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Feeling Defeated, Gluten Free 40 Days But Symptoms Came Back?

llynn34

By llynn34
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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llynn34 Newbie
llynn34
Posted

I have been gluten free for 40 days and have felt great! Until today, I've had painful diarrhea and bloating and I don't know why??? Yesterday I ate a plain chicken breast, blue diamond almond nut-thins and broccoli lasagna made with gluten free noodles and today I had nature's path gluten free corn flakes . I called and confirmed that the ricotta cheese and sauce I used did not contain gluten. The only other ingredients I used were mozzarella cheese, egg, broccoli and a few spices (garlic powder, onion powder, basil, salt and pepper). I can't figure out why I am sick and was hoping someone could help. For years my life has been dictated by my digestion issues and the doctors basically told me I was crazy and it was stress and anxiety. Finally, eating gluten free I felt good and in control but now I am questioning if it is a gluten allergy at all. I thought I had this completely under control and now I feel like I am back at square one. I would really appreciate any input!!!

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dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

If I remember right, the nut thins are processed in a facility that also processed wheat. Am I right? You can look on the box. I am pretty sure that they got me, though that was a couple of years ago. Maybe that's it.

You could also get tested for a corn sensitivity.

Hope you feel better soon.

pufffee Apprentice
pufffee
Posted

I have been gluten free for 40 days and have felt great! Until today, I've had painful diarrhea and bloating and I don't know why??? Yesterday I ate a plain chicken breast, blue diamond almond nut-thins and broccoli lasagna made with gluten free noodles and today I had nature's path gluten free corn flakes . I called and confirmed that the ricotta cheese and sauce I used did not contain gluten. The only other ingredients I used were mozzarella cheese, egg, broccoli and a few spices (garlic powder, onion powder, basil, salt and pepper). I can't figure out why I am sick and was hoping someone could help. For years my life has been dictated by my digestion issues and the doctors basically told me I was crazy and it was stress and anxiety. Finally, eating gluten free I felt good and in control but now I am questioning if it is a gluten allergy at all. I thought I had this completely under control and now I feel like I am back at square one. I would really appreciate any input!!!

Mabe the lactose in the cheese can be affecting you? Different forms of lactose give people differnet reactions.

Ahorsesoul Enthusiast
Ahorsesoul
Posted

40 days and 40 nights gluten free! Good job!

My first thought. From the looks of what you listed I'd say it could be a dairy issue. First you haven't been gluten free long enough for your intestines to heal. Dairy and soy can irritate the intestines. I suggest you avoid them for a few months until you heal more. Corn can also be an issue with many Celiacs. Keeping a food diary might help you narrow down if you have other food issues.

Also keep in mine cross contamination issues. I'm highly sensitive so I had to replace all my wooden and plastic items in the kitchen. I also got rid of my coated pots and pans. And check medications and personal care items too. Drinks need to be checked too. My dd was drinking root beer that had gluten in it. Who knew!!!

I avoided dairy and soy when I first went gluten free. It made a huge difference. Now I can eat them without any problems. It was worth giving them up for awhile.

jackay Enthusiast
jackay
Posted

I understand your frustration as I am going through the same thing after being so very careful for about 90 days. I am guessing I am getting cc every couple of weeks. This is a bad one as not only did I get my usual D and insomnia but also headache and depression. The D seems to have passed and I managed to get some, but not enough sleep last night. The headache and depression haven't passed yet. Today I am going to only eat quinoa, chicken, olive oil and carrots and see if there is any improvement. I am hoping I don't have to give up the gluten free grains. I need the calories.

Pac Apprentice
Pac
Posted

I sometimes have this reaction to garlic, certain dairy products - especially probiotics and yoghurts, and some herbal teas. I blame it on bad gut bugs fighting back.

jenngolightly Contributor
jenngolightly
Posted

I have been gluten free for 40 days and have felt great! Until today, I've had painful diarrhea and bloating and I don't know why??? Yesterday I ate a plain chicken breast, blue diamond almond nut-thins and broccoli lasagna made with gluten free noodles and I would really appreciate any input!!!

Did you strain the gluten-free lasagna noodles in a colander that has been used to strain regular noodles?

