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Ridiculously Bloated, "stopped Up", Etc

DownWithGluten

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DownWithGluten Explorer
DownWithGluten
Posted

Hmm. Something tells me this has probably come up before, but I don't come on here too much. Feel free to direct me or, tell me to be quiet, if it has! lol.

Anyway. Just a recap. I was not diagnosed with Celiac's or anything. I was diagnosed with IBS. But nothing worked much. (was given a medication that just made me bleed...how nice!) So in desperation I prepared myself to go gluten-free in hopes for my life to change...in a good way. (Besides the obvious food changes ;) ). And, I have earlier this month.

So, I've been gluten-less (at least, that I am aware of!) since January 8th. Not too long. And I have to say, I got extremely bloated/constipated within the past 2 weeks. Absurdly. Worse than Ive had before. It feels like I have a cement block lodged between my pelvis and chest. I don't even want to eat, because I know I'm just 'adding' to the 'pile' that is already going up my chest. Half expect an alien to burst out of my midsection. I'm used to abdominal pain of various sorts, but haven't had it quite in this manner before. I was IBS C-D...meaning, my problem was being constipated kinda for a while, then having the 'd' come in an extremely painful ordeal to expel it all out. Not fun at all. Also, I got gas bloating a lot. But...now...the constipation is different than I've ever felt before! Much thicker feeling, tight, distended, and just generally painful.

So, I'm not sure what's going on. Is just this part of the ever-fun process of going gluten-free, or what? lol. Could the rice pasta be somehow slowing things down? I really don't know, and am curious if others have this problem too. It's not horrendous pain or anything, just extremely uncomfortable but, more important - not like I've felt before! The first week...I was amazed because Iw as actually 'going' every day, which usually never happens. It got my hopes up! Then it just stopped dead and now is all weird.

All right, you get the point. Any input anyone might have to offer? Thanks!

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Ursa Major Collaborator
Ursa Major
Posted

If you are eating white rice pasta, that could definitely make you constipated. You may want to make sure you eat enough fiber, and drink lots of water. Also, try prune juice.

Another thing that could make you constipated is dairy. You might want to eliminate it for at least six months as well.

IBS is not really a diagnosis. It just means that your doctor hasn't got a clue what is wrong, and declare the symptoms to be your diagnosis! If your bowels are irritated, there is a reason. Throwing medication at the symptom is crazy, without looking for the cause.

I hope you'll start feeling better soon.

DownWithGluten Explorer
DownWithGluten
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the info. I think the pasta I've had a few times is brown rice but...yeah.

I suppose it could be dairy, too. I ate that beforehand but...I don't know. I'll try to cut down on that a little and see if it makes a difference.

And yes, I agree about the IBS thing. I used to post on a board for that, and maybe 20% had similar symptoms to me. The rest - not even close. So, whatever that 20% had is probably the same as me. But not the other 80%. Yet we're all given the IBS label! I think that not only could some be misdiagnosed cases...but perhaps there are some digestive issues that haven't even been articulated yet that some of us could have. Never know...

And yeah. The medication was meant to regulate. It did for about the first week, but then my digestion just lapsed back to its old routine. Not to mention the bleeding. So I stopped taking it.

Oh, and I've never tried prune juice! Perhaps I should look into that.

kbabe1968 Enthusiast
kbabe1968
Posted

Aura -

I just went gluten free as well (Jan 1st). I was diagnosed with IBS also but my doc was not in the pill throwing mode, so gave me some lifestyle changes I could do (exercise, fiber, etc). I decided to go gluten free to see if it was celiac.

DEFINITELY make sure you're getting enough fiber. I was a "whole wheat" junkie - the more fiber the better when I was a glutener. I've noticed that I can go for days now without going. SO...eat LOTS of fruit and veggies. Drink veggie juices (fresh if it's possible). ALSO, careful not to eliminate all the fats from your diet too - believe it or not fat aids in "moving" things (GOOD FATS...I'm not talking french fries here!). Nuts can be very fiberous as well. Walnuts & Almonds are good for movement. ALSO, make sure you are drinking water (not just liquids - things like sodas and such can block you as well)

If you eat a lot of rice, rice pasta and potatoes, you are going to block FAST.

