5 Weeks In And Struggling...

[Juliette]

Hi everyone,

I'm from England. I've been reading posts on this forum for a while now and it seems to be the best one I can find for advice and support so today I thought I'd join.

I'm twenty-one years old and I've been gluten-free for five weeks now. I had two slip-ups in the first two weeks but since then I have not had the symptoms which I relate to ingesting gluten- my body feels suddenly weak and shaky, my stomach quickly becomes very unsettled about half an hour-hour of eating it. I am very careful with utensils etc..

However, things are not going so well. In the last two weeks I've developed diarrhoea, specifically in the mornings, and over the past week my stools have been green (sorry for the detail but it's starting to worry me!) I know green stools mean that food is passing through the body too quickly and my doctor told me that until my intestines heal, that will often be the case. But what I was wondering was why the diarrhoea has developed while on the gluten-free diet, because I never had it before and my intestines have been damaged for longer than the last two weeks. It's confusing me.

I take iron and calcium supplements, have cut out dairy and am eating only natural foods at the moment: vegetables, fruit, rice, potato, meat and fish. I think what's most frustrating is that I'm eating better than I have in my whole life, and I feel worse. I know there could be other things I'm allergic too, but my doctor says that because it's so early on, my symptoms are normal or at least, not unexpected. I get other symptoms, such a shaking hands, tiredness, shivers, weakness, headaches, but I hope these will improve as I get further in on the diet. My doctor prescribed me antispasmodics but they don't seem to help.

I'm sorry for having a bit of a rant, but I'm feeling really frustrated by it all. I have my final exams for university in a week and I know the stress is just making it worse.

I was just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience? Is getting worse before you get better a common experience?

Any advice or stories about your experiences would be so grateful!

Thank you!

[heatherjane]

How long have you been taking the iron? That will also cause green stools. If you are relatively new to a diet of whole/unprocessed foods, I'm sure that would be having an effect as well, since your body is detoxing. I would also make sure you've ruled out sources of contamination...toasters, shared condiments, lip products, medications... gluten can sneak in anywhere.

Hang in there... I was one of those who felt worse before it got better. It's different for everyone.

[ravenwoodglass]

I was going to ask the same question about the iron. If your very low perhaps your GP could give you injections for a bit instead. It does take a while to heal. Make sure that you are taking all the precautions we need to take in our homes to prevent cross contamination, replacing scratched pans, toaster and wooden utensils, not sharing butter, nut butters etc and do check any supplements and meds to be sure they are gluten free.

Welcome to the board and ask any questions you need to. I hope your feeling better soon.