Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Will Damage Already Done Heal

matt4444

Recommended Posts

matt4444 Rookie
matt4444
Posted

Will the digestive system damage done before I was diagnosed and went gluten-free heal? Also, how long does it take of being gluten-free to start feeling better?

Thanks

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

The answer to both questions depends upon how long you have been an undiagnosed celiac (so how long it was between when it was triggered and when you went gluten-free), how old you are now, and how quickly you heal.

In the vast majority of cases, the damage will eventually heal if you remain strictly gluten-free for the rest of your life - and most of the time the damage will reverse itself in 6-24 months or so.

As for how long it takes to feel better, it varies GREATLY. Some of us start to feel better in a few days, for others it requires a few months.

matt4444 Rookie
matt4444
Posted
  • Author

I've been undiagnosed and rapidly consuming gluten (tons of cheeseburgers) for all 15 years of my life. I have been gluten-free for about 2 days although I may have accidently eaten some chocolate cake (hidden in chocolate mousse) today. It really worries me how people say just a tiny bit of gluten can cause damage. Does that mean that if you make a mistake once in a while you wont get better?

Thanks

KaitiUSA Enthusiast
KaitiUSA
Posted

Well, if you have frequent accidents then its just the same as not following the diet. You need to be strictly no gluten.

Everyone has accidents and yes the damage will heal-but not if that happens frequently.

For some people to feel better it may take a few weeks..for others it takes months. Took me 8 months to get back to normal but I felt better after the 3rd month. However, if you cheat and have accidents alot then they will be longer.

rmmadden Contributor
rmmadden
Posted

I repeat what the others have said......It varies from person-to-person depending upon what amount of damage you have and how well you stay away from Gluten. I have been gluten-free for 8-months but I didn't really see any improvement until after the 5th month. I'm still not without accidents or days where I feel lousy but I guess that's just par for the course when you have celiac disease.

All you can do is try your best and let time heal you. Best of luck!

Cleveland Bob B)

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted
Does that mean that if you make a mistake once in a while you wont get better?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

"Accidents" or cheating as infrequently as once a month is - as far as the risk of negative outcomes - nearly equivalent to not treating celiac disease at all. So yes, it is vital that you don't get gluten that frequently.

Jnkmnky Collaborator
Jnkmnky
Posted

Accidents increase the risk of your developing the other nasty auto-immune diseases. Please do you absolute best to remain gluten free if you have celiac disease. Being gluten free and avoiding foods that contain gluten isn't nearly as bad as having lupus or R.A. and having to take pain medications that can also harm other organs in your body. Think about the gift of Celiac Disease. You are in control with this disease.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


matt4444 Rookie
matt4444
Posted
  • Author

Thanks. What was that about a mistake once a month is like not treating it at all? Any opinions on that? Cuz that seems to make no sense. Also, what are some good gluten-free cookbooks and stores with gluten-free items?

jenvan Collaborator
jenvan
Posted

Matt-

What Kaiti said can actually be true. "Splurging" on gluten or having an accident, even a miniscule amount, can damage and wipe out the villi that have healed and returned in your intestines. Let's say its then another few weeks or a month before you have another accident. Once again, some or potentially all of those healed villi are wiped out again. This keeps the levels on inflammation up in your intestines, which keeps the immune system up too---and keeps your rates of developing other autoimmune diseases, cancer etc. high as well. Not something to screw around with. And if you are like most people, it may take you several weeks or a month to start feeling better after the accident. But please don't let your 'symptoms' manipulate your actions on this matter. There is no in-between for this diet. Hope that explanation helps a bit...

Good stores to get gluten-free foods at:

Wild oats, whole foods, trader joes...and many mainline groceries are getting gluten-free foods too--walmart has started defining whether their brand of foods are gluten-free or not. there are also a ton of online stores as well. you can find links to some of them on this site.

KaitiUSA Enthusiast
KaitiUSA
Posted
Thanks. What was that about a mistake once a month is like not treating it at all? Any opinions on that? Cuz that seems to make no sense. Also, what are some good gluten-free cookbooks and stores with gluten-free items?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Accidents that happen as frequently as once a month is just like not following the diet because you keep causing damage and it takes some time to heal. So if you keep having gluten then your never letting that damage heal. Doesn't matter if its just a little bit either, it will still cause damage. As Jen said, there is no in between is all or none. You really need to be dedicated to the diet though because if you don't follow it then it will kill you after a while...it's not something to mess around with.

matt4444 Rookie
matt4444
Posted
  • Author

Thanks,

Not quite as reassuring as I hoped it would be lol. But it helps me realize how serious this is.

Matt

nogluten- Newbie
nogluten-
Posted
Will the digestive system damage done before I was diagnosed and went gluten-free heal? Also, how long does it take of being gluten-free to start feeling better?

