I Suspect I Am Gluten Intolerant. Any Advice?

[LOWNskater52]

Day 31

So it has officially been a month of trying to go gluten free. I definitely slipped up during the first couple of weeks so I am really counting my recovery from November 1st.

I got to be honest; I don't feel that much better. I know it takes 3 months to have the real healing process begin but I really did expect more after one month of attempting to go gluten free. My eczema is much better (but not gone), my lymph nodes are pain free and not swollen anymore, I'm not burping up/regurgitating food as much, and the red patches on my scalp are getting better. I still wanted some more improvement though. I am still waking up with my throat singed from acid reflux, still have heat intolerance (cannot stand a hot shower), and still have esophageal spasms and chest pain.

My meals everyday are:

Breakfast - 1 or 2 Apples

Lunch - 1 Chicken Breast and a Baked Potato

Dinner - Steamed Veggies and rice/beans

I'm also preparing my food on things that have never been touched by gluten. I put tin foil down when I cook, bought a new steamer, put paper towels on my plates, and eat with plastic silverware.

I have lost a lot of weight though which is a good thing. I'm 5'10 and I was 190, I'm now 173.5. I know a lot of toxins that your body can't process is stored in fat so I hope I feel bad just cause I am burning through those toxins.

Gonna write some more tomorrow about some other symptyoms

[ravenwoodglass]

Day 31

So it has officially been a month of trying to go gluten free. I definitely slipped up during the first couple of weeks so I am really counting my recovery from November 1st.

I got to be honest; I don't feel that much better. I know it takes 3 months to have the real healing process begin but I really did expect more after one month of attempting to go gluten free. My eczema is much better (but not gone), my lymph nodes are pain free and not swollen anymore, I'm not burping up/regurgitating food as much, and the red patches on my scalp are getting better. I still wanted some more improvement though. I am still waking up with my throat singed from acid reflux, still have heat intolerance (cannot stand a hot shower), and still have esophageal spasms and chest pain.

My meals everyday are:

Breakfast - 1 or 2 Apples

Lunch - 1 Chicken Breast and a Baked Potato

Dinner - Steamed Veggies and rice/beans

I'm also preparing my food on things that have never been touched by gluten. I put tin foil down when I cook, bought a new steamer, put paper towels on my plates, and eat with plastic silverware.

I have lost a lot of weight though which is a good thing. I'm 5'10 and I was 190, I'm now 173.5. I know a lot of toxins that your body can't process is stored in fat so I hope I feel bad just cause I am burning through those toxins.

Gonna write some more tomorrow about some other symptyoms

It does sound like you are making some progress. Hopefully things will improve more soon.

[Di2011]

You are making great progress. Keep it u! Make sure you are getting plenty of variety in your fruit and veg so you cover the vitamin ranges!!

[jmrogers31]

16.5 pounds of weight loss in a month is quite a bit for someone who wasn't that heavy to begin with. I wonder if you need to up your calories a little bit. If you trust BMI, I believe 173 would now put you in the healthy category for a 5'10 male. I am also 5'10 and try to keep my weight around 175 (unfortunately at 185 right now). I am guessing 2 apples is around 300 calories. 1 Chicken Breast and mashed potato would be around 500 calories, and veggies and rice/beans would also be around 500 calories. Those are all guesses but that is only 1300 calories a day. I would up it to around 1700. Also, you asked what shampoo I used in an earlier post. I use Dove damage therapy. It is gluten free and my dandruff is much better. Sorry you are still having some issues. I am discovering the gluten was my main culprit for my anxiety but not a cure-all. Other things cause me to get digestive and heartburn symptoms. It really takes a while after being sick for so long to peel back all the layers and causes of our issues and figure out the best course of action for our health.

[Takala]

Some of that dramatic early weight loss can be water retention/bloat finally going away as a reaction to getting rid of gluten.

[LOWNskater52]

I think you're right Jmrogers. I think I may put an extra baked potato in my routine to get my calorie count a little higher.

I also figured out something that I have been confused about for a while now. Every morning I Have been waking up with my throat torn up but my esophagus feeling ok. I was like the acid skipped my esophagus and went straight to my throat. I also tend to have bloody noses often (not blood running from my nose, just blood in my snot). I now realize that this is a post nasal drip causing my morning problems. This most likely stems from my hormone levels being way off (adrenal fatigue) which is in turn caused by my gluten problems. It also explains why I have problems with strawberries and bananas (tight throught, tight nasal passages, tingling extremities) and am plagued with a bunch of new, weird allergies/intolerances.. These fruits release histamine which is the likely cause to my nasal and thorat constriction.

