New To The Forum, Questions

[EmilyE]

Hello,

My name is Emily and I am new to this website. Long story short, I got what I thought was a virus about 6 months ago that I couldn't get rid of. I got diarrhea with everything I ate. After a month, I went to the doc and had some stool samples taken. All negative. He just told me to eat no meat or dairy and take a probiotic. 

 

After about 10 days the symptoms got better but never went away completely. I would get random diarrhea anytime I ate out, specifically at lunch time. I always felt like I needed to "go" even if there was nothing there. I decided to go to a GI doc and got a colonoscopy done. All results were normal. The nurse told me to just live my life and not worry about it. Along side the random diarrhea episodes, my stomach began to constantly gargle. Doing my own research, I decided to attempt a gluten free diet. So here I am, one week in to it.

 

I have a few questions I'm hoping you guys can help with. How long does it take for this diet to work? My stomach is still very rumbly, even as I'm typing. If you've been "glutened" how long do the effects last? I did really well for about 6 days, but then ate a rotisserie chicken and Uncle Ben's rice (I learned is not gluten free) and was in the bathroom within the hour. The rumbling picked up after that.

 

thanks everybody, I look forward to your comments!

Emily

[bartfull]

Have you asked your doctor to test you for celiac? It's unfortunate but true that a lot of doctors never even consider it unless we ask.

[NoGlutenCooties]

I agree with Bartfull that you should consider being tested for Celiac before going gluten-free.  Celiac cannot be diagnosed via a colonoscopy.  It entails a bloodtest, usually followed by an endoscopy and biopsy.  Also, I'm not sure about the rotisserie chicken, but Uncle Ben's rice is gluten-free (unless it was a flavored variety - I'm not as familiar with those).

 

Just one other comment... the nurse that told you to get on with your life and not worry about it is a complete moron and as far as I'm concerned should not be allowed to work in the medical field.  Your body is telling you - loud and clear - that something is wrong.  It's important to get to the bottom of it, whether it turns out to be Celiac or not.  Not to be an alarmist, but those of us with Celiac are at greater risk for diabetes, thyroid issues, skin problems, and certain types of cancer.  I'd hate for you to ignore your symptoms, go undiagnosed, and find out down the road that you now have some more serious condition.

[nvsmom]

I had a doctor tell, me when I was a child, that I just happened to get stomach aches after every meal and learn to live with it. We listened to the doctor so I had stomach aches for another 30 years... and developed other autoimmune diseases, chronic migraines and arthralgias.... Don't listen to that nurse.  

 

I too would advise you get tested before going gluten-free. The tests won't be valid if you do it later on while gluten-free.

 

If you do decide to go gluten-free, recovery time really varies. Stomach aches and bloating, as well as headaches are often the first to improve (within days) but some people experience withdrawal, causing headaches, fatigue and some serious mood swings, so be aware that you could feel worse before you get better.  BMs can take months to sort out. Nutrient levels, arthralgias, and cognitive issues seem to take the longest to heal - many months up to a few years.  The gluten-free diet is anything BUT a quick fix.

 

Best wishes and welcome to the board.

[EmilyE]

Hi All,

Thank you for the comments! I didn't realize this even posted successfully because I couldn't find the post after I entered it.

 

I am so sorry I didn't put it in my original note, but I did receive a blood test for celiac. It was negative. Today I ate some gluten free oatmeal and it sent me running. Any thoughts? And yes, the Uncle Ben's rice was flavored and I found on a Mars.com website was not gluten free.

[bartfull]

Which blood tests did you have? If you got a copy you can post them here and some knowledgable folks can help interpret them. Also, false negatives are fairly common.

 

But even if you don't have celiac, you may have non-celiac gluten intolerance, which has similar (and sometimes worse) symptoms. gluten-free oatmeal gives a lot of us trouble so it is not unusual that you would react to it. And I use Uncle Ben's rice but always the plain rice. If I want to flavor it I do it myself.

 

It takes varying times to see results from the diet. I think a lot depends on how long you have had the problem with gluten. But some symptoms take a long time to resolve. You should give it at least a three to six month trial. And DO read the Newbie 101 thread here in the coping section. It'll help you learn to avoid cross-contamination, plus a whole lot more.

[nvsmom]

Hi All,

Thank you for the comments! I didn't realize this even posted successfully because I couldn't find the post after I entered it.

 

I am so sorry I didn't put it in my original note, but I did receive a blood test for celiac. It was negative. Today I ate some gluten free oatmeal and it sent me running. Any thoughts? And yes, the Uncle Ben's rice was flavored and I found on a Mars.com website was not gluten free.

Some people with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten intolerance (NCGI) react to oats even if they are gluten-free. I don't really understand the why of it, but it happens...

 

And new posts sometimes take a few minutes to an hour to show up for the new board members. That will change after you've been posting a while. Welcome to the board.