My story of diagnosis--new to forum and gluten freedom

[superdog]

Hi all. I would first like to say thank-you for providing such a wonderful site!! I have been perusing it for a while to get recipes and ideas on how to deal, but never felt compelled to join till recently.

Here is my story for anyone that is interested....

First I have always had problems with eating since i was a baby. so getting sick after eating was a normal occurence for me, as well as the bloating joint pain headaches and the works. i was diagnosed with having probable lupus as a child. so life went on i continued to get sick all the time growing up and when i became a teenager i jumped on the vegetarian band wagon and ate mostly vegetables and rice, and i got better. i was running fast and far, i wasnt tired and i wasnt getting sick anymore and i had no more pains. my mom still pressured me to goto the drs. but i kept telling her i was fine and i refused to go. i hated the drs at this point. i was healthy and told her the drs. didnt know what they were doing. i did not have lupus i told her, it must have been just a childhood thing i grew out of i told her.

somewhere along the line i went back to my old style of eating(after marrying hubby) i had several miscarriages, back pain, nausea dizziness constipation or dia. i was depressed (put on meds), leg pains, and i told hubby i was divorcing him because ever since i married him i have been depressed(although i dont believe in divorce, i was ready to because i had never been so down so i thought it was him making me feel the way i did) so, just as i am ready to throw in the towel, hubby is praying for us to be happy constantly, and as this year (2007)was fast approaching i was ready to really go through with my plans of divorce, on christmas day of 06 i fell desperatly ill to where i couldnt even eat the dinner i had prepared, i figured i had the flu, then things fell further down from there. i had such severe stomach pain that it was hard to walk, it got to where i wouldnt eat or was scared to. i felt better when i didnt eat. i went to the drs. and the first time she gave me some laxatives, and muscle relaxers says its stress i could by that as i was going to leave hubby. so, i still couldnt eat and lost 6lbs in one week on a water and carrot diet, so i am back at drs office and she sends me in for a hida scan, i was scared to drink that stuff they gave me because i thought i would get sicker than sick, but to my amazement i actually liked the greasy taste of it because i hadnt eaten. at this point my friend introduces me to this program that is for weight loss and its all liquid. i told her i dont want to lose weight i want to quit losing it. so i join the program and to my amazement, i am feeling great and i started eating slowly again. only i didnt feel as great when i ate i had to. so i come to the end of the 30 day program and i am right back at the drs. office with such severe pain in my abdomin i thought i was dying, so i tell the dr. i feel like curling up in a corner and dying. the dr says you arent going to do that are you? i am like WHAT!?! i said i feel like i am dying, i dont want to, i just feel like i am. so he sends me to a gi specialist right away. however i ended up in the er before i made it to the gi and the er thought it was my appendix, so they ran a ct scan, and everything appeared fine. i am like if everything is fine why am i having all this pain, at this point i was ready to just start pulling parts out to feel better. so back to the drs. and she asked about that 30 day program i was on and i told her, and i said maybe i am allergic to fat or something because the drinks are gluten free(yes i thought gluten was fat), so i have been trying to avoid fat. she said no, it sounds like you have celiac and explains what the real meaning of gluten is) so she sends me in for bloodwork, but it comes back neg. because i just got off the 30 day gluten free program. and just started another one. sooo, i went gluten free completely for a week, then on a sunday i said i will have some toast and see what happens, and sure enough i ended up sicker than a dog. and i didnt get my energy back for a week. and my stomach pains were awful. alot of other things happend but i really am trying to keep this short as can be. so by the time i got in to see the gi, i tell him the symptoms i was having, and he says sounds like celiac and he ran an egd and colonoscopy which only turned up swelling and i havent been back in yet to learn the official results, but he told me to remain gluten free. in the meantime we went to outback steakhouse and i ordered all gluten free, and extras to take home, well my son loves their bread so he brought some home too, well i made him some then ate some of my food and ended up with anephletic(sp??) shock and ambulance comes and shoots me up with epinephrine and gives me albuterol. needless to say my house is now completely gluten free, and i am now feeling fine, no more night blindness, no more tummy aches, no more migraines, headaches, dizziness, joint pain, i have enough energy to keep up my house, kids and we even got a dog that i run with now. life is so good. i just wanted to share a piece of my story. i had many more symptoms but i dont need to list them all. but i hope that maybe someone will read this and hopefully realize that gluten CAN cause alot of symptoms. my drs are the greatest for figuring all this out, although she did say if my friend had put me on that program i probably would have died. scary to think of but God was really in control and me and my hubby are now happier than ever(he was relieved to know my symptoms werent from him and being depressed) it was from the food i was eating. oh my kids are now gluten free also for my safety but my youngest has done a 180 degree turnaround with his attitude, he is so sweet now and he doesnt complain about his stomach hurting anymore, or other pains he was having, and when he pottys he doesnt cry anymore. i am glad we found out now as my kids are young and really going to benefit from a gluten free diet as well, and wont have their growth stunted like mine(almost 5'1).

thank-you for this site, i got some really good recipes i have used so far, and really enjoy cooking now!!! my friends love the food too!!! nothing like homemade pizza!!! YUMMY!!!