New To Celiac And Need Help

[GODSCHILD]

HI IM GODSCHILD I JUST GOT BAD NEWS I HAVE CELIAC D. TWO OTHER DOTORS MISSED IT FOR TWO YEARS.

SEVERE DEMAGE IS DONE TO MY INTESTINES I LOST 30 POUNDS AND TWO YEARS I ONLY WIEGH 100 PDS NOW

JUST STARTED THE DIET ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO AND DOCTOR PUT ME OB STERIODS FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS

TO GET SOME INFLAMATION DOWN SOME SO I CAN GET MY NUTRIENTS ETC. I ALSO AM VERY CONSTIPATED EVEN WORSE

SENSE STARTING THE DIET. CAN YOU OFFER ME SOME ADIVE ON THESE TOPICS. I AM EATING ALL I CAN TO  HELP WITH THE CONSTIPATION. THANK YOU. THE GAS I HAVE IS SEVERE SO PAINFUL DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE ON THIS ALSO, THANK YOU

AND IM SO GLAD YOUR HUSBAND AND SON ARE BETTER GOD BLESS,

[1desperateladysaved]

Hi GodsChild,

 

I am sorry to hear you have celiac, but feel certain that it will be used for good.  I have super news!  The small intestine can be quite ruined, but is able to rebuild quickly.  I watched a video (Body by Design) by Dr. David Menton, that said that the villi of the intestine are replaced (in a normal person) every 4 days.  Your body can rebuild and go back to absorbing nutrients better.  I believe it is good to help heal by using a natural multi-vitamin and digestive enzymes.  The digestive enzymes might help with the bloating as it did for me.  Maybe you could try peppermint or ginger tea to help also.  Sometimes a hot water bottle on the belly is soothing, so you might try that.

 

I had 30+ years of symptoms and I have recovered so that I am absorbing nutrients well again and I feel better.  I pray that one day I will hear a similar story from you.  Meanwhile, I will enjoy coconut milk smoothies with frozen bananas.  Perhaps some of that will help put some meat back on your bones.

 

Dee

[nvsmom]

I had constipation and gas too.  The gas and bloating used to be pretty sore, I remember hanging my upper body with my bum in the air to put pressure on my belly to give me some relief... Needless to say, this was done without an audience.    LOL

 

Constipation can take some time to improve.  Some people start to see improvement in the first few weeks but it can take much longer.  Mine finally improved after about 9 months gluten-free.  My thyroid was properly being treated for hypothyroidism at that point (hypothyroidism can cause constipation) so that probably helped.  You may want to get yourself checked for Hashimoto's hypthyroidism as 1 out of 10 celiacs deals with it as well.

 

Give yourself time to heal.  It can take weeks, months, or years to recover from celiac disease.  In the meantime, eat good whole foods, consider avoiding dairy (50% of celiacs are lactose intolerant when diagnosed), try L-glutamine (thought to help with intestinal healing), and don't take the steroids for very long.  Most celiacs, even those (like me) who were misdiagnosed for decades, should not need steroids to recover, but if you do try to keep the duration short - steroids can cause many side effects.

 

Best wishes and welcome to the board.

[kareng]

Here is a good place to start for some basic info:

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

[GFinDC]

Hi Godschild,

 

Welcome to the forum!   Many of us have been in a similar situation.  When the gut is damaged it from antibodies things can go kinda haywire.  One thing that happens is the villi are destroyed, which impairs the ability to absorb nutrients as you described.  Another thing that happens is the gut environment that lots of bacteria call home is disrupted.  Those bacteria can help us digest food and are important to our health.  So it's good to take some probiotics at the beginning of the gluten-free diet.

 

It's also helpful to avoid sugar and starchy foods.  The gut bacteria (flora) being out of whack can cause lots of gas to be produced.  Sugar and starchy carbs feed those gas making bacteria and they to multiply.  So it's better to stick with simple foods with few ingredients.  Things like home cooked meats and veggies are good for you and simple to make.  the fewer the ingredients in a food the less chance there is fo getting accidental gluten CC (cross-contamination).

 

Gluten CC can be hard to detect as the amounts needed to cause an immune reaction are very small.  So we have to be careful of things like eating toast in an old toaster that might have crumbs in it etc.  Or sharing peanut butter jars etc with other people who aren't

gluten-free.

 

Constipation is often treated with magnesia.  Here in the USA there is a product called milk of magnesia that is sold for treating it.

 

Your doctor should test you for vitamin and mineral deficiencies also.  You may need to take extra vitamins for a while or even get vitamin shots.

 

I suggest you avoid eating out at restraunts or other peoples houses for a few months.  It takes a while to get the hang of the gluten-free diet.  Many non-gluten-free people don't understand the need to avoid even trace amounts of gluten to allow healing to continue.  Making your own food at home can avoid a lot of potential problems and set backs.

 

You may need to stop the steroids slowly rather than all at once.  Your doctor can tell you how to taper off them.

 

I suggest you take digestive enzymes with your meals also.  They can help improve digestion which is important for newly gluten-free peeps.

 

Dairy was already mentioned as a possible problem.  You might want to avoid it for a while (month or so) to see if it helps.

