12 Weeks Gluten Free

[Ranne10]

Tomorrow I will be gluten free for 12 weeks. When I first started out I was so sick I told my husband I thought I was dying. My symptoms:

Migraines 3 - 5 times per week

Chronic D

Vitamin D difficent

Vitamin B12 Difficent

Low adrenal reading (morning corisol 1.8)

Severe joint pain

Chonic Nausea

Balance problems

Upper right abdomen pain that would not stop

Acid reflux

Forgetful and foggy thoughts

Fatigue

Insomnia

Gurgling and cramping every time I ate

And on and on. Over the last 20 years I've been diagnosed IBS, Colitis, Barrette's, Gerd, Gastritis, Slow gastric emptying, inflamed small intestine, diverticulosis, ulcers, gallbladder, Hypo thyroid, Hypo glycemic, pancrititis,food allergies, food intolerances & iron deficent...

Regardless of all these diagnosis, I had never heard of celiac or gluten intolerance and I never got better. Finally my allergist and my PCP put it together. Although some tests came back negative they suggested I go gluten free without a biopsey. As soon as I cut the gluten my migraines all but dissapeared, my stomach calmed considerably and I began to feel better.

In July, with the big D still plaguing me, my allergist helped me confirm that dairy had to go as well. Now she thinks I need to say goodbye to corn. She promises this should only last 6 months to a year.

My problem is, so many things seem to bother me right now. One minute I can feel perfect. I eat and BAM I have gurgling, cramps and D again. I've noted things like peaches, onions, tomatoes & garlic. Is this normal? Why when I'm so careful about gluten and dairy are so many things still bothering me? How do I figure out what I can eat. I'm just so weary of feeling ill I could cry. Please, please, please give me hope that I will feel completely well again.

[Newbee]

I have celiac disease and have found that just going gluten free has not resolved my symptoms. Actually little changed. I started reading on here about the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) which explains how to go about eliminating some of these other foods that can often cause problems for awhile. There is a lot of info on this forum and on the intranet about that diet if you are interested.

[Ranne10]

I have celiac disease and have found that just going gluten free has not resolved my symptoms. Actually little changed. I started reading on here about the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) which explains how to go about eliminating some of these other foods that can often cause problems for awhile. There is a lot of info on this forum and on the intranet about that diet if you are interested.

Thank you Newbie, I will check it out. I've been considering trying a high protien diet just to see if eliminating carbs would calm my stomach down. Reading labels for gluten, dairy and corn is difficult .

[1desperateladysaved]

Sorry,

I guess you are taking the supplements of things you were deficient in?. I hope your good days are still ahead and not too far away. Sometimes recovery is like a rollar coaster and you seem to be at a low spot. Hang on for the ride.

Things to look for:

allergies or food intolerances

cross contamination (My cookbooks were dusty with flour)

Parasites

nutrient deficiencies.

You may want to read 100% positive posts. Maybe you aren't there yet, but you are on the road.

Diana

[Bubba's Mom]

Tomorrow I will be gluten free for 12 weeks. When I first started out I was so sick I told my husband I thought I was dying. My symptoms:

Migraines 3 - 5 times per week

Chronic D

Vitamin D difficent

Vitamin B12 Difficent

Low adrenal reading (morning corisol 1.8)

Severe joint pain

Chonic Nausea

Balance problems

Upper right abdomen pain that would not stop

Acid reflux

Forgetful and foggy thoughts

Fatigue

Insomnia

Gurgling and cramping every time I ate

And on and on. Over the last 20 years I've been diagnosed IBS, Colitis, Barrette's, Gerd, Gastritis, Slow gastric emptying, inflamed small intestine, diverticulosis, ulcers, gallbladder, Hypo thyroid, Hypo glycemic, pancrititis,food allergies, food intolerances & iron deficent...

Regardless of all these diagnosis, I had never heard of celiac or gluten intolerance and I never got better. Finally my allergist and my PCP put it together. Although some tests came back negative they suggested I go gluten free without a biopsey. As soon as I cut the gluten my migraines all but dissapeared, my stomach calmed considerably and I began to feel better.

In July, with the big D still plaguing me, my allergist helped me confirm that dairy had to go as well. Now she thinks I need to say goodbye to corn. She promises this should only last 6 months to a year.

My problem is, so many things seem to bother me right now. One minute I can feel perfect. I eat and BAM I have gurgling, cramps and D again. I've noted things like peaches, onions, tomatoes & garlic. Is this normal? Why when I'm so careful about gluten and dairy are so many things still bothering me? How do I figure out what I can eat. I'm just so weary of feeling ill I could cry. Please, please, please give me hope that I will feel completely well again.

It's possible that you are reacting to the salicylates in foods? They can cause some of your symptoms, like the migraines, joint pain, balance problems,insomnia, and foggy brain, although these can be caused by gluten too. Here's a link for you to consider.

Open Original Shared Link

With damage to the small intestine and duodenum you may not be producing the CCK hormone that tells your gallbladder to squeeze bile and the pancreas to release digestive enzymes? This will heal in time, but it can cause upper right quadrant pain, nausea, and bloating. Are you currently taking digestive enzymes? If not, it might be a good idea for you to be taking them with your history of pancreatitus and gallbladder problems.

Also, you should be taking probiotics to balance out your gut flora and aid in digestion and healing.

