I thought I'd check in here. I know it's been forever, but the gluten free journey is still in the forefront of my mind. What's new with me? Well, I'm 31.5 weeks pregnant now, due in late June. :) I credit this pregnancy partially to being very strict with getting serious about things in December of 2011...for good. By the next September, I was pregnant. I am feeling quite well, especially for an old pregnant lady (hey! I am 36).
I will also say that this time around, I have only gained 13 pounds so far. I haven't been exercising like a fiend to keep the weight off either. I walk most days if I do anything. And I eat--a lot because I'm growing a baby, and I'm hungry. My body just isn't holding on to every calorie now or retaining water like crazy like it did with my first child (I think I gained 42 lbs. total. Yep. Seriously, and I was watching what I ate and was already quite overweight as I am now. Too bad I didn't know what to eat to feel better). I think kicking gluten to the curb has been a key to much less weight gain and a lack of the horrible edema I had the first time around.
As far as other stuff, my almost 10 year old daughter is going to have blood tests (celiac panel) done. She is pretty "healthy" as far as body weight, etc. The problem is that she's been sick on and off for about 9 months now. It started last fall with allergy stuff, and she has been to the doctor about six times this year so far--at least once a month. That is unacceptable to me--if there is something I can do about it. She had been eating less wheat, and her allergies had cleared up well for the last month. The last couple weeks, she's been into some wheat cereal, though. Then, strep hit; I'm not saying that is related, but I wonder about immunity and other stuff the more wheat one eats.
And... I know all about that baddie strep. I had it over and over and over again from age 4 on until my tonsils came out at age 6, I think. Guess what strep and other infections are linked to? Yes, gluten. I have read that over and over from people who are celiac or gluten intolerant. So are recurring allergies. I figure with DD having autism and having complained of the same "growing pains" I had as a kid, it won't hurt to have the panel (vits, celiac, and thyroid). The panel might show up negative as it has for me. If DD keeps getting sick, I'll push for other means of diagnosis, etc. if I need to. I have always had a good sense of things. I KNEW first that she had autism. No one else believed me. I feel the same knowing now. If my daughter is gluten sensitive or celiac, I don't plan to bury my head in the sand and let her suffering reach the proportions that mine did. I wouldn't want anyone to go through the years of hell that I did before figuring out what was going on.
I was also thinking that I wrote a list of my gluten intolerance symptoms before, but the more time has gone on, the more I've added to the list. Reading blogs with others' experiences will really make things click for you that didn't before. I figured I'd write those symptoms out along with which have resolved. There are many more than these that other people have experienced. I think the main thing to know is that if you have gluten intolerance or celiac, your health issues are not just going to go away if you ignore them and continue to eat gluten. They will generally only get worse. But if you stop eating gluten, they will very likely get much better. Mine have. So here goes nothing. I'll add to these as I think of them:
terrible colic
huge appetite all my life
craved gluten filled foods
recurring tonsillitis and tonsillectomy at age 6
bloated belly from a very young age...even when I was thin (I could never understand why it bloated up, seemingly no matter what I ate. I would look different on different days).
bathroom issues
bad "growing pains" in my legs
nosebleeds as a child
lethargy from a young age (It's getting better)
brain fog most of my life as far as I can remember (much improved!)
depression of varying degrees (so much improved)
feelings of isolation
exhaustion (Many days I lived for naps...especially once I hit age 25 or so on.)
aches and pains everywhere
elevated liver enzymes (gone)
extreme paleness
bloated face
puffy eyelids (all much improved)
high cholesterol (gone)
low B
low D (both resolved)
high ANA number (lowered now)
crankiness (much better)
infertility (not now...finally)
inability to lose weight once things got really bad no matter what I did (when I went gluten free, this changed. I am well below my high weight now, even pregnant)
family history of autoimmune disorders
food cravings
itching on skin and scalp (shampoo with wheat or barley does this to me as do eye creams containing barley from what I have found).
scaly bumps on my scalp after using gluten containing shampoos
hair with build up on it (Hair dressers had commented on this for years, and I could not figure it out. My hair grows lifeless, limp and weighed down with gunky spots in it--I know, gross--when I use gluten containing products on it. Very strange, but true).
hives or a red rash on my neck and chest at times after ingesting gluten or using gluten containing products
irregular heartbeat (not anymore)
rapid heartbeat
trouble catching my breath at times
migraines (rarely)
inability to wake up easily
feeling 80 when I was 30 (not anymore)
muscle weakness
irregular cycles
screwy hormones and insulin levels (possible PCOS. I am still dealing with some of this, but my blood sugar levels are good right now during this pregnancy.)
binge eating disorder (what I know would be labeled that. I really thought I had an eating disorder. Turns out, I have a problem with gluten. It makes me crave more food and eat like a wild animal. Now, I can enjoy some of something and leave the rest. I have sweets in my house and don't binge).
a feeling that I was not "normal"
twitching eyelid on and off that I rarely if ever have now
joint pain (not now, and I'm still a big girl)
bronchitis and sinusitis for years every winter (not now, though I still have sinus issues sometimes)
panic attacks when things were at their worst that came seemingly out of nowhere
dry, itchy eyes most of the time (fine as long as I don't ingest gluten)
gluten ataxia
clumsiness
slurred words
gnawing/burning/unsettled sensation in my stomach after eating (gluten). It was like I was never satisfied.
pain where my liver is (gone for a long time now)
spots of enamel gone on my teeth (yellowing and other related issues)
brittle nails
bleeding gums
terrible memory that was once good
memory loss
low heat tolerance (all of these are much better)
compulsive overeating (not being able to ever feel full. This is resolved as long as I don't have gluten).
If I do eat gluten, I find it takes me between 48-72 hours to lose the bloat and other symptoms. It makes sense to me now why I always felt bad! Every day started a new cycle since I was eating gluteny foods regularly.
There are probably many more symptoms I am forgetting. I have a close relative that would have her own list of probably fifty of them as well (many very different from my own, some the same).
Sufferers and experts have identified over 300 symptoms associated with celiac and gluten intolerance. This list is often used by celiac treatment centers. How many do you have?
http://glutenfreeworks.com/gluten-disorders/celiac-disease/symptom-guide/#.UYCIEkrov5k
Sound familiar? Have any to add? I know there are many, many other symptoms and illnesses related to gluten intolerance and/or celiac. Every story is different, but if you read enough of them, they start to sound very similar. It's easy to see the overlapping threads in these tales of woe.
With my daughter's struggles, my pregnancy, and other things, I've been thinking a lot about health lately. If you can reach for feeling great most of the time, why not do it? Why settle for recurring health issues that might be solved with making a change? Why feel like you are 50 when you are 36...or 25? There are so many people who have health issues they have little control over (like cancer and many other problems), but if gluten is a root cause of my problems, what is my excuse? After all, it's my life...and yours and the lives of those you love. That's why I'm writing again here. If one person reads this and sees herself in what I've been through, the time was worth it. If it causes you problems and pain and has taken your health, don't let gluten steal another minute of your life...or the lives of those you love.
