Things To Help With Healing.

[Frosty-35768]

Over this past month I have been gluten and my gut has been damaged pretty good.  Went to the Dr. to see if there was possibly an infection and he couldn't find one, but did find out that I am now anemic.  He told me my number was a 6.  Now this was a urgent care Dr. bc no one else could get me in.  I have an appointment with my family Dr. next week to get the anemia fixed.  I need to see my gastro doc, but I cannot get in until a month.  Anyway back to my question...lol  My stomach was constantly hurting for about a week and has slowly quit hurting bc I have been trying to eat a liquid diet.  What are some things that I can eat that will allow my gut to heal?  I know I have eaten things that are gluten free, but must be hard to digest bc I would hurt pretty good after eating those.  I have cut out my lactose and been eating lightly.  Seems like when I think something would be easy on my stomach I will eat it and then start cramping later.  Anyone have any good suggestions as to what to try?  I am also taking probiotic and fish oil.  I have some digest gold pills, but do not take these all the time.  I have been searching the internet, but I keep finding so much conflicting info.  I thought I might better response from you guys since I know you live with it too.

[1desperateladysaved]

To heal gut:

 

Learn about and stay away from eating all gluten.  Read every label.  It takes a while to get good at this, and after 20 months I still make mistakes!

 

Probiotics-Yes.

 

Digestive enzymes:  According to my functional medicine nurse, when villi in the small intestine are damaged they can't do their job of telling the pancreas to fire.  The enzymes can help break down the food until the villi heal enough to do their job.

 

I used a product called IgG to help my gut heal.  It seemed to help me.  You may want to consider it.

 

Watch for foods that you are not tolerant of.  You might use a rotational diet, (as I do) or some kind of  food and symptoms diary,

 

This is my list after having come through 30+ years of symptoms and 20 months of healing.

 

D

[Frosty-35768]

Thanks.  Yeah it seems like when I get my gut in order I'll eat something and have to start over.  I will look into the IgG.

[cyclinglady]

Wow, I hope that "6" is your Ferritin level and not hemoglobin!  I was anemic too and the lowest hemoglobin was a seven and at that level I was out of breath just talking!  I did not opt for any transfusions, but instead started taking iron with vitamin C at the direction of my doctor.  I also cooked out of cast iron, and ate lots of iron rich foods.  

 

You probably need to eliminate milk products for a while (villi damage prevents milk lactose breakdown) and be sure your supplements and your probiotics are dairy and gluten free.  D is right about the digestive enzymes and I take L-Glutamine to help repair my digestive tract too.  Research on this forum and other reputable sites to make sure which supplements may be best for you.  MD docs are barely savvy enough to diagnose celiac disease let alone how to help speed up healing!  

 

A food journal and food rotation can help identify other food allergies or intolerances.  

 

It just takes time!  Took me six months to get my anemia resolved.  Found that I could not tolerate quinoa and gluten-free oats but I am hopeful I'll get these back.  Have been allergic to milk, eggs, and nuts for decades (runs in the family) too.  

 

There is hope!  Make sure you are gluten-free compliant, research and have patience!  

 

Take care!

[Frosty-35768]

I'm not sure what the 6 referenced. The urgent care doc said I needed to leave then and go to er and get blood, but I didn't. I wanted to go to a celiac dr. first. Nothing against urgent care doc's, but he didn't know anything bout celiac. I tried to tell him anemia is related to celiac and he kept telling me no. I tried to explain, but no good. He kept telling me I need a colonoscopy bc I'm losing blood. I have thought bout a food journal so I could track what I eat better. I've got ther paperwork at home. How do I know the diff between ferritin and hemoglobin if I look for it?

[MissHaberdasher]

I'm in the same boat as you, as far as the stomach pain goes. Perhaps my iron levels explain my fatigue. 

 

I take 5,000 mg of L-Glutamine, and maybe 200 mg of ibuprofen per day, if needed. 

 

I hope you feel better soon :/ 

[bartfull]

Frosty, Frosty, Frosty. You are as bad as I am! Doctor says, "You need this" and I say, "Um, no!"

 

So HAVE you had bloody or very dark stools? If so you MAY be losing blood. Yes, anemia can be related to celiac, but it COULD also be related to something else. If they wanted you to go to the hospital and get a transfusion it must be pretty serious. How are you feeling, other than the digestive problem? Weak? Short of breath? I hope waiting until next week doesn't cause more harm. You could pass out behind the wheel, or fall on the floor and hurt yourself.

 

I say all this knowing that if I were in your place, I'd probably do the same thing you are. Why is it we can see what OTHER people should do, but we never do it ourselves?

[GFinDC]

Hi Frosty,

 

Recovery from a glutening can take a while.  I've had symptoms last for 6 weeks before.  It pays to be careful and avoid the gluten in the first place!   Easy to say now of course, but we all make mistakes at the beginning.

