In what ways did you feel better after going gluten-free?

[acurry]

Newly diagnosed celiac

I was diagnosed this month at 29. The diagnosis was quite a surprise since I was always told celiacs were scrawny and short and had constant diarrhoea (and indeed the only three celiacs I have met are quite underweight). I am very tall and a bit overweight (and have pretty much always been) and have had some GI issues but more often constipation and indigestion, which I always thought was "normal". I also tended to eat more gluten when I was eating more sweets so I blamed feeling unwell on the high fat/high sugar foods. In January I went to see my doctor because I had lost my period for about a year (I thought it was stress for the first few months since I am finishing my PhD and there's a pandemic), it turned out I had hypothyroidism and several deficiencies (iron, calcium, vit D and B12, folate). Since I insisted I had no symptoms, he said it was a long shot but worth testing for. Now that I've looked into it more I realise I actually have a lot of symptoms, like joint pain, problems with balance, and fatigue, but I always just thought that was me. My mother also recently told me (after I told her my dr thought I had celiac's) that as a toddler I did in fact have constant diarrhoea, was underweight and had a huge bloated belly. Doctors suspected celiac's but were unable to confirm it back then (apparently I had a biopsy but it was inconclusive? I don't remember any of this). I am not sure at what point in my childhood I started eating gluten again, but I can't help but wonder how it has affected me to have been eating gluten for as long as I can remember if I already had celiac's as a baby...

I am not feeling too bummed about the diagnosis because I am hopeful that a lot of things will get better after I've been gluten free for a while, e.g. my family have always said I am lazy but I always just felt very tired, and |I have ADHD which now I wonder if it might be brain fog (maybe? 🤞). I was wondering what kind of changes people saw when they went gluten free? How long did it take you to feel better? Is there anything I can do to speed up recovery?

[JenniK]

11 hours ago, acurry said:

Newly diagnosed celiac

I was diagnosed this month at 29. The diagnosis was quite a surprise since I was always told celiacs were scrawny and short and had constant diarrhoea (and indeed the only three celiacs I have met are quite underweight). I am very tall and a bit overweight (and have pretty much always been) and have had some GI issues but more often constipation and indigestion, which I always thought was "normal". I also tended to eat more gluten when I was eating more sweets so I blamed feeling unwell on the high fat/high sugar foods. In January I went to see my doctor because I had lost my period for about a year (I thought it was stress for the first few months since I am finishing my PhD and there's a pandemic), it turned out I had hypothyroidism and several deficiencies (iron, calcium, vit D and B12, folate). Since I insisted I had no symptoms, he said it was a long shot but worth testing for. Now that I've looked into it more I realise I actually have a lot of symptoms, like joint pain, problems with balance, and fatigue, but I always just thought that was me. My mother also recently told me (after I told her my dr thought I had celiac's) that as a toddler I did in fact have constant diarrhoea, was underweight and had a huge bloated belly. Doctors suspected celiac's but were unable to confirm it back then (apparently I had a biopsy but it was inconclusive? I don't remember any of this). I am not sure at what point in my childhood I started eating gluten again, but I can't help but wonder how it has affected me to have been eating gluten for as long as I can remember if I already had celiac's as a baby...

I am not feeling too bummed about the diagnosis because I am hopeful that a lot of things will get better after I've been gluten free for a while, e.g. my family have always said I am lazy but I always just felt very tired, and |I have ADHD which now I wonder if it might be brain fog (maybe? 🤞). I was wondering what kind of changes people saw when they went gluten free? How long did it take you to feel better? Is there anything I can do to speed up recovery?

i was diagnoses this year, but was gluten-free for a few years before in order to try and heal myself even without a doctor suspecting celiac. I was always told i had IBS. I am normal weight to 20 extra pounds- not obese, not skinny. I take zero meds for anything, so it seemed like i wss also ‘just tired’, but i never felt right.

