Before You Knew It Was Gluten...?

[heathenly]

I guess this is a two-part question:

1. Once you figured out gluten was the problem and you'd had some time to look back, did you find yourself remembering symptoms and reactions from long, long ago, and suspect you'd had a gluten issue for far longer than you'd originally thought?

And,

2. Did you notice that perhaps you unconsciously preferred a lower-gluten diet (just weren't that "into" wheat-based carbs), as if your body was trying to protect you with a natural disinterest or aversion?

Just curious. I'm looking back and realizing there were subtle clues...

[beebs]

1) Yes

2) No, I ate gluten all the time. I never had any obvious symptoms like gut or toilet symptoms. I had a whole lot of random things that seemed to be unconnected with each other. So it never occurred to me that it could be food.

[CrystalF]

1. yes

2. i have always craved meat more.

[MitziG]

1) yes- 2) no I lived on gluten and dairy, craved it. Now can't have either.

[squirmingitch]

1) YES

2) No

[wayneglutzky]

A big yes on the first one and a big no on the second one. I was addicted to wheat bread; I was a big sandwich maker. I'd love making anything into a sandwich, I think one day I even made a relish/peanut butter combo.

I just never knew all of my symptoms were because of the gluten.

[Mnicole1981]

1. Yes. Earlier this year, we made chicken breast with the new Kraft Fresh Take cheese and bread crumb mixtures, and immediately after I ate it, my stomach was cramping and my head was swimming. I felt tired and sleepy.

2. Yes. I would eat something and then abruptly stop, never having a reason to stop eating it. I guess subconsciously, I already knew. I got to a point where I stopped eating pizza. If I did, it had to be ultra thin crust and that was rare.

[luvs2eat]

Nope... my symptoms (at age 49) were sudden and consisted of unrelenting diarrhea w/ huge belly noises ... no tummy upset or cramping. I had the symptoms for about the 2 months it took me to get in to see a gastroenterologist who did blood work diagnosing celiac. While waiting for the results of the blood work, he treated me for suspected giardia, a water-borne infection that he suspected cause we'd been swimming/boating in the Delaware River all summer.

I always had an "iron" stomach... I could eat anything and everything w/ no problems at all.

When my doc talked about wheat I told him I remembered a short period when I was 5 years old and brought my own snack to school because they didn't want me to eat wheat. What was the reason for that? Not a clue. I don't remember any digestive symptoms. I was happy because I felt special to have to bring my own snack... which was a slice of rye bread w/ butter!! So, if celiac was suspected at that time... I'm guessing the rye bread didn't help much.

[nvsmom]

1. Yes. I remember going to the doctor as a young child and being told "she's just one of those people who gets stomach aches after she eats". After a while I learned not to double over when the stomach aches hit and just get on with the day. ...And my mother told me I had issues with C even as an infant; this is back in the day when "solid" foods were introduced when a child was 2 weeks old. I'm guessing I've had it for close to 40 years. I noticed milk bothered me about 10 years ago and cut back on it.

2. In my 30's I began eating less processed foods in an effort to control my weight. I ate less noodles. I was not a big fan of bread... especially after having braces as a teen. Gluten is really hard to get out of braces!

[love2travel]

1. Yes. I was always very healthy throughout childhood and into adulthood until just a few years ago. My miscarriages were a mystery to my doctor as well as my husband and I but I would never have linked that to gluten. My stomach was always fine - no GI issues, either.

2. No. After eating gluten I never ever got sick that I can think of. Even on my gluten challenge for three months. I've loved baking my own breads, buns, etc. and making fresh pasta. Though bread was not a necessary accompaniment to meals, I enjoyed it as meals such as lots of kinds of grilled breads with toppings. It did not dawn on me that I had any gluten problems at all. The only reason I know it now is that my sister is gluten intolerant and I got tested. I was SHOCKED.

[beachbirdie]

1) Yes. My symptoms were so vague and non-specific they would not have pointed directly to a gluten problem. No acute reactions.

2) Not really. I loved bread and floury things, all kinds. Was working on learning to make all kinds of bread at home...artisan sourdoughs especially. I did limit it only because I found my weight easier to manage without it.

