Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Left Side Pain

Del

By Del
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

Del Rookie
Del
Posted

I have been gluten free for four months and a few days....some good days and plenty of bad days. I'm 62 years old and I've read it can take years for someone my age to heal! My question is do any of you get a pain in your left side....right about where you waist is? Sort of a twinging/throb.....not constant but comes once in awhile.

Thanks! <_<

Del

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Hi Del, That area is a common site for discomfort perhaps because it is an area where the large intestine takes a sharp turn. The pain we get can be felt in a lot of different places for a lot of different reasons. If this is something new and it gets severe or if you have a fever and chills you should get it checked out. Have you had a colonoscopy? Many of us have diverticulitosis and that can also result in discomfort and in serious illness if it turns into diverticulitis.

If you haven't already dropping dairy for a bit can also help speed the healing along.

Del Rookie
Del
Posted
  • Author
Hi Del, That area is a common site for discomfort perhaps because it is an area where the large intestine takes a sharp turn. The pain we get can be felt in a lot of different places for a lot of different reasons. If this is something new and it gets severe or if you have a fever and chills you should get it checked out. Have you had a colonoscopy? Many of us have diverticulitosis and that can also result in discomfort and in serious illness if it turns into diverticulitis.

If you haven't already dropping dairy for a bit can also help speed the healing along.

Thanks for replying! This pain only makes itself known once in awhile...so far it's never been severe.

As far as dropping dairy....I don't drink milk....it's made me feel sick to my stomach for a few years now....I have noticed since being gluten-free that carefully checked ice cream bothers me....but cheese doesn't. Does that make sense?

Del

Jentu Apprentice
Jentu
Posted

Yes Del, that makes sense. Lactose is one of the two main culprits in milk, and cheese tends not to have it. Beneficial bacteria are used to produce both cheese and yogurt, and in the process the bacteria consume the lactose. Someone here posted a chart with a ranking of the lactose content of certain dairy items, maybe they will repost it for you.

I'm new at this, but my guess would be that cutting out all milk products, even the ones without lactose, might speed up your healing because there are other things in milk (like casein) that might bother you. It's worth a try, anyhow.

Good luck and I hope you feel better.

Del Rookie
Del
Posted
  • Author

Thanks....glad to know I'm not totally nuts!!!! :D

jewi0008 Contributor
jewi0008
Posted
Thanks for replying! This pain only makes itself known once in awhile...so far it's never been severe.

As far as dropping dairy....I don't drink milk....it's made me feel sick to my stomach for a few years now....I have noticed since being gluten-free that carefully checked ice cream bothers me....but cheese doesn't. Does that make sense?

Del

Del,

I once had the left side pain so bad that I thought it was my ovaries. I was in the worst pain...after a lot of money spent at the Dr...nothing was found. I believe it was the gluten. I could not even sit my left side hurt so badly!

debmidge Rising Star
debmidge
Posted
Hi Del, That area is a common site for discomfort perhaps because it is an area where the large intestine takes a sharp turn. The pain we get can be felt in a lot of different places for a lot of different reasons. If this is something new and it gets severe or if you have a fever and chills you should get it checked out. Have you had a colonoscopy? Many of us have diverticulitosis and that can also result in discomfort and in serious illness if it turns into diverticulitis.

If you haven't already dropping dairy for a bit can also help speed the healing along.

First thing I thought of was diverticulitis too, then maybe ovarian. I had this on and off for the past 4 years and it was enlarged ovarian cysts would come and go. Well if you already got checked out and it wasn't either of these too, make sure you go for annual check ups especially if you still get the pain.

Or, is there something new in your diet that you did not eat before going gluten free? Like a lot of soy or flax? Maybe something is giving you colon gas .... a food that you are eating more regularly now than you did before going gluten-free?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Joni63 Collaborator
Joni63
Posted

Hi,

I just wanted to say that I've only been gluten free for 3+ months and the whole first month dealt with left side pain. It felt like it started up under my rib cage and would work it's way down from there. It was not constant, and finally has gone away. I think it was just my body's way of reacting to the gluten free diet.

I had a lot of strange things go on for the first 2 months. Things seem to have leveled off now.

Offthegrid Explorer
Offthegrid
Posted

I've been having this and some gas. Since going off casein (protein in milk) and soy, it has completely gone away. I'm sorry to have to say it, but you may possibly have some food sensitivities other than gluten.

GFBetsy Rookie
GFBetsy
Posted

You might also consider having your gall bladder checked. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that it's on the left side. My friend thought she was lactose intolerant for years before finding out it was her gall bladder - and she could also eat cheese, but not milk or ice cream. Gall bladder problems are actually problems with fats, so I've never been sure why cheese didn't bother her, but it didn't.