I quit gluten to try and stop my daily diarrhea. It did stop, within a few days. It was like a miracle!! I thought that was the extent of my gluten healing, but then other things started improving. They thought i had the beginning of rheumatoid arthritis, and i could barely use my hands and feet every morning. After a few weeks, much to my surprise, that began to improve, and eventually completely disappeared. (I actually FORGOT that i had that terrible problem until my gluten challenge, when it came right back!) My joint pain and popping, which i thought was middle age, improved and went away. My skin improved. An acne like rash, which the dermatologist had failed to recognize as Dermatitis Herpetiformis completely went away (also returned during challenge). Any anxiety or depression, which had long alternated in me, disappeared. My need for naps and general ‘“lazy” feeling (i’m not lazy at all, but sometimes felt like being lazy) went away. Brain fog, which i also did not attribute to gluten cleared up. All these symptoms were present for many, many years, all completely gone for two years while i was gluten-free, all came back during my 5 week challenge. I am now a week into trying to heal again, and my fingers really hurt trying to type this... 
I find it interesting that you’ve missed your period for a year at 29.  I didn’t put the clues together and go gluten free until about age 45. I was fully finished with menopause by that time. I got pregnant/ delivered my third son when i was 35/36, and it was like my body decided it was DONE after that. VERY early, complete menopause in early forties for someone who had always been super fertile was very strange! All of my friends of a same age still have periods. Mine has been gone for years. Now think celiac had something to do with it.  Honestly, for me, it was a blessing. I got to have my three sons, then my husband and i never had to worry about family planning or a cycle again, but if you want children, stay off the gluten and pray your cycle straightens itself out as you heal. 

[acurry]

3 hours ago, JenniK said:

i was diagnoses this year, but was gluten-free for a few years before in order to try and heal myself even without a doctor suspecting celiac. I was always told i had IBS. I am normal weight to 20 extra pounds- not obese, not skinny. I take zero meds for anything, so it seemed like i wss also ‘just tired’, but i never felt right.

I quit gluten to try and stop my daily diarrhea. It did stop, within a few days. It was like a miracle!! I thought that was the extent of my gluten healing, but then other things started improving. They thought i had the beginning of rheumatoid arthritis, and i could barely use my hands and feet every morning. After a few weeks, much to my surprise, that began to improve, and eventually completely disappeared. (I actually FORGOT that i had that terrible problem until my gluten challenge, when it came right back!) My joint pain and popping, which i thought was middle age, improved and went away. My skin improved. An acne like rash, which the dermatologist had failed to recognize as Dermatitis Herpetiformis completely went away (also returned during challenge). Any anxiety or depression, which had long alternated in me, disappeared. My need for naps and general ‘“lazy” feeling (i’m not lazy at all, but sometimes felt like being lazy) went away. Brain fog, which i also did not attribute to gluten cleared up. All these symptoms were present for many, many years, all completely gone for two years while i was gluten-free, all came back during my 5 week challenge. I am now a week into trying to heal again, and my fingers really hurt trying to type this... 
I find it interesting that you’ve missed your period for a year at 29.  I didn’t put the clues together and go gluten free until about age 45. I was fully finished with menopause by that time. I got pregnant/ delivered my third son when i was 35/36, and it was like my body decided it was DONE after that. VERY early, complete menopause in early forties for someone who had always been super fertile was very strange! All of my friends of a same age still have periods. Mine has been gone for years. Now think celiac had something to do with it.  Honestly, for me, it was a blessing. I got to have my three sons, then my husband and i never had to worry about family planning or a cycle again, but if you want children, stay off the gluten and pray your cycle straightens itself out as you heal. 

Thanks for your reply! I'm happy to hear so many issues cleared up. It's funny how many things we attribute to something else... I stopped eating gluten after my first blood test since my doctor said it could be months before I got a biopsy (I'm in the UK) and that given my deficiencies he felt it would be irresponsible to tell me to keep eating gluten even though it was the official guidance. I was off-gluten for 2-3 weeks and then I had to start it again ahead of my second blood test... oof!! I suddenly felt like I had the flu (minus the fever). I couldn't believe I'd been dealing with that my entire life and not realised... 

I do hope going off gluten can help me heal and I won't have fertility problems... 🤞 My mother also had her menopause pretty early after having three children (though she refuses to get tested on the basis that she doesn't each much bread anyway 🙄).

 

[RMJ]

I didn’t have any typical celiac symptoms.  I was tested because of migraines.  Once my antibody levels returned to normal I just felt better, less fatigue.

[Scott Adams]

I had most of the classic symptoms, including chronic diarrhea, and being in my 20's this was the worst thing I could imagine. I worked in downtown San Francisco and had to take a Muni street car to work, which became an underground subway once it hit downtown. I always dreaded the ride, and knew the location of every bathroom around every stop on the way. Once it went underground there was no getting off, and every once in a while a street car would break down in the tunnel and cause a random half hour to one hour delay. This was the worst, and in my case I also had symptoms of vertigo and panic attacks. Luckily I managed to avoid any incidents, but there was a lot of serious mental stress associated with what should have been very simple thing--taking public transportation.

