How Long Was It Until You Noticed A Difference On A Gluten-free Diet?

[Luke987]

Topic title really says it all.

I started my gluten-free diet yesterday and was just wondering others experiences.

[cruelshoes]

I started to turn the corner at 3 days gluten-free, and was free of most symptoms by 3 months. The learning curve can be steep with gluten-free food, so I accidentally glutened myself a few times in the first few months. Why the hell is wheat in licorice anyway!?!?!

Be patient, and you will start to see results. You may need to eliminate dairy for a time while your villi heal, also.

[zarfkitty]

Topic title really says it all.

I started my gluten-free diet yesterday and was just wondering others experiences.

Before going gluten free, all days were "symptomatic" at least to some degree. Within a week of going gluten free, I started having "symptom free" days every few days. Now I'm mostly symptom free except when I gluten myself. Although I don't think I'm fully healed yet because I still tire easily.

Welcome to the gluten free club!

[Guest j_mommy]

Within a week I felt I had TONS of energy!!! I'm gluten-free going on 2 1/2 months and feel pretty good...still have occasional CC bumps in the road but feel MUCh better!

[mftnchn]

My recovery has been very slow, I actually felt worse rather than better for some time, with a lot of ups and downs. The first positive sign was at 10 days, when I had a week of daily BM after years of the big C. That just lasted a week, then the same old same old.

I am at 3 months and feeling better, but the jury is still out.

My gene type is associated with worse damage and slower healing so I am going to go a year like this before I say it isn't helping.

[LisaJ]

I actually felt worse rather than better for some time, with a lot of ups and downs.

That about sums it up for me. I would feel great for a couple of weeks, then feel really sick again for a few days for no apparent reason. I would say it took about 6 months for me to feel "normal" again.

[7-cody]

Great thread, I actually wanted to know the same thing!

I haven't gone gluten-free yet, but I'm wondering, when you do heal do most people here become 100% symptom free? Ahh... what I would do to have a clear mind and lots of energy. Is that actually possible?

[ArtGirl]

I noticed an improvement in the severity and frequency of the big D within the first few days, and after a few weeks it was greatly improved. However, full recovery of GI issues has been slow, complicated by some other food sensitivities that produce similar symptoms. My energy level has improved at a slow but steady rate with a few ups and downs. Getting glutened results in a couple weeks of feeling sluggish.

I'm over a year gluten-free now and I must say that most of the time I'm "normal" - at least I don't have to scout out the bathrooms everywhere I go. There have been other health issues that improved after being gluten-free for about six months. And my mood is now much lighter most of the time.

[stargazer]

I started feeling better within 3 days, and symptom free within 2 months.

[Emily Elizabeth]

I kept getting glutened when I first went gluten free (diagnosed 5/15/07). Who knew that lipstick could have wheat bran in it? Also, I went out to eat once a week so that didn't help. I also found out that my supposedly gluten free cereal was contaminated with gluten.

Anyway, I finally started feeling almost normal 7 weeks after diagnosis. Then I got glutened again, and then again, but at least I know that it's possible to feel normal! It seems that when I get glutened, symptoms last for 3-6 days depending on the amt of gluten ingested. I'm still figuring it all out though. I have yet to feel normal for very long. I can't wait!!!

[sfm]

Topic title really says it all.

I started my gluten-free diet yesterday and was just wondering others experiences.

I began noticing a difference after about 3 days gluten free. The rest has been touch and go. It took me awhile to learn how to avoid cross-contamination, so I was occasionally still getting some trace gluten.

It took awhile, too, to get to the point where I would realize, during the late afternoon, that I felt "normal" (no gas, no pain, no noisy stomach). Unfortunately, I've also discovered I have other food issues - I can't have dairy, as I'm also casein (a milk protein) intolerant. And allergic to tree nuts (which I started eating a lot after I went gluten free).

Still better than I was last fall, before I went gluten free!

Sheryll

[GFhopeful]

I'm glad you posted this, nice to hear others experiences. As for me, digestive issues started getting better with the first couple of days (D slowed down) - but it wasn't until probably about a month in that I realized how screwed up my GI symptoms were in the past as things were more normal and I forgot what normal was. Some of the other symptoms (headache, weakenss, fatigue, heart racing, some upper abdominal pain) have taken longer but day by day things slowly got better until now I have more good days than not so good days and even the not so good days are better than ever.