Thanks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It took me about three months of being gluten free,dairy free,soy free, etc. before I felt any better, but I was still terribly underweight and exhausted for about a year and a half. Only recently did my doctor do a capsule endoscopy and discover that I also have Crohn's Disease,which is another illness you might want to read up on if you haven't already. My doctor said Crohn's can be missed without a camera endoscopy, so I suggest that anyone with continuing symptoms after going gluten-free have this test done. Good luck and take care, everyone.

  • 1 month later...
matt4444 Rookie
matt4444
Posted
  • Author

Well, thanks. I've been gluten-free for about a month now and am feeling tons better! I'm also getting used to not being able to eat cheeseburgers and pizza.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

You don't have to give up on cheeseburgers or pizza. Okay, you can't just walk into McDonalds or Domino's and eat what they have, but there are gluten-free pizza crusts and hamburger rolls available (or you can make your own).

I'm in the Toronto area, and get gluten-free hamburger buns online from glutino.com and get gluten-free pizza crusts from Sterk's Bakery at a local store. Glutino also has pizza crusts, I just happen to prefer Sterk's. AFAIK Sterk's is only available in the Toronto area--Mr. Sterk operates out of his home between Hamilton and Niagara Falls.

Of course, in the early stages of recovery, many celiacs have difficulty with lactose which could impact these foods due to the cheese content.

celiac3270 Collaborator
celiac3270
Posted

Try the Foods by George pizza.

Oh, and don't be intimidated by the once-a-month thing. It's true, but be aware that at the start, you'll mess up at least once or twice. So it's normal if you mess up in the first month or two. It's just in long-term treatment, you've got to be strict.

Welcome!

