How Does Oranges Affect You?

[T-Bird]

My husband is currently in alot of pain, the last thing he ate was an orange. He says he has never been able to eat ornages because they burn his stomach, even before we found out about gluten-free. He's only two months into the gluten-free diet. Also, he has had 3 tablespoons of pepto and still suffering. Could just an orange bother him that bad? He was just fine before he ate it. What should he do besides pepto?

Thanks,

Tabatha

[BritChick]

My husband is currently in alot of pain, the last thing he ate was an orange. He says he has never been able to eat ornages because they burn his stomach, even before we found out about gluten-free. He's only two months into the gluten-free diet. Also, he has had 3 tablespoons of pepto and still suffering. Could just an orange bother him that bad? He was just fine before he ate it. What should he do besides pepto?

Thanks,

Tabatha

Tabatha, I'm new to the site, but before I knew I had issues with wheat/gluten, I could not eat oranges. In fact they would make me throw up. I believe my insides were in such a terrible state due to the wheat/gluten that my poor tummy could not handle the acid from the oranges. I've been wheat free for 3 years now and can eat oranges without a problem. Unfortunately I don't have any suggestions to help relieve your poor hubby's current symptoms. Hope he feels better soon.

[T-Bird]

Tabatha, I'm new to the site, but before I knew I had issues with wheat/gluten, I could not eat oranges. In fact they would make me throw up. I believe my insides were in such a terrible state due to the wheat/gluten that my poor tummy could not handle the acid from the oranges. I've been wheat free for 3 years now and can eat oranges without a problem. Unfortunately I don't have any suggestions to help relieve your poor hubby's current symptoms. Hope he feels better soon.

Hey BritChick, thanks for responding. He just came to tell be he feels so, so bad and that he is just going to bed. I'm his "food supplier" another words, NO food goes into his body without me knowing it , he has been relying on me these past 2 months from researching, shopping and cooking/preparing his meals. I told him he could eat that orange and I'm sad for him, but we don't blame me or him, who knew that fruit would affect him so badly.

[larry mac]

My husband is currently in alot of pain, the last thing he ate was an orange. He says he has never been able to eat ornages because they burn his stomach, even before we found out about gluten-free. He's only two months into the gluten-free diet. Also, he has had 3 tablespoons of pepto and still suffering. Could just an orange bother him that bad? He was just fine before he ate it. What should he do besides pepto?

Thanks,

Tabatha

tb,

Pepto-Bismol always made my stomach hurt, even when I was a little kid. I would recommend Tums or something similar.

May sound like a dumb question, but why did he eat an orange if he's never been able to eat oranges?

best regards, lm

[T-Bird]

tb,

Pepto-Bismol always made my stomach hurt, even when I was a little kid. I would recommend Tums or something similar.

May sound like a dumb question, but why did he eat an orange if he's never been able to eat oranges?

When he asked "can I have oranges", I was thinking they are fruit and shouldn't have gluten in them so yes you can have oranges. He probably thought, why would they hurt my tummy since gluten was the problem for the years.

Can he take rolaids instead of tums? Also, can he take rolaids after the pepto?

Sincerely,

Tabatha

[larry mac]

tb,

I'm hesitant to offer medical advise now that he's already taken something and is in pain. If we were talking about me it would be different. I think I would want to eat something to help get rid of the Pepto Bismol and orange. Milk ?, gluten-free bread ? I would probably take some rolaids (but I don't have any to read the ingredients to check for gluten-free).

Tums/ Rolaids are antacids (calcium carbonate), that's what you need for the orange. Bepto bismol is an antidiarrheal/ upset stomach reliever (bismuth subsalicylate), for if you feel like throwing up. An alternative to tums/rolaids would be Malox liquid. It's an antacid/anti-gas (aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, and simethicone (for gas)).

