<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Thamks for all the replies to my question, and sorry my summary has taken
so long. We went on vacation for a few days and I haven't had time to touch
the computer since we got back, but here it is. I sorted and listed out the
things people mentioned, and followed that by some lengthier comments of
interest.

Carma in Phoenix (US)
[log in to unmask]

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THE QUESTION:
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I am interested in finding out the spectrum of odd, unusual, or
atypical symptoms that cleared up on a GF diet or that recur when
gluten is ingested.

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SYMPTOMS LIST:
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SKIN, HAIR, NAILS
canker sores
seborrheic dermatitis (cracked, irritated, flaking skin in brows,
  by nostrils, and corners of mouth)
herpes infection on lip or in nostril
rosacea
dry skin
acne
insect bites
itching on the palm of hands to elbows
fingernails: ripples, white spots, ridges, brittleness, splits, cracks
dry hair
hair loss
hair becoming curly after being straight

EARS, EYES, NOSE, MOUTH
tinnitus (pounding or ringing in ears)
watery eyes
dry eyes
nosebleeds
post-nasal drip
sinusitis
loose teeth
bleeding gums

GENERAL
excessive appetite
sleep: disturbed or prolonged
temper tantrums
heat intolerance
irritability
fatigue
general malaise
persistent morning drowsiness
nightime leg cramps

INTERNAL
drop in platelet count
rapid heart beat (up to 200 beats per minute)
gasping for air
muscle spasms
bone pain (hips, knees)
joint pain
headaches, migraines
dizziness and nausea
unexplained fevers
bloating, stomach swell 3-4 times normal size
pain in midsection
internal bleeding
constipation or diarrhea
painful menstrual cramps
extreme premenstrual syndrome

OTHER ILLNESSES
arthritis
asthma
candidiasis (yeast infection)
chronic fatigue syndrome
colds & flu
depression, physical and mental
environmental illness
fibromyalgia
hypoglycemia


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THE RESPONSES:
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With any accidental ingestion or absorption of gluten a combination
of these cheerful ogres rears its ugly head. A tsp of Metamucil taken
as soon as any symptom presents helps enormously.
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For a partial listing see Ron Hoggan's web site:
  http://www.panix.com/~donwiss/hoggan/
And I seem to recall a listing at:
  http://www.wwwebguides.com/nutrition/diets/glutenfree/
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   This may fall under your definition of dermatitis heptaformis (which
is associated with celiac sprue), but my sister and I both have bad
acne.  When I say bad, I mean it, I have lots of scaring, as does my
sister.  We both have gluten intolerance, if not celiac (we have not
both been formerly tested by a doctor, but the improvements we
experience on our diet is proof enough for us).  We have known we were
intollerant since we were babys.  Both of us cheated on our diets in our
early teens.  We would notice that our acne would flare whenever we
added gluten to our diet, and subside when we remained on our diets.

   To help prove the point, my younger brother, who is also gluten
intollerant does not cheat, and is extremlly serious about his diet.  He
has what I would call typical teenager acne.  Nothing major.
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with me i found a general malaise, which would generally last until it
had been passed through the system.  my stomach would swell to three to
four times its normal size, there would be a lot of pain and heaviness,
and i would retain water all over, at least that's what it looked like.
my face would get rounder, fingers would sweel, feet, legs etc, i would
look approx. ten pounds heavier than i generally am. i also find that
even gluten free i need a good night's sleep, 7-8 hours of rest, and
since diagnosis, i've found that viruses tend to hang on longer than
before.

for me also, the reaction is almost immediate, i can generally tell
within a few hours whether i've ingested gluten. i found after i went
gluten free the weight just dropped off, probably due to the fact that i
had been so swollen prior.  my metabolism increased, and it was very easy
to lose and maintain a healthy weight with a smart diet and some
excercise.  my energy level also picked up significantly.

another thing i and several other people have noticed is that once gluten
free for a while, if some gluten is accidently ingested, the reaction is
far more extreme than before. the bloating is more painful, passing
through the system is extremely painful, i swell more, i'm exhausted, and
it can take up to a day to recover.  the lesson i've learned is, at all
costs, avoid the stuff completely.
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My immediate reaction (other than gastro-intestinally) is intense
itching on the palm of my hands, going up the insides of my arms towards
my elbows.  After a day or two, I get depressed.  Not just sad, but
really depressed, physically and mentally.  I have contact with quite a
few Celiac's, and it seems that we all have slightly different reactions
to gluten injestion.  One thing we all seem to agree on though, it's
awful.  Really awful.
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I am self diagnosed since October 1996.  I had 14 symptoms - some went away
in about 10 days and the rest went away in a couple months.
The one symptom that was very bothersome to me was having rapid heart
beat..........sometimes up to 200 beats per minutes.   In February 1996 this
started.  I was given tests, medications and finally had two heart ablations
done.  Nothing helped.  But when I went GF in October 1996 my rapid heart
beat went away and I was very happy about that.

I haven't really read of others having tinninitus before going GF but I did.
I have had ear problems for years and the noise in my ears had become so bad
I could hardly go to sleep at night.  After going GF the tinninitus cleared
up so much that I only have it once in a great while but not at the noise
level I did have.

Hypoglycemia is 95% better.  I could go on and on but most of the other
symptoms are the ones a lot of the Celiacs also have.
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disturbed/prolonged sleep. I went from feeling unrested with 10 or 11 hours
sleep to being well satisfied with 7 hours. Looking at my nails today, i
also notice the many white spots i used to have are gone. I think most of
these symptoms cleared up because relieving my body of the burden of
dealing with gluten allowed me to get some actual nutrition out of my food.

Just a note: i find that eating barley derived ingredients like malt or
syrup, etc, is much worse for me than having a little soy sauce with wheat
in it. Also oats don't seem to be a problem at all, though i'm still very
careful to avoid them most of the time.
Enjoy the new diet, it's going to make you feel like a new person!
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