Don't Know Much......new

[vella]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and hope to learn what this disease is all about.....I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago and everything, gluten-free diets, the awful symptoms are really confusing to me....My doctor informed me there is such a thing as gluten withdrawals, and I've come to believe that...I feel so tired, nauseated, anxious, hungry and wired most of the time. I also continue to have frequent diarrhea.

One thing I've noticed is how expensive the gluten-free foods are...

Also 2 weeks ago I was biopsied and learned I also have skin cancer and will have to have surgery, so I guess these 2 issues overwhelm me...

In the past I've had Graves disease, Alopecia areata, and Hypoglycemia...Are all of these autoimmune diseases ?

Thanks for reading.

[Bubba's Mom]

  On 2/29/2012 at 7:50 AM, vella said:

Hi everyone, I'm new here and hope to learn what this disease is all about.....I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago and everything, gluten-free diets, the awful symptoms are really confusing to me....My doctor informed me there is such a thing as gluten withdrawals, and I've come to believe that...I feel so tired, nauseated, anxious, hungry and wired most of the time. I also continue to have frequent diarrhea.

One thing I've noticed is how expensive the gluten-free foods are...

Also 2 weeks ago I was biopsied and learned I also have skin cancer and will have to have surgery, so I guess these 2 issues overwhelm me...

In the past I've had Graves disease, Alopecia areata, and Hypoglycemia...Are all of these autoimmune diseases ?

Thanks for reading.

Withdrawl symptoms are very common. You may have some vitamin/mineral deficiencies causing symptoms too?

Have your levels been tested?

Processed gluten-free foods can be expensive. Try a whole foods diet instead. Fruits, veggies, unprocessed meats, fish, dairy if you tolerate it.

Eggs are a great source of protein and amino acids. How about an omelette with hash browns on the side? OR a grilled meat, baked white or sweet potato, veggie, and salad? Nuts are a great nutricious snack.

Stew is easy and pretty ecomomical to make. Soups are easy/ecomomical too.

Need something fast and easy for a snack? Grab a piece of fruit.

You can do this!

I had 2 skin cancers removed. One was on my face and required a Moh's surgery with scar correction surgery later. I've always wondered if some nutrient deficiency causes skin cancer?

Get a bag of frozen peas to use as an icepack for after surgery. It will be a very lightweight, inexpensive comforting thing to have. You can reuse it over and over..but don't eat the peas afterwards.

Good luck to you!

[RuskitD]

Hi Vella! Welcome to the board!!!! The greatest place for support and info on the net! I am new also, without a dr confirmed diagnosis. But the info I found here helped me find my own diagnosis and saved me months (or years) of further suffering.

I can't answer about the autoimmune diseases ?

But I can say I experienced some pretty heavy withdrawals. I would have thought I was going nuts, had I not read here that they are normal. That helped me to laugh through them, instead of panic and become depressed that I might be getting sicker. I say laugh, because I was overjoyed in the thought that my body was FINALLY healing, and I had the hope that someday I would actually be a well person.

(kind of the like the pain of childbirth can be endured, since you KNOW there will be an end to it, and the outcome of that pain with be joy!)

I wasn't a huge gluten eater before. But I had a mental reaction about what all I could no longer have, ever! I searched the net and collected recipes like a squirrel hoarding nuts. But in living through the moments, I realized, I don't need bread, crackers, etc in my life!! I began to think in terms of all the good nutritious food I could have, instead of what I could not have.

Awareness is getting better every day, and there are more choices out there than ever before. But remember, your body needs good wholesome nutrition now more than ever, to help you heal and become the best you that you have ever been! Eating gluten-free doesn't have to be expensive.

Every gluten-free day will get easier! Take it a day at a time, a meal at a time.... and just keep the happy thoughts that you will begin to feel better than ever!

[vella]

Thanks to all who answered....I appreciate it.

RuskitD, I was diagnosed because of symptoms but never had any tests done..My Internist said it wasn't necessary and I'm uneasy with that...Because I kid you not, over a span of 14 months, I mentioned twice about my bloating, nausea and diarrhea......The 14 months mark, she finally listened....I was advised to start on a Gluten-free diet, drink plenty orange juice and eat a lot of bananas; take vitamins and calcium, and see her in 5 months.

Y'all I don't know if I wasn't misdiagnosed...This is incredibly miserable.

I continue to have diarrhea at 17 months, I have had maybe 3 normal bowel movements during this time...and each time I wanted to celebrate....I have forgotten what it feels like to feel normal.

I have been off of glutens and on a Gluten-free diet for the last 9 weeks, being almost ocd about what I put in my mouth and I don't see any difference or feel any better.....One thing I am experiencing a lot is muscle cramps...The worst ones are in the chest area and the calves... With the heat almost in the 90's, I'm starting to fear sweating and dehydration along with all of this diarrhea....

Please talk to me...Honestly, I'm getting scared. And I need advice.

