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Bloating - Help? :(

Waitingindreams

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Waitingindreams Enthusiast
Waitingindreams
Posted

I know some people experience major bloating after eating foods with gluten in them...but I have been bloated almost non stop, even after cutting gluten out of my diet. 

 

My stomach is huge, I have no idea why the bloating won't go down. I am pretty careful, even going so far as to eliminate hand sanitizers and shampoos with gluten in them. I read that digestive supplements and probiotics as well as drinking more water can help the bloat go down. Does anyone else have any other tips? For awhile I couldn't drink much water...it was making me sick..but now I am gradually able to drink more water again, thankfully. Can anyone recommend good probiotics/digestive enzymes that actually work for bloating? It seems like there's always something wrong. I know my stomach is far too big for my size...it looks like I'm pregnant.. please help? :(

 

I also have gall stones, not sure if that matters...

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1desperateladysaved Proficient
1desperateladysaved
Posted

I can relate to being asked when the baby is due, when it is not!  :mellow: I remember the days when my tummy never went down anymore.  Mine appears to finally be subsiding, I don't know that I discovered a brilliant cure.

 

 I am 18 months gluten free and have found many food intolerances and used supplements for support and healing.   I am using Restore Probiotic, and believe it is doing more than the others I have tried before , I am also using Genuine NZIMES Dr. Howell's Original Formula Extra Strength for enzymes.  They appear to be working for me, but perhaps when I started using them, it was just time to debloat?! 

 

I also am finding the SCD diet (special Carbohydrate Diet) a very delicious and satisfying diet.  It is specially for people with celiac that are trying to heal.  It tries to have you not eat foods that are hard to digest.

 

How long did you have symptoms and how long have you lived gluten free?

 

Best wishes for your healing, Hang in there.

 

D

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w8in4dave Community Regular
w8in4dave
Posted

I think Diane hit it when she said other intolerance's , after going Gluten free I found I had a corn intolerance and it made me bloat and gassy .... So you may want to do a food diary. 

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WestCoastGirl Apprentice
WestCoastGirl
Posted

How long have you been gluten-free? If it hasn't been very long, you could still just be bloated/inflamed.

 

If it has been a while, like the others said above, consider other food intolerances. I have discovered I can't do dairy. I do bloat from dairy, but only in my stomach (with gluten, it's my entire body - face, wrists, etc.).

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deb445 Rookie
deb445
Posted

I think Diane hit it when she said other intolerance's , after going Gluten free I found I had a corn intolerance and it made me bloat and gassy .... So you may want to do a food diary. 

Oh yeah. The corn bloat. I sure don't miss it!

 

I also find that MSM helps reduce inflammation.

 

Best,

D

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w8in4dave Community Regular
w8in4dave
Posted

What is MSM? I have never heard of that before. Always something huh?

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Waitingindreams Enthusiast
Waitingindreams
  • Author
Posted

Thank you for the replies! I definitely don't think I have a corn intolerance. I guess it's possible, but I've never noticed a reaction with it, and I've been eating it more now since my diagnosis. I am lactose intolerant and I still eat dairy - but far less than I used to, and I take lactaid pills. 

 

1desperatelady - I have been gluten free for five months now. When did I start seeing symptoms...well, I've been on/off sick for half of my life (13 years now). All of my symptoms were random and seemingly unrelated, but they were all related to the celiac disease. I might try the enzymes you recommended. I was looking into Digest Gold digestive enzymes, but now that they've added "ATPro" to their forumla, I've seen a few negative reviews. Ugh it's like we just can't win. 

 

WestCoastgirl - what would you consider 'awhile'? I was diagnosed five months ago, so I gave up gluten about five months ago..and it's been a process. I'm working through getting rid of all body/hair products that have gluten in them, too. I don't think five months is that long, so hopefully it's like you said...I'm just still inflamed. :(

 

I just purchased Culturelle probiotics, so I'm hoping that helps too. :( 

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GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Hi Waitinindreams,

 

Bacteria feeds on carbs and sugars.   Things like rice or sugary drinks are big fun meals for bacteria.  So it can help to avoid those things.  I like Naturemade products myself.  If you stick to meat and cooked veggies for a while it may help.  Peppermint tea can help get gas out of the stomach, but you shouldn't drink it every day IMHO.

