Gluten Free Is For Me

A couple of year ago, when I first got sick the second time around, the doctor decided to test me for Celiac Disease. One portion of the test required that I stop eating gluten for a few weeks. It was painful but gluten and I took a break. In the end I failed the Celiac test but I did feel a bit better at the end of those gluten free weeks.

I went back to eating gluten (it's so hard not to!) and realized what a difference it made. Without gluten my migraines were fewer and farther between. I also found the temporary mental paralysis I usually felt after a meal was missing when I was off the gluten. I decided, after a short fling, it was time to break up with gluten for good.

Giving up gluten is not easy. It's especially difficult with Crohn's as some of us must also give up dairy, fried foods, raw fruits and vegetables, etc. For me though, it's a no-brainer. Giving up gluten is a small price to pay for weekends free of migraines and more productive afternoons at work.

I'm certainly not as vigilant as someone with Celiac Disease must be but I do realize how crucial it is for someone with Celiac to completely eliminate ingestion of wheat. I always order from the gluten free menu if there is one available but I will order gluten free dishes off of a regular menu if there is no other option.

Speaking of gluten free menus, there is an increasing number of restaurants that take their gluten free menus very seriously. Many restaurants flag gluten free plates to make sure there is no accidental contamination. Some send gluten free orders to the table with a manager. There are a lot of gluten free dishes out there that are less than delicious but it's comforting that so many are making such a valiant attempt.

A gluten free diet is commonly believed to improve the quality of life of those diagnosed with Autism. Wikipedia lists Parkinson’s disease, Multiple sclerosis, Seizures, Cognitive problems, Type 2 and Type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome, Rheumatoid arthritis among those conditions which may improve with a gluten free diet. Some believe Crohn's related intestinal damage limits one's ability to digest gluten similar to Crohn's related lactose intolerance. I personally saw no improvement in digestion when I stopped eating gluten. I did, however, experience fewer migraines and less brain fog and that's enough for me.

Headaches

Last night I had my fifth Humira injection. They've been going pretty well so far. I find it fairly easy to inject in my leg and I only had a problem once - I think I moved after the needle went in. It hurt. A lot.

The Humira is definitely helping some. I'm on week eight so I'm assuming the medicine is at full power by now. I only have diarrhea four or five times a week now (as opposed to four or five times a day) and, although I still am having pain, it's not as often. My stomach still swells to six-months-pregnant after I eat and I'm still not feeling confident enough to eat while I'm at work, but I'm getting there.

The only thing I've noticed is that I seem to get a headache a day or two after my injection. The headache lasts a few days but it's manageable. My doctor doesn't seem to think it's a problem so I guess I'll wait it out for a while.

This weekend, however, I had an awful migraine. It was the day before my injection so I don't think it was Humira related. I felt really nauseous the night before but went to bed without thinking much of it - I'm always nauseous. The next morning I woke up to ringing ears and a slight headache. I decided the best thing to do was to go back to sleep. The next time I woke up the light was bothering me and my ears were still ringing but the headache wasn't any worse. A few hours later though I had to get back in bed. I was shaky and nauseous and my head was really killing me. Soon I was in so much pain I couldn't bear it. I have literally not been in that much pain in my life. I had the blind spots and everything. By the time it was over I was completely wiped out and felt exhausted the entire next day.

I've had lots of really bad headaches since I've been sick but nothing to this degree. I have been traveling and entertaining guests and not eating right lately. I've also been a little more stressed out than usual and I'm hoping that was the cause of the migraine. I'm going to try to relax and eat better (at least until Thanksgiving) and see how it goes.

I'm having some trouble finding information connecting headaches/migraines to Crohn's. Does anyone else have headache issues?