Did Anyone Have This Before Being Diagnosed?

[runningcrazy]

Ok so if you want a better background its here:

https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.php?showtopic=60112

Basically im a 13 year old girl with VERY persistent constipation. Like i said its all in the other post. But i've been seeing my pediatrician like every 2 weeks since april. I started with miralax, then 2 dosed and dulcolax. Then 2 miralax and 2 dulcolax. Then 2 miralax, 2 dulcolax, and 2 colace. According to my x rays, there was minor improvement for so many laxatives. Lately even with taking 6 a day i barely would go at all, or didnt. I stopped taking colace because its not doing any good, and it almost got a bit better, but definately not what you would expect for so many laxatives.

Its some stubborn constipation!!

And also, do you ever feel like the food doesnt want to stay? Like tonight i had abouit 2/3 of a gardenburger(couldnt finish) and 4 slices of grilled squash and eggplant. Its been almost two hours and i still feel like it wants to come back.

I was just wondering if this and what my other post said sounds like celiacs to you? Thanks!

[Jackie927]

Hi Maceroni,

I'm new to all of this and I tested Negative for Celiac but have all of the symptoms and all of your symptoms. Check with your doctor and Mom and everyone here before listening to me but I have constipation problems so bad too and feel like everything will come back up. Lately I have used one Alli pill a day and 6 Fibermucil pills with lots of water and I have been able to go to the bathroom every day.

Like I said.....You need to check with everyone 1st.

I really hope you feel better soon.

[Gfresh404]

I know exactly how you feel. I was always backed up and always hungry. I always felt that if I ate anymore I might throw up, but my stomach was never full of food, it was always full of air.

To be honest, I would stop taking all meds for your constipation. They can throw your body further out of whack than it was to begin with and in my experience they simply mask the symptoms for a short period of time before they come back even stronger.

What I would recommend is a good digestive enzyme. It sounds like your digestive system is seriously off track. The enzymes will digest a lot of your food for you, depending on how many you take. I personally take and would recommend Daily Essential Enzymes by Source Naturals. They are 100% pure plant enzymes: perfectly safe. Also, if you take too many they are stored in your body for later use.

If you can give your body the proper nutrition it needs, it WILL be able to heal itself.

You may want to consider some other supplements such as probiotics. But I would say start with these and feel free to PM me if you have any further questions.

[mommida]

My son has horrible constipation. Some statistics say 30% off Celiacs present with constipation, not "D".

[runningcrazy]

Thanks. Can enzymes prevent any damage of celiac or other food issues from being as noticeable? We bought some enzymes a few weeks back and stopped them because we decided we should ask the gastroenterologist first. I would love to stop taking he laxatives. My appointment is 1 week away so I will be on them atleast until then:(

[ENF]

I also use Source Naturals Essental Enzymes. They won't interfere with your diagnosis or treatment. I take probiotics, and intend to get some goats's milk kefir later today - which is also loaded with beneficial stuff for the intestines.

I have never had a problem with constipation. If you haven't already, I'd suggest trying more natural remedies than laxatives, such as prunes, prune juice, and other foods - most fruits and veggies are good for this.

[Gfresh404]

Thanks. Can enzymes prevent any damage of celiac or other food issues from being as noticeable? We bought some enzymes a few weeks back and stopped them because we decided we should ask the gastroenterologist first. I would love to stop taking he laxatives. My appointment is 1 week away so I will be on them atleast until then:(

I have read articles that claim that digestive enzymes do help with other food allergies and intolerance's. Just do a google search and I'm sure you'll be able to find some.

As for Celiac, they may speed up the recovery process but you still need to AVOID GLUTEN at all costs.

[knittygirl1014]

Hi Maceroni,

I had terrible problems with constipation before I went gluten free. What you said about food sitting in your stomach makes me think you should do a little research on gastroparesis. Basically this is when food goes really slowly through your digestive system. It got so bad for me I was burping rotten egg taste and vomiting a lot. It was REALLY bad. I'm glad it hasn't gotten to that point for you yet. The only thing that made it better was to go gluten free. Although I then did experience a little diarrhea before normalizing. Now I take fiber and probiotics and they seem to help the recovery process.

good luck!

[Amyleigh0007]

Before his diagnosis my son had constipation. He would have a BM once a week and it was a very painful ordeal. His doctor put him on every med imaginable. As soon as he went gluten free he was regular and has been ever since.

[runningcrazy]

Hi Maceroni,

I had terrible problems with constipation before I went gluten free. What you said about food sitting in your stomach makes me think you should do a little research on gastroparesis. Basically this is when food goes really slowly through your digestive system. It got so bad for me I was burping rotten egg taste and vomiting a lot. It was REALLY bad. I'm glad it hasn't gotten to that point for you yet. The only thing that made it better was to go gluten free. Although I then did experience a little diarrhea before normalizing. Now I take fiber and probiotics and they seem to help the recovery process.

good luck!

