I'm New & Need Help

[stella]

Hi. I'm new to the site and a recently diagnosed Celiac. I've been on the diet for six weeks and in the last few days have been having tummy trouble (I had no troubles pre-diagnosis - I was diagnosed for other reasons). Lately after I eat I have an awful tummy ache for a couple of hours with bloating, gas and icky trips to the bathroom. (not after every meal, just sometimes) I'm positive I haven't ingested any gluten.

I've gone from a stomach that could handle almost anything (multiple rows of cookies, large servings of pasta) to having an extremely sensitive system. This isn't what I was expecting. Is this normal? Shouldn't I be feeling better?

Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

[kejohe]

Hmm, that's an interesting situation. It doesn't seem uncommon though. The best example I have is that I know quite a few families who have had one member diagnosed with celiac disease, but to save time and money, the entire family decided to go gluten-free. After a while, the non-celiac disease members started noticeing reactions whenever they ingested gluten whether accidentally or intentionally. Maybe it is hidden in your diet somewhere, remember that for some celiacs, it can take several hours to a couple of days for symptoms to show up, for others it may take as little as 15 - 30 minutes.

Six weeks is a beginning, remember that for a lot of celiac disease floks, depending on the amount of healing they have to do, it may take many months to begin to feel better.

I don't know if this is all that helpful, but in anycase, I hope you will spend some time talking to all the great folks on this board, they are awesome. I am sure someone will have some more definite answers for you.

[seeking-wholeness]

stella,

Just a little over a year ago, my favorite meal in the whole world was a HUGE plate of pasta with sauteed zucchini and mushrooms, lots of garlic and Pecorino romano cheese, and several sloshes of lemon juice. I probably ate it twice a week, and I never noticed any reaction. But then I decided to cut wheat (and ALL dairy) out of my diet for the sake of my breastfeeding baby. Not long after this, I suddenly began having repeated problems with "food poisoning," but it was always from grains--especially barley. Even rice that I had cooked in the same pot as barley would make me ill. Now, I react to the tiniest amount of gluten. Looking back at my childhood and adolescence, I can see that I DID have symptoms of celiac disease, but they were not intestinal. After I went wheat-free, my intestines decided to join the act.

Have you also removed dairy from your diet (at least for now)? Most celiacs are lactose intolerant during the beginning phase of the healing process, and a significant minority of us cannot distinguish casein (a milk protein) from gluten and end up reacting to BOTH! If you are still eating dairy and having trouble, try eliminating it for a couple of weeks to a month and see what happens. A food diary would also help you track down the culprit behind your discomfort, if you can remember to write in it (I can't!).

I hope this information is helpful to you and that you begin feeling much better soon!

[stella]

I've been off milk for a week and it's made a huge difference. I've been sneaking small amounts of cheese and I think I even have to stop that (big disappointment). Thanks for the advice!