Getting rid of the belly bloat

[Karen Chakerian]

I’m 70 years old and have RA for 25 years. I’d never had digestive issues or even heard of celiac until 2 months ago. 
6 years ago I started having serious diarrhea, dropped what little weight I had,  became very exhausted, developed rapid onset blood pressure and other symptoms. I went to the doctor for an unrelated matter and even with my records he told me they have ‘pills’ for all those things; which I turned down and sought to deal with this with homeopathic remedies. 
Mid October 2024 my guts hurt terribly and started to swell. My massage therapist asked about celiac and I started to do research on it. It absolutely fits all the symptoms so I’ve been gluten free since 2 days before Thanksgiving but the huge gut persists. Thankfully the pain and cramps are gone. I look like a 90# pregnant skeleton. 
I’m exhausted and looking for some encouragement from the tribe. I have good days and bad. I know living with an autoimmune disease sucks but this is even worse than the RA. 

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, @Karen Chakerian!

So, for the sake of clarity, you have self-diagnosed yourself as having celiac disease but are not officially diagnosed by medical testing. Is this correct?

[knitty kitty]

Welcome to the forum, @Karen Chakerian,

We need more information, please.  

What homeopathic remedies or medications are you taking now?  Do you still have the blood pressure and other symptoms? 

What is included in your diet currently?  Dairy? Oats?  Processed gluten free foods?  Vegetarian?  Other food allergies?  Do you take vitamins? 

When gluten is removed from the diet, the body stops making the anti-gluten antibodies that are usually measured in blood tests used to diagnose Celiac disease.  To measure the anti-gluten antibodies, you would have to consume 10 grams of gluten (4-6 slices of bread or equivalent) per day for a minimum of 2 weeks or longer.   A DNA test which looks for the most common genes for Celiac Disease may be a less invasive avenue to pursue.  Has your doctor checked you for nutritional deficiencies?

Glad you're here!

[dublin555]

Karen, that sounds really tough. You must find both RA management and your new gut problems extremely irritating to handle at once. Together with your pain relief you still experience ongoing bloating complications that drag on without a resolution. Of course visiting a doctor to obtain a proper celiac diagnostic evaluation becomes necessary when no formal diagnosis has been received. Your journey toward recovery has been lengthy yet it brings comfort to notice your progress during this time. This support group offers you valuable help because there are people experiencing the same concerns with you. Working through your issues will be easier.

[cristiana]

Karen, welcome to the forum.

Another thing to add:  Belly bloat can persist if you are lactose intolerant, a situation caused by coeliac disease or it can simply be a stand alone condition.  In the case of coeliac disease, it could be your damaged gut cannot break down lactose efficiently but, in time, once the gut heals, your lactose intolerance and bloating should improve. 

You might also find it helpful to stay clear of certain high fibre foods for a while, perhaps keeping a food diary to see if any are causing you to bloat a lot or give you stomach pain.  Lentils and soya were an issue for me in the short term, while I was recovering.  Also, are you taking iron - that can really hurt your belly and in my case it added to the bloating.

The other point I wanted to make is has your doctor looked into any other reasons for your belly bloat.? There are a number of other gastric conditions that can result in a bloated belly.  A blood test and an ultrasound to check for possible gynaecological issues could also be something to speak to your GP about. It took me a few months for my bloating to subside, but the journey which involved a few tests along the way to ensure nothing else was was worth it.  

Cristiana