Help Me Sort This Out!- Stomach/gi Misery

[livelifelarge24]

Following what I consider to have been a major medical breakdown/illness, I was put on a gluten and dairy-free diet. My nutritionist and Drs. think this will be the key to my years of intense stomach and GI distress and kidney stones. I have been following the diet mostly, with a few slips here and there for two-three weeks now. I am dealing okay with trying to find and prepare the right foods.

This diet is a huge change for me as the GI discomfort I have been experiencing for years had caused me to drasticially exclude foods from my diet and I was eating very poorly as a result [no variety, no fiber, etc.] I also had been taking 8-12 Imodium a day in order to try to prevent the diarrhea that I was constantly haivng.

I have cut down the Imodium to 1-2 a day and have increased my fiber intake and the variety of foods I'm eating incredibly. Now, a couple weeks into this I am having some extreme discomfort and I am miserable!

About four days ago I was really bloated and constantly feeling full and constantly feeling the urge to "go." Then starting yesterday, the real pain came. Every time I try to eat even the smallest thing, I end up doubled over in pain. It feels like incredibly strong sharp gas pains and it's been debilitating. I don't want to eat anything anymore at all! I have been on the toilet constantly and am now having floating stools and most recently loose stools. I am absoltuely miserable and feeling completely hopeless and helpless.

Is this misery being caused from the new diet? Or is there no relation? I don't know if I should worry and see my Dr. or if I need to calm down and let my body adjust to the new diet and lack of Imodium. I struggle with keeping weight on and every day that I'm afraid to eat is a day that is dangerous to me. Please help me sort all this out!!!!

Thank you for anything you can help with.

[CeliacMom2008]

Hang in there! I'm sorry you're feeling bad.

Your system might just be revolting from the sudden changes. I'd ease into things. If you've had a very limited diet, adding in a lot of things can be traumatic. Also, many things in the gluten free world can cause intestinal symptoms - lots of bean flours or beans themselves will cause gas. Flax and guar gum are natural laxatives. So watch your labels and add these slowly so your system can adjust.

As for whether or not what you are feeling is "normal", I'd call your doctor just to let them know what's going on. It can't hurt and only you and your doctor can really determine if what you're feeling is OK.

Do keep working toward a diet that makes YOU feel good! It isn't always an easy process to figure out what works for you individually, but feeling good is worth the effort!!

[RiceGuy]

If it were me, I think I'd stop taking the Imodium, and allow the body to purge itself of whatever is bothering it. It just seems to me that if you aren't eating gluten or other things which are bothering your system, that it may not be a good idea to try to induce a certain condition. However, I don't know if it's better to stop all at once, or taper down. Apparently, a person can become dependent on laxatives, so I suppose the opposite could also be true.

Obviously, go over your foods very carefully, to make doubly-certain that there isn't any gluten or dairy sneaking in someplace.

On the other hand, there are many other things which may not be well-tolerated. It is good that you aren't eating dairy, but you may also need to avoid other top allergens, such as soy, corn, eggs, nuts, or some other things like nightshades or yeast.

[terreemc]

[i agree with Rice Guy, there are other foods that could be irritating your very injured intestines. I had to give up soy, corn, dary (except 24 hr. yogurt) and all the nightshades plus sweet potatoes and other starchy vegs even though they were allowed to celiacs. I had weeks of gas and rummbelings and the big D. Eventually, I discovered the "Spicific Carbohydrate Diet" and following this stopped the D in a matter of days. I also has to wait for ulcers and a kidney infection to pass before I began to improve. The SCD diet was a bit scary as it asks one to eat one or two cups of well fermented homemade yogurt a day to put in good intestinal bacteria which some of us seem to need to heal. I found out about the SCD diet on line.....much help there.

Sorry you are having such a rough time....check with your DR.( if he or she knows about celiac disease).....find a few simple foods you can eat...and hang in there. It takes time to heal.size="2"]

[ang1e0251]

You know I have to echo the good advice you've been given already. In the beginning, our systems have a lot of damage and it takes time for it to settle down and begin it's healing. It's good to take it very easy in the beginning to just give it time. Start with basic whole foods that you prepare yourself. Master those first and until your diet is well tolerated this way,don't add any new foods. I would not eat any alternate grain precooked breads or anything like that at first. I also couldn't tolerate fruits in the beginning. Later when you have the basic diet down and you are tolerating it well, then you can slowly try other foods. Always do this one at a time so you can see if you react. Keeping a journal helps narrow down problem foods and ingredients.