I'd ask my wife (she's a nurse) but she's already in bed asleep and gets up at 4:45.

best regards, lm

[Nantzie]

I always heard that Tums had gluten? I just looked up their website FAQ http://www.tums.com/faqs_contents.asp#4 and this what it says -

Does TUMS

[T-Bird]

I always heard that Tums had gluten? I just looked up their website FAQ http://www.tums.com/faqs_contents.asp#4 and this what it says -

Does TUMS

[tarnalberry]

Oranges have never bothered me, and I eat them constantly. But some people are allergic, and some people just can't tolerate foods that acidic. He should listen to his body.

[loraleena]

Oranges and other acidic fruits cause my intersticial cystitis to flare and give me mouth sores. It is probably the acid that is bothering him. I take prelief to neutralize acid in foods. I take this with all foods, but never touch oranges or tomatoes.

[Ursa Major]

Oranges are high in salicylic acid, which I am highly intolerant to. After stopping all food high in salicylates for several months, I gave in to a craving and ate ONE orange, and the next day I felt like I was on fire.

So, his intolerance may not be to oranges per se, but something in the oranges. He probably shouldn't be eating grapefruits or lemons, either. Limes in moderation are ok for me, as they have a much lower concentration of salicylic acid.

[larry mac]

um,

The number and variety of intolerances, allergies, and health issues represented on the forum is just mind-boggling.

Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, so I guess that's out for you. We haven't taken aspirin for at least a decade anyway. Ibuprofen and Acetaminifin have replaced it (at least for us).

I used to occasionally take a BC powder (also Goodies, Goody Goody ?) when I needed something really special. Among numerous things, it actually contains salicylic acid. And caffeine, which paradoxically relaxes the blood vessels in the brain. Headaches are caused by, or a symptom of, constricted brain blood vessels.

I don't eat fruit, save an occasional banana, but drink a margarita almost every day. Fresh squeezed limes, lemons, and those small, very mild, sweet Texas oranges. If anyone is just mildly sensitive to regular oranges, they just might be the ticket for them. They really almost don't taste like oranges, but are very good. I've seen them called Valencia oranges at the store, but am not sure if that is accurate or not. They occasionally tend to be kind of unsightly, with dark splotches. They're not always perfect, like navel oranges. That's probably why they're not marketed more.

best regards, lm

[confused]

i cant eat oranges cause of my ulcer. Does your hubby have an ulcer?

paula

[PainPill]

T-Birds the best, she's calling out the calvary on Monday I think. Tests, yuck, but now I have no choice. A simple orange caused tremendous pain for about 8 hours on Thursday, and today I still feel bad but it just comes and goes now. Burning, in the upper left hand side of my abdomen Ulcers, ACK.. I sure hope not, and thanks to all for helping us select my OTC medicines.

[blueeyedmanda]

I don't have any problems with oranges. Maybe the acid bothers him. I have a friend who cannot eat oranges because the acid makes her sick.

[T-Bird]

Had to take my husband to the ER this afternoon, we didn't go in thought! He said he'd feel so dumb going in with all those people who could really be in need of ER help and all he had was bad stomach pain. So we sat in the car and waited for the pain to subside. Well it subsided and he's in bed sleeping now. He said it wasn't the same pain as when he has been glutened. He couldn't compare it to anything except for when he had kidney stones maybe. It all started with that darn orange he ate Thursday night. He said the fire in his stomach was in one spot, a very bad. Well today is Sunday, he woke up with the burn and it just got worse. Enought to bring him to his knees and freaked me out enough to say lets go to the ER! He has taken rolaids and pepcid and no help. I picked him up some activated charcoal tablets and he took one and ate lite lunch and says he feels about 80% better. We are only 2 months into the gluten-free world and all these different stomach pains are confusing for me and painful for him. I'm just glad I can ask you guys/gals. I want to take him to a stomach doctor just to have everything checked out. How would I find out if we had a doctor that new enough about gluten-free or celiac?

[Lisa]

T-Bird, I hope that you husband is feeling better.

I just had a recent glutening and I usually do not get the sharp pain associated with gluten, but I did this time.