Having the chronic diarrhea disappear within weeks of going gluten-free was like a miracle. Most of my other issues also went away shortly afterwards as well, and at the time it seemed like I had become a new person. I would say that the mental issues took longer to deal with, but after a few years those also subsided.

BTW, to this day I have a mental map of where you can find bathrooms all over San Francisco! It has come in handy from time to time whenever I visit the city, but I doubt those without celiac disease ever have to develop such a strange "skill set." 😉

[GodsGal]

On 4/8/2021 at 8:44 PM, acurry said:

Newly diagnosed celiac

I was diagnosed this month at 29. The diagnosis was quite a surprise since I was always told celiacs were scrawny and short and had constant diarrhoea (and indeed the only three celiacs I have met are quite underweight). I am very tall and a bit overweight (and have pretty much always been) and have had some GI issues but more often constipation and indigestion, which I always thought was "normal". I also tended to eat more gluten when I was eating more sweets so I blamed feeling unwell on the high fat/high sugar foods. In January I went to see my doctor because I had lost my period for about a year (I thought it was stress for the first few months since I am finishing my PhD and there's a pandemic), it turned out I had hypothyroidism and several deficiencies (iron, calcium, vit D and B12, folate). Since I insisted I had no symptoms, he said it was a long shot but worth testing for. Now that I've looked into it more I realise I actually have a lot of symptoms, like joint pain, problems with balance, and fatigue, but I always just thought that was me. My mother also recently told me (after I told her my dr thought I had celiac's) that as a toddler I did in fact have constant diarrhoea, was underweight and had a huge bloated belly. Doctors suspected celiac's but were unable to confirm it back then (apparently I had a biopsy but it was inconclusive? I don't remember any of this). I am not sure at what point in my childhood I started eating gluten again, but I can't help but wonder how it has affected me to have been eating gluten for as long as I can remember if I already had celiac's as a baby...

I am not feeling too bummed about the diagnosis because I am hopeful that a lot of things will get better after I've been gluten free for a while, e.g. my family have always said I am lazy but I always just felt very tired, and |I have ADHD which now I wonder if it might be brain fog (maybe? 🤞). I was wondering what kind of changes people saw when they went gluten free? How long did it take you to feel better? Is there anything I can do to speed up recovery?

Hi! I also don't fit the typical body type for celiac disease. I was always at 100% on the growth charts. I got diagnosed at 36. Looking back, I suspect that I had traces of it in childhood. But, there's no way for me to really know.

I developed a dairy intolerance about 14 yrs ago. Then about 2 yrs ago I developed upper right quadrant abdominal pain that we could not figure out.

My doctor refered me to a GI specialist group. While I was there, I just mentioned my dairy intolerance and the fact that there are several raw vegetables I can't eat without souring my stomach. That's when she mentioned testing for celiac.

I think that I was headed toward a health crisis, but celiac was discovered before I totally got to that point.

So, for me the thing has been figuring out what symptoms have disappeared. Bloating, very foul smells in the bathroom, stomach pain, the rash on my hands etc.

My symptoms started to improve right away within the first couple of months. But it definitely takes time! I think that currently the only way to speed up the recovery process is to avoid eating gluten. Also, make sure that your toothpaste, soaps, and cosmetics are gluten free.

I hope this helps!

 

 

[BuddhaBar]

Lived a stressful life for many years. Mostly my own fault. I believe my celiac was triggered by chronic stress.

Began with neuropathy: Tingling, zip zaps all over my body, even in my eyeballs. Severe burning pain in my feet. Sometimes so severe I couldn't stand up. My sensory nerves got so hypersensitive I could feel every seam in my clothes burning on my skin. First blood test. Severe vitamin D deficiency. All other tests were normal. D-vitamin supplements didn't help with the neuropathy.  
Then constipation, acid reflux and chronic burping started. 
After a few months, the constipation turned into diarrhea. Not like a stomach bug diarrhea. More like greyish, foul smelling porridge, 3-4 times a day in huge amounts. I could empty my bowels in 2 seconds. 
Tiredness, bloated everyday. Sometimes the bloating was so severe I couldn't button up my jacket. I looked 8 months pregnant. Gas, of course, from both ends.
Headaches, muscle aches and vertigo came later. The vertigo occurred when I moved my head. The room didn't spinn around, but I lost my balance like a drunk person. 

