Glutened

[Googles]

I think I'm getting glutened but I'm not sure how. I am eating all the same foods. Unless I am just getting more sensitive as this goes on. The only other change is that now I'm taking my food with me to college to eat for lunch/dinner. I find myself on this emotion roller coaster and getting angry at almost everything. (very unusual). I just want to yell and scream at people who stress me out more than I already am. I'm trying really hard to be nice to people (and I think I'm succeeding,) but then I find myself bursting into tears (also very unusual). I don't know how much more of this I can take. Any advice would be helpful.

[Ahorsesoul]

Keep a food diary. Soon you'll see what is the problem. You sound perfectly normal for someone who's being glutenized. Reminder to list anything that goes into your mouth including toothpaste, mouthwash, gum, medications... just everything.

My dd kept having problems. We finally figured out it was the root beer she was drinking at work. Never thought to check that until I read a post here.

Give us a list of the foods you are eating, name the food and also the brand name. Someone here will see what it is that's causing your problems. It could also be some other food sensitivity.

[StephanieM]

Are your symptoms limited to emotions, or are you experiencing physical symptoms as well?? I know you describe the emotional side when I get glutened as well, so I agree, keep a food diary.. and post it here...

I've been glutened SO many times where I had to search and search for what was doing it... If your symptoms are limited to emotion and no physical, could it be that you are under stress and trying to cope.. that could also lead to such emotions..

Hope you can determine the source of it..

[Googles]

Thanks, I will keep a food diary starting with breakfast. I am having bloating and changes in my BMs. The reason I think it might be gluten is that this isn't the way I usually react to stress. When I get really stressed my mind races and my emotions take a second place.

[RollingAlong]

Although it is almost certainly a gluten issue, here are some other options. Have you had your thyroid and vitamin d checked? The food diary is a great idea. Track how much sleep and exercise you get too.

[MightbeCeliac's]

You may have also developed a sensitivy to another food. Coffe causes me the physicial symptoms you described.

[Googles]

You may have also developed a sensitivy to another food. Coffe causes me the physicial symptoms you described.

Is it the caffeine or the coffee? I don't drink coffee, but do drink Diet Pepsi.

So here are the things I've been eating. Yes I've been eating the same thing every day (at least this week) and still having the roller coaster but to a slightly less extent (or maybe I'm just better able to head it off). If anyone can think of what I need to remove or try changing that would be great. If you do suggest something I should remove, if you have anything cheap to replace it with that would be great. Thanks.

Fresh Green Grapes

Glutino breakfast bar

FruitaBu Fruit flats (raspberry)

Kraft Polly-O string cheese

Apples

Jif Creamy Peanut Butter

Diet Pepsi

Water

Bareman's skim milk

Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Yellow Cake (eggs, oil, water)

Betty Crocker's Rich and Creamy Milk Chocolate Frosting

Carnation Instant Breakfast

Meds checked by reputable pharmacist

Nature Made Multi-Vitamin (states gluten free)

Nature Made Calcium w/ D (states gluten free)

Nature's Bounty Liquid B complex (states gluten free)

Other

Crest Toothpaste

Dial Hand soap

Joy Dish Soap

(Some sort of hand foamy hand soap at school)

[Lynayah]

When I am unsure, I eat whole foods only and keep a diary (as suggested earlier). By whole foods, I mean meat, fruits, veggies and brown rice or another gluten-free whole grain or legume (red kidney beans work best for me), and that's it.

I slowly add one food at a time -- no more than one every other day, and I watch and see.

Some folks are sensitive to starches legumes, so you might want to add these later and see.

It's hard, I know, I know. Sending a hug.

[Ahorsesoul]

Probably not what you want to hear but dairy can bother celiacs until there digestive system has repaired. If you find you just can't stop the dairy you could try taking a Lactaid to see it that helps. Lactaid is a brand name but most drug stores carry a store brand which worked for me. No prescription needed.

I did this when I first went gluten free. I just couldn't bear giving up more food items at one time. I did go dairy free for several months once I figured out the gluten free foods. Now I'm able to tolerate dairy products without problems.

It is worth the trouble. I found I couldn't tolerate dairy, soy or pork before going gluten free. Now pork is the only thing that bothers me. It's not always but some pork meat produces gluten symptoms now still.

[ang1e0251]

I would lay off the Betty Crocker. I've found that all grains are a problem for me but especially mixes. I'm not sure about that mix but most of them can have very small amounts of gluten. Some folks it doesn't bother, but really sensitive folks can react. The whole foods advice and the diary is good.

[Lynayah]

Probably not what you want to hear but dairy can bother celiacs until there digestive system has repaired. If you find you just can't stop the dairy you could try taking a Lactaid to see it that helps. Lactaid is a brand name but most drug stores carry a store brand which worked for me. No prescription needed.