If you stay completely gluten-free and free from your other intolerances, you should heal, but be patient it will take time.

It's best to stick with whole foods like fruits (in moderation) veggies, meats, eggs, nuts and seeds.

It's a good idea to keep a food log. Write down what you eat and note any symptoms you have. It helps sort out any intolerances you may have right now. Many food reactions are delayed and your log can help you sort out what to avoid.

[Lizanne]

I have been on a gluten-free diet since July when I found out I had celiac disease. I felt pretty good right away and still do when compared to how I used to feel. I'm 48 and have had symptoms my whole life just never knew why. I still can't have any dairy and soy bothers me too. I'm trying to take this slowly I'm just thankful I know what is wrong and don't care if what I eat now is plain- I'm happy I do not get sick from it.

[Ranne10]

Thank you all for your responses. I am on vitamin b12 injections and sublingual D. Several other nutrients were low but not deficient but i think i still need to add them.

I followed advise here and have been taking digestive enzymes the last couple of days. They do seem to help some. Have been on probiotics for a while now.

I ate a piece of an organic candy bar the other day and reacted within 30 min. Even had a migraine. The only thing in it was orange rind, dark chocolate, vanilla, sea salt & soy lecithin. I looked it up and the manufacture states they 'think' it's gluten free but there is a possibility of gluten in the vanilla!

I thought they had to state that possibility in the package? How can you ever know?

[dilettantesteph]

I was also very sick when I was first diagnosed. I felt an immediate improvement on a gluten free diet, but I kept having problems. I kept reading and kept eliminating more and more possible sources of gluten contamination in my food. That kept helping. At this point I am on an almost completely whole foods diet and that has worked very well for me.

Celiacs have sensitivity to different levels of gluten. Some don't experience any symptoms even while eating gluten, some can eat normal gluten free foods, and some need to eat whole foods. There are also other possibilities like parasites, sensitivities and intolerances to other foods, Lyme disease, and many more. You may need to spend the first while figuring all this out.

Keeping a journal of what you eat and how you feel can be very helpful. There can be a delay between eating something new and experiencing symptoms of a couple of days, so watch out for that. I try to only add one new thing a week to make it easier to tell what foods are bothering me. Hopefully your doctor will work with you during this process. There are various medical tests that can help.

I hope you feel better soon.

[GFinDC]

Hi Ranne,

It seems like man people on the forum have reported similar reactions when starting out on the gluten-free diet. It doesn't clear up all sy6mptoms right away. There are some things y6ou can do to help reduce the time to heal and also make it easier for your digestive system to do it's job. See the list below. Eating a simple diet of whole foods is important. Also avoiding sugar and carbs. Check all you vitamins and meds for gluten. Remember to check coffee or tea as well. Avoid alcohol while healing. Sometimes it takes 6 months to a tear or more to heal and get back to a new normal. But the better your diet is the faster it can happen. You may want to consider other food intolerances as a possibility also. Nightshades, corn, soy, eggs, dairy, are all possibilities. First thing though is to stick with whole foods and processed foods, and take the other steps below.

Some starting the gluten-free diet tips for the first 6 months:

Get tested before starting the gluten-free diet.

Don't eat in restaurants

Eat only whole foods not processed foods.

Eat only food you cook yourself, think simple foods, not gourmet meals.

Take probiotics.

Take digestive enzymes.

Avoid dairy.

Avoid sugars and starchy foods.

Avoid alcohol.

FAQ Celiac com

https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/forum-7/announcement-3-frequently-asked-questions-about-celiac-disease/

Newbie Info 101

What's For Breakfast Today?

What Did You Have For Lunch Today?

What Are You Cooking Tonight?

Dessert thread

Easy yummy bread in minutes

How bad is cheating?

Short temper thread

Non celiac wheat sensitivity article

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[LauraB0927]

Unlike some people on the forum I wasn't terribly sick when I was diagnosed - I actually had no symptoms at all except for anemia and acid reflux. I could eat anything and feel fine not knowing that I was slowly killing my intestines. However, once I started going gluten free, after two months of a honeymoon period I began experiencing more sensitivities which I couldn't put my finger on and began having cramps, D, C almost every day.

I made the decision to go completely whole foods and started a modified primal diet (I've posted about it in another section) and I feel much better. I've cut out all carbs and stick to high protein, high fat (healthy fat) and have lots of meat, poultry, pork, veggies, nuts, some fruit, etc. My body seems very happy with this and I haven't had any stomach issues since then. Hope you're starting to feel better soon!

[Ranne10]

My husband (God bless him) is eating gluten free with me so cooking will be simpler and to understand better what I'm experiencing. We have been discussing a while food or paleo diet to see if that would help my symptoms calm down. Is there a book or particular plan that has been helpful? I'm not sure what I can eat since all dairy is out?

[bartfull]

I lost all but eleven foods during the first year. Now that I have healed, I am successfully adding things back. It was a mighty rough year and there were times when I thought I'd NEVER get better, but it happened. One of the things that helped was going almost totally organic. I was even reacting to pesticides and fertilizers. I think I still react to high salicylate foods and that may never change, but at least I can now tolerate corn starch which has given me back gluten-free bread. And I got nightshades back too.

There is a place about 50 miles from me that has safe gluten-free pizza. (They cook it in a different ROOM from the regular stuff.) I will be going there in October once I start taking a day off each week again. I can't wait!