How long should I stay gluten free?

[gluthena]

For the past few years I have had horrible indigestion. It wasn't until recently that I decided to do something about it due to the fact I began losing mass amounts of hair over the past few months. In photo comparisons, it appears I have lost almost 50% of my volume. I analyzed my diet and know I am getting enough nutrients in all categories. The only thing that makes sense is that I'm not absorbing what I'm eating. It's the only logical explanation when considering the fact I've had chronic diarrhea since 2014 (sorry if that is TMI!) I'm fairly certain this is because of gluten. (If not, I will try cutting dairy next.) I've been STRICT gluten free for 5 days (I know that's not a long time) but I'm still having diarrhea. SO, a few questions....

1) how long (on average) until I will see improvements in the bathroom? I know everyone is different, but how long should I stay gluten free before determining it is or is not that?

2) Is it possible I have a gluten sensitivity if diarrhea is my *only* symptom? I do not experience fatigue, bloating, or dry/itchy skin.

Note- seeing a doctor is not an option right now

[rehh05]

Have you kept a food dairy and tracked what you were eating and drinking before you had diarrhea? Does anything make you feel better? If you are having nonstop diarrhea, you may need medical help to calm you gastric system down. If you could figure out what you CAN eat safely, you can base your meals around that and gradually add things in to see how you react. 

For me, it only took a few days of strict gluten free to have the diarrhea stop... but I also had to stop dairy because I was lactose intolerant. You could be lactose intolerant without being gluten sensitive or with it... it can also cause the runs... as can corn and corn products in some people... well, also other things, like too much oil or fried food. Don’t need to be celiac or gluten sensitive for that either.

The thing is, if you plan on getting tested for celiac, you will need to be eating gluten before hand so the immune reaction can be found in your blood tests. 

Chronic diarrhea can be a symptom of many things... some are really best treated by doctors (parasites, non-food related things). I hope you can find a solution.

 

 

[ravenwoodglass]

Testing before going gluten free is really best but if you can't do that then it would be a good idea to drop all dairy products along with the gluten. Celiac can damage the areas that produce the enzyme that allows you to digest dairy.  If you have been gluten and dairy free and the D resolves then add each back in seperately for at least a week and see if the D returns.  Also if D is waking you up at night then that is a good sign that you have celiac. IBS does not wake someone out of sleep.

[Ennis-TX]

Food diary, and keep eating gluten and get the full celiac panel done. See about getting a endoscope and a colonoscopy at the same time. This way they can check for Celiac, Colitis, Crohns, Ulcerative Colitis or any other issue of the bowls that might be causing your issues.
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Some with celiac have the D go away in a few days...I USED TO, past few exposures leave me with ongoing D for 4-6 weeks...takes that long for my antibodies to go down? Potassium supplements can help dry your stools out, eating stuff that absorbs liquid and adds bulk can stop liquid runs and at least reduce them to patties/semi solid, stuff like baked goods from coconut flour, or adding the coconut flour into shakes/egg dishes.

To help a bit with the hair, look up NeoCell Beauty burst collagen powder...I had to use it early on to help my hair.