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anti-soprano Apprentice
anti-soprano
Posted

WaitinginDreams-

I didn't think I had other intolerances either.  But I definitely do!  I went on for a year of being gluten-free without figuring it out. Can't seem to digest corn.  Also, a fair amount of dairy gives me problems with C and a lot of dairy results in D- yikes.  

 

I was horribly bloated while I spend 5 weeks in a study abroad program in Germany.  Although I only had 2 cases of CC glutening that were mild, I could barely wear the pants I had with me on some days.  It was ridiculous!  Germany has lots of corn products instead of rice.  A couple corn cakes every morning resulted in wondering what I was going to wear the next day (Hmmm, how about a nice moo-moo?!?)  I have not been bloated in months and life is soooo much better.

 

Explore the possibility of other foods that may be bothering you- it's worth it.  Apparently, corn is hard to digest as well as beans.  So with our weakened systems, it makes sense that we can't tolerate them in large quantities, at least for now.  It's the same reason you are likely lactose intolerance.  Your little villi have been flattened and aren't producing enough enzymes.  I had no other symptoms besides bloating and constipation.  Don't let the word "intolerance" mislead you.  It is not the same as "gluten intolerance" and all the wonderful things that come with that label for so many.

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  • 2 weeks later...
w8in4dave Community Regular
w8in4dave
Posted

Thank you for the replies! I definitely don't think I have a corn intolerance. I guess it's possible, but I've never noticed a reaction with it, and I've been eating it more now since my diagnosis. I am lactose intolerant and I still eat dairy - but far less than I used to, and I take lactaid pills. 

 

1desperatelady - I have been gluten free for five months now. When did I start seeing symptoms...well, I've been on/off sick for half of my life (13 years now). All of my symptoms were random and seemingly unrelated, but they were all related to the celiac disease. I might try the enzymes you recommended. I was looking into Digest Gold digestive enzymes, but now that they've added "ATPro" to their forumla, I've seen a few negative reviews. Ugh it's like we just can't win. 

 

WestCoastgirl - what would you consider 'awhile'? I was diagnosed five months ago, so I gave up gluten about five months ago..and it's been a process. I'm working through getting rid of all body/hair products that have gluten in them, too. I don't think five months is that long, so hopefully it's like you said...I'm just still inflamed. :(

 

I just purchased Culturelle probiotics, so I'm hoping that helps too. :(

You may have just not givin your gluten-free diet enuf time. And you know Corn is in just about everything. They add corn to alot of gluten-free stuff. Also canned goods, soda , not saying thats your problem just suggesting. 

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jeanzdyn Apprentice
jeanzdyn
Posted

I think Diane hit it when she said other intolerance's , after going Gluten free I found I had a corn intolerance and it made me bloat and gassy .... So you may want to do a food diary. 

 

I think that there are other food intolerances that are "hidden" by the Celiac or the gluten intolerance.  Like your body is working so hard to combat itself, in the case of Celiac disease, that it kind of fails to alert you to other problems.  For example, I never had an issues with citrus, then suddenly, after a year of being gluten free I was (and am) allergic to citrus!  I cannot have any citrus at all because the symptoms are like torture --burning, itching --no rash or eruptions, just terrible, terrible burning itching! 

 

I am starting to have sensitivities to other things now (2 years gluten free).....  I really cannot help believing that my body, fighting the celiac symptoms, was "masking" other intolerances, allergies, and issues.

 

And:  A food diary is an excellent idea!!  I kept a food diary for 7 years and it helped me to figure out a lot of things!!

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w8in4dave Community Regular
w8in4dave
Posted

And actually If you have Celiac or are intolerant to Gluten, when 1st going on Gluten free Diet alot of people have problems with Dairy products. All to do with your Villi .... 

