I Want New Villi

[Sambucca]

Hi Everyone, I'm new here *waves* I self diagnosed about 3 months ago. I have been gluten free (strict) for 3 months. I am also taking some nutritional supplements and finding that I cannot absorb them. I basically get bad diarrhea...I am just taking small doses and trying to work my way up but have seen really no improvement in 3 months. I know it will take time for my villi to heal, but I'm just wondering how long? I guess I hoped I would have seen improvement by now. Can anyone share any stories about how long it took their stomach's to heal? I am 29 years old. Thanks, and I look forward to getting to know you all and the support here

[ravenwoodglass]

Welcome to the board. Have you made sure the supplements and any other meds you take are gluten free?  Did your doctor rule out any other issues before you decided to go gluten free? What are you typically eating? Whole unprocessed foods cooked at home are safest. Are you living with gluten eaters? If you are living with them are you making sure you are doing all you need to do to protect yourself from cross contamination? It can take a while to heal but you should have noticed some improvement in the D by now. Many of us also need to drop dairy until we heal and it might not be a bad idea to drop soy also.

[Sambucca]

Hi,
I'm doing this under the advice of a naturopathic Dr. Yes the supplements are gluten free. It's actually the supplements "causing the diarrhea" not cause they are bad supplements but because I cannot absorb them properly yet. I'm eating whole foods prepared at home. Eggs, roast chicken, sweet potato, salad, etc. I'm already dairy free and soy free. My whole household is gluten free so cross contamination shouldn't be an issue.

[Sambucca]

I maybe worded this wrong. Sorry. I shouldn't say I haven't noticed "anything". I have noticed improvements in my overal health. I've lost 25lbs since going gluten free 3 months ago and my skin is much nicer. I had an itchy flaky rash on my scalp that's gone. I just haven't noticed my ability to absorb nutrients get better yet, is what I meant.

[mushroom]

Is one of your supplements a digestive enzyme?  Often a big reason we are not absorbing our food is that we have temporarily lost the ability of the pancreas to make enough enzymes to break it down.  Many of us find that taking a digestive enzyme with each meal helps enormously.  This should also help you break down and absorb your supplements.