I was very ill and it took several years before the doctors found out I had Celiac disease. By this point I had been to more than 6 doctors with a total of more than 15 appointments. Was tested for MS, GERD, parasites, Crohn's, stomach ulcer, bowel cancer, heliobacter pylori, did a spine X-ray + various other things. Not a single doctor thought about Celiac disease. I had to find it out myself by taking a self-test kit. Got my proper diagnosis 2 years ago and I suspect I was ill 5-6 years prior to this. Partial to subtotal villous atrophy. 

Because I was so ill, it took many months before most symptoms had subsided. 

[Kate333]

Hi acurry.  I was diagnosed in late 2019, after YEARS of progressively worse exhaustion, anxiety/depression.  I first chalked it up to work burnout because it required constant out of state travel.  Finally, it all hit the fan in the summer of 2019 when I had a sudden, severe headache/burning in chest right after a big phone argument with a rude client and supervisor.  I went to ER because I feared I had never had that kind of extreme symptoms before and feared I was possibly having a stroke/heart attack.  Fortunately, it wasn't that but docs said it was a panic attack triggered by severe anxiety.  I quit toxic job/endless travel, hoping to heal.  But a few months later started having really bad loose stools.  My primary doc did lab test for parasites, infection, all normal.  Finally, was I blood tested and scoped, diagnosed with, celiac disease in late Sept.  (In retrospect, I think my dormant celiac disease gene was actually activated or triggered by the extreme stress of that work burnout crisis in June 2019.)  I adopted a strict gluten-free diet in March 2020, when the pandemic shut all the restaurants down and I stopped eating any processed or packaged foods.  Since then, very happy to say my G antibodies have plunged from high of 224 to near normal. 

However, not much has changed with symptoms: primarily indigestion, fatigue, neuropathy, lightheadedness, anxiety/depression/insomnia, post-celiac disease sensitivity to some non-G foods (esp. dairy). In addition to the gluten-free diet, I've tried Xifaxan for the D/C issues.  That seems to help a bit, but my GI and primary doc think most current symptoms are driven by continued depression/anxiety.   That makes sense, given the pandemic and my past issues with bad depression/anxiety.  

IMO there is a great overlap, similarity in depression/anxiety and celiac disease symptoms, so it's often difficult to know for sure which is caused by what condition.  Therefore, I think it's really vital to address and treat BOTH depression/anxiety and celiac disease on your healing journey.

Best of luck!

[Lucille Cholerton]

After going gluten free, my headaches disappeared immediately, my sinusitis and drippy nose cleared up within 2 weeks, my constipation cleared up within a month, my severe rheumatoid arthritis cleared up totally in 5 months. I have now been gluten free for over 30 years!

[LelaniB]

On 4/9/2021 at 2:44 AM, acurry said:

Newly diagnosed celiac

I was diagnosed this month at 29. The diagnosis was quite a surprise since I was always told celiacs were scrawny and short and had constant diarrhoea (and indeed the only three celiacs I have met are quite underweight). I am very tall and a bit overweight (and have pretty much always been) and have had some GI issues but more often constipation and indigestion, which I always thought was "normal". I also tended to eat more gluten when I was eating more sweets so I blamed feeling unwell on the high fat/high sugar foods. In January I went to see my doctor because I had lost my period for about a year (I thought it was stress for the first few months since I am finishing my PhD and there's a pandemic), it turned out I had hypothyroidism and several deficiencies (iron, calcium, vit D and B12, folate). Since I insisted I had no symptoms, he said it was a long shot but worth testing for. Now that I've looked into it more I realise I actually have a lot of symptoms, like joint pain, problems with balance, and fatigue, but I always just thought that was me. My mother also recently told me (after I told her my dr thought I had celiac's) that as a toddler I did in fact have constant diarrhoea, was underweight and had a huge bloated belly. Doctors suspected celiac's but were unable to confirm it back then (apparently I had a biopsy but it was inconclusive? I don't remember any of this). I am not sure at what point in my childhood I started eating gluten again, but I can't help but wonder how it has affected me to have been eating gluten for as long as I can remember if I already had celiac's as a baby...

I am not feeling too bummed about the diagnosis because I am hopeful that a lot of things will get better after I've been gluten free for a while, e.g. my family have always said I am lazy but I always just felt very tired, and |I have ADHD which now I wonder if it might be brain fog (maybe? 🤞). I was wondering what kind of changes people saw when they went gluten free? How long did it take you to feel better? Is there anything I can do to speed up recovery?

