Question About Food Reactions

[Scooter5052]

Hello. I'm a 21 y.o. female who has been having digestive problems for the past month or so. I have been to the doc a couple of times since it all started and am being referred to a gastro now. I've been the queen of internet research every moment in between and that's how I learned about Celiac. Some of the symptoms I've been displaying (and I know that they can be varied and plentiful) seem to go with Celiac (light colored diarrhea/loose stool with undigested food bits, stomach discomfort, nausea, weakness, etc.) Others not so much. Still, I've considered this to be a possibility, especially considering the stats regarding how many people actually have it.

Anyway, my question has to do with the actual reaction to gluten. Almost everyday I have felt sick at some point and I always have diarrhea/loose stool. With the nausea, there have been times I haven't exactly felt like eating and yet the feeling can persist for a while. Maybe I'll eat something that I know is gluten free and I still don't feel right.

Other times, I have eaten things that clearly have gluten in them (Raisin Bran, for one) and it's helped with my stomach's upsetness for that moment and not made me any worse off for having eaten it (and later, my problems come back, no matter what I do).

I just wonder if general delayed reaction is possible...could I be getting sick (if I have Celiac) from regularly eating gluten but not really having it correlate with any specific time when I've eaten it?

I've heard a couple of different things and this is a great board, so any info would be greatly appreciate. I realize I may not have Celiac (my doc was running one test for it in my latest blood work), but some of my symptoms make me wonder. Thank you very much.

[Joni63]

Hello. I'm a 21 y.o. female who has been having digestive problems for the past month or so. I have been to the doc a couple of times since it all started and am being referred to a gastro now. I've been the queen of internet research every moment in between and that's how I learned about Celiac. Some of the symptoms I've been displaying (and I know that they can be varied and plentiful) seem to go with Celiac (light colored diarrhea/loose stool with undigested food bits, stomach discomfort, nausea, weakness, etc.) Others not so much. Still, I've considered this to be a possibility, especially considering the stats regarding how many people actually have it.

Anyway, my question has to do with the actual reaction to gluten. Almost everyday I have felt sick at some point and I always have diarrhea/loose stool. With the nausea, there have been times I haven't exactly felt like eating and yet the feeling can persist for a while. Maybe I'll eat something that I know is gluten free and I still don't feel right.

Other times, I have eaten things that clearly have gluten in them (Raisin Bran, for one) and it's helped with my stomach's upsetness for that moment and not made me any worse off for having eaten it (and later, my problems come back, no matter what I do).

I just wonder if general delayed reaction is possible...could I be getting sick (if I have Celiac) from regularly eating gluten but not really having it correlate with any specific time when I've eaten it?

I've heard a couple of different things and this is a great board, so any info would be greatly appreciate. I realize I may not have Celiac (my doc was running one test for it in my latest blood work), but some of my symptoms make me wonder. Thank you very much.

Hi Scooter5052,

Sorry to hear your having these problems, but I think it's great your trying to figure them out by researching on the internet. This board is a great place for information.

I'm very newly diagnosed and only been on the diet for about 1 1/2 weeks. When I was eating gluten I didn't always get an immediate reaction right after I ate something with gluten in it. I think my problems tended to be more that I would have several days in a row that would bother me where my stomach would 'burn'. I had a hard time trying to determine if I was hungry, feeling sick, or having cramps. Then I would have a couple days where I would feel fine. I don't think there is any set patterns for the reaction when your still eating gluten regularly and there is a lot in your system. From what I've read I think that comes once you are gluten free and you accidently get some. Then you would get a more immediate reaction.

Also, glad to hear you Doctor is testing you for Celiac. It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the tests that you 'should' get when being tested for Celiac. I'm not real knowledgeable about the names of them, but there are several things they can look for and some are better indicators than others. I'm sure some of the other members can help you out with that information.

Good luck, I hope you get answers soon.