I tried to pinpoint just when I started feeling so bad. When I became pregnant with Landon I was instantly sick. Him and I remained sick until he was born. Once I healed from my C-section and as soon as I had my baby in my arms and home, I expected to soon be back to my normal, active, happy self. But I really never got better. I think that pregnancy initiated a reaction. After a lifetime of essentially unknowingly poisoning myself, my body tried to tell me something was wrong and for over five years I ignored it.
When I had heard or read about people choosing not to eat gluten I had assumed it was a healthier lifestyle choice, not that is could be the result of a medical condition. I would hear gluten-free and I would poorly associate the term “fad-diet”. Dieting has never been my thing, dieting to lose weight or dieting to eat healthier, I have never partcipated. I have always eaten what I wanted, in moderation or course. I typically chose healthy options because I enjoy eating healthy. I enjoy cooking from scratch. I buy organic milk and produce, minimize processed food, grow much of my own food, buy local meat and veggies when possible and consume sugar and alcohol in moderation.
I was becoming desperate. My symptoms were increasing and some of them were getting scary. They were starting to widely affect my daily life and worse yet, the life of my family.
I scheduled a visit to my OB/GYN. She was wide-eyed when I presented my list of problems. She said she could only address the “women issues” and suggested I see a primary doctor for the other paragraphs of symptoms. She did order a list of blood tests, a PAP and physical exam, all of which were in the normal range.
What are my symptoms? The detailed version that I brought to my doctor filled the front of a lined-piece of notebook paper. Remember, I have had these symptoms on and off for years. In the last couple years I have been living with them everyday, all day. They were getting worse and instead of experiencing them on and off, they all were becoming chronic.
I’ll try and paraphrase: Tummy issues – chronic intense, belly pain, intestinal pain, sharp pain right under my diaphragm ALL THE TIME, painful gas pains, chronic constipation, extreme bloating (I would look 5 months pregnant at times). The belly pain would get so bad I could only curl up in bed and moan. Brain issues – I was convinced I had developed MS. Heavy brain fog, dizziness, forgetfulness, balance issues, slurring words. My depression and anxiety, that I’ve treated with medication for most of my adult life, was getting so, so bad. I lost all motivation for everything I cared about. All I wanted to do was sleep. These increasingly severe brain symptoms had me terrified. Extreme fatigue. I don’t mean typical and normal mom-of-young-kids-fatigue, I mean lethargy. Daily I would feel like someone had dropped Benadryl into my coffee. At times I could not keep myself awake. Lying down would be the only thing that would save me from hitting the ground hard. I was homeschooling my eight year old with my four year old at home, trying to maintain my photography business, trying to be an attentive, happy, energetic, patient and NICE mama and wife. Trying is the magic word. I was becoming so irritable, impatient and moody all the time, it was obvisouly affecting my kids and my marriage. I suggested that Dylan commit me for a extreme counseling for a major depression disorder. I know he had considered it! Joint Pain – I was certain I had already developed Rhematoid Athritis. My knuckles, wrists, knees, hips and lower back were dull and achy and swollen all the time. A warm bath first thing in the morning was the only way I could get my stiff body to move. I felt like a 100 year old pioneer women. Sleep – Even though I was extremely tired, I rarely slept a whole night. I would wake up often throughout the night and it would take hours for me to fall back asleep. Appetite – I subconsciously started to associate eating with pain. There were certain foods that would cause an immediate reaction – coffee, cereal, alcohol, fruit, pasta & sweets. I would be hungry and I would eat and then I would be in pain. So I stopped eating. I just didn’t feel hungry anymore. For weeks I lived on dry kale salad, plain chicken, yogurt and vitamins. I was hoping to cure the yeast overgrowth problem I was certain I had. I was grasping at straws. Women Part Issues – Burning & itching of my vajayjay, frequent yeast infections, painful, heavy periods. I was certain I had a growth or cyst of some sort.
I was getting deserpate for relief. I knew there must be something wrong with me. There just had to be an explanation.
One desperate night I was discussing my wide-range of wacky, seemingly un-related symptoms with my close friend and she mentioned being allergic to gluten as a possibility for the cause of my issues. I know diet is important to maintaining health, but could eating gluten really be causing all of those physical symptoms? After that conversation I began to research all things gluten. To put it mildly I was dumbfounded and shocked at what I found when I started researching gluten-intolerence and Celiac’s Disease. Many of the articles I was reading, I could have authored. I could check off nearly all of the typical symptoms associated with Celiac’s. I had come across this diagram. The symptoms in red are the most common complaints- my most common complaints.
Okay, so what is gluten?
Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat (durum, emmer, spelt, farina, farro, KAMUT® khorasan wheat and einkorn), rye, barley and triticale. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together. Gluten can be found in many types of foods, even ones that would not be expected. The Big 3: Wheat, Barley, RyeWheat is commonly found in:
breads
baked goods
soups
pasta
cereals
sauces
salad dressings
rouxBarley is commonly found in:
malt
food coloring
soups
malt vinegar
beerRye is commonly found in:
rye bread, such as pumpernickel
rye beer
cerealsTriticale is a newer grain, specifically grown to have a similar quality as wheat, while being tolerant to a variety of growing conditions like rye. It can potentially be found in:
breads
pasta
cereals From Celiac.org
What does eating gluten do to a person with a gluten-sensitivity?
When people with celiac disease eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley), their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. These attacks lead to damage on the villi, small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine, that promote nutrient absorption. When the villi get damaged, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly into the body. From Celiac.org
That same week I decided to test this new theory. I stopped eating gluten. All gluten. No breads, pastas, oatmeal, beer, salad dressing and anything else not labeled gluten free.
I have been completely gluten-free for about one full month.
I am not completely symptom free, but I am definitely coming back to life. I am sure all that damage to my intestine and immune system will take time to heal. I feel calmer, rested and I only occasionally have belly pains. I have not experienced any of those “MS-type” symptoms. I feel energized and organized and I have started working out.
I could choose to get the official test to see if I am truly gluten-sensitive or if I truly have Celiac’s. It’s expensive and invasive (it involves entering my GI tract and clipping a villi from my small intestine, after eating gluten for at least 3 weeks) and as long as I continue to feel better, I’ll probably forgo the test.
Later, I will get into how I shop, prepare food and what go-to recipes I’ve found. Let me assure you, it wasn’t as difficult as I had anticipated. I’ll leave you with one amazing gluten-free recipe and whether you are gluten-free or not, you will want to try this — trust me!
Gluten insensitivities are typically genetic. Landon has many similar belly symptoms. I am happy to say since he has also gone gluten-free with me he is feeling, acting and pooping so much better. He is less irritable, he sleeps through the night, is now completely potty-trained and he no longer complains of belly aches. Giving up Annie’s Mac & Cheese, chicken nuggets and Nutella Wheat Bread sandwiches as been a little tough!
He now asks, “Is that gluten-free?”
Until proven otherwise, a gluten-free life is our new way of life.
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