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BelleVie Enthusiast
BelleVie
Posted

Hi Waitinindreams,

 

Bacteria feeds on carbs and sugars.   Things like rice or sugary drinks are big fun meals for bacteria.  So it can help to avoid those things.  I like Naturemade products myself.  If you stick to meat and cooked veggies for a while it may help.  Peppermint tea can help get gas out of the stomach, but you shouldn't drink it every day IMHO.

 

Why should one not drink peppermint tea everyday, GFinDC? I'm just curious. I have never heard that before. 

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GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Why should one not drink peppermint tea everyday, GFinDC? I'm just curious. I have never heard that before. 

 

Hi Belle Vie,

 

I think of peppermint tea as almost a medicine.  It has an affect on the stomach muscles, relaxing them.  Drinking it everyday means your body is always being affected like that.  The affect may not be as strong after a while, but probably won't stop completely.  Your body may become acclimated to it.  Then when you really want it to help you with a problem, it may not work as well as it could.  I used to drink peppermint tea all the time, it was my favorite tea.  I stopped it for a while, for no particular reason that I recall, and noticed my bowels were more active and stronger.  So maybe that was just me, but I believe it can affect our digestion process.  I still drink it sometimes, but not everyday.

 

The main benefit of peppermint tea in my opinion is to get gas out of the stomach.  I want to reserve it for that use when needed, so I don't drink it everyday.  Not that I have a big problem with stomach gas anymore, but it used to be an issue and cause a lot of pain for me.  I hope that makes some sense to you. :)

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BelleVie Enthusiast
BelleVie
Posted

Yes, and thank you for explaining. I can certainly see that being the case! 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Waitingindreams Enthusiast
Waitingindreams
  • Author
Posted

Wow, thank you again to everyone for your replies! I have recently been looking into the "Specific Carbohydrates Diet", (it's said to be good for people with any auto immune disorder, ranging from Ulcerative colitis to celiac disease) and I am hoping that helps with all of my symptoms. I cut out soda/all drinks apart from water (mostly) a long time ago, but I have noticed that my candidiasis noticeably flares up after I eat chocolate/sugar. I ordered SCD approved probiotics, digestive enzymes, and a multivitamin, so I really hope this all helps.

 

I think I'm going to look into the other intolerances - might as well. Is there a blood test for corn intolerance? Is there just a standardized test for all food intolerances? I never actually got tested for the lactose intolerance - I just figured it out myself when products with a lot of lactose were upsetting my stomach (milk, icecream, etc) and I found the lactaid pills helped. I did notice the bloating got down after I started taking Culturelle and cut back on rice...so could it be a rice intolerance, or does rice just make everyone bloat? I was eating far more rice products than corn, because I preferred the taste.

 

This is exhausting! 

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1desperateladysaved Proficient
1desperateladysaved
Posted

I dreamed of doing an ALCAT test, but my doctor didn't offer it.  However, I had a good experience using Genova Food Intolerance testing.  They tested 60 foods and I had problems with 49.  When I cut these foods out of my diet, my mind cleared.  These tests are not yet qualified for insurance companies in the states yet.  The rotational diet that came with it further helped me to realize which foods were a problem as I added foods back in.  In order to eliminate so many things from my diet, I added in some more unusual meats, fruits, and vegetables nearly as many as I could find.

 

D

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GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

An elimination diet is a good way to find your other food intolerances.  There are blood tests for allergies but not many good tests for food intolerances.  So an elimination diet is the best bet.

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Waitingindreams Enthusiast
Waitingindreams
  • Author
Posted

Well, it looks like I'm on the right track then! The diet I am currently trying now is a no grain diet...so corn and rice will both be eliminated until I heal completely (assuming the diet works) and then I can introduce them back in slowly, one at a time.

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w8in4dave Community Regular
w8in4dave
Posted

Well, it looks like I'm on the right track then! The diet I am currently trying now is a no grain diet...so corn and rice will both be eliminated until I heal completely (assuming the diet works) and then I can introduce them back in slowly, one at a time.

