[JustWeave]

Wow! What a difference a year makes.

For four and a half very long years, I was tested for everything under the sun, in an attempt to explain my health issues. A little over a year ago I finally stumbled over what appeared to be the answer. Gluten sensitive.

One year ago today I started the only treatment there is, a gluten free diet. Since then I have lost a few pounds and virtually all of my symptoms. The problems I still have are greatly reduced and may disappear during the last year of complete healing. My energy level and recovery time are soooo much better, and my bowel issues are virtually gone.

This new lease on my health has also given me a new lease on life in general. It is both fun and scary to be turning dreams into reality. Speaking of which, reality/laundry is calling. More pursuing of a dream comes right after that though.

[AfterMyNap]

Weave, you sound so good! That's fantastic news, thanks for the ray of sunshine. Wishing all the best that a gluten-free life has to offer.

[DM]

Way to go WH~~ Sounds like you have really got your act together.

Was the gluten free diet hard to stick to? I'm proud of ya!

[JustWeave]

Sorry I didn't get back here sooner. Life got in the way.

Thanks for the kind words AMN.

The diet came with its share of challenges Daisymay. Yummy food is out there, if you can afford it. As for my act, well I think I finally have it together, now I just have to get it on the road.

[Snoopy]

I am very glad to hear things are much better for you

[watsonsh]

COngratulations! I am happy that you found some relief and a solution.

[Blessings2You]

This site doesn't lend itself to optimism, just by its very nature. It's so nice to hear some bona fide GOOD NEWS! Bless you!

[MelodyL]

Hi there:

Mind if I ask you what your symptoms were?? My husband had Idiopathic PN for 18 years, and had a spinal tap and they said he has CIDP and he gets IVIG. He also has major psoriasis (which I really believe is from things that he is coming into contact with). The vitamin E treatment we use is helping him, but hey, if I can get him on a gluten free diet, and if THAT does anything to the pain and burning in his feet, (it's getting better), but some days are horrible.

He just said he was tested for Celiac and it came back negative but YOU NEVER KNOW!!!

So what exactly were your symptoms, and what exactly do you eat?? Luckily, I bought organic Quinoa the other day and I'm making it tonight. He eats Sweet Potatoes, grilled chicken, fish, and we rarely (and I mean rarely), eat anything out of a package. He doesn't eat anything with wheat, barley, rye or grains. No cereal (not for a long time). His breakfast is always the same. A dunkin donuts coffee roll. It's got sugar, that I know. But he's not diabetic and it's the only thing with sugar that he eats.

I wonder if that has gluten. Got to do more digging.

Thanks if you can answer any of my questions.

[JustWeave]

Hi Melody. Did you know there are two kinds of celiac? The most common one (mine) attacks the villi in the small intestines and the other is a skin disorder.

Everybody's symptoms story is different, but here is mine. I had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) for so long I lost track of the years and fatigue too. The weird thing with my IBS is that I would go for months and be just fine, then wham, I'd be chained to the toilet for months. Anyway, five years ago I woke up with symptoms of a heart attack/stroke. (Tingling on left side only of body and weakness.) That got me shipped to the ER by ambulance. They ran a battery of tests which all came back negative and by late afternoon my symptoms started shifting to the right side of my body. The good doc in the ER told me I simply hyperventilated and sent me home. Horse hockey I hyperventilated! Something was very wrong and I had to have a believable name for it. Some days were so bad I was lucky if I could get to the bathroom myself.

I got tested for just about everything under the sun and virtually everything came back negative. They even tested me for gluten using a blood test and of coarse that came back negative. After years of tests and visits to different specialists my rheumatologist felt sure it was gluten. (His daughter is celiac.) He didn't want to put me through the biopsy, just said try the diet and see what happens. I didn't want to try that restrictive of a diet without medical proof I should. I found Enterolab on the internet and that is how I got my gluten sensitive diagnosis. They test your stool not your blood.

I can't have anything with wheat, barley, rye, or oats. Of coarse there are lots of other names for those ingredients so you need to read every label carefully. ugh! You also have to be very careful about cross contamination. Gluten crumbs in the toaster, pasta colanders, and that kind of thing. Oats in and of themselves are gluten free but often cross contaminated in the growing fields. There are gluten free alternatives to everything with the evil gluten in it but they are pricey. At least for us they are. I'll bet that coffee roll is loaded with wheat flour and therefore gluten.

If you have any other questions you can ask me here or send me a PM. It sounds like something worth looking into a bit more. I can also recommend the gluten sensitive/celiac forum here for resource links too.