Can't Eat Fat At All, Symptoms Seem Worse Than Ever

[lightening16]

Before Christmas I decided to try going gluten free after having suffured for the past year or more with a list of symptoms that seemed to match exactly those listed for celiac. I had had my gall bladder out 4 years ago after having my second child... became lactose intolerant soon after and then proceeded to get worse and worse until I could not stand the symptoms... and the smell anymore. It seemed that I was becoming more and more sensitive to more and more foods. I had my doctor do the celiac blood test (she only did two of the tests). After giving blood I went gluten free for a month before hearing my results. For the month I felt much better and the gas and issues went away for the most part as long as I didn't eat dairy, or beans. My energy levels came back up too. Of course I got my blood tests back and they were negative. I decided to eat wheat again just to see. The symptoms came back immediately. So after 2 weeks I have gone back to gluten free. This time I am trying more gluten free foods.

The problem is that I am still very sensitive to fat. Even more so. I made gluten free brownies last night with 3/4cup of margarine in them and I was in pain and extremely gaseous and odourous. I have been gluten free for almost a week and I feel like I am worse than before. Does anyone else have this problem. Does it go away. I am totally barking up the wrong tree? I am starting to doubt myself. Even my skin rash is getting worse. I have been very careful to be totally gluten-free too, however I have two young children that eat alot of bread and I am handling it quite a bit. My hands are raw from washing them so often.

I am sending a sample off to enterolab... but in the mean time I am afraid to eat anything.

I feel like I am killing my family with gas. My doctor has suggested IBS and the appointment with a GI is going to be SET in JUNE!!! It probably won't be until August.

Where do I go from here... will this get better.

Sorry for all the wining it has just been a particularly bad night.

[RiceGuy]

Yes, it does get better, and easier. If fats are hurting you, then refrain for awhile, I did find some fats to be problematic, but more so for proteins. I think it was the magnesium supplement which helped me in this area, though I don't know if it would be the same in the case of fats.

Thing is, was the margarine dairy-free? Most are not, and dairy is often a problem for Celiacs, especially at first. Also, some types of fats may work better for you, such as coconut oil in place of margarine. I've also read that many Celiacs can't handle canola, so you may need to avoid that. You may also need to watch out for other high-allergenic foods, such as soy, corn, nuts, nightshades, etc. Both soy and corn are commonly use for margarines, as is canola. I suppose mayo may be another thing to be careful with.

Hang in there. It does get better!

[mftnchn]

This could just be a matter of time, it takes 1-2 years for the intestines to heal after going gluten-free if you have celiac. Malabsorption is common due to the intestinal wall damage, and this makes fat very hard to digest.

You may need to do a very simple diet for awhile, and then as you tolerate it, add other things back in.

[gfpaperdoll]

Some of us cannot tolerate tapioca flour - which is in almost all gluten-free mixes, next would be soy flour, bean flours, & potato flour. If I might suggest that you go grain free for awhile. If you can tolerate corn, try some of the white corn tortillas as a bread substitute, but do not eat them everyday.

I cook with coconut milk, coconut oil, & extra light olive oil. I have been gluten-free almost 4 years & grain free almost as long. I did not give up rice until August last year. I have also been dairy free for over a year. the first 3 years I would be off dairy 6 months or so & then eat it again, back off dairy & try again. I finally gave up & said okay, no dairy for me. I can tolerate butter, but I do not have it that often, since I do not eat bread etc.

My personal opinion is that margarine is a non food & I will not eat it. The human body does not know what to do with margarine... just use olive oil instead. The Mediterranean was is to dip bread in olive oil that has herbs mixed in it - heart healthy & smart...

Occasionally, I do bake something but never from a mix. I use sorghum flour, coconut flour, almond flour, corn flour & corn meal. Really you should wait at least 6 months before eating any of those type grains, especially if you are having symptoms. What one should really do is just eat whole foods & then when you are feeling wonderful, try ONE gluten-free replacement thing. I suggest you do that when you have a few days to recover from any symptoms. Another reason to wait till you are mostly healed is so that you can tell if you do get symptoms. Also another thing that plays into this is the frequency that you have the gluten-free grain. Once you might not have a problem but up it to everyday & you might not be able to tolerate it.

I am currently reading "Good Calories Bad Calories" & highly recommend this book to everyone. It is a real eye opener about cholesterol, insulin etc. & the history of the food myths that we think are true. I eat mostly the Paleo diet (with a few exceptions, everyone is different...) & also recommend the Paleo Diet Book.