[MistressIsis]

Great thread, I actually wanted to know the same thing!

I haven't gone gluten-free yet, but I'm wondering, when you do heal do most people here become 100% symptom free? Ahh... what I would do to have a clear mind and lots of energy. Is that actually possible?

ok 1st, why haven't you gone gluten-free?

2nd, I've been strict gluten-free for almost 3 years & it's amazing how good I feel. Rarely even get a cold now! And the more I think back to how crappy I felt all the time, I'm stunned that I was able to get through a day.

THERE IS A LIGHT AT THE END!

within 3 days of eliminating just wheat I was able to stand up straight & actually lift a bag of sugar. I was so excited I took it down from the shelf & put it back up at least 3 times, just to make sure I wasn't imagining it. so 3 years later, every BM is normal, no headaches, no joint pain, no fuzziness, not tired unless I should be etc. Menstruation is easier, sex is possible...

[7-cody]

ok 1st, why haven't you gone gluten-free?

2nd, I've been strict gluten-free for almost 3 years & it's amazing how good I feel. Rarely even get a cold now! And the more I think back to how crappy I felt all the time, I'm stunned that I was able to get through a day.

THERE IS A LIGHT AT THE END!

within 3 days of eliminating just wheat I was able to stand up straight & actually lift a bag of sugar. I was so excited I took it down from the shelf & put it back up at least 3 times, just to make sure I wasn't imagining it. so 3 years later, every BM is normal, no headaches, no joint pain, no fuzziness, not tired unless I should be etc. Menstruation is easier, sex is possible...

I guess I just want an official diagnoses until I start the diet. I took the sensitivty stool test or what not... and was tested positive and in the e-mail, I should stay gluten-free for life. I've been told that's all the diagnoses I need. So I'm thinking of probably going gluten-free starting in August, or next time I go grocery shopping.

But thanks for the good news... I can't wait to be "normal".

[emcmaster]

I felt dramatically better (i.e. like an almost normal person) after 48 hours (it might have even been 24, but I can't say for sure) and felt awesome after a week. I had my ups & downs but after 6 months my fat and dairy intolerances went away and they've never come back.

[Boffin]

This is just the sort of thread I need to read at the moment so thanks for posting it. I'll add my contribution too.

I've been gluten-free (to the best of my knowledge and efforts!) since 1st July, so just over three weeks in now. It took until day 5 or 6 for the horrible D to improve. I then had probably a week and a half to two weeks of really good and controllable (sorry!) ahem... toilet visits, so was feeling happy. But now, since Friday last week, I'm back suffering with D again AND also feeling really queasy (technical term for nauseous!) too. The D is "different" (not sure how much detail you want really, but... ahem... there are more solids in there now! ) However, having seen some improvement I can't work out why I'm now feeling so horrible so I'm quite depressed about that. OK, understatement there actually - for "quite depressed" read having a good cry and really wondering if I'll ever feel well or whether to just give up eating as everything I consume at the mo makes me feel like *&%$.

I am under a fair bit of stress at the mo, quite apart from being newly officially labelled as "diseased" as I'm on my own at work (nothing new but finding it harder to cope) and everything there seems to be "going to hell in a handcart". I'm sure that has some impact on the way I feel, but it's a chicken and egg thing really. Do I feel worse because I'm stressed or do I feel stressed because I feel worse - vicious circle too!

OK, I'm now just having a blatant whinge for which I apologise. I am quite literally totally alone today. I am the only person at work as the boss isn't going to be in for the rest of the week. The people in the head office in Europe are on summer shut-down, my parents who I normally see for lunch are away, my husband has his own work troubles to deal with and poor guy has listened to my woes enough. I actually have no one else to talk to - so here I am typing it all out! Sorry folks! I'd best have a good cry, pull myself together and.... run away or something?!

