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NEW, suspected Gluten Intolerant

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Celiac Disease
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Posted 10/30/2011 12:31 PM (GMT -8)
I am 43 yrs old. I was tested in 2008 for Celiac and declared negative.
But I have 16-18 of the symptoms I've been able to find on lists (of course many of these over-lap with fibro) of Gluten intolerance, the worst being: diarrhea-it is rare for me to have a "normal" bm; headaches, joint aches, depression/anxiety, fatigue...
to lesser degrees I also have tingling in hands/feet, trouble concentrating/ADD type symptoms, & some hair loss

I have decided to gradually eliminate gluten.
For most of my life, gluten has comprised the majority of my diet...I eat 1 or more sandwiches on bread/buns daily, and my typical snacks are pretzels & Triscuits, so my goal is to eliminate them first and see if it helps, followed by decreasing oher breads, etc

I have read other threads regarding how long it might take for improvement to occur.
I am hoping to see some positive changes (less &/or less severe headaches & joint pain) within a week. Is that realistic?

I would like to gradually eliminate other possible trigger foods to see if/when the diarrhea and other symptoms decrease.
I've never shopped for GF before so this is going to be an interesting "experiment".

Any advice?
t
_______
ps other than the negative result for Celiac, my only other diagnosis is severe anxiety/depression, currently untreated due to lack of finances!
Posted 10/31/2011 7:45 AM (GMT -8)
No, I don't think 1 week is sufficient. For me the differences became apparent after 2 weeks, even more so after a month. I think the general recommendation is to give yourself 3 weeks of being gluten FREE before evaluating your situation. Not gluten LITE.

Go for broke. You can get gluten free crackers and pretzels (glutino's is a tasty brand) and either substitute gluten free breads on your sandwiches or live without sandwiches for a few weeks. It won't be that awful!
Posted 11/4/2011 6:21 PM (GMT -8)
Celiac symptoms overlaped my Crohns symptoms so I gave it a try and have been going strong..I eliminated gluten completely from the beginning..I noticed a difference within the first month..My allergy symptoms and headaches were improved, brain fog, and sleepiness during the day. Some of my gastro symptoms improved and some did not..I have not gotten specialty products..I did lead a very heavy gluten diet before..I noticed when I went cold turkey I was starving for about the first two weeks then those symptoms subsided..I have been on a couple of trips since I started this diet, and this was not as easy..Fresh meat, eggs, veggies, fruits, and dairy all safe..Fast food is almost a no-no unless you go to Wendys and have a frosty, salad, chili, or potato..In a seminar they cater lunch, which can be very tricky..The worst is when they carried out the donut and muffin tray..I did not stray!!
Cindy
Posted 11/6/2011 11:47 PM (GMT -8)
My blood test was negative as well, yet going gluten free made an immediate difference. I went "cold turkey" off of gluten, and the nausea I had suffered with for 6 months was gone within 48 hours. But it took about 4-6 weeks for the extreme daytime fatigue, joint pain and other whole body symptoms to diminish enough to really be noticed, and for me to start looking healthy again.

The only way you will truly be able to determine whether or not gluten is the problem is to completely eliminate it from your diet. If it is your issue, you won't see improvement as long as you are eating any gluten. I did not buy any specialty foods for the first month or two. It was too easy to try to compare them to the "real thing" There are some good gluten free products out there, but you will be healthier, and so will your wallet, if you don't rely on the gluten free prepared food products too much. But for the purposes of trying gluten free for a couple of weeks to see if gluten is the issue, Udi's is the best store bought gluten free bread. That would at least allow you to have toast and sandwiches that taste great.