Del Rookie
Del
Posted
  • Author

Thank you all for your replies! ;)

FootballFanatic Contributor
FootballFanatic
Posted

I would say gas gas gas.

If it gets really bothersome you can talk to your doctor and point out where it is and they will poke around on you to feel where it is and if it could be something more serious than gas. I did that because I kept thinking it was a kidney or an ovary and when he felt around my stomach he said he felt signs of constipation and gas so to not worry about it and just try to up the fiber and the water intake.

Usually mine it like a dull pinch/cramp

FootballFanatic Contributor
FootballFanatic
Posted

**Sorry double post

Del Rookie
Del
Posted
  • Author

I would say gas gas gas.

I think you might be right there....since it's not a constant pain! Thanks!

debmidge Rising Star
debmidge
Posted
You might also consider having your gall bladder checked. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that it's on the left side. My friend thought she was lactose intolerant for years before finding out it was her gall bladder - and she could also eat cheese, but not milk or ice cream. Gall bladder problems are actually problems with fats, so I've never been sure why cheese didn't bother her, but it didn't.

Betsy, I agree ..funny you say this because I had gallbladder discomfort on upper right side of abdomen (where this organ is) AND pain on left side because the gallbladder bile was irritating my newly discovered IBS. It wasn't until the gallbladder was removed and the inflammation died down that the gas and discomfort on left side went away.

Deb

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. cristiana
      - cristiana posted a topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      0

      Healthy diet leading to terrible bloating

      Hello fellow coeliacs and a Happy New Year I'd appreciate some advice. In December I gave up junk food and ate a new healthy diet, which had a lot of gluten-free oats, nuts, oranges in it, and a quite a lot of black coffee, rather than my usual lattes etc. After a week or so I felt awful bubbling and bloating in the area which I would say is the...
    2. TheDHhurts
      - TheDHhurts posted a topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      0

      Prana Organics no longer GFCO-certified

      I've been buying my seeds and nuts from Prana Organics for a number of years because the products have been GFCO-certified. I just got a new order delivered of their flax and sunflower seeds, and it turns out that they are no longer GFCO-certified. Instead, it just has a generic "Gluten Free" symbol on the package. I reached out to them to ask what...
    3. cristiana
      - cristiana replied to Dizzyma's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      Hi @Dizzyma I note what @trents has commented about you possibly posting from the UK. Just to let you know that am a coeliac based in the UK, so if that is the case, do let me know if can help you with any questions on the NHS provision for coeliacs. If you are indeed based in the UK, and coeliac disease is confirmed, I would thoroughly recommend...
    4. trents
      - trents replied to Dizzyma's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      Welcome to the celic.com community @Dizzyma! I'm assuming you are in the U.K. since you speak of your daughter's celiac disease blood tests as "her bloods". Has her physician officially diagnosed her has having celiac disease on the results of her blood tests alone? Normally, if the ttg-iga blood test results are positive, a follow-up endoscopy...
    5. Dizzyma
      - Dizzyma posted a topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      Hi all, I have so many questions and feel like google is giving me very different information. Hoping I may get some more definite answers here. ok, my daughter has been diagnosed as a coeliac as her bloods show anti TTG antibodies are over 128. We have started her on a full gluten free diet. my concerns are that she wasn’t actually physically s...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,929
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    KayTag
    Newest Member
    KayTag
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • cristiana
      Healthy diet leading to terrible bloating

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hello fellow coeliacs and a Happy New Year I'd appreciate some advice. In December I gave up junk food and ate a new healthy diet, which had a lot of gluten-free oats, nuts, oranges in it, and a quite a lot of black coffee, rather than my usual lattes etc.  After a week or so I felt awful bubbling and bloating in the area which I would say is the ascending and transverse colon.  Earlier in the day it might start with stabbing pain, maybe just two or three 'stabs', or a bit of an ache in my pelvis area, and then by the evening replaced with this awful bloated feeling.   I can still fit into all my clothes, there isn't any visible bloating but a feeling of bloating builds from early afternoon onwards.  The pain and bloating has always gone by the morning.  BMs normal.   I went back to my normal diet over Christmas, for a couple of days things improved, but the bubbling and bloating then came back with a vengeance.  I'm having an ultrasound in a couple of weeks to check my pelvic area and if that is clear I suspect may have to have a colonoscopy, but is there anything anyone can recommend to calm this bloating down.  I have been given an additional diagnosis of IBS in the past but it has never been this severe.   I have to confess that I might have had some gluten over Christmas, I ate a lot of Belgium chocolates which were meant to be gluten free but the small print reveals that they were made in a shared facility, so I have probably brought this all on myself!
    • TheDHhurts
      Prana Organics no longer GFCO-certified

