Symptoms Are Different (day 4 Of Gluten)

[aloberg1]

Good Morning,

I have been trying to search the posts so that I do not repeat someone else's question, but I cannot locate anything.

I am onto day 4 of a gluten diet again. I was told to go gluten for about 2 weeks and request a celiac panel. I had been mostly gluten free for about 5 months now and last month was on an elemination diet (and felt good). Well, i am confused because my symptoms are different this time and I am beginning to second guess myself. I am having terrible mood swings and melancholy (diagnosed with depression years ago and had been doing a lot better) but no stomach aches and severe bloating. I used to have so many stomach issues and was diagnosed with IBS-C. No answers from any doctors. I am currently avoiding dairy and soy as I already know that those two foods don't make my guts feel well, but I could have sworn that gluten/wheat was causing my stomach distress as well. Oh, and on the elemination diet (avoiding gluten, dairy, soy, coffee, alcohol, corn, eggs) I was more regular than I have ever been in my life. My mood was surprisingly bright.

Now I am feeling a bit "sick" overall and my face is feeling and looking a bit puffier, especially under my eyes. Little headaches here and there.

I know that I was feeling better on a gluten-free diet but now having added gluten back my symptoms are so much different than they were a year ago.

I really feel like I was just making all of this up.

Could my stomach have healed some? Does it take time for the gluten to work its way into the system again? Was it more the dairy and soy that I was reacting to? Can gluten intolerance cause other symptoms at different stages in the process? Will i have the terrible stomach bloating as I get further into the week eating gluten?

If anyone has experienced this before I would love to hear about it.

Thank you!

[Vanquish]

I have been 2 days on the gluten diet (only a sandwich a day but still gluten) and I have experienced the same regularity that you are having as well. I am pretty sure its from the healed villi and from what i know it does indeed take a couple of days to get gluten regulating through your system to have the really adverse effects that are typical of celiacs. So i assume that this is why they keep you on the gluten diet for at least 2 weeks so that the damage shows up when you get an endoscopy and biopsy, because the healed villi can give you a false negative test.

[MELINE]

hello

first of all you need to know that you may still get negative results with only 2 weeks. read this:

How long do I need to be eating gluten before I am tested for celiac disease?

This is not an easy question to answer. Most people believe, or are told that they need to eat gluten for a few days (or up to a week) before a blood test or a biopsy, and this is incorrect. The true answer depends on how long the individual has been avoiding gluten. How much gluten to eat depends on the age of the individual who is being tested. The information provided here is a general rule, there are many specifics that come into play, so its best to talk with a knowledgable physician about your particular situation.

First: If a patient has avoided gluten for six to 12 months (or more) it is advisable to consider an HLA gene test before a gluten challenge. The HLA gene test will help determine if the patient is even in the risk group for celiac disease. (Only 1/3 of the US population have the genes for celiac disease.) After 6-12 months, it can be difficult to obtain a diagnosis of celiac disease after a gluten challenge, which is why this step is advisable.

Patients who have been on a gluten free diet for less than six months can consider a gluten challenge under a physician's supervision. A challenge would typically require an adult or a child to eat some gluten for four to eight weeks. For some, a twelve week challenge could be required but no challenge should last more than 12 weeks in children. The patient would eat a specified amount of gluten every day.

Many patients are concerned about participating in a challenge. Medical research shows that a limited challenge of this sort provides a greater medical benefit when it leads to a correct diagnosis of celiac disease. The challenge would need to be maintained if a positive antibody test result is received, because the biopsy procedure also depends on the presence of an autoimmune response.

For children, eating a saltine cracker each day would be enough gluten to conduct a challenge and for adults, a slice of bread a day would be adequate. The challenge would need to occur for six to eight weeks before the test in order for it to be accurate. Accordingly, we will not be able to register individuals for the screening who cannot meet this criteria, should they wish to be tested after following the diet.

About the symptoms now...

yes my symptoms too were mood changes, extremely tired and headaches. not bloating (and I am miss - bloating, believe me. But bloating was from other food intolerances not from gluten. That is my case. Good luck.

Meline

[IMWalt]

Could my stomach have healed some? Does it take time for the gluten to work its way into the system again? Was it more the dairy and soy that I was reacting to? Can gluten intolerance cause other symptoms at different stages in the process? Will i have the terrible stomach bloating as I get further into the week eating gluten?

If anyone has experienced this before I would love to hear about it.

Thank you!

That seems to have been the case with me. Long story short; After years of cramps, bloating, multiple BR trips a day, loose stools, gas,etc. I decided to try a gluten-free diet. My daughter had been diagnosed with celiac disease a few years ago. The same day I started gluten-free, my symptoms disappeared. I was amazed. It was like someone threw a switch. No more churning inside, regular once a day BM, no more LOUD stomach noises. I loved it.

I made an appt with my daughter's doc, and she said I had to eat gluten again for atleas a month in order for the test to work. Funny thing, at first I only had minor symptoms. Then I realized that I was not eating much gluten (the doc didn't tell me how much), so I increased my intake, and all the symptoms came roaring back. It seems like I had healed enough that it took a larger amount to get a big reaction.

I had my biopsy last week, and immediately gave up gluten again. However, this time it has taken a bit longer to get the positive response. Not sure why that is, other than possibly I ate so much in the weeks before my biopsy that it is taking longer to get it out of my system. I am not as bad, but still having some minor pain and gas.

Good luck with your journey. My blood tests were negative ( I think beacuse I was eating very little gluten). My Endoscopy should minor gastritis, and even if the biopsy comes back negative I am sticking to the gluten-free diet. I don't want to go back to the constant churning in my abdomen.

Walt

[aloberg1]

Thank you for your responses. They are so helpful and lots of good information. I feel a bit better now knowing that others have been in the same boat and I'm not just a hypochondriac.

The more I read here the more I am considering doing the Enterolab gene test.

I may try to continue on the gluten diet just until I see my doctor and then even if I do get a negative blood result (which I am sure I will now after the information provided here) I can go back to my naturopath with the information I have obtained here and tell her that it was going to be negative more than likely. (she didn't really believe me when I said that I would need to eat gluten for many weeks to even maybe have a chance at a positive blood test. She assured me that 2 weeks was sufficient.)

If I begin to feel worse as time goes on it will be a definite indicator that gluten is no good. I'm just a little impatient and frustrated I suppose and want the definite answer right away.

Thanks again.