How Long Did It Take For You To Feel Completely Healed/normal Again?

[ChristianGrey]

Hello everyone -

I have been gluten-free for approximately 9 months. I have been very hard on myself when it comes to my special dietary concerns. Aside from the social ineptness - in relation to socializing when it comes to gathering over food and drinks- i think I manage pretty well. I'm sure I've been CC over the course of 9 months; but obviously it was unintentional. I am still in a significant amount of intestinal pain - above bellybutton and slightly to the left a few inches from navel - which concerns me about possible pancreatitis.

Aside from all that - I generally feel pretty horrible 3-4 days out of the week. How much longer should I expect this? How long did it take you to feel normal again?

[gfreejz]

Hi I have been gluten-free about 1.5 years. Long story short - its been a long road. I've been lactose free about 3 months. I didn't realize how much a little dairy would set me back. I thought a little was ok. At first I could not tell the difference in reactions between lactose and gluten. Now I know lactose makes me feel like a burning sensation starting under my stomach and burning all the way out. Butter is really bad this way and the gas, wow. And i have found that any lactose builds up in about a weeks time so I can eat a little and be ok but only about once a week. Olive oil is amazing, at first i could feel a soothing sensation when eating it, it was so opposite of any other oil or butter. I use smart balance spread ( mostly olive oil) now and evoo to fry. That has helped alot. Also I might add that I am very sensitive to CC and I am getting to the point of fewer than 1 reaction per month.

so that brings me to this last month. I got dehydrated pretty bad and decided to gave up caffeine. So now I am drinking about 200 ounces of filtered water a day( I add two teaspoons of sugar and a shake of salt to 32ounces)

Three weeks ago I started ultimate Flora probiotics with 5 billion cultures. That is the strongest I've ever taken. So u decided to take two a day for a week then one a day. The first day It felt like I got punched in gut so the next morning i took one then one at nite. I was having some massive BM's that were pale yellow and left me feeling a little

Weak and empty and like I was ran over. So by the end of week I needed a break so I didn't take any for two days. Then I started feeling queasy and started faithfully taking one a day. Since then I've felt better than I can ever remember! I don't feel queasy at all, my stomach feels like nothing! This must be normal. I feel like I got someone else's stomach now. No feeling like vomiting or feeling like u gotta go number two all the time.

Good luck to you! I hope my rambling is helpful to you!

[MitziG]

I don't know that I will ever feel "completely healed." But at 1 year I really felt like I was mostly there- that was a big turning point for me. When you have had celiacs your whole life, it is hard to measure what feeling 'normal' is! I know a year and half of being gluten-free has made me feel pretty darn good most days though!

[Newbee]

I've been gluten free for 13 1/2 months and still have a lot of problems. Doctors have not been helpful so trying to figure out on my own what else to do which is frustrating. They say a lot of people who continue to have problems is due to other food intolerances. I started following the SCD diet which I think has helped but having trouble sticking with as it is so restrictive. Has your GI doc been of any help to you? Mine gave me a strong dose of antibiotics for possible bacterial overgrowth which seemed to help but only for a few weeks. Tried prescription digestive enzymes too without being able to tell if they were working. Lots of trial and error. Good luck to you! I know how truely frustrating it is!

[IrishHeart]

Mine gave me a strong dose of antibiotics for possible bacterial overgrowth which seemed to help but only for a few weeks.

I suggest you take PROBIOTICS after strong doses of antibiotics to replenish the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

Doctors are quick to prescribe the anti-Bs for "possible" anything (I mean, did he even test you or just guess??) but they fail to suggest the PRO-Bs and it can wreak havoc in your GI tract.

Been there/done that.

Just a suggestion. Hope you feel better soon.

[Finally-45]

You may have multiple problems, try reading the posts on the forums for people with other food sensitivities.

(If it's true, try not to scream as loud as I did! You can scare people like that.)

[GFinDC]

You may have multiple problems, try reading the posts on the forums for people with other food sensitivities.

(If it's true, try not to scream as loud as I did! You can scare people like that.)

Ha ha, that made me laugh!

@Christian,

You won't get better until you get rid of the foods or other things you are taking in that are making you sick. The immune system reaction takes a couple weeks to cool down, so if you are getting cc every week it is never going to stop. If there are other food intolerances then an elimination diet is the way to go. But first thing is to make sure you are not getting little bits of gluten without realizing it, which is a very easy thing to happen. Check all your vitamins and meds again, and if you aren't sure about them stop taking them for a little while and see if it makes a difference. if you are drinking alcohol stop that for a while also and see if it helps. Soy is another big intolerance issue for many of us. Nightshades also, and some have problems with oats and corn.

It's kind of like a detective hunt finding the problem foods. but if you take your time you can do it.