Newbie Question - How Soon Is Too Soon To Feel Relief?

[Lizking531]

Ok - I first posted yesterday after much reading of this board -

I've been dealng with many GI issues just like I've been reading around hear (diarrhea - fatty, orange stools that float, gas, bloating, constipation - not too much, fatigue). I've thought about seeing a head doctor for anxiety/depression/fatigue/generalized brain fog.

Recently went in to my general doctor after about 3 months of diarrhea (mostly before 6pm - kinda odd) and the rest of my internal problems. I went camping and drank some beer and ate nothing but brats and hotdogs and buns for 2 days. The monday after woke up naseaus but couldn't vomit - I heaved all morning eventually dislodging a couple of the strangest deep belches I've ever experienced.

She ran stool/blood/unrine - all came back negative (I haven't seen the actual paperwork - I dont knwo what they were looking at/for) Told me to take probiotics and Activia yogurt.

Symptoms still persistent - in the can 8-12 times/day, fatigue, headaches (I actually got glasses for less than .5 diopter correction - I work on a computer all day) She sent me to a GI spec. Went in for endo/colonoscopy with biopsy and more blood - all clear (haven;t seen paperwork on this either) He put me on Forte (methascopalomine bromide) to slow bowel motility - it makes me feel super sick - unless I dont eat.

Symptoms still persist - After reading much on this board - decided to go gluten-free a couple days ago - Officially yesterday - unofficially a few days - nacho cheese and gluten free chips were my sustinance (didn't know about gluten then - it was a coincidence that it was the only food that didn't make me feel like poop)

So today I feel better than I have in weeks - perhaps months -

Is this just placebo effect or wishful thinking? Should I continue this diet? Would I really experience any relief in that short of a time?

[Emily Elizabeth]

I would definitely recommend that you continue to eat gluten and get tested for celiac disease as soon as possible. If you stop eating gluten you could produce a falsly negative result when they test you. I felt instantly better the first week I was gluten free, then worse for a few months, then much better again. Good luck!

Is this just placebo effect or wishful thinking? Should I continue this diet? Would I really experience any relief in that short of a time?

[Lizking531]

I would definitely recommend that you continue to eat gluten and get tested for celiac disease as soon as possible. If you stop eating gluten you could produce a falsly negative result when they test you. I felt instantly better the first week I was gluten free, then worse for a few months, then much better again. Good luck!

The GI doc did mention that he was testing for Celiac went I went in. They told me I checked out fine and that it was "probably IBS", WTF!?. I have a follow up appt with him Sept 11th (weird). I am going to try to get the paperwork from the tests I've already done, if nothing else - have someone else go over the results.

[JessieFree]

You can be gluten/wheat/locatose intolerant without being celiac. But blood tests aren't always accurate a biopsy should be.

P.S. Forte made me very sick too but I highly recommend probiotics. Ginger and peppermint teas are also good for the stomach

Ok - I first posted yesterday after much reading of this board -

I've been dealng with many GI issues just like I've been reading around hear (diarrhea - fatty, orange stools that float, gas, bloating, constipation - not too much, fatigue). I've thought about seeing a head doctor for anxiety/depression/fatigue/generalized brain fog.

Recently went in to my general doctor after about 3 months of diarrhea (mostly before 6pm - kinda odd) and the rest of my internal problems. I went camping and drank some beer and ate nothing but brats and hotdogs and buns for 2 days. The monday after woke up naseaus but couldn't vomit - I heaved all morning eventually dislodging a couple of the strangest deep belches I've ever experienced.

She ran stool/blood/unrine - all came back negative (I haven't seen the actual paperwork - I dont knwo what they were looking at/for) Told me to take probiotics and Activia yogurt.

Symptoms still persistent - in the can 8-12 times/day, fatigue, headaches (I actually got glasses for less than .5 diopter correction - I work on a computer all day) She sent me to a GI spec. Went in for endo/colonoscopy with biopsy and more blood - all clear (haven;t seen paperwork on this either) He put me on Forte (methascopalomine bromide) to slow bowel motility - it makes me feel super sick - unless I dont eat.

