Hala

I saw the dietitian today but I'm not sure how helpful she was. She was only interested in making me try to figure out exactly what I had eaten over the past week in epic detail, which I found quite difficult. I found her quite demanding and a little terrifying/overwhelming to be honest!

She didn't really listen to my concerns about feeling ill a lot of the time. She told me that I should be feeling better now that I'm gluten-free and so I must have IBS as well, and to get tested for this. She told me that it couldn't be related to coeliac disease because I'm not eating the gluten so should be healing...

She then prescribed me high-cal fresubin drinks to try and get my weight up. I understand that she has to be focused on getting me to a safer weight, but I wish she had listened more to my other concerns too! I don't really know what to think of it all...

I'm in my third gluten-free week too and had a dream that one of my housemates tried to force-feed me pasta...and there were breadcrumbs and slices of bread on every surface!

Thanks very much everyone for the support and advice! I'm seeing a dietitian tomorrow so hopefully I can talk through my concerns with her too.

As a vegetarian who is now gluten, oat and lactose-free and avoiding processed gluten-free products (and I don't eat nuts/seeds because I really hate them), I'm really reluctant to cut out any vegetables, pulses, rice or beans! I would have nothing left! I would also definitely waste away, considering the state my body is in as it is....

I'm very careful with labels and have been only eating specifically gluten-free food. I'm being as careful as I possibly can be regarding cross-contamination, so hopefully it is just gluten withdrawal and will pass? But atm I feel like for every day I feel good I get several days of feeling awful...

Thanks again for being so kind everyone. I'm feeling more positive today. When I was first diagnosed I was really quite happy in a way (well, more relieved than anything!) and keen to start my gluten-free life. But it's definitely an up-down rollercoaster of a journey, that's for sure!

Hi,

This is my first post so I'm still getting used to the terminology/acronyms used on this site!

It's been 3 weeks as of tomorrow since I was diagnosed with coeliac disease and started my gluten-free life.

I've found it quite an overwhelming and emotional learning process (esp. as GPs seem to know nothing and haven't had a meeting with dietitian yet!)

I'm doing everything I can to avoid contamination. I'm a uni student living in a shared house, so it's difficult, but my housemates are very understanding and I've got my own separate utensils and food cupboard.

However I feel like I'm not healing at all! Half the time I wonder if I'm just getting worse!

I've cut out dairy because I can't tolerate it at all. I've also found that the processed gluten-free foods I got on prescription (gluten-free breads and pasta) make me feel sick/give me stomache aches, so I'm avoiding them.

Basically, I'm living off rice & buckwheat porridge, beans, potatoes, rice, lentils and lots of fruit and veg.

I ate pretty healthily before going gluten-free. I'm a vegetarian so have always eaten this sort of food, so I can't think that going gluten-free has been that much of a shock to my body...

But a lot of the time I'm getting awful stomach aches, nausea, 'D', constant headaches, debilitating fatigue, insomnia and brain fog and a generally angry/upset-feeling stomach. I'm also still feeling irritable/emotional a lot of the time.

Is this normal or am I intolerant to other food too? I really don't want to cut out any more types of food.

I got really underweight before the diagnosis (BMI 13/14) because my body wasn't absorbing anything (total villus atrophy & mucosa) and I feel like I'll have nothing left I can eat soon! I'm still losing weight...

I'm taking multivitamins, multiminerals, iron and calcium supplements. My bloodwork came back fine (apart from coeliac antibodies, obviously) so my nutrient levels/thyroid etc. are all good, fortunately.

What's wrong with me? This is really affecting my university work and I'm in my final year now so every day is crucial! I have an exam tomorrow and a very important field trip to South Africa in january and I'm so desperate to feel better so I can get the most out of my very expensive/important degree!

I'm currently trying to revise but I was in such agony last night and didn't sleep at all, so my brain isn't working very well. I definitely didn't eat anything with gluten in last night...I made lentil, butterbean and leek stew.

Sorry for the long moany post!