How Soon After Eating Gluten Might A Celiac Sufferer Feel The Effects?

[Skrael]

I have not been tested or diagnosed with anything yet, but I've been highly suspicious of Celiac's disease from the get go. i am asking this question because I often feel my abdominal pain and bloating first thing in the morning after not having ingested anything for a good 8 or 10 hours. It feels like someone has punched me in the stomach, and a dull, throbbing ache is present. I'm forced to lay down until the pain stops, as being upright and walking around just makes it worse. I'm almost certain I don't have acid reflux.

Here's my story:

I'm 33, married, mother of 3.

All of my teen/adult life I have suffered from fatigue, anxiety and depression.

I have also suffered from back pain, and migraine headaches for most of my life.

In June of 2008, I was diagnosed with an iron deficiency. This was common, as I'm almost always chronically anemic.

I took the iron pills for three months and was deemed fine. I suffered a seriously stressing life event (I won't tell details, but it involved a very mentally unstable man, stalking, blackmail, etc.) and afterwards I became anorexic. Disordered eating was normally a thing of my past but this event brought it out again. I actually felt great when I was hardly eating a thing, LOL. I dropped about 30 pounds in a couple of months and my husband became extremely worried and threatened to leave me if I didn't "knock it off". Of course I stopped. When I began to refeed myself, I started having these HORRIBLE stomach pains and attacks. Within a week of eating "normally" I was thrown into full sweats, near vomiting, feel like I'm going to explode from bloating or something. They eventually settled down, Dr did not believe that the aches were caused by the anorexia or refeeding. Around January of this year the aches were continuing, but more like the punched in the stomach, I have to burp but can't expel the gas, chronic constipation, gnawing gut ache.

I went to my doctor, and he diagnosed acid reflux (He performed no tests at all, just asked me where my pain was) and he told me I needed a PPI and antidepressant. I refused the antidepressant and accepted the PPI. I was on the PPI for a few months, and it didn't really seem to be helping much. I still had these aches despite having taken the medication every day on time.

I applied for a new doctor and was able to see someone else. She did some bloodwork and found that I was iron deficient again and also found that I had H. Pylori. I thought, great, once this is cleared up I'll be as good as new! I took my cocktail of 8 pills a day for a week, endured the side effects and promptly had a three day stomach ache as soon as the medications were finished. Not the answer!

She then ordered an ultrasound. The ultrasound was normal, except that they found gallstones. AHA! She thought she found the reason for my troubles, except ... I really don't feel this is the cause. I have had zero right side pain at all. It's either central or to the left. (The to the left pain is usually me trying to pass gas or a hard stool)

I'm really thinking of asking for the screening. I was just wondering if the ache you feel is immediate or delayed.

Thank you!

[tarnalberry]

totally varies for different people. it could be as soon as 15 minutes, or as long as a day or two.

if your doctors refuse to give you the bloodwork when you ask for it (though make sure you're eating gluten for a while before asking for it), then you can always try the diet yourself, and see if it makes any difference. Testing is the best option, but not always easy to obtain.

[pewpewlasers]

It really depends on the person and the food. There have been times that I knew right after I ate that I was glutened because I would break out in a sweat, feel like passing out, and having to run to the bathroom. Other times it has taken a couple hours and sometimes the symptoms are more severe and they vary anything from a migraine to feeling like my stomach was in a knife fight.

I wish it was easier!

[Skrael]

Thanks for your answers! I will definitely bring this up to the Dr when I see her next .. it's worth a test right? I also have a paternal uncle who has Celiac's Disease as well.