Gluten Free

[Guest Karabear20]

Alright, I'm new here...haven't posted before so go easy on me.

I have had celiac symptoms my whole life...and in the past six months I was having severe stomach problems...especially D(that is what you use for diahrea right?) It was interfering with my life so I finally was blood tested for celiac...and it was a high positive with the blood work. Then I was referred to a gastroenterologist that seemed to not have a freaking clue as to what he was doing...kept insisting on a colonoscopy even though every symptom was celiac celiac celiac. I had already been gluten free a week after the blood results....so the dr was hesitant to do a endoscopy only because it might be a false negative. (it was negative). But then I read about how a week gluten free usually isnt going to change anything.

Anyways I was so disappointed when it was negative because I was so sure.... I am still gluten free because it affects me.

My mom and i aren't convinced so we're going to a special celiac dr in april.

anyways.. my question is... how on earth..did i go from constant D to being constipated after goin gluten free... my mom says you get fiber and stuff from gluten and wheat....so that might be why....and that i have to eat more veggies and stuff.

we took 90% of corn out of my diet too because i seemed to be sensitive to it... and well..we sorta decided we could eat that again...so yesterday i ate organic corn tortilla chips... and then later on half a small bag of fritos. At about 5 in the morning i woke up and was constantly in the bathroom with D/and being constipated..but took meds so i was moving at least a lil.... but then i started vomiting a ton...every time i went to the bathroom... i was vomiting too...horribly.... could that be a reaction from corn... and if it is.... does that relate to celiac too?

i know thats a lot of gross information...but i have no idea where else to ask.

[RiceGuy]

Well, I won't be the only one who'll tell you that if you get relief from the gluten-free diet, that's more proof than any "official" tests can provide. It has been found to be the best way to know for certain, as the methods used by medical tests just aren't yet reliable enough. Some tests (like the gene tests) can give you an idea of the possibility of Celiac disease, but still cannot be relied upon as the basis for deciding whether to go gluten-free.

As for your particular symptoms, they're not at all surprising. The range of symptoms is quite wide, and there is no single set of symptoms common to everyone who's gluten intolerant. Some gain weight, some lose. Some experience D, some C, and still others get neither.

Do not be surprised if you find you cannot tolerate corn, or other things such as dairy, eggs, soy, nuts, etc. Again it varies a lot from person to person, but many do find issues with other things besides gluten. Some of these intolerances can disappear over time.

I do hope you get the answers and relief you need.

Welcome to the board!

[CarlaB]

When you're first healing after going gluten-free, sometimes foods that you aren't sensitive to bother you. On the other hand, celiacs can have other intolerances. I would keep your diet simple for a while, like you do after you have a stomach bug ... after all, you have had a stomach bug, a long term one!

Eat meat, veggies (well cooked for now), fruits, brown rice, sweet potatoes (regular potatoes are okay, too, but sweet ones are better for you). I made lots of soup with chicken and veggies. Sometimes I'd use Tinkyada Pasta made from brown rice to make chicken noodle soup.

After you're feeling better, then add other foods one at a time to see how you react and if you're ready for them.

You are lucky in Alpharetta, there's a great celiac group there that goes to restaurants often. There are also a lot of good restaurants with gluten-free menus there (I have friends in Cummings). If you haven't connected with the celiac group there, search the forum for Atlanta celiac group.

Biopsies have lots of false negatives, even when there is damage. Damage is spotty, so there is always the chance the biopsies are from healthy areas. Or maybe you just caught it before there was damage.

[Guest Karabear20]

Well, I won't be the only one who'll tell you that if you get relief from the gluten-free diet, that's more proof than any "official" tests can provide. It has been found to be the best way to know for certain, as the methods used by medical tests just aren't yet reliable enough. Some tests (like the gene tests) can give you an idea of the possibility of Celiac disease, but still cannot be relied upon as the basis for deciding whether to go gluten-free.

