Can Being Glutened Cause Horrible Problems Passing Gas?

[Dianne W.]

Hi. My 15 mth old son is intolerant of gluten (along with other foods). We know this through my elimination diet (I'm breastfeeding him still), direct food challenges in his diet, and the EnteroLabs test and DNA test. We have not see the GI yet to determine if he has Celiacs or not.

My question is directed towards those here who have gluten sensitivity or have older kids with it (who can verbalize how they are actually feeling). Does being glutened cause horrible, painful problems passing gas?? I have noticed that when my son gets accidently glutened he has terrible nighttime gas pain where he cries and cries while flopping around and shifting position in his sleep. When I pick him up and bounce up/down with him, he eventually passes some gas and then instantly settles. This goes on for at least a week or more, gradually lessening in frequency each night. I think it isn't a problem for him during the day since he is crawling and moving constantly so the gas must wiggle its way out during his normal movements.

This painful, hard-to-pass gas problem only happens when he gets accidently glutened. He has a different set of reactions to all of the other foods he is intolerant of (increased reflux and a skin rash).

Thanks for any insight you (or your older kids) might have.

Dianne Wood

[Nic]

Gas is definitely a symptom of glutening. My son has Celiac and he would be very gasy when he was eating gluten.

Nicole

[Cheri A]

That does happen to my dd. When she was younger, she would cry and cry about her tummy until she either passed the gas or had a BM. Since eliminating the gluten, she rarely has problems like that. When she does, we always start looking for a glutening.

[LisaJ]

That has always been my biggest (and most painful!) symptom of getting glutened. It has brought me to tears a few times It usually lasts a few days, then goes away completely.

[heathen]

oh my goodness, yes! good luck. i suggest gluten free gas drops.

[mama2two]

Hi. My 15 mth old son is intolerant of gluten (along with other foods). We know this through my elimination diet (I'm breastfeeding him still), direct food challenges in his diet, and the EnteroLabs test and DNA test. We have not see the GI yet to determine if he has Celiacs or not.

My question is directed towards those here who have gluten sensitivity or have older kids with it (who can verbalize how they are actually feeling). Does being glutened cause horrible, painful problems passing gas?? I have noticed that when my son gets accidently glutened he has terrible nighttime gas pain where he cries and cries while flopping around and shifting position in his sleep. When I pick him up and bounce up/down with him, he eventually passes some gas and then instantly settles. This goes on for at least a week or more, gradually lessening in frequency each night. I think it isn't a problem for him during the day since he is crawling and moving constantly so the gas must wiggle its way out during his normal movements.

This painful, hard-to-pass gas problem only happens when he gets accidently glutened. He has a different set of reactions to all of the other foods he is intolerant of (increased reflux and a skin rash).

Thanks for any insight you (or your older kids) might have.

Dianne Wood

My daughter is on the gluten-free diet and when she was not on it she had a tremendous amount of gas, at times her stomach was so bloated that she had difficulty breathing. She would burp with such force, it was very loud and forceful, since she has been gluten free she rarely passes gas or burps, and has not c/o difficulty breathing. I think it's great that you are still breastfeeding your son, many do not believe in extended breastfeeding. I think it can possibly help heal some of the intestinal damage, but that is just my thought on it. My daughter nursed til she was 2.5 yrs, my son is 23months and still going strong, although I am almost ready to wean. Good Luck to you and your son.

[Dianne W.]

My daughter is on the gluten-free diet and when she was not on it she had a tremendous amount of gas, at times her stomach was so bloated that she had difficulty breathing. She would burp with such force, it was very loud and forceful, since she has been gluten free she rarely passes gas or burps, and has not c/o difficulty breathing. I think it's great that you are still breastfeeding your son, many do not believe in extended breastfeeding. I think it can possibly help heal some of the intestinal damage, but that is just my thought on it. My daughter nursed til she was 2.5 yrs, my son is 23months and still going strong, although I am almost ready to wean. Good Luck to you and your son.