I did this when I first went gluten free. I just couldn't bear giving up more food items at one time. I did go dairy free for several months once I figured out the gluten free foods. Now I'm able to tolerate dairy products without problems.

It is worth the trouble. I found I couldn't tolerate dairy, soy or pork before going gluten free. Now pork is the only thing that bothers me. It's not always but some pork meat produces gluten symptoms now still.

That's interesting about dairy! I did not know that it might be difficult to digest at first but later get better (unless intolerant to milk, of course). Thank you.

Just to add to the thread, I am just now (thanks to this forum) learning that there are some folks who have a difficult time handling MANY gluten-free carbs and who must follow what is called a Specific Carbohydrate Diet https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.ph...=62006&st=0.

So much to learn, here!

[Googles]

This is all so frustrating. If I originally didn't have trouble with diary can I develop it over time? Will I be able to eat it again at some point? When I was first diagnosed I was like, at least I don't have to give up my dairy. That is something good. I don't know which I love more, my diary or the carbohydrates I've already had to give up. I don't know if I can emotionally do both. I feel so alone. It's so hard seeing people eat things I can't or walking through the campus center and smelling all the foods I can't eat. I just want to be normal.

Why can they say they are gluten free if they aren't? I'm so tired it makes the rest of this so hard to deal with. I thought I had gotten past the exhaustion stage. On top of adjusting to graduate school. I hate my doctor (PCP) who said that the adjustment wasn't a big deal. I just want to be able to eat the foods I like again. I miss being able to eat whatever I want without having to think about it. I look at my cupboards and its like there is nothing there. I get home from class (9pm) and am so tired all I want to do is fall asleep. But I have to eat fist, and yet there is nothing i can just fix in two minutes to eat except cereal. Please don't suggest rice and beans. I have always hated beans and never been able to get them down.

[Three Ds]

This is extremely frustrating to me too:

But I have to eat fist, and yet there is nothing i can just fix in two minutes to eat except cereal.

I don't really like to cook or bake, but I'm discovering quick easy things to make (on my days off or whenever I can fit it in) and freeze individually for a quick meal or snack later. Most often I make a batch or two of pancakes (I like Pamela's gluten-free mix) and put the extras on a cooling rack in the freezer. Once they're individually frozen, I put them in a freezer bag. That way I can pull out as many has I want that day and heat them in the microwave for a quick breakfast, snack or dinner. I've also done this with scones, corn muffins and most recently pumpkin bread. The pumpkin bread recipe I used is at Open Original Shared Link (I just used a gluten-free flour blend I had on hand and left out the cranberries). It was very good! Once the bread cooled I cut it and individually froze the slices on a cooling rack.

My other quick, no-refrigeration-needed-but-not-quite-as-healthy snack is marshmallow treats made with gluten-free Rice Chex.

I know this is no where near as easy as just picking up whatever you want when you could eat gluten, but I'm finding it's better than always having to make something or eat cereal. Also, I know these particular items may not work for you, if you discover you are having a problem with other grains, but maybe there are some other things you can think of to make individually frozen portions of.

I empathize with your frustrations. It is so hard to be around food you can't eat! I have found it has gotten a little easier with time (although some days are still hard). Hang in there, you will find a way to deal!

[Ahorsesoul]

Meat rolls all take less than two minutes.

Ham rolled around a pickle.

Turkey rolled around some sliced/canned oranges

Roast beef rolled up after spreading with horseradish or mustard

Roast beef rolled around a raw/cooked carrot (cooked carrot would be leftover from the night before)

Any meat wrapped around a cucumber

If you want to get fancy, put on a slice of lettuce before rolling.

You can also make these up when you have time. Wrap them in plastic wrap. Then they are the perfect fast food.

Ok, I talked myself into wanting a ham roll up now. lol

[no-more-muffins]

Googles, I know that we can all empathize with you. It is so hard to see food that you love and you know you can't have. It is so hard. We feel your pain and know that you aren't alone. I try to remember that I am not the only one doing this because sometimes it feels like everyone else is normal and they take it for granted.

I wanted to quickly comment on soy. I don't know if you have an intolerance to that but I know that I when I eat soy anything I get a reaction that is similar to my gluten reaction. It is really hard avoiding soy but it is worse to be sick from it. Check your glutino bars for soy and some of the Betty Crocker cakes have soy as well.

For a quick meal I like to eat tuna with pickles on Lay's potato chips or rice crackers. Or make a quick smoothie in the blender with juice and frozen fruit and maybe some coconut milk (since I don't do dairy right now). I also have tried PBJ on corn tortillas that are warmed. Not the traditional PBJ but it gets the job done. I don't love the gluten-free breads out there.

