Has Anyone Else Experienced This?

[happytobeGF]

Ok, I'm feeling like nothing I'm reading about gluten intolerance really fits. All I know is that going gluten-free helped me so much that I felt seriously HAPPY to be gluten-free, and don't miss bread at all. Can any of you identify with these symptoms?

--I had surgery and a miscarriage last summer. After this, I started having more serious stomach cramping and gas than normal. I've always been a fairly "gaseous" person, but it got worse. After Christmas, the stomach cramping got so bad that I started suspecting gluten intolerance, and went into get tested. Negative. Everything was negative. On the very, very low side of negative.

--a year ago, as a 30-year old woman, I got diagnosed with ADHD. It was like a revelation. I got medicated, and it helped. But the meds always seemed to wear off much more quickly than the docs said they should.

--I've always had weird skin problems--allergic to latex, random weird itchiness that I couldn't identify, but that didn't stay around. After I started having kids, the skin on my right hand got such bad eczema that it would crack and bleed. Steroid creams + constant lotion application helped, but was really freaking annoying.

--I've always had tons of mouth blisters "due to stress." So did my mother and grandmother.

--I've tested borderline anemic w/ every pregnancy, and iron supplements didn't seem to help that.

--The worst part was my weight. I've always had a voracious appetite. I could eat 2x as much in volume as my high-metabolism husband, and maybe ate half the fat. I could diet and exercise for months at a time and maybe lose a pound. It was so discouraging.

Well, after my blood was drawn for my test, I went gluten-free without waiting for the results to come back. (And, at the advice of a gluten-free/CF friend, stayed that way even after the tests came back negative) It only took a few days, but the stomach cramping stopped. Less than two weeks later, my hands started healing, and I'd forgotten to apply *any* creams at all. Within a month, my hand was smooth like a baby's. I started taking pictures, lol.

My ADD got easier to manage. My brain fog cleared considerably. I had more energy. My blood pressure dropped.

The BEST part was my appetite. I was suddenly eating half of what my husband was eating. All my life, I've had such crazy blood-sugar drops that my parents kept getting me tested for diabetes. It kept coming back as, "Almost, but not quite." Those *stopped.*

I've lost 10 lbs in three months. I have about 25 more to go, LOL!

I can't find anything on the internet about a gluten-intolerant person having a drop in appetite after going gluten-free---and having that be such a good thing. I've met one woman on one forum who said her *grandkids* experienced this, but that just isn't quite authoritative enough for me, lol. Has anyone heard of this type of result before?

Thanks so much,

HappytobeGF

[kareng]

What's that old saying? "If it walks like gluten intolerance and it poops like gluten intolerance, then its probably gluten intolerance (or Celiac)"

The eating less thing: When you guts are damaged and unable to take in the nutrients your body craves, it might trigger you to eat more.

Welcome!

[ravenwoodglass]

Since celiac can impact nutrient absorption our bodies can signal us that we are constantly hungry because it wants more nutrients.

It sounds like you have seen a great deal of improvement on the diet. I would stick with the diet.

[etta694]

The eating less thing: When you guts are damaged and unable to take in the nutrients your body craves, it might trigger you to eat more.

Welcome!

Since celiac can impact nutrient absorption our bodies can signal us that we are constantly hungry because it wants more nutrients.

Yes, this has been my experience... before I couldn't stop eating and I was always craving food. Now I am satisfied - and less interested in food.. which has led to some unhealthy eating habits too, thus I haven't lost any weight.

[txplowgirl]

Hi Happytobegf,

I've always been heavy even as a kid, I had so many issues like yours plus a lot more. I was always hungry but couldn't eat lot, Everybody said I ate like a bird.

But since i've been gluten-free I eat way more than I use to but i've lost 45 lbs and I very rarely get hungry now, isn't that backwards or what? Lol

[happytobeGF]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's so good knowing that I'm not making this up. And also, thank you for posting the little "stories" of your diagnoses and mis-diagnoses at the bottom. It just makes us newbies feel a ton better to know you've walked this road before us.

[mushroom]

As I read through your initial post, I couldn't find a single thing in there that I would not possibly attribute to gluten intolerance.

Pregnancy often triggers.

ADHD is a common symptom to clear up gluten free

Celiac is notorious for skin problems - eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis herpetiformis, dry flaky skin, keratosis pilaris, etc., etc.

Apthous ulcers in the mouth

Anemia

Inability to lose weight...

Have I missed anything? Oh yes, the gaastrointestinal symptoms.

I would call you a pretty classic case. There's nothing in there that DOESN"T fit.

[UpbeatPete]

So the Keratosis on my arms can be from Celiac Disease? What if I've had the keratosis my entire life, or as long as I can remember?

[ravenwoodglass]

So the Keratosis on my arms can be from Celiac Disease? What if I've had the keratosis my entire life, or as long as I can remember?

Some of us can have skin issues for a very long time before other celiac symptoms show up. Once you have been gluten free for a while if the KP disappears you will know it is gluten related.