My Stages Of Healing: 5.5 Months Gluten Free

[HopefulMama23]

I have been gluten free since January of this year, so about 5.5 months. I have gone through what I think are the strangest "phases" of healing since the day I stopped eating gluten. I'm wondering if any of this at all is normal?

Here's the rundown, I will try to not ramble:

Gave up gluten in January- felt GREAT. I had been depressed, anxious, had constant D, lost weight, no appetite, lost hair (lots), dry skin, sore teeth, and bad nails. All of that started to get better within a week of changing my diet. I should say that I gave up gluten, dairy, soy, caffiene and alcohol for those first few weeks.

After one month gluten-free- I got TIRED. Very, very tired. I would go to sleep with my kids at 8:00 PM and sleep until 7:00 AM, most nights. And I could have slept more. Still off dairy and gluten and caffiene. Have added back occasional soy and occasional alcohol.

After 2-3 months: Felt good. Started to gain weight and became VERY bloated- I actually took a few different pregnancy tests becuase I looked 4 months pregnant. Added dairy back in.

After 4 months to present: Started to not be able to sleep. Not just an occasional night, but EVERY night, I was up for hours at a time. Anxiety came back with a vengence, along with hair loss. I cut soy and dairy back out in an attempt to remedy this, but so far it has not helped.

So, my phases since coming off gluten look like this: the initial high of coming off gluten, then the tired month, then the bloated month, and now the hyper month. Is ANY of that at all "normal"?

I will say I still think I'm in a better place than I was 5 months ago, when my doctors and I decided I needed to stay off gluten. But I am very, very discouraged that things have not stabalized, and that I am not just OK yet. I hate constantly evaluating my body, my physical health, and my mental health. I feel like an old lady in the nursing home who just talks about her symptoms and aches and pains all day. I just want to feel normal again.

[Marilyn R]

Possibly you've devloped another food intolerance ... nightshades? corn? fructose? legumes?

What are you eating and drinking. Maybe someone can help pinpoint the culprit.

Do you keep a food diary?

Good luck!

[viviendoparajesus]

i think there are definitely individual differences but there do seem to be different phases.

i had the bloated phase before i went off gluten. i still have some bloating but nothing like before when it made me look pregnant.

i have been tired before and after gluten-free. i started sleeping better since gluten-free. though something about the spring and summertime disrupts my sleep.

i felt great when i first went off gluten. my skin cleared up, my sleep was better, i was not constipated, my warts went away.

i was hyper before i went off gluten and until my body started to stabilize and heal some.

i have been off gluten for a year and am still trying to heal and identify problem foods so i can avoid them and heal.

soy, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol can cause problems for some people so that may be having a role in your healing process.

i can relate to the pain of tracking deit and symptoms. however, my hope is that after healing it will not take as much effort.

[rgarton]

Aha i found someone who has been gluten free as long as i have I didn't find any changes until month 4 then cut off soya and voila started to feel better but not 100%, but my anxiety and depression went away which was nice! But i wasn't still 100% so i started noticing things like my hair conditioner i suddenly started reacting too, I've now cahnged all my Shampoo and Conditoner, body wash make up etc etc and felt MUCH better, then ran out of conditioner used the old one and got anxiety back, aching all over, sore eyes, and loose, mucusey bm's (TMI!) the only thing i could think of was using my old conditioner for 2 days, i also noticed tiny blisters on my head! Seemed so silly! But little things like that seem to hurt me more than ever now, and im guessing it is the healing process. So maybe check all these things also? Hugs to you!

[FooGirlsMom]

Hi there,

I've had ups and downs but overall my health is going up...and as far as I know, I have not be "glutened" since starting the diet back in October of last year.

One thing that might encourage you is that I experienced a bit of what you have. The initial "high" as you called it from going off gluten - yep - experienced that. I think what happened is that once all those antibodies quit swirling around, I felt better, but then I suddenly noticed other things I was reacting to. I had to give up soy, corn and dairy for awhile. I have been able to add dairy and corn back in (my intenstines must have healed enough) but not soy. In fact, I discovered that soybean oil made my joints swell like crazy. One afternoon I forgot about the soy and ate some Best Foods Mayo (first ingredient soybean oil) and the joints in my hands flared. My right hand, within an hour was so painful I couldn't close it past a claw without excruciating pain. It took a week to completely clear up. I am ok with soy lecithin but not soy or soy oils. I think they are out forever. I didn't realize I had an allergy to it until I went gluten-free. Go figure.

I have had waves of fatigue. The healing process takes time. I do notice that I feel the best when I eat a primarily whole foods, low carb diet. It's probably because my pancreas has taken a hit over the years. I was in pretty bad shape in October before going gluten-free. If I stick to meat, green veggies, a little fruit, and not too many potatoes, eggs, etc. I feel best.

If you are really at your wits end and feel awful, the elimination diet might help you. Then you can discover if you are reacting to some of the top allergen foods- soy, eggs, dairy, nuts, etc.

Hang in there. Feeling awful is information that you need to follow up on. If you're not deficience in vitamins, I'd start looking to food sensitivities.

FooGirlsMom