Hi!

So i am gluten free for almost 2 months now. It really has changed my life so amazingly! 

No more bloating, stomach aches, discomfort and no more nausea! I have discovered, that although i feel much better i have to be sure to take enough alternative fibre to ensure frequent bowel movement.

I am also facing some fertility problems, brain fog and tiredness, and i have a feeling it all might be directly linked to my gluten intolerance. (I am excited to see how my new lifestyle will effect other areas of my health as well) 

Great to know there is hope for a problem ive been struggling with for 27 years!

L.

[acurry]

29 minutes ago, LelaniB said:

Hi!

So i am gluten free for almost 2 months now. It really has changed my life so amazingly! 

No more bloating, stomach aches, discomfort and no more nausea! I have discovered, that although i feel much better i have to be sure to take enough alternative fibre to ensure frequent bowel movement.

I am also facing some fertility problems, brain fog and tiredness, and i have a feeling it all might be directly linked to my gluten intolerance. (I am excited to see how my new lifestyle will effect other areas of my health as well) 

Great to know there is hope for a problem ive been struggling with for 27 years!

L.

I totally get the excitement. The more I read about celiac's the more I think: "oh my god! That thing could also be related?!?!" My brother keeps telling me I'm being too dramatic with my gluten avoidance (because I'm concerned about cross-contamination...) but I really want to see how things change if I am very strict, otherwise I will always wonder about it.

I've only been gluten-free for a week or so and my bloating and constipation are already so much better (despite being on some hardcore iron supplements 3x a day!)

Amanda

[acurry]

16 hours ago, Kate333 said:

Hi acurry.  I was diagnosed in late 2019, after YEARS of progressively worse exhaustion, anxiety/depression.  I first chalked it up to work burnout because it required constant out of state travel.  Finally, it all hit the fan in the summer of 2019 when I had a sudden, severe headache/burning in chest right after a big phone argument with a rude client and supervisor.  I went to ER because I feared I had never had that kind of extreme symptoms before and feared I was possibly having a stroke/heart attack.  Fortunately, it wasn't that but docs said it was a panic attack triggered by severe anxiety.  I quit toxic job/endless travel, hoping to heal.  But a few months later started having really bad loose stools.  My primary doc did lab test for parasites, infection, all normal.  Finally, was I blood tested and scoped, diagnosed with, celiac disease in late Sept.  (In retrospect, I think my dormant celiac disease gene was actually activated or triggered by the extreme stress of that work burnout crisis in June 2019.)  I adopted a strict gluten-free diet in March 2020, when the pandemic shut all the restaurants down and I stopped eating any processed or packaged foods.  Since then, very happy to say my G antibodies have plunged from high of 224 to near normal. 

However, not much has changed with symptoms: primarily indigestion, fatigue, neuropathy, lightheadedness, anxiety/depression/insomnia, post-celiac disease sensitivity to some non-G foods (esp. dairy). In addition to the gluten-free diet, I've tried Xifaxan for the D/C issues.  That seems to help a bit, but my GI and primary doc think most current symptoms are driven by continued depression/anxiety.   That makes sense, given the pandemic and my past issues with bad depression/anxiety.  

IMO there is a great overlap, similarity in depression/anxiety and celiac disease symptoms, so it's often difficult to know for sure which is caused by what condition.  Therefore, I think it's really vital to address and treat BOTH depression/anxiety and celiac disease on your healing journey.

Best of luck!

Thank you so much for your reply. Sorry to hear you haven't experienced much improvement wrt your symptoms. I think a lot of us underestimate the toll that work stress can take on our bodies... I am particularly interested to see if my anxiety and depression are related to Celiac's (although I don't really think a gluten-free diet will completely eliminate them). I hope you have found a job that is a better fit for you in terms of health

[acurry]

Thank you all for your replies! It's so interesting to see the different stories and how differently it presented in each person! 

[LelaniB]

2 hours ago, acurry said:

I totally get the excitement. The more I read about celiac's the more I think: "oh my god! That thing could also be related?!?!" My brother keeps telling me I'm being too dramatic with my gluten avoidance (because I'm concerned about cross-contamination...) but I really want to see how things change if I am very strict, otherwise I will always wonder about it.

