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Swollen Stomach Won't Go Away

Booklover15

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Booklover15 Newbie
Booklover15
Posted

I hope this hasn't been asked before. I'm new on here and tried to search. I am 12 weeks gluten free. I had most of the average symptoms: swollen stomach (looked pregnant), pain, gas, etc. hair loss was a biggie for me as well as zero vitamin absorption. I've been on massive supplements for years.

My question, I'm feeling much better being gluten free for over 12 weeks, but I am still having weight fluctuations and my stomach is still protruding; especially after I eat. All the pain and gas is gone, so I don't think I'm eating something my system doesn't like. After I eat, my upper and lower stomach will swell big, almost like the food is just sitting there. After several hours, it will go down and my weight will decrease.

I am a small person (5'2 115 pounds) so every thing shows drastically on me.

Is this swelling normal? Will it ever go away? Like I said. The pain and other terrible symptoms are gone, but this seems to be hanging on. I don't know about the vitamin deficiency for another week when I'm retested. Hair is growing back, yippee!!

Thank you all for all your shared wisdom! I have been lurking on here for many weeks trying to understand Celiac.

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1desperateladysaved Proficient
1desperateladysaved
Posted

Sounds like you are doing well.  Keep up the good work.  I had a stubborn protruding abdomen and mine had to do with other allergies and histamine so far as I can tell.  It finally is going down after I cut out all foods I had antibodies to.  It does tend to get larger again when I am exposed to anything I have allergies to.  I hope you can get to the bottom of your issues soon.

 

Dee

.

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Time. You need more of it. Celiac disease can cause extensive damage and it can take up to 1 to 3 years to heal. Keep a journal and see if you have developed any intolerances (e.g. Dairy/lactose). And make sure gluten is not sneaking into your diet.

Booklover15 Newbie
Booklover15
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the responses! after I wrote this, I started thinking more. Not all symptoms have to be negative. Pre diagnosis, my stomach swelling was constant, a lot bigger, very painful and gassy. Everything I ate went straight through me. The swelling now feels more like you feel after a big Thanksgiving dinner. I am tired and feel full after I eat a meal, but no other symptoms. Maybe this means my system is finally turning on. Very slowly the intestines are actually taking the food and using it like its supposed to. I will ask my doctor next week. I'm a girl, so I hate the swelling and I'm now hungry all the time! :)

Thanks to you all for so much help. Because of this site, I started a food diary right away. I also use it to comment on how I feel that day, etc. So far, I haven't found any major reactions to other foods. Also, I have stayed away from all processed foods--not that I can afford most of them anyway. I eat just cooked veggies, rice, chicken, potatoes, fruit, etc. Thanks so much!

SMRI Collaborator
SMRI
Posted

I was just noticing today that the top of my stomach/torso, was not as puffy as it had been--it was oddly shaped and just weird looking.  Now that it's mostly gone, I'm pretty sure it was gluten related.  I've been gluten-free since July.  The rest of my torso is still puffy but that is because I weigh too much :D

  • 4 weeks later...
Sbwife14 Rookie
Sbwife14
Posted

This information is helping answer some of my questions as well. Thanks for the info!

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    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
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    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By trents · Posted

      Contact them.
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