Lactose And Gluten Intolerant

[darrel-h]

Is there anyone on here who is lactose and gluten intolerant? If so, after giving up the gluten, did anyone become very constipated and for how long? Prior to giving up gluten, symptoms were chronic diarrhea but now, after cutting gluten for approximately 4 weeks, things have taken a complete and total opposite direction and now am only going to the bathroom about once a week and it is extremely constipated. Please advise if anyone else has been experiencing these types of problems. Thank you.

[Ursa Major]

Is there anyone on here who is lactose and gluten intolerant? If so, after giving up the gluten, did anyone become very constipated and for how long? Prior to giving up gluten, symptoms were chronic diarrhea but now, after cutting gluten for approximately 4 weeks, things have taken a complete and total opposite direction and now am only going to the bathroom about once a week and it is extremely constipated. Please advise if anyone else has been experiencing these types of problems. Thank you.

Pretty much everyone who has celiac disease is at least lactose intolerant until the villi heal. The reason is, that the tips of the villi are supposed to be producing the enzyme lactase, which allows people to digest dairy.

Having said that, a lot of people with celiac disease are also casein intolerant (me included), meaning that we can't tolerate any dairy at all. And one symptom of casein intolerance is definitely constipation.

So, you would do well to eliminate all dairy for at least a while, until you are completely healed (six months to two years). You can try to reintroduce dairy after a few months to see if you are okay with it.

Don't make the mistake of replacing dairy with soy though, soy is NOT a healthy alternative. Rice or almond milk would be better (not Rice Dream, despite their claim, it is not gluten-free, as it is processed with barley malt).

[darrel-h]

Pretty much everyone who has celiac disease is at least lactose intolerant until the villi heal. The reason is, that the tips of the villi are supposed to be producing the enzyme lactase, which allows people to digest dairy.

Having said that, a lot of people with celiac disease are also casein intolerant (me included), meaning that we can't tolerate any dairy at all. And one symptom of casein intolerance is definitely constipation.

So, you would do well to eliminate all dairy for at least a while, until you are completely healed (six months to two years). You can try to reintroduce dairy after a few months to see if you are okay with it.

Don't make the mistake of replacing dairy with soy though, soy is NOT a healthy alternative. Rice or almond milk would be better (not Rice Dream, despite their claim, it is not gluten-free, as it is processed with barley malt).

Thank you for your reply Ursa. The question is actually for my mother, she just doesn't have internet access so I'm doing the leg work for her. A little background: She was diagnosed with lactose intolerance several years ago. During that time, she had constant diarrhea, all the while eliminating all the dairy she could. It was only recently that she determined she was also gluten intolerant. She does not take ANY form of dairy whatsoever any more. She is highly educated on ingrediants and the different forms of lactose, such as soy, and also gluten, and has been avoiding all of it since going gluten free about a month ago. It is highly unlikely she is getting lactose or gluten through her diet and it seems to me the lactose intolerance is not a symptom of the gluten intolerance, but a whole seperate issue in and of itself. I believe she had the tests for celiac disease and they came out negative, not 100% though. I think it's just a lactose and gluten intolerance, only it's extremely severe.

When she finally stuck to the gluten free diet, things seemed to start clearing up for her. The diarrhea certainly subsided, but now she has extreme constipation. She will go for a week without a bowel movement and when it does finally come, it's excrutiating. Is there any way, without taking supplements, to alleviate this, or is it just the body trying to adjust and will eventually subside? And if so, how long could that take. Thanks again for any info.

[aikiducky]

I didn't have constipation to quite such an extreme but I did have the same kind of change when I went gluten and dairy free. I think what happened is I used to have loose stools from dairy and gluten, and once I cut those out, my intestines just didn't know how to work without the irritant. See what I mean?

I took extra magnesium for a while, that seemed to help a bit. Oh and after going gluten free for a few months I absolutely craved raisins. I think possibly also for the magnesium in them. Funny thing is nowadays I can only have a little before getting gas and D, but back then I could eat a cup of raisins and not notice anything except satisfaction. Anyway I think the raisins helped.

Drinking a lot of strong tea in the morning is also a trigger to go, but it's an irritant trigger so maybe best only for emergencies.

I like to mix psyllium in my pancake batter or bread, it helps make the stool softer. Sweet potatoes and buckwheat also seem to really agree with my digestion.

Pauliina

[Ursa Major]

I agree with Pauliina, that it will eventually regulate itself with healing.

In the meantime, her suggestions are good. Plus, I find that prune juice is great for alleviating constipation, and is not addictive like laxatives are.

Also, I need lots of protein. If I don't eat enough meat, I get constipated. Extra fiber does nothing for me when I am constipated. But of course, everybody is different.

[rsm]

Gave up gluten 15 months ago, within a week I was lactose intollerant in an extreme way. I still can't have dairy.

[AliB]

I have known that I was lactose intolerant for years but just tried to ignore it - I had got so used to the copious mucous!

I discovered the Celiac/gluten link at the turn of the year and went gluten and dairy-free at the end of Jan, but although several problems cleared up immediately, not least the running diarrhea, it still took several weeks for my bowel to settle down and I went through quite a gamut of different processes before I got there! Generally it is 'normal', but sometimes I am getting constipated and I am not sure why.

The only dairy I had allowed was butter and a little plain yogurt as I seemed to be ok with them, but although I am now nearly 5 months into the diet I am still getting 'pounding', like my body is throbbing most of the time, and particularly noticeable at night when I am laying down in the quiet. Sometimes it keeps me awake.

I thought it was carbohydrates and I have been keeping the carbs pretty low, but 2 nights ago I had a late snack as my blood sugar was low, of 2 rice cakes, butter and some sliced ham. I spread the butter on fairly thick. Almost as soon as I laid down the pounding started and I am now wondering if it might be the casein in the butter.

I haven't had any dairy at all for 2 days now so am still monitoring that one. I did have some carbs earlier in the form of 2 pieces of home-made gluten-free cake (I'd have only had one, but it was so scrummy.........) and I can feel the thumping/pounding now, but I will see if it will settle over the next few days.

It really is a process of elimination. I am determined to figure it out one way or another.

Is your Mom drinking enough? Usually the diarrhea happens because the body is not absorbing fluids properly and maybe now it is she is not drinking enough. I know that is my problem - I have never drunk enough. I am sure my body has always misinterpreted thirst for hunger, and I would need to eat instead. It does seem slowly to be balancing out now and I don't seem to be retaining fluid like I was.

Is your Mom getting enough salt? We are always advised not to have too much, but we can also have too little. Salt helps the body balance water. It is difficult offering advice because we are all so different and what works for one person may not work or be what it needed for another.

I hope your Mom's digestion settles down. I have been sort of following the Specific Carbohydrate diet and have restricted carbs and generally it is now pretty good, certainly compared to what it was like before gluten-free. A lot of gluten-free foods are very high in carbs and some of us (including me) don't cope with carbs very well at all and are better without them.