassurance of nature... I have yet to try dandelion root tea

I'm glad to hear that I wasn't frantically chugging parsley juice for no reason. Well, perhaps an over exaggeration... The power of greens is amazing in any situation

I am making a mental note of your suggestions for tomorrow. It's going to be a nature-nurture-day!

May I ask what bromelain assists with?

And looking forward to reading that post once my brain comes back to me.. Thanks again, your reply has really helped to calm the panic-button

[ravenwoodglass]

Hopefully you are feeling better this morning. What gluten can do to the brain is scarey. The only good thing about this episode is that you knew what was going on and if it happens in the future you know why it is happening. That can make it easier to deal with. You may want to mention it to your doctor in case something like that happens when you are not at home in a safe place. A medical alert tag or a note from your doctor to carry in your purse might be a good idea to have. Sometimes a doctor can give us something to keep on hand to stop the panic attacks, some doctors will do this but some won't.

Just writing about what is going on can be helpful so I am glad you did.

[kellynolan82]

Sorry to hear about your glutening. This is always a possibility, though and one which we simply can never fully avoid.

I have experienced so many symptoms. Sometimes my mouth gets ulcers along with other things as well It's hard.

[Strawberry-Jam]

That sounds a lot like a psychotic break I once had after taking Ambien on an empty stomach. I couldn't see through my hallucinations, I looked in the mirror and I had three heads, nothing made sense, I kept poking my mama who was trying to help asking if she was really there because I couldn't see her and could barely feel her...

Scary to think that gluten could do something like that! I'm glad you're better now. Next time see if you can fall asleep and sleep it off, maybe? Some things just take time to clear out of your system. Taking/eating things that will help you detox sounds like a good idea as well.

[YoloGx]

Thanks for the reply

I love the way you view 'us sensitives'. That is a very comforting way to see it...

If anything, glutenings provide excellent opportunities for the practice of self nurturing.

Perhaps I'll even dig up some dandelion root from the yard tomorrow. Nothing more reassuring than the reassurance of nature... I have yet to try dandelion root tea

I'm glad to hear that I wasn't frantically chugging parsley juice for no reason. Well, perhaps an over exaggeration... The power of greens is amazing in any situation

I am making a mental note of your suggestions for tomorrow. It's going to be a nature-nurture-day!

May I ask what bromelain assists with?

And looking forward to reading that post once my brain comes back to me.. Thanks again, your reply has really helped to calm the panic-button

Am glad I checked my email late last night and that my comments helped. Sounds like you are on a healing path today! The dandelion greens help too by the way. In the spring they make a nice addition to salad or your green shake.

When I was in grade school a couple of times I had some pretty extreme episodes. One time in particular I remember everything appeared to jump from far away to back up close and far away again. The principal then drove me home after I complained of feeling dizzy, nauseous and disoriented. My mother, bless her, who wasn't the best at nurturing, still somehow knew what to do. She had me lie down and then she rubbed my belly in a clockwise direction and told me to take slow deep breaths. It really helped!

The bromelain/papain are good pancreatic enzymes derived from pineapple and papaya. Unfortunately I can't take them anymore (or the fruit) due to salicylic acid (SA) and amine sensitivity, but for most people they really help.

Another good post glutening item to take is marshmallow root (assuming you don't have SA like me), to soothe and heal the damaged villi and take down inflammation.

These days I regularly take nattokinase to get rid of the scar tissue and any inflammation of the villi etc. as well as to thin my otherwise too thick blood. (Natto is made from fermented soy innoculated with bacteria from old straw. It was discovered by the Samurai to counteract/heal scar tissue.)

I also take co-enzyme B complex from country life. The B's often get compromised with celiac, especially after a glutening. Without the necessary B's its easy to get an attack like the one you had. The co-enzyme variety of B's go directly into the blood stream. You can think of them as coming to the rescue!