      By TheDHhurts · Posted

      I've been buying my seeds and nuts from Prana Organics for a number of years because the products have been GFCO-certified. I just got a new order delivered of their flax and sunflower seeds, and it turns out that they are no longer GFCO-certified. Instead, it just has a generic "Gluten Free" symbol on the package. I reached out to them to ask what protocols/standards/testing they have in place. The person that wrote back said that they are now certifying their gluten free status in-house, but that she couldn't answer my questions related to standards because the person with that info was on vacation. Not very impressed, especially since it still says on their website that they are GFCO-certified. Buyer beware!
    • cristiana
      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hi @Dizzyma I note what @trents has commented about you possibly posting from the UK.  Just to let you know that am a coeliac based in the UK, so if that is the case, do let me know if can help you with any questions on the NHS provision for coeliacs.    If you are indeed based in the UK, and coeliac disease is confirmed, I would thoroughly recommend you join Coeliac UK, as they provide a printed food and drink guide and also a phone app which you can take shopping with you so you can find out if a product is gluten free or not. But one thing I would like to say to you, no matter where you live, is you mention that your daughter is anxious.  I was always a bit of a nervous, anxious child but before my diagnosis in mid-life my anxiety levels were through the roof.   My anxiety got steadily better when I followed the gluten-free diet and vitamin and mineral deficiencies were addressed.  Anxiety is very common at diagnosis, you may well find that her anxiety will improve once your daughter follows a strict gluten-free diet. Cristiana 
    • trents
      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the celic.com community @Dizzyma! I'm assuming you are in the U.K. since you speak of your daughter's celiac disease blood tests as "her bloods".  Has her physician officially diagnosed her has having celiac disease on the results of her blood tests alone? Normally, if the ttg-iga blood test results are positive, a follow-up endoscopy with biopsy of the small bowel lining to check for damage would be ordered to confirm the results of "the bloods". However if the ttg-iga test score is 10x normal or greater, some physicians, particularly in the U.K., will dispense with the endoscopy/biopsy. If there is to be an endoscopy/biopsy, your daughter should not yet begin the gluten free diet as doing so would allow healing of the small bowel lining to commence which may result in a biopsy finding having results that conflict with the blood work. Do you know if an endoscopy/biopsy is planned? Celiac disease can have onset at any stage of life, from infancy to old age. It has a genetic base but the genes remain dormant until and unless triggered by some stress event. The stress event can be many things but it is often a viral infection. About 40% of the general population have the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% actually develop celiac disease. So, for most, the genes remain dormant.  Celiac disease is by nature an autoimmune disorder. That is to say, gluten ingestion triggers an immune response that causes the body to attack its own tissues. In this case, the attack happens in he lining of the small bowel, at least classically, though we now know there are other body systems that can sometimes be affected. So, for a person with celiac disease, when they ingest gluten, the body sends attacking cells to battle the gluten which causes inflammation as the gluten is being absorbed into the cells that make up the lining of the small bowel. This causes damage to the cells and over time, wears them down. This lining is composed of billions of tiny finger-like projections and which creates a tremendous surface area for absorbing nutrients from the food we eat. This area of the intestinal track is where all of our nutrition is absorbed. As these finger-like projections get worn down by the constant inflammation from continued gluten consumption before diagnosis (or after diagnosis in the case of those who are noncompliant) the efficiency of nutrient absorption from what we eat can be drastically reduced. This is why iron deficiency anemia and other nutrient deficiency related medical problems are so common in the celiac population. So, to answer your question about the wisdom of allowing your daughter to consume gluten on a limited basis to retain some tolerance to it, that would not be a sound approach because it would prevent healing of the lining of her small bowel. It would keep the fires of inflammation smoldering. The only wise course is strict adherence to a gluten free diet, once all tests to confirm celiac disease are complete.
    • Dizzyma
      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      By Dizzyma · Posted

      Hi all, I have so many questions and feel like google is giving me very different information. Hoping I may get some more definite answers here. ok, my daughter has been diagnosed as a coeliac as her bloods show anti TTG antibodies are over 128. We have started her  on a full gluten free diet. my concerns are that she wasn’t actually physically sick on her regular diet, she had tummy issues and skin sores. My fear is that she will build up a complete intolerance to gluten and become physically sick if she has gluten. Is there anything to be said for keeping a small bit of gluten in the diet to stop her from developing a total intolerance?  also, she would be an anxious type of person, is it possible that stress is the reason she has become coeliac? I read that diagnosis later in childhood could be following a sickness or stress. How can she have been fine for the first 10 years and then become coeliac? sorry, I’m just very confused and really want to do right by her. I know a coeliac and she has a terrible time after she gets gluttened so just want to make sure going down a total gluten free road is the right choice. thank you for any help or advise xx 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.