As for your particular symptoms, they're not at all surprising. The range of symptoms is quite wide, and there is no single set of symptoms common to everyone who's gluten intolerant. Some gain weight, some lose. Some experience D, some C, and still others get neither.

Do not be surprised if you find you cannot tolerate corn, or other things such as dairy, eggs, soy, nuts, etc. Again it varies a lot from person to person, but many do find issues with other things besides gluten. Some of these intolerances can disappear over time.

I do hope you get the answers and relief you need.

Welcome to the board!

Thanks, at first i was really C, but i had D too...then it was just D and now its back to C... but I think it was the corn.

But i've had symptoms my whole life... depression, joint pain, bloating, D, C, hair loss, for the past couple of months..itching.. irritability, abdominal pain... trouble sleeping. fatigue, insomnia... weight gain..but now im losing cuz of gluten-free diet... im anemic, couldnt give blood in highschool cuz iron was so low, i have tons of vitamin dificiencies, weakness(no energy), sores in my mouth.. hungry all the time, tooth enamal problems, dehydration, difficulty concentrating(ADD) bad memory, etcetcetcetc...

its really like finding a puzzle piece that connects my whole lifes problems perfectly.

the only time in my childhood that i was happy was after my parents took me to this environmental dr to test for all these food allergies...havin to do with mood...cuz i was so angry all the time and they didnt know what else to do... the significant range went up to 3000.. i tested 2600 something for wheat, gluten, rye, and barley.... coincidence...i think not. so after that my mom took it all out of my system and i was such a better kid

i swear if its not celiac... i dont know how all those symptoms could be for something else.

[Guest Karabear20]

When you're first healing after going gluten-free, sometimes foods that you aren't sensitive to bother you. On the other hand, celiacs can have other intolerances. I would keep your diet simple for a while, like you do after you have a stomach bug ... after all, you have had a stomach bug, a long term one!

Eat meat, veggies (well cooked for now), fruits, brown rice, sweet potatoes (regular potatoes are okay, too, but sweet ones are better for you). I made lots of soup with chicken and veggies. Sometimes I'd use Tinkyada Pasta made from brown rice to make chicken noodle soup.

After you're feeling better, then add other foods one at a time to see how you react and if you're ready for them.

You are lucky in Alpharetta, there's a great celiac group there that goes to restaurants often. There are also a lot of good restaurants with gluten-free menus there (I have friends in Cummings). If you haven't connected with the celiac group there, search the forum for Atlanta celiac group.

Biopsies have lots of false negatives, even when there is damage. Damage is spotty, so there is always the chance the biopsies are from healthy areas. Or maybe you just caught it before there was damage.

thanks for the advice...ill take it haha. I'm just desperate for it to stop interfering with my life.. i want to get as healthy as possible because my stomach is just...torturing me.

I got signed up with the atlanta meetup group... hopefully thats the one you're talking about....at first i didnt think i had the right to go because i wasnt fully diagnosed...but now its just like... im sayin i have celiac because what else could it be if im starting to feel better with gluten-free diet

[CarlaB]

Kara, I've participated with our celiac group ... I eat gluten-free and that should be enough ... just like the message board here.

If the group goes out to lots of restaurants together, it's the group I'm talking about. I think they go to a restaurant each month for their meeting. I'd love to live there -- lots of friends there, and a fun celiac group!! Hubby's tired of hearing about it ...

[Guest Karabear20]

Kara, I've participated with our celiac group ... I eat gluten-free and that should be enough ... just like the message board here.

If the group goes out to lots of restaurants together, it's the group I'm talking about. I think they go to a restaurant each month for their meeting. I'd love to live there -- lots of friends there, and a fun celiac group!! Hubby's tired of hearing about it ...

hahaha.. i just got a new bf...for some reason i have a feeling having a "broken" girlfriend isn't what he signed up for. Theres just a new ache or pain every day...it will probably be like that until i'm healed.

i think you should force your hubby to move down here hahaha.

