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The 100% Positive Thread

parmeisan

By parmeisan
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

parmeisan Newbie
parmeisan
Posted

Got something great to say about Celiac Disease that you want to shout off the rooftops?

Know someone who needed to be convinced to get tested and have some advice you gave them that helped?

Sure, we all know that getting a Celiac diagnosis, or even suspecting one, can be scary and frustrating. But there are good things too. Please share how your diagnosis has made you a happier person!

(Please keep this specifically to Celiac; you can start another thread about intolerances if you like but I'd really like this to be something that we can show to people to help give them motivation to get tested for celiac disease).

Thanks! I'll start:

> I have discovered that being hungry isn't supposed to hurt.

(I had always just assumed that pain was hunger.)

> I am feeling more motivated to do things, which in turn makes me feel better about myself.

> I've discovered that it's much easier to eat healthy than I ever imagined.

When you're forced to think about everything that goes into your mouth, it's easier not to eat those potato chips. Similarly, when you are forced to plan each meal in advance or risk not having anything in the house you can eat, it's easier to keep the house stocked with veggies and all that good stuff. I am starting to actually have a positive relationship with food.

> As a combination of all of the above, I have lost 5 pounds in less than a week.

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kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Let's see:

I look 20 years younger

My boobs are more perky

My wrinkles are gone

:ph34r: Ok.....Maybe not but

I feel better & more perky!

More energy!

My blasted anemia that made me feel dizzy and I couldn't get enough oxygen to my brain is gone!

I have tried new foods I didn't know existed and like some of them!

I have a great excuse not to eat the rubber chicken at an awards banquet!

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

I'm still alive.

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

It was a complete fluke that I was even tested for celiac. I'm not sure I would have accepted it if it didn't just happen while I was out like a light. It happens to be one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

I don't feel amazing exactly, but compared to a year ago I feel great.

I have enough energy to leave my house a few days a week and to be out of bed most days which is awesome!

I'm eating healthy (more or less) for the first time in my life and it feels pretty darn good.

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

I'm still alive.

Thank goodness for that :)

For me, gone is the anemia that I had for years (despite supplements), tingling and numbness in my lower legs, face and arm, night sweats, constant nausea (when I worked outside the house I never ate breakfast because of it), chronic diarrhea, fatigue, brain fog <_< , easy bruising, in the last 6 months before diagnosis unexplained weight loss. My gynecologist poo-poo'd the idea that my endometriosis was linked somehow but I wonder.

I lived with all that for 20 years--medical tests always came back normal so I managed to work around it thinking it was just me.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

I no longer eat the junk food full of chemicals that would have killed me in the long run whether I had celiac or not.

And I feel closer to my Mom even though she passed away several years ago. She had celiac, and now that I understand how badly she suffered I wish I could tell her. But she knows...

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

I have not had a migraine in twelve years. That was a bonus!

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ndw3363 Contributor
ndw3363
Posted

Peter, I'm with you on the migraines! Only time I get them now is if I get accidentally glutened. Let's see, I'm healthier than I've ever been, I'm finally at a mostly normal weight and able to stay at it without much effort (I finally self diagnosed when I was losing weight very quickly and couldn't afford to lose another pound), I get compliments on my skin and hair all the time, I no longer have to live with bloating and gas all the time, blood sugar has stabilized. And ya know, I guess I don't bruise as easily as I used to either - didn't think of that until I saw someone else mention it!

nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

Without trying I lost 15lbs in 2 months while still eating icecream a few times a week.

My belly is essentially GONE! I thought it was middle aged belly fat. lol

No more stomach aches every day.

No more migraines.

Bathroom trips aren't nearly as ...smelly.

JNBunnie1 Community Regular
JNBunnie1
Posted

I have a butt now!

Sunny600 Rookie
Sunny600
Posted

I don't have abdominal pain anymore. After being subjected to a bunch of tests as a teenager because of it, my mom finally told me it was "normal" to have "aches and pains". Well, guess what? It's NOT normal!

Tilley

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

No DH, mouth blisters gone, and it was celiac disease, not non-Hodgkins lymphoma, causing my illness. And I quit smoking while I was ill.

richard

LauraB0927 Apprentice
LauraB0927
Posted

No more acne, no more chest pains, no more acid-reflux - and best of all, I've been able to lose all that stubborn weight that wouldn't come off before!!!! 16 pounds down and a couple more to go!!!! I'm going to look great for my wedding next year!!!

Darn210 Enthusiast
Darn210
Posted

I don't have to worry (for my daughter's sake) what the side effects are on a lifetime's worth of medication . . . 'cause seriously, how do they really know what being on a medication for 80 years would do to you?

Gfreeatx Apprentice
Gfreeatx
Posted

I love this thread!! Two years after my diagnosis:

I no longer pass out when I simply try to stand up.