I nursed my dd until she weaned herself at 18 months (probably because I got pregnant and the milk tasted different or something). Weaning my son is not an option at this point because it is the only way I can survive his nighttime pain. Last night, for example, he woke 8 times (!!) between 10:30-7:15. A few times he was able to pass some gas, but most of the time I was just too tired and foggy to even hold him without fear of dropping him - let alone purposely bounce up and down to move the gas. Sometimes the sucking of nursing helps him pass gas, but usually I think it just "drugs" him into a level of sleep that he doesn't realize his tummy hurts. Well, at least until he wakes again in an hour or so. I wish he would let me nurse him in bed but he just flops around like a wet fish. Thank goodness the rocking chair is comfortable for me to snooze in until he nurses himself deeply asleep.

[hornbeck0920]

My daughter is on the gluten-free diet and when she was not on it she had a tremendous amount of gas, at times her stomach was so bloated that she had difficulty breathing. She would burp with such force, it was very loud and forceful, since she has been gluten free she rarely passes gas or burps, and has not c/o difficulty breathing.

I always wondered if there was any reason for burping or having difficulties burping besides swallowing air. I second baby, Jeffy (4yo now) never burped, not once. Poor little Tommy is 9mo and I've always had a hard time burping him. He won't sleep until he has burped but it sometimes takes an hour to get it out. I thought it was just the way he nurses or drinks his formula, but before going gluten-free he also started crying while eating meals in his high chair and wouldn't eat any more until he burped. Is it just that he's swallowing too much air, or is there a medical condition (celiac or otherwise) that might cause this? He only farts if he or I eats something with milk in it, and his farts have this really weird odor to them. Jeffy had the same smelling gas when he was a baby and since Tommy was born I, too, have the stinky farts when I have something with milk. I even tried Lactaid milk with the same results. Any ideas? BTW, I recently reintroduced small amounts of milk into my diet (M&Ms :-) ) without any problems from him, except once when my idiot husband gave him a bite of bread. Boy, did he do some screaming and farting that day! Okay, I shouldn't call Jeff and idiot. I just wish he'd take this more seriously.

[prinsessa]

Yes! I had the worse gas pains ever after going on a gluten binge one weekend. I find that laying on my stomach or going for a walk helps to get the gas out. When my kids had gas (when they were babies/toddlers), I would move their legs like they were riding a bike. My son still like me to do that to him when he has tummy pains. I would also lightly massage their bellies....sometimes they would fart everytime I pushed on their stomachs (I didn't have any idea they could be gluten intolerant at the time).

btw, good for you for bfing for so long. I bf my son until only a couple of months ago (he will be 4 in sept). I never thought I would bf for so long since I only bf my daughter for 2 months.

[cruelshoes]

Gas is definitely one of my son's symptoms. We call him the "gas man" when he gets glutened. It is unpleasant for all of us when that happens.

[Dianne W.]

Gas is definitely one of my son's symptoms. We call him the "gas man" when he gets glutened. It is unpleasant for all of us when that happens.

Does he pass the gas freely or is it hard for him to expel? If it is hard to pass it, is there anything you do that makes it less painful for him?

Thanks,

Dianne

[Nisa's Mama]

hi. i stumbled on this group by looking up "problems passing gas" and i read a post in june by Diane about her son and problems at night. My DD has those same problems and no one could tell me why she was just crying and waking at night (and naps). she is 9 months old. i am breatfeeding her and i have been on the elmination diet now for two weeks and she is still waking every hour or less! she is also fine in the day time but cries all night and can't sleep unless i am holding her. she used to cry and then pass gas, but lately she hasn't been passing gas at all, and just like your son, nurses till she passes out for another hour or less. except lately she hasn't been passing gass at all and is still in just as much pain! i give her milicone drops (symethicone), are those gluten free? i thought so. how long does the gluten take to get out of our systems? for two weeks all i have eaten (and fed her) is rice, rice milk, green beans, cabbage, dried peas and lentals, peeled pears, and free-range turkey. i didn't know if it was sals or amines, but since reading your email it sound JUST like her!! the doctor said "if she isn't in pain in the day, why is she in the night?" it was like no one believed me that she is hurting soo bad. passing gas seems so painful for her, and now she hasn't been passing any at all but is still up crying all night!! please help! i will try the bouncing up and down thing, she cries if i rub her tummy. but like you said, it is all night so i just lay her next to me and end up being up ALL night. help!

~Barbara