Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

How Long Before Normal?

Karmann

Recommended Posts

Karmann Newbie
Karmann
Posted

What is the average time for a celiac (what I call myself)to begin to reach a consistent "normal" after going gluten-free?

I have been gluten-free for 5 months and there are times where everything gastrointestinal related is fine and there is no diarrhea and then within the week, back to having cramps, diarrhea, and constantly having to "go". It's essentially a roller coaster because sometimes I'm ok for a week or two and others it's every other day that I'm having the same effects as being "glutened" even though I don't think I have judging that everything I have eaten has been gluten-free.

The doctor had said there was a half-life of some kind and that it may take a while for the gluten to work it's way out but, 5 months seems pretty long to still be experiencing issues...

Any help is much appreciated.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Jestgar Rising Star
Jestgar
Posted

I'm not sure there is an average. Every person is different, and the time to heal also depends somewhat on how young you are when diagnosed, how damaged, how truly gluten-free your diet is, etc.

Darn210 Enthusiast
Darn210
Posted

My daughter got a lot better within about 2 months. However, she had a reoccurring issue that would rear up about every three weeks. I, of course, kept running around in circles trying to figure out what was contaminated or if there was another food intolerance. Then at about the 8 month mark, the every three weeks was four weeks then six weeks then gone. I now attribute it to just taking that long to finally heal.

carecare Enthusiast
carecare
Posted

Took my husband a good 6 months for his diarrhea to totally clear up. He knew it was less frequent but was still having bouts of it. Every time he'd think maybe he was glutened but he really wasn't. It just took that long for him to heal. His stomach pain/indigestion went away immediately going gluten free so he knew he had improved despite the D. The D not clearing up after a couple months was the reason he decided to end his first trial of a gluten free diet. He was so happy he stuck it out longer the second time.

  • 2 months later...
Karmann Newbie
Karmann
Posted
  • Author

Well, turns out that the culprit was DAIRY. And I have now been off for 2 months and feel great!

Now the trick is trying a little every now and then to see if I can tolerate it again. Great resource this forum is!

Tom2 Rookie
Tom2
Posted

I have asked that same question. Seems to be different for everyone considering how bad you were before going gluten free. For me its been almost a year and still asking how long, but after reading several of these post I think my problem has been compounded by soy and cross contamination. Don't give up just keep seeking!

heidi g. Contributor
heidi g.
Posted

Your body might be flushing out your system. Or you have a certain food you can't tolerate. I just found out i can't tolerate corn :( no more tacos and corn tortillas for me :( I wonder if Gluten can be stored in your fat cells. I read this story where a teenager got poisoned from termites or some type of bug from the gasses they produce and it was stored in his fat. And when he lost weight, the poisons were released and he got deathly ill. He had to pump his system full of calories to stop the poisoning from his fat cells. I wonder if that's possible with gluten... not sure. Usually when you have diarrhea, your body is trying to flush something out.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


TTNOGluten Explorer
TTNOGluten
Posted

I have asked that same question. Seems to be different for everyone considering how bad you were before going gluten free. For me its been almost a year and still asking how long, but after reading several of these post I think my problem has been compounded by soy and cross contamination. Don't give up just keep seeking!

I have been at this for 2 1/2 months, and my symptoms have actually worsened to some extent with increasing abdominal pain that is constant, and continous back spasms. My bloating, burning, and lump in throat that I started with have improved, but the trade for pain is worse. I ceertainly think I am as consistent as can be with the CC, and am mostly on whole foods with very little processed. did find out this past week that I am also allergic to milk protein through recent allergy testing, so that is out. How frustrating this whole process is, nearly everyday I question if there is something else going on to cause this, or if I just have to be patient. Just doesn't seem right to have this much pain daily

T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

Congratulations on figuring out that it's dairy!

I have been at this for 2 1/2 months, and my symptoms have actually worsened to some extent with increasing abdominal pain that is constant, and continous back spasms.