That is an excellent idea! :) Hope you feel better soon...

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C-Girl Contributor
C-Girl
Posted

I know some people experience major bloating after eating foods with gluten in them...but I have been bloated almost non stop, even after cutting gluten out of my diet. 

 

My stomach is huge, I have no idea why the bloating won't go down. I am pretty careful, even going so far as to eliminate hand sanitizers and shampoos with gluten in them. I read that digestive supplements and probiotics as well as drinking more water can help the bloat go down. Does anyone else have any other tips? For awhile I couldn't drink much water...it was making me sick..but now I am gradually able to drink more water again, thankfully. Can anyone recommend good probiotics/digestive enzymes that actually work for bloating? It seems like there's always something wrong. I know my stomach is far too big for my size...it looks like I'm pregnant.. please help? :(

 

I also have gall stones, not sure if that matters...

 

I would highly recommend a visit to your gynecologist, ask for an ultrasound. It might be your celiac, but bloating is also a symptom of ovarian cysts and cancer. Not to be alarmist, but the symptoms of ovarian cancer are so close to celiac, and are subtle, so if you are this uncomfortable it's definitely worth checking into.

 

Otherwise, my nutritionist recommended eliminating all FODMAPS to help symptoms: that includes all fructose (apples in particular make my guts go crazy), fructans, oligosaccharides etc. That means no gluten, of course, no dairy (even lactaid milk and using lactaid pills lets a LOT of lactose through), no gassy beans like pinto, black beans, etc. no cabbage. There are lots of lists out there on the internet.

 

The FODMAPS diet absolutely fixed my symptoms, resulting in my Christmas miracle. But then I started adding things back and am struggling again. Guess I need some more time with it.

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anti-soprano Apprentice
anti-soprano
Posted

Let me know how the SCD goes!  I looked into that a while back in the middle of a desperate night, but I just couldn't commit because the two guys are such "salesmen".  I was wary of the commercial aspect of it.  But the foods that bother me the least at this point are the foods they say to start with- so maybe they know what they're doing :)  

 

There are many different forms of elimination diets and rotational diets out there.  I think it's a matter of picking your poison and finding which one sounds easiest to you.  People have improved on many different "plans" and often swear by them.

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1desperateladysaved Proficient
1desperateladysaved
Posted

There is a book about the SCD diet.  "Breaking the Vicious Cycle."  It is written by Elaine Gottschall B.A. M.S.c.  Their is a website associated with it that tells the legal foods.  I got a used copy online for a couple of dollars.  This type of diet has been helpful to me.

 

D

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Brandiwine Contributor
Brandiwine
Posted

The elimination diet really is the best choice for you right now. Your still so early into it and there is sooo much to learn. Cutting out any processed foods and hard to digest foods are a good idea. Once your systems heals you maybe able to tolerate things that bother you now. In the beginning I had a hard time with beans, corn, dairy, chocolate, peppers, tomatoes, sugar, nuts, greens.... pretty much I could eat rice and some veggies and most fruits, but now I can eat almost all of those, I still don't do dairy I don't tolerate it well the only dairy I consume is whatever might be in a candy bar. Anyways, it's a learning process and it's different for everyone. Good Luck!

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  • 2 weeks later...
Waitingindreams Enthusiast
Waitingindreams
  • Author
Posted

Thanks again everyone for your advice! So far so good on the diet - but it hasn't been too long. It's really hard to stick with it, but the results will be worth it, assuming it works.

 

My experience on the diet so far:

 

The candidiasis seems to be clearing up really nicely already, in addition to using the creams I was given to use before. I am not yet using any antifungals, but I am planning on doing an apple cider vinegar cleanse soon. I also plan to start incorporating coconut oil into my diet.

 

The rosacea seems to be clearing up better too - at times my face looks lighter than it ever has, and I don't notice as much flushing.  Some days I wake up and my face is really broken out, but just using some Neutrogena acne wash and aczone clears it up within a few hours.