I've only been gluten-free for a week or so and my bloating and constipation are already so much better (despite being on some hardcore iron supplements 3x a day!)

Amanda

Thats awesome! U go girl. 👌

[Lucille Cholerton]

5 hours ago, acurry said:

Thank you so much for your reply. Sorry to hear you haven't experienced much improvement wrt your symptoms. I think a lot of us underestimate the toll that work stress can take on our bodies... I am particularly interested to see if my anxiety and depression are related to Celiac's (although I don't really think a gluten-free diet will completely eliminate them). I hope you have found a job that is a better fit for you in terms of health

 

5 hours ago, acurry said:

Thank you all for your replies! It's so interesting to see the different stories and how differently it presented in each person! 

Anxiety and depression are very much linked to celiac. When you eat any of the 4 grains wheat, rye, barley and oats, the gluten in them releases harmful peptides called gluteomorphins that cross the blood/brain barrier and upset brain chemicals. Many other problems of the mind are also linked like autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactive disorder, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease.

[knitty kitty]

Perhaps this will be of interest to you....

 

"Understanding nutrition, depression and mental illnesses"

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2738337/#!po=63.7500

[Юлия]

Good day. I am very interested in arthritis, you write that in five months everything has passed. That is, your joints completely stopped hurting and you stopped taking medications?

[Lucille Cholerton]

Yes, in 5 months my joint pains completely disappeared. It was a gradual process to this point. I had been heading for a hip replacement. I refused to take any medication. I did not want to go the Ibuprofen route etc as all these meds come with their side effects. I was very stiff in the mornings, but the more I moved around, the better it felt. I used to try and do exercises lying on my back and trying to get more flexibility into my hip joints. I am so grateful I found the information about the links with gluten. I have never looked back. The joint pain has never returned in over 30 years and I know it never will. This was the experience that prompted me to write my book "Spotlight on Gluten". 

[Wheatwacked]

On 4/8/2021 at 8:44 PM, acurry said:

I always just thought that was me.

My most notable symptoms were sleep apnea, enlarged prostate(diagnosed at age 25, cleared at age 64), protein buildup on contact lenses, alcoholism, back pain, and many others already listed for a grand total of eighteen things that I was told is not abnormal for some people and nothing to be done. Kudo's to your doctor for picking it up so fast. He is one in a million. 

"HYPOTHYROIDISM – As the body's iodine levels fall, hypothyroidism may develop, since iodine is essential for making thyroid hormone. While this is uncommon in the United States, iodine deficiency is the most common cause of hypothyroidism worldwide".  As I look at all the people being prescribed Thoraxine I think the data is outdated. Milk and bread (until 1970) was the major source. Nowadays I eat a sheet of Sushi Nori (400mcg per sheet) and a glass of milk (100 mcg per serving). Iodine is also needed for apoptosis of defective and old cells (think killing cancer cells) Maybe that is why Japanese eating a traditional diet have less breast cancer. When I started this the first physical change I noticed was improved muscle tone in my chest and shoulders, even without exercise. Potassium lost through diahrea can lead to high blood pressure. It took me a year of 5 grams a day of potassium in food. Nix on supplementing, you get more from a cup of coffee with milk than the FDA allows in supplements <99 mg. I went from 145/78 on meds to 126/70 without meds. That's good for a 70 year old.

[Lucille Cholerton]

14 hours ago, Wheatwacked said:

My most notable symptoms were sleep apnea, enlarged prostate(diagnosed at age 25, cleared at age 64), protein buildup on contact lenses, alcoholism, back pain, and many others already listed for a grand total of eighteen things that I was told is not abnormal for some people and nothing to be done. Kudo's to your doctor for picking it up so fast. He is one in a million. 

"HYPOTHYROIDISM – As the body's iodine levels fall, hypothyroidism may develop, since iodine is essential for making thyroid hormone. While this is uncommon in the United States, iodine deficiency is the most common cause of hypothyroidism worldwide".  As I look at all the people being prescribed Thoraxine I think the data is outdated. Milk and bread (until 1970) was the major source. Nowadays I eat a sheet of Sushi Nori (400mcg per sheet) and a glass of milk (100 mcg per serving). Iodine is also needed for apoptosis of defective and old cells (think killing cancer cells) Maybe that is why Japanese eating a traditional diet have less breast cancer. When I started this the first physical change I noticed was improved muscle tone in my chest and shoulders, even without exercise. Potassium lost through diahrea can lead to high blood pressure. It took me a year of 5 grams a day of potassium in food. Nix on supplementing, you get more from a cup of coffee with milk than the FDA allows in supplements <99 mg. I went from 145/78 on meds to 126/70 without meds. That's good for a 70 year old.

