So anybody who has read 'wheat belly' will know that the effects of gluten are systemic. It affects your whole body. So it makes sense then that as Lupus is a systemic disease and I suffer from gluten intolerance that when I eat gluten my whole body shouts at me! It is actually screaming at me right now. My upper arms, left wrist, hips, thighs and left ankle and of course stomach all feel like I have been hit by a bus....that my friends, is the gluten effect!
After suffering from terrible stomach pains, bloating and diarrhoea for fifteen years I decided to cut out gluten two years ago. Most of the time I don't miss it. there are plenty of alternatives to those wheat based snacks we cram into our mouths without even thinking and if I do fancy a cookie there are always gluten free ones. Though, gluten free foods can be expensive so I try to avoid them where possible. I have a handful of staple items in the cupboards as an emergency stash. It is unbelievable just how much better I feel off gluten. My stomach has flattened, it is not 'upset' anymore and I have more energy! It is not surprising then that when I eat gluten again, either by accident or not, boy do I know it!!
Apparently all autoimmune diseases are a result of 'leaky gut syndrome'. Which is the body turning against certain proteins in the foods we eat. It happens over a number of years and can suddenly hit us when we are least prepared. Usually by the time we develop stomach symptoms it has already spread to other parts of our body such as muscles and joints. When we go to the doctor after several weeks of having joint pains and they send you on to rheumatologists or osteopaths they should really be ruling out leaky gut first! Of course this is not true in every case but often these problems come hand in hand. I am told that if I stay off gluten for awhile I may be able to reintroduce it and tolerate small amounts. That seems to be true....when I cave and snack on wheat crumpets or biscuits....which I really don't have the willpower to resist so we don't buy them very often, then I find as long as it is only the once I can get away with it! That being said I do not want to do it too often because what I have noticed is I don't notice the impact straight away. After three or four days my hips and upper back ache worse than ever.....yes, I did have a crumpet four days ago didn't i!
It is not easy living gluten free. The foods are expensive, I often don't gave the energy to make my own, in restaurants your food is often cross-contaminated and of course there are slips in willpower to contend with. I figure at least I don't have coeliac disease, which is an allergy to gluten. Having that would mean damaging myself if I ate the tiniest but of gluten. I have non-coeliac gluten sensitivity. It still causes severe discomfort and pain, but I know if I do slip up its not the end of the world.
In summary, I do not know what the answer is. I am only human and prone to slip ups. I comfort eat then regret it when I am in pain days later. Gluten free foods are getting tastier and less like cardboard than they used to be....but I have yet to find a tasty gluten free crumpet!!
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