abdominal pain and stool color change

[Caye]

Good morning,

I"ve been having a lot of gas, upper abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling of fullness.  Then almost a week ago my stool color changed to a yellow. So after researching, I thought I would try a gluten free diet. I've been on this diet for three days now.  The abdominal pain is starting to subside but the color of the stool is still the same.  Was wondering if this was an intolerance to gluten how long does it take once I've stopped eating gluten will the stool color return to normal.  I thought I was having a gallbladder issue, but I just had some lab work done and everything concerning the gallbladder was in normal limits except my ALT which was just slightly up.  It actually had come down from the previous blood work, they been telling me I have a fatty liver. So since there was little concern of a blockage I went to gluten intolerance.  I am 63 years old, is it unusual to get this intolerance at this age.  Sorry this is so lengthy.

Thank you inadvance

 

[Scott Adams]

Hi @Caye , welcome to the forum! It sounds like you've not been tested for celiac disease and are trying out a gluten-free diet to see if it will relieve your symptoms.

This route is perfectly fine, but just so you know you will not be able to get accurate tests done for celiac disease while you are on a gluten-free diet--you must continue eating gluten daily for at least 6 weeks to be tested.

You can be diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity/intolerance at any age, and if you don't want to go the doctor route for an official diagnosis it may take several weeks to several months before you notice improvement on a gluten-free diet, if gluten is the cause of your issues. You may want to eliminate other foods and keep a diary as you add them back, for example cow's milk, soy, corn, eggs, etc., which are very common allergens.

[Caye]

13 minutes ago, Scott Adams said:

Hi @Caye , welcome to the forum! It sounds like you've not been tested for celiac disease and are trying out a gluten-free diet to see if it will relieve your symptoms.

This route is perfectly fine, but just so you know you will not be able to get accurate tests done for celiac disease while you are on a gluten-free diet--you must continue eating gluten daily for at least 6 weeks to be tested.

You can be diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity/intolerance at any age, and if you don't want to go the doctor route for an official diagnosis it may take several weeks to several months before you notice improvement on a gluten-free diet, if gluten is the cause of your issues. You may want to eliminate other foods and keep a diary as you add them back, for example cow's milk, soy, corn, eggs, etc., which are very common allergens.

Hi Scott,

Thank you so much for your input.  I did have an EGD done around Oct of last year because of the abdominal pains.  A biopsy was taken from the stomach but nothing of the small intestine. If it is a gluten intolerance, I really don't want to be miserable for 6-8 weeks again. I have an appointment to see my doc in June, (that's if they don't cancel it again because of the distancing), unless the pains come back again even off of gluten I will keep on this diet and then see what he says.

Thank you again for your input.

[cyclinglady]

Hi! 

Unless you have had a HIDA scan, you can not rule out gallbladder issues.  Mine was non-functioning (would not squeeze properly to release bile) and I had no stones.  My ultrasounds always looked good.  

My niece had fatty liver.  She is a tiny little thing, but had a huge sweet tooth.  Once she reduced her carbs, her liver issues resolved.  Just something to think about.

Finally, you can develop celiac disease at any age.  My mom was just diagnosed with her third autoimmune disease and she is approaching 80. I was diagnosed at 51 with celiac disease.  

Welcome to the forum.  

[MariaMart]

6 hours ago, Caye said:

Good morning,

I"ve been having a lot of gas, upper abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling of fullness.  Then almost a week ago my stool color changed to a yellow. So after researching, I thought I would try a gluten free diet. I've been on this diet for three days now.  The abdominal pain is starting to subside but the color of the stool is still the same.  Was wondering if this was an intolerance to gluten how long does it take once I've stopped eating gluten will the stool color return to normal.  I thought I was having a gallbladder issue, but I just had some lab work done and everything concerning the gallbladder was in normal limits except my ALT which was just slightly up.  It actually had come down from the previous blood work, they been telling me I have a fatty liver. So since there was little concern of a blockage I went to gluten intolerance.  I am 63 years old, is it unusual to get this intolerance at this age.  Sorry this is so lengthy.

Thank you inadvance

 

I’m having same issues. Tests all coming back fine but Stool is still yellow and watery. Has been for a month. Hoping to get back on track as we wait to see if indeed it’s Celiac or intolerance. 

[Posterboy]

On 4/20/2020 at 8:51 AM, Caye said:

Good morning,

I"ve been having a lot of gas, upper abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling of fullness.  Then almost a week ago my stool color changed to a yellow. So after researching, I thought I would try a gluten free diet. I've been on this diet for three days now.  The abdominal pain is starting to subside but the color of the stool is still the same.  Was wondering if this was an intolerance to gluten how long does it take once I've stopped eating gluten will the stool color return to normal.  I thought I was having a gallbladder issue, but I just had some lab work done and everything concerning the gallbladder was in normal limits except my ALT which was just slightly up.  It actually had come down from the previous blood work, they been telling me I have a fatty liver. So since there was little concern of a blockage I went to gluten intolerance.  I am 63 years old, is it unusual to get this intolerance at this age.  Sorry this is so lengthy.

Thank you inadvance

 

Caye,

It is not uncommon to have NAFLD disease when diagnosed as a Celiac....

I had similar elevated enzymes....they usually normalize after a year or two of eating gluten free...

If you want to speed up the process with your Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver...try taking some Benfotiamine....it is fat soluble Thiamine sold in the diabetic section (with meals)....because many diabetics have NAFLD disease...

Elevated liver enzymes can be a sign of a Thiamine deficiency and doctor's don't know the association these days.

I am citing the full citation so you can read it entitled "Elevated Lactate Secondary to Gastrointestinal Beriberi" (my words) and Elevated Liver Enzymes))....

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4699997/

Here from the article they note: "A biopsy of the ulcer did not show evidence of Helicobacter pylori infection. Meanwhile, the patient’s liver function tests worsened to an AST of 134 and an alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of 187 IU/L by day 10."

The article's focus is elevated Lactate but Liver Enzymes also increase they say quoting..

"Insufficient thiamine as a cause of elevated lactate is easily and inexpensively treated, and should be considered in cases of unexplained elevated lactate levels, especially those who concurrently present with gastrointestinal symptoms not otherwise explained.6 The described patient was difficult to diagnose due to a lack of risk factors for thiamine deficiency, the concurrent presence of a duodenal ulcer, and a lack of neurological findings besides chest tingling.12"

"Outcomes of delayed diagnosis of thiamine deficiency as a cause of elevated lactate and gastroenterological symptoms can lead to unnecessary tests, procedures, and even death"...

This is new research so it will take a few more years (approx. 18 years) before new research is applied at the clinical level typically....

Why more people go undiagnosed from an easily treatable condition....

I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advise.

Posterboy,