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Going gluten-free, Will Bloating Go Away? Withdrawals?

yumyummum

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yumyummum Rookie
yumyummum
Posted

I am awaiting biopsy results but I was in so much upper abdomen pain and was SUPER bloated that I decided to just go gluten free and not wait. I felt really alert the first day! I was shocked! But I had really bad stomach pain for a few days still and decided to cut out dairy too as well as onions and beans for now to see if anything helped.

It has only barely a week and I haven't had pain. I am still bloated though, definately not AS bad but still really noticeable.

How long does it take before you know? Will I know?

I am already thinking about adding dairy back to see and because it is so hard doing both at once. I figure if it hurts I will stop. I don;t have a Drs appt until the 19th and that just seems sooo far away.

ALSO- I feel so hungry even after I eat, does it just take time to adjust? At first I was CRAVING sooo badly, like I felt like I was going through withdrawals!! Did anyone else feel like this?

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mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

You are definitely not alone! Withdrawals are very common and often last for 2-4 weeks, so just hang in there, it will get better. Also, food cravings and hunger are common because your body has been starved of nutrients for so long and it will take a while to catch up. I hope your doc. will check you for nutrient deficiencies.

Don't add dairy back! Gluten causes damage to the part of the intestine that produces the enzyme that digests lactose. It will take a while for the intestine to heal and that part of the intestine (the villi ) which produces the enzyme to grow back. Until you are producing this enzyme again you will have problems with lactose (gas and bloating from the fermenting lactose). I know it is hard cutting out a lot of things at once, but it is even harder feeling sick :rolleyes:

The general bloating may last for a while as your intestine has to heal before you start digesting all your food properly. Many of us take probiotics and digestive enzymes when we go gluten free to (a) help in the healing process and (B) help our damaged intestines cope with the job of digestion. Gluten often has a negative impact on the pancreas and you may be deficient in some of the enzymes (in addition to lactase) needed for proper digestion.

You are so new to this -- it will take longer than you may expect to recover from the effects of gluten. It is a good sign :) that you are feeling better already.

Good luck in your healing.

Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

My youngest son I think had withdrawl. He became extremely moody and he wanted to eat constantly. It started to subside for him after about a week. Now if he gets glutened he gets moody, tempertantrums start back (he is 6 1/2), feelings get hurt/cries easy and constipated. Fun Fun! :P

My oldest son is 10 1/2 (not diagnosed as everything is negative) and just started a gluten free trial. It has been almost a week and he has been really moody and nasty to be around. He has been having trouble sleeping. No spike in hunger for him though. I'm not sure though if it's coincidence or not.

I don't recall having gone through a withdrawl myself.

AVR1962 Collaborator
AVR1962
Posted

I am awaiting biopsy results but I was in so much upper abdomen pain and was SUPER bloated that I decided to just go gluten free and not wait. I felt really alert the first day! I was shocked! But I had really bad stomach pain for a few days still and decided to cut out dairy too as well as onions and beans for now to see if anything helped.

It has only barely a week and I haven't had pain. I am still bloated though, definately not AS bad but still really noticeable.

How long does it take before you know? Will I know?

I am already thinking about adding dairy back to see and because it is so hard doing both at once. I figure if it hurts I will stop. I don;t have a Drs appt until the 19th and that just seems sooo far away.

ALSO- I feel so hungry even after I eat, does it just take time to adjust? At first I was CRAVING sooo badly, like I felt like I was going through withdrawals!! Did anyone else feel like this?

Right now you porobably should be thinking as much as possible how you can protect your stomach and get the proper nutrients your body needs. That's the frame of mind I had to have that helped me and it is not easy. I also went off dairy and gluten. My stomach was burning so bad and I didn't know why. Doc gave me prescription for acid reflux, it didn't feel like acid reflux, it was more like my stomach wall had been stripped of its lining. I avoided all acidic foods as well. I took 2 prescrbed pills and 2 doses of pepto daily and slowly backed off as I felt better. The process took me about 5 months, I was in real bad shape though. I no longer take either and after 2 month off dairy I was able to slowly put cheese and yogurt back in, no milk.

My diet pretty much was veggies, meat and fruit and I had to get real creative with the veggies. The cravings will pass and the hunger will pass as you heal and become more comfortable with your diet. Remember this part of it is temporary and well worth it.

  • 3 months later...
SlackAttack Newbie
SlackAttack
Posted

I just want to quickly say thank you so much for posting this topic, and for your answers. I've been so confused about how to go about this. I'm about a month off gluten, but this past week has been awful with stomach pain, bloating, and honestly my intestines feeling like they can't totally handle processing food (since diahreah was a long term issue for me). I'm starting to think that maybe I should go off dairy as well (not sure I can handle it honestly). Does anyone have a general sense of the cycle, and when feeling crappy should really stop? Is it weird that I felt better before? Is the stomach pain my stomach healing itself? Thank you!

AMom2010 Explorer
AMom2010
Posted

I had very strong, painful bloating off and on the first two months I was gluten free, hang in there! I never gave up dairy, so that could have been the problem.

Kitagrl28 Newbie
Kitagrl28
Posted

Could you guys try lactose free instead of going completely dairy free? Hard cheeses like cheddar and mozzarella are also low lactose. I bought some Lactaid to try cooking with and stuff...I'm just beginning the process of finding out if I have a gluten intolerance.

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mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

The only dairy I could not eat was milk, cream, ice cream and frozen yogurt. I tolerated all the others just fine (hate cottage cheese so didn't eat that) but cream cheese, sour cream, cheese and butter were fine with me. :)

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