Thanks to anyone who reads.

Vella

[ciamarie]

I was starting to have some cramps (top of foot and calf) that woke me up at night, not very long ago. I believe it was due to eating sorghum, as I haven't had that issue since about 3 weeks ago when I stopped eating it. Prior to starting gluten-free, I had switched to margarine (soy) for a short while instead of butter, and started having awful foot cramps (though they wouldn't wake me up...). Those went away when I switched back to butter. I mention those just to suggest that the cramps may be related to something else in your diet.

If you've been gluten-free for 9 weeks, it may not be enough time for your bowels to have healed enough to be 'normal' yet. And, when I was eating the above mentioned margarine, I also got D where I generally tend more toward C, so some of that might be related to something in your diet also. It took me about 3-4 months to settle down in that regard, though there's probably room for improvement. You may do well to take a good gluten-free probiotic, there are a few threads on here about that. I take one by futurebiotics called 'longest living acidophilus' and it's working pretty well. I got it because it specifically said it contains no added milk or dairy, sugar, salt, starch, wheat, gluten, soy or artificial preservatives and it's in a vegetable capsule (as opposed to gelatin). Some folks on here also like Culturelle probiotics.

Last suggestion would be to keep a food diary. Some people keep a written one, I keep one on my computer.

[jigsawfallingintoplace]

hi and welcome

I would also suggest that you cut out Dairy products for at least 30 days and see if it makes any difference. I felt some instant relief of symptoms when I first went gluten-free but quickly deteriorated until I found out that while your body is healing or trying to heal, then cheese, milk, yoghurt and other dairy can have similar symptoms to celiac and at the moment your body may be finding it too hard to process dairy. After just a few days of cutting out dairy (much to my initial huffing, puffing and dissapointment that I had to be even more careful lol) I found that I was feeling much better and C and D which had caused me a lot of pain and distress had stopped and my bowel mvements became somewhat normal.

Aside from this - I find orange juice gives me the big D so maybe it is something more simple than you realise that is causing it.

[Stubborn red head]

  On 5/9/2012 at 6:46 AM, vella said:

Thanks to all who answered....I appreciate it.

RuskitD, I was diagnosed because of symptoms but never had any tests done..My Internist said it wasn't necessary and I'm uneasy with that...Because I kid you not, over a span of 14 months, I mentioned twice about my bloating, nausea and diarrhea......The 14 months mark, she finally listened....I was advised to start on a Gluten-free diet, drink plenty orange juice and eat a lot of bananas; take vitamins and calcium, and see her in 5 months.

Y'all I don't know if I wasn't misdiagnosed...This is incredibly miserable.

I continue to have diarrhea at 17 months, I have had maybe 3 normal bowel movements during this time...and each time I wanted to celebrate....I have forgotten what it feels like to feel normal.

I have been off of glutens and on a Gluten-free diet for the last 9 weeks, being almost ocd about what I put in my mouth and I don't see any difference or feel any better.....One thing I am experiencing a lot is muscle cramps...The worst ones are in the chest area and the calves... With the heat almost in the 90's, I'm starting to fear sweating and dehydration along with all of this diarrhea....

Please talk to me...Honestly, I'm getting scared. And I need advice.

Thanks to anyone who reads.

Vella

Patience is needed right now.. Some people take up to 6 months to show real improvement, it just depends on your body, and how it heals from the damage done by the gluten. If you really feel as though you have been miss diagnosed I say get another opinion. I love the way I feel and will never go back to the old way. Maybe try going back on gluten and getting the tests. You may have other food allergies than just gluten or other than gluten. We are not doctors on here all we can do is speak from experience, I myself went gluten-free 10 years ago lasted all off 6 months and then started eating gluten again I felt like you I hated it. Now ten years later, I cant even look at it without getting my stomach tore up.

You also have to learn to enjoy your new way of eating. Discover new fruits and veggies that you wouldn't have ate before, and try them, you may not like them but you might surprise yourself. I found this wonderful site here with all these great people to help and encourage me, along with one or two email subscriptions, I love this new way of eating and this new life I have discovered.

[IrishHeart]

In answer to your question, yes Graves and alopecia areata are autoimmune diseases. Hypoglycemia can be a symptom of gluten intolerance and resolves on a gluten-free diet. Here is a list of AI diseases.

Open Original Shared Link

Maybe some information in this thread for Newbies will help you out?

For some people, it takes a lot longer than a few weeks to feel better. Some people take years. Do not measure your progress by others' experiences. Everyone is different.

Just follow the diet, eliminate dairy, take probiotics and try to relax.

You need to drink a lot of water to counteract the dehydration.

Having D means your system is out of balance and the probiotics will help balance your gut flora. Try Culturelle (the dairy free one)You can buy it at any drug store.

I am not sure drinking "a lot of orange juice" is wise-- as it is likely irritating your GI tract. That's a lot of acid, hon. If I had done that right after DX, I would have been in agony.