  • 11 months later...
~~~AnnaBelle~~~ Newbie
~~~AnnaBelle~~~
Posted

Everything depends on your time, but for me by the time I stopped eating gluten and my digestive system cleared out I felt oh so much betterm\, but everthing takes time, and depends somewhat on how bad you are and how old you are too. I'm 16 and I have sever celiacs it will take me a long time to be fully cured, and everytime i CHEAT and get sick it can set me back for so many years! :-( Thats why gluten sucks SO MUCH! :-S AHH!!!

~~~AnnaBelle~~~

Kassie Apprentice
Kassie
Posted

i started feeling bettet in a few months ( i have been gluten-free for about 9 months) i have to say when i first started i did cheat intentionally, but i paid for it. when i retook my blood test it was still high 6 months later, my doctor said it should have been back to normal by them. but now i am strict about what i eat to make sure it is gluten-free. also my name is kassie and i am 15, feel free to e-mail me with any questions or just to talk my address is twin_kassie2@hotmail.com (i have a twin sister)

Ursa Major Collaborator
Ursa Major
Posted

Matt, since you're only 15, as long as you really are diligent with the diet, you should recover fully (which doesn't mean not having celiac disease any more). The older you are when diagnosed, the less chance of all the damage being reversible.

  • 2 weeks later...
rachael128 Newbie
rachael128
Posted

Hey Matt,

I have a solution to your pizza problem. I found a rly good gluten free pizza by Amy's, you can find it at Whole Foods. Hope that helps.

Good luck with everything :)

KaitiUSA Enthusiast
KaitiUSA
Posted

You should be able to recover fully but u need to be diligent with your diet because if you cheat then your damage will not be healed. I have found good pizza and found a good way to make pizza too.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,354
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Gracieruizzz
    Newest Member
    Gracieruizzz
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @catnapt, Wheat germ has very little gluten in it.  Gluten is  the carbohydrate storage protein, what the flour is made from, the fluffy part.  Just like with beans, there's the baby plant that will germinate  ("germ"-inate) if sprouted, and the bean part is the carbohydrate storage protein.   Wheat germ is the baby plant inside a kernel of wheat, and bran is the protective covering of the kernel.   Little to no gluten there.   Large amounts of lectins are in wheat germ and can cause digestive upsets, but not enough Gluten to provoke antibody production in the small intestines. Luckily you still have time to do a proper gluten challenge (10 grams of gluten per day for a minimum of two weeks) before your next appointment when you can be retested.  
    • knitty kitty
      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @asaT, I'm curious to know whether you are taking other B vitamins like Thiamine B1 and Niacin B3.  Malabsorption in Celiac disease affects all the water soluble B vitamins and Vitamin C.  Thiamine and Niacin are required to produce energy for all the homocysteine lowering reactions provided by Folate, Cobalamine and Pyridoxine.   Weight gain with a voracious appetite is something I experienced while malnourished.  It's symptomatic of Thiamine B1 deficiency.   Conversely, some people with thiamine deficiency lose their appetite altogether, and suffer from anorexia.  At different periods on my lifelong journey, I suffered this, too.   When the body doesn't have sufficient thiamine to turn food, especially carbohydrates, into energy (for growth and repair), the body rations what little thiamine it has available, and turns the carbs into fat, and stores it mostly in the abdomen.  Consuming a high carbohydrate diet requires additional thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  Simple carbohydrates (sugar, white rice, etc.) don't contain thiamine, so the body easily depletes its stores of Thiamine processing the carbs into fat.  The digestive system communicates with the brain to keep eating in order to consume more thiamine and other nutrients it's not absorbing.   One can have a subclinical thiamine insufficiency for years.  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so the symptoms can wax and wane mysteriously.  Symptoms of Thiamine insufficiency include stunted growth, chronic fatigue, and Gastrointestinal Beriberi (diarrhea, abdominal pain), heart attack, Alzheimer's, stroke, and cancer.   Thiamine improves bone turnover.  Thiamine insufficiency can also affect the thyroid.  The thyroid is important in bone metabolism.  The thyroid also influences hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, and menopause.  Vitamin D, at optimal levels, can act as a hormone and can influence the thyroid, as well as being important to bone health, and regulating the immune system.  Vitamin A is important to bone health, too, and is necessary for intestinal health, as well.   I don't do dairy because I react to Casein, the protein in dairy that resembles gluten and causes a reaction the same as if I'd been exposed to gluten, including high tTg IgA.  I found adding mineral water containing calcium and other minerals helpful in increasing my calcium intake.   Malabsorption of Celiac affects all the vitamins and minerals.  I do hope you'll talk to your doctor and dietician about supplementing all eight B vitamins and the four fat soluble vitamins because they all work together interconnectedly.  
    • Florence Lillian
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Florence Lillian · Posted

      Hi Jane: You may want to try the D3 I now take. I have reactions to fillers and many additives. Sports Research, it is based in the USA and I have had no bad reactions with this brand. The D3 does have coconut oil but it is non GMO, it is Gluten free, Soy free, Soybean free and Safflower oil free.  I have a cupboard full of supplements that did not agree with me -  I just keep trying and have finally settled on Sports Research. I take NAKA Women's Multi full spectrum, and have not felt sick after taking 2 capsules per day -  it is a Canadian company. I buy both from Amazon. I wish you well in your searching, I know how discouraging it all is. Florence.  
    • catnapt
      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      By catnapt · Posted

      highly unlikely  NOTHING and I mean NOTHING else has ever caused me these kinds of symptoms I have no problem with dates, they are a large part of my diet In fact, I eat a very high fiber, very high vegetable and bean diet and have for many years now. It's considered a whole foods plant based or plant forward diet (I do now eat some lean ground turkey but not much) I was off dairy for years but recently had to add back plain yogurt to meet calcium needs that I am not allowed to get from supplements (I have not had any problem with the yogurt)   I eat almost no processed foods. I don't eat out. almost everything I eat, I cook myself I am going to keep a food diary but to be honest, I already know that it's wheat products and also barley that are the problem, which is why I gradually stopped eating and buying them. When I was eating them, like back in early 2024, when I was in the middle of moving and ate out (always had bread or toast or rolls or a sub or pizza) I felt terrible but at that time was so busy and exhausted that I never stopped to think it was the food. Once I was in my new place, I continued to have bread from time to time and had such horrible joint pain that I was preparing for 2 total knee replacements as well as one hip! The surgery could not go forward as I was (and still am) actively losing calcium from my bones. That problem has yet to be properly diagnosed and treated   anyway over time I realized that I felt better when I stopped eating bread. Back at least 3 yrs ago I noticed that regular pasta made me sick so I switched to brown rice pasta and even though it costs a lot more, I really like it.   so gradually I just stopped buying and eating foods with gluten. I stopped getting raisin bran when I was constipated because it made me bloated and it didn't help the constipation any more (used to be a sure bet that it would in the past)   I made cookies and brownies using beans and rolled oats and dates and tahini and I LOVE them and have zero issues eating those I eat 1 or more cans of beans per day easily can eat a pound of broccoli - no problem! Brussels sprouts the same thing.   so yeh it's bread and related foods that are clearly the problem  there is zero doubt in my mind    
    • cristiana
      Insomnia help

      By cristiana · Posted

      Thank you for your post, @nanny marley It is interesting what you say about 'It's OK not to sleep'. Worrying about sleeping only makes it much harder to sleep.  One of my relatives is an insomniac and I am sure that is part of the problem.  Whereas I once had a neighbour who, if she couldn't sleep, would simply get up again, make a cup of tea, read, do a sudoku or some other small task, and then go back to bed when she felt sleepy again.  I can't think it did her any harm - she lived  well into her nineties. Last week I decided to try a Floradix Magnesium supplement which seems to be helping me to sleep better.  It is a liquid magnesium supplement, so easy to take.  It is gluten free (unlike the Floradix iron supplement).  Might be worth a try.        
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.