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gluten free and celiac worsens

tinyang27

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tinyang27 Newbie
tinyang27
Posted

I was diagnosed with celiac a few years back and not understanding the disease I continued to eat as I wished.  In November I became very ill and hospitalized where an EGd revealed an ulcer and my celiac had worsened so I started a gluten free diet.  I am now 100% gluten free and had an egd two weeks ago and my celiac continues to worsen.  My dr is frustrated along with my self because I know I have been following my diet.  Has anyone else experienced this and what has Dr's suggested doing.  Has anyone tried Celiact supplement.  

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cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted
 

I was diagnosed with celiac a few years back and not understanding the disease I continued to eat as I wished.  In November I became very ill and hospitalized where an EGd revealed an ulcer and my celiac had worsened so I started a gluten free diet.  I am now 100% gluten free and had an egd two weeks ago and my celiac continues to worsen.  My dr is frustrated along with my self because I know I have been following my diet.  Has anyone else experienced this and what has Dr's suggested doing.  Has anyone tried Celiact supplement.  

I am sorry that you are still ill.  It can take years to recover from celiac disease because 1) the cure is based on the patient's adherence to a gluten free diet, 2) the gluten-free diet has a very steep learning curve (e.g. cross contamination) and 3) a damaged gut often can not process even gluten-free goods like corn, soy, lactose (intolerances may vary among celiac patients).  I think most folks here on the program take one to two years to heal.  

You can follow this gluten-free diet as recommended by celiac experts:

Open Original Shared Link

The diet is basically all whole foods that you prepare yourself.  No processed gluten-free foods.  

Keeping a food and symptom diary is helpful.  

There is no celiac supplement that will aid or prevent intestinal healing from celiac damage per all the leading researchers.  They are working on some drugs, but they are not available yet.  Best to really learn to go gluten free.  You may want to consider working with a dietitian who is really celiac-savvy.  

I am glad that you are taking better steps in improving your health!  

Need more help or support?  Talk to us!  

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Right, there aren't any quick fixes to celiac disease.  It's really helpful theugh to eat a simple diet of home made food, and avoid eating out in restaurants for at least 6 months.  Cooking all your own food is helpful because you control the ingredients.

Recovery times vary a lot, but 2 weeks is not enough time by a long shot.  18 months to 24 months is probably more like it.  But the recovery time depends on how well you avoid any trace of gluten in your diet.  Even a crumb of gluten can slow down recovery.

  • 2 weeks later...
knitty kitty Grand Master
knitty kitty
Posted

Vitamin deficiencies may delay healing. Ask your doctor to test for deficiencies! 

Many Celiacs have poor absorption for an extended period of time and their vitamin stores get depleted.  Some vitamins can't be stored and must be absorbed every day. Yet with poor absorption, eating enough to make up for a deficiency is very difficult.  

Vitamin deficiencies can cause other health problems.  CyclingLady had anemia  due to a vitamin B12 deficiency.  I had a niacin deficiency that caused pellagra.  A deficiency of vitamin D causes depression.  Vitamin A deficiency causes nightblindness.  

Check with your doctor!

 

Livingnaturally Newbie
Livingnaturally
Posted

Hey! I'm sorry you feel so bad. That's never fun. It can take a long time to get relief on a gluten free diet for some, especially if you've had the condition for a long time or have a lot of damage. It's also pretty easy to think you're 100% gluten free when you're not. Try cutting out gluten free packaged foods and trying to eat whole foods. That way if you're having a reaction to tiny amounts of gluten (some react to the amount in packaged gluten free foods) then that should help. There could be an underlying condition like a bacterial overgrowth in your digestive tract. Something called small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is common in people with celiac disease. Vitamin deficiencies are common as well. Trying to focus on staying as healthy as possible and looking for common places you may still be getting sick is important, like from skin care products, packaged foods, eating out, sharing a kitchen with others who arent gluten free. All worth looking into! Good luck.  I know celiac disease can really be a struggle sometimes. You'll get healthy, try to look towards the future with positivity even though it seems hard to do right now :)

Elizabeth    

Jmg Mentor
Jmg
Posted

Lot's of good advice above. 

I can't say the science is definitive but google leaky gut and have a look at some of the recommendations around healing the gut: Open Original Shared Link 

Open Original Shared Link

I think there's some good advice there for coealiacs. 

I don't know if you enjoy cooking, but I made a lot of bone broths when I was trying to heal my gut. I've incorporated pro biotics, good fats, nutrient dense foods etc. I try to eat clean and keep gluten-free processed foods and grains to a minimum. 

Think of it another way. Your gut has been a battleground for many years. Even once the war is over the trenches won't repair themselves. Every meal is a chance to help that progress. 

Best of luck :)

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted
 

Lot's of good advice above. 

I can't say the science is definitive but google leaky gut and have a look at some of the recommendations around healing the gut: Open Original Shared Link 

Open Original Shared Link

I think there's some good advice there for coealiacs. 

I don't know if you enjoy cooking, but I made a lot of bone broths when I was trying to heal my gut. I've incorporated pro biotics, good fats, nutrient dense foods etc. I try to eat clean and keep gluten-free processed foods and grains to a minimum. 

Think of it another way. Your gut has been a battleground for many years. Even once the war is over the trenches won't repair themselves. Every meal is a chance to help that progress. 

Best of luck :)

Here is some of the "new"  science by Dr. Fasano (a leading celiac researcher) helping to validate "leaky gut":

Open Original Shared Link

I love this video too:

Your advice is excellent! 

