Am I Getting Worse Because I'm Reading Too Much?

[GlutenFreeNewB]

I'm pretty new to gluten free. I stopped eating gluten about 3 weeks ago and started to feel better. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on. Now I seem to have more symptoms than I did before. I think I got glutened at a restaurant this weekend and the symptoms I've been able to live with for many, many years are now making me feel worse than ever! It seems like the more I know, the worse I feel...beginning to wonder if it's all in my head :-(

[Marilyn R]

So you're thinking the more knowlegable you become, the more stupid you get : That isn't logical...but there is a period of time that I experienced, manbe you won't, where your autoimmune system is really pissed off because you removed their favorite warrior (gluten) and started eating gluten-free. For me, my internal warriors hated the quinoa, soy, corn and dairy proteins. That doesn't necessarily mean your own experience will be similar.

[Korwyn]

Hi gluten-free,

This is not at all uncommon (I'm sorry). Very often people become more sensitive once they go gluten-free for even a short time. It isn't in your head. This happened to me as well as many others here.

[mushroom]

Yes, once your body has learned what it is like to be gluten free, the warriors attack with renewed vigor. Sorry But it is a good reminder to keep away from the stuff.

[sandsurfgirl]

Your body is healing and it will go through withdrawal. There is an article somewhere about gluten withdrawal being equivalent to opiate withdrawal. Withdrawal and the healing phase are very real.

Use the search function and read old threads about withdrawal so you can know that it's normal, it will pass and you aren't going crazy.

At the 3 week mark, my body rebelled and every single thing I ate made me sick. I was freaking out but then I read about that happening to others and it usually goes away. About a week and a half later... it went away.

You need to be on a very clean diet for now to promote healing. Most of us cut out dairy and soy for awhile because those are hard to digest with a damaged intestine. Sometimes fructose can be hard too so maybe eat less fruit. Some people have to cut potatoes and tomatoes too. But it comes back as you heal!!!

Eat lean meats, nuts if you aren't allergic, veggies, fruits, rice. Keep it simple for just a little while and you will be happy you gave your body that chance.

[pricklypear1971]

Yeah - it can make you feel nuts.

I never thought one thing could do so many weird things to my body...

Yes, you're reading a lot. Yes, you may flip a bit. But you aren't nuts...and you will get through this.

I thought sinus pressure was normal. I thought dry skin was normal. I thought C was normal. Guess what, it ISN'T!

I've only given up ONE THING. GLUTEN.

And from removing ONE THING, so much has changed. I learn something new about myself every day. Seriously.

Some days I feel like a walking science experiment.

[WhenDee]

This happens!

When I first took gluten out of my diet, the most minor exposure would send me to the bathroom for an entire day, plus I would have a migraine. This from a woman who spent sixteen years with constipation and bowel obstructions!

I've been gluten-free for about a year now (it flew by!) and now it isn't nearly so bad. Getting glutened makes me miserable, but it isn't debilitating like before.

A friend of mine IRL is still debilitated by it, but I think she is much worse than me. Everyone is different. As your body heals, it will continue to change. I hope that you are like me, and your body will settle down and just complain a little bit when you get glutened.

What I do know is that the cleaner your diet is, the easier it is for your body to heal. Don't go overboard with gluten replacements, which are mainly rice, tapioca, bean flour, potato flour, etc. Very low in nutrition. Your body has been depleted for a long time. Focus on lots of fruit & veg, replacing those depleted vitamins & minerals. You'll heal faster & better. Plus you'll be focusing on the positive rather than thinking about how BAD most of the gluten-free replacements are! LOL

[sandsurfgirl]

I had some really weird things happen when I went gluten free. I had improvements all the time but it was six months before I felt really good.

I got dehydrated easily and had to drink Gatorade daily in order to not feel dizzy and shaky. For some reason natural electrolyte replacements gave me horrible D. Go figure. Plain old Gatorade did the trick.

Lots of people will poop like 10 or 15 times per day at first. that was a weird one.

I can't drink most sodas anymore. Once I went gluten free Coke, Pepsi, and things like Sprite taste like soap water to me. It literally does not taste like Coke. I tried Sprite again recently to see if that changed and nope. Soap water. Natural root beer like Hansens tastes good to me. I was never a big soda person anyways, but now I almost never drink it.

I had a pain in my right side for years and years. They did all these tests on my gallbladder but it was fine. I never had a colonoscopy though. One night about a month into the diet I had this weird pulsing in that area and it started spasming. I felt like a little pop and then had to run to the bathroom. This stuff like tar came out and I think it was impacted for years!!! I had a small panic attack too and then when it was out of me the anxiety went away. Now that is crazy!!!

[GlutenFreeNewB]

Thanks to all of you. It's just strange that I was able to live with this for years and not even know it, and now I'm just such a mess. I've always eaten very healthy food, very little processed food, so I'm not tempted at all by the gluten free processed stuff. I will stay positive and keep plugging away knowing it will get better!

[lovegrov]

It is possible that you're now more sensitive and it's also possible you're having some withdrawal -- neither of which ever happened to me -- but it's also possible you're just driving yourself temporarily crazy worrying about everything -- which DID happen to me.

richard

[Korwyn]

I've always eaten very healthy food, very little processed food, so I'm not tempted at all by the gluten free processed stuff.

My wife and I ate pretty health as well (compared to the average western/American diet). Lots of whole grains, lots of veggies, salads, lean meats, low fat, etc. I kept getting sicker, and fatter. Now I eat mostly protein and fats and I'm physically doing better than I've ever been in my adult life. My body really doesn't like carbs much at all. The more refined the worse it is.

[Chad Sines]

It helped me to realize that my system was all screwed up and had no clue what it wanted. I can have issues with eggs one day and the next be okay, same with corn and many other triggers. It does seem that it gets a lot better quickly then a lot worse and then I guess stabilizes over time.

[sandsurfgirl]

It helped me to realize that my system was all screwed up and had no clue what it wanted. I can have issues with eggs one day and the next be okay, same with corn and many other triggers. It does seem that it gets a lot better quickly then a lot worse and then I guess stabilizes over time.

For most of us it totally stabilizes over time. My new GI who actually knows about celiac and even particulars (a rare find) said that soy may not come back for me since it's still a problem all this time, but soy isn't that big of a deal for me to eat anyway. I'm glad I can eat dairy after years of it being a problem.