Intestinal Villus: Does That Damage Heal?

[J.Podi]

Hi, I have looked everywhere online to answer this question and have not found an answer, I would ask my GI Dr but i have been cut off insurance for ten years, I started going gluten free when my IBS went crazy I thought I had gastro paresis, and then I wondered if I had mucosal atrophy, started passing acid and blood, my scalp got crazy dermatitis then most of my hair started falling out, I felt like i drank drano when I had coffee and it seemed all food made me this way except for potatos and broccoli of which i lived on, I had a flexible sigmoidoscopy and my GI told me he couldnt get into my small intestine and at the time I had no idea why he told me that and why it mattered, I am fatigued, I break out in the most painful comados which burned and itched my skin is dry and burns all the time now, sometimes i pass stools as small in diameter as a pencil there is visible blood and sometimes just the smell of blood and rotting that is not the normal stool smell... I have no idea of where to turn or what I have but gluten free is seeming to help and im lactose intolerant have dermagraphia and have oral allergies to eggplant and pineapple, can anyone point me in the right direction?

and if it is celiac will my villus grow back?

[1desperateladysaved]

The villi heal.  I believe they start healing as soon as you go gluten free.  My nutrient levels were low at diagnosis.  They actually went lower at first gluten free.  After that they came up to normal.  The nutrient levels going up would show that the villi are absorbing better now.  I feel better, and want that for you too.

 

D

[kareng]

They start healing immediately. It can take from a few weeks to a couple of years for full healing. Some of that depends on how gluten free people actually are, age, length of time they have had the damage, etc.

[NoGlutenCooties]

Personally, I would be very concerned about the blood in the stool.  Yes, this is a possibility with Celiac but it can have other, much more serious causes as well.  If there is any way you can get checked out by a doctor I think it would be a good idea.  But yes, if it is Celiac and you go 100% gluten-free, your villi will heal.  From what I've read, the villi are only like one cell thick and actually heal very quickly.

[nvsmom]

L-glutamine can help with muscle and mucosal healing so it is thought that it can help speed up up villi recovery.

 

With pellet poops and blood, I would guess the blood is from hemorrhoids, especially if it is new and bright red blood. If you have old, blackish blood in your stool, that is something to investigate immediately.  Celiac can cause constipation like that, as can hypothyroidism which fits some of your symptoms too. Perhaps try a google search of hashimoto's and see if hypothyroidism could apply to you as well.

 

Best wishes and welcome to the board.

[eers03]

It heals.  If the bleeding persists you should consult a doctor, PA, or nurse practitioner.  I agree, bright red could be temporary but dark/black/sandy blood needs to be checked out.  Stay away from gluten if you think its helping and absolutely stay away from lactose if you know you are allergic.

[Posterboy]

Hi, I have looked everywhere online to answer this question and have not found an answer, I would ask my GI Dr but i have been cut off insurance for ten years, I started going gluten free when my IBS went crazy I thought I had gastro paresis, and then I wondered if I had mucosal atrophy, started passing acid and blood, my scalp got crazy dermatitis then most of my hair started falling out, I felt like i drank drano when I had coffee and it seemed all food made me this way except for potatos and broccoli of which i lived on, I had a flexible sigmoidoscopy and my GI told me he couldnt get into my small intestine and at the time I had no idea why he told me that and why it mattered, I am fatigued, I break out in the most painful comados which burned and itched my skin is dry and burns all the time now, sometimes i pass stools as small in diameter as a pencil there is visible blood and sometimes just the smell of blood and rotting that is not the normal stool smell... I have no idea of where to turn or what I have but gluten free is seeming to help and im lactose intolerant have dermagraphia and have oral allergies to eggplant and pineapple, can anyone point me in the right direction?

and if it is celiac will my villus grow back?

 

 

J. Podi,

 

I did much research like your self and continue to research these questions you pose.

 

Let me first refer you to Jane Anderson on About.com Refratory Celiac Disease: Frightening but very, very rare then let me add my two cents.  She goes one to say in her linked article that it occurs in less than two percent of Celiac sufferers.

 

So yes Villi does heal and often very rapidly.  Think a shag carpet once left alone often returns to normal especially if you 'fluff' it up with your hand.

 

Someone already mentioned this in the blog.  Glutamine is know to essentially do that helping the intestional lining to recover more easily.

 

I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice but from my research 2 years is a normal recovery time. 

 

But most people begin to see tangible results in as little 1 month unless background 'hidden' gluten has not been eliminated like some innoccous sounding as malt as an example which an old celiac knows is a barley (gluten source) product unless it has an adjective in it like Corn Malt etc.  Just one of many examples you will have to read up on or learn by trial and error or become an excellent label reader.

 

This means NO cheating which mean probably not eating out much either.  Even accidental exposures can trigger this auto-immune reaction.  

 

Think of a coral reef when healthy the whole sea is healthy when bleached "villi" all the host fish communities die out too but the good news you have an easily managed problem now that you are aware of what to avoid.

 

While not easily when eating processed foods easy enough when you cook yourself . . . Gluten need never bother you again.

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

Posterboy,