That sounds terrible! Were you diagnosed or did you self diagnose yourself with celiacs? And I do take acidophilus and i think bifidum chewy pills 3 times a day. I have been for a LONG time. It hasnt done much for me, but we'll see. Thanks~

[Jeanniebug]

As soon as I went gluten-free, I began having chronic constipation. And, I eat TONS of fruits and vegetables every day! Lots and lots of fiber. My doctor said my system is trying to normalize and has me taking 2-4 Fibercon pills a day indefinitely. It is just natural fiber from what he told me.

The enzymes sound like a good idea, I might have to get started on those too. If anyone knows of gluten-free enzymes I can find at Whole Foods I'd appreciate it.

[Gfresh404]

As soon as I went gluten-free, I began having chronic constipation. And, I eat TONS of fruits and vegetables every day! Lots and lots of fiber. My doctor said my system is trying to normalize and has me taking 2-4 Fibercon pills a day indefinitely. It is just natural fiber from what he told me.

The enzymes sound like a good idea, I might have to get started on those too. If anyone knows of gluten-free enzymes I can find at Whole Foods I'd appreciate it.

Most companies that produce alternative medicine supplements like digestive enzymes are usually pretty good about labeling stuff. Just look for the "Free of:" statement on the back.

I would personally recommend Source Naturals' Daily Essential Enzymes. They're plant based and you should be able to find them at your local Whole Foods: that is where I got mine.

[Evie4]

It was my desperate search for relief from constipation that I stumbled upon the possibility it was gluten related. I tried all the generally recommended remedies (fiber, water, exercise). I eat fresh fruits and vegetables everyday, little processed food, cook everyday, bring my own cooked food to work for lunches etc. My husband was even baffled at my inability to go--we eat the same food and he has no problem.

For me the constipation got worse over time and I felt I had no choice but to take laxatives and that didn't work very long before they weren't working very well. That's when I decided to try a gluten free diet. It has been about a year, and I don't have any problems. It became quite obvious in my case, that gluten induced constipation. I have found that over the year, if I allowed myself gluten, one day, it would result in not going for the next 2 or 3. When I first reduced my gluten intake, it would take 2 days of consumption before I became constipated. The only other time (food) I have a problem is when I eat legumes. So I'm going very lightly with the beans now.

When I suffered constipation, I had more problems feeling indigestion. I think I have some issues with how well/quickly I digest food. I eat very little at a time these days. I'm petite and a meal for me is 1 to 1 1/2 cups of food in a meal. It doesn't look like a lot, but I maintain my weight and rarely have problems with digestion any more. I never eat until I feel full, my goal is just to not feel hungry. I eat fruit for a snack in the afternoon and evening. I have treats and desserts on occassion.

I decided to go 100% gluten free. I have a long history of IBS and my problems with fatigue have increased to the point of distraction the last couple years. I hope over time I will feel better.

I can totally feel for you. I hope removing gluten will help you as it helped me.

[runningcrazy]

Thanks~

Evie-How soon did it take before you were able to fix the problem with gluten free?

I'm glad to hear that other people had this problem, we were all so surprised that six laxatives a day weren't helping. And also surprised my pediatrician kept me on them all!!

[maile]

don't recall if you indicated if you consume dairy but that can also cause constipation, for days actually (my body has been telling me this for a while, finally started to listen )

have you tried removing dairy for a few days?

[runningcrazy]

I do eat dairy, but not much. Basically butter in some foods. I was eatig plain yogurt with honey and berries and psyllium husk cereal for breakfast, but I stopped because It hurt my stomach really really bad and I didn't know if it was the dairy or the honey or the fiber cereal on it! And I only eat cheese maybe once or twice a week, if it's in our dinner. I never drink milk. I think it's past dairy, because it's been so long and the laxatives my doctor gave me weren't very helpful

[Evie4]

Thanks~

Evie-How soon did it take before you were able to fix the problem with gluten free?

I'm glad to hear that other people had this problem, we were all so surprised that six laxatives a day weren't helping. And also surprised my pediatrician kept me on them all!!

I'm sorry, I didn't have the email reply notification set so I didn't see your questione when posted.

Anyway, I remember I started keeping a calendar of what I ate, and when I went. I think it took a week to a week and a half before I went regularly. Another thing I did do was to eat more fat because I realized that over the years, I lowered the fat in my cooking and consumption quite drastically. I eat such fats as coconut oil, (cold press) olive oil and (organic) butter. On a side note, I was suprised how set in my ways I was with low fat as it was a real challenge for me to incorporate more back into my diet!

I was doing the fiber supplements, lots of water, honey (heard that can help), walked 1.5 miles a day, regular veggies and fruit, little processed foods. Adding that fiber supplement just made me absolutely miserable. I had tried it a couple years before and it didn't help. But I thought I'd give it another shot but nothing budged. I read where people said "you have to take it a couple weeks until your body gets used to it". There was no way I could ever make it through a week. I think 4 days was about it. I just got more abdominal pain and felt like I was going to explode. That's when I decided I'm going go try this gluten-free thing. I didn't want to get too hopeful when I tried elminating gluten, but I was desperate...especially when the laxatives stopped working. It seemed to good to be true... but it's been almost a year and I'm having no problems with the exception of the legumes. But that's no biggie...at least I know now.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you