I am free from my migraines, neuropathy and heart palpatations.

I have become an even better cook and eat healthier than I ever did before.

My recent biopsy shows I now have a normal small intestine when my original showed Marsh 4 destruction!! :D

Bubba's Mom Enthusiast
Bubba's Mom
Posted

I don't have to scope out where the bathrooms are wherever I go! :D

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

I'm still alive.

:) Me, too. (whew!)

Persei V. Enthusiast
Persei V.
Posted

I'm eating way healthier

Stomach is fine, I rarely feel bloated

I learned how to cook a handful of very delicious (and healthy) dishes

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

I posted before about migraines, but here is another thing. I have not vomited after eating in twelve years. It was a common occurrence, sometimes after eating just a few bites.

scaredblossom Rookie
scaredblossom
Posted

I feel pretty great!!! I haven't been sick except for when I have accidentally been glutened!!

T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

My son can get through the day without having a screaming fit.

My daughter is no longer so depressed that she can see nothing good about herself.

I have discovered that I don't actually dislike crowds or feel the need to isolate myself like I used to when I was sick all the time. Who knew that something I thought was 'just me' was actually gluten!

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

I have saved a lot of money on toilet paper. :lol:

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

I have saved a lot of money on toilet paper. :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

NGG Newbie
NGG
Posted

My daughter and I both feel so much better, obviously, but the best thing to me is that my daughter is eating such a better variety of foods, and much healthier foods. She snacks on apples dipped in (natural) peanut butter now. No more crackers for every snack! I swear she ate nothing but crackers and bread before, but I saw her snacking on carrot sticks earlier too, and she said they tasted good. It's too bad she had to be forced to improve her diet due to this, but it is good that her diet has improved regardless. She'll be healther both for avoiding gluten, which makes her so sick, but she'll be healther on top of that because she's eating so well.

scarlet-willow Rookie
scarlet-willow
Posted

The gluten-free Banana-Nut muffins I made taste better than the old ones I used to make with wheat flour :)

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      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

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    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

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    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome, @catnapt! The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of a minimum of 10g of gluten (about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of two weeks. But if possible stretching that out even more would enhance the chances of getting valid test results. These guidelines are for those who have been eating gluten free for a significant amount of time. It's called the "gluten challenge".  Yes, you can develop celiac disease at any stage of life. There is a genetic component but also a stress trigger that is needed to activate the celiac genes. About 30-40% of the general population possesses the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% of the general population actually develop celiac disease. For most with the potential, the triggering stress event doesn't happen. It can be many things but often it is a viral infection. Having said that, it is also the case that many, many people who eventually are diagnosed with celiac disease probably experienced the actual onset years before. Many celiacs are of the "silent" type, meaning that symptoms are largely missing or very minor and get overlooked until damage to the small bowel lining becomes advanced or they develop iron deficiency anemia or some other medical problem associated with celiac disease. Many, many are never diagnosed or are diagnosed later in life because they did not experience classic symptoms. And many physicians are only looking for classic symptoms. We now know that there are over 200 symptoms/medical problems associated with celiac disease but many docs are only looking for things like boating, gas, diarrhea. I certainly understand your concerns about not wanting to damage your body by taking on a gluten challenge. Your other option is to totally commit to gluten free eating and see if your symptoms improve. It can take two years or more for complete healing of the small bowel lining once going gluten free but usually people experience significant improvement well before then. If their is significant improvement in your symptoms when going seriously gluten free, then you likely have your answer. You would either have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      after several years of issues with a para-gland issue, my endo has decided it's a good idea for me to be tested for celiac disease. I am 70 yrs old and stunned to learn that you can get celiac this late in life. I have just gradually stopped eating most foods that contain gluten over the past several years- they just make me feel ill- although I attributed it to other things like bread spiking blood sugar- or to the things I ate *with* the bread or crackers etc   I went to a party in Nov and ate a LOT of a vegan roast made with vital wheat gluten- as well as stuffing, rolls and pie crust... and OMG I was so sick! the pain, the bloating, the gas, the nausea... I didn't think it would ever end (but it did) and I was ready to go the ER but it finally subsided.   I mentioned this to my endo and now she wants me to be tested for celiac after 2 weeks of being on gluten foods. She has kind of flip flopped on how much gluten I should eat, telling me that if the symptoms are severe I can stop. I am eating 2-3 thin slices of bread per day (or english muffins) and wow- it does make me feel awful. But not as bad as when I ate that massive amnt of vital wheat gluten. so I will continue on if I have to... but what bothers me is - if it IS celiac, it seems stupid for lack of a better word, to intentionally cause more damage to my body... but I am also worried, on the other hand, that this is not a long enough challenge to make the blood work results valid.   can you give me any insight into this please?   thank you
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