Way Too Much "c"

[LuvMoosic4life]

About a month after going gluten free I started getting c. It would be off and on, but now a few months later it seems to be all the time. I get the urge to go, but it just does not want to come out. Sometimes I'm straining so hard my head starts pounding! the doc recommended "fiber con"...it gives me horrible cramps that just come whenever they please. I've tried stol softners, but i get gassy and bloated. I've tried elimiating differant things nad find find that nuts and corn make it worse, but not always..... If I eat an insane amount of veggies I go somewhat normal, but the initial "getting it to come out" is still a bit straining. The stool will be softer with certain foods, but it lately has been nothing but dry. I hate to say it but I've actually had to use my finger to get it out!!! It makes me want to vomit!!! (SORRY, but maybe someone else has gone through this???)

The only thing differant that I can think of in my dietis the probiotic I stared a month after going gluten-free. I am taking Schiff- acidophilus it is gluten free. I take it twice a day and maybe 3 if I know I eat something that will bother me a bit (non-gluten of course) and it definitly has helped my heart burn problem. I've been reading that probiotics help with C, but is it possible for them to make it worse? Or should I try a differant type of bacteria?

I'm seeing the G.I doc next week. At this point I definitly dont even want to be tested for celiac, I just want to go to the bathroom!!!! I'm thinking I may have colitis....but the thought crossed my mind about the probiotics....

any feedback?

[glutenfreewithease]

Are you still ingesting gluten? I get severe constipation when I eat gluten. It takes a long time, weeks to clear up. I know I have ingested gluten when I get c. It is one of my hallmark signs. I then have to be 100% strict and eat as much fruit and veggies and lay off the animal fat (meats and chicken) as I can until it clears. Any animal fat and rice makes the symptoms worse till it clears. This is what helps me.

Hope this helps.

[LuvMoosic4life]

I am not ingesting gluten, although it is possible I may be getting VERY tiny amounts though CC in my environment. Unltil I get out of college and on my own, I will have to live with someone else. I wash my hands and do everything I can to avoid CC. I only got constipated when I was eating gluten when I would take in large amounts, especially the whole grain type,whole wheat breads, bran cerals ect.. ect.. but it was a differant type of constipation, more irritating and itchy.

Gas and bloating are my immedtiate reactions to gluten, then D will follow if i am continuing to consume it.. Even when I stick to nothing but fruits and veggies i still have this C. I will have to try eliminating meat, but then I dont know where to get my protien since nuts and dairy bother me, beans arent so great for me either.....this sucks sometimes!

[MyMississippi]

It is not healthy to strain during a bowel movement---- especially if you hold your breath at the same time---- and especially if you have any heart problems -------------- so stop it ! (Nursing 101)

[purple]

Just 3 ideas:

Bragg's apple cider vinegar(has the "mother" in it)- straight shots or in juice, or drink it with a straw at the back of the throat to avoid the taste. It helps my sister who only "goes" about 1 or 2 times a week for years until she got started on it. Good for lots of things!

www.bragg.com

Berries with seeds, extra benefit if you chew the seeds

Popcorn if you can tolerate it (never microwaved)- pop in coconut oil, use plenty and you don't need butter

[RiceGuy]

My thoughts are:

1) Many probiotics contain dairy, which a number of people on this board have had to avoid after going gluten-free.

2) If the probiotic is in capsule form, and the capsule is made of gelatin, might that be a problem?

3) If there are digestive enzymes in the probiotic, you may need to be selective about which enzymes you take.

Aside from those, it may just take time for your system to adjust, or you may be getting CC'd. A magnesium supplement can help quite a lot in these cases.

[LuvMoosic4life]

Just 3 ideas:

Bragg's apple cider vinegar(has the "mother" in it)- straight shots or in juice, or drink it with a straw at the back of the throat to avoid the taste. It helps my sister who only "goes" about 1 or 2 times a week for years until she got started on it. Good for lots of things!

www.bragg.com

Berries with seeds, extra benefit if you chew the seeds

Popcorn if you can tolerate it (never microwaved)- pop in coconut oil, use plenty and you don't need butter

wow, I will try that!

as far as the seeds and popcorn, those actually dont do much for me, but then I always buy smart balance microwave, so maybe I'll try what you said. It just seems that anything fiberous does exactly the opposite of what its suppose to do for most people, its almost like my body doesnt properly draw water into the intestinal tract.....but then I could stil;l be healing because most of the time my foods never seem to get digested or broken down, and then this causes them to just sit in my colon....

[Puddy]

I second the magnesium suggestion. Once I started taking calcium with magnesium, I have had no C problems whatsoever.