Celiac and bloated.

[LizG]

Hello I am 40 years old and I’ve recently been told my blood tests were positive for celiac disease so I’ve been referred to the gastro team and I will have to have a biopsy done. I am experiencing a hugely bloated stomach and lots of gas even though I have been following a gluten free diet for 3 days. I am aware I need to have gluten in my diet to get an accurate result on the biopsy. Is it normal to be so bloated if I have had a gluten free diet only. I look like I am pregnant. How long is it going to take for the bloating to stop once I get the full diagnosis and go on to gluten free full-time. I don’t understand why I have ballooned again today. I wonder if anyone else is like me . My sister is also celiac. 

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, LizG!

Some things to consider:

1. It is more difficult to eat gluten-free than most people imagine when first beginning the gluten-free journey. It involves more than just eliminating the major sources of gluten like bread and pasta. It involves learning how gluten is hidden in food industry terminology, learning where it is found in processed food items where you would neve expect it to show up (like soy sauce and canned tomato soup) and how it can even be included in medications and supplements and oral hygiene products. Studies show that most people who claim to be eating gluten-free are actually only eating reduced gluten. And then there is the whole slippery category of CC (cross contaminaiton). The biggest underminer of eating gluten-free for most people is eating out at restaurants since you have little control over cross contamination back in the kitchen, even when you order things that should be naturally gluten free. So, are you really eating gluten-free or just think you are.

2. Do you have something else going on in the gut in addition to celiac disease? SIBO? Histamine intolerance? IBS? All these things and more are more common in the celiac population. Damage to the gut histology done by celiac disease inflammation over time may be the root of these other things.

3. Do you have other food intolerances such as to dairy (either the protein casein or the sugar - lactose intolerance) or oats. Both of these are fairly common in the celiac population.

It's time for you go back on gluten for your biopsy to be valid so when the is done you need to look at some of these other things. And three days off gluten is just not enough time to tell. You may be having withdrawal. 

[LizG]

Hello I’ve been very strict and only bought gluten free foods including some specific packaged gluten free foods. I realise I’ve not given it much time yet. I haven’t got a date for the biopsy yet it could be quite a while. I’ve been bloated for months on and off so that’s why I had the bloods done. How long will it take to feel better once I get the full diagnosis. Im new to all of this and I need to research the gluten free diet, I just hope this bloating goes away. 

[trents]

Once you get the biopsy behind you, you can begin the gluten-free diet in earnest. The Mayo Clinic guidelines for the pre-biopsy gluten challenge is the daily consumption of gluten equivalent to two slices of wheat bread for two weeks until the day of the procedure. If you cannot get the biopsy scheduled in the near future and you start the gluten-free diet now, by the time you get around to the biopsy you may find the two week gluten challenge to be more difficult. When we withdraw gluten from our diets we lose whatever tolerance to it we may have had and our reaction to it can be much more unpleasant than we remember when we were consuming it regularly. 

But to answer your question, it may take a few weeks once going gluten-free in order to start feeling improvement in symptoms, assuming there are no other concurrent intestinal maladies. It can take around two years to experience complete healing of the small bowel villi once going truly gluten-free. 

[knitty kitty]

Welcome to the forum, @LizG!

We recommend keeping a "food-mood-poo'd" journal.  Recording what you eat and the digestive outcomes can be extremely helpful in pinpointing problematic foods.  

The Autoimmune Protocol Diet (AIP diet) which has been scientifically proven to promote healing is highly recommended.  This diet includes fresh grass fed meat and fresh veggies and some fruits.  Nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant) are excluded because they contain glycoalkaloids that promote leaky gut syndrome.  All grains, legumes, nuts and seeds are excluded because they contain Lectins that can be rough on the digestive tract.  Dairy is also excluded because dairy can trigger the same digestive reactions as gluten.  Processed gluten free facsimile foods are excluded as well because they are not nutrient dense.  

Yes, it is a big change from the Standard American Diet (the SAD diet), but we need to grasp the concept of eating to live, not living to eat. 

Let food be your medicine.