Discussion Board

Hi everyone,

I've been eating a gluten free diet for almost 2 years, and have been a low fat vegan for almost 1 year.

In the last month, I had two (intentional ) slips with gluten. I think I just sort of felt rebellious and I ate it thinking maybe I was imagining my gluten intolerance (I was never able to be officially diagnosed because I had been gluten free for 6 months before I went to see a GI specialist). Needless to say, I got very sick both times.

This last time, I ate a significant amount of gluten. I still don't think I'd completely recovered from the gluten incident two weeks earlier, and then everything just got even worse.

The symptoms: I have had my usual incredibly bloated stomach, crushing fatigue, depression, and skin rashes. The symptoms have lasted longer than ever (over two weeks now) and have also been accompanied by weeks of insatiable hunger! I only eat when I'm hungry, but I eat crazy amounts of food. I try to stop when I feel full, but invariably, I feel so distracted by thoughts of food that I cannot stop thinking of it until I eat more (often until I'm in pain). I have been eating only non-inflammatory foods (veggies, fruit, yams, sweet potatoes, quinoa, seaweed, nutritional yeast) for 11 days now so I know my body is getting the right foods it needs to heal itself.

Has anyone else ever had symptoms from a glutenization that lasted this long? Has anyone ever experienced this insatiable hunger? Is it in my head, or is this a possible glutenization symptom? I'm terrified I'm going to gain tons of weight given how much I seem to keep eating.

Thanks
lfwfv

When I eat wheat or gluten I am ten time hungrier than when I don't

and I crave it even though it causes me pain .. A friend of mine who has a daughter with Aspergers once told me that when you have an allergy to it... it reacts like a drug to you... I am thinking you just need to continue and you will feel better soon.
I find it gluten really affects my mental moods... Depression etc.

For me what really is healing is lots of raw and cooked vegetables but mostly raw ones especially celery and lettuce.

Hi

I get VERY hungry too when I've been eating gluten. Also, I feel that crushing fatigue and low mood. The pain really saps my energy yet I gat bad insomnia and axiety. I ate gluten free oats at Christmas and I had heart palpitations and insomnia for three weeks. No pain though. I find ginger really helps to reduce inflammation. I know it's not Mcdougall, but this is an extraordinary situation, but my Mom was making me carrot celery apple juice with about 2 inches of ginger. It's like sweet fire water but wow it takes the pain away! Sometimes I will make a "tea" by boiling ginger and lemon juice in water for about 10 minutes and drinking it all day. Works for a sore throat as well. If the lemon bothers you leave it out it's good too. Add honey or other sweetener if you want or leave it out. The ginger is what's important. You can also grate ginger on a microplane and squeeze it to get the juice then add it to whatever you want like salad dressing.

Hope that helps.

RRC

Thanks guys. Nice to know it's not all in my head...i've only messed up twice on gluten in the last year, but it was all within a three week time period. I've been gluten free again for almost three weeks, but I'm still healing. I can very very slowly see my stomach bloat decreasing, my energy occasionally coming up throughout the day, my mood lightening at times, and my appetite decreasing at the occasional meal. Hopefully it'll keep normalizing.

I eat tons and tons of raw veggies, and a few steamed veggies, so I should be following that recommendation already. The ginger is a great thought...I've had ginger tea before and loved it, but maybe even if I just boiled a chunk of the root in water and drank the liquid it would help? Thanks!

Thanks again for replying to this and helping me feel less alone and crazy

lfwfv

I always cut the ginger into slices after peeling and the put it in the water. About 4 cups to an inch of ginger, doesn't have to be exact. Boil for 10 minutes, then remove the ginger and drink. If you can stand it, eat the slices too. There's still a lot of kick the ginger slices even after boiling. I think there may even be ginger capsules that you can take. I prefer the fresh ginger. I like the fire!

Glad to hear you are feeling better. No, it's not all in your head or mine either. I think we will become MORE sensitive to gluten as we consume less and less of it.

RRC

lfwfv,
I have many of the same symptoms you mentioned. It hadn't occurred to me that I may have an allergy to gluten. I was wondering what other symptoms may be associated with a gluten allergy--especially joint and muscle related. Is there joint and muscle pain associated with an allergy to gluten? Any information anyone has would be appreciated. Also, any reccomendations of books on the subject. And, how long did it take once you stopped all gluten for you to feel better?

