Diagnosis, New Questions, & Vent

[Suprmom]

I finally got into see the GI doc last week. He diagnosed me with Allergic Colitis. We have a gluten free home due to DS's FA's. He found that very hard to believe and even gave me a "friendly" lecture on how that was not the best idea for the family or our kid. Doctors just don't seem to get that he really is that sensitive! Anyways, he says the reason I have been having diarrhea after every time we go out is because the food has more bad fats and bad carbs (?) and since we generally eat a lot heathier my body is just rejecting it. It sounds feasible but I am still confused. He recommended I take a dicyclomine before eating when the food is greasy. I asked him if I should come back if it doesn't work and he said only if this becomes a more consistant thing. What's more consistant than everytime I eat outside of home (except when ordering off a gluten-free menu) I get sick?

We discussed testing for celiacs but when I asked him if the test would show up considering I eat a mostly gluten-free diet he kinda gave me a hard time. I told him I have only had gluten once in the last month and felt sick to my stomach afterwards (it was pita bread for communion) and I could tell he didn't believe me and I got the previously mentioned lecture. He decided no blood tests right now but if I continue to have issues we will do those. I think he would want full blown celiacs before seriously considering it. At first I was excited it might be something else but now I'm more confused. When I got home I looked up allergic colitis and found a lot of stuff on infants that sounded nothing like what he told me was going on. I have found a few references to it as a generic catchall within IBS that means it's related to food. Duh! I knew that when I went in.

Tonight I got to test the dicyclomine with meal. I had a chicken sandwich bun and all. I feel lousy! I had headache, burning stomache (which I thought the dicyclomine was supposed to stop), nauseous, and now I have constipation (from meds)! I also feel exhausted. He made it sound like this would be the test but I'm thinking that regardless of why I'm having this issue the diarrhea is not there because of the medicine. This doesn't rule out a gluten intolerance does it? He said all my issues in the past are probably the same thing but I use to eat a junk food a lot more often without this, why so consistant now? Should I look for a second opinion? or Could this really be it? Anyone else use dicyclomine?

I know that it sounds like if I have trouble when I eat gluten I should stop period. But I have a hard time with the idea of avoiding it if I don't have to. Also, I was really hoping for confirmation when I went in. Not this curve ball. So now is it the gluten or the bad fats and carbs? I've never gotten sick at home and we don't ALWAYS eat so healthy.

One more question. My lactose intolerance has gotten better to the point of almost nil in the last year or so. He told me lactose intolerance never goes away it just gets worse. I thought I had read how those with celiacs tend to get over lactose intolerance on a gluten-free diet. True/ False?

I'm so frustrated

[The Fluffy Assassin]

I finally got into see the GI doc last week. He diagnosed me with Allergic Colitis. We have a gluten free home due to DS's FA's. He found that very hard to believe and even gave me a "friendly" lecture on how that was not the best idea for the family or our kid. Doctors just don't seem to get that he really is that sensitive! Anyways, he says the reason I have been having diarrhea after every time we go out is because the food has more bad fats and bad carbs (?) and since we generally eat a lot heathier my body is just rejecting it. It sounds feasible but I am still confused. He recommended I take a dicyclomine before eating when the food is greasy. I asked him if I should come back if it doesn't work and he said only if this becomes a more consistant thing. What's more consistant than everytime I eat outside of home (except when ordering off a gluten-free menu) I get sick?

We discussed testing for celiacs but when I asked him if the test would show up considering I eat a mostly gluten-free diet he kinda gave me a hard time. I told him I have only had gluten once in the last month and felt sick to my stomach afterwards (it was pita bread for communion) and I could tell he didn't believe me and I got the previously mentioned lecture. He decided no blood tests right now but if I continue to have issues we will do those. I think he would want full blown celiacs before seriously considering it. At first I was excited it might be something else but now I'm more confused. When I got home I looked up allergic colitis and found a lot of stuff on infants that sounded nothing like what he told me was going on. I have found a few references to it as a generic catchall within IBS that means it's related to food. Duh! I knew that when I went in.

Tonight I got to test the dicyclomine with meal. I had a chicken sandwich bun and all. I feel lousy! I had headache, burning stomache (which I thought the dicyclomine was supposed to stop), nauseous, and now I have constipation (from meds)! I also feel exhausted. He made it sound like this would be the test but I'm thinking that regardless of why I'm having this issue the diarrhea is not there because of the medicine. This doesn't rule out a gluten intolerance does it? He said all my issues in the past are probably the same thing but I use to eat a junk food a lot more often without this, why so consistant now? Should I look for a second opinion? or Could this really be it? Anyone else use dicyclomine?

I know that it sounds like if I have trouble when I eat gluten I should stop period. But I have a hard time with the idea of avoiding it if I don't have to. Also, I was really hoping for confirmation when I went in. Not this curve ball. So now is it the gluten or the bad fats and carbs? I've never gotten sick at home and we don't ALWAYS eat so healthy.

One more question. My lactose intolerance has gotten better to the point of almost nil in the last year or so. He told me lactose intolerance never goes away it just gets worse. I thought I had read how those with celiacs tend to get over lactose intolerance on a gluten-free diet. True/ False?

I'm so frustrated

You need a different doctor, or just to go gluten free. You can tell him from me that lactose intolerance goes away on a gluten-free diet, even without a formal diagnosis of celiac disease. It takes, as you say, about a year. My Lactaids are getting very lonely.

There's no way he said ulcerative colitis, is there? (That would be Crohn's.) As you say, nobody seems to talk about allergic colitis except with regard to infants and animals.

Here's the poop on dicyclomine: Open Original Shared Link It's all the same stuff that's written on the package insert, only machine searchable and not microscopic. Click on Side Effects & Drug Interactions on the first sidebar on the left for interesting information.

Good luck to you. I hope you find a better doctor soon.

[Suprmom]

He definately did not say ulcerative colitis. It doesn't sound anything like what he explained to me either. He said allergic colitis. I think he just wanted to give me an answer to get me out of his office.

I had taken the dicyclomine once before I went to the GI doc and felt really loopy afterwards. The GI doc told me that what I was explaining was not a side effect and must have been from dehydration. Thank you for the link with side effects. I hate reading them because I always seem to have the worst.

So I have the GI doc in 2 misinformed comments, possibly lies. 1 is the side effects. 2 is the lactose intolerance. and I still can't find anything like what he explained anywhere. Not that I doubt it exists just not sure it's me.