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rtrheli Newbie
rtrheli
Posted

It could be the gluten free lasagna noodles themselves. I find I get a lot of bloating when I eat gluten free-any noodles and it's been 6 months gluten free for me.. You may have to wait longer before introducing gluten free pastas and breads..

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

First thing I would suspect is cross contamination in the cooking items. Have you used that lasagna pan since you were dx'ed? The colander? Second would be cross contamination from shared facility items. It's a little bit of an experiment to figure out what bothers us, and sometimes, we can't always identify it for certain.

Ahorsesoul Enthusiast
Ahorsesoul
Posted

It could be the gluten free lasagna noodles themselves. I find I get a lot of bloating when I eat gluten free-any noodles and it's been 6 months gluten free for me.. You may have to wait longer before introducing gluten free pastas and breads..

Good point. A lot gluten free goods have xanthan gum which can have a laxative effect on people.

newgfcali Rookie
newgfcali
Posted

[snip]

now I am questioning if it is a gluten allergy at all. I thought I had this completely under control and now I feel like I am back at square one. I would really appreciate any input!!!

The important thing is you've been doing a great job so far -- 40 days gluten-free is terrific. And remember that 40 days of feeling well and healthy you've just experienced. You'll get that again shortly. This is just a minor bump in the road, so don't feel defeated. Things will settle down again, you'll figure out what happened and make sure it won't happen again.

We're all learning here. Just hang in there and keep it going. Come here for pep talks.

llynn34 Newbie
llynn34
Posted
  • Author

I am so appreciative for all of the advice and information. I never thought about cross contamination, dairy, etc. I am not going to let this "bump in the road" stop me now. I have so much to learn but with this website I feel that I will have the help that I need. Thank you so much!!!

Lynayah Enthusiast
Lynayah
Posted

I react to Nut Thins, which makes me sad because they are so good. I have tried to eat them a couple of times (once on a completely empty stomach), and reacted each time.

sandsurfgirl Collaborator
sandsurfgirl
Posted

Is it possible you have a stomache virus? You can have just D without vomiting with one of those and they don't always cause a fever.

txplowgirl Enthusiast
txplowgirl
Posted

Nut-thins gets me every time and they are SOOO delicious.

Lynayah Enthusiast
Lynayah
Posted

Nut-thins gets me every time and they are SOOO delicious.

Thank you for posting this!

For me, I do better with products that promise a dedicated line OR products that are certified gluten-free. Shared lines just don't work for me.

  • 2 weeks later...
ItsaDollThang Rookie
ItsaDollThang
Posted

It may have been the Nature's Path cereal you ate. I'm having issues with their frosted corn flakes and their Mesa Sunrise. I looked it up and their cereals are supposedly gluten free but they are made on the same machinery as their gluten cereals. They say they wash the machines and throw out the first part of a no-gluten batch to try to minimize any cross contamination, but there are several places where I found instances of people reacting to them.

My own stomach isn't taking them very well at all. I'm sitting here typing at you with a stomach ache because I ate a handful of dry, supposedly gluten free corn cereal last night. Other than that I've had nothing with gluten in it, nor have I eaten anything that could have been cross contaminated in any other way so I'm pretty sure that it's the cereal and not something else. (Same thing happened when I ate some of the Mesa.)I don't think I will be eating these again. I'd advise you to remove those cereals and see what happens. If the whole thing settles down it was probably the cereals.

New-To-This Rookie
New-To-This
Posted

My husband and I went gluten free in late October. He has had several wonderful weeks at a time and then out of the blue a day or two of discomfort. He says compared to what he went through prior to starting this gluten free he can handle the discomfort. From what I've read it can take at least 2 years for your system to completely heal, so 40 days of feeling really good is fantastic! There may be other things you are reacting to also.

If we have onions says he can tell he ate them. So we haven't had them in a while and them about a week ago I made something with onions again and again he could tell we ate onions. So for now and maybe forever we avoid onions.

I am a silent sufferer myself, and if I eat frito lays corn chips even thought they are only made of corn, corn oil and sea salt, I get a bit of discomfort from them. It may be that they where cross contaminated, I don't know, I just know that I tried them several times and had the same reaction each time shortly after eating them. So I bought some organtic corn chips and I can eat them no problem.

I know how frusterating it can be as does everyone else in your shoes, only time will heal, and we all need to remember this does take some time.

I wish you the best of luck!

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