Acid Reflux - Throat Tightening - 4+ months gluten free

[Dv1983]

First off, I must say, THANK YOU to everyone on this forum as my journey to health would not be where it is without you. I am a first time poster, and am doing so basically at a loss due to a return of nasty symptoms I had pre-gluten free diet. I will cut to the chase pretty quickly. After finally being tested by a DO for food intolerances and sensitivities, it was discovered that I have several notable food intolerances with all the major byproducts of gluten intolerance also being flagged in my test. I have eaten gluten/casein/soy free now for 4+ months and have generally felt better along the way, although it's been a rough ride with several 2-step forward and 1-step back scenarios taking place. Now, I only truly feel that I have completely removed gluten from my life after thoroughly disinfecting my kitchen and replacing all my kitchen and eating utensils. I live by myself so I know I am not being CC. I was able to figure out I was ingesting gluten through the use of old tupperware storage containers, pretty crazy but true. This all happened around 4-6 weeks ago and I had finally found relief from everyday IBS symptoms that I always associated with gluten exposure. I would say I went a solid 4 weeks of feeling nearly symptom free, it was nice. Now, about 12 days ago, I started to get that icky tight chest/throat feeling, and occasional acid reflux. This was my main symptom before removing the gluten/casein/soy from my diet, its basically debilitating heartburn and I feel like my throat wants to cave it. I was extremely relieved that I had resolved symptom once removing gluten/casein/soy, however, now it is back, and it is sucking all my motivation and life out of me too. I am curious to know if anyone else out there has had the acid reflux 24/7 as a symptom before giving up gluten/soy/casein, only to have it return due to a new food intolerance during the recovery stage. I feel like gluten has not passed through my body now in about 6 weeks, so I'm wondering if my body is pissed and wanting to find something else to attack for no good reason. I will say, my diet has contained quite a bit of corn since my diet has changed, and I feel that both avocadoes and onion could also be playing the role of the new foreign invader. Since I believe I have a new food intolerance, am I to expect a similar length of time for the body to dispose of it before I should notice a difference? Gluten takes about 5 days to get through me to the point where I'm fairly symptom free, do I need to also give corn 5-6 days? 

 

Really hoping to hear from some of you that have dealt with something similar!

 

D

 

 

[GFinDC]

Hello Dv1983,

I haven't had acid reflux myself.  But I had plenty of other symptoms.

I suppose there is a chance your corn or other foods have started to cause a problem.  The thing to do first IMHO, is to think back over the past time to anything you might have changed in your diet.  Did you try a new brand of corn meal?  Or add some other new food to your diet?  I'd really try to identify a change in diet first, before assuming it's another food intolerance.

However, if it is a new food intolerance, then the thing to do is try eliminating it for a month and see what happens when reintroducing  the food.  You really haven't been gluten-free for along time yet, so you are probably still healing.  It can take a year or more to heal our guts from celiac damage.  One thing that can be helpful is to find a good gluten-free probiotic to take it.  And also stick to whole foods and avoid processed foods.

Welcome to the forum DV1983!

[Katie.j.m]

Me. Long story short. I did an elimination diet. Found out my intolerances but found my only symptom left to fight off was severe acid reflux (tight throat, mucus feeling, fatigue, even anxiety) ! I found out in the end it was due to sugar. I did a leaky gut diet.  After a week I had never felt so great. The acid reflux that plagued me for several months, constantly throwing up bile and acid ect was gone. I did the diet for months and can now have sugar again with no problem what so ever. I can only think due to internal damage your body cannot sustain sugar as it feeds bacteria which a healthy person's body can normally keep under control. But it is a different story for everyone. I eliminated all possible allergens from start, very limited foods and reintroduced them, to know precisely first hand what symptoms were what etc. 

I totally agree though it is all about healing. I feel alot better and healthy just eating wholefoods, no more packaged pre-made stuff. Focusing on healing (leaky gut diet - avoid sugar, grains, intolerances, add probiotics, give you and your body a break, vitamins are important ) is a must in my book. Gluten and intolerances removes the irratators but removing it isn't going to put a plaster over your gut or heal it back to health.

Hope you feel better soon, it takes time and when you finally get your health back you won't look back. I don't even get headaches anymore, no hay fever, colds, flus. It's amazing how what we eat reflects in ourselves. Katie 

[Dv1983]

19 minutes ago, Katie.j.m said:

Me. Long story short. I did an elimination diet. Found out my intolerances but found my only symptom left to fight off was severe acid reflux (tight throat, mucus feeling, fatigue, even anxiety) ! I found out in the end it was due to sugar. I did a leaky gut diet.  After a week I had never felt so great. The acid reflux that plagued me for several months, constantly throwing up bile and acid ect was gone. I did the diet for months and can now have sugar again with no problem what so ever. I can only think due to internal damage your body cannot sustain sugar as it feeds bacteria which a healthy person's body can normally keep under control. But it is a different story for everyone. I eliminated all possible allergens from start, very limited foods and reintroduced them, to know precisely first hand what symptoms were what etc. 

I totally agree though it is all about healing. I feel alot better and healthy just eating wholefoods, no more packaged pre-made stuff. Focusing on healing (leaky gut diet - avoid sugar, grains, intolerances, add probiotics, give you and your body a break, vitamins are important ) is a must in my book. Gluten and intolerances removes the irratators but removing it isn't going to put a plaster over your gut or heal it back to health.

