Fatigue and Gluten
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jkapp100
Posts: 34
Hiya , Ive never been tested, however I suspect that my hits of fatigue are directly linked with eating gluten products. I have eliminated gluten from most of my meals , however on occasions where I eat both unhealthily and a standard product, I feel just exhausted. Does anyone else experience this? Should I get tested? What sort of tests are best?
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Replies
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Can you give an example of what you eat that makes you exhausted? I don't know what you mean.0
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I have a friend that experiences this. Within a couple of hours of eating gluten she gets a really upset, gurgly stomach and about two days later she's just a zombie.
My 17 year old also is gluten intolerant and she gets very tired when she's glutened but not to the extent my friend gets it. She just wants to sleep all the time. Getting her off gluten has been amazing.0 -
I've had a pasta dish and fallen asleep after.. I've been gluten free since last august and not had the 'sleepy attacks' since.0
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I have a similar issue with chronic fatigue. Not sure if it's gluten related or not but I was told to cut wheat from my diet for a month to see if there was any impact. I'm on Day 4 now. So far I'm not noticing any changes - but I have dropped a pound - so I'll happily take that!
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Thanks so much. Those foods like pasta, breads and processed foods have been where I have made the biggest changes. When I slip I notice the difference..0
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The fatigue and falling asleep are classic symptoms of gluten intolerance. The gut-brain connection is very strong! Most of the time testing will simply result in a diagnosis of "Not celiac". If the doctor is not familiar with gluten intolerance (most AREN'T), you will be treated as if you are a hypochondriac or a nut. Gluten intolerance is also very serious. You're in tune with your body and have already noticed the link - well done! - so continue to be your own best advocate and to stay gluten free. Happy GF!1
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I have experienced the same thing, it was one of my "red flags" when it came to gluten. Pancakes, pizza and pasta were all nap-inducing foods for me. I feel so much better and more allert after eating since I've gone GF! It's like I can feel food doing what it's supposed to do, nourish my body!0
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I have a similar issue with chronic fatigue. Not sure if it's gluten related or not but I was told to cut wheat from my diet for a month to see if there was any impact. I'm on Day 4 now. So far I'm not noticing any changes - but I have dropped a pound - so I'll happily take that!
Many people with gluten intolerance need more than a full week to flush out most of the gluten before they notice any difference. Some take as long as a month and notice it much more after adding gluten back to their diet after that month. Also, gluten is in much more than just wheat, so try going GLUTEN FREE as opposed to just wheat free.0 -
My only 'symptom' is fatigue, I really feel a difference when I give in to cravings and have bread or regular pasta. Unless you're celiac there's not really any point in getting tested, just go by what your body is telling you!0
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My only 'symptom' is fatigue, I really feel a difference when I give in to cravings and have bread or regular pasta. Unless you're celiac there's not really any point in getting tested, just go by what your body is telling you!
I just got my test results back today and they said all I need to do is take more Vitamin D because I guess it's low. (Of course it is, it's not summer time when I go bake myself at the beach.) Anyway, I am still going to continue with what I've been doing with staying away from the gluten containing foods...
Here's some of the changes I've seen in the last two weeks:
1. I only need one cup of coffee in the morning and the rest of the day I am full of energy. I was at over 100oz a day (multiple 24oz Wawa fill ups plus 2-3 9oz cups before I even left the house). Sometimes more if I caved and purchased a Monster.
2. My anxiety attacks have subsided and I have less chest pain.
3. My stomach feels amazing.
4. My acne is starting to clear up.
5. My breathing is better (doc made a comment about how clear my lungs sound and I smoke!!)
6. I do not have mood swings like I was having.
7. I do not feel depressed or down anymore.
8. I go to sleep easier at night.
9. I can do more with a workout than I could before.
10. I used to take aspirin or Excedrin every morning because all of my muscles and joints were sore... without working out. I do not take them at all now.
