Impact of switching to Gluten Free Diet

jhnsdoll said:

Hi Everyone,

I have had T1 for 27 years and within the last 2 weeks have been diagnosed as coeliac. I immediately switched to gluten free and have been quite religious about it.

My question for all of you out there is did you have any issues with the switch?

I will say I did not have any coeliac symptoms so the diagnosis came as somewhat of a shock. However since switching to gluten free, I have felt awful. Constant headaches, waves of nausea and stomach pains as well as constipation.

I’m hoping that it’s just my body getting used to the switch but since I have received very little support, I thought the best way to get info would be speak to those who know best because they have lived through it!

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My coeliac angels were inconclusive, but my Endo strongly advise a GF way of living, which I have followed for some years now. At the outset my system was a bit muddled by the changes, but that righted itself in due course.

In giving up gluten, have you substituted anything for it, or just adjusted your eating to avoid gluten?

What is your more usual way of eating like? Any other dietary exclusions/reductions?

jhnsdoll said:

I have had to go with gluten free alternatives, turns out I am a big consumer of gluten or so I’ve learned! So granola for breakfast, switched to gluten free. I usually do soup or salad for lunch so I’ve been able to just avoid gluten there and then dinner is a bit of a mash up between gluten free alternatives and gluten free meals.

My bs are definitely fluctuating a bit more than normal but not so much that I would expect to feel unwell or at least as unwell as I do.

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To be honest, when I was diagnosed T2, I adopted a low carb lifestyle, and as part of that, I gave up bread and baked goods anyway, so when I was told to go GF, I thought it was be a dawdle. I hadn't quite realised all the sneaky places gluten hides itself. Most colas? Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce?

Anyway, I didn't have too many challenges, in terms of "withdrawal", but my consumption had been low.

Eons ago, I was advised to give up tomatoes, oranges and a few other bits, due to arthritis in my hands. I was told to expect my symptoms to worsen before they got better.

Apparently, so some things - especially dietary based "stuff", when we have an underlying sensitivity to something, it becomes something we "love". It is thought to be due to the chemicals our bodies throw out to cop with the inflammation. That sort of, by a stretch of the imagination helps to explain why we sometimes end up with withdrawal symptoms. But, fear not, they ease.

Just finally, one of the reasons I prefer not to seek GF alternatives (aside from Soy and Worcestershire sauces) is to prevent me becoming somehow complacent. If I avoid anything I know to be a gluten carrier I won't trip up with a GF alternative that isn't. One of my worst glutenings was from a lunch ordered from the GF menu in a restaurant.

Stick with it. It will become easier, honestly.

Edited to de-rudify an typo. I like Worcestershire sauce - honest!

jhnsdoll said:

Hi Everyone,

I have had T1 for 27 years and within the last 2 weeks have been diagnosed as coeliac. I immediately switched to gluten free and have been quite religious about it.

My question for all of you out there is did you have any issues with the switch?

I will say I did not have any coeliac symptoms so the diagnosis came as somewhat of a shock. However since switching to gluten free, I have felt awful. Constant headaches, waves of nausea and stomach pains as well as constipation.

I’m hoping that it’s just my body getting used to the switch but since I have received very little support, I thought the best way to get info would be speak to those who know best because they have lived through it!

Click to expand...

Hi
Typ1 58yrs
2 years ago I was very depressed and felt ill. Then was diagnosed as celiac. I have been strict. But now feel much better. I get occasional constipation, so take over counter tablets.