Bad Weekend At Work

[CruiseWriter]

I've been having a lot of swelling and pain over the weekend. I am working at the beach and worked a lot over the weekend, putting in 8-9 hour shifts on my feet with only a 20 minute break. I've been bloated and swollen for the past 3 years but it's gotten progressively worse. Last night my hands were filled with fluid as well as my legs and feet, and could barely walk when I went home. I had a hard time sleeping as the pain was so great, and this morning I was in a lot of pain but I went to work and I barely made it through the day. I could hardly stand the pain in my legs and feet and the swelling and pain was too much for me; I could hardly walk and I was crying in pain, so my manager is cutting my hours in half and she sent me home early tonight.

I started a gluten-free diet last weekend and when I weighed myself yesterday, the scale showed I'd lost 5 pounds by cutting out wheat.

[MelindaLee]

I've been having a lot of swelling and pain over the weekend. I am working at the beach and worked a lot over the weekend, putting in 8-9 hour shifts on my feet with only a 20 minute break. I've been bloated and swollen for the past 3 years but it's gotten progressively worse. Last night my hands were filled with fluid as well as my legs and feet, and could barely walk when I went home. I had a hard time sleeping as the pain was so great, and this morning I was in a lot of pain but I went to work and I barely made it through the day. I could hardly stand the pain in my legs and feet and the swelling and pain was too much for me; I could hardly walk and I was crying in pain, so my manager is cutting my hours in half and she sent me home early tonight.

I started a gluten-free diet last weekend and when I weighed myself yesterday, the scale showed I'd lost 5 pounds by cutting out wheat.

I hope you will find some relief with the gluten-free diet. My main symptom was an arthritis type of pain which was from joint inflammation. Once on the gluten-free diet, my inflammation has went away and I no longer have to take anti-inflammatories. I hope you will find the same relief!

[eatmeat4good]

I had the same feelings and experiences before going gluten free. You should get better and better. I will tell you that I didn't eliminate dairy and soy in the beginning since I thought gluten was bad enough to get rid of. Several months later I realized soy causes swelling inflammation and pain. Couple months after that I decided dairy had to go. It causes brain fogginess and lethargy and nausea...not necessarily the stomach or D problems others experience, but I noticed a definite feeling of well being returned on eliminating dairy and soy in addition to gluten.

[wjp]

Swelling of my ankles and legs was one of my main complaints before going gluten free. Then my stomach started to swell and I was always bloated after I ate. When the doctors diagnosed "celiac" and told me to go on a gluten free diet, I lost 6 pounds within 1 week and I know it was the fluid that I have been carrying around for probably 3 or more years. I lost over 20 and have been a constant weight (happy weight) for over a year. When my feet were swollen I had a hard time walking and would have to lie down alot. Went gluten free 1/10 and haven't looked back. Hope this helps you.

[CruiseWriter]

What's the different between celiac and being intolerant? Confused. Feeling on the fence about GI....think he should have told me to go gluten-free instead of having me decide for myself. I see him next month and if I don't feel like he's helping, I'm not going back. I see PCP tomorrow to discuss current issues.

[Takala]

What's the different between celiac and being intolerant? Confused. Feeling on the fence about GI....think he should have told me to go gluten-free instead of having me decide for myself. I see him next month and if I don't feel like he's helping, I'm not going back. I see PCP tomorrow to discuss current issues.

Shortest answer: the status of official diagnosis.

All celiacs are gluten intolerant. But the current definition of celiac is that it is an auto immune disease. The current definition of gluten intolerant is undergoing massive confusion in the media, as the researchers attempt to split it off into another disease with another definition, since the official diagnostic criteria for the medical profession is that they want to see both a positive blood work test reaction and a positive result from a biopsy, showing certain amounts of damage.

Just get sick as a dog in various ways, but miss getting tests that show it ? Current medical profession still attempting to label this as something else.

Clear as mud ?

Just remember, many gluten intolerant people eat the exact same way celiacs do - gluten free, and ****ed carefully !

First off, welcome. I am one of those people who also tend to get a lot of swelling in my feet, I have been plagued with this, off and on, for much of my adult life. If I have to wear shoes, I am in either in heavy duty outdoors type sandals with adjustable velcro fronts, which can be instantly customized (which can be found at drugstore chains or discount stores, cheap ones just as good as $$$ pricy ones) or some sort of boot with thick soles, like a hiking boot or western boot, with plenty of extra width.

If I start to puff up, I try to drink a lot of water to flush out my kidneys and intestines, and I eat very carefully, sticking to as much fruit and vegetable type things as possible. I also will drink tea or coffee that I've put a little ginger, cinnamon, and tumeric in it, to bring down inflammation. It took me a while to figure out that not only does accidental glutening do this, (sometimes I never figure out exactly what the culprit was, but have narrowed it down to a list of suspects), but some ingredients in commercially made gluten free foods, when eaten generously, will do the same thing to me, so I will just avoid that brand or certain items, it may be okay for most people, but.... one example was the gluten free, flavored corn chips I pigged out on a few years ago for New Year's eve, (that was dinner, chips and sparkling water, yeah, big night at home ) package is marked prominently Gluten Free. They really got me. There was a discussion thread on these, and even super sensitive people can eat these, but this is when I started suspecting that I might now be an oat reactor, which I've not tested. I also had a spectacular reaction to another flavored rice chip, of which I eat the same brand of rice cakes without a problem. I now stick to one brand of rice cracker. I know that I've had bad luck with imported garlic powder, out of a brand that is good for calling out gluten on the label, so I try to stay with fresh domestic garlic.