New Here - Questions About Symptoms

[hbunting86]

Hi

 

My name is Heather and I'm 27 years old, living in the UK.  I was formally diagnosed with Celiacs 8 months ago, although have been having big problems for a number of years now, starting from post-puberty.  I had a few years of not eating anything containing gluten aged 18-20 but then started eating gluten again as doctors thought I was wasting their time and the problem was in my head.  I then moved to New Zealand and that's when real problems started.  I had severe diarrhea and fatigue, headaches, joint pain and bloatedness and finally got diagnosed over there via biopsy and by blood testing.

 

Since then I have been eating gluten free and very careful to read labels etc.  I've made the odd error as I'm sure most people have, and the result has been for me to be incredibly ill - intense diarrhea and vomiting as well as abdominal pain and bloating.  Basically it had me laid up in bed for days.  My question is how long does it take for the stomach to start to repair itself?  I'm still having severe diarrhea (around 10+ times per day) which is both painful and embarassing and I'm worried that my body will be dehydrated and not be absorbing the required vitamins and minerals.  I'm scared to eat out, as last time the place thickened the sauce with what I'm sure was flour, as my reaction was very extreme.  My boyfriend is a chef and he is convinced this was the case.

 

I have intense urges to go to the bathroom which I can't ignore - I'm worried that I've permanently damaged my stomach and will never be able to use the bathroom normally, or to be able to eat regularly and safely.

 

If anyone has any advice I'd be truly grateful.  It was by chance I stumbled across this forum and am keen to use it and contribute where I can.  Also do others find they have issues with other problems such as lactose intolerance etc?  I'm wondering if cutting out dairy should be my next step.

 

Thanks,

A very fed-up Heather

[flowerqueen]

Hi Heather!

I know how you feel. I too hate going out to eat, as there are so many places that do not fully understand what gluten free means. Not all chefs are as informed as your boyfriend. Some places mistakenly think it's okay to cook the gluten free food in an area where gluten is cooked, as I have found out recently!

I think it depends on the person, how quickly your gut starts to heal again, especially, if you don't know the source of the contamination, as you may be unwittingly gluttening yourself over and over. Some people with Coeliacs disease do not actually have any symptoms - even though it is doing the same damage to the gut when they eat it. Personally, I would drink plenty of water to flush the toxins out of the blood stream and also, try taking a gluten free/wheat free slippery elm capsule after meals (I'm also in the UK and Holland and Barrett do one which is suitable for Coeliacs and people who are dairy intolerant). A lot of people recommend taking a probiotic, but I have found the slippery elm to help sooth the stomach while it's healing.

I hope this helps you.

[AlwaysLearning]

I'd go to the doctor if you've had those symptoms for any more than 2-3 days. There is something called c. difficile (as well as other bacteria and parasites) that has symptoms like you describe.

 

It is caused by the bacteria in your digestive system getting thrown out of balance, allowing the bad ones to grow out of control, killing off the good. Most people get it after being prescribed strong antibiotics, so if you have been on any, I'd go to the doctor ASAP rather than prolong your suffering. And tell the doc about any antibiotics as it would be a huge clue for them for what to test for.

I personally have no idea if a gluten reaction could trigger a bacterial overgrowth though the "bad" bacterial are normal in the digestive system all of the time, so it doesn't necessarily require to you have been exposed to something new. 

And though I'd try to see a doctor as soon as possible, I wouldn't stress too much if you have to wait until Monday. But I would not walk around like this for another week before seeking treatment because bacterial overgrowths can get worse pretty quickly and be much more difficult to treat. 

But look up c dif. for yourself as you're probably the best person to know if the symptoms are more similar to what you are experiencing compared to other gluten reactions you have had in the past.

And I have no idea if taking in any sort of probiotic or yeast would help fight off a bad bacterial overgrowth while you wait for a diagnosis/test results so that may be something else to research or to ask the doctor about.