Symptoms still persist - After reading much on this board - decided to go gluten-free a couple days ago - Officially yesterday - unofficially a few days - nacho cheese and gluten free chips were my sustinance (didn't know about gluten then - it was a coincidence that it was the only food that didn't make me feel like poop)

So today I feel better than I have in weeks - perhaps months -

Is this just placebo effect or wishful thinking? Should I continue this diet? Would I really experience any relief in that short of a time?

[Lizking531]

So update - I felt great since I went off gluten about 2 weeks ago - until now

Over ther weekend had a few drinks (tanqueray vodka, redbridge beer) Stayed gluten free (possible gluten in tater tots from the late night diner?)

Come Monday - new set o' symptoms - quick painful cramping *new one for me, bloating, fatigue, D, confusion, and one very peculiar symptom - Monday and Tuesday I passed probably about 6-8 times - 100% clear fluid - nothing in it, no color, a little bit of bubbles. Now I have bad stomach/gut cramps & I have to run to the bathroom at least every hour usually ever half hour, but I end up pooing like a rabbit - several little pellets. My belt size fluctuates about 2 notches throughout the normal workday because of the bloating. I have trouble sitting at my desk because my left side/kidney area gets very sore - if my other symptoms are coming or there - it hurts, otherwise its fine - doctor said that the pain, and corresponding lump, are not related to my GI issues - WTF!?

I had stopped taking Forte a couple days after being gluten free. Now I am forced to take it again. This med sucks!! - But its the only thing that gets me through my day

Most of these symptoms are primarily morning, until around 6-7pm

I dont know what to do - my next GI appt isn't until 9/11

Any help?

[darkangel]

Alcohol can certainly stir up a sensitive gut. I hope you're eating more than cheese dip and chips. If you have issues with gluten - and it sounds like you do - dairy products will probably cause problems, too. I would recommend a safe diet of lean chicken, turkey and fish, rice, potatoes and soft cooked vegetables that will go a long way towards helping your gut settle. Forgive me if I've read too much into your posts, but saying you ate nothing but brats and buns, cheese dip and chips concerns me. As sick as you are, you don't want to be just "gluten free," you also want to eliminate alcohol, lactose and follow a soothing diet that's nutritious and will help calm things down.

[Lizking531]

Alcohol can certainly stir up a sensitive gut. I hope you're eating more than cheese dip and chips. If you have issues with gluten - and it sounds like you do - dairy products will probably cause problems, too. I would recommend a safe diet of lean chicken, turkey and fish, rice, potatoes and soft cooked vegetables that will go a long way towards helping your gut settle. Forgive me if I've read too much into your posts, but saying you ate nothing but brats and buns, cheese dip and chips concerns me. As sick as you are, you don't want to be just "gluten free," you also want to eliminate alcohol, lactose and follow a soothing diet that's nutritious and will help calm things down.

No the brats and buns was the final trigger that sent me into the doc - My gluten-free works at Wild Oats and she happened to bring home some cheese & chips (my total favorite) that happened to be gluten free. I ate that one day - and it didn't affect me at all - I felt like I actually ate something. I can't skip dairy altogether, not yet. I'm too much of a cheese head & my lady is damn near vegetarian. If I eat what she cooks - vegetables mainly, albeit fresh, but cooked - it tears me apart. I will be out of commission and in pain. I dont eat as much cheese as I used to, but I cant give it up.

Now I eat a lot of rice & baked/grilled chicken breast, taters, lean ground beef - I try to stick with a close to what you were describing, but its very hard for me to drop out cheese.

I've kept away from alcohol for over a months, until this weekend - looks like I'm back to square one

[darkangel]

If I eat what she cooks - vegetables mainly, albeit fresh, but cooked - it tears me apart. I will be out of commission and in pain.

For a compromised digestive system, veggies need to be well-cooked, to the point of being soft/soggy. I know. That flies in the face of the health nut raw or lightly steamed mentality. But overcooking breaks down any tough fiber matrixes and helps make veggies easier to digest. Any tough skins should be removed, too. The vegetables that seem safest to me are canned organic green beans and sweet peas, frozen peas and carrots, and the squashes - zuchinni, winter squashes and summer squash - are good, but you have to peel them before cooking. Peeled, baked apples or applesauce, canned pears and peaches, and very ripe bananas work well on the fruit side.