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Help. Pain In My Gut & Not Digesting, Probio's

designerstubble

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designerstubble Enthusiast
designerstubble
Posted

Hi...

 

Any ideas... I have been on my strict diet a while now, all going ok, was feeling... dare i say it... good! But slowly, my BM are not good, undigested food EVERY time, VERY loose, not formed at all. And  I have a pain in my top right corner of my abdomen... right by the lower rib. Somethime achey, sometimes pinchy.

 

I dont want to worry (I'm having enough issues with my little boy at the moment to keep my stress levels high), anyone know anything... I havent been taking my probios for about a month as I cant find a gluten-free, dairy free, soya free, and CORN free one here in UK...

 

Are probiotics a must? Do they really help? Could it be this? I thought probiotics were only useful in the large colon?

Is it a life long thing?

 

Could this be something sinister, I'm not really up for visiting my doctor, as I am about to change doctors again.

I need some self help tips!

 

Thank you thank you thank you!

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dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

I haven't found that probiotics make all that much difference, though they do make some difference so I continue to take a probiotic as well as eat my 100% grass fed yogurt.  I'd look at recent changes to your diet.  If there none, sometimes the change was made at the supplier end.  I have found those the most difficult to figure out.  I have just had to keep on doing elimination/challenge diets until I found the right thing.  One thing that helped me was to sometimes eat more of something to see if things get worse.  Sometimes that is faster or easier than elimination.  It seems that I have gotten more sensitive over time.  That could be happening to you too.  By strict diet, do you mean mainly produce and unprocessed meats?  If not, you could try that.  I hope you feel better soon.

designerstubble Enthusiast
designerstubble
Posted
  • Author

I haven't found that probiotics make all that much difference, though they do make some difference so I continue to take a probiotic as well as eat my 100% grass fed yogurt.  I'd look at recent changes to your diet.  If there none, sometimes the change was made at the supplier end.  I have found those the most difficult to figure out.  I have just had to keep on doing elimination/challenge diets until I found the right thing.  One thing that helped me was to sometimes eat more of something to see if things get worse.  Sometimes that is faster or easier than elimination.  It seems that I have gotten more sensitive over time.  That could be happening to you too.  By strict diet, do you mean mainly produce and unprocessed meats?  If not, you could try that.  I hope you feel better soon.

Thanks for that... thats a good idea about trying more of something...these elimination diets are so exhausting. Interesting that the probiotics havent made much difference for you, i have just read a thread where everyone was saying how good they are...it's so confusing, i thought they weren't doing much but maybe they were? Aaaaaaaagh!

My strict diet is basically unprocessed fruit and veg (i am vegetarian so do not eat meat)... I have got so many allergies since being gluten-free that even my beloved seeds are out, and eggs are gone too sadly. So its fruit and veg. If it wasn't for my green juice in the morning I'm not sure how i would exist or if I would still be alive? 

I just don't understand why everything comes out in the same state that i ate it virtually? Worrying really.

Thanks for your help, I'm trying to be positive, I have even taken up TaeKwonDo! Only once a week, but I don't have the energy for more... 

 

Ps. Are you ever able to include those things you have eliminated because of sensitivity further along, with time?

jhol Enthusiast
jhol
Posted

hi designer stubble,

 

you sound just like me at the moment- im really struggling. im veggie too( 20 years) and ive seriously been thinking of buying some meat to try!!!!!

 

i too felt fantastic the first few weeks and its been downhill from there. foods that i was eating last month are now a no go. i just took some rice noodles out of the cupboard- there rice noodles right - made out of rice. but no theyve got potato starch in them!!! the gluten free pretzels i was snacking on,potato and soya!!. been feeling crap for past few weeks, im thinking its the soya. so now its veggie,no gluten,no dairy, no nightshades,no eggs,no drinking,no acidy fruits and no soya. dont know what id do if i lost corn !! my bm,s have undigested food in them too and are yellow :blink: im  livin off rice, sweet potato, and hummus at the moment.

soz i cant help you with any advice though.  im really hoping i can reintroduce some foods at sometime.

VeggieGal Contributor
VeggieGal
Posted

hey, I'm veggie too and having all the same problems...just so unsure which intolerances/allergies I have but know I've got to cut dairy out for sure which is a pain!

I can't normally have corn either but seem ok on the Holland & Barrett mega potency Probiotic Acidophilus (3 billion) its No starch, milk, lactose, soya, gluten, wheat, yeast, fish, porcine, flavours, sweeteners, artificial colours...but does have maltodextrin?? is that corn. I do feel better when I remember to take them anyway.

Hope you feel well soon.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

Designer, if I'm not mistaken, Steph has DH, and those with DH don't usually get the villi damage the rest of us do. They may get digestive SYMPTOMS the way folks with non-celiac gluten intolerance do, but if probiotics don't help her, that could be the reason why.

 

I am in the same boat with you. So many intolerances I can't find any supplements without SOMETHING I can't have. The solution is to eat fermented foods like saurkraut (pardon the spelling), if you can stand the stuff. I can do dairy so I eat organic yogurt - LOTS of it.

 

VeggieGal, maltodextrin DOES have corn, at least it usually does. You could call the company to find out for sure, but if it lists all of those other things it doesn't have without mentioning corn, odds are it deos have corn.

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

Ps. Are you ever able to include those things you have eliminated because of sensitivity further along, with time?

 

I'm afraid not.  In the study recently published about trace gluten referred to in the super sensitive section, they said that most of those participants were able to go back to a typical gluten-free diet.

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GottaSki Mentor
GottaSki
Posted

Hi DS!

 

I used probiotics for several years -- I know they help many folks - but didn't do much for me -- are you taking digestive enzymes?