Check out celiac.com for lists of hidden sources of gluten and safe gluten free foods as well. That site was a big help to me. I've now been GF for 2 years and haven't looked back. I wouldn't trade the way I feel today for even one bite of gluten.
Posted 11/12/2011 7:29 PM (GMT -8)
tenyang2012-I had all the symptoms you had and was diagnosed with Crohns not Celiac..I am not sure if I was tested I would assume I was..I went cold turkey almost three months ago..I started off with whole food and have not ate any specialty items..I don't know if you would have complete results unless you went cold turkey..Eating out and traveling is the hard part for me..I save gluten free left overs for when I feed my family gluten items!! I have had to really read labels..I know many people go a step further and do specific carb. diet, but I think it is much to restrictive...
Cindy
Posted 12/14/2011 7:23 AM (GMT -8)
i also have been having health issues with bowel movements, nausea, vomiting, and ongoing frequent heartburn. to the point food is coming out UNdigested, everything from broccoli to peas to strawberries to blueberries are coming out Undigested. the heartburn is all thru-out the day and night to the point i double over in pain at times. and get burning sensation in my throat. and now its to the point i can eat in the mornings, but not in the evening, if i eat supper i automatically vomit within minutes of eating. i cant help it. & i feel tired all the time. my legs ache. i have frequent headaches - probably due to not getting properly nurished. i did have colonoscopy, and the doctor found four things wrong. one was ulcerative colitis. one was diverticulitis and i cant think right now what the other two were. my short term memory seems to be fading as well. like things are disappearing from my mind until someone reminds me. or i will have a thought in my mind that i cant finish how it went because i forgot the rest ( and it was important to me ) and i have to ask someone the rest of the details. its very frustrating, and i wonder if maybe it isnt all connected.
Posted 12/14/2011 8:54 AM (GMT -8)
Concerned4cancer, are you taking any vitamin D? has anyone tested your vitamin D levels?
Posted 1/1/2012 4:49 AM (GMT -8)
Get checked for helicobacter pylori

Its a nasty bacteria that burrows in the lining of your stomach & certain foods flare it up & make your symptoms worse.

I've suffered with IBS symptoms & anxiety my whole adult life. I found Gluten Free diet in the last few years has helped tremendously & I have loads of energy, no constipation, pain, wind, mucus in stools (sorry grose I know) 20 years later I've been diagnosed with Helicobacter (why the Doctors didn't check for that when I first started getting chronic diarrhoea, cramps, weight loss etc I don't know).

My Dad's always had stomach problems, we thought it was a genetic bad stomach. He recently had a breath test & confirmed he had Helicobacter, people living together catch it off each other & I had a blood test to confirm I have it. I've had a course of antibiotics but don't feel they have worked as I don't feel any different. I feel a lot better from eating a gluten free (regular painless BM's, not anaemic etc) , low dairy diet and avoiding Vinegar & tomatoes have stopped the diarrhoea. I need to fast & do a breath test to see if it the bacteria is still present. But I recommend anyone who is having tummy troubles, constipation, diarrhoea, anaemia, infertility, miscarriage, anxiety, depression, low energy get tested for Helicobacter Pylori ASAP. Its bacterial & so easily contracted, I wouldn't be surprised if 50-80% of the population have it. Good luck! Please let me know how you go?
Posted 1/29/2012 7:23 AM (GMT -8)
concerned4cancer: if food is coming out undigested you also should rule out Crohns, IBS, U.C. It's very typical having this issue when having any kind of IBD or IBS.


tenyang 2012: have you seen the Fox News, an interview with doctor OZ:

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/health/dr_oz/dr-oz-mehmet-celiac-disease-gluten-intolerance-wheat-symptoms-20120119


I got symptoms improvements just after a few days when I by accident tried to go low carb to reduce weight. Got so much better to use this low carb diet, I made my own breads without any flours at all.

A few weeks in I had some gluten bread, pasta and cookies, and within a few ours I got gassy, I got nausea and I got pain.

The day after I was back on my breads without flour of any kind. And within a few days I was way much better.

I started to notice if other things happened as well. Yes, I could have salads without getting diarrhea the day after the salad.

I immediately started to make my own gluten free breads, I love to bake and cook, so this was no big deal for me. The breads tasted lovely, so it was no problem to stay totally glutenfree from that day. I still can have salats without getting any trouble.

I have Crohns disease, and it's typical that many of us can't eat salads, parts of the salad often comes out undigested.

Now this doesn't happen anymore. My nausea is gone, ,my bloating, my headaches, my leg cramps, all gone. If I cheat, the symptoms returns.

So it's best to avoid all kind of gluten immediately, read the labels, it's gluten /wheat everywhere. There are lists online what food is containing gluten.

Now I hope to get less tired and get my hair back, I've lost a lot.

Post Edited (BeeSting) : 1/29/2012 8:36:08 AM (GMT-7)

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