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

Sphincter Of Oddi Dysfunction

Marlene

By Marlene
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

Marlene Contributor
Marlene
Posted

I'll try to keep this brief. Diagnosed with gall bladder malfunction last spring before realizing I was gluten intolerant. Became much worse after gall bladder removal which led to dx of gluten/casein intolerance. Have done research since then and realize that gluten intolerance can cause gall bladder malfunction. Continue to have pain under my rib cage including a feeling of pressure like something is going to burst. Afterwards will often have frequent/loose bowel movements which (seems to me anyway) contains a lot of bile (acidic). My theory is that gluten intolerance has damaged the sphincter of oddi (muscle which regulates when bile is released into small intestine, activated by CCK - same hormone which causes gall bladder to empty) which now constricts the sphincter of oddi, keeping bile from flowing through. When it releases, too much bile is sent into the small intestines resulting in messy BM's. Does anyone else know anything about this? There is a procedure that can be done to cut the sphincter of oddi but it is rather dangerous, has a 5% fatality rate, and can result in pancreatitis. I have been gluten free for 6 months now and would love to resolve this.

thanks!

Marlene

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Mtndog Collaborator
Mtndog
Posted
I'll try to keep this brief. Diagnosed with gall bladder malfunction last spring before realizing I was gluten intolerant. Became much worse after gall bladder removal which led to dx of gluten/casein intolerance. Have done research since then and realize that gluten intolerance can cause gall bladder malfunction.

Continue to have pain under my rib cage including a feeling of pressure like something is going to burst. Afterwards will often have frequent/loose bowel movements which (seems to me anyway) contains a lot of bile (acidic).

My theory is that gluten intolerance has damaged the sphincter of oddi (muscle which regulates when bile is released into small intestine, activated by CCK - same hormone which causes gall bladder to empty) which now constricts the sphincter of oddi, keeping bile from flowing through. When it releases, too much bile is sent into the small intestines resulting in messy BM's.

Does anyone else know anything about this? There is a procedure that can be done to cut the sphincter of oddi but it is rather dangerous, has a 5% fatality rate, and can result in pancreatitis. I have been gluten free for 6 months now and would love to resolve this.

thanks!

Marlene

Hi Marlene- Couple of things. Often times a trauma to the body like surgery is enough to set off the celiac symptoms. And like you said, celiacs can cause gall bladder troubles.

I had my gall bladder removed in May after being diagnosed with gall stones. I know that after you have your gall bladder removed, your liver (which produces the bile while your gall bladder stores and regulates its release) takes some time to catch up and realize your gall bladder is gone and releases bile and gives you diarrhea. For some people it's a few weeks, months. In others it's chronic but there is medication you can take. You should DEFINITELY talk to your surgeon.

I don't know about the pain <_< or the sphincter of oddi but I would definitely put in a call to your surgeon. B

Marlene Contributor
Marlene
Posted
  • Author

Hello and thanks for your reply. After I had my gall bladder removed, I had chronic diarrhea -- worse than before which is one of the main reasons I had been going to the GI specialist. 6 days after going gluten free, the diarrhea slowed down considerably. However, the pain (which I described in my first post) comes and goes. Sometimes I will just get one episode and it's over in a few hours. Sometimes the pain and the pressure just seems to build and it lasts for days. While it has improved going gluten free, it's not completely gone. I had a really good spell where I had no pain or diarrhea for over 2 months, then I took some homeopathic remedy to build up my digestive system and the pain and diarrhea has returned. It really feels like pressure, like something is building up right behind/ under my sternum and ribs. Ironically, this is the pain that made doctors think it was my gall bladder. I didn't have any gall stones -- but my gall bladder was malfunctioning.

I have been back to my surgeon once for the pain, he did an ultrasound which (of course) did not show anything. He just kind of shrugged it off and said something about IBS, intestinal motility. I feel he took out my gall bladder without enough investigation and I don't want to back to him. He is "scalpel happy".

Marlene

  • 1 year later...
IreneBean Newbie
IreneBean
Posted

Marlene - if you still post here, please contact me as I have similar symptoms as yourself.

Thanks,

Irene

Generic Apprentice
Generic
Posted

Irene, if you are wondering about the spincter of oddi thing, I had it. I had the surgery done twice. They make a bigger deal out of it than it really is. That is if the Dr. knows what they are doing. The first procedure was unsuccessful with me. The second time they made a bigger cut. I had to beg the Dr. to do the second procedure. Low and behold a 5 mm stone fell out as he was pulling the camera out. I am still having pain so I have been referred to the big hospital in Seattle that knows what they are doing. It has been since Christmas 07 that I have pain every day.

IreneBean Newbie
IreneBean
Posted

Hi Generic,

Thanks for your post. I have had this pain for five years, but it is much more recurrent and starting to affect my life (missing work when I have "attacks", can't function well when it is happening). I have had my gallbladder removed over 20 years ago and it puzzled me why I would be having pain in about the same place.

If you have more info on sphincter of Oddi dysfunction or know of some good link,s please do let me know. I will be making another gastroenterologist appt to go over this info I have found. Previous, he hasn't really told me what this pain could be from.