11. Constant headaches went away.
12. The BMs are regular now instead of sporadic, going from constipation to diarrhea... which is nice by itself!
So yes I may not have tested positive for anything, but I'm listening to what my body is telling me for once. Why should I go back to constantly feeling tired, sick to my stomach (this happened a lot in the last few months), sore muscles, and headaches? Sure, I am sure I will succumb to temptation occasionally, but I know I will also probably feel like crap afterwards. I've chosen this as my lifestyle change and am enjoying it quite a bit. I'm sure with me keeping track of my calories and exercising I will lose weight when it wants to come off, but my biggest goal these past few weeks is to feel good and I have succeeded thus far!1 -
I actually asked to be tested, but all she could tell me was that I didn't have celiac's. She also told me that I had no reason to go gluten free, but I did anyways. I actually fall asleep less than I did before, I used to need a nap just to make it through the day. I still have that problem sometimes, so it isn't just gluten for me, since I have been gluten free for about 3 weeks. Well, unless I'm still detoxing, lol. My bowels are so much better though, I am having normal stools, not swinging from one extreme to the other. I am getting ready to try 30 days with nothing that has been processed, and nothing that cannot be hunted or gathered, to see if eliminating all processed things helps the fatigue even more. My doctor just refuses to believe I'm tired for any reason other than being fat, but I've lost around 40 pounds since August, so according to that theory, I shouldn't be as tired. I like her for everything else, but on this, I'm sure she is dead wrong, and just not familiar with food sensitivities.0
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I actually asked to be tested, but all she could tell me was that I didn't have celiac's. She also told me that I had no reason to go gluten free, but I did anyways. I actually fall asleep less than I did before, I used to need a nap just to make it through the day. I still have that problem sometimes, so it isn't just gluten for me, since I have been gluten free for about 3 weeks. Well, unless I'm still detoxing, lol. My bowels are so much better though, I am having normal stools, not swinging from one extreme to the other. I am getting ready to try 30 days with nothing that has been processed, and nothing that cannot be hunted or gathered, to see if eliminating all processed things helps the fatigue even more. My doctor just refuses to believe I'm tired for any reason other than being fat, but I've lost around 40 pounds since August, so according to that theory, I shouldn't be as tired. I like her for everything else, but on this, I'm sure she is dead wrong, and just not familiar with food sensitivities.
I hate to say it, but sometimes doctors are wrong. When I was 20, I complained of pain in my right side and one doctor said I just had a pulled muscle, but by the way, lose 25 pounds. Okay, that didn't answer what it was. I went to another doctor and they did a blood test and my liver was not in good shape. Since then, I've fixed my liver (just had blood word done and it was "perfect"). I've just determined that whether I have Celiac's, an intolerance, or nothing, it makes me feel better not to eat it, and therefore I will listen to what my body is telling me. Maybe I won't have to pay anymore money to see the doctors for a while!1 -
I have Celiac disease and must be the exception to the rule. I didn't notice fatigue before I was diagnosed. I find that I am not like some ot the people who have it. I thought I could eat oats but was over eating them by eating Kraft Milk and granola bars--very good by the way.. But I feel no different other than I have the pain I did when I was diagnosed......0
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Bump for interesting reading.... I hope some of these people are still around the forum.0
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A blood test to test your iron levels will help. Low iron can cause tiredness as well.0
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I was first diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia. My doctor had me taking 3 times the regular dose of iron to get my levels back up, but it wasn't working. He had no answer as to why not, so I started researching on good ole' Dr. Google. Celiac disease kept coming up so I asked the doctor if this could be a possibility. He seemed very sceptical but agreed to do the test. To his great surprise, it came back positive for celiac. Now some people probably wouldn't be happy with that diagnosis, but it at least explained my symptoms. Low energy, feeling like my stomach was on fire, and very tired and always hungry. Even when I just ate a huge meal I would be hungry 30 minutes later. I would come home from work and collapse on the couch for the rest of the day but would want to eat everything in sight. Hello junk food. Doctor didn't believe it was celiac because of my excess weight. And his only advice was to see a nutritionist. Everything I learned about celiac I learned on my own through reading and research. Happy to say that a gluten free diet has helped enormously. Now that my body is getting nutrition I can go between meals without feeling hungry, I have much more energy and I can go all day without getting tired and wanting to sleep. So my message is that even when I was diagnosed with celiac disease, my doctor still didn't believe me and was no help at all. The only thing is if you want to have a test for celiac, you cannot be on a gluten free diet before hand. So like others have said, believe in the signals your body is sending you. If eating gluten free makes you feel better, stick with it despite what your doctor says. Unfortunately, they are only human and can't know everything.1
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If you’ve not cut it out yet, get tested ASAP before cutting it out. Very difficult to test after0
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Unless you get some sort of health insurance benefit from testing & dx (such as a grocery allowance where the price difference between GF prepared foods and 'regular' prepared foods is used as a medical tax write-off like in some Canadian provinces) I wouldn't bother.
It's easier and cheaper to try going GF (celiac style - careful reading of ALL product labels) for a month and see if you feel the difference. After all, if the test is positive, going GF is the remedy anyhow.
Damaging your body even more just to get a dx isn't the best way to go. Celiac disease is nothing to fool with - https://celiac.org/about-celiac-disease/what-is-celiac-disease/
Undiagnosed or Untreated Celiac Disease Can Lead to:
Long-Term Health Conditions
Iron deficiency anemia
Early onset osteoporosis or osteopenia
Infertility and miscarriage
Lactose intolerance
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
Central and peripheral nervous system disorders
Pancreatic insufficiency
Intestinal lymphomas and other GI cancers (malignancies)
Gall bladder malfunction
Neurological manifestations, including ataxia, epileptic seizures, dementia, migraine, neuropathy, myopathy and multifocal leucoencephalopathy
Other Autoimmune Disorders
In a 1999 study, Ventura, et al. found that for people with celiac disease, the later the age of diagnosis, the greater the chance of developing another autoimmune disorder.0