This is a great story

 

[Scott Adams]

18 hours ago, Wheatwacked said:

My most notable symptoms were sleep apnea, enlarged prostate(diagnosed at age 25, cleared at age 64), protein buildup on contact lenses, alcoholism, back pain, and many others already listed for a grand total of eighteen things that I was told is not abnormal for some people and nothing to be done. Kudo's to your doctor for picking it up so fast. He is one in a million. 

"HYPOTHYROIDISM – As the body's iodine levels fall, hypothyroidism may develop, since iodine is essential for making thyroid hormone. While this is uncommon in the United States, iodine deficiency is the most common cause of hypothyroidism worldwide".  As I look at all the people being prescribed Thoraxine I think the data is outdated. Milk and bread (until 1970) was the major source. Nowadays I eat a sheet of Sushi Nori (400mcg per sheet) and a glass of milk (100 mcg per serving). Iodine is also needed for apoptosis of defective and old cells (think killing cancer cells) Maybe that is why Japanese eating a traditional diet have less breast cancer. When I started this the first physical change I noticed was improved muscle tone in my chest and shoulders, even without exercise. Potassium lost through diahrea can lead to high blood pressure. It took me a year of 5 grams a day of potassium in food. Nix on supplementing, you get more from a cup of coffee with milk than the FDA allows in supplements <99 mg. I went from 145/78 on meds to 126/70 without meds. That's good for a 70 year old.

I need to try this as I take blood pressure meds.

[Wheatwacked]

 

[Sof]

I quit gluten March 2020 to try and eliminate my inflammatory acne and it completely went away in 2 months plus these other symptoms that took a little bit more to disappear:

- joint pain in knees when tired (all nights since I was a kid)

- dandruff and itchy scalp (since 18 yo)

- skin dryness in legs (all my life) and extreme dryness in foot sole (2 years)

- pain in the same part of left breast when ovulating or before period (last 2 years)

- extreme gas (all my life)

- bloating (last 6/7 years)

- anal itching (last 3/4 years)

- snoring (last 10 years)

And all these considering that my intake of gluten was already low because bread started giving me stomach pain 4 years ago and I would only consume gluten from time to time, maybe once or twice a month, as a treat.

When I was 25 to 30 I had constant diarrhea but I thought it was because my boyfriend at the time was quite difficult to love but I know get where it came from. 
 

I had a terrible episode of bloating and abdominal pain 5 years ago. I went to the hospital but the doctor thought I just needed a couple of kiwis. If I had had a clue then, I would have asked to get tested.
 

After two months of gluten free diet I tried introducing again on special occasions and the acne came back. I quit again, again 2 months to clear. I should have get tested then but with the pandemic full-force I didn’t want to risk getting the virus at the hospital because of the biopsy + it was so obvious the correlation between my acne and gluten that I didn’t need a doctor to tell me that I was celiac or gluten intolerant.

Got accidentally glutened 2 months and a half ago and the acne came back, still clearing it but nearly done.

I think that oats give me gluten issues too. I had some the other day and my face was instantly swollen, not acne but swollen in general. I still have to check if chocolate also gives me acne, right now I’m not having any and I’ve read that for some extreme celiacs it triggers the same reaction as gluten because its protein is very similar to gluten. It’s not the diary since I’ve been dairy free for 7 years. Neither the sugar since sugar alone doesn’t give me breakouts either.

Btw, I’m now 45 and the acne started when I was 38.

 

[Scott Adams]

Welcome to the forum @Sof, and thanks for sharing your story. In your case it seems like you've found your answer, so trying to eat gluten for weeks to get tested probably doesn't make sense. At the very least, it sounds like you are gluten sensitive, and there are not current tests for this condition, and the treatment is the same, a gluten-free diet.

[Sof]

3 hours ago, Scott Adams said:

Welcome to the forum @Sof, and thanks for sharing your story. In your case it seems like you've found your answer, so trying to eat gluten for weeks to get tested probably doesn't make sense. At the very least, it sounds like you are gluten sensitive, and there are not current tests for this condition, and the treatment is the same, a gluten-free diet.

Thank you for your message, Scott ❤️. This forum has given me such great insight about this “problem”