Sodium Chloride Deficiency

Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed with celiac disease about five months ago. I have been sticking to my gf diet with only a few mishaps - I was starting to feel really proud of myself!

Then last week I got really sick - vomiting, headache, dizziness, abdominal cramps and muscle aches - I alternated sleeping and vomiting for about two days. I thought I had a stomach flu. On the fifth day I went to the GI because I was worried that the symptoms were not going away.

After he examined me and did some blood work, he called and told me that I was seriously deficient in salt. I was so surprised by this, I did not know that such a thing was even possible. As a result of the deficiency, I had dehydrated because I had no salt in my system to retain fluid.

Apparently salt is absorbed in the small intestine. I was not absorbing enough b/c of the damage done by the celiac.

I took some salt tablets and ate very salty foods while downing Gatorade. I was feeling better by the next day.

Has this ever happened to anyone else? How do you keep the right balance of salt in your diet? I don't want to start under/over -doing it!

Thanks for the insight,
Annie