[Lynayah]

This is all so frustrating.

Googles,

Have you ever read about the stages of grief? All that stuff about denial, anger, etc., and you have to experience them all before you get better?

Well, from what I've learned so far, dealing with gluten-intolorance can be very similar, emotionally. Getting frustrated and mad as hell is a step in the right direction, so as odd as it may sound, the feelings you're having are going to help you to get to the other side of this!

SO, GO KICK A LOAF OF BREAD!

And then come back here, again and again, because folks around you might not always understand what you're going through, but we do.

[Ahorsesoul]

No-More-Muffins,

Oh, thanks for bring up the soy! When I first went gluten free I couldn't tolerate soy either. Now I'm ok with it.

[Googles]

Thank you all for the responses and the ideas and the support. Sometimes I wonder if I am going crazy. I almost feel like it is a yo-yo. I'll burst into tears in front of anyone at the drop of a hat.

So after reading everyone's suggestions I have decided to go back to a basic diet and want people's reviews of my diet.

I am going to go back to a basic diet of:

Apples, PB (JIF), lactaid milk (never had this before), Rice Chex, green beans, and brown rice pasta (totally made of brown rice), and plain chicken. and frozen fruit, and frozen broccoli, and diet pepsi.

Assuming that I don't have a reaction to the cesian (spelling?) in milk is there anything I shouldn't be eating on this list? If you say PB, I just can't stop it unless it seems that something is still bothering me with this diet as I will be getting a lot of my protein there. How long should I do this diet before I start adding things back in? How long would it take for the mood swings to stop being affected by what I have already eaten? If I get regular BMs does that mean I can start adding things in again? How long do I wait before I assume that something (like cesian) is the trigger if I continue to have problems.

Other questions:

When people say to give up grains, they don't mean rice right? What exactly is tapioca, is it a grain? With this diet will I be getting enough carbohydrates? Am I going to become really tired like I did when I first stopped gluten, am I going to be hungry all the time and out of no where like I was when I stopped eating gluten?

Getting ahead of myself, but, what foods do I start adding in first? Are there ones that are less likely to cause problems or I can eat in a simpler form so I should start them first so I don't have a mix of new foods and can check them out? I.e. I don't eat soy by itself, but someone suggested the soy in the foods I was eating might be the problem. I don't want to cut out every ingredient in an item from my diet because I end up reacting to the soy that is in it.

Thanks for the responses and support. It helps to know that I'm not alone and not the only one who has gone through this.

Lynayah, Yes I have heard about the stages of grief, and actually joked about them with my boss (he's a clinical psychologist) right after I was diagnosed. I felt like I just accepted it for what it was then (maybe denial), but this anger just caught me off guard. I don't usually get really angry so this was a double whammy in that sense. Thanks for the input.

[cyoshimit]

googles! I so feel your pain, I know exactly how you feel. I am going through the same things as well, all the emotional and fatigue stuffs. Its good that you are simplifying your diet. Your body prob really just needs to heal and have yummy nutritional foods to help replinish what it has lost and what it hasnt been absorbing. I really enjoy eating, sauteed Kale, and shrimp. Sometimes I cook a veggi stir fry with olive oil, Braggs Amino Acids, onions, garlic, and garlic salt. I have been eating lots of salads, and trying new grains such as Quinau and I recently try Buckwheat.

My energy has been really low the past couple of days keeping me from going to school. I'v noticed the my emotions get all out of whack when i need to eat something, up my blood sugar. Maybe its something that you can try. When you start to feel frustrated or irratated or like crying, try to eat something or drink juice. Juice is just a quick fix tho, and it quickly stops working as well so juice with different type of food that will last you longer (protiens, potatoes, or other snacks)

Another thing that I find realy helpful for myself is eating lots of protien. Protien in the morning seems to work best for me, I enjoy the Quinau even tho its a grain it has tons of fiber and protien in it. It helps to regulate blood sugar so does the buckwheat. I bought some millet and Amaranth but i hvnt cooked thoes up yet.

I am eating about every 2 hours, I have set my phone alarm to help me remeber. It sucks when i start slipping away into my emotions or into zombie mode it takes longer for me to gather my head to eat something so the alarm helps. Im hopeing that when my stomache starts to heal I can go longer with out having to eat every 2 hours.

I have also developed a sensativity to Casien. I have not done much research on that yet but i know its in milk so i stay away from most dairy. I seem to do fine with butter tho... i think, i use it to sautee my shrimp. I just got some pesto sauce and that really has changed my pallet =) its nice when i get to try new foods. Im happy that pesto is a safe food. Hummus too might be something you can look into, bring some hummus and cellary sticks and carrott sticks with you as a snack.

