Jump to content
  • You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

Intestines Bulging? Should I Worry?


tri-gal

Recommended Posts

tri-gal Rookie

I am non-dx, and have been gluten-free for 11 months, with resolution of symptoms. However,   I have been experiencing either flare ups or some other issue with my intestines. I often get this bulge around my belly button area, mostly on the right side, just below.  Could my intestines be inflamed?  Would a colonoscopy be useful or an elimination diet?

 

thanks so much.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



dilettantesteph Collaborator

I think that these are questions that you should be asking your doctors.  If you aren't getting the care that you need, you need to find another doctor.  I wish you good health.

tri-gal Rookie

Thank you. Good point. I have edited down my post as I realized I was getting way too far into medical issues. I've decided to see if the intestinal aspect is something others experience. thanks again - you are  right.

GottaSki Mentor

Keep looking for answers, do talk to your doctors -- if it continues an elimination diet should happen in addition to medical investigation.

 

I've had intestinal inflammation continue despite being completely gluten-free these past five years -- it can be very frustrating finding the cause.

Fenrir Community Regular

If you are getting an actual palpable bulge it's probably not celiac, more likely to be an umbilical hernia. Not sure about your situation but women that have had babies tend to have more issues with them but they are more common in females in general.

 

However, you should consult with you physician so they can properly diagnose the problem.

tri-gal Rookie

thanks for the suggestion.

maybe bulge is the wrong word. But it's good to raise other possibilities, and I know what you mean as women can get abdominal separation quite commonly too.

In my case, when inflamed, my intestines contract and swell.  It is definitely intestinal -  I get accompanying intestinal upset and problems down under. Doc has historically called it IBS. I think this "flare" may be a glutening after all as now I've developed my migraine too. I didn't give my full  history, but I'm quite certain to have celiac based on my symptoms going back to childhood and then severe onset after last child, birth being a known trigger for severe onset: intestinal  pain, fermentation, ballooning, malabsorption, low iron, b-12, folate, unflushable, sticky tar, rapid weight loss, migraines, balance, fog, itch, mouth ulcers, to top off my teeth missing enamel since child hood and lack of menses until 16.anyway, now I'm just trying to sort out why I get these episodes of inflammation, (Crohn's comes to mind), but I think it is a cc issue.

GottaSki Mentor

thanks for the suggestion.

maybe bulge is the wrong word. But it's good to raise other possibilities, and I know what you mean as women can get abdominal separation quite commonly too.

In my case, when inflamed, my intestines contract and swell.  It is definitely intestinal -  I get accompanying intestinal upset and problems down under. Doc has historically called it IBS. I think this "flare" may be a glutening after all as now I've developed my migraine too. I didn't give my full  history, but I'm quite certain to have celiac based on my symptoms going back to childhood and then severe onset after last child, birth being a known trigger for severe onset: intestinal  pain, fermentation, ballooning, malabsorption, low iron, b-12, folate, unflushable, sticky tar, rapid weight loss, migraines, balance, fog, itch, mouth ulcers, to top off my teeth missing enamel since child hood and lack of menses until 16.anyway, now I'm just trying to sort out why I get these episodes of inflammation, (Crohn's comes to mind), but I think it is a cc issue.

 

Mine contract and swell as well.  Not as bad as prior to dx...unless I run into my severe intolerances which cause extreme abdominal swelling due to an overload of histamine in the digestive system.

 

If you are not, try keeping a food/symptom log as it can help figure out the cause of lingering inflammation triggers.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      134,079
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      10,442

    jchamp080
    Newest Member
    jchamp080
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.7k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      Sigh. I posted this yesterday based on the Safeway website. I went back again today to their website to double check. On the page where they are selling Vanilla Bean flavor, it has a distinct Certified Gluten Free label. Other flavors on the Safeway website didn't have the gluten-free statement. Today I went into the store. None of the flavors I looked at, including Vanilla Bean, have a Gluten Free statement. Is it safe? Who knows. The ingredients are either safe or nearly safe (some have "natural flavor"). There are warnings about "contains milk and soy" but not about wheat - this implies they are safe, but again, who knows. On the other hand, every flavor I checked of their Slow Churn line of ice creams has wheat as an ingredient. 100% not safe.
    • knitty kitty
      Do keep in mind that many of the newly diagnosed have lactose intolerance.  This is because the villi lining the intestinal tract are damaged, and can no longer make the enzyme lactAse which breaks down the milk sugar lactOse.  When the villi grow back (six months to two years), they can again produce the enzyme lactAse, and lactose intolerance is resolved.  However, some people (both those with and without Celiac Disease) are genetically programmed to stop producing lactase as they age.   Do be aware that many processed foods, including ice cream, use Microbial Transglutaminase, a food additive commonly called "meat glue," used to enhance texture and flavor.  This microbial transglutaminase has the same immunogenicity as tissue transglutaminase which the body produces in response to gluten in people with Celiac Disease.  Tissue Transglutaminase (tTg IgA) is measured to diagnose Celiac Disease in blood tests.  Microbial Transglutaminase acts the same as Tissue Transglutaminase, causing increased intestinal permeability and inflammation.   New findings show that microbial transglutaminase may be able to trigger Celiac Disease and other autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.   Microbial Transglutaminase is not required to be listed on ingredients labels as it's considered a processing aid, not an ingredient in the U.S.  Microbial Transglutaminase has been GRAS for many years, but that GRAS standing is being questioned more and more as the immunogenicity of microbial transglutaminase is being discovered. Interesting Reading:  Microbial Transglutaminase Is a Very Frequently Used Food Additive and Is a Potential Inducer of Autoimmune/Neurodegenerative Diseases https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8537092/
    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      There is a 10 year old post in this forum on Edy's and Dreyer's ice cream. The information is somewhat outdated and the thread is closed to further comment, so here is a new one. Edy's And Dreyer's Grand Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - 1.5 Quart is labeled "Gluten Free". This is a different answer than years gone by. I don't know the answer for any other flavor at this moment. On 1 May, 2026, Edy's website says: "As a general rule, the gluten in Edy's and Dreyer's® frozen dessert products is present only in the added bakery products, such as cookies, cake or brownies. We always label the eight major food allergens on our package by their common name. We recommend to always check the label for the most current information before purchasing and/or consuming a product. The exception to this rule is our Slow Churned French Silk frozen dairy dessert, which contains gluten in the natural flavors." https://www.icecream.com/us/en/brands/edys-and-dreyers/faq It seems that Edy's and Dreyer's are more celiac-friendly than they were 10 years ago. Once I found enough information to make today's buying decision, I stopped researching.
    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      probably not your situation @Mimiof2, but allow me to add one more to @trents list of celiac-mimics: "olmesartan-induced sprue-like enteropathy"  
    • knitty kitty
      My dad had an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.  Fortunately, it was discovered during an exam.  The doctor could feel my dad's heart beating in his stomach/abdomen.  The aneurysm burst when the doctor first touched it in surgery.  Since he was already hooked up to the bypass machine, my dad survived ten more years.  Close call! Triple A's can press on the nerves in the spinal cord causing leg pain.  I'm wondering if bowing the head might have increased the pressure on an aneurysm and then the nerves.   https://gulfcoastsurgeons.com/understanding-abdominal-aortic-aneurysm-symptoms-and-causes/ Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Presenting as a Claudication https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4040638/
×
×
  • Create New...