The more I delve into my gluten-free lifestyle, the more I am finding that a lot of my other symptoms are improving. I am wondering if in my case that I end up finding out that gluten has been the cause of my illnesses all along and I just never realized it. I know that when we were on vacation after Christmas in Georgia I pretty much threw my gluten-free eating out the window and I also was eating a lot of gluten the week of Christmas. The first day we were in Georgia I ended up sick and in bed – exhausted beyond belief. I was barely able to do anything for the whole trip.
I can tell a huge difference in my stomach and IBS symptoms. I used to be feel so bloated and had this sick feeling in my stomach all of the time. That feeling has disappeared and only returns when I have eaten something containing gluten. I also don’t have gas problems like I used to. My problems with heartburn are all gone and only return when I eat something with gluten. I have also seen a big improvement in my headaches. While I still have a headache most of the time, the severity of the headaches have decreased. The severe itchiness I was experiencing on almost a daily basis has completely disappeared. So while going gluten-free may not be beneficial for everyone, it has definitely been working out for me.
I have been able to work out at the gym 3 – 4 times a week and have only had a couple of setbacks as far as exhaustion. For me this is a major accomplishment, as before just cleaning the house would cause a major flare. I’m optimistic that things will only get better from here. Before I began my gluten-free journey, I had purchased a great book by Dr. Stephen Wangen, “the gluten-free doctor”, titled Healthier Without Wheat. If you would like to purchase this book, just click on the book title and you will be taken to Amazon.com.
In Dr. Wangen’s book, he lists the symptoms & conditions caused by gluten intolerance in children and adults. Here is the complete list along with the short list. It is very long, so be prepared!
Infants & Toddlers
- colic
- fatigue
- diarrhea
- gas
- vomiting
- projectile vomiting
- failure to thrive/poor growth
- refusal to eat
- bloated abdomen
- eczema
- constipation
- poor sleep
- angry disposition
- chronic ear infections
Short List – Adults & Older Children
- diarrhea
- constipation
- heartburn
- abdominal pain
- headaches (including migraines)
- fatigue
- muscle aches
- joint pain
- hypoglycemia
- eczema
- acne
- mental fogginess
- anemia (iron or B12 deficiency)
- frequent illness
- itchy skin
- low bone density
Complete Symptoms /Conditions List
Digestive
- Abdominal pain
- aphthous ulcers
- autoimmune hepatitis
- bloating
- canker sores
- colon cancer
- constipation
- cramping
- diarrhea
- dyspepsia
- elevated liver enzymes
- elevated transaminases
- enamel defects in teeth
- encopresis
- eosinophilic esophagitis
- eosinophilic gastroenteritis
- esophagitis
- fructose intolerance
- gas
- GERD
- gastroparesis
- heartburn
- hepatic steatosis
- hepatic T-cell lymphoma
- intestinal bleeding
- IBS
- lactose intolerance
- liver disease
- nausea
- occult blood in stool
- impaired pancreatic exocrine function
- pancreatitis
- primary biliary cirrhosis
- pprimary sclerosing cholangitis
- reflux
- sore throat, chronic
- steatorrhea – fatty stools
- villous atrophy
- vomiting
Skin
- acne
- eczema
- dermatitis
- dermatitis herpetiformis
- dry skin
- follicular keratosis
- hives
- rashes
- itchiness
- psoriasis welts
- redness
- dark circles under eyes
- linear IgA bullous dermatosis
- urticaria
- hereditary angioneurotic edema
- cutaneous vasculitis
- erythema nodosum
- erythema elevatum diutinum
- necrolytic migratory erythema
- vitiligo disease
- behcet’s disease
- oral lichen planus
- porphyria
- alopecia areata – hair loss
- acquired hypertrichosis lanuginosa
- pyoderma gangrenosum
- ichthyosiform dermatoses
- pellagra
- generalized acquired cutis laxa
- atypical mole syndrome and congenital giant nevus
Emotional
- anxiety
- irritability
- depression
- ups & downs
Physical well-being
- fatigue
- weight loss
- weight gain
- poor endurance
- inability to gain weight
- chronic fatigue
- failure to thrive
- short stature
Mind/Neurological
- autism
- ADHD
- difficulty concentrating
- cerebellar atrophy
- mental fog
- brain white-matter lesions
- insomnia/difficulty sleeping
- schizophrenia
- ataxia/difficulty with balance
- epilepsy
- multifocal axonal polyneuropathy
- peripheral neuropathy (numbness/tingling of hands or feet)
- Rett Syndrome
Musculoskeletal
- arthritis
- fibromyalgia
- rheumatoid arthritis
- muscle aches
- joint pain
- osteoporosis
- osteopenia
- osteomalacia
- polymyositis
- loss os strength
- short stature
- multiple sclerosis
- myasthenia gravis
Respiratory
- wheezing
- chronic sinusitis
- shortness of breath
- asthma
Women’s health
- irrgeular cycle
- infertility – also male infertility
- delayed start of menstruation
- premature menopause
- miscarriage
Head
- headaches
- migraines
- alopecia areata (hair loss)
Autoimmune disorders
- Addison’s disease
- autoimmune chronic hepatitis
- Type 1 diabetes
- Graves’ disease
- secondary hyperparathyroidism
- hypothyroidism, autoimmune
- idiopathic autoimmune hypoparathyroidism
- idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
- Lupus (SLE)
- myasthenia gravis
- sarcoidosis
- scleroderma
- Sjogrens syndrome
- thyroiditis
- villous atrophy
Miscellaneous
- anemia
- iron deficiency
- vitamin B12 deficiency
- vitamin K deficiency
- folate deficiency
- impotency
- Raynaud’s syndrome
- elevated eosinophils in blood test
- cystic fibrosis
- pulmonary hemosiderosis
Malignancies/Cancer
- colon cancer
- esophageal and oro-pharyngeal carcinoma
- melanoma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- small bowel adenocarcinoma
When I first read this list, I was amazed to see how many of these symptoms I had. As I read further into the book and read more about gluten intolerance, I became more convinced that I needed to give a gluten-free diet a try. I highly recommend this book and I hope if you do get it you will let me know what you think.
Hi, I guess we got the same illness. Since I ate too much cookies, breads and cakes, gluten get stronger. Food intolerance is really no good in our health. I felt tired all the way, cant stop from eating such not delicious. Always felt over fatigued and I cant go let of my self be like this always. I’m thankful that I am now on proper diet with a healthy foods to eat.
My eosinophil count on my stomach biopsy was incredibly high in 3 places. The doctor says its eosinophil gastroenteritis, it’s rare, and he knows very little about it. Please help, I am so tired, feel bloated, and nauseated most of the time. Will going on a gluten-free diet help the nausea and the tiredness… can’t understand this, I’m 48 years-old and all this wants to just start?