If you cannot narrow down your diet and find relief, the poster who mentioned the Specific Carbohydrate Diet was right for many people. I have not personally tried it, but many from this forum have followed it with good results. You can find some lengthy threads in this forum to read.

I hope this helps. Keep in touch. We want to know how you're doing. Someone will always be able to help or at least give an opinion!!

[livelifelarge24]

Thank you so much everyone for your advice. I think I have been getting too easily discouraged. I didn't get here overnight so I won't get better overnight either. The advice about mastering the whole foods I can cook myself is probably what I need to focus on most - I'm still miserable but I realize that I haven't really been eating "meals" so much as snacking on gluten-free packaged snacks, and I'm wondering how hard those might be on my gut? Especially doing this overnight total makeover of my diet, it seems that those things might not be settling all that well with me.

I had to cancel dinner plans with friends tonight and leave my out-of-town houseguest in the other room for a half hour while I was doubled over in the bathroom again. Very discouraging and left me feeling very hopeless. But then I read this and realize that really what I ate today was probably not all that great for me. Cereal in the morning but then a lot of packaged foods all day - including too many gluten-free cookies and crackers. My diet was so poor BEFORE switching over that I think I've replaced my crappy pre-gluten-free habits with just gluen-free versions of the snack foods and haven't done the best job in putting in "real" foods.

I'm trying to hang in there, thanks so much for all of your replies.

[ang1e0251]

It sounds like you're getting your head around a good plan for healing. Those snacks are killer on a sensitive system and a complete diet of them would lay me out. Do you have a celiac support group near you? If you can't go to meetings you can call them by phone. Often a person in their group can mentor you as you're beginning and give you that extra support that is needed.

As ever we are here for you too. Keep us posted on how you're doing. And you can ask any questions you need.

[ranger]

Following what I consider to have been a major medical breakdown/illness, I was put on a gluten and dairy-free diet. My nutritionist and Drs. think this will be the key to my years of intense stomach and GI distress and kidney stones. I have been following the diet mostly, with a few slips here and there for two-three weeks now. I am dealing okay with trying to find and prepare the right foods.

This diet is a huge change for me as the GI discomfort I have been experiencing for years had caused me to drasticially exclude foods from my diet and I was eating very poorly as a result [no variety, no fiber, etc.] I also had been taking 8-12 Imodium a day in order to try to prevent the diarrhea that I was constantly haivng.

I have cut down the Imodium to 1-2 a day and have increased my fiber intake and the variety of foods I'm eating incredibly. Now, a couple weeks into this I am having some extreme discomfort and I am miserable!

About four days ago I was really bloated and constantly feeling full and constantly feeling the urge to "go." Then starting yesterday, the real pain came. Every time I try to eat even the smallest thing, I end up doubled over in pain. It feels like incredibly strong sharp gas pains and it's been debilitating. I don't want to eat anything anymore at all! I have been on the toilet constantly and am now having floating stools and most recently loose stools. I am absoltuely miserable and feeling completely hopeless and helpless.

Is this misery being caused from the new diet? Or is there no relation? I don't know if I should worry and see my Dr. or if I need to calm down and let my body adjust to the new diet and lack of Imodium. I struggle with keeping weight on and every day that I'm afraid to eat is a day that is dangerous to me. Please help me sort all this out!!!!

Thank you for anything you can help with.

I'm sure you're sick of hearing this, but it takes time. I'm 2 months gluten light, and 2 months gluten free, and still have bouts with D. But, since going gluten free, I have gained 10 lbs. (yeah!) and my symptoms are 75% reduced. I am regaining strenth, and feeling better everyday. I did change my diet. I eat more protien, vegetables, and fruit than I used to, and have found that eating excessive snacks (cookies, crackers, bread- even gluten free- still bothers me). I can eat some, but not too much. I used to eat more bread and pasta and was very light on meat, and I worried about eating more meat, but, it's working. I tend towards chicken, fish and turkey and am still light on the beef. My only advice to you would be to lighten up on the snacks, and concentrate on protien and veges (soup is great for that). I also eat 6 smaller meals a day. Sometimes, it seems like I'm preoccupied with food, but I guess we have to be. I truly hope that you feel better and that soon you will have a day when ( like recently happened to me) that you're walking around ,going about the business of living and all of a sudden you STOP- because you realize that you FEEL GOOD! Susan