 

Simple foods, low carbs and sugar are helpful.  Carbs and sugars feed lots of gas making bacteria which can cause pain in  an irritated, inflammed gut.  So homecooked meats and simple veggies are a good choice.  Some people find Pepto Bismol is soothing to the gut.  You can try peppermint tea if you are bloated, it helps get gas out.

 

Some starting the gluten-free diet tips for the first 6 months:

Get tested before starting the gluten-free diet.
Get your vitamin/mineral levels tested also.
Don't eat in restaurants
Eat only whole foods not processed foods.
Eat only food you cook yourself, think simple foods, not gourmet meals.
Take probiotics.
Take gluten-free vitamins.
Take digestive enzymes.
Avoid dairy if it causes symptoms.
Avoid sugars and starchy foods. They can cause bloating.
Avoid alcohol.
Watch out for cross contamination.

Helpful threads:

FAQ Celiac com
https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/forum-7/announcement-3-frequently-asked-questions-about-celiac-disease/

Newbie Info 101
https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/91878-newbie-info-101/

What's For Breakfast Today?
https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/81858-whats-for-breakfast-today/

[Frosty-35768]

Im sure the doc will do blood work when I see him. Is there a certain test I should ask for? @bartfull, I am short of breath but not weak. I've been trying to eat iron rich foods. Thanks for all of y'alls advice. I use to take glutamine when I was working out all the time. I'm gonna buy some today and try it. I didn't know the gut benefits of our until recent.

[cyclinglady]

I'm not sure what the 6 referenced. The urgent care doc said I needed to leave then and go to er and get blood, but I didn't. I wanted to go to a celiac dr. first. Nothing against urgent care doc's, but he didn't know anything bout celiac. I tried to tell him anemia is related to celiac and he kept telling me no. I tried to explain, but no good. He kept telling me I need a colonoscopy bc I'm losing blood. I have thought bout a food journal so I could track what I eat better. I've got ther paperwork at home. How do I know the diff between ferritin and hemoglobin if I look for it?

Bart is right! You could pass out! Anemia that bad can cause heart damage.

Your lab report will either say hemoglobin or ferritin.

You do need a colonoscopy to rule out blood loss from a tumor, etc. along with an endoscopy to check for bleeding sources in your stomach and small intestines. The urgent care doc is right about that. Anemia can result from many things -- not just celiac disease. I have a genetic anemia too!

From your postings, it looks like you have not been compliant with your gluten-free diet. After two years, you should be feeling better. That indicates that something else is wrong.

By the way, my iron deficiency anemia resolved within six months of going gluten-free. I know that everyone heals at a different rate, but two years is too long!

[Aquadan005]

GFinDC please expand on your avoid alcohol comment.

[cyclinglady]

In case she doesn't respond, GFinDc recommends ( me too) to avoid alcohol at the beginning until there is some healing. It can bother some just like consuming dairy products. Old timers (those who have been gluten-free for a few years) don't have issues digesting alcohol. Of course, it must be gluten-free!

[GFinDC]

GFinDC please expand on your avoid alcohol comment.

 

Hi Aquadan,

 

Celiac disease causes damage and irritation in the digestive tract.  The point of going gluten-free is to heal the digestive tract, and get rid of the damage, irritation etc.  So consuming alcohol, a known irritant to the digestive tract and strain on the liver is not a wise choice while trying to heal that same digestive tract.  It's like climbing a hill while spraying oil on the path in front of you.  That can make a funny scene in a movie but in real life it's not so fun.  Untreated celiac patients also can have elevated liver enzymes (which isn't good).  So there is already a possible strain on the liver from celiac damage.

 

Eating gluten-free is a choice to help your body heal, and avoiding alcohol during that healing process can make it go faster IMHO.  I am not suggesting people become tee-totalers, but that they take it easy during the first 6 months of healing.  You want (I imagine) to give your body the best chance of healing quickly, and that's what my list of suggestions is aimed at.  Doing a quick search on "alcohol damage to digestive tract" brings up a whole slew of articles about what it does.  While modest alcohol consumption isn't a problem for most people in good health, untreated celiac patients are usually not in good health, especially in the digestive tract.

 

Again, I am not saying celiacs should never drink alcohol, just that it may be helpful to avoid it during the initial healing phase.  Or perhaps limit the amount.  There are higher rates of liver disease associated with celiac disease.  I hope that explains it better.

 

ALCOHOL AND THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM / GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT

Open Original Shared Link

 

Celiac Disease and Liver Disorders

https://www.celiac.com/articles/21501/1/Celiac-Disease-and-Liver-Disorders/Page1.html

....

Liver Transplant

Of 185 patients who underwent transplant, 4.3%, over 4 times the normal population, were positive for celiac disease. In nearly all cases, the cause of the end-stage liver disease requiring transplantation was autoimmune.

....

[Aquadan005]

GFinDC thanks for the info.

[cyclinglady]

Well said, GFinDC!

[livinthelife]

That's interesting! I find that I can't drink much anyway since being sick as alcohol acts like a knock-out drug these days… Oh well! Water is much healthier anyway!

[GFinDC]

Ha Ha!  Water and herbal tea both!