New Here..and Already Messing Up?

[kkeg75]

Hello everyone. I've seen others post about orange juice, but I'm wondering if it's even possible it's causing my symptoms! I'll give some background first:

 

I've had dairy issues for over 10 years (sinus, migraines plus intolerant), but have been able to tolerate cheese well for the past few. I absolutely cannot have soy..severe joint pain and asthma attacks, even when the amount is so small it "doesn't have to be listed as an allergen". I asked the doctor to check for celiac a couple of years ago because of all this and they refused. I've also had chronic C this whole time, even with the lactose intolerance!!

 

After years of constant stomach pain, which I would have bet money was an ulcer, they did bloodwork and endo. After the endo the doc simply said, no cancer and you have gastritis. Months later at a check up my primary informs me that I came back positive for celiac! Grr...

 

Anyhow, I have a million symptoms, but upper stomach pain & in recent weeks bladder pain have been really bothering me. I've been gluten free since Friday, and over the weekend those symptoms were gone!! It was the first relief I've had in ages, until last night. I had a bottled orange juice from Tim Hortons. I paid no attention to the bottle assuming it was 100%. Within a half hour my stomach was bothering me. Then the bladder started. This morning I woke up with the horrible gnawing feeling in my stomach & my bladder feels awful. I triple checked my food log, and all was gluten free. Can this even be??? 

 

Sorry for the long post..I'm thankful to be here though, I've found a ton of info already! 

[kareng]

Orange juice is unlikely to contain gluten.  Maybe, a juice blend could have something  but it will be listed as an ingredient.  Orange/citrus is very acidic and can cause stomach pain.  It might have irritated your gastritis.

[BlessedMommy]

Always check the label, but I doubt that the orange juice had gluten in it. Celiacs can have other foods bother them, especially as they are first healing.

 

Welcome to the board!

[kkeg75]

I didn't suspect it contained gluten..but wondered if it could cause the same symptoms. I'm back to miserable today :/

[kareng]

You have gastritis - you need to eat for that for a week or two so your stomach can heal.

[kkeg75]

I was told to follow a low FODMAP diet for a month (this was 5 months ago), which I did, but it didn't help. I guess I'll start over. The bladder pain is more recent (2 months maybe).

[heatman]

Congratulations on beginning a more symptom free life! It has taken me a year to identify everything that was causing cross contamination. Luckily there's loads of information out there to help you get started. If you are just going gluten free I strongly advise you do a thorough kitchen cleaning (there are online guides) and pitch everything plastic or scratched. I feel like learning to live gluten free is like unpeeling an onion. Each layer makes us feel better but usually there's another layer of cross contamination to discover and deal with. Best of luck to you!

[kkeg75]

Thanks to all. I hadn't even thought about the kitchen! I have 3 insanely picky teenagers who eat tons of gluten (and leave breadcrumbs everywhere). I'm thinking I should have my children tested (especially the youngest who just isn't growing). It would be easier to get rid of all the gluten in the house, but boy would it be tough feeding them!!

[mamaw]

I agree with the other posters....Just another thought to consider have you had your gallbladder checked out? I know acidic foods caused me a lot of pain before my gallbladder was removed...And as your body heals you may find a lot more gluten-free foods or just non gluten food items that you notice is causing you an issue... ie: nightshades, soy, corn to name a few...as you recover you will become more in tune to what your body is telling you its likes & dislikes...these could be things that you never thought of to be a problem for you...

Sorry that the doctor didn't tell you when they first knew you had celiac....that is just wrong...

[kkeg75]

Funny you mention it. I do have an occasional but rare gallbladder attack, and the doctor was quick to mention removing it. Oddly though, it's not fatty foods that set it off! It took me years to figure out my soy & dairy issues, mostly because I was consuming them all the time. (Soy is in everything!!!). Maybe getting rid gluten will help me figure any others out. I have not yet tried eliminating corn or nightshades. It's tough for a foodie!!

[nvsmom]

My guess is that you have not been gluten-free long enough for it to make any real difference yet.  It can take weeks to months (sometimes years) gluten-free before people are truly well.  You'll see improvements but recovery is often two steps forward and one step back, even if you are gluten-free.  Recovery is not linear - at some times it will be fast and great but other times it may stall out completely for a few days to months and leave you wondering if you ate gluten.  Hang in there.

 

Hope you continue to feel better.

[kkeg75]

I'm not even sure if it helps me at all, but I hadn't been eating a ton of gluten for a few years, since many things gluten also contain soy (commercial bread). I was enjoying pizza, flour tortillas & whole wheat pasta a few times a month. Ok..maybe several 

[cyclinglady]

Welcome!

You might want to check out Newbie 101 section. Cross contamination is a very real problem. Here is the link:

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

[nvsmom]

I'm not even sure if it helps me at all, but I hadn't been eating a ton of gluten for a few years, since many things gluten also contain soy (commercial bread). I was enjoying pizza, flour tortillas & whole wheat pasta a few times a month. Ok..maybe several 

 

Eating gluten lite doesn't help a celiac.  I did not eat a bunch of gluten before either but a crumb a few times a month is more than enough to prevent us from achieving good health.  Stay strict and hang in there.

[kkeg75]

Thanks. I didn't know I was a celiac at the time. I just found out last week. I only avoided it because of soy. So now I've been reading everything I can on it!

[Pegleg84]

Welcome to the club!

Orange juice, if straight from a sealed bottle, is highly unlikely to have gluten or soy, but it can irritate your stomach because of the acidity. 6 years in I still have trouble drinking too much orange juice because of the acidity (I get gastritis on occassion and acidic things are no help).

Great to hear your feeling a difference on such a short time gluten-free (I was the same), but be aure to treat your stomach very gently for the first while. It's going to take some time to heal, but if you know what to do from the beginning, it will be much easier.

 

Good luck!

[badcasper]

I used to think it was impossible to avoid soy until I went gluten free and that took care of a large percent of it. I haven't drank any juice since I went gluten free about 2 months ago because my stomach wasn't healed. Im not brave enough to try it again yet and I gave so much food including my juice to my kids. I also cannot have soy. It makes me bleed and bleed and bleed. 2 moths and im off the bc pills for bleeding disorder. I also suffered migrains and joint pain. Same thing with milk but now the only milk I can drink is bottled from a local farm. and some cheeses I can eat. Check your vitamins. The ones I was taking had soy in them.