[GODSCHILD]

THANKS FOR THE ADVISE I AM TAKING THE PROBIOCTICS I HAVE TO GET THE COCNUT MILK TOMORROW PRAY FOR ME IM SCARED AND WORRIED. KEEP IN TOUCH I WILL GET A VITAMINS TOO. GOD BLESS YOU

[nvsmom]

THANKS FOR THE ADVISE I AM TAKING THE PROBIOCTICS I HAVE TO GET THE COCNUT MILK TOMORROW PRAY FOR ME IM SCARED AND WORRIED. KEEP IN TOUCH I WILL GET A VITAMINS TOO. GOD BLESS YOU

Try not to be scared about this.  Almost all celiacs recover well after a time on the gluten-free diet.  It's scary and hard to learn a new way of cooking and baking, but after a few tough months, you will settle in.  Hang in there.

[1desperateladysaved]

How is it going Godschild?  I hope you are enjoying reading on the forum.  I am sorry you spent some time with it not knowing whatever could be wrong.  However, I am glad that you now know what is wrong and you can do something about it!

 

Dee

[GODSCHILD]

im sruggly with severe constipation and painful gas I do enjoy the frum it gives me help and hope. constipation is worse sense starting gluten-free diet can you help wiyh food choices and are beans safe to eat to help me with fiber and protein. thanks for checking on me it means so much. sorri for spelling brain is off still a little I do have more emergy but im still to weak to do anything. been on diet for about 4 weeks now I got gluten-free vitamin new toater and lost off stuff food.was eating spinach again 3 days in a row to my constipation didn't help I believe this severe gas is from the spinach which veggies is best thanks god bless my name is Tina.

[GODSCHILD]

I have celiac spur too whats that

[GODSCHILD]

are you still on can you come to chat room

[kareng]

I have celiac spur too whats that

 

 

Do you mean Celiac Sprue?  That is the same as Celiac Disease.  Sort of an old fashioned name for it.

 

Plain beans are gluten free.  If you get canned, just read the ingredients to make sure they aren't flavored and thickened with wheat.  Not sure there are any that are, but I don't eat the "flavored" kinds.

[GODSCHILD]

thank you so much

[GODSCHILD]

are black beans gluten-free and what do you mean by plain

[GODSCHILD]

I got a can of Goya black beans in water everyone says beans are safe bot better if yyou get them in can

[GODSCHILD]

can you tell me what beans to buy

[GODSCHILD]

I have new replys coming up when I hit it to see replies I cant find it

[kareng]

are black beans gluten-free and what do you mean by plain

 

 

I got a can of Goya black beans in water everyone says beans are safe bot better if yyou get them in can

 

 

You can use dry beans or canned.  Some people refer to "beans" and mean things like BBQ beans or ham and beans.  Just read the label. In the US, wheat will be clearly labelled.

 

Gluten is in wheat, rye and barley.  You might want to read the Newbie post https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/91878-newbie-info-101/#entry913144

[GODSCHILD]

ok

[LauraTX]

Hi Godschild,

 

For your gas, you can take gas-x.  Open Original Shared Link and I have seen store brands clearly marked as gluten-free.  For fiber, Open Original Shared Link are gluten-free.  Try to pick whole grain versions of things, like brown rice instead of white rice, get your veggies in, and try to limit things like dairy, cheese, and other things that can stop you up.  If you are thinking of taking medicine to clear you out, remember it is easier to prevent constipation with diet than to treat it, but the least harsh way to go is an enema, which you can buy at the drug store.  Make sure to read and follow all the instructions.  Other laxatives can be very harsh on an already upset system.  You can also look into eating dried fruit like prunes, start very small with just one per day as they contain fiber and sorbitol that can cause a greater effect than wanted sometimes.

 

Since you are new to the forum and celiac disease, I highly recommend keeping your questions here in the thread where everyone can read and respond to them, instead of chat where there may be no one on there.   Here everyone can see it and give you help.

[GODSCHILD]

THANK U SO MUCH I HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH CONSTIPATION BEFORE I GOT THE RITE DIAGNOSES. IT HAS GOTTEN SEVERE WHEN I STARTED THE DIET. MY DR. TOLD ME TO TAKE SUPPODSITORIES 3 DAYS A WEEK. I HAVENT YET I WILL ON MONDAY

I WILL GET WHAT U SAID IN START EATING BROWN RICE BEEN EATING WHITE RICE. I AGREE LAXATIVES ARE HARSH ON ME NOW

I DID A FLEETS LAST WEEK AND I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE. THANKS AGAIN PRAY FOR ME IM HAVING SUCH  HARD TIME THIS WEEK I DONT KNOW WHY AT FIRST I WAS OKAY I GUESS WITH SUCH LITTLE FIBER IM GOING BACKWARDS. THIS GAS IS KILLER I DO HAVE GAS X WILL TRY THEM TOO. I PRAY I START A STEADY CLIMB UPWARD SOON. IM GETTIN SO SCARED IM DOWN TO 100 PDS.

[nvsmom]

Healing can take quite some time so make sure you hang in there even if you do not see many improvements over the first few months. Constipation was a problem for me for many months after going gluten-free.  I had lots of fibre and nuts to help keep things moving.  I also found that coffee worked some what too

 

All fruits, vegetables, eggs and meats are gluten-free.  If you start with those you should be safe.

 

If you eat pre-packaged and pre-made foods (like prepared soups or deli counter cut meats), that is where you will have to keep an eye out for gluten.  It is a good idea to carry a list of unsafe foods with you for a while, that way you can check it immediately.  And of course, if in doubt then do not eat it.

 

This list is pretty good:

Open Original Shared Link

 

Hang in there, Tina.