Misdiagnosed for 30 years

by Georgette
(Hightstown, New Jersey)

I had severe eczema as a child, and I read that eczema is a symptom of gluten intolerance. Then about 20 years ago, I started having joint pain and severe fatigue. I went to my general practitioner, and was told that I had this mysterious condition now known as Fibromyalgia.

I was put on antidepressants and sleeping pills, which I took for 20 some years. Then I was told that I had a very complicated case of depression, and was prescribed MANY different drugs, with really bad side effects.

The doctors treating me at the time had me so drugged out and confused, I wound up in a psychiatric hospital. At that point I had had enough. I went off all medications and started taking my life back.

A few weeks later I met a holistic Chiropractor, who had me change my diet. Within a few days, I was feeling so much better, that I hopped on the internet and started researching different foods, and that is when I came across gluten intolerance.

I began to realize that I never really had Fibromyalgia. I now realize that I'm gluten intolerant. I tested out my theory by eating regular food again, and my symptoms started returning.

Now I'm working on getting my health better, after being on all those medications for all those years.

I have an older sister, who was discovered to be gluten intolerant as a child. Her symptoms were different, and severe enough that she had testing done at the time. If I had been properly diagnosed at a young age, it would have spared me years of suffering.

It really makes me wonder now, whether if people ate the right kind of foods, if they still would need all the pharmaceuticals that they take.