 

The tinea versicolor is gone from what I can tell, but I think that faded away before I started this diet.

 

Visibly I don't see much of a change in the bloating/stomach area (which is scary) but my pants do fit looser. Since I am lactose intolerant, I did cut back on dairy A LOT, but I still eat cheddar and provolone cheese (both are SCD approved). I'm going to see if completely eliminating dairy helps my skin/bloating.

 

The sebhorreic dermatitis is doing much better as well...but I still have an issue with the back of my hairline, which of course is what causes the flakes. Ugh. I didn't know that lactaid pills still let a lot of lactose through, that is discouraging. I think I need to give dairy a rest for awhile :(

 

I made an appointment to visit with a Naturopath that my friend recommended me to see -  I am hoping he will give me some more ideas to really make sure I heal properly!

 

 

 

Thanks again everyone! 

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      By trents · Posted

      But if you have been off of wheat for a period of weeks/months leading up to the testing it will likely turn out to be negative for celiac disease, even if you actually have celiac disease. Given your symptoms when consuming gluten, we certainly understand your reluctance to undergo  the "gluten challenge" before testing but you need to understand that the testing may be a waste of time if you don't. What are you going to do if it is negative for celiac disease? Are you going to go back to merrily eating wheat/barley/rye products while living in pain and destroying your health? You will be in a conundrum. Do I or do I not? And you will likely have a difficult time being consistent with your diet. Celiac disease causes inflammation to the small bowel villous lining when gluten containing grains are consumed. This inflammation produces certain antibodies that can be detected in the blood after they reach a certain level, which takes weeks or months after the onset of the disease. If gluten is stopped or drastically reduced, the inflammation begins to decrease and so do the antibodies. Before long, their low levels are not detectable by testing and the antibody blood tests done for diagnosing celiac disease will be negative. Over time, this inflammation wears down the billions of microscopic, finger-like projections that make up the lining and form the nutrient absorbing layer of the small bowel where all the nutrition in our food is absorbed. As the villi bet worn down, vitamin and mineral deficiencies typically develop because absorption is compromised. An endoscopy with biopsy of the small bowel lining to microscopically examine this damage is usually the second stage of celiac disease diagnosis. However, when people cut out gluten or cut back on it significantly ahead of time before the biopsy is done, the villous lining has already experienced some healing and the microscopic examination may be negative or inconclusive. I'm not trying to tell you what to do I just want you to understand what the consequences of going gluten free ahead of testing are as far as test results go so that you will either not waste your time in having the tests done or will be prepared for negative test results and the impact that will have on your dietary decisions. And, who are these "consultants" you keep talking about and what are their qualifications? You are in the unenviable position that many who joint this forum have found themselves in. Namely, having begun a gluten free diet before getting a proper diagnosis but unwilling to enter into the gluten challenge for valid testing because of the severity of the symptoms it would cause them.
    • Fluka66
      Waiting for urgent referral.

      By Fluka66 · Posted

      Thank you very much for your reply. I hadn't heard of celiac disease but began to notice a pattern of pain. I've been on the floor more than once with agonising pain but this was always put down to another abdominal problem consequently I've been on a roundabout of backwards and forwards with another consultant for many years. I originally questioned this diagnosis but was assured it was the reason for my pain. Many years later the consultant gave up and I had a new GP. I started to cut out certain food types ,reading packets then really started to cut out wheat and went lactose free. After a month I reintroduced these in one meal and ended screaming in agony the tearing and bloating pain. With this info and a swollen lymph node in my neck I went back to the GP.  I have a referral now . I have also found out that acidic food is causing the terrible pain . My thoughts are this is irritating any ulcers. I'm hoping that after a decade the outlook isn't all bad. My blood test came back with a high marker but I didn't catch what it was. My GP and I have agreed that I won't go back on wheat just for the test due to the pain , my swollen lymph node and blood test results.  Trying to remain calm for the referral and perhaps needed to be more forceful all those years ago but I'm not assertive and consultants can be overwhelming. Many thanks for your reply . Wishing you all the best.
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