Newbie In Need Of Advice

[wildcatboy]

Hello everyone. It seems I have now become a member of a community I consider a double edged sword. I am happy to have traced the origin of some of my issues, but un-happy to be giving up some of my favorite foods.

I have had digestive issues for roughly 7-8 years. My mom claims I have never had issues with going to the bathroom, since I was little...but the last 8 years have been harder than the previous 20. I am 28 and like I said have always seems to have a slight 'urgency' to get to a restroom. In high school/college this symptom seemed to magnify. <insert beer drinking> Now that I am am in the work world its a down right nuance. I have been to my family doctor and 2 years ago a digestive 'specialist' diagnosed me with IBS. Terrific, right?...well no matter how bland of food I ate, I was still running to the restroom. He had me try a dairy free diet, he prescribed me all kinds of expensive drugs...no dice.

Which brings me to 2011. With the turn of the new year I decided enough was enough. I had my suspicions related to Gluten, but the doctor assured me that was not it. Well, I took matter into my own hands and as of January 2nd I have been as Gluten Free as possible. I will say it has not been perfect, but I have had leaps and bounds, more good days than bad. Where as before I was in a bathroom routine, of just dealing with loose stool and occasional migraines.

My question...its been 23 days now. I would say I have had 18 good days and 5 bad. Does this mean I am gluten intolerant? or is the change due to a diet change and nothing more? Are the 5 bad days due to my uneducated diet? I try but i'm sure, not perfect as I learn more every day.

Also, I have have noticed that milk may be cause some of these 'bad days'. Am I allergic to milk too? or is this just a sensitivity in the intestine as it heals?

Thanks in advance. This forum really is a wealth of knowledge.

[Dixiebell]

Hi wildcatboy, welcome to the forum.

Have you had any celiac testing?

A good test, though a Dr. might not diagnose you based on this, would be for you to be strictly gluten-free for three months and then do a gluten challenge by eating a normal gluten filled diet for several days and see if you have any reactions. Taking milk products out in the begining and adding them later is a good idea.

Also replacing your toaster, collander, wooden kitchen utensils, cutting boards, scratched teflon pans and re-seasoning cast iron pans would a good idea. Make sure to check your meds and supplements for gluten too.

It is a major learning curve but definately do-able.

[GFinDC]

Milk is a problem for lots of celiacs at the beginning of the gluten-free diet. You may be able to eat it successfully after you have healed for a few months. Ups and downs and GI issues are not rare at the start either. There are lots of ways to slip up and eat gluten or get a little cc (cross-contamination) by accident. Eating mostly whole foods instead of processed foods will make it simpler to avoid gluten. Be careful of spice blends and vitamins and meds that may have gluten or dairy in them. You might want to try taking out soy also if your symptoms don't resolve after a few months on a whole foods diet.

[wildcatboy]

I always read people on this forum referring to 'healing'.

Is there a time period it takes for your to heal or it does it vary widely depending on the person and the severity of the G-intolerance?

Also, if I suspect milk, does that mean I need to remove all dairy from my diet? I.E. cheeses, and dairy?

[GFinDC]

Healing time does vary by the person. How well you manage your gluten-free diet has a huge impact on the healing time.

I suggest removing all dairy for a few weeks and see if it makes any difference. If you don't find any difference then it is probably not an issue for you.

[mushroom]

Well, I would disagree with gluten-free to the extent that lactose intolerance and casein intolerance are different issues and involve different enzymes. Lactose is most concentrated in milk, cream and ice cream. If you remove those and improve, but not entirely, you can try removing cheese and yogurt too, but most of us don't have to go the whole nine yards with all dairy, just the lactose because the enzyme to digest that is made in the small intestine.