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Severe Stomach Cramps

anglepoise

By anglepoise
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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anglepoise Apprentice
anglepoise
Posted

Hi, I've had some weird things happen to me in the last month. Several weeks back, I got what looked like food poisoning, & wound up in the hospital, where I had to get rehydrated with an IV. So there was that, then a few days back, my fiance & I were on a road trip, when I started to get these waves of stomach cramps. They soon became terribly severe & started migrating to my intestines. Pretty soon, both my stomach & intestines were cramping in waves, so bad that I was screaming into a pillow. I felt like I'd been shot. This went on for an hour & 1/2. I honestly thought I was dying. We were in the mountains, nowhere near a medical facility, so we just pulled over & I hoped they would pass. All in all, I had the cramping for 4 1/2 hours. It was a nightmare. I've never had anything like that before. I've been gluten free for about a year & wonder if I got contaminated in both instances. Blood tests showed that I didn't have food poisoning after all in the 1st instance. Has this stuff happened to others here?

angel

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KaitiUSA Enthusiast
KaitiUSA
Posted

I was in the ER 4 times before my diagnosis because of what they thought was dehydration. Blood tests found nothing wrong with me either. I thought I had food poisoning and it turns out before I was diagnosed I had not only ecoli(from a McDonalds Big Mac <_< ) but I also had mono...so there was my trigger

Anyways I know what you have been through(haven't had severe stomach cramps but I have had alot of other stuff)...since being gluten free that hasn't happened at all so maybe you were contaminated...did your fiance eat something then kiss you and you got contaminated that way? Have you checked lipsticks, shampoos, and lotions already? Try to track down every possible way you think you could have been contaminated.

mela14 Enthusiast
mela14
Posted

I also had the same thing happen. I wound up in the hospital several times with stomach pain, diahrea, dizzy, muscle pain, fatigue....each time I was rehydrated by IV and told it was probably the flu. Once they even told me I had Giardia and put me on Flagyl for it. when the stool test came back it was negative. I was actualy tested a few times and each time was negative for parasites and ova.

In hindsight it was probably gluten or some other food intolerance that I never suspected. I never thought I had a food intolerance but am realizing more and more that diet is key.

hang in there til you figure out what you can eat and try to scrutinize everything.

B)

Canadian Karen Community Regular
Canadian Karen
Posted

I have also experienced those kinds of pain attacks throughout my years, both before and after the gluten free diet. Mine also passed after about the four to five hour period. The only thing that helped me was my heating pad, on the floor, rocking back and forth, humming to myself, trying to get myself into a "place in my mind" where I didn't feel the pain...... I have never figured out through what has brought them on.... For me, it kind of felt like there was a vice grip in my abdomen pulling it apart.....

Karen

anewsprue Newbie
anewsprue
Posted

That's the kind of pain I had last time I was in the ER, before the final diagnosis of celiac disease. I had that kind of pain once before when I had a bladder infection with spasms, lasted about four to five hours and they think I passed a kidney stone. Might want to have a UA and be checked for an infection. Hurt like childbirth. :o

hsd1203 Newbie
hsd1203
Posted

just FYI... the only time I get stomach pains that bad (WAY worse than getting glutened) and literally want to die, is when I eat something with aspartame. even suger free gum is enough to give me a little tummy ache. sounds weird, I know, but it happens to my mom and aunt too. maybe on your road trip you were eating different than usual?

just a thought

anglepoise Apprentice
anglepoise
Posted
  • Author

Thanks, everyone, for your views. It makes me feel better to know that I'm not alone in this.

On another note, I downloaded the radio show on Celiac called "Gut Reaction," from Audibles.com & gave it a listen. It's very moving & powerful, but left me confused. Everyone at the end of the show was saying that the gluten-free diet was a like a miracle cure & that they feel so much better. I've been on the diet now about a year, as strictly as possible, & although I've seen a decline in bowel problems & migraines, I still have a lot of other problems, like joint/muscle pain & fatigue. I definitely cannot call the gluten-free diet a miracle cure, but it's certainly helped some.

angel

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ianm Apprentice
ianm
Posted

Every one responds differently. Some people take longer to heal than others. I would have to put myself into the group of people who call the gluten free diet a miracle. I didn't heal overnight either. My life is now the polar opposite of what it was. Keep at it, it will get better.

  • 2 weeks later...
antmimi Rookie
antmimi
Posted

Have you been tested for food allergies? Sometimes that can cause the symptoms too. Rice kills my stomach.

mela14 Enthusiast
mela14
Posted

ok.......suffering here too......I am learning that soy is worse for me than gluten!

last night I had a gluten-free cookie that clearly stated on the package that it is produced in a facility that also uses dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts and tree nuts! Unfortunately I didn't bother to read that part but hubby read it this morning only AFTER I was so sick. I must be THAT sensitive! I am trying to stay positive but feeling so poorly just gets me down. I can't seem to get it right. there are so many things to watch out for! soy is a killer for me! :blink:

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