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How Long For That Brick-Like Bulge To Go Away?

bridgetm

By bridgetm
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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bridgetm Enthusiast
bridgetm
Posted

There's been a lot of mention of the brick-like mass bulging out from the abdomen. Mine isn't visible (I'm a bit overweight) but I can feel it when I press down. I'm about three weeks in to a diligent gluten-free diet. I first noticed that mass months ago but didn't think much of it until it kept growing.

Within the first week of the diet it had started to go down, but I was glutened on Easter and it blew up again. I think it's gone down some in the last few days but I'm also having some pain at the level of my waistline, just left of center. That pain has been building up since Saturday; it feels like gas.

Is that part of the process?

I'm still new to this and this forum has been a great help. Thanks :)

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Pyro Enthusiast
Pyro
Posted

Good questions and I hate to see it being ignored. Unfortunately for me, it still has been coming along even though every bad food has been pretty much ruled out. Last night it actually kind of scared me with how persistent it was and how it was in many different places rather than one. I've been eating jalapenos today, hoping that it will "burn" up and out.

Sometimes I suspect that it's from a gondo hormone (test, thyroid, and/or something with dopamine) and that it keeps re manifesting from an imbalance in those. Then other times I wonder if it could be seasonal pollen creating mucus that goes down and gets stuck in the stomach. The only thing I know to do is to try to be patient and not interfere so much. Maybe just adding things like ginger, peppers, and cardamom help but I haven't found anything that kills it for sure. And yes it sucks.

bridgetm Enthusiast
bridgetm
Posted
  • Author

Thank you for your response. I've gotten to the point where I don't notice it as much; it's become my new normal. It's just such an odd symptom. It changes with my diet- a glutening makes it larger and more painful, a few days of simple whole foods make it smaller and less of a nuisance. It seems to be a good way to keep track of how I'm feeling even when I don't have any other obvious symptoms.

I'll start experimenting with some of those foods you mentioned.

hypersof Apprentice
hypersof
Posted

Hi there

Just to add my two cents.

I am 6 weeks into the diet, and at times I wondered, too...and I realised recently that, although the "brick" is still coming and going, it is less and less present compared to what it was before -and the swelling is less extreme/ painful (except for accidental glutening!)

Do you have a food/ symptoms diary? that helped (and is still helping) me a lot; at times I don't realise things before I look back in there and see all of it written down!

Hope you're going to feel better soon!

Sophie

bridgetm Enthusiast
bridgetm
Posted
  • Author

Hi there

Just to add my two cents.

I am 6 weeks into the diet, and at times I wondered, too...and I realised recently that, although the "brick" is still coming and going, it is less and less present compared to what it was before -and the swelling is less extreme/ painful (except for accidental glutening!)

Do you have a food/ symptoms diary? that helped (and is still helping) me a lot; at times I don't realise things before I look back in there and see all of it written down!

Hope you're going to feel better soon!

Sophie

Yes, I have been keeping a food diary. When my symptoms started getting worse last week I looked back in my diary and couldn't find any obvious causes. Then I realized that I had at least one meal day after day for the last week that I made at the Stir Fry Bar in the cafeteria. I had used clean pans and utensils and didn't use any of the soy sauce or teriyaki they provided. Just rice, egg, mushrooms and other vegetables. I finally realized there must have been some cross contamination each time. This week I plan to eat only the clean, uncut veggies and fruits with skins from the caf and cook everything else myself. We'll see if that inflammation goes back down.

hypersof Apprentice
hypersof
Posted

this could definitely be a cc issue.

hang in there...and let us know if it gets better when you avoid the cafeteria!

I feel like, apart from the cc, it is still normal to have ups and downs -part of the healing process...

(depends also on how long you have been gluten-free?)

Sophie

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