Have you ever been checked for the H. pylori bacteria, or gotten the endoscopy? Celiacs are more susceptible to the bacteria, and it can cause ulcers.

Fructose malabsorption might be worth looking at as well, since this seems more prevalent in those with other gut issues, and can cause gut pain and bloating/gas.

Or it might be cc - I get the muscle issues when I get low level cc. Perhaps one of your foods' companies changed a process or something that is making it slightly higher in gluten cc levels? Might be worth while to call them up, see what their testing protocol for gluten is, just to make sure it's not an issue, you know?

TTNOGluten Explorer
TTNOGluten
Posted

Congratulations on figuring out that it's dairy!

Have you ever been checked for the H. pylori bacteria, or gotten the endoscopy? Celiacs are more susceptible to the bacteria, and it can cause ulcers.

Fructose malabsorption might be worth looking at as well, since this seems more prevalent in those with other gut issues, and can cause gut pain and bloating/gas.

Or it might be cc - I get the muscle issues when I get low level cc. Perhaps one of your foods' companies changed a process or something that is making it slightly higher in gluten cc levels? Might be worth while to call them up, see what their testing protocol for gluten is, just to make sure it's not an issue, you know?

T.H.

I actually have had multiple studies, including two endoscopies, H.Pylori, and a number of other labs all of which looked OK, only thing they found on endoscopy were the findings consistent with celiac and some mild gastritis, for which I have been taking Nexium faithfully. NO luck, seeing a surgeon next week to see if maybe they may even try taking out my gallbladder just to see it helps due to the pain in my back as well. All I know at this point is that I am darn near disabled from the pain, and prior to 3 months ago was totally fine, with no issues what-so-ever. That is why I struggle to understand this degree of pain solely on a basis of celiac disease alone, even the GI guys are scratching their heads and cannot understand it???

heidi g. Contributor
heidi g.
Posted

gas? I have had gas pain so intense i have had to lay down and it just sits there.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,161
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    dcajr
    Newest Member
    dcajr
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      EMA Result

      By trents · Posted

      Let me hasten to add that if you will be undergoing an endoscopy/biopsy, it is critical that you do not begin efforts to reduce gluten beforehand. Doing so will render the results invalid as it will allow the small bowel lining to heal and, therefore, obscure the damage done by celiac disease which is what the biopsy is looking for.
    • Scott Adams
      Violent reaction to gluten after going gluten-free?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This article, and the comments below it, may be helpful:    
    • Scott Adams
      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      That’s a really tough situation. A few key points: as mentioned, a gluten challenge does require daily gluten for several weeks to make blood tests meaningful, but negative tests after limited exposure aren’t reliable. Dermatitis herpetiformis can also be tricky to diagnose unless the biopsy is taken from normal-looking skin next to a lesion. Some people with celiac or DH don’t react every time they’re exposed, so lack of symptoms doesn’t rule it out. Given your history and family cancer risk, this is something I’d strongly discuss with a celiac-experienced gastroenterologist or dermatologist before attempting a challenge on your own, so risks and benefits are clearly weighed.
    • Greymo
      Violent reaction to gluten after going gluten-free?

      By Greymo · Posted

      https://celiac.org/glutenexposuremarkers/    yes, two hours after accidents ingesting gluten I am vomiting and then diarrhea- then exhaustion and a headache. see the article above- There is research that shows our reactions.
    • trents
      EMA Result

      By trents · Posted

      Concerning the EMA positive result, the EMA was the original blood test developed to detect celiac disease and has largely been replaced by the tTG-IGA which has a similar reliability confidence but is much less expensive to run. Yes, a positive EMA is very strong evidence of celiac disease but not foolproof. In the UK, a tTG-IGA score that is 10x normal or greater will often result in foregoing the endoscopy/biopsy. Weaker positives on the tTG-IGA still trigger the endoscopy/biopsy. That protocol is being considered in the US but is not yet in place.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.