I have friends who are always talking about a book they read about highly sensitive people--how we represent a certain percentage of the population. Its good to keep in mind that we are here for a purpose and that we aren't alone. Its true we are natural shamanic types. However, these days what with science and the ability to access the past and present as well as the rest of the world through the Internet, there is no reason to suffer unduly.

Hope you are feeling way better today!

Bea

[Fire Fairy]

Thinking of medical ID's check these out. I plan to get one ASAP.

Open Original Shared Link

[GlutenFreeManna]

I don't really know why Im posting but last night I was glutened and right now, 24 hours later I feel like I'm losing my mind!! I haven't eaten gluten for around 6 months... My brain feels completely numb, but is throbbing at the same time and evyerthing is scary. I don't know what else to say I can barely comprehend simple things like a word.... I thought this computer screen was a picture frame that represented my soul and when it froze I thought I was going to die. What the heck is this!!! I looked in the mirror about an hour ago and IT WASN'T ME. The thing just kept staring at me but I WASN'T LOOKING.. My eyes blurred and my face disfigured, my eyes went crazy and I think I'm only making this worse by freaking out but I'm so scared. I think my body is sending out a natural response to be frightened.... Even as I'm typing these aren't my hands... And I feel pumped with adrenaline, probably fear induced but to an extent that I could never mimick!! Gosh I hope I don't have a panic attack

I was just meditating in bed, and I went to the bathroom to pee and while I was walking there I saw my mom and I didn't know who she was! Or why she was there! Oh gosh I'm about to have a panic attack..... I don't know what good typing this is doing but I guess i'm just trying to calm myself down.. I hope somebody replies soon, I'm not used to this, this is a more...severe reaction.. But I did always have a kind of psychotic.. perception, that was off.. a little bit before I went gluten free I just didn't notice it... It's like my perception is off and my brain is telling me certain things are other things and then making it come true!

I'm going to stop ranting like a complete maniac and just breathe deeply and hope somebody replies...... Could this all be in my head???

Edit: Okay wow . The near-panic-attack is gone but i'm stil in this weird perception world. My hands still aren't mine...But the body fear is gone.... Thank god. What a weird combination of things, I hope the panic doesnt' return. I guess writing this relieved something. How long do 'mental' effects last usually for whoever is reading this? I feel like I'm talking about drugs at this point. I guess in a way I am!

I just had to tell you that all this could very well be caused by gluten. When I have been glutened I have an irrational fear of bugs. If I see a spider in the corner I completely freak out. I am scared for no reason at all. I have called my husband crying before because I knew I had to kill a bug and I was too scared to go near it. Then after I killed it with a kleenex and flushed it down the toilet, I had to take a shower because I was so creeped out. Then I spent an least an hour sitting curled in a fetal position, afraid and crying for no reason at all. I have no explantion for my irrational fear except the gluten. I have never taken any drugs. This ONLY happens when I have glutened. I was an outdoors person when I was a kid and didn't care about bugs or dirt or anything. Since I have been gltuen free I have no problem just killing the bugs and I don't freak out. My husband sees the difference and he is amazed. Before gluten free I would see a bug jump up, screaming for my husband to kill it and then at the very least have to leave that room for a while until I calmed down. Now I just squish the spider and go back to what I was doing.

[mushroom]

So sorry to read about your panic attack and psycho episode the other night, and that I totally missed your thread. What a scary experience. Hope everything has returned to normal for you now. Hope mom is also more on board with your need to be gluten free Yes, gluten can act on the same area of your brain as drugs, so that is probably a pretty apt description. When I was a young teenager I was talked into taking methedrine (speed) at a party before any of us were ever aware of mind-altering drugs (yep, I'm that old), and not only that I took a double dose because I was trying to stay awake. The coming down from that experience was enough to convince me NEVER to mess with drugs again - talk about psychotic....I was a raving lunatic. Heard this voice going on and on and on and I wished they would shut the h*ll up, and then realized it was me that was talking. GAAAHHH!!! Got home into bed somehow and the room was spinning around one way and I was spinning around the other Could not see myself in the mirror, not that I wanted to. Scary stuff indeed. Hope you know how you got glutened so you can avoid it next time.

