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

Many thanks to the large number of people who responded to my queries
about what to expect from these initial months after a diagnosis and
going GF.  Several people asked me for a summary, and alas I somehow made
a computer mistake and deleted one whole batch of replies (after I had
read them) and so couldn't thank those individuals nor respond to those
who asked for a summary in that batch.  So, if you were one of them, or
if you are recently diagnosed like I am, feel free to e-mail me directly
and I'll send you more specific details.  Some sent great suggestions for
books and links to websites; some suggested searching the archives of
this listserv (which I had actually done before I sent my query but
apparently had not been able to find the right words to get good results;
I intend to try again, now that I have a better idea of things).

(1) The majority said that in the initial months on a GF diet, they
didn't feel "great" or "100%,"  and in fact a few said that it took up to
a year for some of the symptoms to subside fully.  Several said that
since I'd been feeling some relief after four weeks on the diet, the
recurrence of the full-blown raging symptoms probably indicated an
accidental ingestion of gluten rather than just the basic ups and downs
of recovery.   Many thanks to the individuals who sent specific
suggestions of where to hunt for hidden gluten, particularly to the
person (whose e-mail got zapped in the glitch) who suggested I look for
maltodextrin in my vitamins.  This turned out to be the culprit, in the
probiotic I had started taking just a few days before I wrote in here.
Thanks also to those who emphasized lactose intolerance and gave specific
suggestions for milk subsitutes, etc.,  which I have incorporated into my
diet.  I started feeling better some hours after I stopped the probiotic,
and with each day I've felt better.  I think I'm on my way now.

(2) As to the recovery process itself:   Longtime members of this list
are probably not surprised, but us newbies might find surprising the wide
range of reports about the individual's estimated time between accidental
gluten ingestion and beginning of symptoms:  anywhere from 20 minutes to
4 days.   Same wide variance for the recovery time after the symptoms
began:  from 1 day to 4 days.   Many also told me that these responses
and periods of time changed the longer they stayed GF:  some said, after
having been GF for some years, they found that they became much less
sensitive to small gluten-accidents; others reported just the opposite.
(Same with lactose, by the way.)  I was also surprised at the wide range
of symptoms after a blunder:  pain, bloating, diarrhea, nausea, crying
jags, panics, migraines.  (Since I have a history of panics and
migraines, I am therefore hopeful that these two problems may subside a
bit for me the longer I am GF. An unexpected source of help for me, since
I guess I went into this diet thinking that only my gastric troubles
would be relieved!)  Some also confirmed that when initially going GF
some of these symptoms got a little worse before they got better (which
seems to have been true for me-- while my pain and bloating subsided upon
going GF, the diarrhea was worse than ever for a  couple of weeks, and
panic also got worse in that first phase, too).

Thanks again for your patience with us newcomers, and for your support!
I feel a lot more comfortable with the diet and my own process now.
Information and hope are both so essential.

Best,
Tita B. in MO

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*