Thanks,

Irene

Judyin Philly Enthusiast
Judyin Philly
Posted

Hi

Here is a link to a forum for that issue

A friend of mine who is also on this forum is over there

Open Original Shared Link

good Luck

Judy

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Generic Apprentice
Generic
Posted

Thanks Judy. I have a link saved that I received from Itchy girl, but it isn't working now.

Basically most Dr.s don't want to mess with it or they don't believe it is real. It is very painful and can feel similar to a gall

attack, but not neccassarily. There is a pancreatic enzyme that will help give you relief if that is the problem. The brand

Viocase is what you need. It can't be the buffered or the time released kind. my insurance wouldn't pay for it, they would

only cover the time released, buffered kind. So that may be a problem for you. It isn't cheap but it will bring relief if that is

the problem. If you run into that, the Dr. may be willing to write a prescription for 10 pills to let you see if they work.

Archived

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

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


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,945
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Miyasato
    Newest Member
    Miyasato
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Mari
      My only proof

      By Mari · Posted

      Hi Jmartes71 That is so much like my story! You probably know where Laytonville is and that's where I was living just before my 60th birthday when the new Dr. suggested I could have Celiacs. I didn't go on a gluten challange diet before having the Celiac panel blood test drawn. The results came back as equivical as one antibody level was very high but another, tissue transaminasewas normal. Itdid show I was  allergic to cows milk and I think hot peppers. I immediately went gluten free but did not go in for an endoscopy. I found an online lab online that would do the test to show if I had a main celiac gene (enterolab.com). The report came back that I had inherited a main celiac gene, DQ8, from one parent and a D!6 from the other parent. That combination is knows to sym[tons of celiac worse than just inheriting one main celiac gene. With my version of celiac disease I was mostly constipated but after going gluten-free I would have diarrhea the few times I was glutened either by cross contamination or eating some food containing gluten. I have stayed gluten-free for almost 20 years now and knew within a few days that it was right for me although my recovery has been slow.   When I go to see a  medical provide and tell them I have celiacs they don't believe me. The same when I tell them that I carry a main celiac gene, the DQ8. It is only when I tell them that I get diarrhea after eating gluten that they realize that I might have celiac disease. Then they will order th Vitamin B12 and D3 that I need to monitor as my B12 levels can go down very fast if I'm not taking enough of it. Medical providers haven't been much help in my recovery. They are not well trained in this problem. I really hope this helps ypu. Take care.      
    • knitty kitty
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Fascinating.
    • DebJ14
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By DebJ14 · Posted

    • knitty kitty
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @DebJ14, You said "husband has low platelets, bruises easily and gets bloody noses just from Fish Oil  He suggested he take Black Cumin Seed Oil for inflammation.  He discovered that by taking the Black Seed oil, he can eat carbs and not go into A Fib, since it does such a good job of reducing inflammation."   I don't think black seed oil is lowering inflammation.  It's lowering blood glucose levels. Black cumin seed lowers blood glucose levels.  There's a connection between high blood glucose levels and Afib.    Has your husband been checked for diabetes?   Must Read: Associations of high-normal blood pressure and impaired fasting glucose with atrial fibrillation https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36750354/  
    • knitty kitty
      4.5 years into diagnosis, eating gluten-free and still struggling: would love support, tips, & stories

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Healthy Omega Three fats.  Olive oil or flaxseed oil, oily fish, fatty cuts of meat.   Our bodies run much better on burning fats as fuel.  Diets based on carbohydrates require an increased amount of thiamine to process the carbs into fuel for the body.  Unfortunately, thiamine mononitrate is used to enrich rice.  Thiamine mononitrate is relatively unusable in the body.  So a high carb diet can further decrease thiamine stores in the body.  Insufficient thiamine in the body causes the body to burn body fat and muscle for fuel, so weight loss and muscle wasting occurs.  Those extra carbohydrates can lead to Candida (often confused with mold toxicity) and SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth).   Losing weight quickly is a symptom of thiamine insufficiency.  Muscle wasting is a symptom of thiamine insufficiency.  I lost sixty pounds in a month.   Having difficulty putting weight on and keeping it on is a symptom of thiamine insufficiency.   The AIP diet works because it eliminates all grains and grasses, rice, quinoa, all the carbs.  Without the carbs, the Candida and SIBO get starved and die off.  Easy way to change your microbiome is to change what you feed it.  With the rowdy neighbors gone, the intestine can heal and absorb more nutrients.   Supplementing with essential vitamins and minerals is beneficial.  Talk to your doctor and nutritionist.  Benfotiamine is a form of thiamine that promotes intestinal healing.  The eight B vitamins are water soluble, so if you don't need them, they can be gotten rid of easily.   Night shades are excluded on the AIP diet.  Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are not allowed on the AIP diet.  They contain alkaloids that promote "a leaky gut".  Benfotiamine can help here. Sweet potatoes are avoided because they contain thiaminases, chemicals that break thiamine so that the body cannot use it.   The AIP diet has helped me.
×
×
  • 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.