I am going to school right now as well and having a hard time adjusting my physical and emotional wellbeing to the college life. I know that stress can play a huge role on the emotional part and the digestive system. Giving up school is hard for me because I really enjoy what I am doing but I need to put it into perspective, I'm no good to myself if i cant learn and participate with a clear head and feeling ill. It sucks a whole buch I feel ya there but in the long run personal health is extremely important. I am still stuggling with coming to terms with that.

I went and still going through the same process as you about coming to terms with the new life style.

"I felt like I just accepted it for what it was then (maybe denial), but this anger just caught me off guard."

yep that was me too. lol. =) yay its not only me. I thought that i was handling it really well too, then slowly it ate away at me then hit me all at once. I wish that this woulld just hurry and take its course and I can start to live a life again. =) I feel extremely vulnerable, and alone, and kinda inhuman at time because of all the frustrations iv compartmentalized those feelings and almost turn numb and really envy the people who can just do what ever with their diet at the moment. I think later tho if they dont take care now it will catch up to them. Someone wrote me saying that we are on the forefront of a new diet change that the whole world would benefit from. It sort of comforts me to know that but not really. I understand your frustration. Do you ever feel as if you are on the out side of everything looking in? I feel that sometimes I cant relate to people any more because their life styles are so different. Im sure if i were with more celiacs i wouldnt feel so awkward.

Good luck with your diet and school =) If you want to talk more or questions about some of the things i cook or eat my email is ccttsukayama@aol.com

[ang1e0251]

For you students, I didn't see any eggs on your food list. Egg is about a perfect food nutritionally. It's also easy to cook and transport and can fill out any meal. A bunch of hard boiled eggs makes a quick portable snack and a hit of protein will really help you with the hunger and fatigue you're having.

I only start feeling envious of other peoples' food when I'm hungry. It doesn't have to be a big hunger either. I think the eating every 2 hours is good to keep your cravings and hunger in check. That's basically what I do.

I see peanut butter on your list so you are able to tolerate nuts. Nuts are also a great snack. Check the packaging as some use wheat in their processes.

Love the meat rollups. I make them with cream cheese.

You are a student working hard. I know you come home tired and hungry. You like pasta so when you cook it, cook extra. After you drain it, plunge it into very cold water with some olive oil. Refrigerate. Later when it's good and cold, you can drain it and package a serving size in a plastic bag. Twist closed. This can be stored up to three days in the fridge, just heat and eat.

I hope this helps and keep pushing. I really admire you guys who are in school and working so hard for your degree. We're all pulling for you.

[Ahorsesoul]

Apples, PB (JIF), lactaid milk (never had this before), Rice Chex, green beans, and brown rice pasta (totally made of brown rice), and plain chicken. and frozen fruit, and frozen broccoli, and diet pepsi.

My dd is having problems at work with some behavior issues the last two weeks. Today while talking to her she was telling us about eating yogurt at her break. I'm having the group home check to see if they are giving her light yogurt. It contains artificial sweeteners which she can not tolerate.

You might want to switch to just plain pepsi to see if your mood improves. Two years ago when I took dd off the diet items (her drinks especially) she stopped shaking, her mood improved and she lost 10 pounds. Only change in her diet was from a diet drink to a regular drink. She still had her drinks. She just can not tolerate the artificial sweeteners. I figure our digestive systems is working well as it is so it might not be able to handle this chemical sweetener.

[boysmom]

Two things I see that could be potentially contributing to your anger:

1. hormone fluctuations. I've had this happen to me twice, once when I started taking synthroid for hypothyroidism and again adjusting to eating gluten-free. I suspect that because both times I'd been so exhausted and numb for such a long time before that once my body began to have 'normal' emotions again it overreacted. I would get angry easily and even a slight start (such as a twist in a movie plot) could leave me too nervous to sleep hours later. Both times this reaction leveled out over a few weeks as my body adjusted.

2. caffeine. I've read several people say that they began overreacting to caffeine once their body wasn't fighting the gluten any more and I know for a few weeks I couldn't drink more than a sip or two of wine before I was feeling it, and a cup of coffee kept me going all day and well into the evening. Again, those oversensitivities leveled out over time.

One last thing just occurred to me as well. I can not tolerate ginseng because it makes me very testy. I am not a nice mommy when I've had that I had taken some briefly as a trial because it offered to boost energy, but didn't like the angry side effect so stopped. A year or so later I tried a new brand of multivitamins (store brand, trying to save some $$) and didn't realize it included ginseng until I noticed my attitude change. I found it listed when I double checked the label. If you're taking any supplements or vitamins, read the labels carefully for added ingredients to boost energy, because sometimes those can get you too. (just to clarify I'm not suggesting a hidden gluten here, but some other sensitivity or overreaction)