[eatmeat4good]

Yes, whenever I played susie homemaker and baked bread I would end up feeling like a truck hit me and I would go to bed early and wake with a migraine headache. I felt like I had worked in construction instead of baked bread for my family. I don't know how I didn't figure it out sooner. But I didn't. I have sudden memories from childhood of dizziness and nausea and gripping fear after eating lunch with other kids. They said I was a nervous kid. I was a glutenend kid.

Yes, another episode where I should have figured out it was gluten but didn't.

I did Atkins low carb diet and had a miraculous recovery from all sorts of ailments, headaches, fatigue, diarrhea. I had energy like I had never felt before in my life. I noticed it was strange that I felt way better if I didn't go out to lunch with anyone so I only did it once about every 6 months. I thought I was just "weird" that way. It seemed like social anxiety...but it was gluten. I happily stayed on Atkins for a long time.

Only problem is....I got married again and started playing Susie Homemaker again.. Baking, cooking, and eating with my family.

Then I became depressed, anxious, fat, and lazy. I had headaches and skin sores that wouldn't heal and was told it was "Fibromyalgia" and would not get better. I believed that for 7 years. THen I found c.com.

Now I live again. So yeah, gluten was a problem my whole life...I just didn't connect the gluten particles. Wish I had, but now I know.

[Jestgar]

Yes and Yes.

I threw away many packages of unopened pasta and pretzels.

[cyberprof]

1) Yes, looking back I've had symptoms at least since I was 17, 30 years prior to diagnosis. At 17, I had symptoms of Rhuematoid arthritis, but the docs couldn't figure it out. Finally they said I didn't have it but they were probably on to something. I had "bathroom attacks" 20 minutes after eating where I had to rush to the bathroom 2-3 times a week - I thought it was stress. I thought horrible stomach cramps where I lay on the floor of the bathroom were "normal" because it's all I knew and the doctors just thought I was a complainer. I had canker sores in my mouth 2-3 times a month. Thankfully, all this is gone.

2) I loved loved loved bread and pizza and pasta. I blamed it on my Italian mom and grandmother and the way I was raised, but boy was I addicted. I could have (and often did) eat pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ate French bread and rolls every time I ate out. I cooked pasta 2-3 times a week for dinner.

Sigh.

[Victoria6102]

To the second question, no. I had awful nausea all the time and I would eat saltine crackers or starchy foods like toast or something to try to calm my stomach...little did I know it was making things a lot worse!

[alex11602]

Big yes to question 1 and a huge huge no to question 2....I was a pastaholic! I made pasta literally every night for dinner and had saltines in the morning to settle my belly. Actually because of how upset my stomach would get gluten was one of the only things I ate because I thought plain pasta was light food to keep my stomach from hurting, oh how wrong I was...

[ker0pi]

1) Yes

2) No, I have always felt like I was starving I ate every 2 to 3 hours and I found simple carbs, fruit and vegis just left me feeling empty and hungry. The only thing that would "last" and kill the constant nagging hunger was bread or gluten of some sort. I ate toast or a bagel every morning for breakfast with my eggs. Had whole wheat pasta nearly every night for dinner and then a piece of bread before bed to help me get to the morning without waking up in the middle of the night starving. I have always been "under weight." As a teenager I use to keep fig newtons next to my bed so I could eat 2 or 3 when I woke up in the middle of the night ravenously hungry. Gluten seemed to be the only way to control my blood sugar crashes. I've been gluten-free for 3 weeks and haven't experienced a blood sugar crash in 2 weeks, now I keep nuts handy for the hunger. I did not have the GI issues most people talk about and had no idea gluten was causing all my pain and joint inflammation.

[mushroom]

1) Yes

2) Yes and no. Devoured bread and pizza, but had given up pasta and Mexican food (that turned out to be both wheat and corn )

[wheeleezdryver]

1. yes-- every spring since I was a teen, I would get a rash on my hands and arms... I've been gluten free for 2 years now, the only ime I've gotten that rash was the week of the 4th of July when I accidentally glutened myself.