HI Chaco,
Welcome to the thread...
Here is a short list... others can add to it

These are the most common.

acid reflux
ulcer
heart burn,
Constipation
excema,
headaches
cough/and congestion
Lower intestinal cramps
Pain in your intestines.
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrom)
Hemmeroids
Annemia (Caused by bodies inability to absorb nutrients because of inflamed intestines.)
Depression and mental illness can also be symptoms of gluten sensitivity.

Some of the less known but still prevalent signs

athlets foot
scabes or itchy scalp
hives
adult acne
Rashes in your privates
Joint pain
Weight Loss or weight gain
Constant hunger
or inability to eat.
Craving wheat
foggy thinking


There are different degrees of sensitivity...
and different time frames to healing but generally as a rule of thumb and in my experience people feel relief within three days if not immediately.
the things that take longer to heal up are the skin rashes and those usually take 1 to 3 months before people see them clear up.(they will see immediate clearing of them but it takes timefor the body to fully recover from them)

I still have my ulcer as I occasionally run into stuff that irritates it..

There are several websites out there that are good.

If no one else posts them i will later tonight for you.

Hi Kitty,
Thank you for responding. On your first list I have everything--including the anemia. The only thing I don't have is the ulcer. My iron stores were critically low several months ago--to the point where I had to take iron for three months. I haven't been back to the doctor, but I'm pretty sure it's low again. My doctor said it was due to hormones. I'm thinking now, maybe it's not. On your second list I have many of the things listed. I also gained almost a hundred pounds in less than a year a few years ago and I can NOT lose it no matter what I do. I walked 7 miles a day every single day in March and gained 10 pounds. Tell me how that's possible? Out of all of the symptoms the joint pain is the worst. Every joint in my body hurts. I really would like to try this. It couldn't hurt. Do you know of a good book I can buy--or can you point me to the place where I can find out what foods I should buy and exactly which I need to avoid?

To start with you will need to give up all your bread and noodles.

and almost all packaged food. Wheat is used as a Thickener and as a method to keep things from clumping together.
I can only eat a few salad dressings.

Each person is different so you will have to do a trial and error of what to eat and not eat.

I would reccomend starting offf with just eating potatoes and vegetabales

or rice and vegetables.

When you buy your rice get LUNDBURG if you can or BOB's Red Mill.

Those two are a safe bet to be Gluten free.

RE; Oatmeal I have found Quaker Rolled oats is fine but Instant and any of their flavored oatmeal cerials to be contaminated. You can safely get Oats from Bob's Red Mill. Do not get any of the cheap oats they are all wheat contaminated as are the cheaper rices.

some store cerials that are gluten free are Corn Flakes, Crispex, Corn Chex and Rice Chex
Some good grains for variety besides rice are quinoa and Millet.

I can get away with a bit of barley but only on rare occasions.

There are rice noodles you can buy

and for sandwhiches I occasionally have Corn Thins as my bread.

Also to be avoided most sauces.

If you are trying to lose weight you will want to do the Maximum Weight Loss program.. and Honestly this is the best way to eat with gluten allergies because you are pretty much eating potaotes and veggies and a little fruit.

Any way that is a start.

Okay here are some links for anyone interested and can anyone who has other useful links post them... maybe we can get a good list and sticky it to the top of this forum catagory

This is the Celiac Foundation Link
http://www.celiac.org/

University of Chicago
https://celiacdisease.net/

Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/celiac-disease/DS00319

National Institute of Health- Diabetus and Digestive Division
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddisease ... celiac_ez/

Some places where you can find food recipes

http://wogglebug.com/
http://www.glutenfreeforgood.com/blog/
http://gluten-freerecipes.blogspot.com/
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/index.asp

Places to buy when you can't find stuff where you live... for people like me who live far from a major city so their food access may be limited or you just want some more variety to what is available where you live

http://www.bobsredmill.com/
http://www.lundberg.com/
http://www.glutenfree.com/index.cfm

Kitty,
Thanks for posting all of the info. I cut out everything, but brown rice and vegges yesterday. Luckily, I already had the right brand of rice. Hopefully, this will work. I don't know if it's related, but I got a massive headache last night. I would have thought it would take longer for that, but who knows. It was a headache like a coffee withdrawel headache--only I don't drink coffee, or sodas, so it wasn't caffiene. I'm going to stick with it and I'll let you know how it goes. Thank you, again.

Great idea about the sticky kittyadventures! When I have time later I will add what I have found too especially for Canada.

RRC

http://www.elanaspantry.com & http://www.glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com Not veg,but sometimes have useful ideas & are nice to read.