Celiac Sprue
I was allergic to gluten for a very extended time before I noticed that it was an allergy. I always had severe stomachaches from early childhood. I am now 34 years old and almost one-year gluten/wheat free. Although I have failed due to lack of information about what a gluten/wheat free diet consists of and so I have eaten the wrong foods. Keep current on what foods are in/out. *Spelt is no longer advised for Celiacs.
Early in my twenties I began to have several spells during my menses, which included vomiting, constipation and flu like symptoms. I went to the emergency room a few times and was given shots for STD’s. It didn’t make me feel any less ill and made me angry. I ventured down the path of thinking I had endometriosis, but that didn’t help either because their were no consistent signs. Then I got married and I had my first child without complications and gained relief from my menstrual torture with extended breastfeeding. After my first son weaned, I began to have the same flu like cycles. This time they came monthly.
After I sought medical care they suggested I had fibroid tumors above my fallopian tubes. I desperately wanted another child, so I declined recommended treatments to stop my menses. Also having experienced that pregnancy and breastfeeding would bring me menstrual relief. After my second child was born, a daughter, she was very ill. I didn’t notice that the more fiber I ate, the sicker it made me. And until recently I didn’t realize the facts about food allergies. At the time I was eating cashew nuts and nursing my baby girl. It took several months and her crawling into my lap and getting peanut butter on her skin for her allergy to be known.
When I looked into her allergy to peanuts (tree nuts) and mainly food allergies in general, I began to become more curious. So I entertained the idea that I might be allergic to wheat. It took me some time to get used to that frailty, but I have felt no physical regrets. Now I am sensitive to food allergies of all kinds. And I carry an Epi-pen Jr. for my daughter and she wears a Medic-Alert bracelet.
By the time I had my third, a son, I was ready for some results. I had a battery of tests run on my intestinal tract. And there was no physical cause for my constipation. I was taking fiber tablets, dietary cleansers and enemas. It was horrible. I became anemic the last trimester of my pregnancy.
The main thing I discovered about my health during this time is to have an open mind. I took a harder look at the gluten allergy. I was always nauseous and hungry. The less gluten I ate, the better I felt. My physical energy level has never been better. My skin is clearer and my complexion has cleared.
Toni M, Texas