2. no

[Lisa]

I NEVER liked pizza, pasta or bread and frequently ordered a hot dog without the bun, nor beer.

I had severe symptoms for two months and was diagnosed through an endoscopy exam, with something I had never heard of before.

I can remember a few issues as a child.

[~**caselynn**~]

1. Yes definitely.

2. I went in spurts, but there was always a constant because I was a college kid, pizza and beer. Those two combined are no where near low gluten haha but I had laid off many other gluten filled items unknowingly, just because I felt so horrible I think.

[cyberprof]

...

2) No, I have always felt like I was starving I ate every 2 to 3 hours and I found simple carbs, fruit and vegis just left me feeling empty and hungry. The only thing that would "last" and kill the constant nagging hunger was bread or gluten of some sort. I ate toast or a bagel every morning for breakfast with my eggs. Had whole wheat pasta nearly every night for dinner and then a piece of bread before bed to help me get to the morning without waking up in the middle of the night starving....

Wow, I've never heard anyone describe me exactly like that. My hubby never believed me that fruits and veggies would make me feel sick and light headed. Even eating them with fat and protein didn't help. Pasta and bread were necessary for me to feel "full". But I was not skinny.

[ker0pi]

Wow, I've never heard anyone describe me exactly like that. My hubby never believed me that fruits and veggies would make me feel sick and light headed. Even eating them with fat and protein didn't help. Pasta and bread were necessary for me to feel "full". But I was not skinny.

My hubby SAW the effects fruits and vegis had on me, he would watch the crazy sugar crash after I had an apple and think it was insane. I would have to have bread to stabilize and not feel so light headed and dizzy. I resisted trying a gluten-free diet for so long because of how I felt if I didn't eat bread or pasta. I can't believe there's someone else out there like me either. I have always had people assume I was bulimic because of how much I would eat but stay so thin. It wasn't until all the joint pain started and I could no longer stand for more than 5 minutes at a time that I gained any weight, after 4 years of minimal activity I only gained 15 lbs and still ate like that, all high carbs. It's crazy what gluten can do to your body.

[Roda]

#1 YES. I've battled with constipation issues since I was born. I had to have impactions removed several times prior to age 5. After that age we learned to manage it as best we could with diet(low dairy and more fiber). Since early 20's would still have the C but would get bloated up and look 10 months pregnant. Had two miscarriages and then found out I had hashimoto's in 2000. Was started on medications. Managed to go on and have two successful pregnancies last on born in 2004. Felt good while breastfeeding my son until Feb. 2006. Over the course of the next 2.5 years I had episodes of tachycardia, horrible reflux, unresolved anemia and not feeling well in general. My endo helped me get tested due to my research on anemia and hashimotos. A lot of what I read referenced celiac and it sounded so much like me. I think I have had at least a gluten intolerance since childhood and the birth of my second son is what really brought it to the forefront.

#2 NO. After my second son was born I had to go on an elimination diet because he had horrible reflux and would break out in rashes. So I had eliminated dairy, oats, rice and tree nuts. I ate a lot of fresh fruit, veggies and meat. I inadvertently went gluten light not knowing anything about celiac. I started reintroducing the eliminated foods when he was around 10 months old. I breastfed until he was 16 mo. old and when he was 14 months is when I started having issues.

[bdw062590]

I guess this is a two-part question:

1. Once you figured out gluten was the problem and you'd had some time to look back, did you find yourself remembering symptoms and reactions from long, long ago, and suspect you'd had a gluten issue for far longer than you'd originally thought?

And,

2. Did you notice that perhaps you unconsciously preferred a lower-gluten diet (just weren't that "into" wheat-based carbs), as if your body was trying to protect you with a natural disinterest or aversion?

Just curious. I'm looking back and realizing there were subtle clues...

Not diagnosed yet but...

1. Looking back I connect a lot of problems with symptoms that didn't make sense until now.

2. I ate like a 260 pound overweight kid would eat, hot pockets, cheez-its, sammiches, doughnuts, cake, cookies, ice cream, massive amounts of energy drinks, soda.