Reflux Healing Anecdote

[shirleyujest]

Now in week 4 gluten-free. The symptom that's plagued me the longest is reflux, which started in my 20s w/a growly stomach and progressed from there. For the past 5 years it has been severe enough to make me dependent on a proton pump inhibitor. For whatever reason it's worse when I lay on my left side, so when I go to bed, even 4-5 hours after eating, there's no laying on the left side. This has been true for 20 years. My latest little bureaucracy/disability problem has been that my medicare rx plan stopped paying for prevacid, and the other PPIs don't work on me. I'd resigned myself to living with this heartburn which is a very strong and disabling pain. I recall my dad having similar problems which makes me wonder if he had celiac disease or a g allergy.

Well over the last couple weeks the pain has diminished significantly. Then last night without thinking I just rolled onto my left side and thought "wait, I can't lay like this" but... nothing! Not a growl, no pain. I'm astounded.

I also notice that I feel hunger again, and the pangs guide me toward healthy nutritious food. It seems there has been a disconnect for years between hunger pangs and food, because I would eat to alleviate symptoms rather than to satisfy hunger. The fullness I felt would be a momentary quieting of the stomach problems but often the "answer food" contained wheat. And since I probably wasn't absorbing right the hunger was never really satisfied even when my stomach was full (or uncomfortably full which was often the case).

So it seems this is one of the first symptoms to change noticeably, in me at least.

Any others who wish to share of the gluten-free impact on hunger, indigestion, food cravings etc. I'm interested to read your stories.

[Gfresh404]

I always knew there was something wrong with me. I would always tell my mom, I'm still hungry but if I eat anymore I think I might throw up. These are definitely conflicting emotions so I was frustrated a lot of the time. I don't think it was because I was not properly absorbing food, I think it was more because my stomach would be full of air. And being uneducated at that time, the only way I knew how to relieve that bloat was by drinking something carbonated. I have to say I got by pretty well, except in high-school I was kind of known as an jerk since I did not take the time to basically BS people. I was brutally honest and truthful, probably to the point of ignorance sometimes. I now realize just how big of a difference it is to be able to eat again, it feels so good.

I like you was on acid reflux meds, I tried all different kinds, none worked, only slightly reducing discomfort. At first I eliminated all dairy thinking it was a milk allergy cause I would have the strangest reaction when I would have milk. Now I of course realize it was most likely either a casein or lactose intolerance, hopefully both just temporary at this moment. Eventually I nailed my issues on gluten as well. I was down to 128, and I'm 6 '2. I was a scary looking dude. Since then I have put on 40 lbs. and am still hungry more than a normal person should be. I think my body is trying to make up for lost time and luckily for me, I am now educated on all this stuff about nutrition, so my body is getting nothing but good stuff (except for the white rice, but all other grains seem to throw of my digestion of fats, I know it's the insoluble fiber doing that too). Now I almost have too much energy and feel like a completely different person. I know I sound like a fatass haha but just being able to eat makes me so happy.

I have been gluten-free for 6 months now and aside from the psychological distress, I am doing awesome. Hopefully you will be too soon - minus the psych. issues stuff of course

p.s. And if you haven't already try to avoid milk products for a while, those gave me the worst heartburn.

[shirleyujest]

Wow you were very thin. That sounds so uncomfortable. You had worse symptoms than I did, mine was more the silent type I guess. Except lactose intolerance, and urpiness /indig. I was okay until the past few years. I certainly was never underweight.

It does feel good to have normal hunger again!

You know the funny thing though, lately I recall being a "fussy" eater even when I was 5 yrs old and my parents would fight me to get me to eat, and I had severe stomach aches when very young but it was never dx'd. And I think I've gone through life feeling very much in a hurry, like I didn't have enough time on earth or something. Then again, maybe I'm just a type "A" personality.

I'm glad for you to be doing better, you've earned the right to be a fata$$

[Gfresh404]

You know the funny thing though, lately I recall being a "fussy" eater even when I was 5 yrs old and my parents would fight me to get me to eat, and I had severe stomach aches when very young but it was never dx'd.

I myself was never actually really a fussy eater, except for asparagus, man that stuff makes me wanna barf. But I do remember having severe constipation as a child, I was obviously never diagnosed then either.

I also remember having weird stomach issues and cramps as a child. It's interesting how are body almost became desensitized to it and that we were able to convince ourselves that we were fine. Because, we simply did not know what was "normal."

[curiousgeorge]

Add me to the list. I had what I thought was heartburn. I had a reflux test and they told me I only had minor reflux. I took zantac then prilosec and neither one did much good. When I found out I had celiac, within three weeks I stopped taking all of the drugs and only had minor heart burn and over time, even that went away.