Just Found Out...

[dd6444]

Hi everyone, just joined a few days ago, this is my first post. I was just diagnosed with celiac disease by a stool sample (the results came back on my 17th birthday... what a great present...lol) and I've been on a gluten free diet since then, which was July 7th, so its been a little bit over two weeks. I've started to feel worse after I started the gluten-free diet. Among other things, I've had more nausea, less appetite, and I've been losing more weight. I also dont know if this is from celiac, but my insomnia is worse too (did anyone else have insomnia?). I didn't know what was happening, but after I read through a few posts here, I saw that other people had gotten worse and then better, so I'm not worried anymore, I'm just trying to hang in there until I start feeling better. I've been really good about eating gluten free stuff, and my parents are very helpfull. Well, I cant think of anything else, and if you've made it to the end of my post, congratulations. You get a gluten free cookie. Thank you all for the wealth of information on this board.

--Dave

[steve-o]

Hang in there Dave, it'll get better. I've been gluten-free for almost 2 months now, and I went through all the same stuff you're describing. I went through a "gluten withdrawal" period of about a month, where I felt really rotten...but then it got much better, and has been ever since.

If you're still having issues with nausea, you might try cutting out dairy from your diet too. Nausea is a common symptom of lactose intolerance, which is highly associated with celiac disease. I found that cutting out dairy made my nausea go away...but we're all different, so this may or may not work for you.

Also, make sure you're taking a good multivitamin.

[Misa]

Hiya Dave

I'm new to this too.....Five weeks now and already feeling so much better alround. But....the first three weeks were difficult. The fatigue, muscle pain, headache and bloating got worse. And I also became very aggressive (which isn't part of my personality at all) and have had to do some humble apologizing now that I'm cool, calm and collected . I also woke up several times a night, felt nauseas and lost alot of weight to the point were clothes became baggy. Suddenly during the course of week four everything changed for the better. And my weight is up to what it was previously.

I guess my point is, lots of things can happen, many great and some not so good. It seems the beginning can be a bit bumpy.

Good luck, Misa

[KaitiUSA]

Hey...welcome to the board.

It may be overwhelming a bit at first but it gets easier. I have been gluten free since January of 2004. Just be prepared there are gluten free products that taste like crap but then there are just great brands that you can find about to try.

When you go gluten free though do not expect an instant change. I didn't really see a difference till the third month. By the 8th month I was back to normal. Everyone has different healing times so don't be worried about that , your body will heal and you will feel better but you have to let it work at it's own pace.

I agree about taking a multi...I think a liquid multi may be best at this point because they are ultra absorbable.

Other things that help are enzymes and probiotics...they are not for everyone but I swear by them...they helped me so much.

This site will really help you out. I wish I had this when I first started the diet.

Anyway, feel free to contact me if you just want to talk or if you need any help

[printmaker81]

Hey Dave, welcome to the board. I'm going through the same thing as you. I was diagnosed back in May. I definitely felt worse after going on the diet, particularly my nausea and dizziness. I'm still waiting on a lot of my symptoms to dissappear, but I've stopped losing weight!! Plus, there is a feeling that I am somehow less toxic (though it's hard to explain). It sounds like you have a good attitude, so just stick with it and have faith that things will eventually improve.

I'd also suggest looking at non-food products, shampoos and soaps may have gluten in them.

I ditto the probiotics, they have really helped me. Plus, you may want to avoid soy and dairy products even if you don't have an intolerance to them because they can be hard to digest especially for a healing gut.

Good luck

[dd6444]

Thanks for the support guys

I'm taking all sorts of vitamins and stuff... also i've been avoiding dairy products, and soon I'm gonna have a test for food allergies..

[cgd]

Hi, I just started the gluten-free diet a little over a week ago. It's been good in some ways, no more headaches, but I can relate about some things being worse. I feel full and bloated a lot, and I'm bone-tired. I've always had insomnia, so this is nothing new. Losing weight would be fine with me--I'm atypical in that I'm about 20 lbs overweight. Welcome!