I am going to whole foods today to get gluten free bathroom products (toothpaste, deodorant, and shampoo) and am doing my absolute best to isolate myself from gluten. I have an appointment with my holistic doctor next week to test my hormone levels and see if I am making any progress. I know it can take a while for your hormones to regulate, I just want to know I am going in the right direction.

[pricklypear1971]

I think you're right Jmrogers. I think I may put an extra baked potato in my routine to get my calorie count a little higher.

I also figured out something that I have been confused about for a while now. Every morning I Have been waking up with my throat torn up but my esophagus feeling ok. I was like the acid skipped my esophagus and went straight to my throat. I also tend to have bloody noses often (not blood running from my nose, just blood in my snot). I now realize that this is a post nasal drip causing my morning problems. This most likely stems from my hormone levels being way off (adrenal fatigue) which is in turn caused by my gluten problems. It also explains why I have problems with strawberries and bananas (tight throught, tight nasal passages, tingling extremities) and am plagued with a bunch of new, weird allergies/intolerances.. These fruits release histamine which is the likely cause to my nasal and thorat constriction.

I am going to whole foods today to get gluten free bathroom products (toothpaste, deodorant, and shampoo) and am doing my absolute best to isolate myself from gluten. I have an appointment with my holistic doctor next week to test my hormone levels and see if I am making any progress. I know it can take a while for your hormones to regulate, I just want to know I am going in the right direction.

Pick up a Neti pot at Whole Foods. It will help clean up your sinuses. And if you appear allergic to strawberries, etc. then obviously avoid them....you may look up berry allergies and see what hints you find. Also, look up high histamine foods.

[ravenwoodglass]

Every morning I Have been waking up with my throat torn up but my esophagus feeling ok. I was like the acid skipped my esophagus and went straight to my throat. I also tend to have bloody noses often (not blood running from my nose, just blood in my snot).

This could also be from low humidity in your room. You can pick up a small humidifier or a low or no cost thing that might help is putting large bowls of water in your room. On a radiator or near a heat vent works well or just in a corner if your someplace where you don't need heat right now.

[pricklypear1971]

This could also be from low humidity in your room. You can pick up a small humidifier or a low or no cost thing that might help is putting large bowls of water in your room. On a radiator or near a heat vent works well or just in a corner if your someplace where you don't need heat right now.

Very true. Ironically enough the Neti Pot helps with that, too. It irrigates and moistens the sinuses. I notice a big difference in the way my sinuses/head feels when I use it during dry weather (and when I say dry, I mean less than 10% humidity in the AZ desert).

I actually used a humidifier AND the Neti pot many times during the dry seasons. Interestingly, I don't need the humidifier now and rarely need the Neti pot. It is more humid where we live now, but also going gluten-free has helped my dry skin/sinuses tremendously.

[Di2011]

ditto for me too. Dry and low humidity here in Canberra. We have a saline wash called Fess that has been good for me. My sinus drip is at about 10% compared to 6 months ago, no more blood etc etc. Mornings are still a bit rough when I have to clear it all out but sooo much better than it has been in years.

I started gluten-free in June but lots of mistakes and tempation in the early days. I've been strictly free since beginning of October.

It has only been the past two months that I've noticed really significant improvement so stick with it!!!!

[LOWNskater52]

Day 37

Not much going on. Still don't feel great, still have a lot of gas, still some regurgitation. Overall my progress has slowed to a crawl. My eczema is a lot better but not gone, my uneasiness in my chest is still prevolent (heart pounding), still have eye floaters. Just getting a little discouraged. I have lost an amazing 22 pounds though (I'm 5'10 and went from 190 to 168, I was 165 when I was healthy back a year and a half ago). I have also noticed that I have had no blood in my snot for a couple of days now, which is a good thing.

I also have a couple of questions. First of all, I know gluten antibodies take about 3-6 months to disappear. So is it 3 months and you are back to normal or 3 months and the healing process begins?

Another question I have is about stomach acid. I have been noticing that there has been a lot of undigested food showing up in my stool, especially since I went gluten free. Not even hard to digest stuff, a lot of fruits and veggies. I also have been reacting to some pretty basic foods like strawberries, bananas and even broccoli/cauliflower at times. I asked my natural doctor about it and he said it sounds like low stomach acid. Remember that what started my suffering was taking Prilosec OTC. This drug was at super high levels in my system for over a month. Maybe stomach acid got shut down and never turned back on. I know this can cause a lot of problems in the body like allergies. I am going to Vitamin Shoppe in about 45 minutes and am gonna grab some Betaline HCL. Do you think this could be a possiblity? And I know gluten intolerance and low stomach acid coincide very often, I just don't know which one came first. Did my low stomach acid cause my gluten intolerance or did my gluten intolerance cause my low stomach acid? Chicken or the egg I guess. They both cause adrenal fatigue so there ya go.

