Poor Pancreatic Function?

[superfob]

Hi,

I've gone gluten free for 3 weeks now, and am starting to feel a different in terms of mood and energy (not significant, but its definately improving). I just had a thought today that I might be having problems with my pancreas. I've done all the celiac testing so far, everything was negative except my AGA IgA - so I guess I am gluten sensitive and not celiac.

I've noticed that I sometimes get pain under my left ribs (a little below the chest) after eating - especially if its a fattier meal. I also experience weird gurgling sounds in my stomach, sometimes its a gurgle, sometimes it sounds like something is shooting out of a duct, or if lie down before fulling digesting my meal I get a lot of strange sounds. I see signs of malabsorption or incomplete digestion in my stools, and also react badly to high amounts of carbs - increased brain fog and fatigue - if I down a large amount of sugars I'll feel horrible, kinda like prediabetic? I've had several fasting glucose tests and they have been normal, including a 2hr after meal glucose test.

I've read about a link between Celiac and pancreatic insufficiency, so I was wondering if that was causing me these problems (antibodies to the pancreas?). And also, can I expect to recover full function as I go gluten-free for longer and longer periods of time (I've actually eliminated a lot of other allergens as I am just eating meat, veggies, fruits, and rice)? I've read that I should take pancreatic enzymes, but I'm worried about possible side effects. Some people seems to experience pain when taking them, and I've also read that taking enzymes lowers your bodies ability to make them in the future.

Thanks

[cahill]

Hi,

I've gone gluten free for 3 weeks now, and am starting to feel a different in terms of mood and energy (not significant, but its definately improving). I just had a thought today that I might be having problems with my pancreas. I've done all the celiac testing so far, everything was negative except my AGA IgA - so I guess I am gluten sensitive and not celiac.

I've noticed that I sometimes get pain under my left ribs (a little below the chest) after eating - especially if its a fattier meal. I also experience weird gurgling sounds in my stomach, sometimes its a gurgle, sometimes it sounds like something is shooting out of a duct, or if lie down before fulling digesting my meal I get a lot of strange sounds. I see signs of malabsorption or incomplete digestion in my stools, and also react badly to high amounts of carbs - increased brain fog and fatigue - if I down a large amount of sugars I'll feel horrible, kinda like prediabetic? I've had several fasting glucose tests and they have been normal, including a 2hr after meal glucose test.

I've read about a link between Celiac and pancreatic insufficiency, so I was wondering if that was causing me these problems (antibodies to the pancreas?). And also, can I expect to recover full function as I go gluten-free for longer and longer periods of time (I've actually eliminated a lot of other allergens as I am just eating meat, veggies, fruits, and rice)? I've read that I should take pancreatic enzymes, but I'm worried about possible side effects. Some people seems to experience pain when taking them, and I've also read that taking enzymes lowers your bodies ability to make them in the future.

Thanks

Do you still have your gallbladder?? Have you had your gallbladder removed ??

[deezer]

Is the pain any worse when:

- sitting

- driving

- moving around?

Do you feel any pain in your back?

I was diagnosed about 1.5 years ago and I took enzymes for awhile until my stool looked normal and I felt better. Not sure if they helped or not though... Problem is that now I feel bad again, the pain in my upper left quadrant is more intense. Possibly I ingested some gluten in a restaurant meal.

[mushroom]

Apparently the inability to properly absorb nutrients can affect the functioning of the pancreas, not allowing it to properly do its job of enzyme production. Many of us take digestive enzymes to aid digestion, as well as probiotics to promote the growth of good bacteria in the intestine (and kill off the bad guys in the process). If your food is not being properly digested as it passes through (i.e., still recognizable as carrot or whatever, then I would think the digestive enzymes would be a big help to you. Find a good health food store with someone knowledgeable to help you with the selection of a good gluten free product.

[superfob]

I do still have my gallbladder - never had issues with it in the past.

The pain does not seem to be influenced by what I'm doing - if anything it comes after I eat (but its usually pretty mild). I've had pain in my back previously, but I didnt really associate it with gallbladder/pancreas - cause I was getting pains randomly all over my body after starting to take methyl b12. No back pains really recently.

I get these pale looking stools, but its not everyday. Its weird because I will have stools where half of it is pale and half is brown, kinda strange.

Anyways, I will try experimenting with the enzymes, and hopefully the problem goes away, otherwise I'll pay a visit to the doctor.