Posts: 147
8/7/11 3:27 P

Welcome!

I truly hope the GF diet helps your symptoms. I felt better and stronger with each day GF. If gluten is the source of your problems, the healing will continue for a long time, with an ongoing improvement in energy and health as time goes by. GF can be a steep learning curve, but the benefits can be amazing if gluten is your trigger. After a year GF I realized my allergies were gone. I had had to avoid dairy for 20 years (it gave me terrible asthma) but was able to eat dairy again after a year GF with no resulting asthma. Also, my twice yearly bouts with bronchitis disappeared. These days the worst I might get is a mild cold once every year or two.

I wish you the best of health!

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8/6/11 11:38 P

Welcome to this site. I can certainly relate to what you are going through. I have been gluten free for 2 yrs and feel so much better. I was checked for Celiac; however I was gluten free for about 3 weeks so of course all the tests came back negative. I will not ingest gluten to get a correct reading. Instead I stayed gluten free and feeling good is my answer and that is all that I need.
Please keep us on how you are doing.
Char

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8/6/11 10:20 P

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8/6/11 8:58 P

to the team! Testing for Celiac is not 100%, nor does it account for gluten sensitivity. Eliminating it from your diet is your best bet. If you do this and still have an issue, dairy can be a big issue for people too, as can other gluten free grains. Let us know if you have specific questions and do check out old threads here for info.

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8/6/11 12:56 P

I truly feel for you :( And yes, going gluten free (for me at least) was HARD, especially in the beginning. I was a bread and pasta junkie! After my diagnosis, I'd do really well and be GF for a few days, and then something would happen (good stress, bad stress, it didn't matter), and I'd go right back to the thing that was making me sick. If I can offer you any advice, it would be to avoid this pattern at all costs! But it really does get easier :) After a week of being symptom free and actually having the energy to make it through my day, gluten started to become more and more unappealing. I'm proud to say that I've been completely gluten free for almost three months now and I've never been healthier (and I'm losing weight!) Good luck to you, and if you need encouragement or a buddy, just let me know :)

Edited by: MISSMONEYPENNY7 at: 8/7/2011 (16:20)

Posts: 117
8/6/11 12:36 P

AHHH I can totally relate. 11 years ago I had my gullbladder removed and ever since I still had pains, got sick, bloated, and was miserable. I think I was the only college kid in bed by like 9 or 10 and was deathly affraid to eat out because i would get very sick! I told my doctor many years ago and have been brushed aside, quit eating fresh fruits and veggies... the whole nine yards. Finally in 2009 (remind you right before my wedding) I went to a new doctor. She told me to try probiotic and eat Kashi products. I said no WAY it makes me sick! She gave me the celiac test and of course negative and she sent me to a gastrologist! SHe saved me! She refused to do biopsy of my inteines and crap. She made me journal everything i ate and when I got sick the most. I removed Gluten from my life in April 2009 and I have felt wonderful!!!!! It took about 3 months to start to feel semi normal. I am no walk skinny, 100% energentic person, but I AM pain and sick free!!!! WHo cares about a diagnosis. You probably have a gluten intolerance. Go completely off of gluten! It is defintely worth a try. The only debbie downer is I personally gained a lot of weight and am struggling to get it off, but that doesnt happen to everyone! I hope this helps and I didn't hopeless babble on about myself. How we arrive at a gluten free diet is all different, but the main thing is feeling better!

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8/6/11 11:28 A

I've had symptoms for 14 years and after countless doctors and tests there will be no more tests and no hope for a gluten/celiac diagnosis. My symptoms have grown worse over the last six months and as of two weeks ago I am literally down for the count because my body is just so beat up from being sick all of the time. I'm managing, taking one day at a time, but I feel so weak and the stomach problems are terrible.

I'm on day 2 of my gluten-free diet. I hope eliminating gluten helps because I've tried everything else. Any advice and support will be greatly appreciated because I am so discouraged by people telling me "it's all in my head" LOL

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