Increase bowels opening after going gluten-free

[Domesticgoddessintraining]

Hi all

i am 2 weeks into eliminating gluten, I don’t have a diagnosis of celiac, am speaking to my doctor later to arrange testing. Am aware I will need to reintroduce it prior to the tests. 
 

I have noticed that in the last week my bowels are opening more often 2-3 times a day (previously once). Stools are soft and easy to pass, previously I was either constipated or having loose stools. 

 Is this change expected? 

[cristiana]

11 minutes ago, Domesticgoddessintraining said:

Hi all

i am 2 weeks into eliminating gluten, I don’t have a diagnosis of celiac, am speaking to my doctor later to arrange testing. Am aware I will need to reintroduce it prior to the tests. 
 

I have noticed that in the last week my bowels are opening more often 2-3 times a day (previously once). Stools are soft and easy to pass, previously I was either constipated or having loose stools. 

 Is this change expected? 

Hi DG and welcome to the forum.

I'm so glad you speaking to your doctor to arrange testing, and are aware of the need to reintroduce gluten prior to your tests - make sure you eat enough.  (I was told to eat two slices of bread a day before my endoscopy but as I had already had blood test results that were sky high and strongly indicative that I had gluten I realised my days of eating my favourite chocolate biscuit and Weetabix were numbered, so I ate loads of those as well!)

My experience is that I've gone from diarrhea to constipation but hopefully others will be able to chime in to say what their experience has been.

Have you adopted any new foodstuffs since going gluten free?

Cristiana

 

 

[Domesticgoddessintraining]

Thanks for replying! I have just substituted gluten free products eg bread, pasta and biscuits and tried to keep everything else the same. I cook from scratch so don’t have many processed foods to worry about. 

[cristiana]

Well, I've just googled this and it seems that some coeliacs suffer from constipation, so it would therefore make sense that removing gluten would solve things!

https://www.verywellhealth.com/can-i-have-celiac-disease-and-constipation-562705

[Domesticgoddessintraining]

Thanks 

[Ennis-TX]

Yep had the constipation issues for years, went regular after going gluten free. Now days my reaction is a different and the last exposure left me with diarrhea. You find your symptoms can change over the years with this disease. You might also find many other things and health quirks you took for granted will clear up once gluten free.

[Russ H]

I have not been formally diagnosed as coeliac yet, but have had the cardinal symptoms and have been on a strict, self-imposed gluten-free diet for almost 6 weeks now. When it first came on 20 years ago, I had severe gastro-intestinal trouble and boughts of diarrhoea for 6 months that gradually settled down over the following 3 years to a single bowel movement with sticky porridge-like consistency. When I went gluten-free, I began to notice firmer stools after about 3 days. Something I noticed is that I began to have 3 movements a day instead of 1. This is now down to 2. I don't mind having multiple bowel movements compared with the Hell I have been through for the past 2 decades. Just to be able to 'flush and go' is such a relief. Steatorrhoea is not fun. My other symptoms of bloating and burping are also slowly improving.