IF you need immediate relief do this - Drink 32 ozs of water in a 15 minute period. Wait an hour. If you still haven't gone, do it again. BUT if you don't go after that - DON'T DO IT AGAIN for at least two hours. TOO much water in a short period of time can be bad and cause water intoxication. I used to get C all the time when travelling. My husbands and my first trip together (when we were engaged and I went to meet his dad). I didn't go for six whole days. AT ALL. I finally took an exlax - but hated it! The next time this happened, I followed the water treatment, and it worked better than anything I've ever used.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Corkdarrr Enthusiast
Corkdarrr
Posted

Taking a daily magnesium supplement can also keep you regular. I take two a day, but when I start to feel stopped up I might double it for a day or two until things start going again.

Nancym Enthusiast
Nancym
Posted

I'm pretty sure my constipation was caused by dairy products but when I was eating wheat it gave me diarrhea, so they kind of balanced out... but once I cut out the wheat, the constipation took over full time. :P I've cut out the diary too, and all other grains as well, and things are almost like clockwork. I give a lot of credit to drinking kefir made from coconut milk.

ReneCox Contributor
ReneCox
Posted

I sometimes take flax seed oil and that seems to help alot too

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tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

I would second the magnesium. There's less of it in the refined gluten-free flours. If you're not using the more complex gluten-free grains yet (quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, etc.) I'd encourage looking into those.

hathor Contributor
hathor
Posted

I sometimes take flax seed oil and that seems to help alot too

Or you can use ground flax seed, which gives you fiber.

I agree with the suggestion about dairy.

I'm not giving any more advice because I'm still new to avoiding gluten (only 3 weeks at this point -- it looks like a few days longer than you) and my bowels aren't working how they should yet -- or I don't know if they are yet. First I had no change from my usual C, then it got worse, then I had an inexplicable explosion a week ago over the course of an hour (all that came from me :blink: ), a week passes with nothing, and finally this morning I had a normal (for normal people :lol: ) movement. I know, too much information. Nothing like having a safe forum for discussing one's poo :D

Anyway, I offer my experience to show that it isn't just you! I'm keeping a food diary to see if I can find some pattern. But it could be that my body is still adjusting to not having the irritant of the gluten. I can't remember a time when my bowels worked properly. Some other people have mentioned to me that it took their bodies 3 months to settle down to a healthy pattern.

I'll have to compare things to when I have had quinoa and buckwheat. What I've noticed is quite an impact from popcorn.

If things stay strange, I'm considering magnesium supplementation as a last resort.

In the meantime, I'm sending the Enterolab package tomorrow. Then I can find out if this gluten-free thing is just a fanciful notion on my part. Other things have improved, but I don't want to be fooled by a placebo effect.

DownWithGluten Explorer
DownWithGluten
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the suggestions so far... *takes mental note of what everyone said*

Could be something to the dairy/cheese thing, I think!

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    • SamAlvi
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      By SamAlvi · Posted

      Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Just to clarify, I actually did have my initial tests done while I was still consuming gluten. I stopped eating gluten only after those tests were completed, and it has now been about 70 days since I went gluten-free. I understand the limitations around diagnosing NCGS and the importance of antibody testing and biopsy for celiac disease. Unfortunately, where I live, access to comprehensive testing (including total IgA and endoscopy with biopsy) is limited, which makes things more complicated. Your explanation about small-bowel damage, nutrient absorption, and iron-deficiency anemia still aligns closely with my history, and it’s been very helpful in understanding what may be going on. I don't wanna get Endoscopy and I can't start eating Gluten again because it's hurt really with severe diarrhea.  I appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed and informative guidance. Thank you so much for this detailed and thoughtful response. I really appreciate you pointing out the relationship between anemia and antibody patterns, and how the high DGP IgG still supports celiac disease in my case. A gluten challenge isn’t something I feel safe attempting due to how severe my reactions were, so your suggestion about genetic testing makes a lot of sense. I’ll look into whether HLA testing is available where I live and discuss it with my doctor. I also appreciate you mentioning gastrointestinal beriberi and thiamine deficiency. This isn’t something any of my doctors have discussed with me, and given my symptoms and nutritional history, it’s definitely worth raising with them. I’ll also ask about correcting deficiencies more comprehensively, including B vitamins alongside iron. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to help. I’ll update the forum as I make progress.
    • knitty kitty
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    • lizzie42
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      By lizzie42 · Posted

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    • lizzie42
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      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
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