Constipation

[LisaaaNoel]

I seem to encounter different opinions on this. I was wondering, for those of you who had more of a problem with constipation rather than D, after going gluten-free was this able to be corrected by going gluten free? And how long did it take for you personally to see some improvement?

Initially when I first started having symptoms, I experienced D daily for months then it changed to mostly C.

Thank you very much.

[munchkinette]

YES. Big improvement. I am one of those people who always had C and not D. In fact, there is a running joke about it in my family. My gran was constantly asking all of us how things worked in that department. It all made sense when my mother told me she had the same problem with wheat. Same goes for my brother when he eats gluten.

One of the sure signs that I've been glutened is that things don't move at all for 4-5 days. Even when my diet goes according to plan, I still have times when things don't work 100%. I take probiotics. They help a lot.

Also, after being gluten free I slowly started to realize that other foods give me trouble too. Dairy can have a similar effect on me, which is why I take probiotics instead of eating yogurt.

[LisaaaNoel]

Thanks for replying! I'm hoping I see some improvement. Do you happen to remember how long it took on a gluten-free diet for you to notice some improvement?

[Gfresh404]

I used to always be constipated. But since going gluten and dairy free, I now run like a well oiled machine.

[ravenwoodglass]

I had C for years before the daily D set in. After I was diagnosed things moved smoothly for a bit then I started having issues with C again. For me it turned out to be soy. When I went gluten free I increased my soy consumption a lot as it is in a lot of gluten-free foods and in much of the processed foods that I was eating. For me dropping the soy was the key. Injestion of even a small amount will bind me up for days. Can't say for sure that soy is also an issue for you but you may want to try dropping it and dairy for a bit and seeing if it helps. Also you may want to revist the allergist and get retested if your diet has been extremely restrictive. Some of your other food allergies that you had prediagnosis may have resolved. Celiac can put the immune system in hyperdrive and now that you have been gluten free you may not react to as much as you did prediagnosis.

[sixtytwo]

It is C for me. When I feel I need it, I put Truvia (an artifical sweetner made from Stevia) on my cereal in the morning and it helps things along. I can't use a lot of Truvia, as then I get another probem. Other sweetners made from Stevia that don't have a chemical in them work fine for me.

[Waiting]

  LisaaaNoel said:

I seem to encounter different opinions on this. I was wondering, for those of you who had more of a problem with constipation rather than D, after going gluten-free was this able to be corrected by going gluten free? And how long did it take for you personally to see some improvement?

Initially when I first started having symptoms, I experienced D daily for months then it changed to mostly C.

Thank you very much.

I tended towards C but had become regular thanks to enough yogurt! Now, two months into gluten-free, I NEVER go. Can't figure it out! I've tried adding fiber chews, eating salads, eating yogurt...nothing. I'm actually MORE bloated and miserable now. If you have any good pointers, please share. Thanks!

[NYCCeliacMom]

  Waiting said:

I tended towards C but had become regular thanks to enough yogurt! Now, two months into gluten-free, I NEVER go. Can't figure it out! I've tried adding fiber chews, eating salads, eating yogurt...nothing. I'm actually MORE bloated and miserable now. If you have any good pointers, please share. Thanks!

I tend toward this as well. There just isn't as much fiber in the gluten-free diet and that helps move things along. Make sure you are getting enough water during the day. Raw vegetables like carrots and celery can help. I add some ground flax seed to my breakfast cereal. Start with a small amount and work up to what works for you. My daughters GI suggested adding Fibersure to her diet. It is made from inulin, a vegetable fiber and is gluten-free. It is oderless, tasteless, and dissolves in food or water.

[SLB5757]

Add be to the "C" bunch. I used to have the "diah" after every meal and even four weeks in a row at the worst stage of things. After the four week bout of diah. about four years ago - it turned to constipation.

I usually do not have too much of an issue as long as I make sure I am completely gluten free. If I have gluten - I will not go for 4 or 5 days. After that period I usually have a day where I go all day, and then I am normal again until I get an accidental glutening. That is always my first symptom - bloated belly and constipation for 4 to 5 days. It is that exact cycle every time.

I am lucky as I do not have to add anything to my diet for fiber, but I do eat alot of cooked veggies such as corn, gr beans, and broccoli.

[Evie4]

I'm another success story after going gluten free. I was mostely gluten free the past year (now 100%) and only had problems when I ate gluten--or so I thought--now I have to be very careful with legumes (they apparently do the same). I too eat a lot of fruits and vegetables...I always cook and rarely go out to eat. I still don't have all the answers to my health problems, but I am SOOOOOOOO relieved that I am past the problem of constipation!

[Karrin]

  LisaaaNoel said:

I seem to encounter different opinions on this. I was wondering, for those of you who had more of a problem with constipation rather than D, after going gluten-free was this able to be corrected by going gluten free? And how long did it take for you personally to see some improvement?

Initially when I first started having symptoms, I experienced D daily for months then it changed to mostly C.

Thank you very much.

It's nice to stumble across this thread as I read often about people having the big 'd' and rarely do I see the constipation. I was like you, bouts of D at first, and scattered here and there throughout, but mostly years of constipation - I was lucky if a laxative would get me more than a little...rabbit pile, for lack of a better way to say it. I'm only 2 months into this, but I'm pretty regular these days! Woo!!