I took Pepsid Maximun Strength. I wrote the company and found that Pepsid-Reguar Tablets and Pepsid-Regular Complete Tablets are gluten free.....No mention of Pepsid Max Strength.

Just thought that I would pass that on.

Prilosec generally works well for me.

[T-Bird]

T-Bird, I hope that you husband is feeling better.

I just had a recent glutening and I usually do not get the sharp pain associated with gluten, but I did this time.

I took Pepsid Maximun Strength. I wrote the company and found that Pepsid-Reguar Tablets and Pepsid-Regular Complete Tablets are gluten free.....No mention of Pepsid Max Strength.

Just thought that I would pass that on.

Prilosec generally works well for me.

Momma Goose, thanks for your concern and input. He is sleeping right know, which I guess celiacs do often when they've been glutened. I worry about him and get frustrated at the same time. I take it very serious when he gets glutened because I'm the one feeding him, and ofcourse I don't want to see him suffer. I joke with him all the time that he's at my mercy and I could poison him at anytime:) I joke about it but I do know how serious this is to all of you. I can relate to the wife who spoke of the many different moods her husband has when he is not well. My husband can't be the loving dad and husband we know when he is ill, so I make sure to pay special attention to all things going in him, including my lotion:). He has suffered for most of his life that he can remember and we just found out about celiac and gluten in March of this year.

Hey, do you know of a good bread recipe? I think I'd like to buy a bread maker and make him some "normal" bread.

[DestinyLeah]

When you are feeling bad enough to drive to the Er, go in. Your husband felt that he needed medical attention, but did not have a good reason to go in and take up a spot in the system. I felt that way when I first went in before my diagnosis. I came back two hours later unconscious- and nearly dead from dehydration, hypokalemia (low potassium), low salt, a heart rate of 250, and extremely thick blood. My body was giving up the first time I went in, and I felt that a stomach ache, a week of the dreaded "D" and a funny feeling in my chest were not a good reason to keep JR with a broken wrist from going in. Turns out, my condition was much more life threatening than anyone else in the room- in a New Orleans hospital. They immediately put me on fluids, potassium, and a monitor, then moved me to ICU. I stayed there 2 weeks with no food before I found out what was wrong. Celiac was a near-death situation for me.

Turns out, the condition was made critical by orange juice I used to treat my "Hypoglycemia" I do not have. The oranges upset ulcers in my stomach and small intestine caused by Celiac, which caused massive stomach trouble and stress on my immune system. The Celiac also caused interstitial cystitis in my bladder, and the oranges were acidic enough to set off bleeding, which allowed a infection to set in and back up to my kidneys, which are already 50% scar tissue, and that caused kidney failure, which thankfully reversed itself with enough fluids. My heart rate slowed with no permanent damage with potassium, and my consciousness returned with the addition of iron, salts, and more potassium. The regular amount of potassium in the blood is 4-6, my amount on entering the ICU was .58.

If oranges caused significant upset to make your husband think he should see a doctor, make an appointment ASAP, or go back to the ER. Celiac is a life threatening illness, and he very well may have ulcers. He needs to see his GI doc within a few days, and ask for a new endoscopy to check for ulcers. With treatment, they are barely noticeable. Without treatment, they can be very dangerous and cause internal bleeding and infection. They can be caused by H. Pylori, a common bacterial infection, as well, so even if the gluten free diet has been followed to a T, get it checked out. A week on antibiotics could save much worse troubles. Hope he feels better soon!

[T-Bird]

When you are feeling bad enough to drive to the Er, go in. Your husband felt that he needed medical attention, but did not have a good reason to go in and take up a spot in the system. I felt that way when I first went in before my diagnosis. I came back two hours later unconscious- and nearly dead from dehydration, hypokalemia (low potassium), low salt, a heart rate of 250, and extremely thick blood. My body was giving up the first time I went in, and I felt that a stomach ache, a week of the dreaded "D" and a funny feeling in my chest were not a good reason to keep JR with a broken wrist from going in. Turns out, my condition was much more life threatening than anyone else in the room- in a New Orleans hospital. They immediately put me on fluids, potassium, and a monitor, then moved me to ICU. I stayed there 2 weeks with no food before I found out what was wrong. Celiac was a near-death situation for me.

