Did you become much more sensitive to gluten after giving it up?

[MakkaPakka]

1st post: Diagnosed coeliac with biopsy confirmation this week, not seen consultant yet but what I want to know is: do I really have to give it up?

Reason: I feel fine with only fairly minor stomach issues, but I am worried that if I give it up I will become supersensitive - this appears from anecdotal evidence to be very common and I don't want to have days & weeks of feeling dreadful if I accidently get "glutened" in the future. Dilemma....

thanks & hello everyone

[mitchellbarbara]

if you are celiac positive then yes you MUST go completely gluten free or you will have further damage...can cause all sorts of things even cancer....and LIFELONG....also famly members can have this problem and should also be tested as this is genetic....sorry for the bad news....

[webbspinner]

In the end we all have to make choices. Personally I have become super sensitive to any gluten (not just wheat) since changing my diet, and as you say, it's miserable when I'm glutened accidentally.

When the body is given small doses of any poison it becomes less sensitive, in that there aren't noticeable symptoms, but the body is still being poisoned. Fatty liver disease is an example of this.

My advice would be to do more research to give yourself a chance of making an informed decision.

[Regalbirdy]

You say you have been diagnosed a coeliac. If this is true, then yes all food containing gluten does have to go out of your diet. Forever, sorry...! If you don't go gluten-free you are putting your future health at risk and could go on to develop many nastier conditions.

I recognise it is a culture shock at first - believe me when I say I know! I was diagnosed a coeliac last November. You get used to the new way of eating after the first few weeks and it does then start to become normal. The hardest bit is trying to eat in restaurants and pubs.

The bad news for you is you already have a problem with gluten - it is already making you ill, otherwise you wouldn't have stomach troubles in the first place. In my experience ignoring the tummy issues in the short term only makes things worse in the long run. I know the stomach problems are not that severe at the moment but please don't go against medical advice - that would be foolish. Denial that you have a medical problem is not a viable solution.

You are right, It is possible that you may become more sensitive to gluten in the future. At least you will know for sure that you have eaten gluten - it will be very easy to tell. That's just one of those things and is a trade-off for better overall health for the rest of the time. Also if you abide by the diet correctly, actually getting glutened should be a very rare event.

Ultimately though the choice will be yours as to whether you are willing to embrace the changes.

[Liana]

Your stomach issues may appear minor at this moment, but the damage that is being done internally is hidden, ongoing and cumulative. It may seem overwhelming now, but with a bit of education, research, practice and time you'll feel confident and much stronger. Do this for yourself and your future ... I can honestly say, that after 7 years (and yes I was terrified at first) I'm happy, love my gluten free lifestyle and wouldn't do it any other way. Best wishes for success and your good health!

[haydn74]

I was diagnosed 6 months ago, and just through a blood test, and t

then an endoscopy for confirmation. Once you are coeliac then 'no' ggluten must be eaten. I took me a while to get into the diet, but there is so much you can get on prescription. I have startedcooking again, as so expensive to buy. Log on to Glutafin and Juvela andthey will send free hampers, so you can decide which you like. There are many,firms to choose from, so good luck for laptop discoveries!!!!!!!!

[Penel]

I have been gluten free for over ten years and although being glutened is very unpleasant I find the effects do not last long. My body is very efficient at getting rid of the gluten! Everybody is different in their reactions.

Like the others on here I would recommend that you do go gluten free if you possibly can. It may be difficult at first, but with planning and research I have found that it is possible to eat well and to be much more healthy than before. There are many websites giving great gluten free recipes.

Good luck with your decision.

[dinger]

I was diagnosed with coeliacs 10 years ago. For the good of your future health you have to be gluten free forever. Its a bummer I know but until we have a cure that's all we have. I also had minor intestinal symptoms to begin with but believe me if you keep eating gluten they won't stay minor for long and long term we are not being over dramatic but cancer is a probability. Stop now and you future will be bright. Its not easy and at times I still struggle, but I look at the alternative and it'd a no brainer. Good luck. There are lots of people on this website who will help you through.

[poing]

Yes, I did become more sensitive, but the alternative is worse - I've had a lot of problems caused by nutritional deficiencies from malabsorption which in turn is caused by eating gluten.

I look at the stronger reaction as a sign that my body is now strong enough to tell me that gluten is a problem.

I am not coeliac, just gluten sensitive, and I would guess that the malabsorption problems would be 10 times worse if I was a full-blown coeliac, because then your gut can't repair the damage that gluten does.

[weee]

Yes, I didn't have many symptoms prior to diagnosis, I was a little anaemic and had some bloating.. But now I am very sick if I eat gluten, But I stay off because of the more serious potential long term problems..

[upnabout]

If you've been diagnosed with Coeliacs then you really do have to stop eating gluten - it's damaging your body and making you ill, even if you don't always experience symptoms.

Embarking on a gluten free diet can seem daunting. It requires a complete rethink of the way you eat and cook. However, it's not the end of the world. It's fairly easy to avoid the obvious things - bread, biscuits, pasta and pastry because g/f alternatives are available, albeit a bit expensive and not always very healthy. The hardest part is perhaps that you can no longer eat most convenience and take-away foods and have to check the labels on anything you buy. There's a lot of 'hidden' gluten in products where you wouldn't expect it. It takes time to get used to that, but you learn by your mistakes.

If you already cook for yourself, it's pretty easy. You can eat nearly all meat and vegetables, just beware of stock cubes. You can also bake - just replace wheat flour with g/f versions. The results are not always the same, but there are plenty of recipes to try.

I like cooking, but don't want to spend hours cooking every day. I've made that easier by buying various gadgets to compensate for not being able to buy convenience foods. I already had a bread machine and food processor, but recently invested in a Varichef and Soup/Sauce Maker. They're great and you don't have to watch them. They make avoiding convenience food easy. I also bought a stand mixer that has attachments to make pasta and grind meat.

The main thing is that you shouldn't beat yourself up when you make mistakes - we've all done it. But you eventually learn. You can still eat pretty much anything you like, but might have to make adjustments and make a bit more effort!

[Mia1057]

I think a lot of us become more sensitive but the improvement to our bodies by following the GF diet is the important thing.

[Karen77]

It's not so much that you're "more" sensitive, but that your body is finally well-enough to send you clearer messages. Think of the villi as your army. If they're completely wiped out, there's no one to tell you that you're losing the war. Not getting the message doesn't mean you're winning! If you rebuild your army, by removing gluten, then your army will be able to notify you of any attacks so you can increase your vigilance. Best of luck to you.