I Am Tired Of Feeling Bad

[jorge0464]

Hello guys,

I posted recently but some new questions are going around my mind.

I have what I believe is a severe malabsorption syndrome without knowing exactly the cause. I have been tested for parasites, and nothing showed up. I am gluten free since several months but I have eaten outside many times without knowing exactly if cross-contamination or even gluten is present. I mean Hotters , Wendy, Mc Donald, etc. I don't ask for anything with gluten but who knows ?? My symptoms are bloating, loud stomach noises, tireness, undigested food in stool, hair loss, vertical lines in nails, dry skin, high stool amount, sandy stools. When all this happened, I had an Endoscopy with Biopsy, and a complete Celiac blood work. All that came back negative for Celiac. Later on, I sent an stool sample to Enterolab that showed gluten intolerance with a result of 13 ( less than 10 is concidered negative ) As you see, I don't have a clear diagnose but still I went "gluten free" without taking care of the extreme datails Celiac people must do. I mean cross contamination or eating some food I am not aware of having gluten. Please, I know this forum has many experienced people in this battle and I need some advice. I don't know if those possible amounts of gluten I have had are stopping my healing. I am taking IGG 2000, L Glutamine, Bee Pollen, Curcumin to heal the gut. I also take B-12 sublingual, Folic Acid, B-50 complex, and Magnesium. I am only 46 y/o and was a very healthy guy after a long course of antibiotic which destroyed my gut and triggered all this. Please, Do you think a very restrictive gluten free diet for a month should show some results that allow me to realize gluten is the problem ??? I want to do my best to be sure gluten is the cause of all this. What I should do to see if this my real problem ?? When I am able to see improvements if I stick a very carefully diet ???

Sorry for all this. It is just my lack of experience and guidance what is taking me this way. If you think tiny amounts of gluten are enough to stop my villi heal, please let me know, and I will do my best to avoid them at any cost.

Thanks. I am despered. God Bless You,

Jorge.

[Wenmin]

When you mentioned antibiotics this is what comes to mind: My mother just got over a bad case of C-Diff. This is a bacteria problem caused by antibiotics. In laymans terms, Antibiotics kill good and bad bacteria, and when you stop taking them the bad bacteria takes over. Very serious illness. My mom was on a very expensive antibiotic and limited diet to heal. Please go get tested for C-Diff. Look it up on the internet. A friend of mine lost her elderly mother to C-Diff becasue Doctors did not diagnose it in time.

Wenmin

[ravenwoodglass]

If you have an issue with gluten even very small amounts will keep the process going. To stop the antibody action you need to be very strict with the diet. It is not going to hurt to be very strict for a couple of months to see if it helps. Avoid restaurants and eat as much whole unprocessed food as you can. It is not unusual for an illness to trigger celiac. The illness you were treated with antibiotics with could have been your trigger. Since you had a positive test for stool antibodies a strict trial would be a good idea. Do also get your doctor to do stool testing for bacterial issues from the antibiotics to be on the safe side.

[jorge0464]

  On 1/4/2011 at 12:10 AM, ravenwoodglass said:

If you have an issue with gluten even very small amounts will keep the process going. To stop the antibody action you need to be very strict with the diet. It is not going to hurt to be very strict for a couple of months to see if it helps. Avoid restaurants and eat as much whole unprocessed food as you can. It is not unusual for an illness to trigger celiac. The illness you were treated with antibiotics with could have been your trigger. Since you had a positive test for stool antibodies a strict trial would be a good idea. Do also get your doctor to do stool testing for bacterial issues from the antibiotics to be on the safe side.

Thanks. I will doublecheck everything before put it in my mouth. I thought only direct contact with the villi was the cause of damage. For example : Can a skin contact with Gluten trigger the villi damage ?? I am a seller that work selling bakery and restaurant products and visit those places. I hope this is not causing any damage. I honestly don't feel any reaction if I touch flour or any product that has gluten. I think the most important is not eating it in any form. You are right. I need two months with absolute discipline.

[mushroom]

If you are constantly visiting bakeries you are getting a lot of exposure to airborne flour particles which, unfortunately, can be a source of gluten contamination.

[jorge0464]

  On 1/4/2011 at 1:15 AM, mushroom said:

If you are constantly visiting bakeries you are getting a lot of exposure to airborne flour particles which, unfortunately, can be a source of gluten contamination.

Yes, but if I don't eat anything in those bakeries, I think it doesn't have any way to cause villi damage. What I understand is gluten has to be ingested to cause an autoimmune attack against the villi. It is the direct contact of gluten with the intestinal ephitelium what cause an inflammation. I can be wrong but I think I shouldn't be alarmed with it to the point I will need a respiratory mask. There probably are extreme sensitive people that get very sick with only touching the allergen. It think that isn't my case and I hope nope... It has been my only job for years and my only support source. I think I have to stop eating outside first and double-check my food.

Jorge.

[psawyer]

Airborne flour gets into your nasal passages. Unless you keep your mouth tightly shut the entire time, it can also get into your mouth. If you inhale with your mouth open (perhaps while talking), it will get into both your mouth and nose.

Once inside your nose, it is a short trip to the stomach (post nasal drip is an exaggerated case). What gets into your mouth gets into your digestive tract via a more direct path.

If you spend time in bakeries, in the area where the actual baking is done, you should wear a mask. Flour dust is fairly large, so you likely don't need an N95 rated mask. Wash afterward, as your face and hands will pick it up, and your clothes will be contaminated with it.