Gluten, Congestion, and Sinus Infections

I have spent my entire life with a stuffy nose.  My parents and pediatrician put their minds together questing for an allergen.  I was eight at the time.  They tried eliminating foods, and unfortunately wheat wasn’t one of them.  The conclusion:  I was allergic to the filling in my stuffed animals as well as down and feathers.  The adults agreed that taking away my stuffed animals would be emotionally upsetting, so I lived without down pillows. My congestion never disappeared despite the sleuthing efforts.  

The constant congestion was great opportunity for painful sinus infections to fester.  I took countless antibiotics to battle the persistent sinus flareups.  I dreaded getting a cold because I always ended up with a sinus infection, which meant more trips to the doctor for antibiotics, more money, and more pain.  I was in a terrible cycle with no end.

There is a happy ending to this story.  Forty-five years later...three days after I stopped eating gluten, my nasal passages were clear.  I could feel cold air on my throat when I breathed in.  I was amazed!  This was an entirely new sensation for me.  I went about sniffing in over and over again for the next few days.  My nose was as clear as the arrival of crisp fall Maine air.  How could this be?!!!  

The simple answer is that my immune system no longer spends time fighting gluten.  When I ate gluten, my body produced antibodies that would result in inflammation causing swollen nasal passages, congestion, and sinus infections.  Now congestion and sinus infections are symptoms of the past.  Aaaahhhh!  

Gluten and Eczema

I had dreadful eczema on my legs as a child.  I remember the stinging, itching, and raw sensations.  The ultimate relief was dipping into a cool Maine lake but that remedy was only possible during the summer.  I felt embarrassed by the large red spots.  I was a cheerleader and so self-conscious.  The only medical treatment back then was dabbing mineral oil on the sores.  Little did we know that if I stopped eating the “healthy” wheatgerm and homemade whole wheat bread, the eczema would vanish.

As an adult I had recurrent eczema on my eyelid and then on my hands.  The doctors misdiagnosed it as a staph infection.  When the antibiotics didn’t work, the conclusion was eczema...again.  The treatment was topical steroids to heal the angry wounds.  

Well, it has been one year without eating gluten/wheat, and my skin is clear and soft for the first time in my life...no more blotches of flaring sores.  The explanation from my physicians over the years was that I just had sensitive skin.  I now know it was because my insides were inflamed as my immune system fought off the gluten/wheat.

If you suffer from eczema, consider gluten a possible culprit.

Intestinal Distress From Gluten

This is an uncomfortable topic to post because it isn't very pleasant to talk about. But, I feel I must share because someone may have the same symptom and this could help.  

Occasionally I had diarrhea that was violent.  The timing was always about 2:30am. I would be awaked by painful cramps.  My legs shook turbulently and sweat weeped down my forehead.  After the exhausting elimination, I felt so much better. I just thought that I had eaten too much.  I never suspected gluten.  This went on for 35 years.

The summer of 2012, a few months before I tested positive for gluten intolerance, I was the sickest I've ever been.  I was stuck in the bathroom with vomit and diarrhea for over 3 hours.  I couldn't stop and started to vomit blood.  I felt something was terribly wrong.  I thought I was going to die.  We called the paramedics because I couldn't leave the bathroom to go to the emergency room.  Strangely, I didn't have a fever and couldn't keep down the anti nausea medication given to me.  Six hours later I was fine and only weak.  I know that it was my body's reaction to gluten.  It wasn't food poisoning because no one else in the family was sick. 

It has been a full year now without gluten and, no surprise here, no more diarrhea.  I still marvel.  I never thought of myself as having intestinal issues because the diarrhea was only every few months or so.  I wasn't the normal specimen.  In fact, most people have varied symptoms.

Let's keep sharing. 

Sleeping Better on Gluten-Free Diet

My daughter gave up eating gluten at the age of 8.  She had a lab test after my diagnosis, and her results were also positive.  Gluten sensitivity runs in our family.  

Ever since my little one was a baby, she had a very difficult time falling asleep. She just couldn't settle down.  A few weeks after leaving gluten behind, her 3rd grade teacher asked how things were going being "gluten free."  My daughter's response was "Oh, it is much easier to pay attention in class, my behavior has improved, and I'm able to fall asleep when it's bedtime."  

Wow!  I felt so happy.  I had no idea that she had noticed a difference in her sleep patterns.  This was a new symptom to me.  I always thought that I was doing something wrong as a mother because my daughter took over an hour to fall asleep. It had become a struggle.  I knew that if she didn't get enough sleep that she would be quite cranky the next day.  We had many days filled with intense behavior, and my only offense was to be sure she had enough sleep.  The full amount of sleep was always rare.

My mother, who is in her 70s, has also left gluten in the dust.  Again, being that gluten sensitivity can be genetic, my mom was tested after my diagnosis.  Sure enough, she is also gluten sensitive...think of that...3 generations...child, mother, and grandmother.  Several weeks after no gluten, my mom also experienced a difference in her sleep.  She was astonished because for the first time in her life she was able to lay down and fall asleep easily at night.  Family and friends recall when my mom was a child she had the hardest time falling asleep.  

What a relief for my mom and daughter.  Just think of how many years they have combined of trying to fall asleep.  Our household evenings are no longer run by gluten!  :) 

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