[mftnchn]

My recovery has been very up and down and overall I felt worse than before going gluten-free. I saw some improvement in the big "C" at day 10, with daily elimination for a week or so. Then back to the same old same old. My better days increased after I eliminated personal products with gluten. After a month my lyme disease recurred which confused the issue.

I did a food elimination and challenge, and have now eliminated soy. Things are improving.

My diagnosis of celiac isn't "gold standard" so I figure I will need to wait quite a long time before I know. I still get fatigue, bloating, allergy symptoms, and achiness.

[Mickide]

Glad you asked this question! I was wondering the same thing, I am 3 days in and I feel terrible, and incredibly cranky. I assume it is just the stress and reality catching up with me. Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

[rsm]

That about sums it up for me. I would feel great for a couple of weeks, then feel really sick again for a few days for no apparent reason. I would say it took about 6 months for me to feel "normal" again.

I'm the same way, it's been 4 months now, I have several weeks of feeling fine and then blam, punched in the gut. I don't see any rhyme or reason for the bad days but they last 3 or 4 days and then I'm ok again. I must stay away from dairy and some oils like cottonseed oil. You will learn as you go. Eat carefully and make notes, then you will know what bothers you. Introduce new items in slowly. The good days are really nice. Once you get used to it the diet is fairly easy.

[Shrudy]

As a recent diagnosee (is that a word?), these boards are a godsend for me. I too, was wondering about other's experiences regarding how long it takes to feel better. I have been guten-free (except for the unexpected glutenization where you least expect it) since my diagnosis at the beginning of this month, after a particularly bad bout of a solid month of D, horrible cramping, tingling, headaches, and the inability to eat anything. My doctor, at the beginnning, (before my diagnosis) actually suggested I try toast (can you imagine?) if nothing else would stay down, and needless to say, I kept getting sicker and sicker. After CT scans, bowel samples, colonoscopy, numerous blood tests, he finally decided to do the endoscopic biopsy, and wonder of wonders, it was celiac. Guess it explained the years of migraines, joint pain, tingling in my hands and feet, upset stomach episodes. Nothing was really bad until I contracted some type of bacterial infection, which it seems can cause changes in the small intestine and exacerbate the celiac in itself. If not for the infection, I may have gone undiagnosed for many more years. After a few days, the D disappeared, but the stomach woes still continue to an extent, though not as severe, and some of the other issues are slowly beginning to resolve themselves as well. I went to a dietician, which in my case was a total waste of time, as she handed me a slip of paper with 5 websites on it (all of which I'd already visited while waiting to get an appointment with her), and then told me to be careful about the information I get on the internet, and her only other sage words were not to eat out, and avoid processed foods. Duh! I went to a restaurant the other night, explained to the waitress that I had celiac and asked if the chef could accommodate me, and they actually refused to serve me. Said that they couldn't guarantee that anything was completely gluten free. It was the first in what will probably be a long list of experiences, but I did appreciate their candor. Sorry this is so long, but I am the lone ranger here in my household, and haven't been able to vent at all since my diagnosis, and it feels great to know that there are so many others who can relate. I look forward to feeling better, and am glad I found this thread and now realize that it doesn't happen overnight. Thanks everyone.

[boysmommy]

As a recent diagnosee (is that a word?), these boards are a godsend for me. I too, was wondering about other's experiences regarding how long it takes to feel better. I have been guten-free (except for the unexpected glutenization where you least expect it) since my diagnosis at the beginning of this month, after a particularly bad bout of a solid month of D, horrible cramping, tingling, headaches, and the inability to eat anything. My doctor, at the beginnning, (before my diagnosis) actually suggested I try toast (can you imagine?) if nothing else would stay down, and needless to say, I kept getting sicker and sicker. After CT scans, bowel samples, colonoscopy, numerous blood tests, he finally decided to do the endoscopic biopsy, and wonder of wonders, it was celiac. Guess it explained the years of migraines, joint pain, tingling in my hands and feet, upset stomach episodes. Nothing was really bad until I contracted some type of bacterial infection, which it seems can cause changes in the small intestine and exacerbate the celiac in itself. If not for the infection, I may have gone undiagnosed for many more years. After a few days, the D disappeared, but the stomach woes still continue to an extent, though not as severe, and some of the other issues are slowly beginning to resolve themselves as well. I went to a dietician, which in my case was a total waste of time, as she handed me a slip of paper with 5 websites on it (all of which I'd already visited while waiting to get an appointment with her), and then told me to be careful about the information I get on the internet, and her only other sage words were not to eat out, and avoid processed foods. Duh! I went to a restaurant the other night, explained to the waitress that I had celiac and asked if the chef could accommodate me, and they actually refused to serve me. Said that they couldn't guarantee that anything was completely gluten free. It was the first in what will probably be a long list of experiences, but I did appreciate their candor. Sorry this is so long, but I am the lone ranger here in my household, and haven't been able to vent at all since my diagnosis, and it feels great to know that there are so many others who can relate. I look forward to feeling better, and am glad I found this thread and now realize that it doesn't happen overnight. Thanks everyone.

