4 ms·

I too thought gluten intolerance was all in people's minds, except for Celiac (which is a very serious affair indeed). I had pretty bad intestinal problems for

by wbhart 12y ago

I too thought gluten intolerance was all in people's minds, except for Celiac (which is a very serious affair indeed). I had pretty bad intestinal problems for a couple of years. I had effectively ruled out gluten as a possible cause because in uni I had pizza boxes stacked to the roof. Whilst reading a paper on a dietary study I remembered that croissants triggered severe intestinal issues for me. I began to wonder whether I had developed a sensitivity to gluten. I cut gluten and my pretty bad intestinal issues ceased within days, with a total abatement after 2 weeks. That's been the case for 2 months now. I also suffer from occasional (controlled) panic attacks. There has been at least a 50-75% reduction in those. (I was aware my panic attacks were exacerbated by the intestinal issues.) Another interesting discovery in an article I read on HN is that metabolism is more affected by eating than light. So I tried not eating any calories after 10pm. My normal waking hour is 11 am and has been for 15 years. By the first weekend after I started nil calories after 10 pm, I woke up at 7:30 am! (It's stablised to a more civilised hour now.)

aaronbrethorst 12y ago
I never had any gluten sensitivity issues until I was in my mid 20s. After a few years of really terrible symptoms a friend suggested I cut gluten out of my diet and my symptoms disappeared completely within two days.
- wbhart 12y ago
  In my case, I can't have had any severe gluten issues (at least not intestinal ones) until age 37. Another really strange effect is that since stopping with gluten I have had very vivid childhood memories. I don't believe I had "brain fog", but something interesting happened.
- MollyR 12y ago
  Yea I had this experience as well. I also lost the ability to digest lactose, and got milk allergy/sensitivity(a little bit of both) issues as I got older. I wonder if as we age, certain groups of people experience a failure of digestive enzymes across a variety of biological compounds.
bhayden 12y ago
Out of curiosity, was the intestinal issue the cause of some of the anxiety? Like you were afraid you'd poop your pants in public?
- wbhart 12y ago
  No, I don't believe it was a cause of anxiety. The bloating, excess (trapped) wind and associated discomfort caused very unpleasant sensations which triggered dizziness, panic, etc. If you've every been really constipated, you've had a similar sensation (but without the panic attack I imagine). In my case I had diarrhea though, not constipation. Another odd one I discovered is jerky video playback (e.g. streaming on the web). That triggers a sense of unreality which can trigger an attack.

by wbhart 12y ago

aaronbrethorst 12y ago

I never had any gluten sensitivity issues until I was in my mid 20s. After a few years of really terrible symptoms a friend suggested I cut gluten out of my diet and my symptoms disappeared completely within two days.

wbhart 12y ago
In my case, I can't have had any severe gluten issues (at least not intestinal ones) until age 37. Another really strange effect is that since stopping with gluten I have had very vivid childhood memories. I don't believe I had "brain fog", but something interesting happened.
MollyR 12y ago
Yea I had this experience as well. I also lost the ability to digest lactose, and got milk allergy/sensitivity(a little bit of both) issues as I got older. I wonder if as we age, certain groups of people experience a failure of digestive enzymes across a variety of biological compounds.

bhayden 12y ago

Out of curiosity, was the intestinal issue the cause of some of the anxiety? Like you were afraid you'd poop your pants in public?

wbhart 12y ago
No, I don't believe it was a cause of anxiety. The bloating, excess (trapped) wind and associated discomfort caused very unpleasant sensations which triggered dizziness, panic, etc. If you've every been really constipated, you've had a similar sensation (but without the panic attack I imagine). In my case I had diarrhea though, not constipation. Another odd one I discovered is jerky video playback (e.g. streaming on the web). That triggers a sense of unreality which can trigger an attack.