Hi, im new to this and wondered if anyone could help me please!
a couple of weeks ago i had a blood test for celiac, because i have been feeling awful for months now, i have been feeling really depressed, tired all the time, been having troubles breathing after eating bread, and wheat containing food, also been having troubles sleeping,numbness in the hands and toes, and my biggest problem is my eyes! they look dreadful i have big black swollen puffy eyes so i had my test and it come back negative, however the doctor said it isnt a very accurate test, so he suggested going gluten-free, ive been on gluten free diet for 2 weeks now, and am feeling a little better, however i am still not right, i wondered how long it will take to be completly gluten free as my eyes are still quite puffy and my hair feels horrible and seems to be getting thin,
would be gratefull if anyone could give me some advise! thankyou!
Hollyxx

First, be grateful that you caught it as soon as you have. Many do not.

For the numbness and such, I'd recommend magnesium, and also a sublingual methylcobalamin (B12) supplement. There are likely other deficiencies, such as iron, calcium, Vitamin D, zinc, etc. B vitamins in general seem to be helpful to many on this board too.

Do be sure to check for gluten-free statements on the labels of all supplements, and check your skin and hair care products for gluten containing ingredients as well. For example, stuff from wheat and barely are common items in shampoo.

Hope you feel better soon!

Welcome to the board!

I, too, felt the same way as you did prior to becoming gluten free. I was crying every day and almost diagnosed with depression and perscribed a pill - but I rejected it because I didn't find it necessary. I sleep a lot better now and overall emotionally feel that I can tolerate things more. I know what you mean about your eyes too; today I actually thought they looked less puffy than they have in the past so many years! My hair falls out a lot but I suspect it to be at the fault of dying my hair. Then again, I may even be wrong on that.

My only withstanding issue is my weight loss. I can't seem to put on weight even though I get ravenously hungry and eat a lot. I'm always munching on things like apples, almonds, and rice crackers. Anyone have any suggestions for that? I don't really eat meat either so that may be part of it. The other symptom is getting dizzy but I think that's because I'm at such a low weight. To me it seems odd because I noticed on the forums that people experience the opposite effect..

Are you taking any supplements? I was also eating enormous quantities of food for awhile, but after taking the supplements I mentioned in my previous post, this has subsided greatly. B12 is also known to be very important for healthy hair, nails, and skin.

I take a multi-vitamin which has B12 in it. I don't want to take any extra unnecessary pills. Do enzyme pills count?

I take them every time I eat, according to what the bottle says to help digestion. You can't get addicted to them could you?

No, you can't get addicted to digestive enzyme supplements, nor vitamin or mineral supplements. Check what kind of B12 is in the multi you take. Chances are, it will be cyanocobalamin, which is actually made by attaching a molecule of cyanide to the vitamin B12. I'd recommend only the methylcobalamin type, as it doesn't require the conversion by the liver, or any digestive process to be absorbed and put into use.

I will suggest magnesium too, since that mineral seems to be deficient in many of us. Try those for a week or two, and see how you feel.

Did you get bloodwork done? That would tell you what your vitamin levels are, maybe anemic? But you should definately get your thyroid checked out. Many celiacs have trouble with over or under active thyroid which also causes puffy eyes, depression, fatigue, wieght loss or gain etc. Look up thyroid and check your symptoms and ask your Dr. A simple bood test would show your TSH level and is a reasonable indication of thyroid problems.

Ah, you, sir, are indeed correct. It is cyanocobalamin and there isn't magnesium in my multi either. I dipped a little into it as well and that actually might help my hypertension. Thank you very much! I'll look into another multi and find a magnesium supplement next chance I get.

Holly,

Continue what you are doing and try to be totally gluten free. Remember to check you shampoos, meds, lotions and tooth paste, etc.. Two weeks is still a relatively a short time. It can take up to several years to get back to that 100% that you remember. Stick to the diet and keep learning here.

I don't think any cleansing will help you at this time and in fact some that I have heard about can be dangerous.