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When Will My Belly Get Better?


1965kid

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1965kid Apprentice

I have been gluten free since mid October. I also had the enterolab and was found to be Soy, and Egg Intolerant.

I have cut out the soy and eggs. But I still have horrible (Big D) about once a week for a few days, and never a normal stool.

I have had the big D all my life.

How long before I get relief?

Will I ever get back to normal as far as my bowel movements go?

I feel better mentally for sure, so I know the Gluten free diet is worth it.

But I am sick and tired of going to all this trouble and still having big D all the time.

How long does it take for my insides to heal and start having normal bodily functions?


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~alex~ Explorer

I felt probably about 75% better at 6 months and about 90% better at nearing one year.

If you haven't seen any improvements you might want to keep on searching to see if you have an additional intolerances or intestinal condition on top of Celiac Disease.

If you have had undiagnosed Celiac disease for many, many years it may take you awhile to fully heal and feel better. I was only sick for about half a year before being diagnosed so I think my recovery was a little more rapid than some people who had been sick for longer.

tarnalberry Community Regular

If your vitamin/mineral levels are off, it may take a while. You may find that taking extra calcium (without lots of magnesium in it) helps balance things out a bit.

misdiagnosed6yrs Apprentice
I have been gluten free since mid October. I also had the enterolab and was found to be Soy, and Egg Intolerant.

I have cut out the soy and eggs. But I still have horrible (Big D) about once a week for a few days, and never a normal stool.

I have had the big D all my life.

How long before I get relief?

Will I ever get back to normal as far as my bowel movements go?

I feel better mentally for sure, so I know the Gluten free diet is worth it.

But I am sick and tired of going to all this trouble and still having big D all the time.

How long does it take for my insides to heal and start having normal bodily functions?

I was diagnosed in Aug but I had the big C, so it was different. Not better or worse just different. Aug was a strange month but October I was regular and it was a great month. Nov started to change up a bit and Dec started to get worse. Now I am trying to figure out if I have other problems besides celiac.

Reading these posts makes me realize the first year is a roller coaster. Apparently the 2nd year throws quite a few curve balls too.

Make sure you are entirely gluten-free, egg free, dairy free and keep up the good work.

It's not easy.

Just keep trying

1965kid Apprentice

I am 42 and have had bowel problems all my life. At least since I was 12. Thats as far back as I can remember. I was missdiagnosed all along. I actually asked my doc to do the Celiac test.

So I would say I have had full blown celiac for at least 30 years. Thats a lot of damage Im sure.

I have to say, I am finding the gluten free diet easier and easier. Now the soy is hard!

Avoiding eggs is easy. I will miss eggs, but I can tolerate giving them up.

Soy is in everything though. As you all know.

misdiagnosed6yrs Apprentice
curve balls too.

Make sure you are entirely gluten-free, egg free, dairy free and keep up the good work.

I meant gluten, egg and soy. Sorry. although dairy isn't all that great either, so I've heard.

sickchick Community Regular

I miss soy WAY more than Dairy... for sure.

I am feeling a little better though. Every day.

I was sick for about 11 years with major symptoms which grew worse with every year so I am having my patience tested so I can understand. Only been gluten free for 3 months. I am hell bent though

Try and stay positive I know it's HARD :)


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silk Contributor
If your vitamin/mineral levels are off, it may take a while. You may find that taking extra calcium (without lots of magnesium in it) helps balance things out a bit.

This is interesting! I was going to ask the same question about when I could expect to feel 'normal' again. Sorry to say that it's nice to know I'm not alone in this! I have been gluten-free since November and although there are days when I feel relatively good and I am sure that the diet is helping, I still have alot of stomach problems and wonder if I will ever feel really good again for more than just a day or two. I can deal with the gluten-free diet. Reading labels, asking questions, being careful, that doesn't get me down, but I am truly getting depressed at having the stomach issues continue to be a frequent problem for me.

You mentioned vitamin/mineral levels. I was tested last month and they were all really good but I found that taking my multi-vitamin and my super B complex, which were both supposed to be gluten-free, seemed to be causing stomach distress so I quit taking them. However, you also mentioned the calcium/magnesium issue and I do take calcium/zinc/magnesium, which I thought someone here had recommended. Can you please explain why the magnesium is an issue?

I did not have the formal testing because I had already started the gluten-free diet to see if it would help my stomach issues. However my doctor agrees that with all of the signs and symptoms and with all of the previous tests for other issues like gallbladder, etc being negative, that he feels that I do have Celiac and should be treated as though I do. I also have an adult daughter with symptoms who is treating as well and she also agrees that she feels better on the diet but is continuing to have some issues with her stomach too.

Good to hear that there that there is hope for feeling better in the future by following the gluten-free diet but now I am wondering what to do about the vitamins and whether there may be other dietary problems with soy, egg, dairy as well. Does not help one bit that I am a type 1 diabetic. Yeesh!

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