 

Hated to hear you are having these troubles...many of us do become more sensitive as time gluten-free passes -- I remain ever hopeful that I'll get many of the healthful foods I have lost back and you will too!

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

Designer, if I'm not mistaken, Steph has DH, and those with DH don't usually get the villi damage the rest of us do. They may get digestive SYMPTOMS the way folks with non-celiac gluten intolerance do, but if probiotics don't help her, that could be the reason why.

 

I don't have DH, that was another family member.  Probiotics do help.  They just don't help as much as I would like. 

designerstubble Enthusiast
designerstubble
Posted
  • Author

Thanks my lovelies. Your all great help, it's just nice to know I'm not on my own. I thought by now I would have picked up a bit... gluten-free for over 6 months. I'm down in the dumps today, I want to reply to you all individually but I'm so cross and upset with this new 'pressure hives' situation that has been coming on slowly (and peaked today with most of my arm covered)...just wanna go and curl into a ball and cry. So I hope you excuse me, I think I'll feel better if I do that.

Oh and that's bartful, I'll look into sauerkraut... Veggie gal, corn in the holland and barret ones (even higher nature dont do them)... Ugh.

My stomach pain, my hives and welts, my crap everything. :(

GottaSki Mentor
GottaSki
Posted

Thanks my lovelies. Your all great help, it's just nice to know I'm not on my own. I thought by now I would have picked up a bit... gluten-free for over 6 months. I'm down in the dumps today, I want to reply to you all individually but I'm so cross and upset with this new 'pressure hives' situation that has been coming on slowly (and peaked today with most of my arm covered)...just wanna go and curl into a ball and cry. So I hope you excuse me, I think I'll feel better if I do that.

Oh and that's bartful, I'll look into sauerkraut... Veggie gal, corn in the holland and barret ones (even higher nature dont do them)... Ugh.

My stomach pain, my hives and welts, my crap everything. :(

 

Boo.  I'm stomping my feet here for you!

shadowicewolf Proficient
shadowicewolf
Posted

The upper right area of the abdomen is where the gallbladder sits. Having issues with it are not all that uncommon. In fact, mine got worse after i removed gluten from my diet.

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

I'm with Lisa on the digestive enzyme issue.  You won't get goodness out of your foods or supplements if you can't break them down, and that takes enzymes.  Sometimes gluten knocks our pancreas for a loop and it takes a vacation until we heal, thus stops sending enzymes to the gut for digestion.  I take some called v-zyme made for pharmax in the UK.  Apart from the enzymes themselves the ingredients are cellulose, and vegetable magnesium stearate. :)

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    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

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    • catnapt
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      By catnapt · Posted

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    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome, @catnapt! The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of a minimum of 10g of gluten (about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of two weeks. But if possible stretching that out even more would enhance the chances of getting valid test results. These guidelines are for those who have been eating gluten free for a significant amount of time. It's called the "gluten challenge".  Yes, you can develop celiac disease at any stage of life. There is a genetic component but also a stress trigger that is needed to activate the celiac genes. About 30-40% of the general population possesses the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% of the general population actually develop celiac disease. For most with the potential, the triggering stress event doesn't happen. It can be many things but often it is a viral infection. Having said that, it is also the case that many, many people who eventually are diagnosed with celiac disease probably experienced the actual onset years before. Many celiacs are of the "silent" type, meaning that symptoms are largely missing or very minor and get overlooked until damage to the small bowel lining becomes advanced or they develop iron deficiency anemia or some other medical problem associated with celiac disease. Many, many are never diagnosed or are diagnosed later in life because they did not experience classic symptoms. And many physicians are only looking for classic symptoms. We now know that there are over 200 symptoms/medical problems associated with celiac disease but many docs are only looking for things like boating, gas, diarrhea. I certainly understand your concerns about not wanting to damage your body by taking on a gluten challenge. Your other option is to totally commit to gluten free eating and see if your symptoms improve. It can take two years or more for complete healing of the small bowel lining once going gluten free but usually people experience significant improvement well before then. If their is significant improvement in your symptoms when going seriously gluten free, then you likely have your answer. You would either have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      after several years of issues with a para-gland issue, my endo has decided it's a good idea for me to be tested for celiac disease. I am 70 yrs old and stunned to learn that you can get celiac this late in life. I have just gradually stopped eating most foods that contain gluten over the past several years- they just make me feel ill- although I attributed it to other things like bread spiking blood sugar- or to the things I ate *with* the bread or crackers etc   I went to a party in Nov and ate a LOT of a vegan roast made with vital wheat gluten- as well as stuffing, rolls and pie crust... and OMG I was so sick! the pain, the bloating, the gas, the nausea... I didn't think it would ever end (but it did) and I was ready to go the ER but it finally subsided.   I mentioned this to my endo and now she wants me to be tested for celiac after 2 weeks of being on gluten foods. She has kind of flip flopped on how much gluten I should eat, telling me that if the symptoms are severe I can stop. I am eating 2-3 thin slices of bread per day (or english muffins) and wow- it does make me feel awful. But not as bad as when I ate that massive amnt of vital wheat gluten. so I will continue on if I have to... but what bothers me is - if it IS celiac, it seems stupid for lack of a better word, to intentionally cause more damage to my body... but I am also worried, on the other hand, that this is not a long enough challenge to make the blood work results valid.   can you give me any insight into this please?   thank you
    • trents
      Accuracy of testing concerns

      By trents · Posted

      The biopsy looks for damage to the mucosal lining of the small bowel from the inflammation caused by celiac disease when gluten is ingested. Once you remove gluten from the diet, inflammation subsides and the mucosal lining begins to heal. 
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