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    • Jmartes71
      Second chance

      By Jmartes71 · Posted

      Thats the thing, diagnosed in 1994 before foods eliminated celiac by biopsy colonoscopy at Kaiser in Santa Clara  now condo's but it has to be somewhere in medical land.1999 got married, moved, changed doctor's was with former for 25 years told him I waz celiac and that.Fast forward to last year.i googled celiac specialist and what popped up was a former well known heard of hospital. I thought I would get answers to be put through unnecessary colonoscopy KNOWING im glutenfree and she wasn't listening to me for help rather than screening me for celiac! Im already diagnosed seeking medical help.I did all the appointments ask from her and when I wanted my records se t to my pcp, thats when the with holding my records when I repeatedly messaged, it was down played the seriousness and I was labeled unruly when I asked why am I going through all this when its the celiac name that IS what my issue and All my ailments surrounding it related. I am dea6eoth the autoimmune part though my blood work is supposedly fabulous. Im sibo positive,HLA-DQ2 positive, dealing with skin, eye and now ms.I was employed as a bus driver making good money, I loved it for the few years my body let me do until I was yet again fired.i went to seek medical help because my body isn't well just to be made a disability chaser. Im exhausted,glutenfree, no lawyer will help and disability is in limbo thanks to the lax on my health from the fabulous none celiac Google bay area dr snd team. Its not right.
    • trents
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      Welcome to the celiac.com community @EssexMum! First, let me correct some misinformation you have been given. Except in the case of what is known as "refractory" celiac disease, which is very rare, it is not true that the "fingers" will not grow back once a consistently gluten free diet is adopted. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition whereby the ingestion of gluten triggers an inflammatory process that damages the millions of tiny finger-like projections that make up the lining of the small bowel. We call this the "villous lining". Over time, continued ingestion of gluten on a regular basis results in the wearing down of these fingers which greatly reduces the surface area of this very important membrane. It is where essentially all the nutrition from what we eat is absorbed. So, losing this surface area results in inefficiency in nutrient absorption and often to medical problems related to nutrient deficiencies. Again, if a gluten-free diet is consistently observed, the villous lining of the small bowel should rebound. "We was informed that her body absorbs the gluten rather then rejecting it and that is why she doesn't react to the gluten straight away, it will be a build up and then the pains start. " That sounds like unscientific BS to me. But it does sound like your stepdaughter may have a type of celiac disease we know as "silent" celiac disease, meaning, she is asymptomatic or at least the symptoms are not intense enough to usually notice. She is not completely asymptomatic, however, because you stated was experiencing tummy aches off and on. Cristiana gives some good suggestions about ordering "safe" food for your stepdaughter from restaurant menus in Europe. You must realize that as the step parent who only has her part of the time you have no real control over how cooperative her other set of parents are with regard to your stepdaughter's needs to eat gluten free. It sounds like they don't really understand the seriousness of the matter. This is very common in family settings where other members are ignorant about celiac disease and the damage it can do to body systems. So, they don't take it seriously. The best you can do is make suggestions. Perhaps print out some info about celiac disease from the Internet to send them. Being inconsistent with the gluten free diet keeps the inflammation smoldering and delays or inhibits healing of the villous lining. 
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    • cristiana
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      Good evening @EssexMum You are quite right to be concerned about this situation.  Once diagnosed as coeliac, always a coeliac, and the way to heal  is through adopting and sticking to a strict gluten diet. That said... I have travelled twice to France since my diagnosis, firstly in May 2013 and again in August 2019.   My spoken French isn't bad, and whilst there I tried my best to explain my needs to chefs and catering staff, and I read labels very carefully when shopping in supermarkets, but both times I came away with worsening gastric symptoms and pain. Interestingly,  after the second holiday, my annual coeliac review took place the following month and although I'd been very careful to avoid gluten all year, thanks to that August holiday my coeliac antibodies were elevated,  Clearly I hadn't been imagining these symptoms and they must have been caused by gluten sneaking in somehow. When I spoke to my gastroenterologist on my return, who is an excellent doctor, he told me with a smile that this was a very common experience in France among his patients, and not to worry too much about it! In fact, before we went away in May 2013, which was just after I had been formally diagnosed, he told me not to even bother trying to adopt a gluten free diet until I returned, knowing what France was like, but I was feeling so awful at that time I ignored his advice and at least tried to make a start with it. (I ought to say - both these visits were some time ago, so perhaps things are a lot better there now.) So what to do?  I would say at least try to explain to catering staff the situation - they should be able to rustle up a plate of cheese, boiled eggs, tuna, salad and fruit, and if things like crackers and gluten-free pot noodle or oats can be packed in the UK, those can be produced at mealtimes.    Of course, most larger supermarkets in France do now cater for coeliacs, but when I was last there the the choice wasn't as wide a range as we have in the UK but I think that is partly because the French like to cook from scratch, whereas our gluten-free aisles have quite a lot of dried or pre-baked goods in them/convenience foods, because I think we as a nation tend to use them more. I would be worth doing a bit of research on the internet before the trip, - the words you want are 'sans gluten'.  I've just googled 'sans gluten Disney Paris" and this came up.  I do hope at least some of this is of help. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurants-g2079053-zfz10992-Disneyland_Paris_Ile_de_France.html  Whatever befalls in France, at least your stepdaughter can resume her usual diet on her return. On a related tack, would you be happy to post any positive findings/tips upon her return - it might be of use to others travelling to Disneyland Paris with children in future? Cristiana
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