Hope you feel better soon, it takes time and when you finally get your health back you won't look back. I don't even get headaches anymore, no hay fever, colds, flus. It's amazing how what we eat reflects in ourselves. Katie 

Thank you so much for the information. I'm very interested in hearing from others with such severe acid reflux that has come and gone. I thought I was home free from it but something is definitely giving me a hard time. The only new food item I have introduced since this reoccurred 12 days ago is a certified gluten-free peppermint tea, caffeine free even. Possibly it's the mint causing the problem as it was a Xmas gift and I've been drinking it daily, it's even organic! I used to use a nicotine free mint chew to help quit my chewing tobacco habit, this was during my gluten/soy/casein diet. I removed this from my diet also when removing gluten so I guess it's very possible I have an intolerance to mint that is left over. Ahhhhh it never ends!

[dharwood]

Dv1983 - Been gluten-free for 7 months now. I had bad GERD for about 10 years, taking up to 3 Prilosec a day for periods as long as a year. I was always on at least 2 a day. GERD was one of the first things that I saw get better (maybe the only thing so far). I hadnt had GERD since going gluten-free, but over the holidays it came back. Not quite as bad as it had been, but enough to get me freaked out that it was back. The last 4-5 days have been better. I think the other poster might be onto something with the leaky-gut/sugar connection. I was drinking a lot of coke, and also think I got nailed by a gluten-free sub sandwich. Regardless, I have cut out alcohol and as much sugar as possible, other than fruits, sticking with whole foods; nothing fancy or spicy, and my stomach is feeling better and the reflux/heartburn has subsided.

Good luck!

[Katie.j.m]

22 hours ago, Dv1983 said:

Thank you so much for the information. I'm very interested in hearing from others with such severe acid reflux that has come and gone. I thought I was home free from it but something is definitely giving me a hard time. The only new food item I have introduced since this reoccurred 12 days ago is a certified gluten-free peppermint tea, caffeine free even. Possibly it's the mint causing the problem as it was a Xmas gift and I've been drinking it daily, it's even organic! I used to use a nicotine free mint chew to help quit my chewing tobacco habit, this was during my gluten/soy/casein diet. I removed this from my diet also when removing gluten so I guess it's very possible I have an intolerance to mint that is left over. Ahhhhh it never ends!

Try it. You have to find the right diet for you. Health is so important. Before I didn't even know what health was, it took me getting severely ill to realise I was ill before. Then getting on track with healthy proper foods to realise what health was. I used to think with everyday random headaches you could pop a paracetamol like most people do, without realising what was causing it, don't get me wrong  I do get them still if someone screams in my ear etc.  Modern diets just aren't sustainable, it's not worth your health or life even.

It's important to rotate foods though as well in particularly at the beginning, whilst trying heal. It doesn't end at all. It's becoming so common now, it's kind of scary how what we eat effects our health, but makes complete sense. Thanks. Good luck. Haha 

[Dv1983]

23 hours ago, dharwood said:

Dv1983 - Been gluten-free for 7 months now. I had bad GERD for about 10 years, taking up to 3 Prilosec a day for periods as long as a year. I was always on at least 2 a day. GERD was one of the first things that I saw get better (maybe the only thing so far). I hadnt had GERD since going gluten-free, but over the holidays it came back. Not quite as bad as it had been, but enough to get me freaked out that it was back. The last 4-5 days have been better. I think the other poster might be onto something with the leaky-gut/sugar connection. I was drinking a lot of coke, and also think I got nailed by a gluten-free sub sandwich. Regardless, I have cut out alcohol and as much sugar as possible, other than fruits, sticking with whole foods; nothing fancy or spicy, and my stomach is feeling better and the reflux/heartburn has subsided.

Good luck!

Yeah, this is me exactly! Terrible GERD for over 15 years, and recently before removing gluten, it was 24/7 7 days a week. Everything changed though and the relief once I changed my diet was astounding. I am awaiting some more tests run by my ND, including a stool test which I performed myself this morning, as gross as it is, I was literally sorting through pieces of undigested food this morning in my stool. Kale and sourkraut never looked so appetizing ??.

 

I'm guessing I'll be on a strict leaky gut diet in the near future, I'm so much healthier than my gluten days, feeling even slightly better is so motivating. Thanks for your input, much appreciated! 

[Beverage]

Acid reflux and a rise in the diastolic of my blood pressure are my usual symptoms when I've been glutened. I don't get the so-called typical symptoms. One time it was that I was taking care of the neighbors chickens while they were on vacation, and I was inhaling dust from filling up their food feeder. The last time was taking a gluten free supplement recommended by the naturopath, but closer inspection of all labels revealed that this latest addition, although labeled gluten free (gluten-free but not CERTIFIED gluten-free), also said it was manufactured at a facility with wheat. I cut out that supplement and all symptoms went away within a day. Good luck, it could be something like that ... think about anything new you are doing or have started taking. Good luck.

[flightgoddess]

Ask your GI about Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Though they might have checked/found that if you had an endoscopy to diagnose celiac?

[Ennis-TX]

I used to throw up daily, and have constant burping up stuff all day. Going gluten free got rid of most of it.

I still get random bouts of really bad acid reflux, bile triggered by random things seemly. Few foods I can eat in moderation but if I get carried away triggers this. Odd how some spices can trigger it and others not, few of them I actually have to eat in a combination to trigger it. Red Pepper is fine, and paprika is fine, same with black pepper but any combination of the 3 results in the throwing up of a slime acid and mucus mix. Cayenne I can only have in very small amounts, habanero does not bother me in the least, while the oddest of them all any bit of turmeric, or olives can have me throwing up a thick mucus slime. One other thing if I eat moderate amounts of something with cocoa butter or a rich raw cocoa powder it will trigger it. Hershey dark cocoa powder is no issue at all, and I can eat several tbsp of it no problem in a shake or even made into a thick icing with avacado, almond milk, and stevia/xylitol, seems something about cocoa fat.