[Wonka]

I agree with you. I am newly (again) off of wheat and I can't tolerate dairy or soy or anything processed including all the alternative flours (I'm guessing that that will improve once my gut heals it's just really sensitive right now) and the psyllium fiber that I have been taking for over a year has been irritating my gut (I also think this is temporary). I've been sticking to a really simple diet of fruit, vegies (mostly cooked because raw is irritating) and a protein source (not beans lol) with lots of water. I've been feeling soooooo much better since I simpified things. I know I can reintroduce these other foods in a few months (I've been here before) and it helps to know that I'll be able to eat a wider variety of foods eventually, just not yet.

[lightening16]

Thanks for all the positive advice.

I really am starting to doubt myself! I have to go see my doctor tomorrow was all geared up to tell her "what was going on with me" Now I am not near so confident and not so sure that being gluten free is the key. I am going to stick with it and not complicate things with other gluten free products. It's crazy though I had a really plan dinner and my gut is totally re-acting. Still

What kind of protein are you taking?

[AliB]

I was jollying along quite nicely until several months ago when I started getting a painful stomach particularly when I ate. It gradually got worse until I ended up in hospital.

By then I had suddenly developed the pale floaty stools followed by water diarrhea redolent of fat malabsorption and gallbladder problems and thought I had stones. Nothing was found. Not one Gallstone. I went back to the drawing-board and found that Celiac could show the same symptoms.

I went straight to the doc and had a blood test and started gluten-free straight away. Within 5 hours the pain and the diarrhea had stopped and after a week the bloating has all but gone.

However, not only did I drop the Gluten, I also dropped the Dairy and radically cut sugar and carbs. In for a penny, in for a pound.

Today, I went out for a walk and came back and actually RAN up the stairs. It's amazing. I am sure though that the benefit I am seeing would not be half as effective if I had not made such a radical change to my diet.

I know I am dairy, either lactose or casein or both, intolerant, and there was no point dropping one without the other. Even if I am not eating Gluten, the Dairy would still be damaging the gut so I would not be getting the full benefit. I actually had a drink yesterday with milk as an experiment, and my gut did not like it at all.

Sometimes it is better to change to an Elimination style diet, then check for trigger foods as they are gradually re-introduced to the diet. Hard, I know, but much more effective in the long run and less stressful. Try losing the dairy. You might be surprised what a difference it will make.

[lightening16]

I am glad to hear that you have found an answer!

I actually have been dairy free/ casein free for almost 4 years and that has not re-entered my diet in the least. It just seems that I am unable to eat anything that I could before. Even since 2 weeks ago before I did the gluten challenge for 2 weeks. I feel even worse than I did before!

Anyways, I guess that I will have to just go easy on myself and then try to add things back.

No fun... it seemed like such an easy solution before and seemed to be working. I wish I had not done the challenge!

Thanks for listening

[RiceGuy]

One thing I found out very late was how much nightshades were harming me. I was seeing such promising results, then suddenly started going the other way again. Took awhile to figure out what it was.

So don't give up. Hang in there and take your time. Allow your body all the time it needs, and it will tell you when it is ready to try some new things again.

[Wonka]

I eat mostly chicken and fish. I have an egg for breakfast with some fruit or my version of a fruit smoothie (just frozen fruit, fruit syrup {I make my own in the summer} and water - it's a nice refreshing change). I try and make enough food at dinner so that I have leftovers for lunch. I had a nice lunch the other day (I had no leftovers), I roasted a portabello mushroom, red pepper half and some zucchini slices, stacked them and topped with chevre goat cheese and broiled. I didn't react to it and it was a really nice treat.

[Wonka]

We are in the same boat. I'm going through this again because I went on a two week gluten challenge as well. My sensitivity has gone way up (I'm not surprised by that) and I'm back to simple.

[Guest LittleMissAllergy]

I'm very sorry to hear that you can't tolerate fat either, but I'm also kind of relieved to here that someone else has this issue. I'm SO sensitive. ANY form of oil gives me horrible constipation (isn't that weird?), but I'm also dairy free, gluten free, sugar free, VERY low fat (my only form of fat is in a little bit of soymilk in my hot brown rice cereal, which makes me nervous because I know my body needs fat! I don't get a period anymore...) and I *was* vegan* but I'm currently trying to do white fish once a week because I know my body needs it (I tried Buffalo recently since I'm super sensitive to chicken and sensitive to beef...BIGGEST mistake I've made so far.). So I'm feeling kind of stuck too...so I'd love to hear anyone's advice that they might have for us!