I am curious - when a celiac begins a gluten-free diet, what is the
typical order in which symptoms begin to clear, and is there a typical
(average) amount of time required for each of the symptoms to recede ?
I realize there may not be a "typical" case of celiac sprue, but any
input here is appreciated.

I've heard of brain fog clearing in a matter of hours. Digestive symptoms
should clear in a few days. I suspect that general aches and pains can take
from months to a year.

Then, some of the known celiac symptoms can take even longer. For example:

Lactose intolerance can appear as a secondary intolerance to gluten
intolerance as the lactase enzyme is produced in the brush border of the
intestine's microvilli. The brush border is compromised in a gluten
consuming celiac. This can take one to two years to recover from, and many
celiacs never lose the lactose problem, as they never achieve the 100% GF
diet. (e.g. Rice Dream has gluten that is not disclosed on the label.)

Dermatitis herpetiformis is a secondary condition that strikes 5% of
celiacs. These patients have an itchy rash due to IgA deposits that collect
under their skin. It can take one to two years on the gluten-free diet for
the deposits to clear away.

Gluten peptides can also accumulate in the kidneys. Dr. Kalle Reichelt,

researching the impact of gluten and/or casein intolerance in autism and
schizophrenia. Here are quotes from a couple of his articles:

   http://www.panix.com/~donwiss/reichelt.html

And -- this is all presuming a *strict* diet. If the diet isn't strict then
there is frequently improvement then regression. This is because the body
initially heals, then becomes more sensitive to very small amounts of
gluten, and becomes symptomatic again.

Don.

I don't think there is a typical case, in part, because hidden sources of
gluten permeate the diet in industrialized nations. Even processed meat
often contains gluten.

I felt "something" different within hours, but I have spoken to others
who took weeks to feel any improvement. Still others only follow the diet
because of the risk of lymphoma. They don't seem to notice any
difference.

Because it has had such a dramatic effect on my life, and because my
brother is dying a horrible death from lymphoma, I can't imagine ever
knowingly ingesting gluten. And because it took over a year to convince
the doctors to test my brother for celiac disease, I feel strongly that
if there is any cause to suspect cd, a simple test makes a lot more sense
than all the potential suffering.

I hope that is helpful.

Sincerely,
Ron Hoggan