Having Pain From Eating Non Gluten Foods

[Pianogirl]

Hi, this is my first post here so I hope I'm posting this in the right board.

In the last month or so, I've been having stomach problems after eating nearly anything it seems. I don't eat out, I make my own meals at home and have always been very careful in reading labels and cleaning for cross contamination, so I know it's not gluten that is giving me the trouble this time.

I tried taking out soy and corn but the symptoms were still there. Basically I just have this persistent aching in my middle-lower stomach. It's like a mild cramp. And my stomach is bloated, though not as balloon-ish as it gets when I have been glutened. I've been wearing pajamas when I'm at home because any pressure against my stomach is very uncomfortable.

I find eating anything with oil in it leaves this nasty taste in my mouth for hours, even after brushing my teeth furiously, and leaves my stomach queasy. I also can't eat any spices, for the same reason. Meat sounds and tastes disgusting to me. I've avoided eating raw vegetables and eat maybe 1 raw fruit a day. I avoid these high fiber type foods because they seem to irritate my stomach more.

Basically my diet is gluten free bread, potatoes, dried fruit, and cooked vegetables.

I went to the doctor 2 weeks ago and they said I just needed to drink more water and eat more fruits/vegetables. I tried to explain that I've been eating less fruits because they seem to make my stomach ache worse. So they said that was because I needed to drink more water! But I do drink enough water- I drink 6-10 glasses a day. They just were not helpful at all and just wanted to get my appointment over with. I don't go to the doctor's office more than once or twice a year for this same reason- they just don't care. They did listen to my stomach and said my bowels were very slow sounding.

I don't know what to do because I can't eat hardly anything, and I have little energy because I'm not eating very much.

Any advice as to what is going on with me or if you have a similar experience to share, I would greatly appreciate any help/advice.

[mushroom]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. I am not sure how much help I can be, but I will try.

First, you do not say how long you have been gluten free. Have you had a period of eating gluten free when everything was all right, and then suddenly this happened? This would be important to know.

If you are a freshly minted gluten free eater, sometimes there is sufficient damage to the small intestine that it has difficulty with the gluten free grains too, since they are quite hard to digest. I would suggest getting rid of the gluten free bread, subbing in a sweet potato or yam for the potato to give you some better nutrition, and trying some cooked fruits as well as cooked vegetables. Can you do brown rice? This would give you some B vitamins and some bulk, which you may be lacking if you are avoiding fibrous things. You could try making some rice pudding with hemp or almond milk.

With your current diet, are you constipated? You may be experiencing a very slow transit time through the gut and perhaps are not digesting very quickly. I am a great believer in digestive enzymes. I found out through stool testing that my pancreas was not producing sufficient enzymes, and they helped me immensely.

Can you eat things like melons? I know they are not in season there but they are generally well tolerated.

Give us a little more information and we might be able to help you better. I hope you get to feeling better soon.

[WheatNoMore]

Have you tried eliminating dairy?

I was feeling better on the gluten free diet, but notice now diary is starting to bother me.

I've switched to Lactaid milk for recipes requiring milk (like cream soups), but haven't noticed much of a difference. I would hate to give up cheese because I use cheese as snacks to replace those gluten snack type things.

I may have to eliminate it myself just to be sure that's what is causing the tummy distress. My distress is mostly upper abdominal--between the naval and rib cage. I also have IBS, so who knows what's triggering all of this? Stress? Well, unfortunately that's my middle name. LOL

[Panopticism]

Judging by the sickness after eating oil, I'm going to guess that you have either gastroesophageal reflux disease, or that there is something wrong with your gallbladder and/or pancreas.

Along with oil, do you feel ill after eating foods containing a significant amount of fat?

On top of celiac disease, I live with GERD as well as some so far undiagnosed issue with my gallbladder or pancreas. I am constantly in pain.

A good way to tell is if your stool floats or you can actually see fat or oil in it, that would indicate a problem breaking down fats. Also, if you have pale stools, there is more than likely something wrong with your gallbladder or pancreas. Bile is what makes your stool brown, if you do not have enough bile in your system, it will come out pale.

[Salax]

My 2 cents....

Eating only bread, potatoes and fruit - Those are all carbs, not good.

My thoughts

1. Have you been to the doctor?

2. Are you backed up? With only carbs in your diet, your body may not be processing food correctly. Carbs "stick" to our bowel walls....just food for thought.

3. Is your pain on the right side and up your back? IF so that is gall bladder symptom pain, peanut butter and oil based foods generally cause discomfort.

4. How long have you been gluten free? If it hasn't been that long, you could still be healing??

A side note to Panopticism comment: Bile turns the food you eat green 1st, the digestion process after bile is released turns it Brown.

If your movements are green, your body isn't doing a full digestion...This I know, been there before...then removed my gall bladder and with the Gastroparesis going on..I have seen some CRAZY sh*t, pun intended! LOL

I hope you feel better.