Turns out, the condition was made critical by orange juice I used to treat my "Hypoglycemia" I do not have. The oranges upset ulcers in my stomach and small intestine caused by Celiac, which caused massive stomach trouble and stress on my immune system. The Celiac also caused interstitial cystitis in my bladder, and the oranges were acidic enough to set off bleeding, which allowed a infection to set in and back up to my kidneys, which are already 50% scar tissue, and that caused kidney failure, which thankfully reversed itself with enough fluids. My heart rate slowed with no permanent damage with potassium, and my consciousness returned with the addition of iron, salts, and more potassium. The regular amount of potassium in the blood is 4-6, my amount on entering the ICU was .58.

If oranges caused significant upset to make your husband think he should see a doctor, make an appointment ASAP, or go back to the ER. Celiac is a life threatening illness, and he very well may have ulcers. He needs to see his GI doc within a few days, and ask for a new endoscopy to check for ulcers. With treatment, they are barely noticeable. Without treatment, they can be very dangerous and cause internal bleeding and infection. They can be caused by H. Pylori, a common bacterial infection, as well, so even if the gluten free diet has been followed to a T, get it checked out. A week on antibiotics could save much worse troubles. Hope he feels better soon!

Thank you for the information, he feels much better and has said he'd let me make any kind of doctors appt. I wish to, just so he doesn't have to feel like that again. I'll start calling tomorrow to find a GI/stomach doctor. Hopefully the dr. will know about all the things you have mentioned.

Sincerely,

Tabatha

[CINDY H.]

I never really liked oranges but I had one last night and I made myself throw up because the pain was so so bad. I only had the orange in the first place because I was at my boyfriend's house and that is the only fruit he had at the time.  I will NEVER eat another orange ever.  It was horrible.  I see someone posted about charcoal tablets?  Is that a go to when my stomach is that bad?  This gluten situation was just brought to my attention by my pcp because I had blood in my urine and my liver enzymes were high and celiac something was high too.  I use to eat a gluten free diet for at least a decade or more BUT I didn't do it because of gluten I ate that way simply because it was healthy.  This celiac thing sounds way more dangerous than I ever imagined.  I actually am getting scared reading some of these posts. 

 

 

[ravenwoodglass]

19 minutes ago, CINDY H. said:

I never really liked oranges but I had one last night and I made myself throw up because the pain was so so bad. I only had the orange in the first place because I was at my boyfriend's house and that is the only fruit he had at the time.  I will NEVER eat another orange ever.  It was horrible.  I see someone posted about charcoal tablets?  Is that a go to when my stomach is that bad?  This gluten situation was just brought to my attention by my pcp because I had blood in my urine and my liver enzymes were high and celiac something was high too.  I use to eat a gluten free diet for at least a decade or more BUT I didn't do it because of gluten I ate that way simply because it was healthy.  This celiac thing sounds way more dangerous than I ever imagined.  I actually am getting scared reading some of these posts. 

 

 

Welcome to the board.  I don't know about the charcoal tablets but what I used to use when needed was name brand pepto bismal liquic. It seemed to coat my stomach quickly relieving the pain.

You should post something in either the Pre-diagnosis or Coping section with some info on the tests you had done. If you had positive blood work you very likely are celiac.  Are the doctors planning on doing an endoscopy? If so you need to stay eating a bit of gluten daily until that test is done. Then you can go back to the diet. Do read the Newbie 101 thread at the top of the Coping section. It has a lot of good info. Ask any questions you need to ask and feel free to vent if needed. Don't let the diagnois of celiac scare you. The lifestyle takes a bit of getting used to but you come out the other side healthy in most cases.