About the post nasal drip, I live in Jacksonville, Florida. I just got out of my car today and it was 81 degrees with 80% humidity. Its not exactly dry here by any means. I do blow my nose all the time but it seems like my airways aren't blocked. I think it is related to my food allergies.

[mushroom]

While you're at the vitamin shop, why not grab yourself some digestive enzymes/pancreatic enzymes. Undigested food (I used to have a lot) is often a sign that your pancreas has taken a vacation because of the stress from gluten and is just lying down on the job. Without enough enzymes your food will not digest well. This is generally only a temporary crutch but you may benefit from them for 6-12 months until that old pancreas decides to get back to work (Maybe you could give him a pay raise in the form of an assistant?)

[LOWNskater52]

Day 42

So it has been around one month of being on a stricly gluten free diet (slipped up the first week or so) and I guess I feel ok. I've felt worse I guess.

This post nasal drip when I'm sleeping is still bad. There has been some bloody pillows from nosebleeds while I am sleeping and my upper throat is just scorched pretty much every morning. Got a nasty lump-in-throat sensation thing at the top of my throat thing going right now. Real annoying. Drinking some 100% aloe vera juice in hope of healing the burn.

I was taking some Betaine HCL with meals this past week and I didn't feel any burn or anything so I started taking two with every meal (around 4 or 5 every day). Felt a little better but also noticed a little blood in my stool once so I figure I overdid it. They also contained dairy so thats not good. Gonna give it a week or two to heal and start back on it slowly. I am also gonna pick up some digestive enzymes this Wednesday and try those out. Hopefully that gets things kick started because my digestion is just piss poor. Its actually gotten worse since I went gluten free.

I have also been having something weird happen to me in the shower. I have almost no heat tolerance. Even a very very mild shower makes my chest feel uncomfortable and I notice that my blue veins become very prominent in my arms and hands and look like they are stressed. Once I get out and dry off for a while I get back to normal within 30 minutes.

Going back to my holistic doctor and am going to get retested. Gonna get my cortisol levels tested again, take a look back at my immune system, and check and see how my yeast infection is doing.

I hope I get to feeling better soon. Anybody got any advice?

[jmrogers31]

I have never heard of the veins looking stressed due to heat. That would alarm me to no end. I do get the chest tightness sometimes and would love to know the cause. I will be feeling like I am having a great day health wise and all of a sudden it feels like my heart takes a really hard beat and my chest feels really tight. Mine is different then yours because it is just for a few moments and gone. It would worry me to have it all the time. I do have a theory that it is due to bad reflux. It sounds like you have a lot of acid in your esophogus (spelling?) when you wake up. I sometimes can feel acid bubbling just below my throat during the day. My theory is that the acid has to be damaging our esophogus to the point where maybe we get almost a hiccup type reaction. I think this because a hiccup is an involuntary esophogus contraction. This may be some type of consequence of the damage the acid has caused to your chest area. Again, this is all just a theory. I am with you about refusing to take prevacid or acid reflux medication. I think this can be fixed through diet, but I haven't found the right solution yet. Hope you can figure this out.

[LOWNskater52]

Day 49

I have FINALLY figured out what my overall problem is. Got some more tests back from my naturopath and I have a systemic candida infection. My hypothesis is that when I was on a near lethal dose of Prilosec for over a month, the low stomach acid lead to my normal yeast to overgrow into a candida infection. With the help of my very poor diet for months on in, the candida got worse and now it is all over me. These Candida cells stick out legs in your intestines called rhizoids and burrow into you intestinal lining. This causes leaky guy syndrome which in turn can cause gluten intolerance.

I have been fighting it for these past week with garlic supplements, colloidal silver (30ppm), Vitamin C (2000mg per day), and Goldenseal. I am also on a super strict diet (cut out fruits so now it is just lean meats and steamed veggies). Not much progress but I guess there is some progress. I was thinking about trying that ThreeLac stuff. I have seen a ton of really good reviews but I have also seen some very scary ones so I am not really sure which way to go. I do not want to make my situation any worse. I also plan on setting up a few appointments for a colonic. I've read that helps as well.

Any advice on ThreeLac?