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Things I've Noticed Since Going Gluten Free

Finally-45

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Finally-45 Contributor
Finally-45
Posted

I imagine most of us swarm the celiac websites for symptoms we didn't even know we had, so I thought it would be interesting to note some things I've noticed now that I'm on the dawn of my 6mo anniversary:

Expected improvements:

Better absorption of nutrients (taking less Vit D and iron than initially)

Less stomach aches

White Blood Cell count improved; I was within normal range for the first time in my life by the 4th month.)

Unexpected improvements:

Calloused feet significantly reduced.

Softer hair.

Hardly any acne

No indigestion when eating spicy foods or onions

Reduced need for bifocals

Get this, my eyes used to always feel sensitive. Like they were always tired. All gone.

Better energy, I can climb stairs without feeling winded so easily

Muscles are not getting sore so quickly

Joints don't ache at all.

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Avalon451 Apprentice
Avalon451
Posted

That's great news! Hope you continue to improve and enjoy life more.

My endoscopy is tomorrow, so this is my last night before going completely gluten-free. I'm thinking I should take before/after pictures?! I'm looking forward to seeing what improvements I can make in 6 months. Your note is very encouraging!

tom Contributor
tom
Posted

It is pretty amazing how many "symptoms" we didn't think were symptoms become apparent when they go away w gluten-free diet.

I'm usually reluctant to tell non-celiacs that my vision improved & my shoes fit better lol. Plenty of straightfwd symptoms went away, no use talking about extras that seem nutty/dismissable.

BabsV Enthusiast
BabsV
Posted

Congrats!

I go in next week for my 6 month blood test...and I think I need to make a list of all the overall improvements going gluten-free has resulted in for me. I'm still boggling at my fingernails which used to rip and tear easily and took forever to grow out. I'm now trimming them every week because they are growing great guns and are stronger then they ever have been. Amazing what 'problems' I had that I didn't even realize were problems...

biancanera Newbie
biancanera
Posted

It's weird, right? I've been gluten free over a month now myself and it's weird how much has changed. For me it's been:

No more muscle pain

Clear of acne

No more migraines

I used to have this really intense agoraphobia I dealt with every single day but in the last few weeks it hasn't even made an appearance

My system is moving regularly if you know what i mean... :P

No more nausea or pain after eating!

Some of these things have been a problem for me since I was 10 years old, so it's crazy to think I've been poisoning myself all this time. I'd had every mri and cat scan and blood test known to mankind since I was that age and they've never had an answer before now.

I wonder how many people out there are sick every day and don't know why.

jcronan Rookie
jcronan
Posted

It

Finally-45 Contributor
Finally-45
Posted
  • Author

"One strange side effect I have noticed is that my skin tone seems brighter-- and my cheeks seem to have a regular flush of color."

I read that hyper-pigmentation has been seen in people with Celiac disease. So it is possible that your skin may appear lighter or that you won't get discoloration so easily.

Women with Celiac are also more prone to urinary tract infections. I used to get them ALL the time until I learned to reduce my sugar intake and sodas years ago. I even went on the Yeast Connection diet for a long while. (Which cuts sugar and starches; increases healthy organisms in the gut.) It is funny to my husband that I RAVED about how good I felt when following that diet and now we know that I was actually just feeling better because I significantly reduced gluten-containing foods. I still keep soda and heavy sweets out of my diet though. My skin was pretty healthy then too. That book has sold like crazy in the past, much to doctors dismay; it would nice if the doctors actually tried to explain why some people really feel good following a yeast-free diet than to simply criticize it. We might heal more people.

I also recall when I went through a phase of fasting and trying to eat nothing but fruits/veges/nuts/herbs and light oil, that people kept saying my skin looked vibrant. Boy do I wish I had tracked my patterns, I would have figured it out sooner.

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      heaps of hope!

      By wellthatsfun · Posted

      i know i've been rather cynical and sad about being fully diagnosed in june 2025, but my boyfriend has been consistently showing me the wonderful world that is gluten free cooking and baking. in the past couple of days he's made me a gluten free rice paper-wrapped spanakopita "pastry", plus a wonderful mac and cheese bechamel-ish sauce with gluten free pasta (san remo brand if you're in australia/if you can get your hands on it wherever you are).  those meals are notably gluten free, but mainly he's been making me easy gluten free meals - chili mince with white rice and sour cream, chicken soup with homemade stock from the chicken remains, and roast chickens with rice flour gravy and roast veggies. i'm a bit too thankful and grateful lol. how lucky could i possibly be? and, of course, for those who don't have someone to cook for them, it's quite easy to learn to cook for yourself. i've been making a lot of meals for us too. honestly, cooking is pretty darn fun! knowing basic knife skills and sanitary practices are all you really need. experimenting with spices will help you get on track to creating some really flavourful and yummy dishes. coeliac is a pain, but you can use it to your advantage. healthier eating and having fun in the kitchen are major upsides. much luck to all of you! let's be healthy!
    • knitty kitty
      Help understand results

      By knitty kitty · Posted

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      Welcome to the celiac.com community @pothosqueen!   Can you be more specific about which IGA test was run that resulted in 114 score and said to be "normal" and could you please include the reference range for what would be normal? By the size of that number it looks like it may have been what we call "total IGA" but that test is not usually run without also running a TTG-IGA. Total IGA tests for IGA deficiency. If someone is IGA deficient, then the celiac-specific IGA tests like the TTG-IGA will be inaccurate. Was this the only IGA test that was run? To answer, your question, yes, a positive biopsy is normally definitive for celiac disease but there are some other medical conditions, some medications and even some food proteins in rare cases that can cause positive biopsies. But it is pretty unlikely that it is due to anything other than celiac disease.
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      Positive biopsy

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      Upper endoscopy last week resulted in positive biopsy for celiac disease. The IgA they ran was normal (114). Does positive biopsy automatically mean definitive diagnosis?
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