Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Leaky Gut Syndrome & Gilbert's

Bonnie

Recommended Posts

Bonnie Explorer
Bonnie
Posted

Hi everyone,

Been gluten-free for 10 months now. I cannot believe how it has become second nature. I don't even have any "accidents"!

My bloating, gas, constipation etc. was getting bad again even on the gluten-free diet. I EVENTUALLY (hallelujah!) found someone to take me seriously - a Homeopath. He did a whole lot of tests - blood, platelets, liver function, all sorts of others.

I have Gilbert's Syndrome and Leaky Gut Syndrome. I'm sure most of us have leaky gut. Anyway he put me on homeopathic medicine etc.

I am taking daily :-

A good multivitamin

L-Glutamine

Digestive Enzymes

Magnesium

Flaxseed Oil

Milk Thistle

Vitamin B Co.

Herbal Constipation Remedy

I changed my diet again 4 weeks ago - limited dairy, fruit on its own, salad/vegetables and protein or salad/vegetables and carbs. No protein and carbs together. Problem is I am rice intolerant and the only carbs I can eat are fruit/veg & potatoes.

I also started exercising again 4 weeks ago.

Soooo - I am really starting to feel better. However if I eat any processed foods at all or a bit of chocolate - the bloating comes back and the constipation gets worse.

My energy levels are improving a bit too.

What I wanted to know is - am I doing everything right? Should I just carry on as I am and things will gradually improve? I know the leaky gut can take a long time to heal. Is there any other supplement I should be taking to speed things up?

The Gilbert's diagnosis was interesting. Explains the bad nausea and the yellow eyes! Perhaps also why I can't tolerate alcohol anymore. It also affects my energy levels and why I feel physically ill when under stress.

Any advice, as always, will be greatly appreciated! :lol:

Yvonne

  • 2 weeks later...
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


megsylvan2 Apprentice
megsylvan2
Posted

Hi Yvonne,

I, too, was told I had Leaky Gut Syndrome by a holistic MD, and so far, I'm not sure how I feel about it, or how accepting I am of that as a diagnosis, especially since no testing was done (by this doctor) to arrive at that conclusion. So, I'm taking that with a grain of salt, and trying to find out if there is such a condition recognized by the medical community.

I was given a few things - Robert's formula (liquid herb formula to aid digestion), a probiotic, a very good Vitamin B, and was recommended to do a toxic cleanse by following a specific diet, which included a 1 week powdered food formula substitute from Metagenics.

I really couldn't take any of them because of the intestinal problems I was having, so I will never know if they would have done anything worthwhile. I do think the Vitamin B helped, and will continue to try to work that in.

What I've been able to discover on my own, and thanks to the Metagenics diet (which was gluten free and free of most common allergenic food), was that my problems seems to stem from food intolerances to (so far) wheat, gluten, egg, dairy, honey, and chocolate. If I eat these foods, I feel very sick and have a lot of pain. If I don't eat these foods, I can feel normal again.

I have no advice or answers, as I am also new to this whole arena. Like you, I just have a whole bunch of questions. I, too, wonder if my intestinal tract will heal, and if so, how long it will take if I stay on this path.

I feel the better route for me is to pursue testing for food allergies/intolerances (non- iGe-related allergies), and to make sure I don’t yet have Celiacs. Then, I guess I have to learn how to adapt and to live with this lifestyle.

I haven’t yet reconciled the whole holistic/homeopathic vs. allopathic medicine thing. Obviously, I’m open to holistic/homeopathic, but it seems to me that both routes go to opposite extremes, and I’m looking for something of each that would meet in the middle. That is why I chose a holistic doctor who was also an MD, but I’m afraid I have not yet found what I was seeking.

Good luck to you!

  • 2 weeks later...
Claire Collaborator
Claire
Posted
Hi Yvonne,

I, too, was told I had Leaky Gut Syndrome by a holistic MD, and so far, I'm not sure how I feel about it, or how accepting I am of that as a diagnosis, especially since no testing was done (by this doctor) to arrive at that conclusion. So, I'm taking that with a grain of salt, and trying to find out if there is such a condition recognized by the medical community.

I was given a few things - Robert's formula (liquid herb formula to aid digestion), a probiotic, a very good Vitamin B, and was recommended to do a toxic cleanse by following a specific diet, which included a 1 week powdered food formula substitute from Metagenics.

I really couldn't take any of them because of the intestinal problems I was having, so I will never know if they would have done anything worthwhile. I do think the Vitamin B helped, and will continue to try to work that in.

What I've been able to discover on my own, and thanks to the Metagenics diet (which was gluten free and free of most common allergenic food), was that my problems seems to stem from food intolerances to (so far) wheat, gluten, egg, dairy, honey, and chocolate. If I eat these foods, I feel very sick and have a lot of pain. If I don't eat these foods, I can feel normal again.

I have no advice or answers, as I am also new to this whole arena. Like you, I just have a whole bunch of questions. I, too, wonder if my intestinal tract will heal, and if so, how long it will take if I stay on this path.

I feel the better route for me is to pursue testing for food allergies/intolerances (non- iGe-related allergies), and to make sure I don’t yet have Celiacs. Then, I guess I have to learn how to adapt and to live with this lifestyle.

I haven’t yet reconciled the whole holistic/homeopathic vs. allopathic medicine thing. Obviously, I’m open to holistic/homeopathic, but it seems to me that both routes go to opposite extremes, and I’m looking for something of each that would meet in the middle. That is why I chose a holistic doctor who was also an MD, but I’m afraid I have not yet found what I was seeking.

Good luck to you!

