New to all this. Any help welcome x

[CurlySuz]

Hi all and good morning. I have decided to join this site as I am fed up of feeling ill, bloated, heady, achey and generally rubbish after eating ANYTHING! It’s led me to eat ‘NOTHING!’ I was on the verge of being diagnosed in 2011 before my son was born, but being pregnant became preference at the time. Now, I’m constantly suffering and really don’t have the passion for food in any way. I will be going to the doc very soon to get the tests. In the mean-time, i would welcome some advice. Also, is it ok for a 9 year old boy to go gluten free too? Plus I am on benefits at the moment after being made Covid redundant in the beginning. Thanks in advance 🙏🏽

[Regalbirdy]

Hi CurlySuz,

Sorry to hear that you have been having difficulties for so long.

It’s good to hear that you are going to be taking the correct steps and are going to go and get a blood test which screens for Coeliac Disease.

Please do this soon as you MUST NOT go gluten-free until you have! The blood test looks for antibodies to gluten, so if you aren’t eating gluten every day, your body won’t be making antibodies - and so this leads to a false result. Once this test (and any follow up tests) are concluded, you can then choose to go gluten free if you wish. However if you do, significantly more care must be taken with your overall diet to ensure that you get the right amount of vitamins, calcium and other minerals.

The same goes for your son. If you suspect he has an issue with gluten, then your starting point should definitely be a trip to the doctors.

If you were to get a Coeliac diagnosis, then the path to wellness is often quite a gradual one, rather than for example, the time it takes to get over the common cold.

Done correctly, a gluten free diet doesn’t have to be more expensive. I’ve lived on benefits as a diagnosed Coeliac. It’s about shopping smart and staying out of the ‘free from’ isle as much as possible - which will soon rack up the shopping bill! Basic items such as rice, lentils, potatoes, baked beans, onions, carrots, tomatoes (etc) are all gluten free and affordable.

As I said above, I was on state benefits for over 2 years. I then went to university for 3 years - and lived on a student income, which was not any better! So it definitely can be done, especially if you’re willing to limit your junk food intake (which everyone should do anyway…?).

Best wishes, I hope this helps.

[CurlySuz in reply to Regalbirdy]

Hi many thanks for your reply, I will book a test as soon as I can. I don't think my son is gluten free, but its going to be hard to cook for me and for him. I'm pretty sure I'm lactose intolerant too, lived on Lactose Free milk for years, normal milk gives me bad tum! I'm off to the boyfriends later, he's doing me Chicken fajitas with lots of veg too. I'm having some gluten as don't want to suddenly stop and need a true test reading. Thanks again and take care too.

[Whydothis in reply to CurlySuz]

Hi CurlySuz,The first thing to advise, just as Regalbirdy has said, is not to go gluten free until you have had the test - the last thing you want is to be told you are negative if you are actually coeliac! Don't even cut down on gluten - eat your normal diet until you get the test.

I also completely agree that eating gluten free needn't cost more, provided you don't buy from the supermarket "free from" ranges. Breads, cakes, biscuits etc are horrendously expensive, and they contain more sugar and additives than "normal" ones - I eat only basic food I have cooked myself.

In my opinion you won't do your son any harm by giving him food that is safe for you, especially if it includes veg and other good basic food. This will be the safest way for you to keep away from cross contamination in your kitchen.

I wish you all the best with it all.

[Narwhal10]

Hi CurlySuz,Welcome here. I’m sorry you feel so rubbish. We are all on different parts of our coeliac/gluten sensitivity journey. Like regalbirdy said you must keep gluten in your diet to get a positive blood test. So, even if you manage to eat a piece of bread or a sandwich once a day will be helpful. (I could barely eat last year until 8 pm then had a snack of crisps containing gluten and some sweets also containing gluten incidentally.) I did not have a high positive result but it was positive. Keeping a food diary does help.

Sorry to hear you lost your job. Yes, you can live quite well as a coeliac being on benefits. The gluten free food is expensive, I don’t buy it. But vegetables, potatoes are pretty cheap. I love radishes, beetroot and love celery (which I believe, though someone may correct me - are anti-inflammatory food). Fish which can be expensive but tinned mackerel and sardines.

Asking butchers if they have any FREE bones - so you can make ‘bone broth’ is another recommend. I can’t remember the science behind this but it helps with gut repair.

Best wishes

🐳

[THunt2021]

Hello love, chiming in from the US after being sick all 2021. I truly empathize with you; I've experienced all of your symptoms over the last 6 or so months. I'm just getting back to work since February. I refused to take any medication prescribed because there was no clear diagnosis, and I feared I would just make myself sicker without being able to eat. After countless ER visits and multiple visits with multiple doctors, every test available, the ONLY thing they've been able to conclude is a wheat allergy. I've lost over 100 lbs in a year, unintentionally. But recently, I've taken matters into my own hands to heal myself. My saving grace during what seemed like a full body purge was green tea, apple sauce, and brothy soups. Then, I started making fresh fruit smoothies with peanut butter and spinach to boost my body of nutrients after being malnourished for so long. Then, I worked my way back up from there with soft proteins like tuna, eggs and avocado. I'm doing much better now, although not 100% yet. But this was much more productive than anything any of the medical professionals have told me. They left me to basically figure this out on my own because they didn't believe anything was actually wrong with me, despite seeing my body wither away. I pray for your strength and optimism through this, and I truly hope this helps. You're not alone. Love and light💜

[Narwhal10 in reply to THunt2021]

Well done on your perseverance and glad to hear you are on the mend.

[Hidden in reply to THunt2021]

So was it coeliac or simply wheat allergy/intolerance? Did you get tested for coeliac?

[Hidden]

You need to get diagnosed and go the GP route. No point in going gluten free until you explore an actual diagnosis. No point in suffering unneccessarily, and you don't detail if you have been to your GP.