I too am recently diagnosed. I have yet ot have the nutritionist at the Celiac Center at Columbia University call me back. I have left 2 weeks of messages. I have been trying to go gluten-free and ordered a ton of stuff online. I have 2 friends with kids with celiac and they have been directing me to many places. I am sure I am not gluten-free yet. I am still preparing gluten filled meals for my husband and three boys (one who is confirmed to NOT have celiac via DNA bloodwork and endoscopy-the others still need to go for bloodwork). I am just coming around to how serious all of this is and how much I need to do to really be gluten-free. You made me laugh b/c last night I needed to NOT cook dinner. I went to my local sushi restaurant that I have ben ordering from for years. I asked them to go over some items with me t help me figure out what I can eat. The sushi chef told me that the sticky rice is made from wheat. I was shocked. He told me nothing there was wheat free. Upon questioning him further, it turns out he thought rice was wheat!! I really just ordered very plain sushi from there,brought it home to my wheat free soy sauce and I am determined to find a new nicer sushi joint. On the other hand, my husband took me to lunch 2 weeks ago to Nobu in NYC. I had the most amazing meal. They redid all of their sauces for everything I ordered to make them gluten-free and they has wheat free soy sauce on hand!!

This just sucks. I love going out to eat!!

[cwj-tlj]

Topic title really says it all.

I started my gluten-free diet yesterday and was just wondering others experiences.

3 days. I new immediately gluten was my problem before I even got any tests back. After a week I was on a pink cloud. Have had problems figuring it all out and I think I got supersensitized after going off, so I am being super diligent now after a few really bad episodes. Can't wait til the real me comes back. If you are like me, going gluten free is not an option. Now it's all about staying well. Lots of luck. Life can be really good off of gluten and also dairy for me.

[little d]

I started feeling better within 3 days, and symptom free within 2 months.

Me too, and just after 1 month I have lost weight too, so far I'm down to 8 lbs coming from 160 to 152 the first time I went gluten free I had lost 14lbs and gained all of it right back when I stopped gluten free. All my GI symptoms are better, having normal poos is great.

donna

[sherri.etc]

Topic title really says it all.

I started my gluten-free diet yesterday and was just wondering others experiences.

I've only been on my diet for 18 days, but I can tell you that it's been a roller coaster! Some days, I feel better than I've felt in a very long time...then others, I feel like I did today. I'd love to hear from people also that experience "detox" type symptoms: headache, nausea, stomach pain, low-low-low energy and suddenly I have wierd sleeping patterns? I feel like I have the flu!!!!

[Shrudy]

I've only been on my diet for 18 days, but I can tell you that it's been a roller coaster! Some days, I feel better than I've felt in a very long time...then others, I feel like I did today. I'd love to hear from people also that experience "detox" type symptoms: headache, nausea, stomach pain, low-low-low energy and suddenly I have wierd sleeping patterns? I feel like I have the flu!!!!

I'm feeling the same way. Some days better than others, but still getting the headaches, and I'm sure the nausea is coming from getting glutened, which will undoubtedly continue through the process of becoming more familiar with what I can and cannot eat. I'm being so careful, yet find that on occasion I'm eating things I was sure were "safe". Also having problems with low energy and having major problems sleeping at night. Hopefully, as time goes on, things will improve. It's been just under a month for me.