I haven\u2019t felt well in years. I have had a variety of ailments that just seemed to come out of nowhere a few years ago. I felt like I was falling apart and couldn\u2019t understand why. I suffered from heart palpitations, weight loss, extreme fatigue, weakness, an inability to focus, aches and pains, alternating diarrhea and constipation, upset stomach, acid reflux, mouth ulcers, edema, mild eczema, problematic complexion, migraines, chronic congestion and annoying post nasal drip, along with frequent sinus infections and periodic bronchitis. My friends started to think I was a hypochondriac and I, too, began to questioned whether or not it was all just in my head. I was sent from one specialist to another and the doctors couldn\u2019t determine what was ailing me. I was finally diagnosed with thyroid disease. Incidentally, around the same time, I developed an allergy to shellfish. After receiving treatment for the thyroid disease, I did begin to feel better with respect to the fatigue, weakness and heart palpitations; however the other problems have persisted. To add to the problems, my hair has suddenly begun to thin, and at an alarming rate for a woman. The migraines have become more frequent and the congestion issues have increased, as well.<\/p>\n

Frustrated, I recently decided to do a little research online and stumbled across celiac disease websites and message boards. What I read resonated with me. Most of the sites suggest trying a gluten-free diet for a few weeks to see if symptoms improve, so I thought I\u2019d give it a try. I was amazed at how well I began to feel after only three weeks! I was able to breathe, was no longer constantly clearing my throat, the migraines lessened in frequency and intensity and I suddenly had energy and a spring in my step. People began commenting on how well I looked and complemented my complexion, shiny hair and improved disposition. My husband couldn\u2019t help but notice the transformation and begged me to stay away from gluten. However, in a moment of weakness I helped myself to a big slice of my son\u2019s birthday cake, reasoning that one slice of cake wouldn\u2019t hurt. Hurt it did! Several hours later, I developed very painful bloating, visible and excruciating distention of the abdomen, and terrible gas and diarrhea\u2014I suffered all night. I have never had such a reaction to properly handled and prepared food. Add to that, I became congested and suffered a migraine, as well.<\/p>\n

I immediately went back to a gluten-free diet and stuck to it, for a week. I was determined to go back to the foods I loved, was sure I didn\u2019t have an issue with gluten, that I simply shocked my system by completely eliminating the food and then suddenly reintroducing it. I convinced myself that all I had to do was try it again and this time I could get back to eating wheat on a regular basis, as I did before, that any initial shock would just be temporary and that I wouldn\u2019t suffer like that again. So I dined on pasta and bread. Not only did I suffer again, but this time it was much more severe\u2014much more painful. I seriously considered asking my husband to take me to the emergency room. I fear that if I were to try it again, I would most surely find myself in a hospital.<\/p>\n

While I do not understand how my body could react so violently to something I until recently was ingesting daily, I know enough not to try it again without consulting with my doctor. I\u2019d be interested in knowing if you have heard of anyone else having a previously inexperienced and sudden, violent reaction when reintroducing gluten to their diet. I was more than happy to give a gluten-free diet a try, believing there\u2019s no harm in trying, but I never thought that once off of gluten, I wouldn\u2019t be able to get back to consuming it without severe consequences. I\u2019ve been gluten-free this time for two weeks now, and while I do feel better, I feel as though I have brought this gluten problem on myself somehow and at the worst time of year. Thanks for providing this thread. I\u2019d be interested in hearing your thoughts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I had a similar experience, although with less severe symptoms.\u00a0 In contrast with feeling well, I did notice the symptoms more than I had on an ongoing bases before first cutting out gluten.<\/p>\n

It’s funny how if you feel fantastic after first cutting out gluten, you can convince yourself that gluten is not a problem, start eating it, and end up right back where you started.<\/p>\n

It is worth knowing that if you have a gluten allergy or celiac disease and decide to go on a gluten-free diet (highly recommended in these cases!), you will feel better and at first you will be grateful that you found the problem and that it can be fixed by avoiding gluten.\u00a0 But beware the temptation to start eating gluten again!\u00a0 It is like the siren call to the addict!<\/p>\n

If you have a gluten allergy or celiac disease, avoid gluten as if it were poison, because for you it is.<\/p>\n

What are your experiences with avoiding gluten if you have a gluten allergy or celiac disease?\u00a0 Leave your comments below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A gluten-free diet can be hard to stick to.\u00a0 But for those who have a gluten allergy or celiac, it is necessary.\u00a0 Eating gluten teaches you to stop again. Addie left a long comment on the Gluten Allergy Symptoms thread which really illustrates a few things: how hard it can be to stick to a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[24],"tags":[68,36,119,37],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allergy-details.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1621"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allergy-details.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allergy-details.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allergy-details.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allergy-details.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1621"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.allergy-details.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1627,"href":"https:\/\/www.allergy-details.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1621\/revisions\/1627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allergy-details.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allergy-details.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allergy-details.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}