[hathor]

It could be the corn ... or food poisoning ... or some gastrointestinal bug unrelated to what you ate.

I suggest keeping a food diary for awhile. Keep track of what you eat and any symptoms -- you may see a connection. However, if you've never noticed a problem with corn before, such a strong reaction to it now seems unlikely to me. People notice other sensitivities, yes, but what you went through seems too extreme to be something you never noticed before.

You could always cut out corn for a few weeks and see how you feel. Then try some. If you don't react, it wasn't the corn.

Are you eating more of any particular food now you are gluten-free? Has your amount of fiber decreased? Maybe you are sensitive to something else, dairy comes to mind since it seems to have a C sort of effect on some people -- gluten before covered up the effect of this other food? Now the gluten is gone and the effects of something else can be seen -- it's just an idea.

Unless you get tested for other food sensitivities, it will be a matter of trial and error to see what you can handle. Your system may also just need easy to digest things for the time being.

From my experience and what I've heard others say, it is not a simple "don't eat gluten and your symptoms go away" thing. It took a few weeks for my system to behave normally. My problem was 98% of the time C (with the rest D just to spice things up). After going gluten-free, at first things got better, then back to the way they originally were, then worse -- then I had the most incredible D experience of my life. When I gave up soy, a few weeks later I again had a big bout of the big D. All I can think is that my body was trying to rid itself of the last stuff gunking up my intestines.

Whatever the merits of my speculation, it seems to be not that uncommon for one's system to take some time to get on an even keel. It also takes time to figure out if there are other sensitivities. I know someone on another board. She went gluten-free and continued to have problems. By keeping track of what she ate, she finally realized she was reacting every time she had tomatoes.

It's tough, I know, but you will get through this and figure out what you can and can't eat.

[Guest Karabear20]

It could be the corn ... or food poisoning ... or some gastrointestinal bug unrelated to what you ate.

I suggest keeping a food diary for awhile. Keep track of what you eat and any symptoms -- you may see a connection. However, if you've never noticed a problem with corn before, such a strong reaction to it now seems unlikely to me. People notice other sensitivities, yes, but what you went through seems too extreme to be something you never noticed before.

You could always cut out corn for a few weeks and see how you feel. Then try some. If you don't react, it wasn't the corn.

Are you eating more of any particular food now you are gluten-free? Has your amount of fiber decreased? Maybe you are sensitive to something else, dairy comes to mind since it seems to have a C sort of effect on some people -- gluten before covered up the effect of this other food? Now the gluten is gone and the effects of something else can be seen -- it's just an idea.

Unless you get tested for other food sensitivities, it will be a matter of trial and error to see what you can handle. Your system may also just need easy to digest things for the time being.

From my experience and what I've heard others say, it is not a simple "don't eat gluten and your symptoms go away" thing. It took a few weeks for my system to behave normally. My problem was 98% of the time C (with the rest D just to spice things up). After going gluten-free, at first things got better, then back to the way they originally were, then worse -- then I had the most incredible D experience of my life. When I gave up soy, a few weeks later I again had a big bout of the big D. All I can think is that my body was trying to rid itself of the last stuff gunking up my intestines.

Whatever the merits of my speculation, it seems to be not that uncommon for one's system to take some time to get on an even keel. It also takes time to figure out if there are other sensitivities. I know someone on another board. She went gluten-free and continued to have problems. By keeping track of what she ate, she finally realized she was reacting every time she had tomatoes.

It's tough, I know, but you will get through this and figure out what you can and can't eat.

well i know its not dairy because i took that out when i took gluten out...since i've always sorta been sensitive to dairy...and most celiacs are lactose intolerant.. and we had taken out about 90% of corn because we had a feeling that i was sensitive to that too.... but we didnt think it was as bad as gluten and dairy.... but i had reacted to it before.... we just thought that we'd try eating corn again since so much that is gluten free is either like...corn or rice.

i dunno, but i'll figure it out.