Here's an interesting link posted by cassP in another thread:

Open Original Shared Link

[revenant]

D'aw, I WAS feeling a lot better

Yolo, the jumping far away and close is something I had about once a month as a child! Scary stuff indeed! Adorable how your mother tried to help in that situation. I was unbelievably grateful for your reply while in that state of panic! So thanks again

Glutenfreemanna, that makes SO MUCH SENSE!! I understand so well where you are coming from! That is the exact paranoia/distortion that I have. When I was having that panic attack I was rocking back and forth and crying while staring at a black garbage bag for christ's sake. I had persuaded myself that it was some kind of puddle of sludge. It seems like anything dark, and all extreme shade contrast is enough to have me curled up in a ball when glutened. Makes you wonder if maybe of the other intense bug-fears could be related to gluten too... Another thing I realized is that without food intolerances in my system i'm no longer afraid of things that normally others find 'creepy'. Being in a dark hallway, dark garage or basement... Things that other people would be paranoid about as if something paranormal were to pop out, those things no longer affect me. Interesting !

Mushroom that sounds like a horrible experience! Yikes. Certain drug "comedowns" do more than the actual drug! Crazy what substances can do to the "mind".

So, as I said I WAS feeling better but guess what. I got accidentally soyed and caseined, and MAYBE even majorly glutened. It's hard to know. I ate my mother's banana bread that I thought she said was gluten free. She is gluten free herself. I forgot that she eats soy and milk again...Asked her after getting the chills after eating it and she said she had used soy flour and milk. She may have even used wheat flour, she had made it for my younger sister originally who is a wheat ADDICT. I asked her if the flour that was all over the counter was gluten free flour and she said yes, and I figured that meant the banana bread she made was gluten free. But honestly I should have been more specific... We normally don't have wheat flour in the house so I passed it off as a possibility but then I remembered that my younger sister had just bought some to bake cookies.

Either way I will be reacting to the soy/milk I discovered were in there. Sighsighsigh

If it turns out that it was wheat based I am really in for some show tomorrow. Soy has me down and out pretty bad.

Looks like i'm in for ANOTHER healing day marathon. Yay me... Well now I know what to expect... And I get to put all of this self-care knowledge to good practice. Back into the war zone I go. If I have another experience like the last I will most likely be posting another frantic babble on here to get it out somewhere.

I love this site and how everybody understands and relates to this situation so well. Thank you all

[mushroom]

Good luck with the aftermath

[Molly R]

Info in this thread is so helpful to me. I am new to all this and have been a bit confused since I tested negative to celiac disease thru blood testing and biopsy, but a stool sample showed I am gluten intolerant from one of my parents.

My symptoms are all neurological, but after reading all of this I'll be doing much more reading up on how someone can be gluten intolerant and not have celiac disease. I've experienced some frightening moments myself over the last few years and while I just removed gluten, dairy and even soy from my diet a couple weeks ago, I feel like I am going through withdrawal. I have a cousin who was in rehab for drugs a number of years ago and she swears that what I am going through is the same. I didn't believe her until I came upon this post.

Thanks.

[revenant]

Hey Molly, I'm glad my bad experience had a positive outcome one way or another

It is great that you discovered you are gluten intolerant. Gluten certainly can have some horribly impressive effects on the nervous system. Impressive, in a very bad way! The way I see it is that Celiac disease is just one form of gluten intolerance. I remember reading somewhere (In a book?) That there are at least 5? (I think it was 5.. So unspecific I am) other types which can be equally as treacherous but in different ways. It's just that celiac disease is the only one the traditional doctors test for.

Withdrawal is a toughie. Good luck!