Underwear protection from sudden diarrhea

[Julie E]

I have had so many humiliating situations because of the need to go immediately with no warning. Long trips are awful because I have to choose not to eat or risk not making it to the bathroom. I’m wondering if anyone else experiences this and what do you use to protect your underwear and your pride? 
Thank you!

[Scott Adams]

They do make adult diapers called “Depends” I believe. Hopefully once your celiac disease is under control you won’t need them.

[ravenwoodglass]

During the many years it took for me to be diagnosed I found Immodium to be very effective. The caplets are preferable to the liquid IMHO. I took it for years so I could work and take care of my kids. In addition to Scotts advice having a change of clothes can also give some security. How long have you been diagnosed? Are you being CCed a lot? That can make healing one step forward and three steps back. I hope this stops for you soon.

[Julie E]

3 hours ago, ravenwoodglass said:

During the many years it took for me to be diagnosed I found Immodium to be very effective. The caplets are preferable to the liquid IMHO. I took it for years so I could work and take care of my kids. In addition to Scotts advice having a change of clothes can also give some security. How long have you been diagnosed? Are you being CCed a lot? That can make healing one step forward and three steps back. I hope this stops for you soon.

Thank you! I was diagnosed 3 years ago. Eating out is so difficult because restaurants in general don't understand Celiac. To complicate things more, being gluten-free is trendy right now. I've learned to bring my own food when we're meeting people for dinner somewhere. 

I'm sorry, I don't know what CCed is. I still have much to learn.

I appreciate your advice.

[patty-maguire]

CC is cross contamination.  Meaning that you've not directly eaten a gluten containing food but that your otherwise gluten free food has come in contact with gluten and given you a reaction.  That's where the risk in restaurant dining comes from.

You're right, eating out is difficult, but many of us make it work.  I eat out a fair bit with very little problem.

If, after 3 years gluten free diarrhea is still an issue, I wonder if something else is going on like another food intolerance.  Dairy, eggs and soy are common ones for people with celiac.

My suggestions:

1.  Make sure you're not getting cc (cross contamination) even in your own home.

2. Consider other food intolerances.  An elimination diet can help you figure this out.

3. Try focusing your diet on whole, real, naturally gluten free foods.  Processed gluten free products often have ingredients that can be hard to digest like emulsifiers.  Also, they only need to test below 20ppm to be labelled gluten free.  That's fine for most of us but some are super sensitive.

4.  Get lots of fiber in your diet.  I know it can be counter-intuitive, but fiber absorbs water and helps to keep things moving at the correct rate.  I've found I have a lot better bathroom experience since my GI got me to take a fiber supplement.

5. Avoiding eating out while you get all of this sorted is probably a good idea, but you do need to live.  Learn the questions you need to ask of a dining establishment so you can determine if it's low or high risk.

6. This is just something I do, I'm very careful what I eat before I go out and try to give myself some time between food and a car trip just to see how things are going to go.

7.  Imodium works.  You don't want to take it all the time because it's not great for you, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

I hope you feel better soon.

[R2Dee2]

2.5 years gluten-free for me.  I rarely eat out.  If I have to, I always wear Depends (I prefer the Target brand for comfort).  I can explode without warning.  I prefer not to take medicines to prevent diarrhea as it exposes the digestive tract to the gluten longer.  If your body wants to expel the gluten very quickly, that's for the best.

Be upfront with friends and family and educate them about your predicament when exposed to gluten and they learn to not cc.  Most are very willing to learn and accommodate.  Many pot luck house parties I go to are now seeing labels of gluten-free, DF,NF, etc.

[Julie E]

54 minutes ago, R2Dee2 said:

2.5 years gluten-free for me.  I rarely eat out.  If I have to, I always wear Depends (I prefer the Target brand for comfort).  I can explode without warning.  I prefer not to take medicines to prevent diarrhea as it exposes the digestive tract to the gluten longer.  If your body wants to expel the gluten very quickly, that's for the best.

Be upfront with friends and family and educate them about your predicament when exposed to gluten and they learn to not cc.  Most are very willing to learn and accommodate.  Many pot luck house parties I go to are now seeing labels of gluten-free, DF,NF, etc.

 

[Julie E]

Thank you for the great feedback!

I very rarely eat out either and I don't take medication. My littlest granddaughters make pretend food for everyone. The food they "make" for me is always "gwuten-free."

I will look into the Target brand. Thank you so much!

[LCAnacortes]

I still have issues too - and have a few changes of underwear and a pair of pants with me at all times.  I wear pads sometimes too.  I first went gluten free in May of last year. I had a couple of months more of cross contamination when we were figuring out how to share a kitchen.  Once we figured that out, things slowly started to get better. But I was still having a problem and learned that dairy was causing the urgency.  Cut out all dairy for a day or two and see if you are better.  If you are, then change to non-lactose versions and see if that helps. Best wishes on your journey.  There are a lot super smart people here that will help with any questions that you have.

[Julie E]

Thank you!! I will definitely cut out the dairy and see if that changes anything. Thank you for the suggestion. 

[ReginaR]

On 3/8/2023 at 12:01 PM, patty_maguire said:

CC is cross contamination.  Meaning that you've not directly eaten a gluten containing food but that your otherwise gluten free food has come in contact with gluten and given you a reaction.  That's where the risk in restaurant dining comes from.

You're right, eating out is difficult, but many of us make it work.  I eat out a fair bit with very little problem.

If, after 3 years gluten free diarrhea is still an issue, I wonder if something else is going on like another food intolerance.  Dairy, eggs and soy are common ones for people with celiac.

My suggestions:

1.  Make sure you're not getting cc (cross contamination) even in your own home.

2. Consider other food intolerances.  An elimination diet can help you figure this out.

3. Try focusing your diet on whole, real, naturally gluten free foods.  Processed gluten free products often have ingredients that can be hard to digest like emulsifiers.  Also, they only need to test below 20ppm to be labelled gluten free.  That's fine for most of us but some are super sensitive.

4.  Get lots of fiber in your diet.  I know it can be counter-intuitive, but fiber absorbs water and helps to keep things moving at the correct rate.  I've found I have a lot better bathroom experience since my GI got me to take a fiber supplement.

5. Avoiding eating out while you get all of this sorted is probably a good idea, but you do need to live.  Learn the questions you need to ask of a dining establishment so you can determine if it's low or high risk.

6. This is just something I do, I'm very careful what I eat before I go out and try to give myself some time between food and a car trip just to see how things are going to go.

7.  Imodium works.  You don't want to take it all the time because it's not great for you, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

I hope you feel better soon.

Yes! I agree with all of this. 
1. I had to cut out dairy when my gut first healed. 
2. I did a food sensitivity test and found out I was reacting to chicken and cane sugar. 
3. Heal your gut with Lglutamine you may be dealing with leaky gut and possibly candida. You can check out GI Revive. 
4. I use gluten-free psyllium husk for fiber and/or chia seeds in a fruit/vegetable smoothie. I feel so much better when I’m on fiber. 
5. I don’t have an appendix so I take a daily probiotic and it makes a huge difference. I switch it every month to introduce other microorganisms in my gut. 
6. I have have an amazing functional med doc that listens to me and knows how to heal the gut naturally. Find a doctor who will listen to you. There is a Rx that helps with diarrhea if you are someone that’s diligent and nothing is helping. 
 

Best of luck to you. I know pre diagnosis I had anxieties about eat out and leaving the house.