Believe me, there is such a thing as Leaky Gut Syndrome - though it is rarely recognized by the 'medical community'. There are many techncial articles on the subject online. One clear sign of it is delayed food 'allerg' response to one or many foods. This occurs because tiny particles are able to pass through the permeable wall (otherwise called 'leaky'). If the wall wasn't leaky that could not happen.

I have been there - for far too many years.

Healing takes a couple of years - and is frequently slowed down because new reactive foods emerge.

As the diet is limited, we tend to eat too much of foods that aren't a problem Then that food becomes a problem and the options are further narrowed down. It's tough for sure. cCaire

Bonnie Explorer
Bonnie
Posted
  • Author

Hi Claire,

Yes I am coming to terms with the fact that this is going to take a long long time to come right. I am just being too impatient.

I've been a bit worried about what you mentioned about our diets being so limited we tend to eat the same things over and over, and then will probably being intolerant to those foods. Its a vicious cycle.

I think I'm on the right track though so I'll just need to learn a little patience :P and persevere!

Yvonne

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,901
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    tessycork47
    Newest Member
    tessycork47
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      New (possible) celiac diagnosis

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @Judy M! Yes, he definitely needs to continue eating gluten until the day of the endoscopy. Not sure why the GI doc advised otherwise but it was a bum steer.  Celiac disease has a genetic component but also an "epigenetic" component. Let me explain. There are two main genes that have been identified as providing the "potential" to develop "active" celiac disease. We know them as HLA-DQ 2.5 (aka, HLA-DQ 2) and HLA-DQ8. Without one or both of these genes it is highly unlikely that a person will develop celiac disease at some point in their life. About 40% of the general population carry one or both of these two genes but only about 1% of the population develops active celiac disease. Thus, possessing the genetic potential for celiac disease is far less than deterministic. Most who have the potential never develop the disease. In order for the potential to develop celiac disease to turn into active celiac disease, some triggering stress event or events must "turn on" the latent genes. This triggering stress event can be a viral infection, some other medical event, or even prolonged psychological/emotional trauma. This part of the equation is difficult to quantify but this is the epigenetic dimension of the disease. Epigenetics has to do with the influence that environmental factors and things not coded into the DNA itself have to do in "turning on" susceptible genes. And this is why celiac disease can develop at any stage of life. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition (not a food allergy) that causes inflammation in the lining of the small bowel. The ingestion of gluten causes the body to attack the cells of this lining which, over time, damages and destroys them, impairing the body's ability to absorb nutrients since this is the part of the intestinal track responsible for nutrient absorption and also causing numerous other food sensitivities such as dairy/lactose intolerance. There is another gluten-related disorder known as NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or just, "gluten sensitivity") that is not autoimmune in nature and which does not damage the small bowel lining. However, NCGS shares many of the same symptoms with celiac disease such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea. It is also much more common than celiac disease. There is no test for NCGS so, because they share common symptoms, celiac disease must first be ruled out through formal testing for celiac disease. This is where your husband is right now. It should also be said that some experts believe NCGS can transition into celiac disease. I hope this helps.
    • Judy M
      New (possible) celiac diagnosis

      By Judy M · Posted

      My husband has had lactose intolerance for his entire life (he's 68 yo).  So, he's used to gastro issues. But for the past year he's been experiencing bouts of diarrhea that last for hours.  He finally went to his gastroenterologist ... several blood tests ruled out other maladies, but his celiac results are suspect.  He is scheduled for an endoscopy and colonoscopy in 2 weeks.  He was told to eat "gluten free" until the tests!!!  I, and he know nothing about this "diet" much less how to navigate his in daily life!! The more I read, the more my head is spinning.  So I guess I have 2 questions.  First, I read on this website that prior to testing, eat gluten so as not to compromise the testing!  Is that true? His primary care doctor told him to eat gluten free prior to testing!  I'm so confused.  Second, I read that celiac disease is genetic or caused by other ways such as surgery.  No family history but Gall bladder removal 7 years ago, maybe?  But how in God's name does something like this crop up and now is so awful he can't go a day without worrying.  He still works in Manhattan and considers himself lucky if he gets there without incident!  Advice from those who know would be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • Scott Adams
      Patiently Waiting to See Results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      You've done an excellent job of meticulously tracking the rash's unpredictable behavior, from its symmetrical spread and stubborn scabbing to the potential triggers you've identified, like the asthma medication and dietary changes. It's particularly telling that the rash seems to flare with wheat consumption, even though your initial blood test was negative—as you've noted, being off wheat before a test can sometimes lead to a false negative, and your description of the other symptoms—joint pain, brain fog, stomach issues—is very compelling. The symmetry of the rash is a crucial detail that often points toward an internal cause, such as an autoimmune response or a systemic reaction, rather than just an external irritant like a plant or mites. I hope your doctor tomorrow takes the time to listen carefully to all of this evidence you've gathered and works with you to find some real answers and effective relief. Don't be discouraged if the rash fluctuates; your detailed history is the most valuable tool you have for getting an accurate diagnosis.
    • Scott Adams
      Gluten free beer ?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      In this case the beer is excellent, but for those who are super sensitive it is likely better to go the full gluten-free beer route. Lakefront Brewery (another sponsor!) has good gluten-free beer made without any gluten ingredients.
    • trents
      Patiently Waiting to See Results

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @catsrlife! Celiac disease can be diagnosed without committing to a full-blown "gluten challenge" if you get a skin biopsy done during an active outbreak of dermatitis herpetiformis, assuming that is what is causing the rash. There is no other known cause for dermatitis herpetiformis so it is definitive for celiac disease. You would need to find a dermatologist who is familiar with doing the biopsy correctly, however. The samples need to be taken next to the pustules, not on them . . . a mistake many dermatologists make when biopsying for dermatitis herpetiformis. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.