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

Hi everyone!

Well, the response to my inquiry was amazing (38) . I had so many
comments and I appreciate all of them very much.  I can also tell you,
that after reading many of the responses I started to think isn't it
intuitively obvious that stress would wreak havoc with my guts,
especially considering that for six years every doctor I went to, told
me I was stressed out and didn't have any "medical" problem that caused
my tummy troubles as I like to call them.

Everyone overwhelming agreed that stress can induce celiac like
symptoms.  Many people pointed out that even non-celiacs have stomach
problems associated with stress.  Others also mentioned that they had
been diagnosed with IBS before realizing that they were in fact CD.
Basically IBS is stress related so for people with already sensitve GI
tracts things like stress can send them over the edge so to speak.
I found the responses very comforting because I have been feeling so
sick and wondering what to do and where the problem was coming from.
Many people mentioned that despite being on a GF  diet they become close
friends with the toilet during times of stress.  A couple of other
people said that stress was the trigger factor in the CD being expressed
in their bodies.

Lots of responses were very compassionate and suggested I find the
source of my stress and try to get rid of it. One person even said it is
easier to get rid of gluten than stress. I think she is right, but also
think that demonstrates just how difficult it is to get rid of stress,
since we all know how hard it is to get rid of gluten. Others suggested
that I do nice things for myself like take a bath or anything that makes
me feel good and is relaxing. This advice is very much appreciated and I
think it is a good thing for everyone to do even if they are not
stressed out (preventive measures right??).

If anyone would like more info than I have given in the summary please
let me know. I originally copied and pasted all the responses into a
message and sent that to the list but it was returned because it was too
long. So this message is an actual summary. I hope it provides everyone
with enough info.

that's it for now,
I wish everyone a happy, stress-free holiday season!
cheers,
Gillian